By Larry Snyder

Canonsburg, Pa. – An enthusiastic crowd at Printscape Arena at Southpointe was engaged from the opening bell to the main event Saturday, July 27, by an outstanding Mixed Martial Arts fight card presented by Ryan Middleton and his 247 Fighting Championships promotion.

Middleton, along with matchmaker Liam Morris, director of operations Jim Mooney, and director of logistics Brian Smith gave 10 local fighters the chance to achieve the next step in their careers by putting their talents to the test inside the cage. Five Western Pennsylvania gyms were part of the lineup, including Stout Training, Mat Factory, Gorilla House Gym, Armezzani Jiu-Jitsu, and The Academy: Pittsburgh MMA and Fitness. Also, the Morgantown, West Virginia facility Ground Zero was part of the event.

Pittsburgh’s Khama Worthy successfully defended his 247 FC Lightweight Championship in the main event with an annihilatory knockout over Chicago’s Adam Ward just 13 seconds into the third round. Worthy, 32, continually used his speed and agility to deliver a mix of devastating strikes and kicks against Ward in claiming his 14th victory. For the 33-year-old from Illinois, Ward could not put together a consistent enough attack to take Worthy out of his rhythm. I believe the next contract Worthy should be signing is with Bellator or UFC.

From Deep MMA & Boxing On YouTube.com – Khama “The Deathstar” Worthy 3rd Round Knockout At 24/7 Championship Calls For UFC Shot…

Another Steel City warrior, Jonas Rubiano, collected his second professional triumph in the co-main event with a triangle choke submission at 2:33 of the second round against Daniel Maldonado from Queens, New York. The 34-year-old Rubiano, who trains at Stout and is a youth instructor at the popular Pittsburgh gym, was crisp and precise with his punches throughout the match. While Maldonado provided a takedown in both rounds, he could not effectively press his advantage over Rubiano. My impression is Rubiano could be the next fighter to pick up a 247 FC title in the future.

Altoona’s Sydney Ross, 19, fighting out of the Gorilla House Gym, got the fans’ attention very quickly as she pummeled Amber Blevins from New Goshen, Indiana and secured the knockout at 1:38 of the first round. It was the third victory for Ross as the bout was under advanced amateur rules. Keep watch for this up-and-comer at ensuing events around the region.

The local trio of Edwin Vera of Tarentum, PA; Cam Allgeier from Altoona; and PJ Mastrangelo of New Brighton, PA, all made their amateur debuts and tallied their first wins in the octagon.

Brawl In The Burgh Professional Results (Three 5-Minute Rounds):

Khama Worthy (14-6-0) Pittsburgh, PA WON By KO At 13 seconds Of Rnd 3 Vs, Adam Ward (18-13-0) Chicago, IL

Jonas Rubiano (1-1-0) Pittsburgh, PA WON By Triangle Choke Submission At 2:33 Of Rnd 3 Vs. Danny Maldonado (0-1-0) Queens, NY

Brawl In The Burgh Advanced Amateur Results (Three 3-Minute Rounds):

Katie Perez (4-1) Team Phoenix WON By TKO At 2:03 Of Rnd 3 Vs. Meghan Williams (2-4) Stout Training

Sydney Ross (3-2) Gorilla House Gym WON By KO At 1:38 Of Rnd 1 Vs. Amber Blevis (2-3) McVicker’s Martial Arts

Mason Deless (3-1) Stout Training WON By TKO At 2:41 Of Rnd 2 Vs. Dee Venable (3-4) Rekkr Tactical Concepts

Brawl In The Burgh Amateur Results (Three 2-Minute Rounds):

Pat Carrassquillo (3-1) WNY MMA & Fitness WON By Split Decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28) Vs Quincy McCombs (3-2) Mat Factory

Cheyenne Hall (2-1) Ground Zero – Morgantown WON By Unanimous Decision (29-28, 30-27, 29-28) Vs. Mary Salmassi (0-1) Michigan Top Team

PJ Mastrangelo (1-0) Armezzani Jiu-Jitsu Academy WON By Rear Naked Choke Submission At 1:49 Of Rnd 2 Vs. Hassan Sayed (2-1) Michigan Top Team

Cameron Allgeier (1-0) Gorilla House Gym WON By Unanimous Decision (29-28, 30-27, 29-28) Vs. Rodney Miracle (2-2) Michigan Top Team

Edwin Vera (1-0) Mat Factory WON By Split Decision (29-28, 27-30, 29-28) Vs. Daequan Overton (0-1) WNY MMA & Fitness

Voice Of The Fighter: Mason Deless commented on his Facebook page about his bout, “Got the win last night (TKO second round due to strikes). Thanks to my coaches and all my training partners at Stout Pittsburgh. Thank you also to 247 Fighting Championships for putting together a great event!”

Cheyenne Hall on FB, “Great crowd. Great promotion. Great people around me. Great night for GZFS. That was fun!”

Next Up: Ring Announcer Drew Shannon reminded everyone that 247 FC Brawl in the Burgh II is coming Saturday, Nov. 16, back at Printscape Arena at Southpointe.