The significance of WFF 7 event lied not only in the fact that the event is the only current MMA event in Vancouver Canada, but in the fact that it would be the first time the world-renowned Shooto organization would sanction an event in the great white north. A trial run at WFF 6 did enough to prove to the Shooto organization that the WFF had what it took to carry the Shooto name into the Canadian market with pride and that it did. The sudden rash of injuries and bad luck put the WFF in a difficult position, the promoter Jason Towns did what he could with the cards he was dealt. The scheduled main event involving Drew Fickett and Sam Morgan never happened due to the fact that Drew Fickett had legal trouble and would be unable to leave the USA to fight in Canada. One of the semi main event also fell apart when Kajun Johnson injured his knee and was forced to withdraw from his fight with Judo practitioner Justin Bruckman, a man that has defeated David “The Crow” Loiseau in the past and has competed in title fights with UFC veterans such as the aforementioned Loiseau, two times, as well as Georges St. Pierre in the UCC/TKO organization. The Croatian Cultural Center played host to the historic inaugural Canadian Shooto event and the 850 seat venue looked like it was attended well, as the fighters set the stage to do battle.

Ben Greer vs. Tim Tamaki - Class B

Kickboxer Ben Greer has not had a lot of luck in the MMA arena and his 0-2 record proves that, but he was determined to find a way to win and he did so against a very game Tamaki. In the first round Tamaki almost caught Ben Greer in what looked to be a very deep Kimura but Greer fought through the painful looking submission attempt to go on to win the fight. Greer controlled much of the contest, working from the mount position, to back mount and working for the rear naked choke. Precious few moments were spent on the feet, ironic considering both fighters have kickboxing backgrounds but in the end Greer did enough to win and took the first fight of the evening via Judges Decision after two rounds.

Jason Zazalenchuck vs. Graydon Tannis – Class B

In one of the more entertaining fights of the evening both Zazalenchuck and Tannis came to throw down and leaving everything they had in the ring and more. In the early goings and for much of the first stanza both fighters threw haymakers mixed in with the occasional knee, stunning each other and firing up the crowd in the process. Neither fighter could put the other away in the first stanza and when the first round came to a close both fighters were noticeably worse for the wear. In the second round it looked like Tannis was a little fresher and pushed the action eventually sinking in the fight ending triangle choke off a Zazalenchuck reversal at 1:15 of the second round.

Dave Sholten vs. Brad Cardinal - Class B

In a classic striker vs. grappler contest Sholten did enough to grind his way to a unanimous two round decision over the kickboxer Brad Cardinal. The first round saw Sholten take the fight to the ground when it mattered most and controlled from the top position with a steadfast ground and pound attack. Sholten looked to slow down as the fight progressed and Cardinal had his moments in the fight working for what looked to be a close armbar attempt but could not stop the takedowns when they mattered most. Sholten wins the unanimous decision after two rounds.

Lee Mein vs. Krzystof Sozinski - Class B

In a back and forth affair Lee Mein looked strong in the first round controlling Sozinski on the ground with a steady ground and pound attack after Sozinski drove for the clinch to initiate the contest. It was not meant to be for Mein however as Sozinski found his mark in a back and forth second round finally securing the reversal that he needed to take the mount and capitalize, forcing Mein tapped out to end the contest. Sozinski wins via strikes from the mount at 2:06 of the second round.

Nick Perry vs. Chad Sheirman – Class B

In one of the quicker contests on the evening Nick Perry quickly overpowered his opponent with a headlock throw and a punches from the mount until the ref has seen enough and called the fight at :46 seconds of the first stanza. After the fight was called Sheirman’s cornerman Max Marin looked noticeably upset with what he felt was a premature stoppage, nonetheless Perry takes the victory at 46 seconds of the first round.

Justin Bruckman vs. Chris Ade - Class A

Justin Bruckman, more affectionately known by his friends as “Loaf”, has the distinction of being one of only four fighters to have defeated David “The Crow” Loiseau, and did so as a middleweight. He also competed in a welterweight clash with UFC Welterweight contender Georges St Pierre, losing his UCC/TKO belt to St Pierre via armbar, and now finds himself as a lightweight. Bruckman has been somewhat inactive on the MMA front of late and this would be his first foray back into the MMA ring since his loss to Team Gibson fighter Blake Fredrickson at an MFC event a year and a half back. His opponent Chris Ade on the other hand has been somewhat active of late competing regularly on the amateur circuit, and stepped up taking this fight on very short notice. He filled in for the always active “Ragin” Kajun Johnson, who could not fight due to a serious knee injury sustained in training to his right knee, an injury that could keep him out of competition for the near future. In the end the fight was a short one as Bruckman imposed his will in the fight taking the fight to the mat with an upper body takedown and quickly securing the mount position before pounding out his opponent. After the referee called the fight Ade unknowingly tied up the referee’s leg like he was continuing to fight! In the end nothing came of it and Mr. Ade should be commended for taking the tough fight on short notice. Bruckman wins convincingly at 26 seconds of the first round and in doing so wins the MMA Ring Report Fighter of the Night award.

Justin Tavernini vs. Bob Shabaga - Class A

This fight was actually scheduled to happen back at WFF 2 but an injury to Bob Shabaga forced the bout into a submission grappling match instead. Shabaga went on to win the grappling match and a measure of bad blood had developed over what transpired. From the opening bell, Shabaga was able to get the takedowns and control the contest, passing the guard and getting in position for what appeared to be the fight finishing armbar. It looked like Tavernini’s arm was hyperextended but he didn’t tap and eventually found his way out of the submission. Shabaga would not be denied on this night however and eventully found his way to Tavernini’s back and ended the fight with a rear naked choke at 3:08 of the first round

Jamie Varner vs. Jesse Bongsfeldt - Class A

Jamie Varner was able to work hard for the takedown and controlled the fight from start to finish controlling position and striking enough to keep the action moving. Despite a spirited reversal from Bongsfeldt midway through the fight, Varner was able to get position and eventually pound out the victory forcing the referee to stop the contest at 4:12 of the first.

MMA Ring Report Fighter of the Night
In the first installment of the “MMA Ring Report Fighter of the Night Award” The “Sushiboy” was on hand to award the inaugural trophy to the fighter that best displayed, Heart, Sportsmanship and the will to win in his performance in the WFF 7 event. MMA Ring Report is pleased to announce that the award went to Justin Bruckman who coincidently turned 30 on the day of his fight against Chris Ade, in one of the most overwhelming contests of the evening. While there were many fighters on the evening that could have won the award, we would like to congratulate Mr. Bruckman who fought his heart out and proved that he embodied the spirit of the award in full.

Questions or Comments? Email them to
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Any unauthorized use of any Photo’s without the expressed written consent of MMA Ring Report LTD is strictly prohibited.