Brawl in the Burgh has come and gone, and 247 Fighting Championships have a lot to be proud of. Promoter Ryan Middleton and matchmaker Liam Morris put together another spectacular show. Just two events in, it is clear that 247 FC has really hit the ground running and are poised to claim and hold the throne when it comes to Pittsburgh MMA promotions.
Brawl in the Burgh Takeaways
Khama Worthy Belongs in the Big Leagues
If it wasn’t clear before, it surely is now. Pittsburgh MMA super hero Khama Worthy‘s next fight should be in one of the major MMA promotions. “The Deathstar” dominated former Bellator and WSOF fighter Adam Ward for two full rounds before finishing the fight with a walk-off knockout in the third round. Worthy picked Ward apart with leg kicks, a jab that Ward simply could not avoid, and plenty of body work. Ward just couldn’t get any offense going, as Worthy kept up the pace and didn’t stop dealing out damage. Worthy showed the striking skills of a truly world class martial artist.
With the win at Brawl in the Burgh, Khama Worthy improved his professional record to 14-6 with ten finishes. At 32 years old, Worthy seems to be better than ever and truly belongs out of the regional scene. Though Middleton and the rest of the 247 crew will likely miss having Worthy on their shows, there is no doubt that they will be happy to have helped him in his climb to the top. When Middleton first launched the promotion, one of his reasons was to provide the area’s talent with a chance to showcase their skills for the bigger promotions. If indeed this was Worthy’s last fight with 247, he surely will represent the promotion and the area well as he moves onto bigger things.
Gorilla House Gym is the Real Deal
Located in Altoona, Pennsylvania, Gorilla House Gym had a very impressive showing at Brawl in the Burgh. 2-0 on the night, the skills of their two fighters cannot be ignored. Cam Allgeier got Gorilla House started with a unanimous decision victory over Rodney Miracle of Michigan Top Team. Miracle came into the fight 2-1, while Allgeier was making his debut. Allgeier showed a lot of promise with his wrestling throughout the fight. He spent a lot of time in top position and didn’t give Miracle much of a chance to get any offense going. At just 20 years old, Allgeier definitely has the wrestling skills, athleticism, and great coaching to continue to improve and develop into a well-rounded and very good martial artist.
Sydney Ross entered her fight knowing she had a great performance by Allgeier to follow up. And she sure did deliver. Ross defeated Amber Blevins via an impressive knockout in the first round of their fight. The win pushes Ross’s record to 3-2. At just 19 years old, Ross showed flashes of a superstar in her fight. She obviously has power in her hands. Along with that, she showed the swagger and charisma of a champion. After the fight, Ross talked about how she has been waiting 13 months to get back the loss she sustained in her last fight. She said she had to look in the mirror everyday and let the loss eat at her. With the mindset, athleticism, and striking skills that she possesses, Ross is a very interesting prospect in the women’s amateur MMA scene.
It was clear throughout the fights that the coaches at Gorilla House Gym are some of the very best around. Constantly keeping an eye on the finer details, the coaches invested a lot into the little things like head positioning against the cage and getting an underhook in the clinch or while on the mat. Coach Darren Cassidy took to Facebook to share his thoughts on the gym’s recent performances. In the comment section, Ross reiterated what she said in her post-fight interview. “Meant what I said. Best coaches. Period.”
https://www.facebook.com/darren.cassidy.3956/posts/10156863230058705
Pittsburgh is Loaded With Young Talent
Five of the seven amateur Pittsburgh fighters who fought at Brawl in the Burgh were under the age of 25. Those five fighters went a combined 4-1 on the night, with the lone loss coming via a very close split decision.
Joining Ross and Allgeier with wins were Mason Deless and PJ Mastrangelo. Deless had one of the best performances of the night, as he defeated Dee Venable with a vicious TKO in the second round. After feeling Venable out through the first round, Deless landed a huge shot in the second round that dropped Venable. Deless finished the fight with violent ground and pound strikes to improve to 3-1 in his young career. Mastrangelo, making his debut, won via submission in the second round of his fight with Hassan Sayed. After the finish, Mastrangelo’s intense celebration showed that he is very passionate about the sport and that will only mean good things going forward.
Despite dropping his fight, Quincy McCombs looked very sharp in his split decision loss to Pat Carrasquillo. McCombs looked specifically talented in the striking department, and he did show off some wrestling skills, too. If the fight had stayed on the feet, the end result may have been different for McCombs. At 3-2. McCombs has nothing to hang his head about. As he continues to improve as a wrestler, with his passion for the sport, the 25 year old prospect will definitely find himself plenty of wins in the near future.
247 FC is Here to Stay
After producing their second successful show in as many fight cards, Middleton and company surely showed that they are here to stay. Just between their first and second events, the production value of the show drastically improved. This time around, the promotion had a stage and a cat walk for the fighters to walk out on, which made for some cool and intense entrances. Along with that, there were TV screens placed on the face of the stage for anyone who might have had a hard time seeing the action from their seats. Overall, the show ran more smoothly than last time, as the promotion had a better idea of what all goes into an MMA show. As they continue to gain experience, the crew will continue to improve the fan experience and will keep establishing themselves as the top MMA promotion in the Pittsburgh area. They announced their next show, Brawl in the Burgh 2, for November 16, 2019.
