The weigh-ins just took place for the next installment of Tedd William’s Gladiator Challenge. All fighters made their contracted weight and everything went off without a hitch. It blew me away when Tedd stated that he has promoted over 200 shows. Gladiator Challenge has produced some of the biggest names in MMA such as Mac Danzig, Tyson Griffin, Rashad Evans, and Urijah Faber.
Some of the most exciting match-ups taking place on the card Friday night include Joey Armstrong vs. Wayne Phillips, Ryan Bastianelli vs. Gigo Jara, and the main event of Kurt Osiander vs. Nate Moore.
Armstrong was originally slated to square off against Pat Minihan. Minihan hails from the American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose. During a sparring session with Jake Shields, Minihan broke his ribs and has been sidelined since. Minihan is a promising young fighter and a match with Armstrong is something many local MMA fans still yearn to see. Ryan Bastianelli is a student of former UFC fighter Gil Castillo, and former member of the famed Arizona State University wrestling team. He is another promising prospect at the featherweight division and this fight promises to be dynamite. The main event of Moore vs. Osiander should live up to the billing. Moore appeared to be larger than Kurt, but that has never been an obstacle in the past for the Ralph Gracie black belt. Here is the lineup for the full card.
GLADIATOR CHALLENGE SUMMER SHOWDOWN
Will Davis vs. Larry Mays
Mike Fazzino vs. Bryan Lujan
John Devine vs. Richard Balke
Matt Greene vs. Adam Albright
Joey Armstrong vs. Wayne Phillips
Preliminary Fights
Ryan Bastianelli vs. Gigo Jara
Justin Hoglund vs. Gabriel Solorio
Josh Neal vs. Raul Castillo
Kurt Osiander vs. Nate Moore
Tickets can be purchased at www.virtualboxoffice.com