UFC vet attends Moncton card
Published Tuesday November 24th, 2009
12-bout event set for Saturday at the Moncton Coliseum
Jeremy Horn has an 83-19-5 record during an impressive career that has seen him fight some of the biggest names in mixed martial arts.
The Ultimate Fighting Championship veteran has posted victories over stars such as Chuck Liddell and Forrest Griffin. If you break down Horn's wins, 19 were by knockout or TKO, 52 by submission and 12 by decision.
Horn will be a guest in attendance during Saturday's 12-bout card at the Moncton Coliseum. The 7:30 p.m. event will feature 11 mixed martial arts fights -- six pro and five amateur -- and one pro boxing match.
"This is the biggest fight card we've ever held in Moncton and our aim is to attract 3,000 fans,'' said Elite1mma promoter Stephen Williams. "We've sold about 1,000 tickets so far, but I expect this to be a big week for us leading up to fight night.
"Jeremy Horn has fought a lot of big names in the UFC and has a tremendous record. He's a legitimate star in the sport so we're looking forward to having him in town. With Elite1mma, we always want to make sure we're different than anyone else.
"We obviously don't have as big a fan base in Moncton as Las Vegas, but we can still put on good shows and bring in names that people know. I think having a UFC fighter sitting at ringside gives some extra character and prestige for our show.''
Horn, 34, is from Cedar Rapids, Iowa and he's won his past three fights. He will be available for autographs on fight night and he will also attend a post-fight party on Saturday night at the Moncton Alehouse.
"It gives fans the opportunity to meet a UFC fighter,'' said Williams. "I'm not only a promoter. I'm also a big fan of this sport. This is a big deal for me also to bring in someone like Jeremy Horn.''
Ticket outlets are the Moncton Coliseum box office, by phone at 857-4100, online at www.tickets.moncton.ca or the Dooly's locations on Mountain Road and Elmwood Drive.
The prices are $31, $41 and $61 for bowl seating. Ringside seats are $99 and $150. All 45 of the eight-seat VIP tables have been sold.
Matt McGrath of Charlottetown and Eon Shirley of Ontario will clash for the Elite1mma Canadian middleweight title in the mixed martial arts feature bout on this card.
McGrath is 7-2 and he's considered a rising star with a chance for a UFC career. Shirley is a veteran fighter with an extensive background in muay thai, kickboxing and judo.
The winner of this bout will be the interim Canadian middleweight titleholder. This person's first title defence will be against Ontario's Shawn Marchand, who had to withdraw from this card for family reasons.
The card has been sanctioned by the Moncton Boxing and Wrestling Commission. Other pro MMA bouts are:
* Eric St. Pierre (Team Saigo) vs. Jesse Ronson of Ontario (155 pounds)
* Chance Whalen (Simms Knockdown MMA in Moncton) vs. Justin Steele of Halifax (145 pounds)
* Dan Fowler (Team Saigo) vs. Scott Fraser (205 pounds). Fraser is a Moncton fighter who's not with any club.
* Jason Bernava (Simms Knockdown MMA) vs. Radafy Ranaiva of Halifax (155 pounds)
* Alderic Keith (Team Saigo) vs. Jeremy Josey of Halifax (190 pounds)
The card will open with five amateur MMA bouts. Following are these matchups:
* Joey Durette (Team Saigo) vs. Kameron Johnson (Simms Knockdown MMA) in 160 pounds
* Matt Turple (Team Saigo) vs. Mike Murphy of Halifax in 145 pounds
* Damian Rose (Team Saigo) vs. Shawn Wallace (Simms Knockdown MMA) in 180 pounds
* Jonathan Lampert of Fredericton vs. Taylor Davies (Team Saigo) in 185 pounds
* Gregg Savoie (Team Saigo) vs. James Clark of Summerside in 145 pounds
Chris Johnson of Rogersville will meet Dale Simmonds of Moncton in professional boxing action for the vacant Eastern Canadian cruiserweight title. Both are mixed martial arts fighters making their pro boxing debut.
This will be the eighth mixed martial arts card in less than three years in Moncton, including the sixth promoted by Williams. There was a crowd of 1,700 for the last MMA event in Moncton in July.
"This will be the highest quality MMA card we've ever held in Moncton,'' said Williams. "I don't think we would be able to do anything bigger than this with the fan base we have in this market.
"We have some established fighters and some promising up-and-coming figthers. Elite1mma is the most active MMA promotion company in the Maritimes for sure. We're looking to keep growing the sport here.''
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