Cage Championships 42 - Event Preview

With over 40-plus shows in the books, Cage Championships will continue its legacy this weekend with another all-amateur event. It may be setting up the cage a little further down I-44 from its home in Sullivan, but there's no need to expect anything different in terms of quality from Patrick Smith and Co.

In a town infamous for its St. Patrick's Day celebrations, Rolla is an ideal location for a show on the eve of the Irish's favorite holiday. In the main event, two titans will clash, each hoping for a pot a gold at the end of a black and blue rainbow. The first official Spire Heavyweight State Title will be contested between undefeated Jason Ostrowski and highly-touted Travis Edwards.

Two other Spire titles will be decided on the card: Jason Slattery will be taking on Davi'd Heard for a Spire lightweight regional title, and Christian Camp vs Jason Powell for a regional featherweight title.

Ostrowski vs Edwards

Ostrowski, out of Fort Leonard Wood, brings a 8-0 record into the cage and is the No. 1 ranked amateur heavyweight in Missouri. He will have no easy task on his hands when he squares off against Edwards (11-4) who was recently victorious over Cage Champs favorite, Nick Pohlman back in January. Spire currently has Edwards ranked second just behind his opponent.

The president of the Spire Sanctioning Alliance, Jayson Cooper, helped set this match up he and believes the two heavyweights will bring the heavy artillery.

"These two are going to stand in the middle of the cage, throwing leather until one falls," Cooper said. "I don't see either backing up an inch."

For the 23-year-old Ostrowski, this will only be his eighth fight since 2011. Ostrowski has rocketed up the rankings, fighting mostly for the Branson-based ShoFight organization, but the young heavyweight isn't letting the added pressure of being the state's No. 1 ranked fighter get to him.

"I don't feel any added pressure," Ostrowski said. "Each fight regardless of the circumstances is just as important as the last."

Ostrowski has seen the majority of his bouts decided by KO or TKO. While he can't help but think of a career in the octagon may lie down the road, for now he'll focus on the task at hand.

"I just wanna keep working hard," Ostrowski said. "Showing more and more people what me and my team already know."

Edwards, who trains out of Jefferson City, turned 34 on Sunday. Representing the Capital Punishment team, Edwards has been fighting for almost three years, taking his first fight after only a month of preparation.

"In the beginning, I was only planning on training to get into better shape," Edwards said. "That changed obviously after the first month when I was asked to fight."

Edwards will come into the fight a slight underdog, but the match-up between the two is about as even as it gets.

"No extra pressure on me this fight," Edwards said. "Its just another fight to me."

With almost double the amount of fights as his opponent, Edwards sees a pattern in his opponent's behavior.

"I hope to stand and bang, and I'm sure he will want to wrestle and go to the ground after he gets hit a few times," Edwards said. "That's normally what happens in my fights."

Davi'd Heard vs Jason Slattery - Lightweight SW Regional Title

Heard fights mainly out of the Columbia, MO area has a record of 8-1, his only loss coming at the hands of the undefeated phenom Chad Williams. Heard will have his hands full with the very well-rounded Slattery who trains at St. Charles MMA. Slattery, mainly known for his kickboxing has a very strong jiu-jitsu game, and has won quite a few fights by way of submission. He's looking to rebound after a a tough loss to Adam Osmoe in April.

Christian Camp vs Jason Powell - Featherweight SW Regional Title

There's an old adage that goes; be careful what you wish for.
Christian Camp begged promoter Patrick Smith for the opportunity to fight "Little Psycho" Jason Powell and on Saturday, he'll take on the Irishman on the eve of St. Patrick's Day. Powell, a veteran of over 25 amateur fights, is a Rodrigo Vaghi blue belt and a very strong grappler with quickly improving stand-up. Camp (8-2) trains in Springfield, MO at Cozzens JiuJitsu and Boxing and has completed primarily for the Uncivil War promotion.


Under Card
Chris Welch vs Garret Mueller
Toma Walton vs Jesse Kirkland
Matt Evans vs Chris King
Stacy Bacon vs Garrett Wells
Jeremiah Cutwright vs Bradley Wells
Zach Tieberis vs Denver Sells
Rob luck vs Aron Crowe
Jeremy Gibbs vs Lucas Balnger
Dillon Tolbert vs Ryan Ewbank
Nathan Summerfelic vs Kyle Henson
Melvin Harris vs Scott Jenkins
Antwane Jahmul vs Justin Yacko
Noah Sanders vs Brandon Spark

Cage Championships 42
Saturday, March 16th
Fat Cats Entertainment Complex - Rolla, MO