- NIGHT OF FINISHES AT WCF 9
Saturday, February 27, 2010 – by Paul Gara (Photos by Emily Harney)

Wilmington, Mass.-Friday night was “the end of an era,” as well-known Massachusetts referee Kevin Macdonald put it. Five memorable years of un-sanctioned MMA in Massachusetts came to an end after World Championship Fighting 9. With the UFC set to roll into town in August, MMA has finally been sanctioned in the Bay State. WCF 9 was the final event under independent regulation. The fans in attendance cheered as MacDonald’s speech rang-out through the speakers in the auditorium. The fighters on the card though, fought with little interest in holding on to the past; as only two out of the ten fights even met the second round.The Main Event between WEC veteran Mike Campbell and promising young prospect Marc Stevens was scrapped with Campbell having suffered a serious knee injury in the final weeks prior to the bout. Stevens was in attendance though, and wished his opponent a safe and speedy recovery. In their place was the former co-main event, between Olympian Judoka Rick Hawn and Team Bombsquad’s Tom Gallicchio.Having competed in the 2004 Olympics in Athens, it was expected that Hawn would have the more dominant ground game and he did. Although not a very exciting performance out of either fighter, it was still a good technical battle. On the feet, it was Hawn who was landing the harder shots. Gallicchio was trying harder to land punches but seemed a bit too hesitant throughout the match. Hawn dealt out all of the takedowns that took place. He even put on a brief Judo demo for us, as he tossed Gallicchio over his head with a hip throw. There were certain points on the ground that Hawn postured up and landed some good looking shots. But, for the most part he fought reserved and never looked too motivated to finish the fight.Renzo Gracie NH fighter, Dan Bonnell, looked explosive in his match with Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt, Cesario de Souza. After a bit of arguing from de Souza over a supposed eye-poke, Bonnell unleashed an overhand right that floored his opponent instantly. Bonnell followed him down without hesitation and finished him off with a few more right hands from a crouched side-mount position.

Whether you like him or not, relative-unknown, Stephen Stengel, always comes to fight. Friday night was no different. His opponent Mike Zichelle looked for a takedown right away, but fell victim in his own attempt to do so. Stengel took top positioning and landed a punch at every opportunity he was given. He punched his way right into mount and secured the position. Zichelle quickly rolled over, but Stengel just switched to his opponent’s back and immediately locked up a rear naked choke for the win.

Former pro boxer Carlos Lovato seems to have made the transition to MMA successfully. Lovato stuffed Jerry Spiegel’s sweep attempts early on without much of a problem. Minutes later, back on the feet, he landed a vicious over hand right to the side of Spiegel’s head that sent his opponent crashing to the mat in defeat.

MAIN EVENT

Rick Hawn def. Tom Gallicchio by Unanimous Decision R3 (30-27)

MAIN CARD

John Benoit def. Noah Weisman by Unanimous Decision R2 (20-18)

Stephen Stengel def. Mike Zichelle by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 1:09, R1

Jamie Campbell def. Andrew Nelson by Submission (Due to strikes) at 1:21, R1

Dan Bonnell def. Cesario de Souza by KO (Punch) at 0:25, R1

PRELIMINARY BOUTS

Matt Martin def. Peter Cole by Submission (Triangle Choke) at 1:40, R1

Carlos Lovato def. Jerry Spiegel by TKO (Due to strikes) at 3:15, R1

Robby Roberts def. Buster Crandell by Submission (Armlock) at 2:08, R1

Joel Ly def. Steve Beck by Submission (Triangle Choke) at 3:19, R1

Nelson Gaipo def. Matt Johnson by Submission (Triangle Choke) at 0:35, R

By Greg Saks

Rick Hawn and Tom Gallicchio stepped into the main event slot of WCF 9 Friday night after an injury forced Mike Campbell off the card, and delivered a grueling, high-level 3 round war. Hawn controlled and outpointed a more experienced and game Gallicchio to win a unanimous 30-27 victory and keep his undefeated record intact. Over 3,000 were in attendance for the 10 fights at the Shriner’s Auditorium in Wilmington, including familiar local faces from the UFC, an appearance by Butterbean, and several Boston Celtics players.

2004 Judo Olympian Rick Hawn continued the perfect start to his MMA career with a victory over his toughest opponent to date in Tom Gallicchio. The sportsbooks had Gallicchio coming in as the -160 betting favorite, and he looked to be brimming with confidence in his corner as he waited for referee Kevin MacDonald to signal the start of the fight. Gallicchio had Hawn looking tentative in the initial striking exchanges, but the momentum would soon change. Midway through the first Hawn unloaded a powerful counter-punch that resulted in Gallicchio backing up for the first time. Hawn pressed forward and in the ensuing clinch went to his judo roots and sent his opponent sailing to the mat with a beautiful shoulder throw. Hawn controlled the rest of the round with Gallicchio now bleeding from the forehead.

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World Championship Fighting (WCF) put a ribbon on its ninth offering last night (Feb. 26, 2010) from the Shriner’s Auditorium in Wilmington, Massachusetts.

WCF 9 featured a main event between former Olympian and undefeated MMA fighter Rick Hawn against New Jersey native Tom Gallicchio. Hawn — a four-time national champion in Judo and top 10 finisher at the 2004 Olympics — kept his perfect record intact with a unanimous decision, passing perhaps the toughest test of his career to date.

In other action, New England mainstays John Benoit and Dan Bonnell racked up more wins, defeating Noah Weisman via unanimous decision and Cesario de Souza via first round technical knockout.

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by Jack Encarnacao (jencarnacao@sherdog.com) (Photos by Joe Harrington)

WILMINGTON, Mass. – Rick Hawn, one of the highest-level judokas on the American MMA circuit, showed a well-rounded game in keeping his winning streak alive Friday in the main event of World Championship Fighting 9.

The 33-year-old welterweight, who represented the United States in the 2004 Olympics, notched a workmanlike unanimous decision over Tom Gallicchio of New York’s Team Bombsquad.

Hawn sported a black gi on his way to the ring and a tattoo of the Olympic rings on one of his rib cages. He was especially effective in holding top position and showed some boldness with his hands.
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by Steven Marrocco on Feb 26, 2010 at 3:10 pm ET

Former Olympian Rick Hawn (5-0) reached a conclusion that’s well-known to many international competitors: you can’t eat gold medals.
With that in mind, the 33-year-old Hawn, who faces Tom Gallicchio tonight in the main event of World Championship Fighting 9 in Wilmington, Mass., scrambled to fulfill a long-held dream of fighting in mixed martial arts and competed in his first fight within six months of picking up a four-ounce glove.

“I don’t want to get caught up as just a grappler, because that makes you one-dimensional and easy to figure out,” Hawn recently told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com).
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By Josh Nason

Regional MMA continues to grow in North America and tonight in Massachusetts, I’m going to finally try my first sample of the local scene by checking out World Championship Fighting.

The event – set for the Shriner’s Auditorium in Wilmington, MA, with a bell time of 7:30 pm – will feature a slate of fights involving local talent at every level of the game, headlined by Mike Campbell vs. Marc Stevens and Rick Hawn vs. Tom Gallicchio.

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By: Mark Daniels

World Championship Fighting promoter Joe Cavallaro wants to put on fights that matter.

Judging by the amount of fighters that have gone on to bigger shows after fighting in his promotions it seems to be the case. And tomorrow’s event in Wilmington should be no different.

Win or lose, headliner Rick Hawn (5-0) is already pay-per-view-bound with Shine Fight Promotions after his bout with Tom Gallicchio (12-4). For Gallicchio, who trains out of New York with Team Bombsquad, it makes the bout even more attractive with his opponent bound for a bigger stage.

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By Bryan Levick

World Championship Fighting has found itself a nice niche in the New England area. With a loyal fan base and a good group of fighters, they consistently put on quality shows. I was fortunate enough to speak with John Benoit, who will be fighting Noah Weisman this Friday in a 155-pound bout that is sure to excite the masses.

The 26 year-old Benoit seems to embody everything that makes a regional promotion special in that he’s loyal, dedicated and humble. An iron worker by day and mixed martial artist by night, he does all of this so he can pursue his dreams and make a better life for him and his girlfriend Sarah. Spend a few minutes and get to know Benoit and you will truly understand what regional MMA is all about.

MMA Madness: Can you tell me a bit about your background and how you got involved in MMA?

John Benoit: I started wrestling in the sixth grade and I loved it. I wrestled as a freshman but soon turned my focus to hockey. I went back to wrestling and as a senior, I compiled a 44-4 record but blew my back out during the states and had to withdraw. I competed in cross country to stay in shape. After high school, I wrestled in a few men’s leagues and got a job as an iron worker. I was thinking about doing some amateur body building and ran into an old friend who invited me down to watch one of his fights. He beat his opponent pretty badly and I used to beat him during my wrestling days so I started training with him.

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Moreau owns a judo gym in Derry, N.H. Photo: WCF

New Hampshire’s Tom Moreau is plenty accomplished as a mixed martial artist.

His staggering multi-faceted attack, honed by 13 years of competitive judo and study of jiu-jitsu, boxing and Muay Thai, has earned him a reputation as one of New England’s best 170-pound fighters.

“It’s not a one-dimensional sport,” said Moreau, who’s on World Championship Fighting’s Feb. 26 card in Wilmington. “If they have one strength … I’m finding it and beating them all night.”

He usually does, with a 4-0 record (one no contest) in five pro bouts.

Wins aside, though, Moreau’s best memories have been watching his son find enthusiasm for martial arts.

Now 7, Tom Jr. finished second at judo junior nationals in 2008 — with a proud father looking on.

Tom Jr. follows all of his father’s fights, waiting up for him after late contests. Before his June bout against Don Carlos Clauss, Moreau gave Tom Jr. a look at match day preparation.

“He actually got up in the ring,” Moreau said.  “He was so excited to be up there … moving around. It was great.”