By Larry Snyder

Pittsburgh, Pa. – The challenge of the Octagon returns to the Event Center at Rivers Casino Saturday, July 13, for WFC 109 Cage Fights, presented by Matt McGovern and his World Fighting Championships promotion. The doors open for the public at 7:00 p.m., and the matches begin at 8:00 p.m.

Helping to build this outstanding lineup is Nichole Castillo, the 2018 MMA Matchmaker of the Year for the NJ/NY/PA region, per the staff and voters at the MyMMANews website.

Dominic Mazzotta, a Burrell High School product, returns to the City of Bridges when he squares off in the main event opposite 25-year-old Chris Johnson from Chicago, Illinois.

Mazzotta, 32, prepared for this meeting with his coach Isaac Greeley at the Mat Factory in Lower Burrell. He seeks to have his hand raised as the victor after losing his last outing by unanimous decision to Shawn Bunch Friday, March 29, at Bellator 219, held at the Pechanga Resort and Casino in Temecula, California. The 5-foot-7 bantamweight known as the “Honey Badger” is 8-2 over his last 10 fights, winning four by rear-naked choke and one by guillotine choke.

David McKinney of bluegrassmma.com spoke with Mazzotta about facing Johnson. He commented, “Chris is a dangerous fighter. His record isn’t stellar, but he has a lot of experience and I’m not taking him lightly in the slightest.”

Johnson enters the cage with a 6-4 mark in his last 10 bouts. The warrior known as “The Jungle” posted victories over Keegan Witbeck and Antonio Sanchez before dropping a unanimous decision to Keith Lee Thursday, June 20, at FFC 38 in Las Vegas. He said on his Facebook page, “They got me this time, I’ll be back. Losses ain’t nothin , I’m not close to being done. I’m just getting started.” Johnson trains at Team Top Notch in Villa Park, Illinois.

Looking Back On YouTube.com – Dominic Mazzotta MMA Highlights…

Making their professional debuts against one another at Rivers Casino is Pittsburgh’s Jake Schilling and Corey Dulaney from Whitehall, Ohio.

Schilling worked with Christopher Williams of The Academy: Pittsburgh MMA & Fitness to get ready for Saturday. He is 8-2-0 as an amateur and collected his last nonprofessional triumph over Mikey Flores Saturday, June 9, 2018, at Pinnacle FC 17 in Canonsburg, Penna.

Delaney owns an amateur record of 5-2-0 but has been away from the cage since October 2014. He trains at the Skrap House MMA Fitness Center in Grove City, Ohio.

Ethan Hayes of Kingwood, West Virginia moves up from the amateur ranks and makes his first foray as a professional against 31-year-old Keith Froelich from Cincinnati, Ohio.

Hayes, 27, brings an amateur mark of 7-2-0 to the event while Froelich won his debut by knockout at 23 seconds of the second round against Fadi Shuman at Pinnacle FC 17.

Jason Cassius Mullen pursues his second victory as a pro when he takes on Shuman. The 21-year-old Mullen, who trains at the Campbell Martial Arts Center (Team C.M.A} in the Youngstown, Ohio area, won by armbar submission over Ardit Hysa Saturday, March 23, at Shamrock Showdown: In The Cage at Mountaineer Casino, Racetrack, and Resort.

Shuman, who turns 27 in August and trains at the Mat Factory Wrestling Club, won by triangle choke at 2:41 of the second round over Mike Dyess in December 2018 at Pinnacle FC 18 at the West View Banquet Hall on Perry Highway.

Rounding out the pro side of the event is another pair of debuts when the Steel City’s Brigid Chase battles Jasmine Jasudavicius who fights out of Saint Catherines, Ontario, Canada. Chase’s amateur record is 4-2-0 while Jasudavicius is 4-0-0.

WFC 109 PROFESSIONAL BOUTS:

Dominic Alan Mazzotta (14-3-0) Vs. Chris Johnson (7-10-0) – 140lbs
Jake Schilling (0-0-0) Vs. Corey Dulaney (0-0-0) – 150lbs
Ethan Hayes (0-0-0) Vs. Keith Froelich (1-0-0) – 155lbs
Fadi Shuman (1-1-0) Vs. Jason Cassius Mullen (1-0-0) – 145lbs
Brigid Chase (0-0-0) Vs. Jasmine Jasudavicius (0-0-0) – 125lbs

WFC 109 AMATEUR BOUTS:

WFC Title Fight – Daniel Hague (6-2-0) Vs. Seth Shaffer (5-0-0) – 135lbs
WFC Title Fight – John Leancu (4-1-0) Vs. Jacob Lowry (4-0-0) – 185lbs
Chase Boyde (3-0-0) Vs. Klevon Hill (3-0-0) – 170lbs
Cody Law (3-0-0) Vs. William Ferguson (6-3-0) – 155lbs
Cole Macek (1-0-0) Vs. Alex Erb (0-0-0) – 190lbs
Daniel Smith (1-1-0) Vs. James Schleifer (1-2-0) – 175lbs
Jarrod Shaw (5-2-0) Vs. Treg Wells (5-6-0) – 165lbs
Chris Huselton (0-0-0) Vs. Jamie Hare (1-1-0) – 205lbs

Cage Clipboard: Keep in mind online ticket sales wrap up at midnight the evening before the competition, after which you can purchase any seats at the door. It is for adults 21 and older. All matches and participants are subject to change.

Looking Back On YouTube.com – WFC 99 MMA Fights Back February 23rd At Hard Rock Rocksino Northfield Park…