Combat Zone absolutely crushed it in 2022! They are proving over and over agin why they are one of the top MMA Promotions in New England. Check out the previous article "Combat Zone 78: Live play by play for more detailed breakdowns of all the action. Lets recap some of the big moments.
Manchester NH was the home for Combat Zone 78. The Double Tree Hotel is a great location to host these events. Right downtown and within walking distance of plenty of bars and restaurants makes this the perfect venue to get there early and explore around the city. Stop in at the Goat before the event and enjoy some food!
With a stacked card of 21 fights, we knew we were in for a show! Props to New England Cartel for a successful night and also to Nostos for adding another champion to the Gym! Heres a quick breakdown of the night.
We started off the night with some amateur kickboxing. Standing wars between all fighters was a great way to start the event. All 5 went to decision and provided plenty of action for the crowd.
Xavier Quinones Def Hunter Darling - Unanimous Decision
Connor Morrill Def Miguel Rodriguez - Unanimous Decision
Trey Legraw Def Ian Morrison - Unanimous Decision
Sean Cocoran Def Jaden Alford - Unanimous Decision
Melissa Santos Def Alecia Palmer - Split Decision
Melissa Santos vs Alecia Palmer was the only split decision and had the crowd exploding! This seemed to be the "Peoples Kickboxing Main Event". Both warriors had their moments in the fight where it looked like momentum was switching sides and they both kept pushing forward for the win.
The First KO of the night and the First title fight was won by the rising start Mike Jolicoeur. The intensity and determination Jolicoeur was amazing. Not using the stool in between rounds and stating at his opponent was in al words, BADASS. A massive head kick victory and a title around his waste, Jolicoeur will be a name to keep an eye on!
Next up was the Amateur MMA section of the night. The first 3 fights ended in finishes. Tyler Greene stopped Lucas Moreira via TKO, Saheeb Jackson stopped Tim Briggs via submission, and Junior noleto stopped schuyler vaillancourt via submission as well. Sean Wakefield came in with a plan and excuses his wrestling gameplay perfectly. Unanimous decision for Wakefield.
Dayshawn White and Bruce Pacy brought the action in a 3 round war that White squeezed out a victory in a 3 round decision.
Taking home the trophy for fighter of the night was Ozzy Martin. A battle between these 2 men led to one of the most impressive finishes I've seen at regional MMA events. Martin di not let up and was throwing hands from every angle until eventually the ref jumped in and Souza dropped to the ground. Super exciting fight and a hell of a lot of potential in Ozzy Martin. Excited to see him back in there !
Next up New England Cartel Member Fred Allen Sfier took home a unanimous decision against a tough opponent. Crowd always loves the the NEC guys one and the place erupted in cheers.
Josh Medeiros, add that name to your list of Fighter to Watch. He came out with one goal in mind, End the fight. From beginning to end he was on the hunt and with just 7 seconds left int he fight, he got it.
Huge Night for Kyle Pufahl! The crew at Nostos MMA in Somersworth NH had been on a tear lately and Pufahl is now adding more titles to the team led by Devin Powell. Pufahl Showed off his combos nicely as he attacked with leg kicks, body kicks, and added in some beautiful striking eventually catching Movessian with a left hook that drops him. Movessian is quick to get back to his feet but Pufahl stays on the attack and pushes Movessian up against the cage. Firing combos until he gets the finish, the ref jumps in and the fans love what they see.
Congrats to Kyle Pufahl on winning the 155 lb. mens amateur MMA Lightweight title. Who should be next for the next up and coming fighter from Nostos?
So much hope behind this fight and Newcomb Delivered. Tucker showed off some nice striking but once Newcomb was able to get in and get her to the ground, She showed off her ground skill and was able to submit Tucker in under 2 min.
The Pro MMA section started now and the first 2 fights only needed 1 round each. Cedric Lochard Defeats Rob Ovalle with a beautiful standing Rear Naked Choke and Nick Fiore Defeats Stephen stengel with some ground and pound after securing the back on the ground and locking in his hooks.
Fernanda Araujo defeats Maya Stewart. Araujo took center of the cage and never backed down. Stewart controlled distance nicely with her legs throwing body shots and moving but when Araujo got in and made contact, it was powerful every time. The judges seen the same thing and all 2 picked Araujo to win.
The Main Event was a great chance to see where pagliarulo is in his career and he exceeded exceptions. Toms strikes were on point and when he got Young to drop to the ground with his impressive striking he immediately went in for the finish. Impressive showcase and one hell of a way to end the night!
All in all, Matchmakers at Combat Zone are crushing it! A great mix of striking finishes submission, hard fought decision wins, and potential in a lot of these fighters. Congrats to all the winners of the night and huge congrats to COMBAT Zone for putting on another great showcase of regional combat sports athletes.
Also on card
- Devin Smith By 3:37 of round 1 Ref Stoppage
