Asher Frederick

Asher Frederick and Gabe Piria headline Ohio Combat League 19 in title fight

An amateur bantamweight title bout is set to headline Ohio Combat League 19 this weekend in Columbus, Ohio, as Asher Frederick and Gabe Piria square off for the 135-pound crown.

A product of Ronin Training Center in Columbus, Frederick is ranked as the No. 2 amateur bantamweight in Ohio according to Tapology. He started his career 5-0 with all of his wins under the OCL banner. After a loss against Cameron Allgeier at 247 FC last year, he rebounded with a TKO win over Justin Thompson at B2 Fighting Series 146 in February.

Piria trains under UFC fighter Matt Brown at Immortal Martial Arts in Central Ohio. He started his career 2-0 with a pair of stoppage wins before losing back-to-back fights. He rebounded with a decision win over Shain Owens at B2 Fighting Series 138 last November to put his overall record at 3-2.

Another notable bout at OCL 19 features featherweights Juwan Minniefield and Javon Henry. Minniefield competes for the first time since 2019 after a three-year battle with leukemia. He’s 4-1 overall with all four wins via stoppage. Henry has an extensive kickboxing record and is ranked as the No. 2 featherweight in Ohio on the strength of wins over Jerad Patterson and Karic Cecutti under the OCL banner. He comes in riding a three-fight winning streak with a 5-1 overall MMA record.

Former Ohio State wrestler and two-time state champion Jaden Mattox returns to action for his fourth MMA bout, as he looks to build off of a memorable knockout via ground and pound in his last bout. He also had a great overhand right knockout in his amateur debut. He faces Pittsburgh’s Shane Nuttall who has a pair of knockouts under his belt as well.

Two women’s bouts will also take place as VO2 Fitness teammates Jessica Emerick and Adriel Williams welcome in a pair of fighters from Michigan. Emerick faces Macomb Martial Arts product Kaelen Doan in a strawweight bout while Williams faces Scorpion Fighting Systems fighter Kate Johnson also at strawweight.

Ohio Combat League 19 takes place at Kemba Live and streams via iPPV on CombatSportsNow.com. Check out the full lineup below, subject to change.

Asher Frederick vs. Gabe Piria- 135 lbs
JJ Smith vs. Clancy McCall – 170 lbs
Regal Reese vs. Dereck Mahlenkamp – 170 lbs
Jeremy Henry vs. Juwan Minniefield – 145 lbs
Denzel Wallace vs. Luke Albu – 145 lbs
Gerald Labriola vs. Drew Hatcher – 170 lbs
Richard Merfert vs. Trent Peters – 265 lbs
Deryk Wolin vs. Brian Persinger – 145 lbs
Jessica Emerick vs. Kaelen Doan – 115 lbs
Jaden Mattox vs. Shane Nuttall – 155 lbs
Kate Johnson vs. Adriel Williams – 115 lbs
Zach Orseno vs. Miles Frisch – 135 lbs
Clinton Ewing vs. Jerad Patterson – 145 lbs
Omar Ramirez vs. Vester Harris – 265 lbs
Gavin Costa vs. Derek Efaw – 155 lbs

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David McKinney
David McKinney has covered MMA since he was in high school in 2008. A former co-owner of BluegrassMMA, he currently hosts the Beers and Beards and Brewery Adventures podcasts. He covers regional MMA in the Midwest with a focus on Ohio.