Author: Nick Caron

Driller Promotions and Sterling Entertainment Group were back at it again on Saturday night when they made their debut at the Myth in Maplewood for Mecca at Myth. 

The 16-bout fight card included three amateur title fights and a card full of some of the midwest’s top up-and-coming talents across all weights and genders. 

Admittedly, the event got off to a slow start, but once things picked up, they never seemed to slow down. Fans were treated to an entertaining show, topped off by the main event between Driller Promotions’ undefeated amateur welterweight champion Gary Granholm and challenger Kyle Todd. 

Here are the results from the Saturday, August 10 fight card: Driller Promotions Mecca at Myth. 

 

Thanks to Jesse Kelley of MinnesotaBoxing.com for the photos. 

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Minnesota’s Ben “The Baker” Neumann returns to the cage on Saturday night, March 23 for Driller Promotions/Sterling Entertainment Group’s Havoc at High Five 5. He’ll be competing in the main event of the 10-fight card which is scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. CST at the High Five Bar & Grill in Burnsville, Minn.

Neumann spoke with Bleacher Report MMA at the weigh-ins about his opponent, Steve Merth, who is making his return to the cage after over three years out of active competition. Although Merth hasn’t competed since 2010, his reputation precedes him, at least in Neumann‘s eyes.

“I’m always trying to get tough fights from Jeremy [Bjornberg] (Driller Promotions matchmaker), so this is a very tough fight,” he said. “It’s my first opponent who’s a really strong wrestler. Those guys are always tough even if it’s not on the ground, they’re just mentally tough guys. You have to break those guys. You have to submit them, they’re not going to quit on you.”

Because it has been awhile since Merth last fought, Neumann did admit that it has been somewhat difficult to prepare for his task on Saturday night.  

“This one is kind of tricky because I don’t think he’s fought since 2010, so I don’t know if he’s been training hard for three years, if he took two years off and has been training for one year,” he said. “I’ve only been training for about six years total, so imagine the fighter I was three years ago. It’s very different from the fighter I am now.

“He seems like more of a wrestler and a boxer, doesn’t seem to throw a lot of kicks but, of course, that could have changed over the last few years.”

Neumann noted that the difference in his opponent’s skill set could be drastic and explained that he, himself has been through a mental overhaul over the past year. 

“I’ve never been in a fight outside the cage,” he said. “You couldn’t get me to fight outside of a cage. I was robbed at gunpoint once and at one point during it, I was thinking about taking the guy out. Then I thought, ‘Do I really want to kill someone over 100 bucks?’“

The mental switch needed from being a “nice guy” outside the cage to becoming a fighter in the cage didn‘t come naturally for Neumann. He comes from a self defense background, and being the aggressor is something that has taken time. 

“In my first few fights, I think I trained a lot more than my opponents and so it didn’t matter too much that I wasn’t able to flip the switch,” he said. “Then I got to opponents that were a little harder and I think I was putting myself at a disadvantage, not being ready to commit to finishing. If I have a heel hook, not wanting to break the guy’s leg…I need to be ready to break his leg.”

Those who have met Neumann would tell you that he is truly one of the most courteous, gentle human beings in the entire sport. Although that has certainly helped him build one of the biggest fanbases in the state, he also knows that it has made things a little more challenging for him inside the cage.

“If you’re a nice guy outside the cage, I think it’s harder sometimes,” he said. “Other people are holding back, in general society, from trying to hurt people. Whereas me, I’m trying to bump it up a level when I go in there. So I think they have it easier in that respect.” 

That “nice guy” attitude may have played a big part in the back-to-back losses Neumann suffered in 2012 at the hands of Billy Christianson and Cody Pasquale. While he was physically prepared to fight, his mental game might not have been where he wanted it to be.

“I think I lost two fights where I had the skills to win those fights and I didn’t,” Neumann said. “But I felt very focused for my last fight and I think I’ll have that focus again.”

At 27 years old, Neumann is still growing as a martial artist and is committed to becoming a more well-rounded competitor between fights. Unfortunately the schedule he’s been on of fighting about every four months has not left quite as much time for him to improve certain areas of his game as he would like.

“I do want to take a short break, maybe six months, before my next fight,” Neumann said. “For my next six months, I really want to work on my flexibility because I feel like I’ve really limited myself. I’m flexible in some areas, but for my kicks, height and speed is limited because I have poor hip flexibility.”

Although he has a goal of eventually reaching the national level of the sport, Neumann is in no hurry to get there before he’s ready. 

“My goal is to fight until I’m 35, 36…that’s like seven or eight years,” he said. “I’d rather not make it to a big promotion right away if I’m not ready yet. I’d rather develop and feel that I’m unstoppable.”

A big step toward that goal of fighting for a larger promotion would be a win over local legend Steve Merth on Saturday night. Merth‘s time out of the cage is a big wild card in this one, but Neumann does think he at least has something to go off of.

“It seems like he’s more comfortable from a very close standing space, tight boxing. I’m more comfortable from a distance,” Neumann said. “So if I can keep him at range and use my length, I think I can frustrate him outside. Then if he gets in close, I’m comfortable on the ground, too. I have no idea where it’ll finish, but most likely on the ground. I’ve never knocked anyone out before, so it’ll probably be on the ground somewhere.”

“The Baker” nearly sold out the High Five Bar and Grill with friends and family ready to cheer him on, but those interested in watching the event are invited to watch the free live stream of Havoc at High Five, beginning at 6:30 p.m. CST on March 23. 

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Saturday night could prove to be one of the biggest nights of the year for mixed martial arts in Minnesota as Driller Promotions and the Sterling Entertainment Group present Havoc at High Five in Burnsville, Minn.

The show, which is expected to sell out at the door, features an action-packed fight card including the Driller Promotions amateur featherweight championship bout between Sean Richman and Nick Spina. 

Richman spoke with Bleacher Report MMA after the weigh-ins on Friday afternoon and told us how he’s feeling leading into the fight.

“I just can’t wait. The anxiety has set in and I’m just ready to fight and put on a good show,” he said. “The scale is generous so I was even more under [the required weight] than what I had thought. I was at like 143. It was a zero pound allowance because it’s a title fight so I took it very seriously.”

As the younger brother of Bellator featherweight finalist Mike “The Marine” Richman, Sean Richman has been working to make a name for himself but has certainly felt the pressure of living up to the expectations of carrying the family name.

“I feel like ever since I started, I’ve always had pressure on me,” he said. “I have a huge hype to live up to with my brother and the success he’s had. Everybody looks at me and I’m supposed to be ‘the next’ him. Even my first fight was a co-main event.”

With the amateur title fight and another co-main event slot, Richman is not quite as nervous going into this bout and believes he can take whatever nerves he does have and turn them into a positive.

“I feel like with the pressure, I’ve kind of been able to shift that over into motivation and to seek out what I’m supposed to be, rather than let it eat me up and screw up my performance.”

Richman has been very successful thus far in his career—4-0 as an amateur—but still hasn’t necessarily been satisfied with past performances. In his previous bout against Angel Pacheco in December 2012, he felt his conditioning wasn’t at the level he wanted it to be at. He decided to change that and began working to correct that part of his game.

“My last performance wasn’t my best. I felt like I was a little gassed in that last fight, so I went to Horsepower in Fridley with Matt Miller, who’s helped me a great amount with my conditioning and strength,” he said. “It’s going to show tomorrow night. I’m in phenomenal shape right now.”

He’ll be up against Spina, one of the most experienced amateur MMA fighters in the state, who could give Richman the toughest fight he’s had thus far.

“He’s very experienced, he’s 8-3-1. He’s a tough dude,” Richman said of his opponent. “Maybe a little better ground game than anything else of his but we’ll see tomorrow what he’s got.”

Spina‘s ground game is something that has earned him quite a few wins already. In fact, half of his wins have come by way of submission on the ground, many of which have come from his back. Richman is well aware of the threats Spina brings but believes he has the skills to win the fight.

 “Wherever the fight goes, I feel like I have the advantage,” he said.

The title fight will take place Saturday night, March 23, from the High Five Bar and Grill. A limited number of tickets are available, but those interested can also watch Driller Promotions / Sterling Entertainment Group “Havoc at High Five” on LiveStream.com. 

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

The very best of mixed martial arts in Minnesota returns on Saturday night as Driller Promotions and Sterling Entertainment Group present Havoc at High Five in Burnsville, MN.

With the show expected to be sold out, demand has been coming in for a live stream of the event featuring the return of lightweight Steve Merth as he challenges Ben Neumann in the main event. The free live stream, presented by Level Up Multimedia, will begin at 6:30pm CST on LiveStream.com.

Merth, who is making his return to fighting after three years away from the cage, will get right back into the swing of things against one of the better lightweights in the state, Ben “The Baker” Neumann. Despite spending quite awhile away from active competition, Merth is well-respected as a high level opponent as he his only loss in his career came against UFC veteran Jacob Volkmann.

Neumann will be looking to build off of his win over Ben Miller in this past November. He had previously dropped two straight bouts to Billy Christianson and Cody Pasquale, but has continued to look for tough fights against quality opponents—Merth certainly fits that bill.

The full fight card includes 10 fights, most of which are expected to be very competitive. 

 

Main Event

Steve Merth (6-1) vs. Ben Neumann (5-2)

 

Co-Main Event

Nick Spina (8-3-1) vs. Sean Richman (4-0)
Driller Promotions Amateur Lightweight Title (5 rds)

 

Professional Preliminaries

 Damion Hill (7-2) vs. Courtney Buck (10-8) 

Josh Wiseman (4-1) vs. Donald Williams (2-1)

Frankie Johnson (10-7) vs. Ben Locken (2-2)

Codie Kahler (2-0) vs. Floyd Hodges (11-6)

 

Amateur Preliminaries

Adric Kennedy (4-0) vs. Angel Pacheco (3-2)
Driller Promotions Amateur Bantamweight Title Eliminator

Brandon Bell (3-1) vs. Kyle Todd (4-2)

Eric Berg (0-3) vs. Jeffery Brummett (0-1)

Lydell Miller (3-7) vs. Tanner Walsh (1-0)

 

Check out all the action on the Driller Promotions / Sterling Entertainment Group Havoc at High Five 5 free live stream at Livestream.com, starting at 6:30pm. 

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com