Matrix Fights III tonight: More MMA, this time, of the sustainable variety

By Charles Cieri

Matrix Fights III goes down tonight. On the heels of last week’s scene-shifting Bellator 33, this fight is important for a few reasons. Number one, best outlined in last week's Inquirer article, the success of these types of fights will make or break the scene. Also it has legit match-ups, most notably, Julio Rosario v Brylan Vanartsdalen and Azunna Anyanwu’s pro debut. Lastly, Matrix promoter Jimmy Binns has gained something of a track record for giving the spectator his and her money’s worth.

While Bellator 33 was a sensational success, Bellator is gone with no indication on when it will return. The promotion’s star draw and the city’s best known fighter, Eddie Alvarez, could make MMA huge in the city — Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney called him a one man promotional machine — but no local promoter could afford him unless, god-forbid, he sustains a tremendous loosing streak. He won’t be back in this up-and-coming market, save the occasional appearance.

There are other options, Wilson Reis is almost in reach for the local promoters as is Anthony Morrison, both have made one appearance but at 25 and 26 years-old respectively, that will only be an outside chance for a little while longer (you can call me on that, I see both these guys taking off and joining Alvarez and Frankie Edgar to make the region the 145-155 mecca).

So, realistically, there is no one-man in the price range that can shoulder this scene. That leaves two immediate solutions to build the scene on, has-beens and up-and-comers. I’m not going to go into the first option and thankfully, for the most part, local promoters are in accord. As for up-and-comers, we have the programs — the best on the East Coast (again, call me on it) — and the first crop of local bound fighters from those camps have been entertaining crowds since August 2009. The only question is how much opportunity will there be for prospects to challenge each other, weed out non-hackers and elevate the pedigree. This question loosely translates to revenue. If the promoters can turn a profit, they will put on more shows and turn on the power to this potential MMA furnace.

The match-ups on this card provide solid fuel for that furnace, thanks to match-maker Sam Caplan. There are plenty of names that have distinguished themselves to some extent in previous shows. Brian Pitaniello, Geroge Hibbs and Mathew Friedeborn will be on this card and anyone of them could put on a surprise fight-of-the-night.

Great fight-nights aren’t built on potential standouts however, and this card has its proven draws. Julio Rosario has a great story and a killer push to finish the fight, training out of Semper Fi MMA, a relatively new gym on the scene, this event was more or less built around him and much can be made about how he steps up to that pressure. His opponent Brylan Vanartsdalen comes from the solid Daddis FC. Although, we didn’t see much of his standup in his last fight (he submitted his opponent 15 seconds in), this is his third nod from Sam Caplan, meaning he has the eye of a very distinguishing and well informed talent scout.

Also on the card are Jeff Cressman and Azunna Anyanwu. Cressman, a 135 pounder, was caught early in his last fight to my extreme surprise. His previous appearance was a fight-of-the-night three round slug-fest. Look for him to return to that intensity. Anyanwu has come out of nowhere to run up on the heavyweight radar. His pro-debut is both early (only two amateur fights is two short of the usual procedure) and way late, with a purple belt from Jared Weiner and handwork from Daddis FC, he gets my pick against any heavyweight thus far on the scene.


The fights start at 7pm and goes down at the Philadelphia Sheet Metal Workers’ Local at 1301 Columbus Boulevard. The on-line tickets are sold out but more tickets should be available at the door.

Matrix Fights returns to South Philly

Philadelphia, PA - Matrix Fights formally announced Monday that its second ever event is now scheduled for the legendary "The Arena" in Philadelphia, PA on Friday, June 11.

Coming off a sellout crowd in its debut event this past February, the promotion will look to continue to build on its reputation as one of the fastest growing promotions in the United States by featuring the East Coast return of UFC veteran Jay Silva as he takes on blue chip prospect Tim Williams in a middleweight contest.

Silva now resides in Huntington Beach, California but began his amateur mixed martial arts career in New Jersey. A bouncer at several popular New York City nightclubs, Silva accumulated a large fan base and emerged as an underground legend.

The Brazilian-born fighter transitioned from being an underground legend to a mainstream figure after building a respectable 5-1 record as a pro and landing a multi-fight contract with the UFC in 2009. Despite having gone 0-2 during his brief stint with the UFC, Silva made a name for himself by going the distance
with middleweight standouts Chris Leben and C.B. Dollaway.

"Silva's evolution from an East Coast-based amateur to a UFC-caliber middleweight has been nothing short of remarkable," said Matrix Fights President Jimmy Binns Jr. "Jay was already a beloved figure on the New
Jersey MMA scene before going to the UFC. But he's more popular than ever since making it to the big show. We're happy that we're going to give fans in the Tri-State area their first chance to see Jay since making it to the UFC."

Silva, who is drawing interest from several major promotions, could be just one big win away from returning to the big show. Standing in his way is one of the fastest rising middleweight prospects in all of MMA, Tim Williams.

Despite elite-level jiu-jitsu credentials, Williams' emergence as one of the top unsigned prospects in MMA had been considered improbable. Several years ago the Maryland native nearly lost his life in an auto accident that has left permanent scarring to portions of his face. Then, just last year, Williams was diagnosed with a brain aneurysm and his promising career was thought to be at a premature
end.

Through all of his life-threatening battles, Williams has persevered and has achieved excellence in the cage; first as an amateur compiling a perfect 6-0 record and now as a pro, having gone 3-0 with three first round submissions.

"I am not sure if you are going to find a more inspirational fighter in MMA than Timmy Williams," remarked Matrix Fights promoter Phil Migliarese. "Because of the things Tim has experienced in his life outside of the cage, it has made him fearless inside of it. Usually, you don't see a 3-0 prospect accepting a fight against someone as experienced and dangerous as Jay Silva. But anything that Tim might experience in the cage is secondary to what he has endured outside of it."

These days fighters with less than five fights rarely show up on the radars of major national MMA organizations such as the UFC, Strikeforce, and the Bellator Fighting Championships. However, an upset victory for Williams could expedite his ascension through the ranks and land him on a big show sooner rather than later.

"Matt Makowski vs. LeVon Maynard was a tremendous main event for our first show," began Binns. "However, I think being able to bring Jay and Tim together sends a message to our fans that we're going to deliver a show that at worst is as good as the first and potentially even better. Both Jay and Tim
will have a lot at stake on June 11 and the victor is going to walk away with more than just their win bonus."

In addition to Silva vs. Williams, Matrix Fights II will also feature Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Tim Carpenter competing for the first-time ever in his native Philadelphia. Carpenter, who trains at Balance Studios and is one of the best unsigned light heavyweights in the world will put his unblemished 5-0 record on the line against New York native Guybson Sa. Sa has just one pro fight on his resume but it was a memorable victory. Facing the vastly more experienced Ryan Contaldi, who was 5-2 at the time, Sa defeated the more
experienced fighter in less than two minutes after executing a triangle choke.

Matrix Fights II will feature five pro fights and seven amateur contests with additional bouts set to be announced in the coming weeks. For ticket on-sale information as well as updates to the fight card, please visit http://MatrixFights.com.

Conrad to fight in Philly

Former NCAA heavyweight champion wrestler Cole Konrad is signed for Matrix Fights' inaugural MMA event on Saturday, Feb. 27 at The Arena in south Philadelphia.

Konrad, who went to the University of Minnesota, is one of UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar’s training partners who made his professional MMA debut on Jan. 23 in Fargo, ND. With Lesnar in his corner, Konrad submitted Gary Hamen via choke at 1:13 of round 1. The highly anticipated debut has become a YouTube sensation and the dominant victory solidified Konrad’s standing as the top unsigned prospect in mixed martial arts.

“The addition of a fighter with the pedigree of Cole Konrad is a tremendous coup for Matrix and a strong example of our intent to become the premier MMA organization in the city of Philadelphia,” said Matrix Fights President Jimmy Binns Jr. “We were very satisfied with the existing card we had in place but with this being our first event, we wanted to really make a statement. Landing Cole Konrad’s second-ever professional MMA bout is about as big of a statement that a regional promotion can make.”

Konrad is currently being pursued by major fight organizations such as the Tokyo-based DREAM and U.S.-based Bellator Fighting Championships organization. Despite having a potential lucrative contract at stake, Konrad will be facing a stiff test against Joel Wyatt, 5-2, out of Richmond, Virginia.

“Joel Wyatt is a purple belt in jiu-jitsu and rated by UltMMA.com as a top 15 unsigned heavyweight prospect. This is not some setup fight for Cole. It is a prospect vs. prospect bout that I expect to be very competitive,” said Matrix Fights promoter Phil Migliarese. “Cole is taking a major risk here but as bad as we wanted him on the show, we did not want to do our fans a disservice by trying to pad his record. Make no mistake, Cole will be tested and there are no guarantees he’s going to pass.”

In addition to training with Lesnar in Alexandria, MN, Konrad also trains under Greg Nelson in Minneapolis, MN at the Minnesota Martial Arts Academy, home to top fighters such as former UFC lightweight champion Sean Sherk, UFC heavyweight Chris Tuchscherer, former BodogFIGHT welterweight champion Nick Thompson, former NCAA All-American Paul Bradley, and highly rated middleweight prospect Brett “The Natural Disaster” Stevens.

The Konrad vs. Wyatt bout is being billed as a “special attraction,” with the night’s main event featuring EliteXC veteran Matt Makowski (5-2) of Philadelphia, PA taking on former IFL draft finalist LeVon Maynard (9-5) of Virginia Beach, VA in a clash of welterweight prospects. The fight will serve as a long-awaited MMA-rules rematch to their 2006 Muay Thai encounter at the WKA Championships in which Makowski was the victor.

In addition to Konrad vs. Wyatt and Makowski vs. Maynard, Matrix Fights 1 (card subject to change) will also feature pro bouts between Aaron Miesner of Philadelphia, PA vs. Francois Ambang of Richmond, VA; Will Martinez in his Philadelphia debut vs. Mitch Lyons of Dayton, OH; and former United States Marine Julio Rosario vs. Steven Baker of Wilmington, DE.