Recap – Gladiators of the Cage
Recap – Gladiators of the Cage
It was another successful event for Gladiators of the Cage who returned to Stage AE this past weekend. Nine fights were featured on the card with a headlining bout between Dominic Mazzotta and Chris Dunn. The highly anticipated professional match-up lived up to the hype. Neither fighter could finish the other, so they let the judges decided their fate. Two of the three judges scored the fight in favor of the “Honeybadger” Dominic Mazzotta.
Earlier in the night we saw another stellar performance between Vladimir Kazbekov and Jonas Rubiano. The amateur bantamweight fighters went back and forth, but it was the Russian-born Kazbekov who earned the decision over Rubiano.
When the night came to a close the fans of Pittsburgh, and those watching the stream witnessed entertaining action throughout the night. We were fortunate to catch the stream of the event here at BluegrassMMA, and it was without a doubt, one of the best productions we have seen. The Pittsburgh-based organization is known for the production they put into their events, and it shows.
“of the Night” Awards presented by Intimidation Clothing
Submission of the Night: Jacob Bohn
Knockout of the Night: N/A
Fight of the Night: Dominic Mazzotta and Chris Dunn
Performance of the Night: Dymere Rappa
View the full results from Gladiators of the Cage: The North Shore’s Rise to Power VI event here.
Post-Fight Interview Goes Wrong For One Fighter
Andy Anderson stepped into the cage for the second time and picked up his first win this when he submitted Ian Masters. The Renzo Gracie Pittsburgh fighter let the adrenaline get to him during his post-fight interview. This isn’t the first time that a fighter made comments that they later regretted. Anderson, who been through a lot in his life, became the latest victim of saying remarks that he wish he had not.
Our friends at Standthemup.org broke the incident down in detail. The author of the article, Matt Leyshock, is from the Pittsburgh area and is more familiar with the gyms around the area. Yesterday Anderson took to his Facebook to apologize for what he said (posted below). [Update: Looks like his Facebook post has since been removed.]
Hopefully, the gyms involved in his comments don’t take offense to his comments, given the fact that Anderson was coming off his first win. Although according to Leyshock that is not the case here. He reported the following, “Word on the street is that there has been a challenge extended from Fight Club that would square their best off against Renzo’s best in a bloodsport style shoot out.” What are your thoughts on the entire situation?
The Pittsburgh Screw Job
Similar to the “,” Chris Dunn was the victim of bad judging. While the outcome of the fight might not have changed, the scores that were given seemed off. Two of the three judges scored the fight 30-27 in favor of Mazzotta, whereas the other official had the fight 29-28 in favor of Dunn.
Dominic Mazzotta’s Foot
It was the second round of the fight that is in dispute. Dunn without a doubt took the second round; however the judges awarded it to the “hometown” fighter instead. That is what the issue is. While we have not heard what Dunn had to say, it should make any fighter think twice about letting the fight go the distance.
Not taking anything away from Mazzotta, as he battled through the entire fight with a broken foot. He sustained the injury during the first round of the fight but kept going until the very end. The win was huge for Mazzotta, who was coming off his first loss as a professional. There is no official word yet on how long he will be on the sidelines recovering from the injury. Hopefully, he will be back in the cage in no time.
The Aftermath and What’s Next
After three successful events this summer, one of which made history, Gladiators of the Cage closed this summer on top. Without question, the organization gained countless new fans, and they are cementing themselves as on one of the top promotions in the region. Now we wonder if they can carry the momentum moving forward- we think they can. We recently with Scott Betten, and Robert Joseph, who informed us of their big plans ahead.
The goal for them is to hold at least one event every month in the coming two years. Before we look ahead that far, the promotions next show was announced for October 11 in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. At this time, no fights are official, but we will keep you informed as news becomes available. Tell us, what are your thoughts on the event, were you in attendance or also watching the live stream?
