NAAFS News

Fight Nite in the Flats VI Changes the Face of the NAAFS
Written by Jake Digman
Photos by Ryan Heckert

MMA enthusiasts and media from across the country converged to the Nautica Pavilion in Cleveland, OH this past Saturday for the sports’ premiere annual event Fight Nite in the Flats VI and were treated to a night that is sure to be talked about for years to come. From the opening bell to the final toll of the main event, the unpredictable beauty that is MMA weaved a masterpiece of elements that all combined into one epic ensemble that could only take place at Fight Nite in the Flats!

Pro Series Middleweight Champion Chris “The Assassin” Lozano (10-1) did what no one prior to him could do when he defeated 4-time UFC veteran and Pro Series Lightweight Champion Jason “Dynamite” Dent (21-11) in the main event to capture the NAAFS Super Fight title and also hand Dent the first loss of his career at a Fight Nite in the Flats.

The entire arena stood on their feet from the opening bell until the final stoppage, showing just how much this fight had captivated the interest of the NAAFS Nation. Despite breaking his arm in the first round, Jason Dent showed the heart of a champion by going blow for blow with an opponent the caliber of Lozano.

Although it looked as if the fight was going to be stopped late in the third round, Dent was able to persevere and return back to the action to the delight of the capacity crowd.

In the end, it was Dr. Jerome Williams and Ohio Athletic Commission Executive Director Bernie Profato who were forced to call a stop to the action at the end of the fourth round due to a dangerous cut over Dent’s right eye.

When the dust had settled, the Ultimate Fighter veteran was all class as he graciously raised the hand of the victorious Chris Lozano and symbolically passed the proverbial torch as being “the man” in the NAAFS.

A jubilant yet humble Lozano showed respect to his opponent, declared the bad blood to be over, and thanked all who were in attendance.

“Showtime” AJ Aeschlimann (9-0) of Instigator Fight Team added more gold to his already impressive resume with a victory over Brandon Ezzo (6-4) by Rear Naked Choke at 4:52 of the second round to become the interim Pro Series Middleweight Champion.

Already the 2008 National Amateur Middleweight Champion and a multiple time NAGA Absolute division champion, Aeschlimann made his intentions clear that he is looking to unify the Interim championship with the Pro Series Middleweight title.

Doug “Ants in the Pants” Sparks (14-2) of Team Hoedown made the most an opportunity, defeating Pro Series Heavyweight Champion “Big” John Hawk (10-1-1) by Rear Naked Choke at 4:52 of the final round in their Pro Series Light Heavyweight division bout. Sparks dictated the pace throughout the majority of the fight, displaying a blend of stand up work with an excellent ground game that Hawk was unable to answer.

Although a relative unknown to the NAAFS Nation, Sparks put himself on the map with the biggest win of his career and is now on a nine fight winning streak.

2009 National Amateur Women’s Champion Jessica “Evil” Eye (6-0) of Strong Style Fight Team made history once again by defeating Amanda “Red Fox” LaVoy (6-2) by TKO at 3:18 of the second round in the NAAFS’ first ever professional women’s bout.

Eye controlled the majority of the fight by using her strength to subdue the lanky LaVoy and intelligently avoid her wicked up kicks that have taken down more than one opponent. Following a successful pro debut, Eye thanked her Strong Style teammates, her fans, and her father; and now sets her sights on the historic first ever all female sanctioned MMA event Eve of Destruction in September.

Brian “The Predator” Rogers continues to be one of the most exciting fighters in the NAAFS with another impressive performance at Fight Nite in the Flats VI, defeating Jason “Wreckin Ball” Jones (5-5) by TKO in just 51 seconds into the first round.

Rogers connected with a body kick that dropped Jones, and then followed up with an uppercut that forced the referee to call a stop to the action. He was rewarded later in the night with the Tim Lally Chevrolet Finish of the Night award.

2007 National Amateur Heavyweight Champion Josh “Sandman” Stansbury (11-4) found his career reborn at Fight Nite in the Flats VI by virtue of his Guillotine Choke submission win over 2008 & 2009 National Amateur Light Heavyweight Champion Dane Bonnigson (9-1) at 2:06 of the first round.

Stansbury ended a three fight losing skid in grand fashion, putting himself right back into the mix in the Pro Series Light Heavyweight Division.

The Pro Series bouts kicked off with “The Silent Assassin” Gerric Hayes (5-3) taking full advantage of the NAAFS’ open door policy by defeating 2006 National Amateur Light Heavyweight Champion Chuck Ellison (9-4) by knee bar at 1:59 into the first round of their Welterweight division fight.

The National Amateur Series portion of the card was headlined by a battle between two of the top fighters in the Welterweight division as #3 ranked Bill Morosetti (6-2) of H2O MMA defeated 2009 National Amateur Co-Welterweight Champion & #1 ranked “The Contract Killer” Reggie Parks (8-3) by Arm Bar at 1:56 of the second round.

Joey “Hitman” Holt (7-4) of Team Impact put himself right back into the mix of the National Amateur Lightweight division by defeating 2009 National Amateur Co-Welterweight Champion & #1 ranked Bryon McCroskey (7-4) by Split Decision in a back and forth battle.

Frankie Perez (7-1) of Team Ricardo Almeida injected new blood into the National Amateur Lightweight division with his Unanimous Decision victory over Kenny “The Black Spartan” Jackson (5-2).

Perez had been highly touted coming into this fight and the NAAFS Nation saw exactly why first hand at Fight Nite in the Flats VI.

RJ Buck (7-1) of Ohio BJJC defeated Ben “Sonic” Quigley (5-2) by Unanimous Decision in what could only be described as a chess match in the National Amateur Featherweight division.

Quigley displayed exceptional BJJ skills, but Buck was always one step ahead and it showed on the judges’ score cards.

Zac “Bad News at 11” Gobel (6-1) of Dragon’s Den WV made an immediate statement in his NAAFS debut, defeating #1 ranked “Chocolate Thunder” Milan Wesley (5-3) by Rear Naked Choke at 1:08 into the first round of their National Amateur Middleweight division fight.

Tamikka Brents (3-0-1) of 5 Knuckle MMA made a successful foray into NAAFS competition by out boxing “The DNA Princess” Jessica Zomcik (4-2) to earn a Split Decision victory on the judges’ scorecards.

In Featherweight division action, Cory Ruthsatz (4-3) of SFC earned the biggest win of his young career when he defeated Craig Wilson (5-6) of Strong Style Fight Team by Arm Bar at 2:29 of the first round.

In a battle of former Penn State wrestlers, Clint Musser of Evolve MMA improved to 2-0 with a first round Guillotine Choke win over Team Titan PA’s Mike Putnam (1-1) at 1:43 of their National Amateur Lightweight division fight.

The show opened with another history making fight, as Tyler Saltsman (1-0) defeated Victor Guarriello (0-1) by Unanimous Decision in the first ever National Amateur Bantamweight division fight to take place at a Fight Nite in the Flats event.

The NAAFS would like to thank all of the fans who attended Fight Nite in the Flats VI live at the Nautica Pavilion and everyone who watched the event live on Ustream. A special thank you also goes out to Mr. John P. Lennon, Tim Lally Chevrolet, Bud Light, US Army, The Clevelander, Barley House Cleveland, BetonFighting.com, SportsTime Ohio, MMAFit.com, HexLinc.com, Bloody Buddy Fight Gear, Dillards Department Stores, and Thomas Limousines for your continued support of the NAAFS.

BONUS PHOTOS

Fight Nite in the Flats VI Quick Results
Saturday June 5th * Nautica Pavilion * Cleveland, OH

Featured Pro Series Bouts

170 lbs TITLE – Chris “The Assassin” Lozano 10-1 (Strong Style) over Jason “Dynamite” Dent 21-11 (Team GriffonRawl) by cuts at the end of Rd 4

185 lbs TITLE – “Showtime” AJ Aeschlimann 9-0 (Instigator Fight Team) over Brandon Ezzo 6-4 (Pittburgh, PA) by Rear Naked Choke @ 4:52 of Rd 2

205 lbs – Doug Sparks 14-2 (Team Hoedown) over “Big” John Hawk 10-1-1 (Strong Style) by Rear Naked Choke @ 4:52 of Rd 3

185 lbs – Brian “The Predator” Rogers 8-3 (Strong Style) over Jason “Wreckin Ball” Jones 5-5 (Team Bloody Buddy) by TKO @ :52 of Rd 1

205 lbs – Josh “Sandman” Stansbury 11-4 (Team Impact) over Dane Bonnigson 9-1 (USA Martial Arts) by Guillotine Choke @ 2:06 of Rd 1

125 lbs – Jessica Eye 6-0 (Strong Style) over Amanda “Red Fox” LaVoy 6-2 (Cheetah Caged) by TKO @ 3:18 of Rd 2

170 lbs – “The Silent Assassin” Gerric Hayes 5-3 (Nashville, TN) over Chuck Ellison 9-4 (Instigator) by Knee Bar @ 1:59 of Rd 1

National Amateur Series Bouts

170 lbs – Bill Morosetti 6-2 (H20 MMA) over “The Contract Killer” Reggie Parks 8-3 (GrffonRawl) by Arm Bar @ 1:56 of Rd 2

155 lbs – Joey “Hitman” Holt 7-4 (Team Impact) over Bryon McCroskey 7-4 (Griffon Rawl) by Split Decision

155 lbs – Frankie Perez 7-1 (Team Ricardo Almeida, NY) over Kenny “The Black Spartan” Jackson 5-2 (Strong Style) by Unanimous Decision

145 lbs – RJ Buck 7-1 (Ohio BJJC) over Ben ”Sonic” Quigley 5-2 (Team DNA) by Unanimous Decision

185 lbs – Zac Gobel 6-1 (Dragons Den WV) over “Chocolate Thunder” Milan Wesley 5-3 (Strong Style) by Rear Naked Choke @ 1:08 of Rd 1

145 lbs – Tamikka Brents 3-0-1 (5 Knuckle MMA) over “The DNA Princess”Jessica Zomcik 4-2 (Team DNA) by Split Decision

145 lbs – Corey Ruthsatz 4-3 (SFC) over Craig Wilson 5-6 (Strong Style) by Arm Bar @ 2:29 of Rd 1

155 lbs – Clint Musser 2-0 (Evolve MMA) over Mike Putnam 1-1 (Team Titan PA) by Guillotine Choke @ 1:43 of Rd 1

135 lbs – Tyler Saltsman 1-0 (Team Titan PA) over Victor Guarriello 0-1 (Team Air-Gadfly) by Unanimous Decision

Share on Facebook