Fighter Interview: Racine’s Nick Agallar of Agallar Combative Systems

I recently caught up with Nick Agallar after the last Freestyle Combat Challenge show in Racine two weeks ago. I had the opportunity to talk to him about his fight that night with Shane MacDonald in front of his hometown crowd. We also discussed the Art of War television show, in which he is a captain of the GI team and his upcoming fight with Chris Brennan in the season finale.

Also, if you haven’t heard, Agallar is opening his own gym in Racine called ACS or Agallar Combative Systems. We discussed how that will affect his future with the Freestyle Academy and lastly, we talk about up and comers from the Kenosha, Racine, and Waukegan area.

Wisconsin Combat Sports: First off, why don’t you tell us what happened in the fight tonight?

Nick Agallar: First, I just want to apologize to everyone who watched it because that was horrible. He went out there and he’s fought one of our guys before and he usually comes out swinging and comes out hard. He’s good on his feet, his ground kind of sucks. You know, he tagged me a couple of times with the leg kick. That was decent because I got a swollen leg. I threw a couple of high kicks and missed. I hit him with a left hook when I came in, not the biggest, but I know it hurt him a little bit. Then I body locked him and threw him down and then he started screaming about his nutsack.

WCS: Other than tonight’s fight, how did it feel to fight in front of your hometown crowd? You went to high school here and you were a wrestling star.

NA: It felt good, I love fighting at home and we have the best crowd and everybody loves me here at home. On the same token, I almost feel bad about the fight and having him whine about his nuts, it was embarrassing the whole way the fight went down.

WCS: I saw the fliers, you’re opening a gym or is it already open? Why don’t you tell me about that.

NA: Yeah, I’m opening a gym called Agallar Combative Systems or ACS.

WCS: Do you have a website for it yet?

NA: The website will come soon. It’s located in Curt’s Sports Complex or the old YWCA. He’s also going to have a pool and a sports medicine area separate from my gym. It will have physical therapy, massage, and acupuncture. It will be like a one stop shop for everything.

The gym is 1600 square feet and I have it all matted with an 18 by 18 foot ring, so it will be real nice with great locker facilities and showers and everything, so come on down and get beat up.

WCS: Are you still going to train at Freestyle Academy?

NA: Yeah, we’re still going to train at Dave’s and we’re still a team.

WCS: How about instruction, are you still going to teach at Freestyle Academy?

NA: I don’t know. I’m still going to train with those guys when I have a fight those guys will come down and if Dave has a fight, I’m still going to go down because we’re buddies. The problem is that he has his two gyms that he owns and I have to pay rent on this one. I have to put classes on and the more classes the more money and so on, but I’ll be there working out with those guys off and on.

WCS: Alright, so you’ll be teaching and instructing there. Is there anyone else you’ll be bring in for instructors?

NA: Yeah, we’ll get into that in the future.

WCS: Like a Jiu-Jitsu coach or a certain striking coach?

NA: Well not yet, my brother is a high school wrestling coach and I have a lot of really good wrestling friends who are going to join, so we are going to be based on wrestling. After that, I’ll be the main guy but I have a couple people in mind for some standup.

WCS: Alright, with Art of War, is it like nine separate shows that they are going to turn into episodes or what’s the deal with that?

NA: As far as I know, it’s nine separate episodes on TV starting in like July. Well, it’s posted somewhere, I don’t remember and it ends in September. The first show we did on April 19th was for the first two episodes. On May 24th in Oklahoma is the next one. I’m not fighting there I know that much. Me and Brennan will be there as coaches. I just got an e-mail like two days ago from the main guy named Clyde and he said that they are trying to put a show together June 7th. I don’t know if I’m supposed to say that, but every month there is supposed to be a show.

WCS: So are you going to be on the June show?

NA: They want us both to fight once before the finale and I think they are looking at June and then me and Brennan would fight in August, which would get aired as the final episode in September.

WCS: So you have no idea who your opponent would be in June?

NA: No, no idea.

WCS: Chris Brennan, he’s been around for like ten years, he’s been in all the big shows, he’s got good wrestling, pretty good standup, and he’s got a good submission game. What’s your game plan for the fight?

NA: Me and Brennan are going to brawl I think. A good fight really brings the best out of two people and I think he’s really looking forward to it and I’m really looking forward to it. I’ve talked to the guy, I like the guy, he cracks me up, he’s kind of cocky but he cracks me up. I don’t think that lately he’s fought at his peak, well I don’t want to say he’s past his prime, but I don’t think he’s trained as hard. But for this fight I think he’s going to train really hard. He’s going to come out there and try to prove something. Both of us have kind of been on the backlight a little bit and this fight will get us some recognition again. So it’s a big fight for both of us.

WCS: Yeah, the way I look at it is, this is a big fight between two big name fighters. Obviously that’s why it’s headlining the season finale. Where do you see his advantages being in this fight?

NA: I think we’re both pretty equal all the way around.

WCS: My opinion is that I think on the feet your both pretty equal, wrestling is pretty close, maybe he is a little better at submissions.

NA: So your saying I’m going to lose? (Laughs)

WCS: No of course not. (Laughing)

NA: My ground, I guess I don’t use it much since I’m usually on top. I’m actually good on the ground. If you ever roll with me, I’m very good at Jiu-Jitsu.

WCS: I haven’t, but my brother tells me that your incredibly strong and that your one of the strongest guys around.

NA: I’m dick diesel strong for 155, put that in there, dick diesel.

WCS: Well, I’m going to have to look that up because I have no idea what that means.

NA: (Laughs) Anyway, I know Chris is going to be very strong. He’s very big for 55 and he cuts down.

Actually, now that we’re going through this, I would give me the advantage on the feet. I think I’m a little bit more aggressive and a little bit more wild on the feet. Not to say that I couldn’t get tagged, or that he couldn’t either. In wrestling I’m good, but my real strong point is that I can control people. My strength is a big factor, if your going against a guy who is just as slick as you, and you can out muscle them, that’s a part of the game. Anybody at the gym will tell you that I’m strong.

WCS: So give me a prediction on the fight?

NA: I don’t want to do that. I think I’m going to win and I’m going to train my ass of for it. It’s a big, big fight and I’m looking forward to it. I think I can finish it, I just have to keep working and overwhelm him, just keep it rolling.

WCS: Back to the Art of War. After August, have you signed any kind of long-term deal with them or is it just this season and then we’ll see what happens? Have you talked to any other organizations?

NA: No, right now I’m just talking with them. What’s funny is, I don’t have any contract signed. We’re still negotiating on the Brennan fight. It’s going to happen obviously because they’re paying me to fly out to all the other shows. I don’t have a contract to fight in June even. They just want to get me in there.

It’s weird because people hear things before I hear them. Like that WEC thing a while back that said I’d be fighting at 145.

WCS: Oh, your talking about Pequano.

NA: Yeah, the guillotine guy. I didn’t even hear about that until I read it on Sherdog. That was crazy because since then they haven’t really said anything to me.

WCS: Well, he’s also a 145er. How much do you cut by the way?

NA: Not much, I’m big framed, but I don’t cut that much. I usually weigh like 170 maybe.

WCS: Well that’s all I have for you. Anything else I should know.

NA: Just that I have a beautiful wife and an eight-month old beautiful girl at home. They’re beautiful and I love them.

WCS: Oh yeah, one more thing. Is there anybody we should keep an eye on? Any up and comers from Strassers?

NA: Well, you probably know most of them. Jameel’s (Jameel Massouh) doing well, he turning it on. Sergio (Gomez) lost those two in the WEC but they were both kick ass fights with very tough guys. Brian (Geraghty), same thing, he’s tough, he just hasn’t fought at the right weight for a while. He’s going to be a 45er from hell, very tough and very technical.

WCS: Well, I know about those guys, give me an up and comer to keep an eye on.

NA: I think an up and comer that’s going to be good is Gerald (Meerschaert). He’s young and he’s only 20 years old. I think Gerald is going to be very good.

WCS: Yeah, I think he’s like (6-2) now.

NA: “300” is going to be tough. Adrian Gutierrez.

WCS: Yeah, I saw him fight a couple shows ago and he fought a much bigger opponent and came back from behind to win it.

NA: What’s nice is we have that foreign exchange thing going on. We have some tough Japanese guys. Ricardo Damm is going to be here starting a belt system.

WCS: You mean Ricardo Damm is going to move here to Wisconsin?

NA: Yeah, he’s moving to Kenosha but he’ll teach and train at Kenosha and Waukegan.

WCS: What do you mean by a belt system? Jiu-Jitsu?

NA: Yeah, like I know Jiu-Jitsu really well but I’m not certified in a belt. Who else do we have? We had two guys tonight at 155 who fought each other Andy (Holm) and Ryan (Anderson). Both of those guys are going to be extremely tough.

WCS: Yeah, Andy looked like Corey Hill when I saw him.

NA: What is he like 6’9”? (Laughs) And Ryan has a lot of heart and is very strong for his size. Hopefully, I didn’t forget anybody.

WCS: Well, thanks a lot for the interview and good luck in the Brennan fight.

NA: Thank you.

Freestyle Combat Challenge 35 – An International Affair

Dave Strasser’s Freestyle Combat Challenge had a distinct international feel to it that featured Japanese MMA fighters Kiuma Kunioku and Daiki “DJ Taiki” Hata as well as Brazil’s MMA Barbie, Carina Damm. Team USA went (0-3) for the evening, but it didn’t matter as it was a spectacular evening of fights. Jonathan “Blue” Chasse won the lightweight tournament and a contract to fight in Japan later this year.

Knock out of the night

The first fight of the evening pitted Freestyle Academy’s Bobby Glavin of Racine and Team Hodown’s John Lemon of Indiana against one another. Glavin (1-0) wasted no time and the fight was over before it even got started. A monster left hook sent Lemon (0-0) crashing to canvas like a sack of potatoes 11 seconds into the bout. That KO was a sign of things to come in the evening.

Andy Holm of Kenosha fights for the Freestyle Academy in Wisconsin and weighed in at 150lbs, which was surprising since he stood a whopping 6’1”. Holm did battle with Ryan Anderson who also fights for the Freestyle Academy, but Anderson trains out of the new Freestyle Academy gym in Waukegan.

In the first round, Glavin showed some heavy punches and knees in the clinch before scoring a takedown. Holm managed to threaten with a triangle choke, rolling into mount, but Anderson survived the final thirty seconds and kept his hopes alive.

In the third round, Andy Holm got side control and threw knees until Ryan Anderson reversed him. Back on the bottom, Holm used his long legs to go for yet another triangle similar to the first round; he then rolled Anderson until he had full mount and unloaded ground and pound punches. With one minute remaining in the round Anderson tried to hold on and survive because he was unable to escape the triangle of Holm. Holm then unleashed seven to eight elbows until referee Warren Kekabah stopped the bout.



Welterweight Gerald Meerschaert of the Freestyle Academy wasn’t in the ring to put on a show, he was looking to get in, take care of business, and get out. It only took him 40 seconds to submit Ryan Scheeper of Clinton, Iowa with a triangle choke. Meerschaert extended his win streak to four straight wins in as many months and his record is now (6-2) since going (2-2) in 2007.

In a heavyweight bout, Kevin Kelley does what he does best; knock out guys who think they have what it takes to fight in MMA. Anthony Heider who was making his debut never threw a single punch in the 14 seconds the fight lasted before he was knocked out. Kelley’s record is now at (6-1) with 2 no contests.

Eugene “the Crippler” Crisler of Third Heaven Martial Arts faced off against the south paw, Marco Daniels of the Freestyle Academy in Kenosha. Daniels started the bout with a standing guillotine but it wasn’t enough to make the Jiu-Jitsu fighter Crisler tap. Crisler pulled his own guillotine attempt on Daniels before finishing his opponent with an arm bar at 2:30 in the first round. Crisler’s MMA record increases to (7-6) while Marco Daniels loses his fourth straight bout to drop to (1-5). Eugene Crisler won the Wisconsin Combat Sports Submission of the Year with a Gogoplata over Bill Flinn at Madtown Throwdown 13 in October of 2007.

Fight of the Night

Matt Morin and Jonathan “Blue” Chasse fought in the finals of the lightweight tournament to decide what fighter would earn a contract to fight in Japan later in the year. The fight started out with Chasse throwing a combo of punches that I believe broke Morin’s nose followed by a right body kick. Morin quickly took Chasse down. It then became apparent that Morin was losing a lot of blood from his nose as he worked a cross face from guard. He continued with some ground and pound from the top and the fight was beginning to look like a blood bath. A stand up ensued and Chasse attempted a takedown, which was stuffed. Morin did a Judo throw and ended up back on top of Chasse. Chasse looked for a kneebar from the bottom but Morin was having nothing of it. Morin was then in side control and gave Chasse knees to the head. Morin then got the back of Chasse and peppered him with shots to the side of the head. Morin sunk in a deep rear naked choke with one-minute left in the round and it didn’t appear that “Blue” was going to survive the round. With thirty seconds left in the round “Blue” was still fighting to stay alive. Morin loosened it up with about ten seconds left in the first he peppered Chasse with shots to the head.

In round two, Chasse got a takedown and ended up in Morin’s guard. Morin looked for a Kimura before they were pulled back into the center. Morin attempted another Kimura but was not successful. Chasse then began to drop some elbows from Morin’s guard. The referee stood them up and Morin threw out a jab. Chasse came in with bad intentions but didn’t connect. He followed up with a right body kick and Morin punched him for his efforts and gave him a right leg kick. Morin had his hands very low and appeared to be getting very tired. The fighters clinched and Morin gives Chasse some knees. Morin ate a very big punch and followed up with a takedown. Chasse ended up on top throwing some big shots. Morin looked to be trying to get his wits back and he attempted to roll into a knee bar and Chasse attempted a stomp and ended up back in Morin’s guard. Morin went for a second knee bar and it looks likes it is very deep. He didn’t give it up and Chasse ended up in side control. He easily took full mount and Morin looked to be in trouble. Chasse was grounding and pounding and Morin tries to umpa out. With one minute left in the round Morin rolls over, it doesn’t look like he wanted to be in there anymore. He covers up and stops defending. With thirty seconds remaining Chasse sunk in a rear naked choke and Morin was forced to tap.

Chasse vs. Morin was an absolute non-stop war that could have been over many times. Both fighters showed great heart and it was hands down the best fight I’ve witnessed in Wisconsin this year. Morin falls to (5-4) and Chasse increases his record to (6-1). His only loss was in the opening round of the tournament, he filled in as a replacement due to injury in February to earn a spot back in the tourney.

Daiki “DJ Taiki” Hata of Japan defeated David Love by tapout in the third round after throwing a kick to the body. The two engaged in a stand up battle that could have won fight of the night easily if not for the Chasse vs. Morin battle earlier. The two gave and took a ton of punishment from several dozens leg and body kicks.

Submission of the night

Kiuma Kunioku of Japan attempted a flying knee halfway across the ring to start out his fight against Neutral Ground’s Jay Ellis. After a brief clinch, Ellis was able to get a single leg takedown. Kunioku attempted an arm triangle from the bottom but was unsuccessful. Ellis threw some ground and pound and Kunioku got an arm bar but Ellis escaped. Ellis was throwing strikes on the ground giving all Kunioku he could handle and Kunioku rolls over and subs Ellis with a toe hold at 1:47 in the first round.

In the final international bout of the evening, Carina Damm (8-3) of Brazil knocked out newcomer Lashonda Knox (0-0) with a big knee to the face. The bout lasted only 11 seconds. After the win Damm did a Capoeira celebration in the ring.

The main event consisted of hometown hero Nick Agallar fighting at the high school where he was once a standout wrestler. The fight itself was disappointing. Agallar fought Shane MacDonald of Team Hodown. The fight started out with each fighter throwing kicks. Agallar then used a combination to set up a takedown, but on the ground MacDonald was hit with an unintentional groin shot and was not able to continue. The fight was a victory by TKO (Injury) for Agallar. It perhaps should have been ruled a no contest.

Despite the main event being lackluster and Carina Damm fighting a girl who had no business fighting, the event featured some great fights in Morin vs. Chasse, Andy Holm vs. Ryan Anderson, and Dave Love vs. Daiki Hata. It was very difficult to choose the fight of the night, knock out of the night, and submission of the night as there was many good choices to choose from.

Dave Strasser's Freestyle Combat Challenge 35
Racine Case High School Gymnasium
Racine, Wisconsin
05/03/2008

155lb – Lightweight Bout
Nick Agallar – Freestyle Academy – Racine, WI
vs.
Shane McDonald – Team Hodown – Cornersville, IN
Nick Agallar defeats Shane McDonald – TKO (Injury) – RD 1

130lb Catchweight Bout
Carina Damm – Alliance BJJ – Brazil
vs.
Lashonda Knox – Independent – Milwaukee, WI
Carina Damm defeats Lashonda Knox – KO – Knee to the face – RD 1 – (0:11)

155 lb Lightweight Bout
Kiuma Kunioku – Freelance – Japan
vs.
Jay Ellis – Neutral Ground BJJ – Milwaukee, WI
Kiuma Kunioku defeats Jay Ellis – Toe Hold – RD 1 – (1:47)

145lb Featherweight Bout
David “Dr.” Love – Mario Roberto
vs.
Daiki “DJ Taiki” Hata – Japan
Daiki “DJ Taiki” Hata defeats David Love – Tapout – Kick – RD 3

155lb Lightweight Bout
Jonathan "Blue" Chasse – Freestyle Academy – Kenosha, WI
vs.
Matt Morin Serrano’s Combat Gym – Milwaukee, WI
Jonathan "Blue" Chasse defeats Matt Morin – Rear Naked Choke – RD 2 – (4:37)

Eugene “The Crippler” Crisler – Third Heaven Martial Arts
vs.
Marco Daniels – Freestyle Combat Academy – Kenosha, WI
Eugene “The Crippler” Crisler defeats Marco Daniels – Armbar – RD 1 – (2:30)

Heavyweight Bout
Andy Heider – Independent
vs.
Kevin Kelley – Freestyle Combat Academy – South Milwaukee
Kevin Kelley defeats Andy Heider – KO – RD 1 – (0:14)

170lb – Welterweight Bout
Gerald Meerschaert – Freestyle Combat Academy – Kenosha, WI
vs.
Ryan Scheeper – Philbrick’s Gym – Clinton, IA
Gerald Meerschaert defeats Ryan Scheeper – Arm Bar – RD 1 – (0:40)

Andy Holm – Freestyle Academy North – Kenosha, WI
vs.
Ryan Anderson – Freestyle Academy South – Waukegan, IL
Andy Holm defeats Ryan Anderson – TKO (Strikes from mount) – RD 3 – (2:30)

155lb Lightweight Bout
Bobby Galvin – Freestyle Academy – Racine, WI
vs.
John Lemon – Team Hodown – Cornersville, IN
Bobby Galvin defeats John Lemon – KO – RD 1 – (0:11)

Fight of the night: Jonathan Chasse vs. Matt Morin
Knock out of the night: Bobby Galvin – Left hook KO
Submission of the night: Kiuma Kunioku – Toe Hold

Sherdog was used for all fight records.

This article was originally published on Wisconsin Combat Sports on 05-05-08.

A Preview of Freestyle Combat Challenge 35

There have been a number of changes to the FCC 35 fight card and I talked to Dave Strasser yesterday to get the scoop. Nick Agallar will headline the show and Carina Damm will be a co-main event, as well as the final 155lb tournament match between Matt Morin and Jonathan Chasse to determine who gets to fight in Japan. Unfortunately, Sergio Gomez, Rodrigo Damm, and Jameel Massouh have been scratched from the card. There will be about 11 fights on the card.

Racine native, Nick Agallar will return to action this Saturday against Shane McDonald in his hometown at Racine Case High School at Freestyle Combat Challenge 35. His previous opponent, Phillip Tomblin was injured and had to be replaced on short notice.

Nick Agallar sports an MMA record of (20-5) according to Sherdog and was slated to fight Nuri Shakir at the Art of War show two weeks ago but had to pull out of the event due to a minor injury. It was then announced that Agallar would face Chris Brennan in the Pros vs. Gis finale. I incorrectly stated that it would be in May when it turns out that he will fight Brennan sometime in August.

The finale will be the capstone of the nine-event deal that Art of War’s parent company Sun Sports & Entertainment Inc., recently signed with Fox Sports Net or (FSN). In an e-mail from Agallar, he stated that he would also be fighting against a yet to be determined opponent in the Art of War prior to the Chris Brennan fight which would more than likely occur on a June AOW card.

16-man lightweight tournament finals

Matt Morin will also fight Jonathan Chasse to decide which fighter will earn the right to travel to Japan and fight. The tournament, which started as a 16-man tourney, dates back to FCC 31 in November of last year. Morin is currently listed at (5-3) according to Sherdog and is riding a four-fight win streak all via submission. Chasse is listed at (5-1) according to Sherdog and most recently defeated Mike Sanchez at FCC 33 to earn his spot back into the tourney. Morin who is the current KTK lightweight champion will also defend his title at KTK 21 on June 21st in Marshfield, Wisconsin.

Rodrigo and Carina Damm

Rodrigo Damm recently obtained his visa and was offered a fight in Japan and had to cancel his bout this Saturday, according to Dave Strasser. His sister Carina Damm is still going to fight on the card against Jasmine Davis.

Pancrase and BodogFight veteran from Japan, Daiki “DJ Taiki” Hata will fight Dave Love. Dave “Dr.” Love who is (8-8-1), put up a decent fight at the last FCC event before suffering a knock out from Kiuma Kunioku due to a big knee. Hata has hit a rough patch recently suffering two straight losses in Pancrase and Bodog. His most recent win was against Kenosha’s own Jameel Massouh in Japan in May of 2007.

Gerald Meerschaert of Dave Strasser’s Freestyle Academy will look to extend his win streak to four straight victories against Ryan Scheeper of Philbrick’s Gym in Clinton, Iowa. Meerschaert most recently defeated Alex Carter at FCC 34 via triangle choke and also holds a decision victory over Caleb Krull at FCC 33. Scheeper picked up a win at FCC 33 defeating Ken Allen by arm bar.

Kiuma Kunioku will also be returning to the ring at FCC 35. He’ll put his (33-22-9) record up against Jay Ellis’ (5-16) MMA record. He will definitely have his hands full with Kunioku. Kunioku holds wins over Frank Shamrock, Nathan Marquardt, Guy Mezger, Genki Sudo, and Masakatsu Funaki. Ellis has not won a bout in his last seven attempts although he has faced some formidable foes in Mike Stumpf, Caleb Krull, Sherron Leggett, and Joe Jordan and I don’t see him picking up a win at FCC 35 against top talent.

It should be a great night of fights and Wisconsin Combat Sports will have coverage available the day after the event.

Dave Strasser's Freestyle Combat Challenge 35
Saturday, May 3rd, 2008
At Racine Case High School Gymnasium
Racine, Wisconsin
Doors Open - 7:00 pm
Fight Starts - 8:00 pm

Confirmed Cards (Subject to Change):

The Main Event - 155 lbs & Under 5 min / 3R
Nick Agallar (USA / Freestyle Academy) vs. Shane
McDonalds (USA)

Women's 130 lbs & Under 5 min / 3R
Carina Damm (Brazil / Alliance BJJ) vs. Jasmine Davis
(USA)

155 lbs & Under Bout 5 min / 3R
Kiuma Kunioku (Japan / Freelance) vs. Jay Ellis (USA)

145 lbs & Under Bout 5 min / 3R
David Love (USA / Freelance) vs. DJ taiki (Japan /
Freelance)

155 lbs & Under FCC Tournament Final 5 min / 3R
John "Blue" Chesse (USA / Freestyle Academy) vs. Matt
Morin (USA / Serrano Jiu-jitsu & Judo)

Heavyweight Bout 3 min / 3R
Andy Heider vs. Kevin Kelly

150 lbs & Under 3 min / 3R
Andy Holm vs. Andy Webber

155 lbs & Under 3 min / 3R
Ryan Anderson vs. Luke Nichols

170 lbs & Under 3 min / 3R
Gerald Meerschaert vs. Ryan Scheeper

155 lbs & Under 3 min / 3R
Bobby Galvin vs. John Lemon

This article was originally published on Wisconsin Combat Sports on 05-02-08.

Nick Agallar to Fight Chris Brennan in Art of War Finale

As you may remember, I posted an article in February stating that Nick Agallar would fight Dan Lauzon in the Art of War show this weekend called “Pros vs. G.I.s”. Long story short, Dan Lauzon had to pull out of the fight due to an injury. Nuri Shakir replaced Dan Lauzon and the fight was set to go until Nick Agallar pulled out of the bout with an undisclosed minor injury. Such is the fight world. Agallar will now fight Chris Brennan in the finale of the show on May 24th, in Winstar, Oklahoma.

Nick Agallar will still serve as a coach or captain in the show this weekend for the G.I. Team. Agallar spent 16 months in Iraq in late 2003 to early 2005. Madison’s Ron Faircloth will headline this weekend’s show against Damien Stelly in Tunica, Mississippi. The two events in Mississippi and Oklahoma will be cut into a nine episode television series that will debut nationally on Fox Sports Net on July 19th. Nick Agallar’s bout vs. Chris Brennan will air on the finale of the show on September 13th. I have attached a schedule of the TV series according to Art of War:

"GI vs. Pro" Fox Sports Net telecast schedule

Sat. July 19 GI vs. Pro - I 12:00 Midnight
Sat. July 26 GI vs. Pro - II 12:00 Midnight
Sat. Aug. 2 GI vs. Pro - III 12:00 Midnight
Sat. Aug. 9 GI vs. Pro - IV 12:00 Midnight
Sat. Aug. 16 GI vs. Pro - V 12:00 Midnight
Sat. Aug. 23 GI vs. Pro - VI 12:00 Midnight
Sat. Aug. 30 GI vs. Pro - VII 12:00 Midnight
Sat. Sept. 6 GI vs. Pro - VIII 12:00 Midnight
Sat. Sept. 13 GI vs. Pro - FINALS 12:00 Midnight

Nick Agallar last fought Luke Nichols at Freestyle Combat Challenge 33 in February in Kenosha. Agallar won via submission due to strikes in less than a minute into the bout. Nick Agallar sports a (20-5) record according to Sherdog and has won three straight fights and nine of his previous eleven. He has experience in many of the world’s largest organizations including BodogFight, UFC, WEC, and Hook ‘n Shoot.

Chris “The Westside Strangler” Brennan sports an MMA record of (19-12-1) according to Sherdog. He has been fighting since 1996 and holds wins over notable fighters such as Joe Stevenson and Thomas Denny. He has fought in many large organizations such as the UFC, King of the Cage, Shooto, Pride, and most recently Cage Rage, where he lost via TKO to Jean Silva in September.

Problems at Art of War/Sun Sports & Entertainment Group?

John Buckeye Epstein, former President of Sun Sports & Entertainment Group, which owns and operates the Art of War shows, was fired last month. According to Adam Swift of MMA Payout, he didn’t leave quietly and has filed a $25 million dollar lawsuit against the company. Here’s a quote from the article:

"I can't believe the audacity of Mr. Comu; the company had no funds, credit cards are shut off, vendors are calling every day, employees are owed more than forty thousand dollars in back expenses, and the medical bill reimbursements of past fighters like Justin Eilers and Pedro Rizzo were not being paid. All this while Comu takes a limo to the airport ten miles away," Epstein said.

Epstein may have a point as the company recently announced a financial overhaul that includes debt restructuring and the creation of new equity. Hopefully, the new deal with FSN will be enough to keep the company afloat and generate new fans through their new television series.

Wisconsin would like to wish Ron Faircloth best of luck in his battle against Damian Stelly this Saturday and Nick Agallar in May. Also, be sure to keep an eye out for the Ring Announcer, Chris Geraghty. Geraghty will be the ring announcer for both events and will have face time every week on the television show.


This article was originally posted on Wisconsin Combat Sports on 04-15-2008.

Breaking News: Nick Agallar to Fight Dan Lauzon in the Art of War

Fresh off his victory last Saturday at Freestyle Combat Challenge 33 in Kenosha, I ran into BodogFight veteran Nick Agallar. Nick Agallar fought Luke Nichols in the main event and breezed through his opponent in less than one minute. Agallar told me that his next fight will be in the April 19th Art of War show against Dan Lauzon.

Last week Sherdog inaccurately wrote an article stating that Nick Agallar had signed with the WEC and was slated to fight Alexandre Franca Nogueira. The article also stated that the bout would be fought at the 145lb featherweight class. Agallar said that he was in talks with a few organizations and he had not signed a long-term deal with any of them as of yet. In addition, he stated that he is happy fighting in the 155lb lightweight class.

Dan Lauzon sports a (9-2) MMA record according to Sherdog and has also fought in the UFC. He is also the younger brother of UFC lightweight contender Joe Lauzon. Lauzon as you may remember fought Spencer Fisher at UFC 64 in October of 2006. He gave Fischer a good fight but lost via TKO late in the first round. He dropped his next bout but has since rattled off five-straight wins. His most recent is a first round triangle choke victory over Frank Latina in the WCF or World Championship Fighting on February 8.

To read more about Nick Agallar please read my other articles. I have also linked the Sherdog article I reference above.

Freestyle Combat Challenge 33: Agallar, Geraghty, and Massouh Victorius

Freestyle Combat Challenge 33: Agallar, Geraghty, and Massouh Return to Wisconsin

‘Pequano’ Expected to Sign with WEC

This article originally appeared on Wisconsin Combat Sports or www.wicombatsports.com where I am a writer.

Freestyle Combat Challenge 33: Agallar, Massouh, and Geraghty Victorious

Dave Strasser filled up the Marina Shores Ballroom last night with fans eager to see some of the biggest MMA stars in the area. Rumors buzzed throughout the crowd that talent scouts from major organizations were on hand to take a look at the skills of Brian Geraghty and Nick Agallar.

Knockout of the Night

Warren “Warden” Kekahbah of Strasser’s Freestyle Academy opened the night of fights and wasted no time quickly diposing of his opponent Scott Furr from Freaks of the Industry. The bout was announced as an openweight bout and the 204lb Kekahbah gave up fifty pounds to his opponent. The weight difference didn’t matter as he viciously attacked the bigger man with a flurry of strikes and a jumping knee. The referee halted the bout only 19 seconds in and Wisconsin Combat Sports awarded Kekahbah with KO of the night.

In the second bout of the evening, Steve Conley of Freaks of the Industry, applied an arm bar to his opponent Brandon Thomas of Strasser’s Freestyle Academy. Thomas slammed Conley on his head in an attempt to escape the submission but Conley never let the arm loose. Conley was the only one of his four team members to pull out a victory on the card.

Kevin Kelley of Strasser’s Freestyle Academy came out wearing his classic, “Greetings Taco Lovers” shirt and used knees from a clinch to set up a takedown in his heavyweight bout. From the top position he unleashed a ground and pound attack to defeat Dave Oliver of Freaks of the Industry – Indiana in the final minute of the first round.

Jacob Kuester of Adrian Serrano’s Combat Gym defeated Ryan Sheeper of Clinton, Iowa. Kuester’s size was too much to deal with and his ground and pound shots echoed throughout the ballroom. Scheeper was forced to tap out from strikes at 1:46 in the first round. If I were a welterweight pro fighter in the state of Wisconsin I would think twice before accepting a fight with Jacob Kuester. He looks unstoppable at welterweight since dropping down from middleweight.

155lb Lightweight Tournament

Mike Sanchez of Racine, Wisconin fought Jonathan “Blue” Chasse also of Racine for a right to fight in the finals of the 155lb Lightweight Tournament against Matt Morin of Adrian Serrano’s Combat Gym next month. Sanchez came out and showed good striking ability but ended up in the guard of “Blue” off a throw. “Blue” then pulled off one of the cleanest arm bars I’ve seen in a while and almost earned himself submission of the night honors. The winner of the Morin vs. Chasse fight next month will get to fight a pro fight in Japan later this year.

Fight of the Night

The fight of the night was also the most controversial. Caleb Krull of Adrian Serrano’s Combat Gym squared off against Gerald Meerschaert of Strasser’s Freestyle Academy in a welterweight bout. Despite having a height and reach advantage Krull was outstruck by Meerschaert in most striking exchanges in the first round. Later, Meerschaert sank in a triangle choke in the final minute of the first round but Krull managed to survive the submission attempt.

In the second round Meerschaert won most of the striking exchanges again but Krull managed to get an attempted arm bar that flowed into a triangle choke. Meerschaert attempted to stomp his way out of the submission and closed the second round out with strikes from the guard of Krull.

Down two rounds to none, Krull needed to finish Meerschaert if he wanted to win the fight, which is exactly what he attempted to do. Krull dropped Meerschaert with a big punch that sent Meerschaert crashing to the canvas near the ropes. Krull rushed in to go for the kill and referee John Pasarelli halted Krull and gave Meerschaert time to recover. He then restarted the fighters in the center of the ring and it appeared Meerschaert was on wobbly legs as they restarted the action in a standing position. Later in the round Krull again drops Meerschaert with strikes.

Meerschaert wins the fight by decision with the scores read (29-28), (29-28), (29-27). It will be interesting to see if there is a rematch between these two fighters since it was evident to all in attendance that Meerschaert was saved by referee John Paserelli.

In other action Alex “The Warrior” Windsor of Racine, Wisconsin defeated Rob Sweet of Union Grove via TKO (referee stoppage) at 0:44 in the third round. Windsor had Sweet in a crucifix leaving Sweet unable to defend himself.

Ed Sunderland of Xion, Illinois may have been the smaller man in his bout against Racine, Wisconsin fighter Ed Nelson, although the Freestyle Academy student showed he had a bigger heart. Sunderland was able to successfully defend against multiple guillotine attempts by Nelson. Sunderland won the fight via majority decision with scores of (29-28), (29-28), and a (29-29) draw being scored by judge Pat O’Malley.

Main Events

Freestyle Combat Challenge 33 featured three main events. It was evident that Nick Agallar, Brian Geraghty, and Jameel Massouh were guys that the fans came to see. All three of Strasser’s disciples delivered and not one of their fights went over the two-minute mark.

Submission of the Night

Jameel Massouh took on Craig Howard of the Freaks of the Industry based in Lafayette, Indiana in an open weight bout. Massouh weighed 140lbs while his opponent weighed a whopping 180lbs with a record of (1-1) according to the accouncer. Massouh made short work of Howard with a takedown from the clinch. Upon achieving full mount, Massouh unleashed some elbows. Massouh then got the back of Howard and applied a reverse triangle quickly transitioning into an arm bar earning submission of the night honors that we were planning on giving to Jonathan “Blue” Chasse.

Up next, “Dangerous Duke Danger” Brian Geraghty fought Shaun Kuhl of the Bulldog Fight Team in South Bend, Indiana. The (5-1) Kuhl managed a takedown against the UFC veteran, but Geraghty made him pay by submitting Kuhl via arm bar at the 1:42 mark in the first.

Lastly, in the final match Nick Agallar completely destroyed his opponent Luke Nichols of Nietz Defense. Immediately the (1-0) Nichols realized he was in over his head as Agallar came at him with a right straight kick followed by a left high kick. Agallar then tied up Nichols and threw him to the ground like a used rag doll. Agallar unleashed big elbows so explosive that Nichols did the most intelligent thing possible, he tapped out due to strikes at 55 seconds in the first round.

In conclusion, it was a quick night of fights as eight bouts never left the first round. Massouh, Geraghty, and Agallar all looked impressive against relatively inexperienced opponents, although I can’t imagine anyone in the state being able to beat them in their respective weight classes of 135, 145, and 155lbs. The referee did a poor job in the Krull vs. Meerschaert fight that inevitably cost Krull the win. I personally would like to see a rematch or have Krull’s teammate Kuester attempt to avenge his teammate’s loss. Strasser’s fighters showed that they are all well rounded in the striking, submission, and wrestling departments. Matt Morin vs. Jonathan “ Blue” Chasse will be a great bout on the next FCC card to determine which local fighter will earn the right to fight in Japan. Strasser always does a good job bringing talent from all over the Midwest and last night’s fights featured fighters from Wisconsin, Indiana, Illinois, and Iowa. Wisconsin Combat Sports would like to thank Dave Strasser for having us cover the action. We’ll see you at the next FCC and hope to do more preview features leading up to the event. Full results are listed below.

Freestyle Combat Challenge 33 Quick Results
Madrigrano’s Marina Shores
Kenosha, WI
02/24/2008

Openweight Bout
Warren “Warden” Kekahbah – Strasser’s Freestyle Academy – Kenosha, WI
vs.
Scott “Irish Pitbull” Furr – Freaks Of The Industry – Lafayette, IN

Warren Kekahbah wins by TKO (Referee Stoppage) – RD 1 – (0:19)

Welterweight Bout
Steve Conley – Freaks Of The Industry – Lafayette, IN
vs.
Brandon Thomas – Strasser’s Freestyle Academy – Racine, WI

Steve Conley wins by Arm Bar – RD 1 – (0:26)

Heavyweight Bout
Dave Oliver – Freaks Of The Industry – Lafayette, IN
vs.
Kevin Kelley – Strasser’s Freestyle Academy – South Milwaukee, WI

Kevin Kelley wins by TKO (Referee Stoppage) – Ground and Pound – RD 1 – (2:32)

Welterweight Bout
Jake Kuester – Serrano’s Combat Gym – Milwaukee, WI
vs.
Ryan Scheeper – Philbricks Gym – Clinton, IA

Jake Kuester wins by Submission due to strikes – RD 1 – 1:46

Lightweight Bout
Mike Sanchez – Racine, WI
vs.
Jonathan “Blue” Chasse – Strasser’s Freestyle Academy – Racine, WI

Jonathan Chasse wins by Arm Bar – RD 1 – (0:59)

Welterweight Bout
Caleb Krull – Serrano’s Combat Gym – Milwaukee, WI
vs.
Gerald Meerschaert – Strasser’s Freestyle Academy – Racine, WI

Gerald Meerschaert wins by Unanimous Decision – RD 3 – (3:00)
Scores read (29-28), (29-28), and (29-27)

Middleweight Bout
Rob Sweet – Union Grove, WI
vs.
Alex Windsor – Strasser’s Freestyle Academy – Racine, WI

Alex Windsor wins by TKO (Referee Stoppage) – RD 3 – (0:44)

Light Heavyweight Bout
Ed “The Machine” Nelson – Racine, WI
vs.
Ed Sunderland – Strasser’s Freestyle Academy – Xion, IL

Ed Sunderland wins by Majority Decision – RD 3 – (3:00)
Scores read (29-29), (29-28), (29-28)

Openweight Bout
Jameel Massouh – Strasser’s Freestyle Academy – Kenosha, WI
vs.
Craig? Howard – Freaks Of The Industry – Lafayette, IN

Jameel Massouh wins by Arm Bar – RD 1 – (1:11)

Featherweight Bout
Brian Geraghty – Strasser’s Freestyle Academy – Kenosha, WI
vs.
Shaun Kuhl – Bulldog Fight Team – South Bend, IN

Brian Geraghty wins by Arm Bar – RD 1 – (1:42)

Lightweight Bout
Nick Agallar – Strasser’s Freestyle Academy – Racine, WI
vs.
Luke Nichols – Nietz Defense

Nick Agallar wins by Submission due to strikes – RD 1 – (0:55)

Freestyle Combat Challenge 33: Geraghty, Agallar, and Massouh return to Wisconsin

Dave Strasser’s Freestyle Academy has produced more notable MMA stars in Wisconsin than all other gyms combined. His fighters have fought in the UFC, the WEC, BodogFight, Japan’s Pancrase and have also appeared on the Versus TV show Tapout, as well as Spike’s The Ultimate Fighter. This Saturday Dave Strasser will hold Freestyle Combat Challenge 33 in Kenosha and he has some of the biggest names in Wisconsin MMA on the card. Fighters like UFC veteran Brian Geraghty, BodogFight veteran Nick Agallar, and Pancrase veteran Jameel Massouh will be fighting in the ring.

As you may remember from my Freestyle Combat Challenge 32 article last month, Dustin “The Beast” Neace of Indianapolis, Indiana won the 4-man 145lb Featherweight tournament that evening. According to Sherdog, Neace holds an MMA record of (14-10-1) and the tournament win has earned him a title shot against UFC veteran and Ultimate Fighter 5 cast member Brian “Duke” Geraghty.

Brian “Duke” Geraghty who holds a (17-11-1) MMA record according to Sherdog and fought at 155lbs on the Ultimate Fighter show. He is currently riding a two-fight losing streak that includes a fight in Japan last November and a fight against Matt Wiman in the TUF 5 finale last June. It appears that Geraghty will be a stronger and more dominant fighter at featherweight and is making the necessary adjustments to get back on the winning track and revitalize his career, which would be better suited in the WEC’s featherweight division. Judging by their comparable records and from what I saw of Neace at the last FCC event, this fight has the making of a great main event title fight.

Also on the card is one of the most successful MMA fighters in Wisconsin history. That man is 155lb lightweight fighter, Nick Agallar. Agallar holds an MMA record of (19-5) according to Sherdog and has fought in the WEC, the UFC, and BodogFight. He is currently riding a two-fight win streak that includes a split decision win over James Jones at BodogFight: Alvarez vs. Lee in July of 2007 and most recently, a first round TKO win over Japan’s Shinya Kumazawa at FCC 31 in November. Agallar is (8-2) since making his return to MMA, which was halted due to a 16-month layoff from the sport while he fought in the Iraq war.

Jameel “The Sergeant” Massouh will also be fighting on the card at bantamweight or 135lbs. Massouh sports a (14-3) record according to Sherdog and is coming off a unanimous decision loss in Japan’s Pancrase organization to Miki Shida last December. His other two losses came at the hands of Japan’s Daiki Hata and Tristan Yunker who holds wins over notable fighters such as John Hosman, Clay Guida, and John Halverson. He has also fought on many Madtown Throwdown shows as well as Freestyle Combat Challenge shows and began his career winning 11 straight fights. According to Dave Strasser, Jameel Massouh will face Kyle Dietz. Dietz holds a (3-0) MMA record according to FC Fighter.

Accrding to Chris Geraghty’s website, www.theringannouncer.com, Japanese fighter Kazuki Okubo is also slated to fight on the card. Despite a (7-9) MMA record, Okuba has fought in Rings, Deep, M-1, Pancrase, and Pride. He has fought notable fighters such as Jeremy Horn, Kurt Pellegrino, Daijiro Matsui, and Ikuhisa Minowa. The article also states that Okuba will stay in Wisconsin after the fight and continue to train with Strasser’s camp and fight again in future FCC shows in 2008.

All in all, MMA cards in Wisconsin don’t get stacked with bigger name talent than this card so I would recommend taking the trip down south to Kenosha this weekend if you are planning on seeing some upper level talent and recognizable fighters. Wisconsin Combat Sports will be covering all the action this weekend including Combat USA, Titletown Combat Championship, and Freestyle Combat Challenge. We hope to see you there.