Blog - 247 Fighting Championships

Nobody Asked Me… But (Pittsburgh Steelers Rant)

This team seemed unmotivated. They had no emotion, didn’t seem to get fired up. They didn’t seem to get very upset when they were down 7, 14, 21 and 28-0, they didn’t play with fire, they didn’t show they cared. Now maybe that can be a good thing at times, but seeing a player angry every now and again at least shows they care as much as Steeler Nation.
Mike Tomlin is primarily to blame. I have never ever thought that the Steelers should get rid of, or fire, Mike Tomlin. I appreciate the fact that much of the Pittsburgh Steelers success has come because we don’t flippantly change coaches and there is consistency. But this team was unprepared and unmotivated and that starts at the top.
Ben Roethlisberger needs to figure out if he wants to put the work in. He has never been the type of quarterback that loves watching film, loves breaking down plays, loves the workouts. He is going to need to take all of those things to a new personal level if he wants to continue to compete at this level and for the Pittsburgh Steelers. If not, and that is fine, then he needs to hang it up. But offseason workouts and preparation needs to be taken to a new level if he wants to play in 2021.
There are many who believe that Ben is far more hurt than what is thought, that he may need knee surgery and he has been playing with a very significant injury. That my also determine if Ben decides for forgo his $40M salary in 2021 and hang it up.
Randy Finchner’s Pittsburgh Steelers offense is terrible. It’s like the poor man’s Patriots/Brady offense. Only major difference is the Pats offense is designed to create mismatches and get guys into open spaces. Finchner’s disaster of an offense is designed to get guys the ball as quickly as possible and hope they can make plays from there. It is bad, it is predictable and he needs to go.

After a really tough 7 months of not having any shows or planning any shows, it is amazing to be preparing for two shows in the next 2 weeks! 7 months of being out of business after having a show cancelled on the day of the show was terrible. But we are back and we are back stronger than ever!

We are so excited to announce that, as of today, we have 11 fights signed for November 25^th and the full 12 maximum signed for November 28^th. 23 signed fights and another possibly on the way!

Ross vs Summers – Elite Level Amateur Ladies Collide

There is only one flaw in Hannah Summers’ game plan against Sydney Ross.

But, it’s a big one.

De Jesus vs Simmons – Big Things Ahead

Both John de Jesus and Jamey Simmons feel that they are ready to take the next step in their professional mixed martial arts careers. The only problem is, each would have to go through the other to take that step.

Simmons and de Jesus are set to square off in Brawl in the Burgh 3’s main event on March 14. And, while both featherweights recognize that the 247 title is on the line, neither is prepared to let their dream of making it to a national stage take a hit—particularly given how confident they are in their own abilities heading into the match.

Simmons (6-2 as a professional) comes into the championship fight with a strong wrestling background. The 145-pound fighter out of Milwaukee’s Pura Vida BJJ & MMA has been wrestling since he was three years old, continued that career into high school, and now works with other high school and Division III collegiate wrestlers in his region to improve their own wrestling game.

“I’ve wrestled my whole life,” Simmons said. “I’m a student of the sport.

“I’d say my strongest point is taking you down. I think I’m hard to take down, and I’m hard to get out of position. I hand fight well too.”

Jake Schilling – A Terror… a Fireball, a Hurricane

It was only when Jake Schilling got laid off that he was really able to get work.

Schilling, who will fight on Saturday’s Brawl in the Burg 3 professional card at a 150-pound catch weight, has a day job in construction. He works in masonry, and he works outdoors. So, when November rolled around, weather worsened, and work slowed, Schilling was let go. And so, Schilling (1-0) turned right around and made preparing for his fight against Shawn Tarlton (0-0) his full time obsession.

“I’m just staying in the gym. Just staying busy in the gym…Just paying my bills., living modest. I think just being a martial artist, this lifestyle is a really modest lifestyle…When you first start out, you’re not making a lot of money, so this is just for the love of the game—for the love of the sport.”

Shuman vs Mitchell – Who Said That?

There used to be a voice inside of Jeromy Mitchell’s head that held him back.

That voice would crop up in the middle of an MMA fight, and sow doubt in Mitchell’s mind. The voice, Mitchell said, talked him out of a lot of wins that he felt he should have otherwise had. And, it was a voice that the 145-pound Mitchell couldn’t help but hear during a 2017 amateur fight in Tennessee, when his nose was broken by his opponent’s punches in the first round. Blood was pouring out of Mitchell’s nose for much of the rest of that fight. And, after taking the loss by unanimous decision, Mitchell would require reconstructive surgery for a deviated septum.

But, that loss was also about the time that Mitchell decided to stop listening to the voice as well.

Worthy vs Johnson – More Hours Please!

If Chaka Worthy could get 25 hours out of a day, he’d love it.

Worthy is always on the go. According to the 155-pound fighter from Pittsburgh, he gets about four hours of sleep a night, waking up at 5 a.m. to squeeze in a six-mile run and lift weights, before heading off to his day job as a social worker. Worthy said that he then logs another six miles on his lunch break before heading back to work. His night are spent at The Academy of Martial Arts and Fitness, working in eight five-minute rounds of sparring. Later on, he’ll head to LA Fitness to get another hour in on an elliptical machine and core work. Somewhere in between all of that madness, Worthy manages to spend some time with his young son and his girlfriend. And maybe, just maybe, take a moment to breathe.

“It’s hectic, and I’m always on the go. But that’s what I like about fighting, if you keep grinding and grinding,” Worthy said. “It’s kind of weird, because I’m always busy and doing multiple things at the same time, but…You have to keep everything in its own focus, so that everything gets the right attention.”

Expectations Clear in Pippens vs Grybos Bout

Both fighters are new to mixed martial arts and, as amateurs, Grybos (0-1) and Pippens (0-0) are getting set to square off on the preliminary card of the 247 Fighting Championships’ Brawl in the Burgh 3. But that doesn’t stop them from also understanding exactly what fans want. After all, they are heavyweights. They realize that people want to see them knock someone out.

As Pippens remarked, “That’s what they say about heavyweights—it just takes one shot.”

Fortunately, both fighters seem willing enough to take that shot heading into their March 14 fight at the Printscape Arena in Canonsburg. Grybos comes into the match with a background in kickboxing, while Pippens just wants to put his striking on display. And, neither fighter has a plan to take it to the ground—if they can help it.

“Well, it starts standing up,” said Grybos, who plans to weigh in at 245 pounds. “So, we’ll start there and take it from there.”

“I’m not doing anything else” – Allgeier vs Harnish

Allgeier vs Harnish – Cam Allgeier is here because he couldn’t make his sixth grade soccer team.

Allgeier, who came up through the Pittsburgh Public School system, tried out for the soccer team because his friends had done the same. But, due to what Allgeier attributes to a lack of foot-eye coordination, things just didn’t work out. That’s when a wrestling coach for the school noticed Allgeier in the hallway, and asked how things were going. Allgeier told the coach that he had been cut from the soccer team. So, the coach invited Allgeier to give wrestling a try.

“I thought, ‘I guess I’m not doing anything else, so I’ll go down and try it,’” Allgeier said.

Joey Munoz vs. Yuli Vellifort- Co-Main Event

We are just five days away from the biggest event in our promotion’s history. On November 16, Brawl in the Burgh 2 goes down from the Printscape Arena in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania. You’ve already got to know many of the fighters on this star-studded card (including the main event participants), and now it’s time to be introduced to the two men who will square off in the co-main event. Joey Munoz will battle Yuri Villefort in a matchup of battle-tested veterans with a lot of experience under their belts. These are two of the toughest fighters around and you are not going to want to miss this showdown.

Red Corner- Joey Munoz

Fans who attended our promotion’s inaugural event will remember the name Joey Munoz, and for good reason. He went the distance with our former lightweight champion and now UFC fighter Khama Worthy in the main event on that card. Despite battling some health issues on that night, Munoz took some of Worthy’s absolute best shots in that fight and kept coming forward. Anyone who saw that fight will not be the least bit surprised to learn that Munoz has never been finished by strikes in his entire MMA career. Making the trip to the Steel City from Nebraska, Joey Munoz is in a much better place physically now than he was back in April.

John de Jesus vs. Ethan Goss- Main Event

With less than a week to go until Brawl in the Burgh 2, it’s time to take a closer look at the two men involved in the main event of the evening. 247’s inaugural featherweight championship will be on the line, as John de Jesus of Pittsburgh takes on Ethan Goss of Altoona. This battle of two of the top featherweights in Pennsylvania is the perfect main event for our action-packed year-end fight card.

Red Corner- John de Jesus

John “Platano” de Jesus will be fighting out of the red corner in this all-Pennsylvania matchup. Coming into this fight as the number three featherweight in the state, de Jesus has fought for promotions like LFA and King of the Cage. He has a lot of experience competing against top competition, with 18 career fights under his belt so far.

Chase Boyde vs. Cody Reece: Battle of Unbeatens

In the main event of the amateur card of Brawl in the Burgh 2, Chase Boyde and Cody Reece are set to throw down for our inaugural amateur welterweight championship. This fight is a match made in heaven and we cannot wait to see it go down. Both of these fighters come into this fight undefeated, with nine combined fights between them. Someone’s “0” has to go, and it gets even more interesting with gold on the line.

Red Corner- Chase Boyde

Representing Pittsburgh in this fight, Chase Boyde is ready to fight for the first title fight in his young career. At just 20 years old, Boyde is already 4-0 with three of his wins coming via stoppage. Boyde’s top level jiu-jitsu skills make him a serious threat if/when the fight hits the mat.

“I started fighting because I was picked on at a younger age for being smaller and not being well off,” Boyde said. At age 15, he started training Brazilian jiu-jitsu under Rodrigo Junqueira. Due to financial problems, Chase Boyde had to make the switch to Fusion Fighting. There, he would win numerous jiu-jitsu tournaments, as well as his first two MMA fights.

Quincy McCombs vs. Austin Toon Preview

With our huge year-end event now 11 days away, it’s time to take a closer look at two more fighters set to do battle at Brawl in the Burgh 2. Quincy McCombs takes on Austin Toon in an advanced amateur lightweight contest. Both fighters are coming into this fight humble but also ready to make a statement in front of the Canonsburg crowd.

Red Corner- Quincy McCombs

Fighting out of the red corner in this action-packed matchup will be Quincy McCombs. You might remember McCombs from his very closely contested split decision loss back at Brawl in the Burgh. In that fight against Pat Carrasquillo, McCombs had a lot of success on the feet and thought he should have had his hand raised after the final horn.

Julian Flenory & Jarrion Manning- Remember these Names

With Brawl in the Burgh 2 a little more than weeks out, we are ready to take a closer look at two more young beasts that will be featured on the card. Julian Flenory takes on Jarrion Manning in a fight between two explosive athletes looking to make a statement. This contest has fight of the night written all over it, and will have the crowd at Printscape Arena on their feet from start to finish.

Red Corner- Julian Flenory

Fighting out of The Mat Factory, Julian Flenory will join two other teammates on the #BrawlInTheBurgh2 fight card. Due a rough childhood with many location changes, fighting is something that has been with Flenory for awhile now. “Fighting was almost an everyday experience living in Las Vegas, Nevada and Vero Beach, Florida,” he said. Julian Flenory has great passion for combat sports, but there was a different sport that he took up to help him get an education.

Clarion University

Justice Johnson vs. Dylan Dzikowski Preview

Brawl in the Burgh 2 is fast approaching! It’s time to take a closer look at the fighters being showcased on our promotion’s biggest event to date. We start with Justice Johnson and Dylan Dzikowski, both making their MMA debuts in the welterweight division. One of multiple matchups on #BitB2 featuring two fighters from Western Pennsylvania, this fight will surely have the Canonsburg crowd on their feet rocking Printscape Arena.

Red Corner – Justice Johnson

Making the trip from Morgantown, West Virginia, Justice Johnson will be representing Ground Zero in this fight. He’s currently the only fighter schedule to compete from Ground Zero’s Morgantown location , and he couldn’t be more excited. Johnson heard about 247 through his coaches and teammates, one of which fought at #BrawlintheBurgh back in July. Johnson and his coaches feel the timing is right to make his competitive debut. We couldn’t agree more and are thrilled to have him and Dylan Dzikowski throwing down.

Pittsburgh WMMA – Brawl in the Burgh!

When we had our inaugural fight card, Steeltown Throwdown, in April, we were hoping to represent Pittsburgh WMMA on the card. We were actually planning on Sydney Ross fighting on the card but things did not end up happening.

Women’s MMA is special. Pittsburgh WMMA is super special. Everyone knows it. Everyone asks if there are any female fights on the card. This time, at Brawl in the Burgh, that answer is a resounding YES!

Why do people love women’s MMA? Well, oftentimes, these are the fights that are the most memorable. There is something special about seeing two highly trained female athletes doing battle in the cage. This is not just coming from males, but females are just as passionate about women’s MMA.

A recent show that I was a part of prior to launching 247 FC had a couple women’s bouts and those were what everyone was talking about afterward. Actually, Sydney Ross was one of the fighters that everyone was talking about. People were so impressed by how she handled herself… and she was 18 at the time and it was her MMA debut! I’ll never forget my mom talking about how awesome that little girl was. Needless to say, my mom, who never watched MMA before in her life, is now a big fan of Pittsburgh WMMA.