Saturday, April 16, 2011

Shah Bobonis Stops the Show

Despite having his scheduled Rad Rock MMA fight cancelled and pushed back, pro fighter Shah Bobonis was able to pick up another bout for Fight Time 4 - MMA Heavyweight Explosion on April 1, 2011.

During the fight, Shah was able to secure a first round TKO victory via doctor stoppage. Shah should have a busy summer, next fighting in a Combate Extremo 145 pound championship bout on May 21st against Manuel "Manix" Gallerta.

MMA Blaster: What did you know about your opponent going into your last bout?

Bobonis: My last fight was against Chris Thorne from American Top Team. I knew he was a Florida state champion wrestler and former Marine. I figured he would come out and try to make it a grappling match. To my surprise he started to stand up and trade with me, needless to say, the bout went better than I thought it would.

MMA Blaster: How did the fight play out? What did you do to stop the fight?

Bobonis: After a few exchanges I slipped a two punch combination of his and grabbed my Thai clinch. The first knee was to the body and I heard him let out a grunt as he bent over. The I landed clean knees to the middle of his face, one of which opened a huge cut. That's when he started to go to his wrestling, trying to pin me against the fence to get a take down. But, he was eating knees to the body and shoulder butts the entire time. As we circled to the middle of the cage in the over under clinch, I was still landing knees to the body.
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As one of the knees landed, he grabbed my leg and tried to go for a single leg takedown. I grabbed a standing Kimura and nearly ripped his shoulder off. That created a scramble on the floor and Chris ended up in side control. After regaining full guard, he couldn't get off any shots and we were stood up. I ran across the cage and hit him with a flying knee that drove him straight back into the cage. He tried to shoot in after that and sprawled out eating elbows to the side of the head as the bell rung. At the end of the round, the docs came in and stopped the fight due to a cut. That was my second straight win over a ATT opponent.
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MMA Blaster: What weight was the fight at?

Bobonis: That fight was at 145 and was the easiest weigh-in of my life. After my fight in Mexico, I'm looking for a catch weight fight at 140, then I'm moving down to 135.

MMA Blaster: Did you try out for TUF? How did that go?

Bobonis: Yes, I did the TUF tryouts. I tapped the guy I grappled with, then I was in the process of tapping him again when he picked me up and slammed me. After we were explicitly told "NO LEG LOCKS AND NO SLAMMING!" I wasn't asked to hit pads after grappling.

MMA Blaster: Why don't you think you didn't get the call to hit pads in the 2nd stage of the tryout?

Bobonis: I don't really know, but I think maybe with a 10-6 record they are looking for guys with less losses. To be honest, I could easily be 10-2 right now. I took a catch weight fight in Costa Rica at 160 pounds, when I was ready to fight at 145 pounds. The promoter said the guy I was supposed to fight missed his flight. I should have just walked away! Me being a idiot, I wanted to fight so I fought the guy at 160 pounds. He is now 8-2 as a pro and holds a title in Costa Rica. I took another fight at 160 on four days notice, not smart. I have two spit decision losses that could have gone either way. But I'm going to keep taking smart fights, get better everyday, and see where my career goes.

MMA Blaster: What are your plans for the near future in MMA? Future fights?

Bobonis: I'm fighting Manuel "Manix" Gallerta for Combate Extremo on May 21st for their 145 pound title in Monterrey, Mexico.

MMA Blaster: Any shout outs? Sponsor mentions?

Bobonis: I want to thank my parents, training partners at FFA and Brawl and Maul for all the support.
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