Noons Dominates Berto on ShoXC Debut

The following was posted on Sherdog.com by Josh Gross (Photos by D. Mandel)

SANTA YNEZ, Calif., July 27 -- The last time we saw Karl James Noons (Pictures) he was flat on his back as Charles Bennett (Pictures) did back flips in front of a Mississippi crowd.

Tonight, about five hours north of his home of San Diego, Noons showed flashes of the hype that followed him onto the first EliteXC card in February by spectacularly stopping James Edson Berto (Pictures) 45 seconds into the third period at the Chumash Casino.

Making a quick turnaround after fighting on short notice and submitting Victor Valenzuela (Pictures) in late June, Berto, unbeaten in eight fights, could not figure out Noons in the main event of Showtime's inaugural ShoXC fight card, designed to showcase up-and-coming mixed martial artists.

Noons picked away at Berto (11-4-1) when they squared off, and for the most part fended off the Haitian's takedown attempts. Berto wasted considerable resources trying to put Noons, known more for his striking than his ground work, on the canvas. But he was inconsistent in his shots and instead of setting them up with strikes, Berto dove in from the outside.

It was obvious by the start of the second that Berto had to work far too hard to put Noons down, and when he did manage a takedown he couldn't control the 24-year-old lightweight. Noons (5-2-0) also paid attention to the body, landing wide hooks to Berto's sides.

"He looked like he was in pretty good shape so I wanted to make sure I wore him down," said the body snatching 24-year-old Noons.

"I was really dehydrated and very fatigued," said Berto. "It just didn't allow me to be myself out there."

Noons stopped one last sloppy Berto shot in the third by countering perfectly with a right knee that smashed into the 27-year-old's chin. He followed with a punch and an elbow before referee Jason Herzog halted the contest and rescued the Winter Haven, Fla. resident.

"Last fight I couldn't show how good of a fighter I was, because I got taken out in the first round," said Noons. "But this fight I got to definitely show my skills. My wind wasn't all the way up, but it's all good. It ended the way I wanted it to."

Gladiator Challenge welterweight champion Jeremiah Metcalf (Pictures) was slated to face King of the Cage champ Aaron Wetherspoon (Pictures) in a unification bout, but the KOTC title holder was bumped from the card after failing to be medically cleared.

On three-day's notice Gladiator Challenge middleweight champion Jaime Jara (Pictures) was brought in to fight at a catch-weight of 175. Officially tonight's contest was for Jara's belt, but behind the scenes the winner knew he'd have to step up on Sept. 22 and make the welterweight limit.

Jara's lack of preparation was evident early, as the heavily tattooed veteran appeared to take in oxygen from his mouth in the first minute. Metcalf (5-3-0), a local fighter, controlled with single punches while moving forward. His confidence grew and in the final minute of the opening round he traded with Jara, who has held GC titles at heavyweight, 205 and 185.

A left hook slammed into Metcalf's jaw and he collapsed to the canvas; Jara (16-4-0) landed two more shots before referee Cecil Peoples moved in at the 4:15 mark.

"I know I hit like a heavyweight, so I knew if I hit him he'd go down," said Jara, "He's used to fighting at 170. I've been up there fighting heavyweights, so I know I hit hard."

Boise, Idaho's Scott Jorgenson ensured his war with Chris David (Pictures) was a one-sided one, as the 135-pound wrestler continually pressured on the feet and the canvas to take a unanimous decision (30-27 and 29-28 twice).

Though David was purported to have an edge the feet, it was Jorgenson that scored first, landing a high kick that dropped the 25-year-old David. Jorgenson pressed forward but David recovered well and made it to the end of the first.

Jorgenson, who spent his collegiate career wrestling for the Boise St. Broncos, showed his pedigree by lifting David in the air, walking across the cage and driving the Southern Californian into the canvas. Within earshot of his corner, Jorgenson kept a high work-rate inside the guard with both punches and elbows, thudding both off David's head.

The two scrambled and Jorgenson (4-1-0) nearly secured an armbar by countering a David Kimura attempt. They continued to roll around and David (8-6-1) finished the period on top, looking to connect from an awkward angle.

Jorgenson, as he did throughout the first two periods, delivered the more damaging strikes in the final five minutes. A cracking right hand by Jorgenson, 24, was followed by a tight elbow that put David on wobbly legs to start the third. The wrestler pressed forward for the duration of the bout to take the commanding decision.

San Antonio's Aaron Rosa outworked 2003 K-1 Brazil Grand Prix champ Jefferson Silva to stop the Mario Sperry (Pictures)-flanked light heavyweight after one full round.

Silva, 29, smirked as he stalked Rosa around the cage. That changed when the Brazilian found himself underneath the 24-year-old Rosa, a Tito Ortiz (Pictures) sparring partner, eating elbows and punches. Rosa, who wore a cross on his shorts, put Silva in the crucifix and wailed away.

The striker managed briefly to reverse position, including taking the mount, before Rosa put Silva on his back for a second time and finished the round on top.

Between rounds, the ringside physician deemed a cut to Silva's head was bad enough to call an end to the contest.

"I can see OK, but I can't complain about them stopping it," said Silva.

Muhsin Corbbrey's showboating earned him a chorus of boos, but judges at ringside felt his continual battering of Lee Gibson (Pictures)'s lead leg was enough to warrant a unanimous decision win (30-27 twice and 29-28).

Gibson (10-2-0), 31, worked well on the inside, scoring with punches to the stomach and short uppercuts when he put Corbbrey (5-2-0) against the fence. But the 29-year-old lightweight from South Carolina stood up well to Gibson's power punches and danced his way around the cage to collect the win.

Off TV Bouts

Shayna Baszler (Pictures) (6-3-0) capitalized off a takedown by out-positioning Jan Finney (Pictures) (3-4-0) before scoring an armbar at 2:40 of the first.

Josh Neal (2-0-0) escaped several submission attempts from Eric Beondo (1-1-0) in the bout's opening minutes, before a right knee from the Thai clinch ended the bout at 2:56 of the first period.

Jason Geris (4-3-0) injured his right knee in the first round against Anthony Ruiz (Pictures), prompting referee Cecil Peoples to halt the contest on advice from the cage-side physician before the second round were to begin. Ruiz moved to 16-10-0 with the TKO victory.

Tony Rubalcava made good on his mixed martial arts debut, picking up a TKO at 4:19 of the opening period against Drew Montgomery (3-2-0).

Brian Cobb (Pictures) (9-4-0) submitted John Reedy (2-3-0) with a rear naked choke for the third time in his brief career, this time at 4:19 of the first.

Noons Scores Devastating Knockout over Berto in Main Event of Spectacular Premiere of SHOXC: ELITE CHALLENGER SERIES

Friday, July 27, at 11 p.m. ET/PT on SHOWTIME
Chumash Casino Resort, Santa Ynez, California

SANTA YNEZ, Calif. (July 28, 2007) - In a scintillating finish to a thrilling, crowd-pleasing and exciting debut of ShoXC: Elite Challenger Series, KJ Noons bounced back to register an impressive third-round knockout over Edson Berto Friday on SHOWTIME.

In the co-feature of a live two-hour telecast that featured five competitive, evenly-matched fights between determined, well-conditioned athletes, Jaime Jara blasted out Jeremiah Metcalf in the third round to capture his fourth Gladiator championship belt.

EliteXC presented the event from the Chumash Casino. It aired on SHOWTIME at
11 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast).

Noons (4-1), of San Diego, was knocked out by "Krazy Horse" Charles Bennett in the first Mixed Martial Arts fight shown on premium television (Feb. 10, 2007, on SHOWTIME), but mostly had his way against Berto (12-4-1), of Orlando, Fla., before dropping him with a devastating right knee to the face.

Talk about a finishing kick.

"This is definitely a different feeling than I had the first time I fought on SHOWTIME, but it solidified what I have been saying, that my last MMA fight was a fluke," said Noons, who followed the knockdown with a right hand and right elbow to the face before the referee stepped in and stopped the proceedings 45 seconds in the third round.

"This win reestablishes my status in MMA. I don't want to say that a loss would have been devastating but now I am right back where I need to be."

"I was really dehydrated and very fatigued," said Berto, who had an eight-fight unbeaten streak (7-0-1) end. "It just didn't allow me to be myself out there."

Jara (16-4), of North Highlands, Calif., won a brawl and the Gladiator Challenge middleweight title with an exciting first-round knockout over Jeremiah Metcalf (5-3) of Modesto, Calif.

In a match that featured numerous non-stop exchanges, Jara caught Metcalf with a punishing left hook that dropped him shortly before the fight was stopped at 4:15.

"I think it tells a lot about a guy like me who can win a fight like this on two days' notice," Jara said. "I had to cut a bunch of weight so that is why I was a little slow. Winning my fourth belt in my fourth different weight class (heavyweight, light heavy, middleweight and welterweight) is quite an accomplishment that I am proud of. I am a warrior. I get calls all the time.
I am always ready to fight.''

Metcalf, who connected with his fair share of shots, disagreed vehemently with the ref's decision to stop the slugfest.

"I had him where I wanted him,'' he said. "The punch flashed me, but it wasn't a knockout. I was fine. They called it too early."

In other bouts on the ShoXC: Elite Challenger Series, Scott Jorgensen (4-1) of Boise, Idaho, took a three-round unanimous decision over Chris David (8-6-1), of Santa Rosa, Calif., winning a one-sided war by the scores of 30-27 and 29-28 twice; in an excellent performance, undefeated Aaron Rosa (10-0), of San Antonio, Tex., scored an impressive technical knockout over the more highly regarded Brazilian Jefferson Silva (3-2) in a bout halted by the cageside physician after the first round due to an eye injury; and Muhsin Corbbrey (5-2), of Hilton Head, S.C.), opened the telecast with a unanimous three-round decision over Lee Gibson (10-3) of Kansas City. Corbbrey won by the scores of 30-27 twice and 29-28.

EliteXC announcer Mauro Ranallo called the action from cage side with The Fight Professor, Stephen Quadros serving as expert analyst. The executive producer of ShoXC is David Dinkins, Jr. with Richard Gaughan producing and Rick Phillips directing.

Immediately following the SHOWTIME telecast, five bouts were streamed live on the Internet (http://www.blogger.com/www.proelite.com <http://www.proelite.com/> ). In fights called by Todd Keneley (blow-by-blow) and $kala "Jared" Shaw (color commentator) , Shayna Baszler (8-4) of Sioux Falls, Iowa, won by first-round submission (armlock), over Jan Finney (3-4) of Springfield, Ohio; Josh Neal
(2-0) of Turlock, Calif., scored a 2:15, opening round knockout over Eric Biondo (2-1) of Sacramento, Calif.; Anthony Ruiz (16-10) of Coarse Gold, Calif., scored a first-round TKO over Jason Geris (4-3) of Sacramento, Calif.; Tony Rubalcava (1-0) registered a first-round TKO over Drew Montgomery (3-2); and Brian Cobb (12-4) defeated John Reedy (2-3) with a rear naked choke at 4:09 in the first round.

EliteXC returns to SHOWTIME on Saturday, Sept. 15 from Hawaii. Viewers and fans can expect to see EliteXC's world middleweight champion, Muilo 'Ninja' Rua, top-notch welterweight Nick Diaz, world-ranked welterweight Jake Shields and women's superstar Gina Carano.

Ruskie Business

The following is an article that was featured in the San Diego Union-Tribune.

Impresario counts on Russians to boost boxing, martial arts ventures

By Jerry Magee
STAFF WRITER

July 5, 2007

Two all-purpose warriors schooled in boxing, kick-boxing and mixed martial arts are in the vanguard of what could become a colony of fighters from Russia based here.

They are Evgeny Khil, 24, and Dennis Grachev, 23. They were brought to San Diego by Mark Dion, proprietor of the City Boxing gym on 14th Street in the downtown area and also of a gym in Pacific Beach.

“If they do everything right, they are going to be my mentors for bringing in other people,” Dion said.

In Russia, Khil and Grachev were most active in kick-boxing, but they boxed in a recent series of four-rounders at the San Diego County Fair. Grachev's appearance was an explosive one. A super middleweight with a shaved head who is known as “the Pirate,” he scored a second-round knockout of an opponent who could not be revived for several minutes.

Khil lost a majority decision to an unbeaten super featherweight, but his defeat did nothing to disabuse Dion of the notion that Khil could have a future in boxing.

“He's a tough kid, that's the thing,” Dion said. “If he can get the technique down, he's money, especially at 126 pounds.”

Should he continue in boxing, Grachev “can be somebody to reckon with,” said Sergio Melendrez, a City Boxing trainer. “He has one-punch knockout power.” But whether Grachev will concentrate on boxing or mixed martial arts has not been determined, according to Dion.

“He likes MMA, and he's super strong,” Dion said. “With City Boxing guys, it's all a matter of which one is going to make the most sense for them as far as a future. There's no money in kick-boxing, so it angles them for MMA or boxing, either way.”

Khil and Grachev are college graduates, Khil in chemistry, Grachev in physical education, but when they came to this country eight months ago, Khil had only a slight understanding of English, Grachev none. Across the street from City Boxing is San Diego City College, where Dion enrolled them in an English course. While learning English, they also have picked up a smattering of Spanish. They share an apartment Dion leased for them in Golden Hill.

“Usually, one hour a day, we try to speak English, for practice,” said Khil, who at the gym is addressed as “Eugene.”

Khil and Grachev are from communities about 100 miles apart. They had known one another for nine years when they made the determination to respond to Dion's summons.

Coming to Southern California meant adjusting to a new lifestyle.

“Every time, when you change your life, you worry,” Khil said.

“Here, everything is different. I have had to change my mentality. In Russia, the mentality is very different than in America. Here, the people are different. Now, I am better. I feel comfortable – almost comfortable.”

Grachev on the things he has come to enjoy: “Beach, nightclubs, gym. Because I like to train,” he said.

Dion manages K.J. Noon, a junior middleweight who is 8-1 with seven knockouts and has signed a promotional contract with Gary Shaw of Showtime. One time, after Noon had been working against a Russian at the Pound Per Pound gym in North Hollywood, Dion and the Russian began talking.

“He said he used to be a kick-boxer,” Dion said. “I said, 'That's funny, I'm looking for a kick-boxing trainer.' He said, 'My friend is a former world champion.' I said, 'What's his name?' ”

His name was Khil. Dion sought out some video on him.

“He was small, which wasn't exactly what I was looking for,” Dion said, “but he had amazing skills. The kid had 240 fights at 24 years old. I don't know anybody with that kind of record. I told Khil, 'Find me a big boy.' Khil told me about Grachev. The only way I was bringing Khil over was if I had a bigger guy than him.”

By Dion's account, he retains one of the leading immigration attorneys in Beverly Hills. Soon enough, the two Russians were encamped at City Boxing, where they serve as instructors.

“If you were that impressed at Del Mar by Dennis, then a year from now, you'll be really impressed because he still has a long way to go,” Dion said. “His whole career has been 150 kick-boxing fights. Eugene is just really crafty, while Dennis is more of a straight-ahead powerhouse. We've got to train Eugene to sit down more on his punches and Dennis to be a little more crafty and get some Mexican-style body punching going on.”

Dion said he has applied to the California State Athletic Commission for a promoter's license for boxing, kick-boxing and MMA and by the end of summer could be offering cards in San Diego if, that is, he can come up with the proper venue.

“When the time is right,” he said he expects to expand the number of Russians campaigning out of City Boxing. In particular, he would like to acquire a heavyweight. Meantime, he has Khil and Grachev. The Russians aren't merely coming to San Diego. They're already here.