It was a pretty busy weekend for local fighters even though there were no local events being held. Here's a quick recap of this weekend's results for our local fighters.
Bochniak Grabs Another Win at XMMA 2 in South Carolina
Kyle "Crash" Bochniak (10-5) improved to 2-0 since being cut from the UFC roster back in October of 2019. He's impressed against some pretty stiff competition under the banner of fledgeling Florida based promotion XMMA. In his first appearance with the promotion back in January, "Crash" secured a unanimous decision victory over Sanford MMA prospect, Caio Uruguai, in a battle in Florida. On Friday he took on UFC vet, Marcus Brimage (7-8), and took home a dominant unanimous decision victory, improving his record to 10-5.
Bochniak is an exciting fighter that always comes forward in his battles. The Lauzon MMA product went 2-5 under the UFC banner before being cut, and has gone to decision in his last 9 overall fights, sporting a 4-5 record including his most two recent wins fighting for XMMA. But regardless of the number of decisions that he's produced recently, his fights are always entertaining - absorbing punches and throwing strikes in an extremely high volume. If he continues to rack up victories against high-level competition, then a return to the big leagues is not out of the question for "Crash".
Evolution Athletix Goes 3-1 in the Hoosier state, and Grabs a Few Belts in the process
Saco, Maine based Evolution Athletix made a trip to the mid-west to take part in Art of Scrap 2 in Fort Wayne, Indiana. 5 of its amateurs fighters were set to go to battle, but only 4 were able to step into the cage to compete, as Teddy Politis' (1-0) opponent refused to come out of the locker room to fight, thus the fight being scrapped all together. All-in-all it was a hugely successful trip for coach Nate Libby and his crew of amateurs, going 3-1 on the night, and taking home 2 amateur belts back to New England.
Tyler Smythe (1-1) was the lone defeat on the night for the camp, as he dropped a flyweight split decision in a hard-fought battle against a very game Dominic Heath (2-0). Ben Grady (2-0) made an impressive statement, TKO'ing his opponent in just :07 seconds of the very first round!
Two of the more experienced fighters who train at Evolution Athletix took center stage and battled for Art of Scrap amateur belts. In a middleweight championship scrap, Duncan "The Highlander" Smith (6-3) took out hometown boy, Chandler Chapman, by rear naked choke in the 1st round, and added another belt to his collection. Smith is the current New England Fights 170 pound amateur champion, and is also the former Combat Zone amateur champ in that same weight class. "The Highlander" is currently the 5th ranked ammy welterweight in New England when we conducted our last rankings in the summer of 2020. There's no doubt he'll be finding his way up the rankings before turning pro. He is scheduled to take on #1 ranked amateur welterweight in New England, Mike Bezanson (5-0), at NEF 44 on August 21st in Milford, NH, which will surely be the most anticipated amateur welterweight clash in some time.
The #1 ranked amateur lightweight in New England was also looking to add a belt to his collection, as Mo Kinani (8-1) took out Bobby Kelley via unanimous decision in one of the featured bouts of the night. Kinani now has a 4 fight win streak, and is a rising star in the 155 pound division in New England. Keep an eye out for this kid when he turns pro in the near future.
It obviously goes without saying that Evolution Athletix made an impression on the mid-west faithful, and needed a little extra room in their suitcases on the way back to Maine. Congrats to Nate Libby and team for showing the Fort Wayne fans what New England MMA is all about. Look for Smith and Kinani to make the leap to the pro ranks in the near future, as both have now competed in 9 amateur fights, and have proven that they are high-level amateurs in their respective divisions.
Art of Scrap 2 Results
Mo Kinani def. Bobby Kelley via Unanimous Decision (Am LW Championship)
Duncan Smith def. Chandler Chapman via Rear Naked Choke - 1st round (Am MW Championship)
Ben Grady def. Taylor Burley via TKO @ :07 seconds, 1st round
Dominic Heath def. Tyler Smythe via Split Decision
Jean-Jacques Fights on the 1st Cage Warriors card in the US Sunday Night
Also competing this weekend is #2 ranked pro light heavyweight in New England, Terrance "T-Bone" Jean-Jacques (5-2), as he takes on his toughest task to date out in San Diego, California On Sunday night. He'll be competing on the first ever US card for the UK-based Cage Warriors promotion. "T-Bone" will be taking on undefeated Elevation Fight Team prospect, Zac Pauga (3-0), who also went 5-0 as an amateur. If you're looking to catch Jean-Jacques' fight, then you may want to call into work tomorrow morning, because the main card doesn't tip off on UFC FightPass until 11:00 EST, and TJJ will be the 2nd fight on the main card. Jean-Jacques is close to breaking into the big leagues, and possibly getting a Contender Series opportunity with another win or two under his belt.
Enigma Kickboxing - Hooksett, NH
Enigma Promotions also held their inaugural kickboxing event at Team Link Hooksett in New Hampshire. There were 10 fights held, and our own Steve Domenico was their to cover the event, and announce as well. Below are the results from the night.
Enigma Kickboxing 1
Joey Gomez vs. Tristen Joyce (Draw)
Jonathan Gardner def. Joe Peterson (UD)
Liam MacNeil def. Adam Riggio (1st rnd TKO)
Noah Cummings def. Corey Peters (2nd rnd TKO)
John Brideau def. Joash Batchelder (UD)
Mike Jolicoeur def. Matt Foley (3rd rnd TKO)
Connor Luby def. Fred Sfeir (UD)
Kin Moy def. Keegan Honstra (UD)
Doug Lemes def. Placido Santos (UD)
Dominic Warr def. Nasi Georgopoulos (SD)
