After going to the Reality Fighting show in New Hampshire last evening I thought I would submit a quick review. The event was a NAGA event so you know that Kip and Joe put a lot into the planning and preperation of the show. The facilities were adequate and the otagon ring looked great. The seating was divided up into sections ranging from 150.00 table sections, to 37.50 general admission. The distance that seperated these sections was only about 20 feet. So you really could not go wrong with the general admission ticket.
The fights were supposed to start at 8 PM sharp but did not actually start until a little after 8:30. The ring girls arrived to the ring on the back of a couple of Harleys and then the fights were on. The event was taped for later broadcast on FSN New England. All of the fights were action packed and everyone could tell that the fighters were completely into being there and having the opportunity to compete. Some stand outs that I noticed:
Dan O'Keefe was tough as nails and did an amazing job against the very tough Josh Brown.
Tony Barber and Nate LaMotte both did amazing jobs against their opponents and showed great skills both on their feet and on the ground.
The match between John Champa and Jed Tinlin was a back and forth battle between the big men with Champa coming out on top. His ear after the fight left many observer in the audience cringing. It looked like someone strapped a tomato to the side of his head because it was so swollen.
The standout of the undercard was clearly Mike Campbell. This kid had amazing hands that brought back memories of a young vitor belfort. Campbell was equally good on the ground as he was with his hands. If this guy continues to progress I guarentee we will see great things from him.
The main event of the evening pitted TUF 1 competitor Alex Karalexis vs. Josh Lydell. It was no surprise that Karalexis came out on top against the relatively inexperianced Lydell. This was ment to be Alex's comeback fight and he prevailed in the first round by rear naked choke. The real test for Karalexis will be once he is pitted against a fighter of his own caliber.
The high point of the event was the fighters and the heart and skill they showed in the ring. Once again they proved that MMA is a growing and evolving sport that starts with the average guy stepping into the ring for the love of the sport.
The low point of the event was the late start time and the plauging audio issues. The in-ring interviews were often inaudible because of distortion.
All in all this was a great great event that was well worth the 3 hour driving time it took to get there. NAGA consistently puts on great shows and this was no exception. They put fighters on the bill that love the sport instead of viewing the sport as just a payday. Their next event will occur on September 23, 2006 at the much larger Verizon Event Center. I do have some intial concerns that they will be able to pull of a show of that magnitude in such little time. Last nights attendance looked to be around around 1,000 attendees. The verizon center is an 11,000 seat venue. The other concern that was voiced by some attendents was the higher than average ticket prices for a bill that featured mostly local fighters without "big names" on the bill. I feel that if anyone could pull off an event and fill the verizon center than Kip and the boys can. And I also know that I will be there anxiously awaiting the first bout of the evening supporting the sport that I love.