That championship bout featured Jose Perez, winner of two straight, taking on Frank “Chopper” Wells. Wells had also won two in a row, and had spent his enter four-fight pro career under the Cage Fury banner. With slightly more experience, Perez boasted a 5-1 record inside the CFFC cage, while having featured in a single fight outside the promotion.

Also in action at CFFC 112 in Philly was James Clarke, the BTC flyweight champion. Ontario, Canada’s Clarke had won five straight, and had picked up another regional title in his last outing. Clarke was paired up with another top flyweight prospect, Aaron La Farge, with the winner potentially knocking at the door of the big leagues.

CFFC 112 airs live on UFC Fight Pass on Friday, August 26, 2022. Full results can be found below.

CFFC 112: Perez vs. Wells Results

Jose Perez def. Frank Wells by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 3, 3:53 – for the interim CFFC featherweight title
James Clarke def. Aaron La Farge by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Angel Pacheco def. Vilson Ndregjoni by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 2, 3:27
Ian Allson def. Marcus Leach by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 1, 4:05
Eric Nolan def. Ibrahim Kallie by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 1, 2:32
Tom Picciano def. Elijah Humes by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

Ty Miller def. Manny Morales by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Alex Myers def. Edwin Smart by TKO, Round 2, 4:03
Keron Reed def. Kelvin Sterling by unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 29-28)

NextGen Titles
Luke Fernandez (c) vs. Reeves Davis Jr.
Riley Palmer (c) vs. Steve Phelan
Jerry Lieshi vs. Matthew Heller

The post CFFC 112: Perez vs. Wells Full Results appeared first on Cageside Press.

Clarke, from Lindsay, Ontario, has moved around a bit through the years. He’s trained in Thailand. Competed in Singapore. Currently, he’s back in Ontario, in Oshawa. For a time, as a child, he lived in Winnipeg. He still has friends there, and a sister, meaning he sees the oft derided city in a positive light. “The negative is that negative weather. I walked to school one time in minus 55C. That was with the wind chill obviously. They sent us home at lunch time. Of course, we had no power at our house,” Clarke recalled. “That’s usually, when people ask how I like Winnipeg, I usually start off with that story.”

It’s Ontario where Clarke has made a name for himself more recently, however, winning three straight fights after starting his pro career 1-3. That win streak culminated with the BTC flyweight title win. In celebration, “we were popping champagne, I think I drank out of the big four foot trophy they gave me. Maybe it was five foot, it was probably taller than me actually.”

But aside from that, the revelry was kept to a minimum. Back to training, in other words. “I didn’t let it go to my head. Sometimes you can let a win go to your head, and you lose a little bit of motivation. Sometimes the losses can teach you a little more than the wins,” Clarke observed.

“I’m pretty eager to get back into the winning ways,” he added. And as Clarke’s coach, Justin Bruckmann, puts it, “you’re not the real champ until you defend it.”

While Clarke is back hone at the moment, his MMA journey, as noted, has taken him around the globe. “I had about four or five fights fall through” Clarke revealed, referring to the period after he won the belt. “Everybody had all kinds of excuses. I had this chance to go out to Singapore, and everybody was pretty supportive on that, including BTC. I was definitely 100% ready to fight, but the fights just kept falling through.” So to Asia he went.

Clarke understands that fights falling through is part of the game. mind you. He’s had an opponent pull out the night before a fight. But the silver lining was heading to Singapore for a tournament that has helped hone his skills as a fighter. “I went down there, it was a tournament style, I had to make fight weight four days in a row. So I had to make 125lbs four days in a row.”

The tournament in question was part of the GAMMA (Global Association of Mixed Martial Arts) World Championship, an event sponsored by Asian powerhouse ONE Championship. The bouts reflect on Clarke’s amateur record. “I ended up winning three out of the four matches. The last match was pretty controversial as well. I think that even helped, even though I lost it, it helped my star power a little bit.”

Weight cutting is a trial when you have to do it once. It’s something casual observers and those outside the sport may struggle to understand. Four days in a row is especially taxing. Despite that, “I was confident I was going to be able to make it two days in a row. And perform on the same day,” said Clarke.

The young fighter arrived in Singapore under the belief that things would be a little different, however. “They were calling it a hydrated weigh-in,” he said of the process. That led Clarke to believe he had some wiggle room, based on ONE Championship’s weight rules, which also utilize a hydrated weigh-in. It wasn’t the case. “No, you’ve got to be on weight, four days in a row.” That said, Clarke got it done, each and every time. “I only had to cut two pounds of water weight every day. It was pretty easy. I’ve had to cut eighteen pounds before. That’ll take it out of you. Cutting eighteen pounds in the sauna is definitely no fun. I’ve done a little growing up since then.”

The ease of making the flyweight limit has even had Clarke consider a lower weight class. “I’ve often thought I could do strawweight if it came down to it. Actually ONE Championship, how they do it now, their strawweight division is just a hydrated weigh-in,” he pointed out. “You’ve got to be 125, but you’ve got to be hydrated. That’s pretty much the next goal in mind, but on this side of the world, unfortunately there’s nobody that’s a big enough name to fight, so it’s just not worth my time.”

If you’re noticing a theme here, Clarke is definitely keeping an eye on ONE these days. “I’m pretty much Team ONE Championship,” he revealed. “Even though the UFC is still a main goal of mine. Any top promotion really. The idea is to do what you love, and you’ll never work a day in your life.”

There’s a lot Clarke likes about ONE. There’s the lower weight classes. Their App, “that’s pretty much identical to UFC Fight Pass,” but free, as he later noted. They’re “almost a two billion dollar company now too.” To Clarke, ONE’s lack of presence in North America has them overlooked here, but he’s very hyped up for the company’s future.

“UFC has always been my main goal. I’ve only recently changed my mind in the last year. I just like how [ONE] runs things,” he explained. “I got to see my first ONE Championship show when I went down there to Singapore. It just seems like they take care of their fighters a little bit better. Their strawweight division is just as booming as their flyweight division almost.”

There’s also the matter of promotion. After all, that’s what organizations like ONE and the UFC are. That’s what they’re supposed to do. But the UFC has never managed to create a bonafide star in its lightest weight class. “You’ve got guys like Demetrious Johnson pulling off suplex arm-bars in the fifth round. To me, he didn’t get enough credit for that. I’ve tried to do that in the gym so many times since then,” observed Clarke.

“I just feel like they don’t advertise the little weight divisions enough to really become huge stars like that. I think that’s part of why Demetrious Johnson left,” he added.

Before he can worry about larger promotions, however, Clarke has a fight on his hands. ‘The Suplex Kid’ is putting his title on the line against Gabe Sagman (6-4) at BTC 9, a fighter who has been competing since at least 2012.

“I’ve done a little bit of research actually,” Clarke answered when asked about his opponent. “I always do my homework. In the past I have driven myself a little bit nuts watching too much.” So this time out, it’s a more measured approach. “It’s good to just know what he’s done, and the rest goes to just testing my ability.”

One thing that did stand out to Clarke, however, was Sagman’s gas tank. “I noticed he gasses out in his three-round fights a little bit,” Clarke said. “I’ve been known to even wear down a little bit in the later rounds.” That said, he added that “my last fight did go the distance at five five-minute rounds.” At the time, noted Clarke, “I didn’t have a strength and conditioning coach at that point.”

That’s something Clarke has rectified, adding roughly three strength and conditioning sessions to his training weekly. “It’s already done wonders for my training.”

In terms of a prediction, said Clarke, “I think he’s going to fade in the later rounds. Even if you compare our old fights to old fights, I feel like I’ve just got more of a heart than him.”

Clarke also addressed a bit of the trash talk ahead of the fight. “He called me the paper champ trying to get this fight actually. That pissed me off. I don’t know if he’s getting a handshake from me at the weigh-ins,” the champ quipped. “We’ll see. I’ve got no bad blood when it comes down to it though. He wants what I have, and I plan on full-well defending that belt.”

BTC 9 goes down Saturday, February 29, 2020 at the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium in Kitchener, Ontario. For details, head over to BTCFight.ca

The post BTC 9: James Clarke Recounts Making Weight Four Straight Days, Has Eye on ONE Championship appeared first on Cageside Press.

Burlington, ON — “It’s incredible, man. Pinch me.” That’s how Lindsay, Ontario’s James Clarke described the feeling of having won the BTC flyweight championship on Saturday night. Clarke, who had predicted a quick finish of opponent Dave Henry, wound up going to full five rounds. It was a fight heavy on the grappling, with plenty of scrambles and submissions.

Post-fight, Clarke spoke to Cageside Press about the win, and where he goes from here.

Reflecting on the fight, the new champion said that it was the third round when he realized Henry might take him the distance. “In the third round, right near the end, I was like ‘just f*cking tap, Dave, just tap, just do it!’ As I said it, I remembered actually at the weigh ins — I hate cutting more weight than I have to. Mentally, it f*cks with my head a little.”

At the weigh-ins for BTC 6, Clarke was actually sipping a drink, because he’d cut too much. Going further than he had to cutting weight was akin to going further than he had to in the fight. But in both areas, he got the job done. Which was evident from the belt on his shoulder, and the trophy that stood as tall as he did.

After a successful amateur career, Clarke hit some speed bumps after turning pro, including a failed trip to bantamweight. However, he’s turned it around, having now won three straight bouts, and a title. The turning point, Clarke said, was “me and my dad, we quit smoking cigarettes two years ago.”

It’s actually what landed him on the radar of many fight fans. “I went my whole amateur career, I quit smoking for six weeks, I made my famous debut speech for TKO. I was almost more known for that speech a little bit, ‘just quit smoking six weeks ago bitches,’ everybody kind of knew me for saying that on UFC Fight Pass. Even UFC shared it on Twitter. I had to go and get Twitter again, I hadn’t had it since high school because my ex-girlfriend, I didn’t trust that bitch.”

After that little bit of viral fame, Clarke said, “I had tough guys, all three of them, the last fight, moving up to bantamweight. I learned a thing or two, lesson or two at bantamweight. Flyweight’s where I belong.”

“This is the third consecutive win in a row since I lost that bantamweight fight. No excuses. The level of opponents have always been there. It’s just things like quitting smoking, quit smoking cigarettes,” he said as to what factored into his success. “I still smoke a little green, but hey man, it’s Canada, the whole country just became legal.” No USADA to worry about in BTC, either.

Comments like that are par for the course with James Clarke. “I got all kinds of personality just oozing. I’m excited to put on another show at BTC, I think they’re going to have me back right shortly.” It’s likely they will, as Clarke revealed he had recently signed a new three fight deal with the Ontario-based promotion. “They’ve taken care of me to this point, but I expect nothing less.”

Earlier in the night, Clarke had mentioned a second title, saying that even if he won a second belt, he’d stay humble. Don’t read too much into it, however. “By that expression there, ‘even if I win two belts,’ I’m not going to say, whatever the f*ck McGregor said, ‘I’m going to apologize to absolutely no one.’ I might talk a little bit of sh*t leading up to the fight, show everyone that I got confidence just oozing, but after the fight’s over, I’ve got nothing but respect,” he explained. “I hate Conor McGregor, I’m way more of a Khabib fan, and I don’t even like Russians, they’re mean people to be honest. And I’m Irish, too.”

“I’m in it for the respect scene, you know,” Clarke added. “I don’t like guys like that, I never have liked McGregor. [In] the same sense, he’s got personality too, he sells it and stuff. But we’re different, you know. I’m not looking for double champ quite yet.”

And so a trip north to 135 again is unlikely. “I don’t think you’ll see me at bantamweight again, I think I’ll just scratch that right out. The next goal is UFC,” Clarke said. “Once I’m good enough, I’ll climb the ranks. I go beating Cejudo or Demetrious Johnson and there’s nobody left, yeah okay maybe I’ll test myself then. But there’s lots of competition at the flyweights, and getting my ass kicked at bantamweight has proven that to me.”

As for how Clarke plans on celebrating the win, it was again James being James. “Bitches. Bitches. Hey no I love women, I treat them all with respect too. But this belt is definitely going to get me laid, that’s for sure.”

Watch the full BTC 6 post-fight interview with James Clarke above.

The post BTC 6: Newly Crowned Flyweight Champ James Clarke No Fan of McGregor, In MMA for Respect appeared first on Cageside Press.

MMA got back some of its regional flavor in Ontario on Saturday, with BTC 6 going down in Burlington, ON. The card, entitled Night of Champions, boasted a scheduled three title fights. Among them, James Clarke would face fellow Canadian Dave Henry for the vacant flyweight title. Clarke was predicting a first-round submission, but only time would tell.

Scott Hudson and Dawond Pickney, meanwhile, were set to clash for the super lightweight championship (165lbs), a division many fighters would like to see make the big leagues. And finally, interim strawweight gold was on the line between Lindsay Garbatt and Cheyanne Vlismas.

Check back come fight time (6PM ET) for full results from Saturday’s event!

Teshay Gouthro vs. Paul Fisher

Featherweight action kicked off BTC 6 as Paulie Fisher took on Teshay Gouthro. Both fighters were making their pro debuts. Fisher connected first, which seemed to open the flood gates for a moment. Gouthro launched a high kick, and the pair engaged in a couple of exchanges. Gouthro was taking some hefty swings, and Fisher was cut open, but grazed his opponent with a high kick. Gouthro appeared to have hurt Fisher along the cage, and turned things up a notch. Fisher remained in it, but ate a right hand, which led to a little showboating with Gouthro raising his hand in celebration. He continued to attack, going to both the body and head with punches; Fisher answered with kicks and jabs but was getting the worse of the exchanges.

After an extra look at Fisher by the doctor between rounds, the pair got back underway with Gouthro immediately going on the attack, bloodying the other side of Fisher this time. He’d then fire a knee in the clinch, and trap Fisher against the cage, covering up. Fisher would circle out, and try to walk Gouthro down, but the ref then paused to action to check on the cut. It was bad enough to wave the affair off, giving Teshay Gouthro the first win of the night, and his pro career.

Teshay Gouthro def. Paul Fisher by TKO (doctor’s stoppage), Round 2, 2:15

Marc Gillespie vs. Ariel Zuniga

A spirited battle to start the first round of this bantamweight fight. After some early grappling and a quick knockdown, Gillespie got the fight to the canvas. Zuniga would battle back up, and land a blistering right hand. Zuniga would later fence his opponent in, unloading, but Gillespie escaped.  Zuniga then worked in a spinning kick upstairs, and they exchanged as the round closed out.

In round two, Zuniga began to come on strong, peppering his opponent with punches. Gillespie, however, continued to march forward, and was finding at least some succcess with his kicks, low and to the body. Zuniga attempted to change things up, latching on with a body lock by the cage, but Gillespie went hunting for a kimura, briefly taking the fight to the ground. Coming out of that sequence, Gillespie backed Zuniga up, unloading with lefts and rights. Zuniga covered up, weathering the storm. Zuniga then battled back, returning the favor, and launching a knee to the body in an absolutely insane sequence that ended with another barrage and a knockout blow!

Ariel Zuniga def. Marc Gillespie by TKO, Round 2, 3:54

Julius Trimmeliti vs. Kyran Cameron

A pair of undefeated welterweights met in the third fight of the evening at BTC 6. One man was going to keep that perfect record intact.

Leg kicks came early in this one, and Kyran Cameron found a home for his left hand a number of times. Trimmeliti looked to tie things up against the cage, with Cameron firing off some knees in the clinch. The grinding approach would go on for some time before the ref stopped the action and restarted them in center. Cameron then caught Trimmeliti with a punch that clearly wobbled him. He pressed for a takedown in response as the round closed out.

Round two was a continuation of the clinch-along-the-wall game by Trimmeliti. Not a ton of action, but a lot of grappling for position, head position, and pressure. Cameron had his back to the cage throughout, which is not where he had been effective. The ref finally broke them up, and Cameron sprawled to avoid a takedown attempt. Cameron would later go upstairs with a head kick attempt that was blocked, and back Trimmeliti up. However, he was mostly firing single strikes, and it was Trimmeliti launching a high kick before the buzzer.

Cameron worked his jab early in the third round. A combination off a leg kick knocked the mouth guard out of Trimmeliti. Going again, he’d shoot for a takedown, only to have it stuffed. A second takedown, however, was successful, and Trimmeliti looked to make something happen with Cameron on his back against the fence. Cameron would look to isolate an arm from the bottom, while Trimmeliti would work on a choke. Scrambling up in the final ten seconds, Cameron would swing away, and they’d go to the buzzer.

Kyran Cameron def. Julius Trimmeliti by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Patrick Connors vs. Mike McAloon

Featherweight action saw Patrick Connors and Mike McAloon go toe-to-toe early, before Connors took the fight to the ground. From bottom, McAloon latched onto an arm, transitioning to the arm-bar smoothly and wrenching back on the limb. That earned the tap, and this one was over in a flash!

Mike McAloon def. Patrick Connors by submission (arm-bar), Round 1, 1:29

Vladimir Kazbekov vs. Jacob Bohn

Kazbekov, a Russian fighting out of Toronto, clipped Bohn early, putting his power on display. He’d launch a nifty looking spinning back fist later in the round. Much of the frame, however, was spent with the pair tied up against the fence, which was clearly where American Bohn preferred it. It was Kazbekov however the worked to muscle his opponent down, only to wind up on bottom until he was able to reverse.

Round two saw a return to the grappling game, but Kazbekov landed a heavy kick to the body as Bohn though to change levels. He’d fire a knee up the middle later, and eventually take Bohn down. Bohn was looking tired but was able to sweep and get on top, dropping ground n’ pound. Kazbekov escaped, got on top himself, and launched some heavy shots. That got the crowd on its feet. Both men were now looking fatigued and throwing wild. Bohn would get on top again later in the round, but was too tired to really land much of significance. Kazbekov would reverse, but would up in the same situation.

The fight, however, was called off when Kazbekov was unable to answer the bell for the third round. The end result there was a TKO win for Bohn.

Jacob Bohn def. Vladimir Kazbekov by TKO, Round 2, 5:00

Adam Assenza vs. Mark Coates

Burlington’s own Adam Assenza closed out the undercard at BTC 6, taking on American Mark Coates. It wasn’t Assenza’s original opponent, as he had initially been booked opposite Thomas Webb.

Coates opened fire with a kick, and Assenza immediately answered with his hands. He got the better of the first exchange, which led to Coates pulling a little “didn’t hurt” motion, waving him in. The bout devolved into a firefight, and when Coates went down, Assenza got on top, landing some ground n’ pound. Coates hung in there, but was getting softened up. He struggled back to his feet, but was eating punishment at every turn, with Assenza then landing blows from behind and forcing him back down. Assenza would pick up the pace later in the round, but ate an upkick for his troubles, and Coates would make it to the buzzer.

Adam Assenza def. Mark Coates by TKO, Round 1, 5:00

Lindsay Garbatt vs. Cheyanne Vlismas

In the first of three title fights atop the BTC 6 card, interim strawweight gold was on the line. Competing for the belt, America’s Cheyanne Vlismas and Canada’s own Lindsay Garbatt.

The pair traded early, with Vlismas launching a high kick. She would also attack the lead leg of Garbatt off a combination. Going to the ground, it was Vlismas on top, working to improve position. Garbatt had a leg trapped, keeping her in half-guard for the time being. The pair would finish the round without ever making it back up, Vlismas in control to the end.

A quick start on the feet in the second saw Vlismas displaying solid footwork and changing stances. Garbatt went to the body, and looked to move in-and-out, only to be taken down again and planted on her back. She looked to tie Vlismas up, closing he rguard but eating a few shots to the ribs. Again, Garbatt was unable to escape. She squirmed, scrambled, Vlismas added in some hammer fists, but it was a few minutes before some space was created, and ultimately Vlismas backed off a bit. Back on the feet, however, Garbatt had little time to work, and wound up planted on her back to finish the frame.

Round three saw Garbatt slip, one of a handful in the night. Vlismas drove her opponent into the cage early on, looking to get the fight back in her domain. Which she did, soon enough. Garbatt attempted to defend with a guillotine, didn’t have it, but would at least escape. Vlismas would try to take the fight down again later in the round, but Garbatt scrambled, staying up even as Vlismas held on to a limb. At one point, Garbatt hoisted her opponent right off her feet, but eventually, had to set her back down, and wound up sat down in the end. She finished the frame jockeying for position with Vlismas on the ground. That was it – despite being a title fight, it was a three rounder, and Vlismas easily won the decision, and belt.

Cheyanne Vlismas def. Lindsay Garbatt by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)

Scott Hudson vs. Dawond Pickney

The second title fight, and co-main event of BTC 6 saw Scott Hudson facing off against Dawond Pickney. A three round (or less) bout, with the super lightweight title on the line.

Some heavy leather thrown early, but it was Hudson both landing with leg kicks, then taking the fight to the ground. Coming back up, Pickney launched some hard shots, at least some of which grazed Hudson. Hudson would later tie Pickney up along the cage; Pickney reversed, only to be reversed himself. Off the break, a big swing by Pickney fanned. Toward the end of the round, Hudson would sink in a standing guillotine, but couldn’t finish before the bell.

Pickney came out attacking to open the second. After a brief exchange, he would drive Hudson into the cage. Pickney would trap a leg, but when they went down, Hudson managed to deftly move to the top. However, as the worked their way back up, it was Pickney taking Hudson down with authority. Hudson wouldn’t stay down, however. Back up he worked to defend and soon locked in a standing guillotine! That got the tap, and Hudson had won the title!

Scott Hudson def. Dawond Pickney by submission (guillotine choke), Round 2, 3:45

James Clarke vs. Dave Henry

Henry got the fight to the ground early in the main event of BTC 6, with the promotion’s flyweight title on the line. ‘Yakuza’ worked within Clarke’s guard, but Clarke reversed, working his way up. Henry caught him in a guillotine, and Clarke slammed him down. this led to an entertaining sequence of scrambles by the cage, with Henry winding up working from the back of his oppoennt. Clarke looked to reverse, and did as teh round came to a close.

In the second, Henry unleashed a high kick as Clarke changed levels. Henry’s kick sailed over his opponent, and Clarke finished the attempt. Clarke connected with some elbows by the cage, and worked to take the back. He had control of Henry along the fence, and added some punches in while working to flatten his opponent out. He continued with the ground strikes, looking to the ref, perhaps thinking it might be stopped, as Henry wasn’t defending much. Clarke the added elbows and hammer fists, before dragging his opponent back and looking for a choke. Henry fought the choke off for a time, and actually managed to scramble free late.

James Clarke shot a takedown right off the glove touch to open round three of the BTC 6 main event. Henry defended with a choke, but Clarke pulled free and moved to mount. Henry held on tight, hands clasped. Somehow, he managed to flip the script, ending up on top, albeit in Clarke’s guard. A scramble led to Henry getting the back, but Clarke would escape and get back in the driver’s seat. He transitioned to the back, working on a rear-naked choke and getting under the chin. Henry fought it off til the end of the round, however.

Clarke again got the early takedown in round four, finding himself in a guillotine that wasn’t about to be finished. Once he pulled free, he was in half guard along the fence. Clarke dropped some elbows from there, but Henry would break free, and work from the top briefly. A lot of back-and-forth and positional changes in the grappling.

The fifth and final round started with a swing and a miss from Henry. Clarke ducked under, taking things back to the ground. Henry would briefly take the back in a scramble, but Clarke slipped off. That allowed him to latch on with a head lock, as Henry drove him into the fence. Henry would slowly pull him back down, but it was Clarke who reversed and wound up on top. He’d finish the round there, and the fight. The effort also earned him the BTC flyweight championship!

James Clarke def. Dave Henry by unanimous decision (50-44, 50-45, 50-44)

BTC 6: Night of Champions Results:

James Clarke def. Dave Henry by unanimous decision (50-44, 50-45, 50-44) – for the BTC flyweight championship
Scott Hudson def. Dawond Pickney by submission (guillotine choke), Round 2, 3:45 – for the BTC super lightweight championship
Cheyanne Vlismas def. Lindsay Garbatt by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27) – for the BTC interim strawweight championship

Adam Assenza def. Mark Coates by TKO, Round 1, 5:00
Jacob Bohn def. Vladimir Kazbekov by TKO, Round 2, 5:00
Mike McAloon def. Patrick Connors by submission (arm-bar), Round 1, 1:29
Kyran Cameron def. Julius Trimmeliti by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Ariel Zuniga def. Marc Gillespie by TKO, Round 2, 3:54
Teshay Gouthro def. Paul Fisher by TKO (doctor’s stoppage), Round 2, 2:15

The post BTC 6: Night of Champions Results appeared first on Cageside Press.

Saturday night, MMA action returns to the province of Ontario, Canada as BTC 6: Night of Champions will unfold in Burlington, about forty-five minutes south of Toronto. The card is awash with Canadian talent, and a couple of visiting Americans as well. Three title fights top the bill, and in a scrap for the vacant flyweight belt, James Clarke will take on fellow Canuck Dave Henry.

Clarke started his MMA run with a lengthy and successful amateur stint, and after hitting a speed bump early in his pro career, he has turned things around. With first round submission wins in his last two fights, he’s ready for his title shot, and spoke to Cageside Press earlier this week about how he got into the sport, the title fight Saturday, and bringing excitement to the 125lb division.

“I had a bit of a background in wrestling, high school wrestling. So that’s kind of where I got my base from,” Clarke told us about his introduction to mixed martial arts. “I kind of picked jiu-jitsu up right after high school, and went from there.”

He’s six years into his MMA run now, and like many fighters, credits wrestling as his way in. Of course, wrestling doesn’t have the profile in Canada that it does down south. But for Clarke, getting involved in the sport was “just the natural will to fight I guess. Wrestling was the closest thing they offered in high school to that.” Just without the kicks or punches.

He also recognized the fans that do appreciate the sport in Canada. “It’s not quite as big as it is in the States, but the diehard fans are into it the same. The States just has more people, so more fans.”

Clarke, from Lindsay, Ontario, began training with coach Joe Elliot in the town of Bethany. “That’s where Joe’s first gym started actually, it started in a Church.” Within a few months, the operation moved shop to a more permanent location in Lindsay. But Clarke has bounced around over the years, living as far as Winnipeg for a time, before returning home to Lindsay.

“I’ve always liked change,” he said about moving around a lot as a kid. “I’m comfortable where I’m at now though.” Having said that, he’s still racking up the air miles. “I actually went to Thailand the last three years in a row,” Clarke told us.

Saving money working roofing with his father, “I go to Thailand for the whole winter because I get the winter off usually. Not too many people are getting their roof’s done in January and February. So I go down to Tiger Muay Thai. I’ve done that for the last three years, this is the first year I haven’t. But I’ll probably go again next year.”

A positive experience, Clarke also recognized that the trip to Thailand takes some adjustment. “It’s just about being smart. Realizing that there is a culture shock,” he said. Then there’s the strain of travel. “I’ve been pretty content on getting fights as quick as I can as soon as I get back. As close as 11 days actually, out from getting off a plane back from Thailand. Actually in TKO. Let’s just say it didn’t always work to my advantage. No excuses or taking anything away from some of my opponents who beat me.”

There’s no such issues heading into BTC 6, however. Although the fight against Henry didn’t always have such high stakes.

“It wasn’t originally a title fight when it was offered to me,” Clarke revealed. “I said on the mic last time I won at BTC that if they had me back, I wanted to fight for the belt. So I actually just threw it out there when they offered Dave Henry, 4-2. I said ‘well, how bout for a belt?'”

BTC, said Clarke, took the night to think about it. Clarke accepted the fight regardless, but the promotion came back with a positive answer. The title fight was on. “They said they were happy to make it a title fight. I’m humbled and I’m honored that they think I’m good enough, and ready for a belt.”

“It’s been a bit of a long road. I had fifteen amateur MMA fights, went 13-2 actually,” he explained in regards to his journey to this point. “Lost my very first fight, then I won 12 in a row. I was looking to get tested a bit more, so I turned pro, and I definitely [was tested more]. It’s been a bit of a long road just in the pro scene as well. I’ve fought some tough guys, but no excuse, it made me a lot better fighter.”

He also had to clean up his act a little. “I used to smoke cigarettes, I cut that out actually after I got my ass kicked a couple times. I’ve become much more of a professional in my last couple of fights, for sure.”

Clarke has gone the distance twice so far in his pro career, but Saturday will be his first time in a five round fight. “I’m confident that I can go an extra two rounds, championship rounds, for a belt, no problem. I’m not looking to go the whole five rounds, but need be, I’ll do it. I’m ready to give every last thing I got in my body, and some.”

Opponent Dave Henry, he observed, is “a very nice guy actually, he seems to be probably the nicest guy I’ve fought as a pro. But that doesn’t win you fights. He does have a decent record, he’s no joke, on paper.”

Having scouted out his opponent, however, Clarke added that “I believe he’s not on my level.” While “records don’t mean everything,” he continued, “with my amateur career and pro career, I’ve been fighting the toughest guys inside Canada since I started this. And Dave hasn’t, that’s a fact on paper. It’s proven right on Tapology, anybody can go and research this.”

So as Clarke sees it, “he’s the one that’s going to be in there with me, I’m not going be the one in there with him. He’s not on my level, that’s for sure. It’s going to show Saturday night as soon as that bell rings.”

As to how the bout plays out, “we’re going to touch up, because respect is very important in this game. And as confident as I seem, I do respect Dave, because the whole game can change in a matter of a split second. We’ve both watched enough fights that you’re kind of a fool if you don’t realize as well.”

After the show of respect, however, “I’m going to open up with one or two strikes maybe, and then it’s going to go right to the mat.” Clarke has a specific arm-bar he has in mind, and may have an advantage, given his Henry has stated he doesn’t watch tape of his opponents. “I think it’s going to come on in the first thirty seconds, and if he doesn’t tap, I’m going to break his arm in the first minute.”

A quick finish in a title fight would certainly make a statement. The first battle, however, will be weight. Clarke’s walk-around weight “ranges, to be honest. I take it a little more serious now as far as dieting. That is definitely my weakest category in the fight game, is the dieting. I like my pizza.” Having said that, however, “in the last two weeks I always clean things up, I cut the bread out, the carbs and all that,” he added. “And then I just clean the diet up, and I usually get to about 138 to 135. Just over 10lbs usually, it’s not too bad of a cut.”

As an amateur, Clarke admitted he used to be “a lot more ignorant on the dieting part, I wouldn’t even try to diet, I would just cut the water weight. I cut as much as 18lbs actually, then fought four hours later.”

Despite the iffy future at flyweight, with the UFC chopping names left right and center, Clarke doesn’t plan on heading back to 135. His last loss was at bantamweight, and he’s been finding success at 125. “I don’t think that’s in my plans, bantamweight, anytime soon. It’s always nice to go into a fight without a weight cut and stuff, and not have to think about it, but it is almost part of the fight now for me.”

The fight before the fight, Clarke said, as many fighters do. “I would do it maybe down the road, but for the most part, I’m going to tighten things up at flyweight, and build a name again.” Fighting for titles is part of that. “It’s time to let everybody know who I am.”

Besides, he feels there’s still a future for young flyweights in the sport, even with the UFC scaling back and Bellator lacking the division entirely. “I’m not trying to talk too much sh*t, but I am trying to hype the train up. I’m a young fighter, I’m looking to express myself, I’m trying to give the fans something to buy,” Clarke stated. “I know that’s lacked in the UFC, they have cut the flyweights out a tremendous amount. It kills me. But in the same sense, guys like me are going to be the ones who bring [the flyweight division] back, and show everyone that they can be exciting fights. I’m not just talking sh*t, this is me, I want to sell everybody 100% on the Suplex Kid, I’m not looking to fake anything.”

The Suplex Kid will be in action this Saturday, June 1 as James Clarke faces Dave Henry for the vacant BTC flyweight championship. The action goes down at the Central Arena in Burlington, Ontario.

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