CT Mixed Martial Arts News

Reality Fighting returns to the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut tomorrow night. With a well-balanced card in place, there are several competitors that will be looking to make their name known following the event.

Among the notable fighters is Oz Pariser, competing in the co-main event. Pariser came into his first MMA fight in January of 2007 with solid background in Japanese Jiu Jitsu. He continued to develop as a fighter, now a purple belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, and competes in the Advanced Absolute divisions at grappling tournaments.  In MMA competition he has compiled a record of 4-0,  finishing all his opponents by submission. It’s been nearly three years since Pariser last stepped in to the MMA ring, choking out the very tough Luis Felix with a gogoplata (while fight databases say it was a triangle, watching the fight clearly shows the very rare yet mislabeled submission) at Reality Fighting – Collision.  Since then he has earned his doctorate in physical therapy and settled down in life so that he can now pursue his goals in mixed martial arts with no distractions. While he wasn’t actively competing in MMA, Pariser continued to train and participate in grappling competitions.

Back on the professional MMA path,”The Wizard” says he has never had such a cohesive training environment as he does now in Hartford, Connecticut at Underdog BJJ. With striking coach Russell Leak, BJJ coach Fabiano Teles, wrestling coach Josh Kaplan and strength and conditioning coach Kevin Doyle, Pariser says he has everything together and is ready to prove that after three years he still belongs with New England’s top lightweights. While Oz recognizes that his opponent, the Team Aggression trained Joe Proctor, is a very skilled and pressing opponent, he feels well prepared.  “(Joe) Proctor is a really tough guy but I feel like I’m technically superior in all aspects“, Pariser told New England MMA News. Pariser says he is looking at a few future plans in MMA, including possibly trying out for a 155 pound season of The Ultimate Fighter, and make it to the larger promotions, but right now his focus is all on his return tomorrow night; “Once I prove that I still belong at 155, but right now it’s all about Joe Proctor”.

On May 28th and 29th, the Modern Self Defense Center of Middletown Connecticut will play host to 8 time UFC veteran Jason Lambert.

Lambert will be teaching an MMA seminar with the first day focused on striking and the second day on ground work. The sessions will run from 10 am to 1 pm. Cost is $150 for both days or $90 for a single day. Directions and purchasing information can be found at www.ModernSelfDefense.com and space is limited. Lambert will also be available for private lessons by appointment.

Jason Lambert is best known for his stunning UFC 68 KO of Renato "Babalu" Sobral. That fight saw Lambert defending most of the first round as Babalu took his back but rally towards the end with effective striking. The second round picked up where the first left off with Lambert controlling with takedowns and ground and pound before a standup in the action resulted with a stunning left hook knock out for "The Punisher". This win saw Lambert break into the top ten in the Light Heavyweight Division on many consensus rankings.