The latest installment of my “What To Watch For” series covers BTC 9. The upcoming offering from BTC Fight Promotions goes down on Saturday, February 29th in Kitchener, Ontario. BTC 9: Rampage emanates from The Aud and features some of Canada’s most established MMA fighters. As well as the hotly discussed prospects looking to jettison themselves into the wider consciousness of the Canadian MMA world.
UFC vet and a Flyweight Title Fight
Jesse Ronson vs Troy Lamson
Ronson is a veteran of the UFC and PFL circuits. He also has the distinction of being a dual division titlist for TKO, at one point holding the lightweight and welterweight belts concurrently in the French-Canadian promotion. NLF lightweight champion Lamson recently had a seven-fight winning streak snapped but has great variety in his game. A multitude of choke based finishes, striking stoppages, and even a slam KO are all recorded through Lamson’s 13 pro wins across 16 MMA bouts.
James Clarke (c) vs Gabe Sagman (BTC flyweight championship)
Clarke captured the flyweight championship at BTC 6 over Dave Henry in an effort that garnered not just a title belt but a fight of the year distinction. Sagman is Tapology’s number two ranked bantamweight on the Romanian circuit but he has been active in Canada as well. Taking on some of the nation’s most well regarded lighter weight fighters (Yoni Sherbatov and Jamie Siraj).
Both men fluidly function between disciplines and use their striking to lay traps for grappling exchanges and scrambles quite well. This will likely be a riveting bout for people who appreciate the nuances of MMA grappling and mixed-martial arts as a whole.
Former Champ vs The Pfist and a Prospect Dream Match
Adam Assenza vs Cody Pfister
Assenza is the former lightweight champion within BTC. Pfister has contested for BTC’s super-lightweight title albeit in a failed effort against Kyle Prepolec in the main event of BTC 5: Typhoon. Pfister returns to the BTC cage but is trimming down to 155 lb for this outing.
Though Assenza fell short in regaining the BTC lightweight belt against Josh Wick at BTC 7, a win here over a UFC/ Bellator veteran can launch double-A back into that top contender hierarchy. Conversely, a win here could vault Pfister back into the title picture.
Serhiy Sidey vs Mateo Vogel
This is a classic Ontario vs Quebec match as Sidey and Vogel take on those roles respectively. Serhiy has a spotless record of 4-0 and has carved a path for himself on the BTC circuit with 75 percent of his fights happening under that banner. He will be dropping down from featherweight to take on someone with commensurate professional experience as well as equal hype.
Vogel has impressed in the TKO ranks at 135 lbs with a one hundred percent finishing rate as well as a first-round armbar win over the aforementioned BTC flyweight titlist James Clarke. For hardcore MMA fans who avidly follow all levels of the scene, this is a fight that they’re chomping at the bit for.
Remaining Bouts on BTC 9
Seth Connor vs Luke Hogg
Zach Junkin vs Jamie Flick
Kris Allard vs Xavier Nash
Avinash Chowtee vs Forrest Ayers
Mike Meade vs Edward Sponeybarger
Kyran Cameron vs Rafael Palomeque
