NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Saturday, Feb. 20) – Team Lloyd Irvin is coming to Nashville for the Gameness Fighting Championships. 13 fighters from Team Lloyd Irvin and Nashville MMA will be fighting on this card.
Nashville MMA owner and Lloyd Irvin black belt Ed Clay said, “This is a great opportunity for us to come together and compete in MMA as a team. Lloyd is someone I’ve always looked up to, and everyone knows some of the best fighters in the world come out of Team Lloyd Irvin. This is going to be one action packed night of top level MMA.”
In addition to Team Lloyd Irvin, Gameness Fighting Championships is also very excited to be working with the UWC, one of the top MMA shows in the country. To show their support, UWC CEO S. Marcello Foran has agreed to let Mike Easton and Timothy Woods compete in the upcoming event.
“Having Mike and Timothy on this card is going to provide even more world class talent to what looks to be one of our best cards yet,” said Ed Clay.
When asked about his feelings on Team Lloyd Irvin and Gameness Fighting Championships, UWC CEO S. Marcello Foran said, “The decision for Mike and Timothy to fight in Nashville is about being a team player and supporting Team Lloyd Irvin and the growth of a great show like Gameness Fighting Championships. The UWC and Team Lloyd Irvin are committed to each other’s efforts to grow the sport. The people at Gameness Fighting are passionate about finding and developing future champions and being a positive productive part of MMA. We believe working with others and helping the growth of as many fighters as we can is what MMA needs the most. This will be a good fight for Mike to prepare for his next big UWC title defense.”
Irvin was also excited about the opportunity. “Nashville MMA is one of our largest affiliates and it’s great to be fighting as a team in Nashville. All of our fighters will be extremely well prepared and ready for battle,” said Irvin.
Also on the card are eight Nashville MMA Fighters, including in the main event, UFC veteran Josh “ The War Hammer” Schockman. “I’m here to do what I do best and that’s put on a great show. I don’t fight for decisions, I fight to knock people out. The War Hammer is coming down on Nashville!”
Also on the card is Lloyd Irvin black belt and Pan American champion Shawn Hammonds. “I can’t tell you how excited I am to make my professional MMA debut in Nashville. I’ve been waiting a long time for this and the fact that Master Lloyd is going to be here means a lot. He’s traveled all over the world to coach me in jiu-jitsu competition and now he’s going to be in my corner for my MMA debut right here in Nashville.”
Hometown favorite and Franklin high-school wrestling standout Dustin Ortiz is also making his pro debut bringing in an 8-1 amateur record. Ortiz has a notable win against Pro MMA Now Amateur fighter of the year, Thomas Campbell, in which he fought a weight class up and still put on a dominating performance. Ortiz goes 100% from start to finish. He has a gas tank that will last forever and constantly attacks from start to finish.
Cheatham county native Dustin West (6-2) is also fighting on the card. Dustin moved back from Las Vegas in December to train with Nashville MMA. West is coming off of a loss, and recently spoke in an interview about moving to Nashville, “It opened my eyes on some things I needed to work on and I took the first big step in correcting them. I came to Nashville and started training with Ed. I hope they’re going to be ready for the crowd I’m bringing. The cow bells are going to be out!”
Clay said in closing, “This is going to be a huge night for MMA in Nashville. People are going to see some serious top level action and one of the best teams in the world get a chance to fight together. I can’t thank Lloyd Irvin and S. Marcello Foran enough for making this happen.”
For ticket information call 615-777-9350.
I’m sure this will be a good card. Easton is a lot of fun to watch fight.
Thomas Campbell and Dustin Ortiz fight ended in a DEC and wasn’t a dominating performance by either guys. At the time I think Dustin was fighting at 145 or maybe even 155 not a weight class up. Thomas was still basically a pure wrestler and has improved and gained a lot of experience since then. If they were to fight again, Thomas would walk away with the win. He is going to be dropping to 135 and turning Pro this spring and we would love a rematch with Dustin.
Shawn Hammonds is a great BJJ guy but I’ve never seen his stand up or MMA.
Dustin West is much better then his Pro record and he has a huge local following.
Josh is always fun to watch and puts on a great show.
Just wanted to clear up the Dustin and Thomas part.
How were the fights this weekend Ron?
JC lost. Thomas’ fight was a Draw.
Damn… good fight with Thomas?
Yeah, Tami’s guy Sam Jones was no joke. Thomas caught a big elbow above the eye and the ref almost stopped the fight because of the bleeding in the 1st. In the 2nd Sam caught Thomas with an illegal knee to the head which took a lot out of Thomas. He doesn’t remember the last two rounds, lol. He was fighting on pure instincts. Both guys were exhausted and showed a ton of heart.
Man, that sounds like a great fight. Wish there was a video. Was it for the Hook N’ Shoot Title?
I think Tami recorded it. Thomas and I would love to get a copy. It was for the Brawley Fights title in VA. The title is vacant.
If you do not have the video of Sam Jones’s fight I have a copy of it and can get it to you. Just for the record there was no illegal knee. You can review the fight and you will see that. Also there was no call by the ref for one. There was a call on an accidental headbutt but you can see in the video that it was clearly a shoulder strike. Check it out for yourself. We were wondering what the red drink Thomas was drinking in between rounds was. I did not catch that during the fight but you can see that too.”