The name Fight Nite in the Flats has become synonymous with MMA greatness in the Midwest region and the third installment was no different. The jam-packed Plain Dealer Pavilion on the banks of the Cuyahoga River in downtown Cleveland, OH was the scene for what many are calling the greatest NAAFS card yet. From the back & forth action in the amateur preliminary bouts to the unmistakably veteran presence in the main events, Fight Nite in the Flats 3 will no doubt be remembered for years to come.

After a quick show opening featuring the NAAFS Ring Girls Dana & Nicole, the action was underway.

In the first bout of the night, Bill Feinberg of Jungle Fight Team squared off against the debuting Kevin Rothacker, training out of Strong Style Fight Team.

These two warriors set the tone for the rest of the event with some early back and forth action.

Ultimately, it was Rothacker who landed repeated shots to earn the TKO victory at 2:38 of the second round.

Up next was a highly anticipated showdown between Team Next Level’s Kellen Hughes & Frank “The Tank” Carabello of Rising Dragon MMA.

Hughes made his NAAFS debut at the recent Border Wars event defeating Matt Hopkins, whereas Carabello was riding high after a stunning :08 KO win against Josh McBride at the same aforementioned show.

This was a classic example of striker vs. wrestler. Almost immediately Carabello quickly lunged towards Hughes, looking for that knock out blow. After being on the receiving end of a few strikes, Hughes quickly countered and took the fight to the mat.

He was able to subdue Carabello’s awesome striking ability and locked in a rear naked choke for the submission victory at 2:17 of round one.

Next up, it was the heavyweights turn to take center stage.

A rivalry built out of respect came full circle when rising favorite Norm “The Jackhammer” Carriero stepped inside the NAAFS Cage to do battle with 2006 NAAFS National Heavyweight Champion John “The Showstopper” Hedges.

Carriero entered the bout with a two fight winning streak, whereas Hedges was coming off the first loss of his career. Carriero initially threw down the challenge and Hedges was more than willing to accept. When the time came, these two certainly did not disappoint.

While many of the experts were predicting a quick 1st Round KO, both fighters showed that not only can they throw a punch, but they can take one as well. Hedges & Carriero exchanged blow after blow with neither man giving an inch.

However the wear & tear eventually lead to final decision when the referee called a stop to the action before round 3, deciding that Carriero was unable to continue due to the fact that his right eye had been swollen completely shut, thus awarding the victory to Hedges.

A champion vs. champion collision was next on the card as Next Level Fight’s Middleweight Champion Chris Green went up against 2006 NAAFS National Light Heavyweight Champion Chuck Ellison in an early Fight of the Year candidate.

Both athletes remained on their feet for the duration of the bout, connecting with punch after punch. Green would catch Ellison with what seemed like a knockout shot and then Ellison would return the favor for the entire 1st Round. They didn’t stop in the 2nd Round either.

In the end, it was Ellison who caught Green with powerful punch on his sweet spot for the KO victory.

The fans were on their feet in appreciation as Ellison celebrated his hard earned victory.

A showdown between two fast rising stars in the NAAFS Light Heavyweight Division was up next on the docket. Chris Canale from Youngstown, OH stepped inside the NAAFS Cage to do battle with Wreckroom Athletics’ Joe “The Giant Killer” Lewis. It was Lewis who took control early and established dominance on the ground. He was able to hook a guillotine choke for the win at 1:03 of Round 1.

The featherweights were given the opportunity to shine up next and they took full advantage of it. Zach Moomey of Scodova’s MMA brought his 6-1 record back inside the NAAFS Cage to do battle with Paul “Str8 Outta” Compton, who entered this bout an impressive 8-0.

These two exchanged shot after shot, blow after blow, much to the delight of the fans in attendance. It looked like it was over near the end of the first round when Moomey took Compton’s back in a rear naked choke attempt, but Compton rebounded by carrying Moomey on his back for the last minute of the round. It was more of the same in Round 2, with the action going back & forth and neither man maintaining a clear cut advantage.

While Moomey had the edge in the 1st round with his submission attempts, Round 3 was a stand up battle more suited towards Paul Compton’s style. They kept firing away with everything in the arsenal, until the final bell sounded and both fighters were respectfully greeted with standing ovations.

The final verdict was a split decision victory for Zach Moomey, but both fighters walked out looking like future champions.

The final amateur bout on the card pitted the returning Josh “Sandman” Stansbury against Matt “The Lumberjack” Lisi of Team Anarchy. Lisi was coming off an impressive KO win against Felix “The Cat” Catheline at Night of Pain, while Stansbury was returning to the NAAFS to make a statement and that he did by way of a :27 KO victory in Round 1.

The first professional bout on the card was a heavyweight showdown between the undefeated Justin Black of Wreckroom Athletics and experienced boxer Joe McCall. They battled back and forth for three solid rounds, with the fight going to the judges for a decision. In the end it was McCall who walked out with the split decision victory.

Up next was the most controversial fight of the night, which featured the highly anticipated NAAFS debut of amateur wrestling standout Sonny Marchette of Akron, OH. His opponent was MMA veteran “The Pennsylvania Hitman” Dan Swift, who has faced every style of opponent imaginable. Marchette took Swift to the ground early and began to put on a wrestling clinic, but Swift was still able to hold his own. The ending came at 2:24 of the 1st Round when Marchette connected with an unintentional knee to Dan Swift’s head while he was down on the mat.

The unfortunate blow left Swift unable to continue what appeared to be the start of an epic fight. Since the referee ruled the strike as unintentional, the bout was ruled a No-Contest. The controversial decision left everyone in attendance clamoring for a rematch.

A middleweight bout was next on the card as Johnny Soeder of Strong Style Fight Team battled 2006 NAAFS National Middleweight Champion Taiwon “The Iron Dragon” Howard of Rising Dragon MMA. Howard is highly regarded for his kickboxing skills, while Soeder has perfected his craft under Marcus Marinelli & the Strong Style camp. The weeks of ground preparation paid off for Soeder, as he was able to catch Howard with an armbar then avoid Taiwon’s counter and reapply the hold for the submission victory at 4:04 of Round 1.

The return of “Smokin” Joe Heiland making his pro debut was next on the card. Heiland entered this welterweight showdown against Jacob Eaton with plenty of fanfare, including Hollywood film crew Studio Zero Productions who were in town doing a documentary on the fast rising MMA Superstar. Looking to seize the opportunity, Eaton connected with powerful jab to Heiland’s jaw early in round 1, but all it seemed to do was awaken a sleeping giant. Joe immediately took Eaton to the ground and become to take over with the ground & pound. From that point on Heiland never let up and eventually scored the TKO victory at :30 of the second round. With the win, “Smokin” Joe Heiland improves his overall record to 8-0 and continues to show why he is the 2006 NAAFS Fighter of the Year.

Another heavyweight clash was next, pitting Andre Mussi from Salvador, Brazil against Dave “Pee Wee Herman” of Damage Inc in Indianapolis, IN. Mussi was originally slated to face local favorite Josh Hendricks, but he forced to pull out of the fight due a neck injury. Herman stepped in with a week’s notice, but you never would have guessed it by watching him fight. This was another example of a mat expert against a striker. Mussi tried to take the action to the ground, but Herman wisely avoided the takedown and remained standing. He eventually took control over the large Brazilian and finished him off with repeated shots to the head for the TKO victory at 3:00 of Round 1 improving his record to 9-0. After the fight, Herman made his intentions known that one day he plans on fighting in the UFC.

It was now time for the first of three main events on the night. Up first was Team Predator’s Mike Bogner taking on two-time UFC veteran and Northeast Ohio native Jason “Dynamite” Dent. The veteran wasted little time taking Bogner to the ground. After a brief feeling out period, Dent hooked the anaconda choke for the submission victory at just :58 of the first round. After the fight, Dent told the crowd it’s always great to compete in the NAAFS, in front of the hometown crowd, and that he plans on going back to the UFC or competing in Pride’s Lightweight Division.

The next bout was another eagerly anticipated showdown between two top Light Heavyweights. Jason “Freebird” Freeman stepped inside the NAAFS Cage to battle two-time UFC veteran Sean Salmon, who most recently competed at UFC 71. Freeman had the hometown crowd on his side, but Salmon had the composure of a true veteran. The former Ohio State wrestling standout took Freeman to the ground, eliminating his deadly knockout power & precision striking ability. Salmon executed his game plan perfectly, locking in a keylock for the submission win at just 1:19 of Round 1. Afterwards, Salmon said it was the toughest fight he had ever been in, especially coming off two losses in a row. He thanked the crowd for coming out and said he was looking forward to returning to the UFC.

The final bout of the night was a Super Heavyweight collision between the undefeated “War Machine” Nate Eddy of Team Titan and Cleveland’s own Dan “The Bull” Bobish. As expected, Bobish had the enter Pavilion on their feet as he made his way into the cage. Once the action began, Eddy had the early advantage with precision strikes to the veteran Bobish, busting his nose in the process. It didn’t last long, as Bobish seized the opportunity to take Eddy to the ground and do what he does best. The former amateur wrestling champion took full mount and began reigning down elbow shots. The referee called a stop to the action at 1:22 of Round 1 and awarded the victory to the Cleveland native Dan “The Bull” Bobish by TKO. After the win, Bobish told Steve Hindman that he wants to fight the winner of the upcoming Kimbo vs. Ray Mercer fight and from here on out it’s all about the ground and pound.

Fight Nite in the Flats III has continued the tradition of MMA excellence at the Plain Dealer Pavilion for the NAAFS. The next NAAFS event will be Brawl at the Hall at Saturday July 7th at the Packard Music Hall in Warren, OH. Tickets are on sale now!

NAAFS Professional Bouts

SHW - Dan “The Bull” Bobish 17-8 (Strongstyle Fight Team) over
Nate Eddy 5-1 (Team Titan) by KO from Elbow Strikes @ 1:22 of Rd 1

205 lbs - Sean Salmon (Team Jorge Gurgel) over Jason “Freebird” Freeman 8-2 (Vander Fighting Systems) by Keylock @ 1:19 of Rd 1

155 lbs - Jason “Dynamite” Dent 17-7 (Team GriffonRawl) over
Mike Bogner 6-6-1 (Team Predator) via Arm Triangle/Anaconda Vice @ :58 of Rd 1

265 lbs - Dave Herman 9-0 (Damage Inc) over Andre Mussi 10-4 (Rio De Janeiro, Brazil) by TKO @ 3:00 of Rd 1

170 lbs - “Smokin” Joe Heiland 8-0 (StrongStyle Fight Team) over
Jacob Eaton 1-3 (Team Predator) by TKO @ :30 of Rd 2

185 lbs - John Soeder 4-0-1 (StrongStyle Fight Team) over
Taiwon “The Iron Dragon” Howard 5-1 (Rising Dragon) by Armbar @ 4:04 of Rd 1

145 lbs - Sonny Marchette 1-1 (Independent) vs
Dan Swift 27-24 (Team DNA) No Contest -- Marchette hit Swift with an illegal knee to a downed opponent, that the referee ruled unintentional. Swift was unable to continue the fight and it was ruled a No Contest @ 2:24 of Rd 1

265 lbs - Joe McCall 2-0 (Independent) over
Justin Black 5-1 (Wreckroom Athletics) via split decision

NAAFS Preliminary Bouts

265 lbs - Josh “The Sandman” Stansbury 8-1 (Next Level Fight Team) beat Matt “the Lumberjack” Lisi 3-1 (Team Anarchy) via KO @ :27 of Rd 1

145 lbs – Zach Moomey 7-1 (Scodova’s MMA and Kickboxing) over Paul “Str8 Outta” Compton 8-1 (Team Warfare) by Split Decision

205 lbs – Joe “The Giant Killer” Lewis 4-0 (Wreckroom Athletics) over Chris Canale 3-2 (Youngstown, OH) by Guillotine Choke @ 1:03 of Rd 1

185 lbs - Chuck Ellison 6-1 (Instigator Fight Team) over
Chris Green 4-2 (Team Next Level) by KO @ 1:55 of Rd 2

265 lbs - John “The Showstopper” Hedges 3-1 (Team Warfare) over
Norm “The Jackhammer” Carriero 2-1 (Independent) by doctor stoppage at the end of Rd 2 due to a swollen eye.

170 lbs - Kellen Hughes 6-1 (Team Next Level) over
Frank “The Tank” Carabello 3-3 (Rising Dragon) by Rear Naked Choke @ 2:17 of Rd 1

155 lbs - Kevin Rothacker 1-0 (Strong Style Fight Team) over Bill Feinberg 2-0 (Jungle Fight Team) by TKO @ 2:38 of Rd 2