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.

McCombs vs Carrasquillo – Fight Preview

McCombs vs Carrasquillo – There’s an energy in guys as they get close to their fights. It’s a mixture of being excited, being a little nervous, and getting to their weigh-in weight.

When we did the photo and video shoot for Brawl in the Burgh, it was 5 weeks before the show. The guys are relaxed. They are getting good training in and are excited to do the promotional requirements.

But we are now 5 days out from the fights and guys tend to have a little bit of a chip on their shoulder. A little bit hungry, tired. They are putting in their last couple of days of preparation and getting ready for Friday’s weigh-in. McCombs vs Carrasquillo

Hawkins vs Mendoza – Fight Preview

July 27th brings us Brawl in the Burgh. One of the matchups that has a great deal of buzz is Lyndon Eli Hawkins going to battle against Jahron Mendoza – Hawkins vs Mendoza. If you are looking for a standup battle, we expect this one to be just what the doctor ordered!

Lyndon Hawkins comes into this fight as a 34 year old fighter who made his amateur MMA debut in March. He took on a 3-0 fighter and came up short, losing a decision.

Julian Flenory vs. Kyle Beaver – An Intro

The fifth fight scheduled on July 27th’s Brawl in the Burgh is a middle weight battle between two 1-0 fighters, Julian Flenory and Kyle Beaver. Who are these up and coming mma icons and where did the come from? Let’s take a quick peek…

Julian Flenory, born in New Kensington, PA, moved frequently throughout his childhood, attending 16 different schools.  Growing up in Las Vegas, poverty-ridden Gifford, Florida, and ultimately settling back in New Kensington, PA., Julian always had his mother and little brother by his side. Just like the tight bond he has with his family, competitive sports have always been a constant in his child and early adulthood.

Cheyenne Hall – Not Just For Self-Defense

We are just two weeks out from Brawl in the Burgh! That seems pretty unbelievable, as it seems like just yesterday we wrapped up Steeltown Throwdown in early April. As we get close to these fights, I wanted to share with you about these fighters! Today we are taking a look at Cheyenne Hall, who is battling a newcomer, Mariam Salmassi!

Cheyenne is a HUGE fan favorite. The reason? Her matches are always exciting and have people getting out of their seat. But who is Cheyenne? Let’s learn a little more about her.

Daequan Overton – You Won’t Amount To Much

Edwin Vera’s opponent for his debut, Daequan Overton, has an incredibly similar story to Edwin. Daequan was also born and raised in New York, except he was over on the other side of the state, in Buffalo, where he currently resides.

When he was 14 years old, Daequan move to Atlanta with his mom (Edwin moved to Atlanta as well). He returned to Buffalo in 2013. Daequan Overton was often discouraged in his upbringing, hearing and feeling that he wouldn’t amount to much of anything was a recurring thing.

It was while watching his uncle and cousin train at a boxing gym that really inspired Daequan to be led to MMA and to his current gym, WNY MMA & Fitness, which he got into about 18 months ago. He started training casually then, on a less serious schedule. As grueling as it was at first, Daequan started to see significant improvements after just a couple weeks. It was at that moment that Daequan Overton began to believe in himself and stop believing what he had been told so many times… that he wasn’t good enough or that he wouldn’t amount to much.

Edwin Vera – I Found What I Was Missing

I’d like to share about another debut fighter for 247 Fighting Championship’s Brawl in the Burgh – Edwin Vera.

There are plenty of people that see MMA as something that it isn’t… I’ve heard words like “barbaric, too violent, brutal”. Now, I cannot argue that MMA is not a violent sport, but it is certainly not this awful barroom brawl that some make it out to be. It is actually very far from that.

PJ Mastrangelo – Fighting With A Purpose

Sometimes you see a person on the outside and you make a bunch of assumptions. I think we all do it. When I got opportunity to actually meet PJ Mastrangelo, I saw what everyone sees on the outside. Good looking kid, tattoos, muscles.

Then you have the opportunity to interact. PJ’s a little on the quiet side, reserved. Not shy by any means, but he’s not loud and obnoxious like some people I know 🙂 (me).

Cameron Allgeier to make debut!

Cameron Allgeier will be making his MMA debut at Brawl in the Burgh on July 27th!

Cam started wrestling in middle school by accident when a coach ran into him and told him he was going to wrestle since he already had all the paperwork in and hadn’t made the soccer tryout he was striving for. He stuck with it through high school, having average results.

When he came across some Kimbo Slice street fights on Youtube – then saw that he did it professionally, he became inspired. He found a gym to train at (Personal Training Tactics) for a while… then Cameron Allgeier went to college and stopped training.

Many Thanks Are Needed – 247 FC

I am going to be using this blog space to share lots of stuff with you all and I’ll open it up to the rest of the staff here at 247 FC as well, but to start things off, there’s something that needs to be done.

Well where do I start? There were so many people… like a ridiculous amount of people, that took time and energy away from their families, away from their busy lives, to help to make Steeltown Throwdown such an amazingly successful first event for 247 Fighting Championships.

There were so many unsung heroes that it is almost hard to name them all. But I am going to try, regardless.