“Senor Perfecto” Bill Algeo performing at another level as he takes ROC 145 lb title
Watching Bill Algeo fight is simply beautiful. Algeo uses all phases of the arts and has gone from a traditional BJJ fighter to a full blown terror that can beat his opponent in any number of ways.
Last night in the co-main event at Ring of Combat 61 in Atlantic City, N.J., Algeo’s full arsenal was on display as he finished a very tough, Tim “the Jaguar” Dooling at 3:28 of the 2nd round by TKO due to strikes.
In round 1, you could see how confident and refined Algeo had become with his striking as he landed several nice combinations and multiple kicks to the body and head of his opponent.
Dooling fought back and showed his huge heart, trying to take the black-belt Algeo to the ground, but Bill’s take-down defense was on point and he stayed relaxed the entire time knowing if it went to the canvas, he would still be in a very advantageous position. In round 2, the assault continued. Senor Perfecto landed a huge standing elbow to Doolings head and his eye swelled up immediately. That was the beginning of the end, as Algeo smelled blood and moved in for the kill.
Referee Keith Peterson stepped in and ended the fight and Algeo is the new 145 lb ROC champion. As he left the cage, he ran into his horde of fans who were raucous in celebration. Algeo is one of the most talented regional fighters around and if he doesn’t get the call, there are some very interesting future match-ups we could possibly see. A dream fight for me would be Algeo vs Julio Arce, who is the former champ, and won on the Contender Series for the UFC. Not sure where he plans on going next, but that would be an epic fight!
In the main event, Julian Lane won the 170 lb title over Jeff Lentz by taking all three judges scorecards 29-28. This was a very entertaining fight between two TUF veterans. It was a very tough fight to score as they both battled back and forth exchanging most of the fight. Lane did score with a couple of take-downs, which may have been the difference in the judges eyes. Lentz also fought up a weight class as he tried to win his 3rd ROC belt. Jeff has nothing to hang his head over. He’s a true professional and still one of the baddest men around at 155. I’m not sure if Jeff plans on boxing or taking another MMA fight next, but I would love to see him back in his natural weight class doing what he does best. As for Lane, he is well-traveled and always game for a fight. March 2nd, it would be good to see him come back and defend his newly won title at Ring of Combat 62.
Phil Caracappa stayed undefeated at 135 lbs moving to 4-0 with a referee stoppage TKO due to strikes at 2:26 of the 3rd round over Nathan Trepagnier. The first 2 rounds he and Nate traded back and forth and both had some nice transitions on the ground reversing one another, but Caracappa stayed cool and was in control most of the time. Phil is a blue-chip prospect and seems to be getting better every fight. Despite being a life-long wrestler, he loves to strike and Brian Wright and Dante Rivera have been doing a great job preparing Caracappa for a possible title fight or perhaps a number 1 contender show-down. Definitely a name to keep an eye out for.
At 145 lbs,Tim Sylvester evened his record at 2-2 with a brilliant performance of his trademark BJJ and ground and pound. His opponent, Sambet Naimanbayev was out-striking Tim throughout round 1 as Sylvester looked for an opening to get the fight to the ground. With about 20 seconds left in the first round, Sylvester did get the take-down and achieved full mount. The bell saved Sambet as Tim rained down some heavy strikes. In-between rounds, ace cut-man, Paul Querido, had to work extra hard to stop Tim’s bloody nose and Will Martinez provided motivation and expert instruction to Sylvester which resulted in rounds 2 and 3 becoming a mirror of themselves as Sylvester took the fight to the ground and scored on numerous submission attempts and ground and pound. Once Tim got warmed up, this fight was relatively one-sided.
In the shocking result of the night at 145 lbs, Dante Rivera’s Joe Schick completely dominated Mike Lawrence for the first two rounds with wrestling and ground control. Lawrence did land a knee that Schick ate in the second round, but held onto the leg and scored the take-down where he was able to recover. Rick McCoy trained and fighting out of the MMA Institute, Mike Lawrence, knew he needed a finish in the 3rd round to win this fight. Timing is everything as Lawrence connected with a brutal knee to the jaw, as Schick advanced in looking for the take-down :17 seconds into the final round for a highlight reel KO, putting the crowd into shock.
In other results…
145 lbs…Alex Olivera is a high level BJJ practioner and he didn’t waste much time in securing an arm-bar and earning a tap-out over Samad Mobley at 2:03 of round 1. Very smooth and very impressive.
185 lbs..Manny Flores out of Serra-Longo, landed a leg kick that buckled Kendrick Harris :15 seconds into round 2. He then quickly pounced and forced the referee stoppage for the victory. Flores also received his BJJ black after the fight.
155 lbs…Tevin Cooke won by RNC at 1:52 of round 2 over Jack Cordero
170 lbs…Greg Styles and Whitney Jean-Francois fought a very entertaining round 1 with both landing strikes and exchanging pleasantries. Late in the round, Jean-Francois twisted his knee. He tore a ligament and was unable to answer the bell for round 2. Styles by TKO
Ring of Combat will be back at the Tropicana in Atlantic City, NJ for ROC 62 on March 2, 2018. Frankie Perez Sr and Dead Serious have been working in conjunction with Louis Neglia. The card is sure to be a stacked one, with several title fights!
CHECK OUT THE ROC 61 PHOTO ALBUM BELOW:
