Gamma-from Gamma 42...

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GAMMA 42: Hughes vs Foster II Preview

HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP BOUT
"The Demolition Expert" Raul Hughes (13-1) vs "The King of Ground and Pound" James Foster (c) (32-4-1)

What is easily being considered as the most anticipated rematch in GAMMA's history, Raul Hughes vs James Foster the second is surely going to be an instant classic.

Going into GAMMA 16, James Foster had been steam rolling through the entire Heavyweight division and many people thought that Raul Hughes would be his next victim. Even though he was undefeated going into the fight, Hughes was (and some would argue still is) not experienced enough on the ground to be a formidable foe. The fight started, Foster tried several times to take Hughes down, but every time Foster shot in, Hughes made sure to hurt him in the process. About two minutes into the first round, Foster went for a take down and Hughes nailed him with a left that put the champ out.

The situation is almost mirrored from the first time these two fought. Hughes is the contender and still considered by many as the underdog going into this fight. Foster is the champ, but this time, he has a lot more respect for what Hughes has the ability to do. For Foster to retain his title though, he's got to come up with a game plan to take Raul down. If he does not, Hughes will be a two time Heavyweight Champion.

HEAVYWEIGH DIVISION BOUT
"The Pit Bull" Rick Stanley (22-7-3) vs "The Tower of Power" Tim Boyer (19-3-2)

These two Heavyweights have a storied past and enough bad blood to cause major fireworks inside the cage when they finally hook up.

Rick Stanley has went on for years now that Tim has dodged numerous fights with him. Tim of course denies any of these allegations. He says that the one time he was offered a fight with Rick, it was a choice between fighting Rick or fighting the then champ, Raul Hughes. Boyer decided to fight for the belt and wound up winning his first GAMMA Heavyweight title.

Still, the war of words has not ended with these two and nor will it until they meet each other at GAMMA 42. Both promise that victory will come swiftly.

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT BOUT
"The Calgary Assassin" Mike Watson (9-0) vs "The Big Dog" Linfield Ballard (21-8)

Few people have gained as much popularity as Mike Watson has in such a short amount of time. This former J1 kick boxer is exciting to watch and his crazy, all or nothing attitude has earned him a perfect record.

Still, another kick boxer who is not to be taken lightly, Linfield Ballard could very easily blemish young Watson's record.

MIDDLEWEIGHT BOUT
Buddy Garner (13-0) vs "The Soldier of Fortune" Thomas Smith (11-1)

This middleweight fight could have middleweight title ramifications down the line. Both middleweights are young and eager to get that golden chance for that opportunity. Still, neither have an easy road ahead of them.

Garner is a black belt in jiu-jitsu and will do whatever he can to get Smith to the ground. "The Soldier of Fortune" is a desert storm veteran and he says he's not afraid of wherever this fight goes. This fight could very easily be ended by a tap, snap, or nap.

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT BOUT
Christian "The Tiger" Mountfield (12-3) vs "The Modern Day Gladiator" Bryan van den Hauwe (15-4)

This is an interesting matchup in the light heavyweight division between two up and comers.

Mountfield is on an impressive winning streak right now, winning his last three by UD. den Hauwe dropped his last fight to a very game Ken Peters, but knows he can erase that from fan's minds with a win over "The Tiger".

Also, on the undercard:

Aaron "The Patriot" McBroom (8-2) vs Duane "The Weather Man" Weatherly (14-8)
"The Latino Wild Cat" Agustin Gonzalez (8-3) vs Heikichi Shimizu (1-0)
Jackson "Pocket Rocket" Gray (19-7) vs Tarcisio Dantas (6-0)
Osmosis Benn (2-0) vs Todd "Bruiser" D'Abruzzo (5-1)
Min-Soo Sik (1-0) vs Sammy Newton (2-1)

January 16th, 1999
LIVE from The Wilshire Coliseum from Los Angeles, California
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<MARKETING FOR GAMMA 42>

The words: GET READY..., flash on the screen...
a quick shot of RAUL HUGHES, then a quick shot of JAMES FOSTER with the belt...
FOR THE REMATCH...
Footage from GAMMA 16 is shown, FOSTER SHOOTS IN, THEN EATS A LEFT...
GARTH WARD shouts, "Foster's down, Foster's down..."
TOM BELLFORT, "...the referee watches and...no, it's over..."
RAUL HUGHES RUNS AROUND THE CAGE AND CELEBRATES...
TOM BELLFORT, "We have just seen the impossible..."
GARTH WARD, "Hughes has just shocked the world..."
FOSTER is sitting in the middle of the cage with a look of frustration at just losing his title...
the words: THREE YEARS IN THE MAKING...
JANUARY 16th, LIVE AND ONLY ON PAY PER VIEW...
FADE TO BLACK

[Quick Trick]

www.blurcat.com/news/gamma-42-play-by-play

Here are the undercard results from GAMMA 42: Hughes vs Foster II:

Min-Soo Sik defeats Sammy Newton in Rd 1 (0:27) by TKO
Osmosis Benn defeats Todd D'Abruzzo in Rd 1 (4:58) by submission (armbar)
Tarcisio Dantas defeats Jackson Gray by UD
Heikichi Shimizu defeats Agustin Gonzales in Rd 1 (3:30) by submission (rear naked choke)
Duane Weatherly defeats Aaron McBroom by UD

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Very quick shots of GAMMA's storied past pan across the screen while some epic music plays (think PRIDE's theme music)...
We cut to Rick Stanley...
"It's a fact, Tim Boyer has dodged fight after fight with me, plain and simple. There has to be a reason for that. Tim Boyer is afraid of becoming another one of my highlight reel KO's, period."
Tim Boyer appears now...
"I have never dodged a fight with nobody. Look at me, I'm a giant, why in the world would I dodge a fight with an old man that I'm going to make quick work of tonight? Don't get up to piss, this one is going to be over quick."
James Foster
"I admit it, I underestimated Raul in our first fight and I paid a very dear price. I now know what he brings to the table and I'm looking forward to impose my will on Raul. We both have grown from that last fight and I think Raul is going to have a very difficult time with my takedowns."
Raul Hughes
"I want this so bad. I've had it once before and I want it again. I've never trained as hard for a fight as I have this one. My prediction, Round 1 KO in favor of me."
We then see a video package of the rest of the main card:
Christian Mountfield vs Bryan van den Hauwe
Mike Watson vs Linfield Ballard
Buddy Garner vs Thomas Smith
Rick Stanley vs Tim Boyer
Raul Hughes vs James Foster
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GAMMA 42: Hughes vs Foster II

Garth Ward, Tom Bellfort, and Matt Tripp all welcome us to GAMMA 42: Hughes vs Foster II, and here we go

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGH BOUT
Christian "The Tiger" vs "The Modern Day Gladiator" Bryan van den Hauwe

Round 1
Very slow beginning to this fight. We are over a minute of the feeling out process here and the California crowd is getting restless with boos. Mountfield shoots in on den Hauwe and has the takedown. Mountfield is in full guard. He works feverishly to get past the guard. Absolutely NOTHING is happening. Mountfield keeps trying to pass guard and den Hauwe won't let him. The ref stands them up with about a minute left in the round. Mountfield shoots in for the takedown again and he has it. den Hauwe looks gassed already. That's it, that's the end of round number one. 10-9 Mountfield.

Round 2
den Hauwe comes out throwing bombs that reach nothing but air. This leaves him open for a takedown which Christian takes. Minor ground and pound inflicted here but nothing that a Modern Day Gladiator can't handle. The ref stands them up for lack of progress. The crowd has booed this fight the whole time. Mountfield with another takedown against the cage. Still nothing. End of the round 2. 10-9 Mountfield.

Round 3
Both men come out sluggish and this is just absolutely difficult to watch. The ref keeps telling them to fight, but they are just circling each other. And the worst thing that could of happened is another takedown from Mountfield, and of course that's all we get. Crowd is livid. Mountfield lays on him the whole round. That's the end of the fight. 10-9 Mountfield.

WINNER BY UD, CHRISTIAN "THE TIGER" MOUNTFIELD

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Voice over says, "GET READY FOR SOME HIGH OCTANE ACTION,"
While he says this, footage of Anthony LeToussier, Zvonimir Asanovic, Darin Blood, and Charles Stiles, play showing them hitting,submitting, and knocking people out...
"THE CROATION SENSATION LOOKS TO DEFEND HIS LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE FOR A SECOND TIME WHEN ZVONIMIR ASANOVIC TAKES ON NUMBER ONE CONTENDER ANTHONY "LIVE WIRE" LETOUSSIER...
ALSO, TWO OF THE MOST EXCITING, UP AND COMING WELTERWEIGHT STARS WILL DUKE IT OUT FOR NUMBER ONE CONTENDERSHIP...
"DANDEROUS" DARIN BLOOD TAKES ON CHARLES "ROGUE" STILES FOR A CHANCE OF A LIFETIME...
ALL THIS AND SO MUCH MORE LIVE ON PAY PER VIEW, FEBRUARY 27th:
GAMMA 43: LeToussier vs Asanovic

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MIDDLEWEIGHT BOUT
Buddy Garner vs "Soldier of Fortune" Thomas Smith

Round 1
Thomas takes center of the cage right off the bat and Garner works his feet constantly circling his opponent. Smith hits a nice leg kick to Garner and he hits another. Garner shoots in for a take down, but can't get it. Garner throws a leg kick which is caught by Smith. Garner falls to his back and Smith is on him immediately!!!!! Smith tries to rain down blows but Garner is going for a triangle!!!! Smith sees this and pulls his head out but Garner transitions beautifully to an armbar!!!! THERE IT IS, Smith taps!!!!

WINNER by submission in 3:27 of round number one, BUDDY GARNER

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGH BOUT
"The Big Dog" Linfield Ballard vs "The Calgary Assassin" Mike Watson

Round 1
Watson rushes out with a superman punch. It reaches nothing, but the crowd sure did ooohhhh and awwwww. Ballard goes for a body shot but eats a nice, straight jab. Nice combination from Watson. Ballard throws a stinging leg kick. Watson throws an overhand right that connect, it puts Ballard down but the commentators aren't sure if it was from the punch or a slip. Ballard is bleeding under his right eye from that punch. Ballard throws a head kick that is blocked by Watson. Watson throws another nice combo as we reach the end of the round. 10-9 Watson. Good, solid round.

Round 2
Ballard comes out swinging. A couple connect, but Watson isn't hurt. Watson throws a right overhand and then a left uppercut and Ballard is down!!! Ballard is down, Watson rushes in to finish him off but the ref cuts him off!!! It's over!!!

WINNER by Knock Out in 1:09 of round number two, "THE CALGARY ASSASSIN" MIKE WATSON

This next fight was from the undercard

MIDDLEWEIGHT BOUT
Osmosis Benn vs Todd "Bruiser" A'bruzzo

Round 1
They come out and touch glove. The commentators build up Osmosis as the future of the middleweight division. Osmosis with a strong take down, but A'bruzzo stands right back up. You can definitely tell he wants to keep this fight standing. Osmosis tries again, this time he's got him. Osmosis starts some ground and pound which opens up A'bruzzo's guard. Osmosis mounts A'bruzzo after he expended a lot of energy to do so. The end of round is coming up. Benn goes for an armbar and has it...it's the end of the round...A'bruzzo taps and there's the end of the round. The ref signals that he tapped before the end of the round.

WINNER by submission in 4:58 of round number one OSMOSIS BENN

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Voice over, "FOR THE FIRST TIME ON NETWORK TV IN NORTH AMERICA..."
Footage over and over again shows Sean Morrison taking people down, slamming them, or punching them...
"THE POP! NETWORK IS HAPPY TO PRESENT GLADIATORS, A LIVE GAMMA EVENT THAT WILL FEATURE SEAN MORRISON, THE GREATEST LIGHTWEIGHT ON THE PLANET...
HE WILL DEFEND HIS TITLE AGAINST BEAU GORSHIN...
AND ALL THIS WILL BE ON LIVE TV...
JOIN THE POP! NETWORK ON MARCH 11th, 10pm EST...
TICKETS ARE STILL AVAILABLE FROM THE BENTON ARENA IN LAS VEGAS, NEVADA...
CALL YOUR TICKET PROVIDER TODAY!"

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HEAVYWEIGHT BOUT
"The Pit Bull" Rick Stanley vs "The Tower of Power" Tim Boyer

Round 1
No touch of the glove and Boyer takes the center of the cage. Boyer works his jab and Stanley does a nice job of staying out of his reach. Boyer keeps trying for a leg kick, but Stanley gets out of the way. Left hand from Boyer drops Stanley!!! Boyer is on top of Stanley throwing blow after blow. Stanley pulls Boyer tight and it looks like for the most part he's weathered the storm. Boyer with a nice elbow...and again. Stanley just works on keeping him tight. The ref stands them up with a little over a minute left. Boyer with a straight left that wobbles Stanley. Stanley does a good job of protecting himself though as Boyer charged in. That's the end of the first. 10-9 Boyer. Boyer mouths something to Stanley as they go to their corners.

Round 2
Stanley is looking his age. His reflexes are not what they use to be. WOW!!!! Boyer with a head kick that plants Stanley!!!! Boyer is on him quickly, just being relentless with ground and pound. That's it, the ref stops him!!!

WINNER by TKO in 0:58 of round number two "THE TOWER OF POWER" TIM BOYER

This match was from the undercard

WELTERWEIGHT BOUT
"The Latino Wild Cat" Agustin Gonzales vs Heikichi Shimizu

Round 1
Apparently Shimizu is a "Judo God". Agustin wants no part of Shimizu, he keeps running away and the crowd boo. Shimizu finally shoots in on him and takes him down. Gonzales has him in full guard. Shimizu works get out of guard, which he does and moves to mount easily!!! WOW!!! Shimizu goes for an armbar but Agustin rolls out of it!!! But he gives up his back in the process. Shimizu locks in his hooks and has Agustin in a rear naked choke. Agustin spits out his mouthpiece and taps out!!! That's it!

WINNER by submission in 3:10 of round number 1, HEIKICHI SHIMIZU


HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP BOUT
"The Demolition Expert" Raul Hughes vs "The King of Ground and Pound" James Foster

Round 1
Crowd is loud and I have goosebumps! They come out and touch gloves. Foster stays away from Hughes's jabs. Foster shoots in for a takedown but Hughes does a nice sprawl. Foster shoves him into the cage and pushes away and back ups very, very quickly to avoid Hughes's punch. Hughes smiles at that. Foster shoots again and Hughes nails him with a right to the temple that plants Foster!!!! Hughes is on him quickly!!!! Alot of his punches are not connecting though. The crowd is going crazy, there all on their feet!!! Foster is hugging Hughes tight and tries for a guillotine. Hughes stands up and wants Foster up. Foster takes a second to stand up. There up and Hughes rushes in, Foster drops to his knees for a takedown and has it. Foster grounds and pounds, but nothing too serious. That's the end of the round. Wow! That was so close, I don't even know who won it.

Round 2
They come out and Foster shoots in again. Foster picks him up by the cage and Hughes holds on the cage as to not be slammed. He is warned. Foster backs up and shoots in again. Foster is down again!!!! That was a left that caught him on the chin!!! Hughes is on him again!!!! Foster pulls him in tight though and tries for guillotine. Hughes pulls his head out. Again Foster tries for a guillotine while Hughes still tries to punch his face!!!! Unbelievable Hughes hands then go to Foster's wrists. The ref is telling Foster to break the hold!!!! Hughes is out cold, Foster choked him out!!! Foster retains in a wonderful fight!!!

WINNER by submission of 1:39 of round number two and STILL GAMMA HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION OF THE WORLD, "THE KING OF GROUND AND POUND" JAMES FOSTER

Fade to black

[Quick Trick]

Press Conference Highlights

Matt Tripp comes out for the press conference. He is joined by Rick Stanley, James Foster, Mike Watson, Buddy Garner, Tim Boyer, and Raul Hughes.

Matt Tripp thanks everyone for coming out and hopes they enjoyed the show. He also announces that James Foster's next title defense will be a rematch with Tim Boyer at a later date. He then hands out awards ($10,000 each) for the evening's matches:

FIGHT OF THE NIGHT-James Foster vs Raul Foster
KO/TKO OF THE NIGHT-Mike Watson
SUBMISSION OF THE NIGHT-Heikichi Shimizu

He then opened the floor for questions.

To Tim Boyer, Is the feud between you and Rick Stanley over?
"That's really up to him. I didn't really have a beef with him until he said I dodged several fights with him which is just completely bogus. So, yea, it's up to him. I don't hate the guy, I have respect for him as a fighter and respect for what he's done for the company."

To Rick Stanley, What about you Rick? The hatchet buried?
"I guess I'm going to look like the jerk. He can say that he respects me but he was still talking <beep> during the fight. He did indeed dodge a couple fights with me too, so, I mean it's fighting. It's better for me not to like some guys and some guys are just not going to get along. I can promise Tim that he will not be getting a Christmas card from me."

To Rick Stanley, Another loss Rick, is retirement looming in the distance?
"Every time I lose it's the same question. Well, I got one more fight on my contract, so ask me after that fight. I feel fine, I feel healthy for the most part."

To James Foster, How badly were you hurt in both the 1st and 2nd round?
"I'm not going to lie, I was hurt pretty bad. You get hit by some of these guys and you think it hurts, but Raul hits so much harder than anyone I've ever fought against. Round one I think I was hurt worse than in round two, I was actually thinking that if I don't pull him tight against me, than he was going to land another shot and it would have been a repeat from last time. Round two hurt, don't get me wrong, but I still had my bearings.

To Raul Hughes, How disappointed are you?
"Very. But, I'll string some more wins together and get ready for Hughes vs Foster 3. I thought I had him in the first, but wasn't able to capitalize. When I had him in the second, his guillotine felt real weak, but with me moving I guess it got tighter. I've never been choked out like that."

To James Foster, What are your thoughts about fighting Tim again?
"I'm excited, I fight really well against taller guys like Boyer. I felt like I dominated him last time too, so, I'm excited."

To Tim Boyer, What do you think Tim?
"Well, he "dominated" me for three rounds by smothering me and with the ref calling the fight way to early when I was obviously not hurt. I know my fans are looking forward to this, I feel a lot better going into this fight with James instead of the last time. I'm at a better place mentally."

To Buddy Garner, What's next for you Buddy?
"Hopefully another fight closer to the title. This fight felt real good for me, but I still need to train on my stand up. More and more training, that's all."

To Mike Watson, Are you due a title shot next?
"You'd have to ask Matt (Tripp) on that one. Either way, if I don't, I'll still put on a good show with whoever I've got to fight. If I do, Asanovic or LeToussier better watch out, because I'm hungry."

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QT's thoughts:

It was a good show with a lot of finishes and setup a lot of challenges in the future.

*Min-Soo Sik looked great. He's going to be one that I try to build up for the lightweight division.
*Osmosis Benn looked like the beast that he is.
*Tarcisio Dantas won a snoozer over Jackson Gray. Tarcisio is still undefeated.
*Heikichi Shimizu is very fun to watch and will keep on being fed until I think he's ready for the big names of the welterweight division.
*Duane Weatherly ruined my plans for Aaron McBroom, as I like his look. McBroom will bounce back for sure though.
*I could have just shot both Christian Mountfield and Bryan Hauwe. What a boring fight. There's a very good chance Christian could be fed to Watson after such a poor showing of a win.
*Garner was awesome with his sub.
*Watson is rumored to be fighting next either Christian Mountfield, John Rivero, or the winner of the GAMMA 43's main event.
*Boyer will go on to face Foster, maybe Stanley vs Hughes, who knows?
*Very cool main event. Foster is a beast, but Hughes didn't lose any credibility.

Preview for GAMMA 43: LeToussier vs Asanovic will be up soon!

[Quick Trick]

GAMMA 43: LETOUSSIER VS ASANOVIC

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP BOUT
Anthony "Live Wire" LeToussier (13-3) vs Zvonimir "The Croatian Sensation" Asanovic (c)

Some say that "The Croatian Sensation" is one of the best, pound-for-pound fighters in the world. This will be put to the test when Zvonimir locks horns with Mr. Live Wire.

LeToussier has strung five wins in a row with three by way of knock out. This will be by far his toughest test to date.

Asanovic has an amazing array of skills wherever this fight should go. One things for sure, this fight will definitely be an exciting one.

WELTERWEIGHT BOUT
"Dangerous" Darin Blood (12-2) vs Charles "Rogue" Stiles (14-2)

The welterweight division has got a deep talent pool at this point. Julio Regueiro is the champ, Alan Kendall will be fighting him in a couple of months, Jack Humphreys looms in the distance, and then Darin Blood and Charles Stiles are in the mix as well.

Matt Tripp has already stated that whoever wins will surely get the next title shot against the winner of Reguiero/Kendall. Darin Blood would like nothing more than for that opportunity. This proud Hawaiin, has tremendous skills and is 5-0 since joining GAMMA.

The mission in front of him is not going to be an easy one. Charles Stiles dominated at Lightweight until he lost to Sean Morrison, in which he moved to welterweight. Since rejoining the welterweight division, he is 2-0 over Geoff Cahill and Bruno Epps and feels with one more win, he'll be ready for whoever the champ is.

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT BOUT
Mark "The Thing" Cohen (34-7-1) vs "The Man of Steel" Ken Peters (8-0)

Ken Peters rushed on the scene by beating down Bryan van den Hauwe in his GAMMA debut. Before that, Ken had won seven in row which made GAMMA stand up and take notice. Peters has superior stand up and is comfortable on the ground as well. He also apparently can take a lot of punishment with out showing it's effect.

Mark Cohen has been around forever it seems. Most of his more famous fights have been fought in Japan and it does seem like he has lost a step or two along the way. The one thing that is still for sure though is that Cohen can take his opponents down at will and ground and pound until victory.

WELTERWEIGHT BOUT
Geoff "Die Hard" Cahill (47-23) vs "The Perfectionist" Dan Halvorsen (35-11-2)

The forty-two year old Halvorsen versus the thirty-eight year old Cahill. Both fighters are veterans from the early days of GAMMA. Many remember when weight classes weren't so important and Halvorsen was taking on the likes of Gary Sampson and Rick Stanley...and winning.

Cahill helped establish the lighter weight divisions in GAMMA while also still booking fights on the independent scene all over Canada and the US. It's interesting that these two have never fought before, but one things for sure, a very limited amount of mistakes will be made in this fight.

HEAVYWEIGHT BOUT
Norbert "The Rock" Vinkus (13-7) vs Tony "The Spider" McCall (32-10)

This is a very important contest between two big name heavyweights.

Of course, Norbert is a former NFL player and is one of the strongest people in all of GAMMA.

Some might say that McCall has some better techniques than Norbert, but anything can happen once both fighters are locked inside the cage.

Also, on the undercard:

"Mr. Awesome" Carl Ratcliffe (16-4) vs Leonardo da Costa (15-1)
"The Hillbilly Hammer" Luke Hilton (7-0) vs "Straight Edge" Kenny Magilton (7-3)
"The Iron Man" Junior Patinkin (4-1) vs "Wild Thing" Justin Brannagh (3-0)
Nate "Big Mac" MacReary (1-0) vs Milton Harvey (32-13)
"The Karate Kid" Carl Chenoweth (2-0) vs Henry "King" Baldwin (7-2)

February 27th, 1999
LIVE from the Wilshire Coliseum in Los Angeles, California

[BYU 14]

Nice matchmaking, some great matchups on the upcoming card, looking for Latoussier to take the LHW strap!