· Fight Lab Pros 14 “Misery Loves Company” Recap, Results, & Photos

photos by Dusty Sistar

Fight Lab Promotions made a triumphant return to the Grady Cole Center in Charlotte, N.C. April 16 with their “Misery Loves Company” series. There were seven bouts on this card (five amateur and two professional) and the atmosphere in the arena was very impressive. If you have not been to a live Fight Lab event, do yourself a favor and check one out (their next show is scheduled for June 11 at the Epicentre in Charlotte, N.C.). The atmosphere for Saturday night’s show was electric. More than a regional fight show, the experience that Fight Lab offers is almost part rock concert, with above average production values and fan-friendly touches throughout the arena that make for an enjoyable way to spend a Saturday night. It’s also a huge plus that this event showcased some talented pro fighters and some of the better young prospects in the Carolinas.

The event kicked off with undefeated Gastonia, N.C. fighter Ricky “The Sniper” Rainey (5-0) facing Ben Perry. Rainey has spent the last year being regarded as one of the most talented and top ranked young fighters in the 205 pound weight class. But last night he made his debut in the middleweight division against 6’6” middleweight (no, that’s not a misprint) Ben Perry from Marshall, N.C. Rainey is getting adjusted to his new fighting weight but he looked to be very sharp last night, pitching a shutout and winning 30-27 on all three scorecards. He handled the size difference nicely, stepping into range quickly and deliberately, scoring with combinations to the head and body of Perry. Rainey even scored with takedowns throughout the fight, landing some nice body shots from within Perry’s fully guard. Perry consistently looked for submissions but Rainey avoided them nicely en route to a solid performance in his 185 pound debut.

Here’s a name for you to remember: Christian Sinnott (2-0). His was already a name familiar to collegiate wrestling fans as the Charlotte area fighter was a two-time D-1 All-American, once finishing as high as fourth in the nation, while competing at Central Michigan. Sinnott remained undefeated last night, winning via knockout at 1:04 of the first round, and could be one to watch out for in the coming year. His opponent, Shelby’s David Sweeney (0-1), is an accomplished wrestler in his own right. Sweeny has some noticeable talent and solid wrestling ability that should see him develop into a consistently winning fighter in the years to come, whether at 185 or 170.

For fans partial to watching the lighter weight fighters compete, the scrap between Serigo Bollo (1-1) and Shane Crenshaw (2-1) really had the crowd buzzing for several minutes after their matchup. Bollo landed some nice shots standing in this one, but the story here was Crenshaw’s takedowns and top control. He was relentless in pursuing his takedowns. Every time Bollo would stop one, Crenshaw just came at him harder with another attempt that would succeed, landing numerous strong double-leg takedowns and even one takedown in the first round that appeared to be via arm-drag. Once on the mat, Crenshaw showcased some impressive work from half-guard and side control, including some painful looking knees. The end came at 1:27 of the third round as Crenshaw cinched in a rear-naked choke that had much of the crowd on their feet. Both fighters displayed huge heart and their shot to compete again at a future show should be a given.

Aaron Osbourne (4-1) vs. Mike Corvino (5-2) proved to be the “Fight of the Night.” Both fighters came out and landed some nice shots early. Corvino scored with some jabs and Osbourne seemed to consistently look to land an overhand right to the head of his opponent. This fight had a little bit of everything: diverse, effective striking, takedowns, exciting transitions, and both fighters showing durability and overcoming adversity.

Corvino, a Charleston, S.C. fighter, survived a real scare in the second round when Mooresville N.C.’s Osbourne dropped him with a nice right hand. Corvino not only rallied to finish that round strong, he came out determined in the final found and, after missing on an armbar attempt that Osbourne defended nicely, caught his opponent with a triangle choke at 0:33 of the third frame to get the win. Corvino is a tall, rangy young fighter with some real talent. He’s starting to get some real attention regionally and it looks like he could be next in line to challenge Fight Lab amateur welterweight title-holder Nick Smith.

The final amateur bout of the evening featured 170 pound champion Nick “The Vanilla Gorilla” Smith (5-1) defending his title against Greenville, N.C. fighter Roy Hughes Jr. (3-2). Surprisingly, Smith had a big of a following in the area with significant vocal support in the crowd. One thing that immediately stands out about Smith, a member of Gastonia’s Renegade Boxing team, is his wrestling ability. His strong grappling is amplified by his good use of timing, scoring several takedowns by successfully ducking under incoming right hands from his opponent. Smith kept Hughes staring at the lights throughout the bout, taking him down with ease, stretching him out on the mat and seemingly obtaining full mount whenever he liked. It would be nice to see Smith keep improving at feeling more comfortable in letting his hands or submission attempts go more frequently from dominant positions.

All in all, this was a very successful outing for the newly crowned amateur champion with him dominating on the scorecards and sweeping every round. To do that against a legit fighter like Hughes is a nice feather in his cap. Hughes has some nice power in his shots and we’ll likely see him bounce back stronger after this performance. He has some nice natural ability, including some pop in that right hand. If he’ll put combinations together more frequently and continue to work on his wrestling, we’ll see him with his hand raised in the cage plenty more times in the future. As for Smith, a bout against Corvino could sell a lot of tickets and give both fighters a chance to really elevate their stock even further.

According to the ring announcer, a scheduled pro heavyweight bout between Josh Lening and Mont McMullens had to be scrapped due to heath issues with McMullens. Still, there were a pair of pro lightweight bouts that provided plenty of entertainment for the fans in attendance. The first matchup saw S.C.’s Ronnie “Bam Bam” Rogers (6-5 Pro; 3-0 Amateur) taking on N.C.’s Brian Keller (4-6 Pro; 2-2 Amateur).

Action in round one was fast and furious, with Keller opening the round by landing a lead right hand. He then lost his balance attempting a kick and was promptly taken down by Rogers. After making his way back to his feet, Keller landed the first of what would be several nice leg kicks that seemed to bother Rogers. Ronnie would not be deterred, however, and scored with another nice takedown. Opting to stand back up after a brief period on the mat, Rogers scored with an impressive combination of punches that drove his opponent to the fence and, eventually, to the canvass. Rogers followed this up with some nice ground and pound shots and eventually took Keller’s back to lock in a rear-naked choke for the tapout victory at 3:36 of the opening round.

Keller gave a game effort but Rogers would not be denied on this evening, showcasing some diversity by landing some heavy shots standing and ending the contest via submission. After the match it was announced that Rogers will likely face Joey “El Dingo Loco” Carroll at the next Fight Lab event in June.

One of the more underrated pro lightweight fighters in this region, Rock Hill, S.C.’s Keith “The Rockstar” Richardson (3-2 Pro; 5-0 Amateur), faced Gastonia, N.C.’s Marc “Cowboy” Corum (1-2 Pro; 2-2 Amateur). The amazing thing about Richardson is that the guy has the frame of a featherweight fighter but has performed really well at 155 pounds. Both fighters began the opening round by trading strikes, then Richardson closed the distance very quickly and scored a double-leg takedown that slammed Corum to the mat with authority. Keith started out by working from side mount but soon obtained full mount and landed some nice punches from that position. Richardson attempted an armbar and Corum, a good striker with underrated grappling skills, used that opportunity to slip out and escape to his feet. A good transition occurred next as Richardson scored another takedown, only to be swept by Corum and then immediately landing a reversal of his own. Richardson opted to stand back up and Corum quickly landed a nice left hook.

In the final moments of the hectic first round, Richardson used a clinch to score a trip takedown but Corum was able to reverse and end up in full-mount where he landed some really big punches that had Richardson in trouble as the round ended. The next two rounds saw a familiar theme: Richardson and Corum would exchange briefly on their feet, with Richardson showing impressive quickness in closing the distance and scoring takedowns. “The Rock Star” wasn’t merely content to take the fight to the ground, he kept busy there and did some nice work with ground-and-pound shots to the body and head. Corum, for his part, fought valiantly and scored with some shots of his own from the bottom. Richardson’s grappling made the difference on this night, however, securing full-mount on more than one occasion and earning a unanimous decision victory by scores of 30-27, 30-27 and 30-28.

Full Fight Lab 14 Results:

Pro Lightweight Bout (155 lbs.)
Keith Richardson def. Mark Corum via unanimous decision
Pro Lightweight Bout (155 lbs.)
Ronnie Rodgers def. Bryan Keller via rear-naked choke at 3:36 of round 1
Fight Lab Welterweight Title Bout (170 lbs.)
Nick Smith def. Roy Hughes, Jr. via unanimous decision
Welterweight Bout (170 lbs.)
Mike Corvino* def. Aaron Osborne* via triangle choke at 0:33 of round 3
*Sam’s Mart Fight of the Night award
Featherweight Bout (145 lbs.)
Shane Crenshaw*** def. Sergio Bollo via rear-naked choke at 1:27 of round 3
***Bojangles’ Submission of the Night award winner
Middleweight Bout (185 lbs.)
Christian Sinnott** def. Dave Sweeney via TKO at 1:04 of round 1
**Monster Energy Drink® Knockout of the Night award winner
Light Heavyweight Bout (205 lbs.)
Ricky Rainey def. Ben Perry via unanimous decision