(10/24/09 - Toledo, OH) - The NAAFS made a successful trek to Northwest Ohio on Saturday October 24th for North Coast Showdown 4 at the Headliner's Concert Hall in Toledo, OH. A combination of familiar names and fresh faces provided the NAAFS Nation with a night of energy and excitement, capped off by impressive submissions and highlight reel knockouts.

2006 National Amateur Lightweight Champion Mike Nesto (12-6) is no stranger to walking into enemy territory and walking out victorious, which is exactly what he did at North Coast Showdown 4 when Nesto defeated Brandon "X-Man" Hance (7-3) by Arm Bar submission at 2:47 of the first round.

With the win, Nesto has inserted himself right back into the mix of the Pro Series Featherweight division.

The highlight reel knockout of the night took place in the Pro Series Light Heavyweight bout between Brian "The Predator" Rogers and Dan Bolden. Despite being outsized by his opponent, Rogers (6-3) once again showed the tenacity that has made him one of the most respected fighters in the Pro Series Middleweight division, defeating Bolden (4-4) by KO at 1:14 of round one.

Bolden took control early on, pressing Rogers up against the cage, but the Strong Style fighter used a combination of leg kicks and body shots to weaken his larger opponent and reverse positions. A few moments later, Rogers connected with a picture perfect flying knee that rendered Bolden almost incapciated and left the entire arena in awe.

The 2009 National Amateur Light Heavyweight finals are now set, as  #1 ranked Dane Bonnigson (8-0) remained unbeaten with his win over #5 ranked Larry Shuck (6-3) by doctor stoppage at the end of the first round. Already the 2008 National Amateur Light Heavyweight Champion, the USA Martial Arts fighter now looks towards Jason Butcher and Night of Champions, where Bonnigson will have the chance to become the first ever back-to-back champion in the NAAFS.

The National Amateur Lightweight division provided fans with an exciting battle between Toledo's own Tony "Mexican Muscle" Castillo and Lionheart MMA's "Bionic" Ben Grove. In the end, Castillo (5-0) became yet another USA Martial Arts fighter to remain undefeated with a Unanimous Decision victory over Grove (3-2).

Jay Willman (3-2) capped off an impressive night for Bad Dog Fight Team with his second round victory over Chad Catri (2-1) by verbal submission. Bad Dog Fight Team might be a name to for NAAFS fans to remember, as they were impressive in going 3-0 on the night at North Coast Showdown 4.

Speaking of Bad Dog Fight Team, the closest fight they had all night was Ray Hernandez's (4-0) Split Decision victory over Nick Sondergeld (2-2) of Morgan MMA in what was the epitomy of a battle between two area favorites.

Wally "The Weapon" McDonald (4-0) made his drive from Rochester, NY worth it as the Team Empire fighter defeated the always tough Julian "Nitrane" Lane (2-2) by Arm Bar at 1:07 of the first round.

USA Martials Arts had two fighters make successful MMA debuts at North Coast Showdown 4. In the National Amateur Bantamweight divsion, Aaron "300" Arvantis (1-0) defeated Justin Taylor (0-1) by Arm Bar submission at 1:15 of the first round. In addition, Thomas Sheares (1-0) defeated Thomas Schwartz (0-1) by Guillotine Choke at 2:52 into round one.

In National Amateur Light Heavyweight division action, Jacob Krus (1-1) showed the heart to be a fighter by rebounding from a loss to defeat Perry Rickard (0-1) by Rear Naked Choke at 2:13 of the first round.

The opening fight of the night saw Rick Fry (1-0) of Public Knockout defeat Travis Bibler (0-1) by doctor stoppage at the end of round one in a National Amateur Middleweight division fight.

The NAAFS would like to thank all of the fans in Toledo who came out to Headliner's Concert Hall for North Coast Showdown 4. A special thank you goes out to Rev 3 Energy Drink, United States Army, Mr. John P. Lennon, Tim Lally Chevrolet, SportsTalkCLEVELAND.com, BetonFighting.com, YellTap.com, Dillards Department Stores, Bloody Buddy Fight Gear, and the SportsTime Ohio for their continued support of the NAAFS!

BONUS PHOTOS

 

North Coast Showdown 4 Quick Results

155 lbs - Josh "The Buzzsaw" Johnson 9-0 (USA Martial Arts) over Jeff Holmes 7-2 (Kittanning, PA) by Arm Bar @ :44 of Rd 1

145 lbs - Mike Nesto 12-6 (Schrader's MMA) over Brandon "Xman" Hance 7-3 (USA Martial Arts) by Arm Bar @ 2:47 of Rd 1

185 lbs - Brian "The Preditor" Rogers 6-3 (Strong Style) over Dan Bolden 4-5 (Team Colon) by KO @ 1:14 of Rd 1