ADRIAN WOOLEY CHALLENGES FOR THE TKO BANTEMWEIGHT TITLE

Adrian Wooley, from Toronto, Ontario, will challenge American Danny Martinez for the vacant TKO bantamweight title at TKO 34 on Saturday, June 7.

Wooley is renowned for his wrestling pedigree and has used those skills to build an impressive 4-0 professional record with three wins coming by technical knockout via ground and pound.

Martinez’s record is perhaps even more impressive, as he’s 9-1 with his only loss coming above his natural weight class to one of the better featherweights in the world, Mark Hominick.

“Things have been really busy lately with work, moving and training,” said Wooley. “It’s been no rest for the wicked, though I’m still finding ways to train every day. This is the first time I’ve fought another wrestler, so I look forward to potentially a grappler’s duel. I really don’t know a whole lot about Martinez other than he’s got a good record. He’s a bit of a wildcard in my mind in that no one really knows how good he is.

“I’ve been working hard on my standup by training and getting the s*** beat out of me at Iron Tiger gym in Hamilton, Ontario,” he continued. “Led by Kru Alin Halmagean, those guys at Iron Tiger are a bunch of Muay Thai studs! That’s not been my bread and butter in the past, so I’m trying to work with the best to round out my skills.”

Wooley is aware that experience isn’t on his side in this fight, but he’s not going to pass up the opportunity either. “In an ideal world, I would have liked a couple more fights before challenging for the title. But when I was offered this tremendous opportunity, I definitely couldn’t turn it down. The future now holds five-round fights for me against all really tough guys. I would have liked to have gotten a little more experience before moving to this level, but that’s fine. I’ll be ready!”

SEAN “THE PIMP” PIERSON ON THE COMEBACK ROAD AGAIN

Sean Pierson was one of the pioneers of Canadian MMA, competing in 1999 at the International Fighting Championships, one of the first MMA events ever held in Canada. He quickly made a name for himself as one of the most dominant middleweights in the country. But in 2003 he decided to part ways with the sport, get married, and begin full time work with Dell Canada.

Four years later, in 2007, Pierson returned to TKO making quick work of an overwhelmed, Chester Post. Next, he accepted a fight on short notice against a formidable Jesse Bongfeld (currently the TKO welterweight champion). After a back and forth affair, Pierson was stopped by strikes with only seconds left in the second round.

“I had shoulder surgery a couple of months ago and I’m only now able to begin with rehab,” said Pierson. “I’ve been back in the gym doing very limited things. I’m still a few months away from full sparring. I think the earliest I could return would be late July, perhaps in TKO if they do a summer event. If not, I’ll have my ears open for Hardcore Championship Fighting in late summer. Worst case scenario, you’ll see me back on TKO’s show on Oct. 3.

“I’m currently training at the United Martial Arts Club (UMAC) in Stouffville, Ontario, since it’s close to my home. I’m working with the usual guys like Adrian Wooley and Sam Zuckula. I’m definitely planning to check out Xtreme Couture Toronto when it opens up. Just like they’ve been doing for years in Quebec, it’d be good if we could get all the top Ontario fighters together at one place for some regular training sessions.”

HALF OF THE BELL CENTRE WAS FROM THE GREATER TORONTO AREA

Sources from the Montreal Bell Centre have indicated that over three quarters of the 21,000 fans in attendance for UFC 83 purchased their tickets through the UFC Fight Club. In fact, half of the tickets were sold to individuals with postal codes in the Greater Toronto Area. All of which contributed to the biggest live gate in Canadian combat sports history, $5.1 million.

CHARGES LAID AGAINST PROMOTERS OF NATIVE RESERVE EVENTS IN ONTARIO

Charges have been laid against five promoters from the Iroquois Mixed Martial Arts events held near Hamilton, Ontario. The Six Nation’s police say it was the Ontario Athletic Commissioner, Ken Hayashi, who initiated the official complaint. The complaint resulted in one charge being laid against each of the promoters for holding a “prize fight,” which is in violation of section 83 of Canada’s Criminal Code and punishable by summary conviction. Section 787 states that the maximum penalty for a summary conviction offence is a sentence of six months of imprisonment, a fine of $2000, or both.

“We have precedence set in Ontario in that we’ve charged someone in the past for holding an event of this kind on native land,” explained Hayashi. “It’s in the hands of the courts now.”

Hayashi seemed resolute when asked about what impact the success of UFC 83 in Montreal might have in Ontario. “It has absolutely no impact whatsoever,” he stated. “Money does not factor into this equation. It’s not even a blip on the radar screen for the province. When it comes to the economy, Ontario’s main concerns are over manufacturing jobs, the automotive industry, housing and so on, not MMA. Besides, what no ones talks about is the potential cost to the government if one of these athletes were to suffer a severe injury and would have to be cared for by our provincially paid for health care system.

“The correct first step is to try to set up amateur MMA to get the province comfortable with the sport and also to establish a good track record,” Hayashi elaborated. “I don’t have any say in amateur sport, as that’s run by the Ministry of Health Promotions. But, I will inquire on behalf of the Canadian Mixed Martial Arts Association as to the status of their application review.”

CANADIAN MMA CALENDAR

May 9 – MFC16: Anger Management at the River Cree Resort and Casino in Enoch, Alberta
May 17 – Xtreme MMA at Jonquiere, Quebec

May 30 – Colosseum Fighting Championships VIII: at the Convention Center in Winnipeg, Manitoba

May 31 - The Fight Club 3 at the Shaw Convention Centre in Edmonton, Alberta
June 7 – TKO 34 at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec

July 19 – King of the Cage at the Rexall Place in Edmonton, Alberta
July 26 – Freedom Fight: Title Quest at the Robert Guertin Arena in Gatineau, Quebec