On Jan. 16th, mixed martial arts invaded the city of Cincinnati, Ohio at the Metropolis Nightclub with ICE 7: Meltdown in Metropolis. Starting out as an amateur show, Monte Cox and Kerry Schall were able to bring in some of the biggest names in MMA to help promote the show and bring MMA to a new level in the Cincinnati area. Although Ohio does not allow professional fights, Cox and Schall were able to bring in solid names to the delight of the crowd in attendance. The show was headlined by world-class fighters Jeremy Horn and Amir Rahavardi, both of whom were fighting for free, for the excitement of the fans. Matt Hughes was the honorary referee and was in charge of the action in the ring. I, for one, was very excited about the show, not only having the opportunity to see how big MMA can possibly be in the Cincinnati area, but also to meet and greet some of the worlds best mixed martial artists in the world.

The show started out with a solid fight between two evenly matched fighters in Dave Cochran and Mike Werner. This match featured a very entertaining 3 rounds in which Cochran attempted various submission attempts, while Werner was successful in avoiding the submissions and countering with his own reversals and pounding style. In the end, the fight went to the score cards and was too close to call as one judge saw it for Cochran, one for Werner, and one saw it as a draw. Overall, a very solid fight and a good way to get the crowds blood pumping for the other fights.

The next fight pitted a very solid 250 lb. Fighter in Jonathan Murphy from Minersville, PA, taking on 240 lb. Shaun Coffman from New Lebanon OH. Both had their own game plan in mind, with Murphy looking for the shot at various times, while Coffman was determined to stand up throwing punches from the outside. Just as it seemed the Murphy was gassing out, he threw a right hand that connected solid on Coffman’s face, staggering the big man. Murphy looked shocked after the punch and almost seemed like he knew Coffman was out on his feet. Suddenly, Coffman’s legs collapsed and he went crumbling into the corner of the cage. Murphy won by KO, stopping Coffman with a right hand at 1:45 into round 1.

The final fight before the first intermission was between two Dayton OH fighters in Ricky Hutchins and Nathan Fitch. The entrance for these two fighters actually lasted longer than the fight itself. As the fight started, Fitch immediately went in for a shoot and was grabbed by Hutchins with a front face lock. He then locked in a guillotine choke and locked his legs around the waist of Fitch. As Fitch tried to fight off the submission attempt, he fell over and attempted to tap, but it was too late. Referee Matt Hughes quickly noticed that Fitch was out and immediately stopped the fight. Fitch was nearly choked unconscious, but was o.k. after a few minutes with the doctor. Hutchins was victorious via guillotine choke at 0:33 seconds into round 1.

The next fight after intermission pitted Jim Bova from Pennsylvania against Billy Rush out of Carlie, Ohio and training out of Meat Truck Inc. This was mainly a standup battle as each fighter picked their targets and attempted to blast each other from the outside. Both fighters were very comparable in fighting style and this fight looked to go a while. Into round two, the tide changed dramatically as Bova was able to take Rush down and began throwing left hands against the side of Rush’s head. After taking what seemed to be five or so straight punches with no defence, Hughes stopped the fight at 1:46 of round 2 and Bova was awarded the win by referee stoppage.

The fifth fight of the night originally had Jason Willis taking on Clay Coffman, but Coffman was unable to make the fight, thus Cowboy Kenny, Willis’s teammate, stepped in and they had a submission grappling match instead. Both fighters gave it their all, highlighted by Willis performing about three different slams against Kenny. Each fighter had their share of reversals and chances, but it seemed that neither could ever get close to any submission attempts. In the end, neither was able to submit the other and this fight was declared a draw.

The next fight pitted Jerrod Doss from Brookville, OH against Tank Abbott look-a-like Keith “The Hunter” Cutts out of Detroit representing Team Shoot. This fight did not last very long as Cutts was able to take Doss down and immediately locked in a vicious neck crank where Doss had no option but to tap. Cutter taps out Doss at 1:04 of round 1 by neck crank.

The next fight was one of the main attractions as it featured Pride veteran Amir Rahavardi taking on Trevor Garrett out of Dayton Ohio. To say that this fight was a mismatch was a true understatement. The fight started with Rahavardi and Garrett feeling each other out. They circled the ring, and suddenly Garrent was able to take Rahavardi down. But just as it seemed that he might have the upper hand, Rahavardi slipped on a vicious triangle choke and Garrett was forced to tap at 1:01 of round 1. The fans booed the performance of Garrett, which I felt was somewhat unnecessary. This fight was already a mismatch on paper and was more for the fans to see a world-class fighter in Rahavardi display his talents and skills to the audience. Rahavardi proved to be too experienced and walked away from the cage with an easy victory.

The eighth fight of the night pitted Ryan Rinsheid against Dan Swift. During much of the first round, it was Rinsheid getting the better of the exchanges. Both were striking effectively throughout the first with Rinsheid getting a little better of Swift. Suddenly into round 2, Swift locked in Rinsheid and cinched a guillotine choke in forcing him to tap. The submission was quick as Rinsheid to tapped at 0:31 seconds into round 2.

Probably, the most exciting fight of the night pitted local Cincinnati fighter “Mojo” Horn taking on Gerald Pierson. Horn had a huge following as he entered the cage with thunderous applause from the crowd. As the fight began, both traded bombs standing up and both were getting good shots into each other. Suddenly, Pierson was able to take Horn down and manoeuvred himself into the full mount. He began throwing down heavy leather onto Horn, who did his best to avoid the onslaught. Then, just when you thought Horn was almost done, he reverses Pierson and begins raining down his own punches. Horn even lands a few vicious elbows that caused the cage to shake as he landed them. Pierson did his best to cover up and eventually gives up his arm to Horn who executes a perfect armbar and forced Pierson to submit at 2:20 into round 1. The crowd showed its appreciation for both fighters as they received a standing ovation for a great fight.

As the night drew on, suddenly it was time for the 2 headlining fights of the night. The tenth fight of the night pitted Indianapolis fighter Leo Sylvest from Integrated Fight Systems against local Cincinnati fighter Greg Franklin. Greg Franklin, who had his brother Rich Franklin in his corner, looked like a very determined fighter looking to please the Cincinnati crowd, who was 100 percent behind their local fighter. As the fight began, Sylvest went in for the shot to attempt to bring Franklin down, but was unsuccessful. They both were up against the fence, when suddenly Sylvest threw a knee that was a low blow that everyone in attendance gasped at. Franklin fell to all fours in pain from the accidental low blow and the fight was stopped for the moment. It was determined that Franklin was to get a five minute rest period to try to recoup from the low blow. The fans showed their displeasure by booing Sylvest who marched around the ring mocking the crowd. Chants of “Let’s go Greg!” echoed throughout the crowd as Franklin fought his way back up to his feet and decided to continue. The fight began, but everyone could tell that Franklin was still hurting from the previous blow. Slyvest capitalized as the fight was resumed and went in immediately for the takedown. He was successful and manoeuvred his way on top of Franklin, securing the full mount. Slyvest began raining down punches and Franklin was unable to defend himself. Hughes had no choice but to jump in and call a stop to the fight at 1:24 of round 1 due to strikes. Although I believe that if the low blow had never happened, this fight could have ended dramatically different, this should not take anything away form the solid win by a very game Sylvest.

The main event of the night pitted UCC and King of the Cage champion Jeremy Horn taking on another veteran in Dayton, Ohio fighter Ron Fields. Horn who has fought all over the world was eager to display his talents and abilities to a crowd that probably has never had the opportunity to see someone of his calibre fight live. He was determined not to disappoint. Fields came into the fight stating that Horn was one of his fighting idols, but was looking forward to the opportunity to take on the champion. As the fight began, it looked to be a slugfest. Both came into the fight with the game plan to knock the other fighter out, which was a recipe for a very exciting fight for the fans. For the majority part of round 1, both traded thunderous leg kicks and powerful punches, each almost landing at will. Horn showed his ability to slip punches and counter as Fields threw punches, but Fields proved that his kickboxing skills were nothing to be taken lightly. Horn landed some devastating legs kicks towards the end of round 1 and Fields looked to be feeling the effects each time they landed. Fields was able to escape out of round 1, but looked to be a beaten fighter headed into round 2.

Round 2 began exactly where round 1 left off. Horn began displaying his kickboxing clinic and was able to inflict more damage to the legs and body of Fields. Midway through the round, Horn runs in and was successful in taking down Fields against the fence. Helpless against the fence, Horn begins throwing punches as Fields began to cover up. Then suddenly, Horn stands up and throws a fight ending knee into the abdomen of Fields who submits. The knee looked like it went completely through Shields and hit the cage behind him. I would not be surprised if Fields suffered a broken rib from the knee. Horn was victorious at 3:01 of round 2 and proved once again that he is one of the best fighters in the world today.

During each intermission, fans were lucky enough to meet and speak to such MMA fighters as Tim Sylvia, Jens Pulver, Matt Hughes, and Rich Franklin. This was the perfect opportunity to meet some of your favourite fighters as they signed t-shirts, trading cards, and promotional pictures. Each fighter was very happy and willing to converse with fans, taking pictures and answering questions about their careers and their future fights. This was truly a class act on the part of the fighters. The ability to converse with fans in a setting such as this, truly made this production a very special one. When does anyone in the Cincinnati area get the opportunity to meet MMA stars, without having to travel to either the west or east coast? All of these fighters should be commended for giving the fans of this area the opportunity to meet world-class fighters and speak to them on a one on one basis throughout the night. Class acts all around. Looking back on ICE show, most of the fights were very exciting, even without all of the big names. As mixed martial arts continues to become mainstream in today’s society, events such as these, provide regions that do not regularly have big shows, the opportunity for fighters of all calibers to display their individual talents in the cage or ring. I, for one, must commend Monte Cox and Kerry Schall for giving the people of Cincinnati a taste of professional mixed martial arts. The show was successful, and I hope others had just as much fun as I did watching and meeting some of the best fighters in the world. Thanks Monte and Kerry for a job well done.

KO of the night: Jonathan Murphy’s thunderous KO punch against Shaun Coffman.
Submission of the night: Keith Cutts vicious neck crank against Jerrod Doss.