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HAMMOND, IN -- With nearly 3000 people in attendance, this year's Ironheart Crown exceeded the production's previous events by a large margin. The quality of fights has also continued to improve. There were four exciting title bouts on the card. Additionally, first-time fighter, Stephan Bonnar of the Carlson Gracie Team, made a name for himself with an incredible debut which earned him this year's Ultimate Athlete Award. Here are brief results of the show. Lightweight Tournament
Semi Final #1 Champions: Awards: Special Guests in attendance: Ring Girls: Julie Anne and Merna Lee October
30, 2001
Then, a promoter's worst nightmare unfolded as an old knee injury put Higuerros out of action, taking some of the punch out of what had been a great line up. "That fight was one of the best matches ever slated in Chicago," former IHC promoter Eric Moon remarks. "It was the fight that I was personally anticipating the most, and I'm sure that a lot of the fans were looking forward to it as well. I was crushed when I heard of Rolando's injury. Thank God Shannon called." Shannon? Shannon "The Cannon" Ritch? Against Henry Matamoros? It may sound too good to be true, but just days after the show's best match-up turned cold, it has been re-ignited, burning even hotter than before! Shannon Ritch, training out of Buell Fighting Systems in Coolidge, Arizona is the current Internation Sport Combat Federation U.S. Champion with a mixed martial arts fighting record of 53 wins and 22 losses. He has been featured in Japan's Pride, Hawaii's SuperBrawl, Holland's MixFight, and other major events including the Extreme Challenge and the King of the Cage. He has faced the best world-class A-level fighters in the business, including Kazushi Sakuraba, Frank Shamrock, and Dennis Hallman. While Rolando Higuerros was a worthy opponent for Henry Matamoros, Shannon the Cannon brings much more to the table, adding to the aura of this upcoming event. But is Shannon Ritch more than Matamoros can handle? "I don't think so," Moon says. "Shannon has a lot more experience, but Matamoros is no novice. Henry has a record of 27 wins and only 5 losses. He has also fought in big shows and faced notable opponents, and he has maintained an incredibly good record in the process. I think Shannon is a much stronger striker, but Henry has a supernatural ability to take a punch, and his submission skills are as good as they get. It won't be easy for him, but Henry definitely has the tools to win this fight and keep his title. It's a great opportunity for him to get his name out. He really hasn't gotten the recognition that he deserves." Obviously, Eric Moon thinks this is a good match, and for whatever its worth, the internet community seems to be in agreement. Just hours after the deal was made, an unknown source posted the information on the "Underground Forum" at mixedmartialarts.com, the internet's hottest source for mixed martial arts information. In response to the thread, half of the posts predicted a win for Mataomoros, while the other half predicted that Ritch would be victorious. Opinions are divided, but the overall consensus seems to be that it will either be Matamoros by submission, or the Cannon by knockout. All agreed that it would be a great fight. "People can say what they want on the forums," Moon says, "but the outcome will be determined in the ring by these two great fighters. I can't believe that this fight just fell into our laps. Its going to be awesome!" Matamoros and Ritch will be featured in one of four title bouts at the Ironheart Crown. The show will be held on Saturday, November 10 at the Hammond Civic Center in Hammond, Indiana. The doors open at 6:00 PM, and fights will begin at 7:00. Tickets are on sale now, and a limited number of ringside seats are available. For more information, call 773-793-6555 in Chicago or 219-844-8504 in northwest Indiana. Information is also available on the event website at www.ironheartcrown.com October
24, 2001
His opponent? Steve Lauretto, a Chicago cop who was once a successful collegiate boxer. Lauretto has also spent the past four years adding aspects of the mixed martial arts to his training regimen. Under the tutelage of Keith Hackney, he has learned to adapt his boxing skills to the no-holds-barred arena. Through his training with Eddie Yoshimura of the Chicago fitness center, he has learned to execute powerful Shidokan kicks. And under the guidance of UFC and Shooto veterans Joey and Danny Gilbert, he has mastered the art of submission grappling. The product of these endeavors: a powerful striker with solid ground skills. While relatively new to the ring of MMA competition, Lauretto's only defeat was a controversial decision in which he scored three knockdowns on his opponent. He is definitely a force to be reckoned with, but is he ready for the challenge which lies ahead Keith Hackney thinks so. "He's definitely ready," Hackney says. "Theobald has more experience, but Steve is the millennium's new breed of fighter. He is extremely well rounded. Good on his feet, and good on the ground. He's in great shape, and he definitely has a great chance of beating Jim. It's going to be a great fight, but I think we might be taking home that belt." Theobald's thoughts on his opponent? "I hear he's pretty tough. I know he's powerful and he has great hands, but I've been fighting for years and I've beaten a lot of really good fighters. I know Steve has several strong coaches, and he's working with a really good group of guys, but I'm just gonna keep training like I always do. I have good guys in my corner too, and I'm pretty confident that I'll be keeping my title." Theobald and Lauretto will be featured in one of four title bouts on a card with fourteen scheduled fights. Tickets are on sale now, and a limited number of ringside seats are available. For more information, call 219-844-8504 in northwest Indiana or 773-793-6555 in Chicago. Information is also available on the event website at www.ironheartcrown.com IRONHEART CROWN III:
EXODUS October 5,
2001  The Ironheart Crown brings an exciting Middleweight Title Bout to Hammond, Indiana! Hackney student, Jay Buck is a rising star who has multiple victories to his name and is now starting a career in Japan's Shooto organization. Brett Al-Azzawi has years of experience and has fought the best world-class athletes that the sport has to offer. Both of these aggressive fighters are known for coming out of the corner swinging... and swinging, and swinging, and swinging! "My record may not be the greatest," Al-Azzawi says, "but look at who I've fought! I'll fight anyone. That's what makes me different from a lot of other fighters. I don't pick my fights." At first, this may sound like a lot of hot air, but a quick review of his resume confirms his bold statements. Al-Azzawi has faced the best names in the sport, many of them outweighing him by as much as 25 pounds. Jermaine Andre, Matt Hughes, Joe Doerksen, Egan Inoue, Adrian Serrano, and Dave Strasser are all former opponents that Brett has faced. He has competed in all of the big-name shows, including Extreme Challenge, HooknShoot, Dangerzone, SuperBrawl, and many others. Al-Azzawi won the FFC title in an 8-man, single-elimination tournament, and he recently won the Michigan State Non-Gi middleweight grappling championship. Who is Jay Buck? For those who don't follow the sport closely, the name may not ring a bell, but Jay Buck is definitely one of the Midwest's finest up-and-comers. He has fought several times in the HooknShoot, and while he maintains a 3-2-0 record, Jeff Osbourne has great things to say about him. "Every match Buck has had for HnS has been a 'fight of the night.' His two HnS losses were medical stoppages. He is a definite crowd pleaser. Buck vs. Al-Azzawi will be a great fight!" Their backgrounds and fight records aside, what makes this a great match-up is these two fighters' aggressive styles. "They both come out banging," says Mike Castellano, Chicago Challenge promoter. "They both know how to hit, and they both set out to prove it at the sound of the bell." Eric Moon, the Ironheart's former promoter, has this to add: "Brett's one of the only guys out there who will throw high kicks to the head, repeatedly, without reservation. While this technique is making a comeback in the modern era of well-rounded fighters, Brett has been doing it from day one." But don't expect Buck to go down from a couple of head kicks. This is a guy who can take as much as he can dish out. According to Osborne, "He definitely likes to trade blows, and the more you hit Jay Buck, the better he fights!" Don't miss this exciting bout for the IHC Middleweight title! This is a fight that will approximate the Matamoros-Higuerros bout in technique, and likely surpass it in its intensity! Tickets are on sale now. A limited number of ringside seats and tables are available. For more information, call 773-793-6555 in the Chicago area or 219-844-8504 in Northwest Indiana. Information is also available on the website at www.ironheartcrown.com. Saturday, November 10, 2001 Hammond Civic Center Arena 5825 Sohl Avenue - Hammond, IN Doors Open at 6:00 PM, fights start at 7:00 Special thanks to our friends
& sponsors: October 2,
2001  On Saturday, November 10, at the Hammond Civic Center Arena, returning IHC lightweight champion, Henry Matamoros will take on last year's Master of Submission award winner, Rolando Higuerros, in what promises to be the most intense fight of the evening! Everybody knows who Henry Matamoros is. He's been fighting for years, first making his name as a Champion in the Hook-n-Shoot. He has a wealth of experience, fighting in events such as the WEF, the IVC, the Extreme Challenge, and many others. He has faced formidable opponents, including big names such as Karl Shmidt, Rafiel Cordeiro, Mario Roberto, Jeff Curran, Nick Starks, and John Renken. He is a 3-time Costa Rican freestyle wrestling champion and a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Champion. In addition to all of this, he has great striking skills and a jaw of steel. These are the things that have made him the current lightweight champion. His opponent, Rolando Higuerros isn't all that well-known outside of the immediate Chicago area, but Matamoros had better not take him lightly! His father, a former national boxing champion from Ecuador, began training Rolando as a boxer while he was still in diapers, and he's been growing as a fighter ever since! He has great hands, crafty footwork, and slick head movement that is not often seen in the MMA world. He was also a very successful wrestler in highschool, and to top off his resume, Higuerros has nearly fifteen years of training in the martial arts. He has done kickboxing and submission at the All-American Academy for a number of years, and two years ago he won his division at the U.S. Olympic Pankration trials with a victory over Jeff Curran, a renowned Midwestern fighter who also happens to be a good friend and training-mate of Henry Matamoros! Matamoros and Higuerros are both equally skilled on their feet and on the ground, but their fighting styles are very different. Matamoros may have a slight advantage with his ring-experience, but this is definitely the fight to watch. Chicago fight fans will make the drive for this fight alone! The Ironheart Crown will be held on November 10 in Hammond, Indiana. The card will also feature fourteen other exciting matches. Tickets are on sale now, and a limited number of ringside seats are available. For more information, call 773-793-6555 in the Chicago area or 219-844-8504 in Northwest Indiana. October 1,
2001 Hammond Civic Center Arena 5825 Sohl Avenue - Hammond, Indiana Doors open at 6:00 PM; Fights start at 7:00
This year's fight card features fifteen exciting fights which will include no less than four title bouts. In the main event, returning IHC openweight champion, Vaughan "the Man, the Myth, the Legend" Palelei from Caique Jiu-Jitsu defends his title against the Ukranian Powerhouse, "Mighty" Milan Dimkovic, training under Shonie Carter! Heavyweight Champion, Jim Theobald, training out of Champion Jiu-Jitsu and the All-American Academy faces a hungry new challenger in Steve Lauretto, from Keith Hackney's Reality Combat! With Adrian Serrano unable to make the weight in defense of his title, two powerful headhunters step up to fill the void in a Middleweight title bout! Jay Buck of Hackney's Hellhouse Team, a contender in Japan's Shooto organization, faces Dan Severn's protege, Brett Al-Azzawi, of the Dark Alley Fight Team in an exciting match which promises to feature more bombs than the Gulf War! And in the Lightweight division, perhaps the most anticipated fight of the night, Lightweight Champion Henry Matamoros of the Pedro Sauer Team and the Duke Roufus Gym takes on last year's "Master of Submission," Rolando Higuerros, training out of the Chicago Fitness Center and the All-American Academy. This is a match you DON'T want to miss! The exciting undercard will feature 3 four-man tournaments. In the Lightweight Division (140 - 160 lbs.), Miguel Torres, Justin Hines, Nick Mitchell, and Masae Fatoke will battle for Braulio Corral's MMAI Lightweight Title. In the heavily stacked Middleweight Division (161 - 180 lbs), Joe Paun and James O'Connor face off in a heated rematch on one side of the bracket, while Herman Reyes and Jake Ambrose fight to determine who will take on the winner! And in the Heavyweight division (181 - 205 lbs) Stephan Bonna, Jay Massey, Chris Albandia, and Ivan Bambic mix it up to determine who's the best man! Several non-title exhibition bouts are also scheduled. In addition this, Blind Man's Bluff performs a chilling A Capella rendition of the U.S. National Anthem in honor of the victims of the World Trade Center attack, and MuscleMag International fitness model, Julie Ann graces the ring, along with our other beautiful Iron Maidens, as our newest Card-Girl! Tickets are on sale now! A limited number of ringside seats are available. For more information, visit the event website at www.ironheartcrown.com, or call 219-844-8504 in NW Indiana or 773-793-6555 in the Chicago area. August 29th,
2001 In our first installment of "Eye
on the Midwest" we took a look at Iowa and one of Mixed
Martial Arts hottest fight team, Team Extreme. This time around
we focus in on Illinois, in particular the Illinois Department
of Professional Regulation. This is the government body that
regulates Boxing and Wrestling in IL and they are the ones who
put the ban on what they refer to as "Ultimate Fighting
Exhibitions." Nevertheless, all of the prospects
and potential fall somewhat short due to that infernal "ban".
In spite of the statute making Mixed Martial Arts illegal the
organizations I've mentioned have continued to operated until
just recently. Earlier this year the Illinois Department of Professional
Regulation has cracked down on IL promotions. They contacted
promoters telling them that "Ultimate Fighting Exhibitions"
would not be tolerated. This crack dawn has even forced Chicago-based
promoter Eric Moon to take his flagship event The Ironheart Crown
across state lines to Indiana. He has passed the reigns to Braulio
Corral, the promoter of the Mixed Martial Arts Invitational. (1) The entertainment spectacle commonly known as "ultimate fighting" is a violent exhibition that is excessively and unacceptably dangerous to the participants. "Ultimate fighting" includes exhibitions of the same nature even though a different name is applied to this event. (2) Unlike the ports of boxing and wrestling, in which serious or permanent injury is largely preventable and occurs only occasionally as an incidental result of the athletic contest, ultimate fighting is intended by its promoters to produce serious injury in every exhibition and is widely and specifically advertised and promoted as being the most dangerous of all fighting exhibitions. (3) The lack of appropriate restrictions
on dangerous blows or life-threatening maneuvers and the matching
of participants with incompatible styles of fighting make it
difficult or impossible for the State to regulate ultimate fighting
in a way that can reasonably protect the safety of the participants. (2) Is NOT intended by its promoters to produce serious injury in every exhibition and is NO LONGER widely and specifically advertised and promoted as being the most dangerous of all fighting exhibitions. Promoters have pushed for the status of a true sport and that is how it is advertised. (3) PROHIBITS dangerous blows
or life-threatening maneuvers and that ONLY MATCHES participants
with a diverse martial arts background and who are proven to
be a Mixed Martial Artists. February 10,
2001
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HAMMOND,
IN - For the past few weeks, Chicago and northwest Indiana fight
fans have been on the edge of their seat, eagerly awaiting the
upcoming lightweight title bout between current champion Henry
Matamoros and the challenger, Rolando Higuerros. This exciting
match had been one of the event's highlights, driving ticket
sales and inciting a buzz among the local martial arts community.
HAMMOND, IN -- Jim Theobald grew
up on a farm in Wheeling, Illinois, helping his family grow green
beans to sell at the local markets. He was a successful wrestler
in highschool, and in 1995 he began his training in the martial
arts. While in college, he began a successful career of mixed
martial arts fighting. Now, six years later, he has over sixty
fights to his name with very few losses. He has fought across
the United States and around the world. In the last two years
his only defeat has come at the hands of Jeremy Horn, a champion
on several of the world's biggest fighting circuits. He currently
holds two heavyweight titles in Denver's Ring of Fire, and in
the Midwest's Ironheart Crown. On November 10th this year, he
plans on defending one of his belts at Ironheart Crown III in
Hammond, Indiana.
The
Ironheart Crown Returns! Unhindered by the Boxing Commission's
decision to crack down on Mixed Martial Arts events in the state
of Illinois, Chicago's premiere Full-Contact Submission fighting
event packs its bags and moves 30 minutes across the border to
friendlier soil in Hammond, Indiana! This is exciting news for
fight fans in Northwest Indiana, which has never before hosted
an event of this calibre!
