14th Strike
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Sabatini succumbs to former college wrestler Flounders in CITC 135-lb. title bout

13-fight card included three Maryland fighters

NEWARK, Del. - Pat Sabatini was prepared to make another statement at last Saturday's Combat in the Cage mixed martial arts event. The rising high school senior had momentum, entering the cage with an unbeaten amateur record, and a supportive crowd that came down from Bristol, Pennsylvania to watch him battle Dan Flounders for the CITC bantamweight title.

However, in a fitting finale at the Newark Boy's and Girl's Club, Flounders seized the 135-pound championship belt in classic MMA style - suddenly and decisively.

A former wrestler at College of New Jersey - where he finished second and sixth in the NCAA Division III 133-lb. class in 2001 and '02 - Flounders was also clearly bigger and stronger than the 17-year old Sabatini. Flounders worked over the teenager to land a first-round submission and cap a 13-fight card that featured just three decisions; four fights ended via rear naked choke along with two technical knockouts.

Just seconds into the featured match, Flounders pushed his foe against the cage and used a judo flip to gain control on the ground. Although Sabatini nearly secured an armbar from the bottom, the size differential proved too much; Flounders immediately lifted and slammed him to the mat to break the hold, then rained down strikes before transitioning to take Sabatini's back.

Flounders quickly flattened out Sabatini on the mat and locked in the RNC, forcing the tapout just 2 minutes, 36 seconds into the first round. A disappointed Sabatini looked on as Flounders accepted the belt, but the older fighter approached twice to seemingly offer words of advice.

Another CITC champ - cruiserweight athlete Tim Williams - was initially scheduled to defend his 195-lb. belt, but had to settle for an exhibition of muy thai and grappling skills versus MMA pro John Doyle. Williams, from Millville, N.J., held his own during a two round muy thai exhibition, landing hard leg kicks that seemed to keep Doyle - who recently lost to Rafeal Feijao on an Elite XC card - at bay. Williams pulled guard during the grappling display, and Doyle maintained top position throughout, with neither fighter seriously attempting a submission.

In another 135-lb. tilt, Matt Rizzo earned a close unanimous decision over Joe Finneran, who twice used the cage to smoothly reverse position in the opening round. Late in the round, Finneran locked in a triangle choke, and Rizzo was saved only by the bell. Rizzo got caught in another triangle early in the second, but eventually slipped out the side and worked to the mount. He nearly had an armbar by the end of the stanza, with his corner yelling that Finneran had in fact tapped. Rizzo controlled the third to earn the decision, but it was both fighters who combined for an exciting fight in what CITC promoter Ed Hsu has developed into a deep 135-lb. amateur division.

Finneran's training partner, Kyle Dolan, had earlier cruised to a decision over Bryan Mann at 145-lbs. New Jersey's Andres Lebron subbed Daniel Chacon to start the night, before Jeshua Alston provided a highlight-reel beat down of Cecil County welterweight Erik Williams.

Alston landed a straight right immediately, and then got Williams up against the cage to add a hard left. Williams fell and got stung by a few more shots before referee Jon Murphy - a pro who opened Elite XC's first network television show back in May - halted the bout just 10 seconds in.

Williams protested, but Alston looked far more explosive and will have future 170-lb. foes wary of his power. Joel Bane, a physically imposing heavyweight, didn't do much against Baltimore's Ronnie Fields, except get taken to the ground in each round. However, Fields did zero damage from top position, and Bane eventually reversed and secured a sub via RNC at 2:20 of round two.

Another Baltimore fighter, lightweight Michael Zauberman, was taken out by Frank Piff via keylock early in round two.

During the event, Hsu announced that the next CITC event - the "15th Strike" - will boast 20 or more fights, including CITC's first-ever female amateur MMA bout, between Andria Caplan from PA and Shannon Schade from MD.