Deja vu with Pats

While watching the Patriots/Giants football game on Sunday, I got a sense of deja vu. It was just like the 2007 Super Bowl when Tom Brady led the Pats down the field late in the fourth quarter to give his team the lead. Bad thing was, both times he left Eli Manning too much time. All the defense had to do was come up with a stop. The only difference was this time the Giants only needed a field goal to tie the game, whereas in the Super Bowl they needed to get into the end zone, which they did when Palaxico Burress hauled in one of the most memorable (good or bad) touchdown receptions in Super Bowl history. The stage was set once again when Brady found Rob Gronkowski in the end zone to give New England a lead late on Sunday. But then, just like they did a few years ago, things started to fall into place for New York. A long pass down the middle of the field put them in New England territory and a penalty put them on the 1. It was only a matter of time before the Giants punched it in, which of course they did, with just seconds remaining. So, after that display against the Giants, are the Patriots any closer now to where they were last time they played the Giants -- the Super Bowl? Surprisingly, I have to say yes. There were some positives that came out of the game on Sunday which, despite the loss, was one of the most complete efforts by the Patriots all season even though that was hard to stomach right after the game. Lets start with the defense, which held the Giants, the No. 11 offense in the league, scoreless for a half. OK, they gave up 24 points in the second half, but it was a step forward for a defense that looked like it couldn't stop a Pop Warner team the week before against Pittsburgh. New England held New York, the sixth-best passing team in the NFL, to just 250 yards through the air. Devin McCourty looked MUCH better at corner and Kyle Arrington showed a lot of progress on the other side of the field. That 250 yards could have been less had it not been for a few great passes by Manning. There are still issues at the safety positions. Patrick Chung is a solid tackler, but not great in coverage, and there is no answer for the other safety position. That is the biggest concern right now. The defensive line looked good and for the first time was actually getting a push off the line and in the face of the opposing quarterback. That interception in the end zone by Arrington was about 80 percent because Andre Carter was in Manning's face forcing him to throw the ball off his back foot into a bad area. Carter looked great on Sunday. He is the only one consistently getting to the QB, however. He will need help in the pass rush if this team is to go deep in the playoffs and I'm not sure where it is going to come from. By the way, what ever happened to Jermaine Cunningham? The offense showed signs of greatness, but what is so frustrating this year is the inconsistency. I think they need to stick with the no-huddle like they did on their last full drive and let Brady do all the play calling. Time for some of the offensive coaches to put their egoes aside and let the guy on the field call the shots. That's when the Pats seem to work their best. Lastly, but not least, Chad Ochocinco finally looked good out there on the field. New England got him involved and it wasn't his fault he wasn't more productive, Even though he didn't have a single catch, Ochocinco ran some great routes. He was wide open on a post route in the end zone, but Brady underthrew the ball. He got good seperation on a play in the red zone, but once again Brady missed the target. And he ran a great quick slant and would have made the catch had it not been for a great defensive play.

"Filthy" good

It seems to me the fighter on the rise on the local scene is Perry "Filthy" Filkins of Militech Fighting Systems in Hooksett.
Filkins recorded a win by TKO just 15 seconds in to his bout with Bob Burton at Combat Zone 39 on Friday night to improve to 5-1. It was his third win in a row since losing his only fight, a unanimous decision at the hands of Cornelius Murray back in January.
Filkins first caught my eye at Combat Zone 37 in April when he was coming off that loss to Murray. He was matched up against Will Santiago, who was destroying the compeition in a young Tyson-like fashion, knockouts just seconds in to his fights. I thought Filkins was going to be another vicitm on Santiago's way to the big time, but Filkins demolished Santiago in that fight.
He showed he could take a punch and methodically picked Santiago apart. Filkins landed good knees and punches while fighting smart. He refused to go toe-to-toe with Santiago, who kept trying to land bombs. He tired out Santiago, who hadn't gone more than 39 seconds into a match before that, and in the second round Filkins unloaded on Santiago with knees and punches.
The fight was stopped and Santiago had to be helped back to the locker room.
Filkins has recorded two more first-round knockouts since then, albeit the competition wasn't the best. He beat Chris Haggerty (0-4) in July and then newly-turned pro Burton (1-1) on Friday. His overall level of competition has been decent, however, as the combined record of his opponents is 15-12.
Filkins is a balanced fighter. He has good striking ability, can grapple and is strong for his size. He's not as big or powerful as some fighters in his class, but he can win a lot of ways and is smart in the cage.
I'm hoping that his next fight is a good one agaionst a tough opponent, because I think Filkins can go places, he just needs to resume to impress the powers that be.

O'Neil making a statement for locals

Over the past few weeks, Chuck O'Neil has struck a huge blow for local mixed martial arts.
During that time, O'Neil has gone from alternate on season 13 of The Ultimate Fighter to a semifinalist. Tonight, he will take on Tony Ferguson for the right to fight in the live championship bout and a contract with the UFC.
Last week, O'Neil beat the tar out of Zach Davis to punch his ticket for the semis. He is a solid fighter with good striking skills and untested wrestling skills. At 8-3entering the TUF competition, O'Neil was ranked second in the Northeast behind Tom Moreau of Derry, who said he was passed over for the show.
MMA is much bigger out west, in places like Las Vegas and LA, but it is getting bigger here. Last year, Massachusetts sanctioned the sport and this year Maine followed suit. Now shows are popping up everywhere and even taking on some of the bigger venues in New England such as the Whittemore Center in Durham and the Tsongas Arena in Lowell, Mass.
Hopefully, O'Neil's run this season will open the eyes of the UFC and show them that there are quality fighters here in New England. Hopefully, it will get more deserving local fighters signed to contracts and maybe even bring more televised events our way.

MMA debuts in Maine

It was an historic moment on Saturday when the first ever sanctioned mixed martial arts event in the state of Maine was held at the Stevens Avenue Armory in Portland.
According to reports, more than 2,000 people attended the event headlined with a win by Ryan Scheiding of Manchester, N.H., over Colby Brown. Scheiding, who fights for Team Burgess, won by submission in the first round.
The bigger story, however, is that now MMA is sanctioned in Maine. That makes two New England states that have sanctioned the popular sport over the past two years. Massachusetts gave MMA the nod just over a year ago.
This is significant because it means more opportunity for New Hampshire fighters, and they are already taking advantage. The second event in Maine, GFL 11, is scheduled for Friday in Portland and there are six fighters out of New Hapshire on the card. They are Trevor Stone, John English, John Healey, Jason Libby, Ken Kersch and Kevin Haley.
The next event in New Hampshire isn't until July 15 and there are only seven more events planned for this calendar year.

By MARK QUIRK
New Hampshire Union Leader

SALEM -- New Englanders didn’t fare well in the premier fights at Combat Zone 37 on Friday as three of the four professional bouts on the card were won by fighters from other parts of the country.
Tom Moreau of Derry, and both Nate Kittredge and Nate Ainsworth of Vermont all lost their bouts. Moreau (7-3) was choked out at 2:35 of the first round by Dave Hulett (16-8) of Las Vegas in the main event, Kittredge (11-2) lost by technical knockout at 3:22 of the second round to Mike Massenzio (13-3) of Paramus, N.J., and Ainsworth (0-2) was knocked out 23 seconds into his match with Brian Kelleher (1-1) of Cortland, N.Y.
Moreau fell victim to bad luck in his fight at Rockingham Park. As the two were grappling in the first round, Hulett gained Moreau’s back and landed some illegal punches to the back of his head.
“I must have clipped the back of his head,“ Hulett said. “It certainly wasn’t intentional.“
Moreau, who said he suffered a concussion from the strikes, felt differently.
“I don’t like to win like that and I don’t like to lose like that,” Moreau said. “There’s no way it was an accident. It really frustrates me.”
The ref stopped the action so Moreau could compose himself and the doctors could have a look at him. After an examination, the doctors cleared Moreau and he continued to fight, but it was clear he was still feeling the effects of the blow.
The two locked up again, and at that point it didn’t take long for Hulett to slap on a triangle choke for the submission.
Moreau said he remembers the entire fight up to the point when Hulett landed the illegal blows. Things were blurry after that. He doesn’t remember being on the ground talking to the doctors and “was confused as to what happened.” He said things started to get better when he stood up and told the doctor he could go on, but he wasn’t fully recovered.
The only local pro fighter who won was Perry Filkins (3-1) of Hooksett, who knocked out Will Santiago (2-1) at 2:53 of the second round in his bout.
Santiago’s two wins as a pro both came by knockout less than a minute into the first round. It looked like he was heading for his third when Santiago came out throwing bombs in the first,. He wasn’t able to land anything significant, however, and all the swinging took its toll.
Santiago got exhausted in the second round. Filkins took advantage of that and landed a punch that stunned Santiago in the second round. He followed that with several punches and knees, which led to the knockout.
“I went back to my basics. I started using my leg kicks more and that stopped him from swinging those big right hands,” Filkins said. “Once I saw I could finish him, I just kept going.”
In the best fight of the night, Manchester Memorial graduate Erik Tseronis (1-1) endured a beating only to lose by unanimous decision to Mike Sullivan (3-1) of Nashua as part of the amateur card.
Sullivan won the fight, but Tseronis won over the crowd. A punch by Sullivan early in the first round busted open Tseronis’s nose, which gushed blood for the remainder of the fight. He absorbed more punches and kicks for the next two rounds and even almost got a choke on Sullivan in the third. But Sullivan was relentless on the attack and didn’t give Tseronis a chance to win over the judges.
Despite all the blood and swelling, Tseronis said his nose wasn’t broken, and the cheers from the crowd made it all worth it.
“I feel fine,” Tseronis said. “I just wish I had a win to go with it. I said to myself somebody’s going to have to put me out to stop me. That’s how we train.”
The results of the rest of the amateur fights were as follows: Maciek Lewandwski (1-0) beat Allan Jocelyn (0-1) by ref stoppage, Nick Alley (1-0) beat Roberto Santiago (0-1) by ref stoppage, Ralph Llorens (1-0) beat Xavier Vargas (2-2) by ref stoppage, Jake Deignan (2-2) beat John Santos (3-4) by knockout, Nick Berube (2-2) beat Mike Garcia (0-1) by ref stoppage, Heather Lambert (2-0) beat Melissa Demers (0-2) by ref stoppage, Mike Burke (2-0) beat Bernado Fanti (1-1) by unanimous decision and Dave Clemens (1-0) beat Isiah Ocasio (0-1) by decision.

Welcome back Kittredge

Tom Moreau isn't the only fighter making his long-awaited return to the octagon on Friday night at Combat Zone 37. Nate Kittredge will also be fighting for the first time in more than a year when he takes on Mike Mennsezo in the 185-pound weight class.
Kittredge's last fight was a win over Matt Masterson in March of 2010. That was the fifth win in a row for Kittredge, who is 10-1 and whose only loss was due to illegal elbow strikes. That was against Ron Wuest back in February of 2008.
The fight between Kittredge and Mennsezo will be just before the main event between David Huelett and Tom Moreau of Derry, who hasn't fought in about seven months. They are two of 15 bouts scheduled for the action scheduled to start at 8 p.m. at Rockingham Park.
Despite the long layoff, Kittredge is still the top ranked fighter locally at 185 pounds. His last three wins have all been by decision.
An up-and-coming fighter to watch for on Friday night is Will Santiago of Lawrence, who will take on Perry Filkins of Hooksett at 185 pounds. Santiago is 2-0 since joining the pro ranks, both knockouts that took less than a minute.

Ready to rock at The Rock

I had a chat with Tom Moreau on Monday and one thing is for certain, this guy can't wait to fight again.
It's been nearly seven months since his last bout and on Friday he will make his long-awaited return to the cage when he fights David Hulett in the main event of Combat Zone 37 at Rockingham Park.
Moreau's last fight was a win over Dennis Olson by TKO (punches) on Sept. 17 during GFL 9 at the Whittemore Center. He has had three fights fall through since then and now the 170-pounder is itching for his next opportunity.
I got the sense from Moreau that he is frustrated. He feels local fighters are dodging him and organizers are having trouble finding people who want to get into the cage with him. That may be for good reason since Moreau was ranked No. 1 locally in the 170-pound weight class in the most recent Northeast MMA poll.
His original opponent for Friday, Chandler Holderness, is a scratch because of a knee injury. Moreau didn't seem to believe that when I spoke with him.
He said he has been having problems like that with local fighters for a while now. Several of his fights have had last-minute changes, which he feels is because people don't want to fight him.
He also seemed upset about the way he was treated during the application process for the UFC reality show The Ultimate Fighter. Moreau said he was in contact with a UFC representative, and they told him they were impressed with his resume and highlights, but he was listed as an alternate.
The reason he feels he wasn't selected wasn't because of his skill, which he feels he has more of than anybody on the show, but because of his personality. He feels the UFC wants charasmatic fighters, people who will walk around the house naked and act like idiots. It makes for better television.
Anybody who knows Moreau knows that's not him. He is a very down-to-earth and reserved guy. He is responsible and mature, which doesn't neccesarily make for good entertainment. So, instead, people like Ramses Nijem and Chuck O'Neil, who Moreau is ranked ahead of in the region, were chosen ahead of him.
It might not be on TV or a production of the UFC, but on Friday night Moreau will be fighting once again, this time with a chip on his shoulder to prove just how good of a fighter he is.

MacDonald gets the call

Kevin MacDonald felt snubbed when he wasn't chosen to be a part of UFC 118 last summer in Boston -- and with good reason.
For more than a decade, MacDonald has been at the forefront of promoting mixed martial arts in the area.
Rare is the MMA event in New England that doesn't include him in one way or another.
Yet last August MacDonald was a spectator at Boston's TD Garden as people with whom he'd come of age training and officiating entered the cage for the first UFC event in Massachusetts.
MacDonald swallowed his pride and took great joy in seeing the sport he loves flourish in his hometown. He went on officiating matches in New England, and in January got the call he had long awaited.
On the phone was Nick Lembo, legal counsel for the New Jersey Athletic Control Board and a legend in MMA. He asked MacDonald if he'd be interested in being a part of UFC 128 at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., and MacDonald happily said yes.
"When I didn't get called for the Boston show, I think some people noticed," MacDonald said. "I moved on. Things happen, and things happen for a reason."
MacDonald, a fixture at MMA events here in New Hampshire, will officiate two bouts and do the ring inspections for three others at the pay-per-view event on Saturday. He will be the ref for fights featuring Ricardo Almeida against Mike Pyle and Dan Miller against Nick Catone.
Neither fight will be part of the pay-per-view portion of the event. The Almeida/Pyle bout will be broadcast on Facebook. MacDonald will, however, do the ring inspection for at least one pay-per-view fight.
"Which is the way I like it," he said. "I don't need to jump right into the deep end of the pool."
He began his career in the sport as a fighter, but when MacDonald got "too fat" he decided to take up officiating. Almost 15 years later, he has refereed nearly 1,300 bouts and trained many local officials. He often works Combat Zone and Global Fight League events.
The next time MacDonald will be in New Hampshire will be for Combat Zone 37 on April 29 at Rockingham Park. Dave George, owner of Combat Zone, almost always uses MacDonald when he's available.
"Kevin is the best ref there is around," George said. "He makes good calls for the safety of the fighters, and he's fair."
Back in 2006, MacDonald was the ref for one of Tom Moreau's first fights. Moreau, who lives in Derry, has since become one of the most well-rounded fighters in New England, compiling a record of 7-2. The owner of Team Valor, he will be the headliner at Combat Zone 37 when he takes on Chandler Holderness.
If MacDonald is in the cage, Moreau said, you know it's going to be a well-officiated fight.
"He's definitely the most well-rounded (ref)," Moreau said. "And he's very attentive to the fighter's safety. He'll get down there on his hands and knees."
Moreau said MacDonald knows how to walk the fine line between stopping a fight and letting one go on. That can be particularly hard in a contact sport such as MMA -- refs are usually criticized for stopping fights -- but Moreau feels MacDonald has very good judgment.
"He goes the extra mile," Moreau said.
With a sellout crowd of nearly 18,000 expected next month, UFC 128 will be the largest event MacDonald has worked, though he has officiated televised events before; last summer he was an official at the God of Martial Arts put on by Moosin at the DCU Center in Worcester, Mass. And, in addition to UFC 128, he has on his agenda the Bellator Fighting Championships at Mohegan Sun Arena in Connecticut on April 2 (to be aired on MTV 2).
MacDonald said he has prepared for the upcoming UFC show by refereeing some bouts in Atlantic City, N.J., and going through special training in North Carolina.
Now, after nearly a decade in the cage and more than 1,000 fights, he will have his chance to fulfill his dream on the biggest stage the sport has to offer.
"I'm over the top," MacDonald said. "It's something I've wanted for so long."

Local ref at UFC 128

There will be a familiar face at UFC 128 in Newark, N.J., on March 19.
Kevin MacDonald, a.k.a. Kevin the Ref, of Watertown, Mass., has been selected to ref two bouts and will handle the cage entrance inspections for three other fights at the Prudential Center.
MacDonald has been involved with mixed martial arts since 1996 both as a fighter and ref. He has officiated more than 1,000 bouts, many here in New Hampshire, over the past 12 years. He is a regular with local production companies such as Combat Zone and Global Fight League.
UFC 128 will take place on March 19 and is headlined by UFC light heavyweight champion Mauricio “Shogun” Rua taking on Jone Jones.

NH fighters in action tonight

Anybody in the Providence, R.I., area looking for something to do tonight might want to check out "Rhode Rage" at the Twin River Event Center.
As usual, the card features some great talent from the Granite State, including Tom Moreau of Derry, who will make his first trip to the cage since knocking out Dennis Olson at GFL 9 in September.
Moreau (6-2) is one of the most complete fighters in the area and will take on Keith Jeffrey (5-2-1) in the welterweight class.
Another local fighter making his return for the first time since September tonight is Woody Weatherby (8-4) of Nashua. Weatherby's last fight was a loss to Luigi Fioravanti at the M-1 Selection show on Sept. 18. He will take on Todd Chattelle (6-6) in the middleweight class.
The main event has Mike Campbell (8-3) taking on Mike Medrano (8-7) in the lightweight class.
Granite Staters looking to get their fix of mixed martial arts action might want to consider making the trip, because they'll have to wait a while to go to an event in their own back yard. The next MMA event scheduled in New Hampshire isn't until April 29 when Combat Zone will have an event at Rockingham Park.
There haven't been a ton of bookings this year in the state. The next event on the state's boxing and wrestling commission calendar after the CZ production is a GFL show set for July 15.

GFL stepping to the plate

The Global Fight League is emerging as the top promotions company in the area not only because of its show planned for the Tsongas Center, but the organization has also announced it will put on a show at the Portland Expo Center in Portland, Maine.
The GFL is being very ambitious with its venues and I like it. Last fall, the league hosted an event at the Whittemore Center on the campus of the University of New Hampshire and in April it will host one at the Tsongas Center on the campus of UMass-Lowell. Both of those venues seat more than 7,000 people.
Now the GFL is booking a large venue in Maine. The main event at the Expo, which can accomodate more than 6,000 people, will be Pedro Gonzalez against Portland's Paul Gorman.

Go big or go home

Global Fight League is pushing the limitis once again. On April 15, the local MMA promotions company will host an event at the 7,800-seat Tsongas Center on the campus of UMass-Lowell.
Last fall, GFL made history by promoting a show at the Whittemore Center on the campus of the University of New Hampshire, the biggest venue to ever host an MMA in the state. The April show is a little more ambitious for the GFL, which is teaming up with Triumph Promotions. The Tsongas holds about 400 more people than the 7,381 seat Whitt.
The show at the Whitt attracted about 4,000 people. It's good GFL is keeping this show on a college campus because that is a big audience for MMA. And it's also a good location in northern Massachusetts, where the sport is exploding right now.
The main event comes in the 155-pound weight class where John Benoit (11-2) takes on Matt Bessette (6-2). Benoit is ranked fifth locally in the weight class and Bessette is ninth.
Another big fight features Matt Lee (12-9-1) against Chip Pollard (6-2) at 170 pounds. Lee is No. 6 and Pollard is fifth in that weight class.
The only other fight set for now is John Ortolanis against Joe Manzello. Dennis Olson. a Triumph regular, will likely get a fight and I would love to see a showdown between Tom Moreau and Nate LaMotte. Both have big followings in southern New Hampshire/northern Massachusetts and it would be the perfect venue for such a big fight.

CZ 36

Congratualtions to Nate LaMotte, who made a triumphant return to the cage last night with a win in the first round over veteran Nuri Shakir during Combat Zone 36.
LaMotte had been sidelined for almost a year with injuries, but didn't take long to get back into the flow. He slapped a rear naked choke on Shakir and got the Nashua resident to submit just before time expired in the first round.
The other big winner of the night was Calvin Kattar, who continues to improve his repuatation as one of the best fighters in the area by beating Luis Rodriguez in a unanimous decision.
It will be interesting to see where both winners go from here. I would love to see a fight between LaMotte and Tom Moreau, and hopefully Kattar, who got his 11th win, will get a shot from one of the bigger promotion companies.

Finally!

After more than three months without any action, mixed martial arts finally returns to the Granite State later this month when Combat Zone 36 takes place at Rockingham Park on Jan. 28.
It's been a long wait. The last event in New Hampshire was CZ 35, which was also held at the Rock way back on Oct. 22. This is certainly a setback to any signs of growth the sport may have had after a strong fall, and it is disappointing to see such a lull.
That being said, there is a pretty-good card slated for Jan. 28.
The featured match comes in the 155-pound weight class, where Calvin Kattar (10-2) takes on Luis Rodrigues (4-0).
The co-main event has Manchester's Nate LaMotte (11-5) taking on journeyman Nuri Shakir (15-16) in the 170-pound weight class. It is also the end to a long layoff for LaMotte, who hasn't had a fight since March 27, 2009, when he beat Davin Wesinger.
There are 16 fights scheduled, 10 amateur and six pro.