On Saturday, October 12th the Full Contact Fighting Federation (FCFF) will host the 74th installment of “Rumble @ The Roseland,” their signature event. In the Main Event, the current FCFF 135-pound Champion, Journey Newson will take on the undefeated FCFF two-time Superfight Champion Ricky Simon for the Bantamweight Title. Also, the FCFF brings back the female 125-pound Champion, Emily Corso, who was originally scheduled for an epic rematch against Katie Howard (the 115-pound Champion) in August; that fight was delayed for medical reasons and is back on for Rumble @ The Roseland 74. Plus, a 140-pound Superfight is on the card that has the potential to steal ‘fight of the night’ honors. For updated fight cards, mma news/resources, and more visit thefcff.com. Doors open at the Roseland Theater at 6pm on fight night. Tickets available at Safeway Tickets West outlets or online.
In the “Main Event” at Rumble @ The Roseland 74, there is more on the line then the FCFF belt: reputation, undefeated records and the coveted “next step” to turning pro. The current FCFF Bantamweight Champion, Journey Newson will face his toughest competition to-date on October 12th when he goes toe-to-toe with Ricky Simon of Vancouver. Simon is undefeated at 6-0 with two FCFF Superfight belts in the Lightweight and Featherweight divisions; but he wants the Title. “Fighting for the Superfight belts was fun, but I want to be able to say that I am the Champ,” he explained. Simon trains under Phil Claud at the SportsLab and grew up in the sport of wrestling. He’s been in the MMA scene for two years and “…a win over Journey will really highlight my skills. Journey will be the toughest and most well rounded out of all my opponents thus far,” he said. Simon’s most recent fight came in March of 2013 at Rumble @ The Roseland 70; there he became the FCFF 155-pound Superfight Champ via a unanimous decision victory. In August of 2012 he took on Damon Jordan at Rumble 65 and earned the 145-pound Superfight belt.
Journey Newson, the fighter holding the FCFF bantamweight Title seeks to curb Simon’s undefeated record and maintain his Title of FCFF Champion. Newson fights under Justin Mark, a former FCFF Champion and Hall of Famer. “We have been training together for a year or two now and he has the experience and knowledge that put me where I am today,” said Newson. On October 12th Journey’s goals are simple, “To be the best fighter I can be. I’m only looking to fight the best and demand their respect in the process,” he explained. Newson first became the FCFF Champ at Rumble @ The Roseland 71 in May of 2012 with a decision victory over Brent Messino. Journey currently sits with a record of 6-1-1 and plans to turn pro within the next year. Winning this fight will be an undeniable step towards his goal.
The Female Championship Fight pits Emily Corso, the current FCFF 125-pound Champion head-on against the 115-pound FCFF Champion Katie Howard in a do-or-die rematch. The two first met for the FCFF 125-pound Championship on May 18th at Rumble @ The Roseland 71. There, Corso pulled off a final-round tapout due to an armbar. “I’m happy with how things went in our first fight. Katie and I have similar jiu-jitsu games,” said Corso. According to Howard’s coach she is “extremely excited for this rematch. I have never seen her more focused. Katie is mentally, physically and technically more sound than she has ever been, even in her most recent fight,” said Coach Sarah from Girl’s Gym. In Katie Howard’s last fight at Rumble @ The Roseland 72 on July 13th she raised the crowd to their feet with a 21 second-round-two knockout over Shellby Connelly. This rematch was originally scheduled for Rumble @ The Roseland 73 in August, but was delayed due to medical reasons. “Emily and Katie are both healthy and ready to settle everything in this rematch,” explained Keeney. Corso, the current Champ may be the ‘favorite’ coming into this fight but Howard has the ability to land big punches. Corso is undefeated in seven MMA fights and holds three belts from three different organizations: The FCFF, CageStar, and Budo. However, Corso faces a brand new challenge at Rumble @ The Roseland 74 on October 12th, “This is the first time I’ll be fighting the same person twice and I’m still trying to wrap my mind around what that experience will be like,” she said. In preparation she’s changed her training significantly and is working to bring some new surprises to her competition.
The undercard at Rumble @ The Roseland 74 is full of rising talent. Notably, the 140-pound Superfight will gain a lot of attention. Sean Gee, earned “Fight of the Night” honors at the FCFF’s last event: Rumble @ The Roseland 73. There he tapped out Sean McNulty via a round three rear naked choke. Gee will face-off against rising star Chayse Garrison, who had a crowd pleasing win at Rumble @ The Roseland 73 in August by defeating Micah Ried via a 20-second round-one chokeout.