Caged Fury 19 brings MMA to Morgantown

Professional mixed martial arts action is set to invade the Morgantown Event Center Sept. 15, as the North American Allied Fight Series presents Caged Fury 19.

The NAAFS has hosted two previous fight cards in Morgantown, and company CEO and President Greg Kalikas said the town is always worth the trip for his company and fighters.

"We love hosting fights here and the crowds are always really receptive and energetic," Kalikas said. "We just want to put on great fights and a great show for everybody."

At Caged Fury 19, the NAAFS is working in conjunction with Charleston, W. Va.’s Reality Cage Combat, and this collaborative effort has resulted in a fight card that is stacked with talent from top to bottom.

Lightweight fighter Joey "The Hitman" Holt returns to the Morgantown Event Center following a January 2012 performance at the venue that saw him defeat Parkersburg, W. Va., native Nate Hall in dramatic fashion.

With a series of ferocious punches to a grounded Hall, Holt was able to get his work done early and escape unscathed from the cage with an impressive first-round victory under his belt.

"Holt is going to be in one of our feature bouts," said Kalikas. "He is a former Bellator (Fighting Championships) fighter, and he is always ready to go on fight night."

Also returning to Morgantown at Caged Fury 19 is Pittsburgh heavyweight fighter Adam Milstead.

Milstead previously fought at Caged Fury 17 in April at the Mylan Park Expo Center, where he defeated crowd favorite Nathan "Bamm" Bryant with a second-round knockout.

"We have an awesome card again for the Morgantown crowd," Kalikas said. "These guys always bring it and this time is going to be no different."

After filling the Morgantown Event Center at Caged Fury 16, Kalikas said he hopes to see more of the same in the NAAFS’ return to the venue.

Helping to achieve this, Kalikas and the NAAFS have confirmed West Virginia fighters Josh Baker, Zac Gobel and Ronnell Green will be in the cage Sept. 15.

In addition to this dose of hometown heroes, Kalikas and the NAAFS are offering a $10 discount on tickets to students with a valid student ID.

"The fans have been wanting a return to the Event Center, and now they’re getting it," Kalikas said. "We hope to get a lot of the Morgantown students involved and out to the show, where they can witness some of the best mixed martial artists in the area compete."

While many organizations boast of having "the best" or "greatest" fighters, it is hard to argue with the track record of the NAAFS.

Former NAAFS fighters have included current Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweights Stipe Miocic and Dave Herman, UFC welterweight Matt Brown and UFC veterans Forrest Petz and Sean McCorkle.

For mixed martial artists, there is no bigger stage than the UFC, and the NAAFS is oftentimes a springboard to the big show for these up-and-coming fighters.

"For fans of MMA who wants to see the future stars of tomorrow and get a definite bang for their buck, this is the place to be," Kalikas said. "We love Morgantown, we’ve had two successful events there, and this one is going to be no different."

Caged Fury 19 promises to be another high-octane, high-energy affair from the NAAFS, and with fighters like Holt, Milstead, Baker, Green and Gobel on the card, fans in attendance will certainly get their money’s worth.

Tickets can be purchased the day of the event at the Morgantown Event Center or online at www.naafs.biz