Modern Fighting

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. — It was difficult for Adrenaline CEO Monte Cox not to smile after his event’s debut performance Saturday at the Sears Centre Arena.

“You know, there were a lot of goals I set for this first show and we made the majority of them,” Cox said. “I look at this event as the first step in creating something special in the Midwest. The people who came seemed to really enjoy themselves and I’m sure they’ll continue to support our event.”

Among the goals set for the first event were:

1. Be televised live on national television (accomplished when HDNet showed it live).
2. Give some up-and-coming fighters a chance to showcase their skills (Cox was especially complimentary of Clay French, Bart Palaszewski, Mike Stumpf, Rory Markham and Mike Russow).
3. Provide competitive bouts (Cox cited Brian Gassaway-Forrest Petz and Palaszewski-Jeff Cox as fight of the night candidates).
4. Create a fan-friendly atmosphere (the Meet-and-Greet session for fans included Tim Sylvia, Ben Rothwell, Jens Pulver, Andrei Arlovski and Pat Miletich. Event was sponsored by Affliction).

“There are always things to improve upon and we’ll do an even better job at our second show on Sept. 6 at the I-Wireless Center in Moline, Ill.,” Cox said.

In the main event, Chicago policeman Russow improved to 10-1 by stopping Jason Guida with a neck-crank in the first round.

Terry Martin (17-4) won by DQ over Japan’s Daiju Takase, who landed several kicks to Martin’s groin. Martin now fights Vitor Belfort on July 19 in Affliction: Banned.

Gassaway came within seconds of stopping Petz in the first round, and ended up losing a very close 29-28 decision on all three judges’ cards. It was one of the better efforts by Gassaway in recent years and a huge comeback effort by Petz, a 5-time UFC veteran.

Jeff Cox dropped Palaszewski in the first round and looked on his way to scoring a big upset until the local standout dropped and stopped Cox with a kick to the head early in round 2.

Markham (15-4) survived an aerial attack from Jay Ellis, who literally jumped over his opponent’s head to start the match. Markham took it to the ground and won quickly by submission.

Clay French (15-2) showed his strength in dominated a tough Jameel Massouh, winning by submission after effective ground-and-pound.

Joe Jordan didn’t make a lot of friends, but showed his experience in out-pointing XFO champ Ryan Williams. Jordan, who got his 42nd win, clowned around throughout but landed the more severe blows to get the victory.

Sponsors for the event were: Medalist, Affliction, Fairtex, Tapout, Hitman, Warrior Wear, Dollamur.

Hoffman Estates, Illinois – Adrenaline MMA announced Thursday it has entered into a partnership with Vividas, a leading developer and provider of video streaming technology.

Adrenaline’s debut event comes to the Sears Centre Arena on Saturday, June 14. The main event pits Chicago police officer Mike Russow – an up-and-comer in the heavyweight division – against Midwest Training Center’s Jason Guida, a veteran of nearly 40 professional bouts. A night of 14 fights begins at 6 p.m.

“Those MMA fans who can’t see the fights live or watch on HDNet will have the opportunity to see all the fights, including the preliminaries, live through Vividas. Our undercard is as loaded as our main event,” Adrenaline CEO and President Monte Cox said.

As a specialist in streaming online events, Vividas will provide audiences the chance to view the event from their computer in high-quality, full-screen action. Vividas offers audiences a simple, hassle-free viewing experience at the click of a button.

“We are very excited to be working with Adrenaline as this is their first event broadcasted online. We believe that the MMA area is ideal for online content and feel honored that Adrenaline has selected us to broadcast some of the best talent in the business,” says Iain Molland, CEO of Vividas North America.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH LIVE ON THE WEB

Jason Guida (23-17) vs. Mike Russow (9-1)
Daiju Takase (7-11) vs. Terry Martin (16-4)
Jameel Massouh (15-3) vs. Clay French (14-2) 
Forrest Petz (11-5) vs. Brian Gassaway (25-17-1)
Jeff Cox (9-6) vs. Bart Palaszewski (28-11)
Jay Ellis (11-15) vs.   Rory Markham (14-4)
Anthony Lapsley (13-3) vs. Mark Miller(9-3)
Herc Hayes (7-5) vs. Kerry Schall (22-9)
Dave Kleczkowski (6-3) vs. Hector Urbina (11-3)
Aaron Rosa (10-2) vs. Ron Fields (23-24-1)

Read the rest of this entry »

Jason Guida has managed to cram an entire mixed martial arts career into less than five years.

Known as a hard-nosed competitor who never turned down a fight, Guida was a natural replacement when a broken hand forced Jeff Monson to withdraw from the main event of this Saturday’s Adrenaline MMA show near Chicago.

“Say what you will about Guida, but when you need somebody to jump in on short notice and fight anybody… he’s the guy,” said Adrenaline CEO Monte Cox. “I mean, we all know he’s crazy… but he also comes to fight and you never have to worry about him laying down for anybody. I know this will be a very good main event.”

A native of the Chicago area, Guida’s fighting resume includes almost 40 professional fights all over the world… Russia, Costa Rica, Mexico, Poland. The guy simply loves the competition. And, the tougher the better.

On Saturday at the Sears Centre Arena in Hoffman Estates, Ill., Guida (23-16) will face Chicago police officer Mike Russow (9-1) in the main event of the 14-fight show. The main fights will be televised live on HDNet, beginning at 9:30 p.m. (EST).

“I feel bad for Monson because he really wanted this fight,” Cox said. “But his broken hand wasn’t healing quick enough and you can’t fight at this level with that kind of injury. I’m just fortunate that we had such a quality replacement right in Chicago.”

Guida is the older brother of UFC lightweight standout Clay Guida, who will be in the corner.

New York — Fans unable to attend the first Adrenaline MMA event on June 14 at the Sears Center Arena in Hoffman Estates, Ill., will be able to watch the event live on HDNet.

Adrenaline CEO Monte Cox has announced a deal for the Mark Cuban-owned HDNet to carry the event’s first three shows live.

“We want to be considered one of the top events in the country,” Cox said. “In order to compete at that level, we have to have a television deal. This enables us to build a following not only in the cities we hold events, but also with fans around the country.”

Among the first fighters signed to Adrenaline MMA contracts are former UFC heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia, former IFL heavyweight standout Ben Rothwell and former Bodog champion Ed Alvarez.

Adrenaline MMA’s first show features UFC and Pride veteran Jeff Monson against Chicago police officer and Pride veteran Mike Russow. For the complete card, check out adrenaline-mma.com.