Pompano Beach, FL –October 23, 2009 – Bright lights shining on the ring, fighter tension in the air, an anxious and vibrant crowd – all set the stage for one great night of fights. First Strike: Friday Night Fights amateur fights were held at Club Cinema. OTM Fight Shop and Krush Models were in attendance.
The 125lb debut bout between Bruno Nogueria (Deerfield Beach) and David Utrera (ATT Coconut Creek) kicked off the first Muay Thai kickboxing fight of the night. Utrera dominated most of the fight with hard inside and outside round house kicks, causing Nogueria to lose balance. Towards the third round Utrera added knees and punches to his line of attack securing him the win by decision.
Luis Jiminez (Wing Lung Miami) took on Michael Benken (Fist Factory Stuart) at 145lbs. Jiminez fired off jumping side kicks, one of which almost knocked Benken out of the ring. Benken threw heavy punches and looked for a head flurry, but Jiminez’ low slip helped him avoid the hits. Jiminez won the match by way of decision. When asked about his strategy for his debut fight, he said, “I didn’t look him up. If you strategize, the other fighter might change it up.”
Fitz Philigeone (Club KO) and John Rivera (ATT Coconut Creek) met at 145lbs. Philigeone delivered his strikes from a southpaw stance. Rivera, also known as the “Muscle Bot” brought the fire during this fight with upper cuts, overhand punches, knees and punches that dropped Philigeone. They battled the full three rounds and Rivera took the win by decision. You can always count on a show from Rivera, so when asked about what’s next for him, he challenged, “I want a title shot! I don’t care if it’s at 135lbs or 145lbs. I worked hard for it, so who’s willing to step up to the challenge?”
The 180lbs bout brought a battle between Patrick O’Reilly (Temple Arts Fitness) and Zach Mecom (ATT Coconut Creek). Both fighters favored their powerful legs in this fight with O’Reilly focusing on round house kicks to the head and knees. Mecom threw multiple kick combinations including outside to inside round houses, and push kicks to knees aimed at chopping down O’Reilly’s legs. O’Reilly’s body conditioning helped him absorb most of the blows, but he was shaken off balance. Mecom captured the win by decision.
The third 145lb fight saw a match-up between Joel Barham (Deerfield Beach) and Scott Gruebelle (ATT Sunrise). Barham threw powerful kicks, one landing Gruebelle on the floor. Gruebelle aimed for roundhouse kicks to the head and cornered Barham with pummels of punches. The fight finished with simultaneous right roundhouse kicks thrown by both fighters. Gruebelle, coming off a draw from the previous week’s Back Alley Brawl, faced another tough competitor. This time, he took the win by decision.
Sergio Rodriguez (Evolution MMA Miami) and Joe Martine (ATT Coconut Creek) fought in the 175lbs fight of the evening. Rodriguez worked his jabs, then delievered roundhouse kicks to Martine’s body. Martine caught Rodriguez’s kick and followed up with double punches. Rodriguez switched to lower leg kicks and pulled a spinning kick in round three. Martine was a powerful striker and took Rodriguez down with a low leg kick. Rodriguez won the match by decision.
The first grappling match of the night came with a grudge. One week prior at Back Alley Brawl VI, Fred Lana (ATT Deerfield) defeated Jonathan Cole (Pablo Popovitch). Immediately after the win, Cole’s teammate, Fred Moncaio, challenged Lana to a match. When asked about the challenge, Moncaio said, “He’s Fred, I’m Fred, he’s purple (belt), I’m purple, there can only be one.” The tension was high as these two faced each other in the ring. Moncaio grabbed a hold of Lana and attempted an ankle lock and then an arm bar. Lana escaped them both, but it was a guillotine choke that secured the win by tap out for Moncaio.
The final 145lbs bout brought Chris Cyccone (Deerfield Beach) against Ryan Badran (ATT Longwood). In rounds one and two both fighters found themselves tangled in the ropes. Cyccone started strong, knocking down Badran with a straight cross. He also struck him with a flying superman punch, followed by a roundhouse. Badran started with a flying front kick to axe kick combination. We saw similar combinations from Badran throughout the fight, including a knee to Cyccone’s face – to an axe kick – to hook punch. By round three Cyccone was winded. Badran maintained his enduring stamina through the end of the match and fed Cyccone multiple knees, including one that landed on his groin. Badran finished the match by taking the win by decision.
At 130lbs, Josh Mercado (Evolution MMA Miami) and Casey Wacker (Team Real Cage Fighting) met for the second grappling match of the night. Mercado quickly took the full mount and attempted a guillotine. He secured the choke after his second effort winning himself the match by way of tap out.
The fights jumped to 180lbs, where Rashawn Cooper (Team Real Cage Fighting) took on Richard Cooper (ATT Coconut Creek). Rashawn threw a hard roundhouse to Richard’s body and followed it up with uppercuts. Richard pushed off of the ropes to land a solid knee on Rashawn. He threw non-stop combatives and knocked Rashawn off of his feet in round three. The fight was stopped and Richard took the win by technical knock-out. When asked about what was next for Richard after his win, he said, “I want to build up more confidence, and then get into Mixed Martial Arts.”
The final grappling match of the night brought Juan Lara (Hong Phoenix) against Vitor Moscon Schlosser (ATT Deerfield). These brawlers gave each other the stare down before the action began. Seconds after the bell rang, Schlosser jumped on Lara, wrapped around him and dropped him into an arm bar. Lara tapped out, ensuring Schlosser’s win.
The final fight of the night ended the event with a bang. Lex Kelly (Club KO) and Carl Darbouze (ATT Coconut Creek) took to the ring for the 195lbs bout. Kelly advanced on Darbouze with jabs, using his reach advantage. Darbouze spent most of the first round feeling out the distance and using his hard, high roundhouse kicks to offset Kelly’s reach. By round two Darbouze was consistently connecting and Kelly’s jabs had turned into wild swings. In round three, Darbouze landed a solid kick to Kelly’s head, resulting in a knock-out win.
Save the Date – The next First Strike: Friday Night Fights is slated for December 4, 2009. First Strike: Friday Night Fights is sanctioned by the International Kickboxing Federation and brought to us by Davita Co.
| Results at a Glance: | ||
|---|---|---|
| Bruno Nogueria (0-1) | vs. | David Utrera (1-0) W – Decision |
| Deerfield Beach | 125lbs | ATT Coconut Creek |
| Luis Jiminez (1-0) W – Decision | vs. | Michael Benken (0-2) |
| Wing Lung Miami | 145lbs | Fist Factory Stuart |
| Fitz Philigeone (1-3) | vs. | John Rivera (4-0) W – Decision |
| Club KO | 145lbs | ATT Coconut Creek |
| Patrick O’Reilly (0-2) | vs. | Zach Mecom (1-0) W – Decision |
| Temple Arts Fitness | 180lbs | ATT Coconut Creek |
| Joel Barham (1-2) | vs. | Scott Gruebelle (2-0) W – Decision |
| Deerfield Beach | 145lbs | ATT Sunrise |
| Sergio Rodriguez (2-3) W – Decision | vs. | Joe Martine (3-1) |
| Evolution MMA Miami | 175lbs | ATT Coconut Creek |
| *Grappling* | ||
| Fred Moncaio W – Tap out | vs. | Fred Lana |
| Pablo Popovitch | 180lbs | ATT Deerfield |
| Chris Cyccone (0-1) | vs. | Ryan Badran (2-0) W – Decision |
| Deerfield Beach | 145lbs | ATT Longwood |
| *Grappling* | ||
| Josh Mercado W – Tap out | vs. | Casey Wacker |
| Evolution MMA Miami | 130lbs | Team Real Cage Fighting |
| Rashawn Cooper (2-2) | vs. | Richard Cooper (2-0) W – TKO |
| Team Real Cage Fighting | 180lbs | ATT Coconut Creek |
| *Grappling* | ||
| Juan Lara | vs. | Vitor Moscon Schlosser W – Tap out |
| Hong Phoenix | 180lbs | ATT Deerfield |
| Lex Kelly (0-1) | vs. | Carl Darbouze (2-0) W – KO |
| Club KO | 195lbs | ATT Coconut Creek |
Natalie Perez-Poulos has a love for Martial Arts and practices Kung Fu, Muay Thai Kick-boxing, and Krav Maga on a daily basis, at the Martial Arts Training Academy of Hollywood. She received her Black Belt in November 2009. Natalie graduated with a Bachelor's Degree from the College of Journalism at the University of Florida and went on to complete her Master's Degree in Business Administration. 
Hey Natalie I liked the final fight at the end with the whole knock out from the guy really powerful.