South Philadelphia: Mixed Martial Arts in the City of Boxing

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The chain-link cage doors are locked shut. A hush falls over the arena. The referee gives the signal. Two warriors collide in the center of the cage. The cheering of the crowd punctuates every thud of flesh hitting flesh.

Mixed martial arts have a new home in Philadelphia.

Matrix Fights held their inaugural event on Feb. 27 at The Arena in South Philly. The fight card consisted of four amateur bouts followed by five professional fights.
“Everybody performed the way they were supposed to perform from the fighters, to the promoters, to the ring announcer,” said Phil Migliarese, 34, the co-founder of Matrix Fights and owner of Balance Studios in Center City.

Migliarese, along with his brother, Rick, and local boxing promoter Jimmy Binns Jr., conceived Matrix Fights over two years ago while mixed martial arts was still outlawed in Pennsylvania.  It became sanctioned in the state in early 2007.

“It just totally made sense with all of the contacts we had…I didn’t realize it, but I had been promoting before with Balance Studios in the city,” Migliarese said. “Philadelphia is a huge boxing city and goes back more than 100 years as a fighting city.”

Migliarese has seen Philadelphia’s fighting heritage expand into mixed martial arts since some of the country’s first Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu schools set up shop in Philadelphia. His partner, Jimmy Binns Jr., said he sees the potential for mixed martial arts to build a legacy in the city similar to boxing through consistent and competitive fight cards.

“I grew up around promoters my whole life and I just naturally had a knack for doing it, talking to people and getting them to come to events,” Binns Jr. said. His father has served as an attorney for Don King.

But Binns also recognizes mixed martial arts to be an entirely different beast compared to boxing, even if it angers his friends in the sweet science.

“I used to be a hard head and I used to think a boxer was the toughest guy…but I don’t know if they can really handle doing Jiu-Jitsu,” Binns Jr. said. “It takes a special kind of fighter and a certain kind of training.”

Matt Makowski can attest to the rigorous training a mixed martial arts fighter must endure. A 23-year-old product of Daddis Fight Camps on Washington Avenue in South Philadelphia, Makowski elevated his professional record to six wins and two losses on Saturday night, fighting in the main event.

“Me and my team mates, we all cut a lot of weight, and we like to gorge a bit afterwards,” he said. Makowski had to lose over six pounds the day before his fight to meet the 170-pound weight limit. He had been fasting and dehydrating himself in the sauna for weeks leading up to his fight. Normally, he weighs around 190 pounds.

“I always like to buy myself a nice ice cream cake after a fight,” Makowski said.

Matrix Fights 1 marked his first time competing in a mixed martial arts event within walking distance of his home.

“If you make a name for yourself somewhere else, you still have that name in your hometown,” said Justin Greskiewicz, 24, who fights out of the Daddis gym with Makowski. “There is no shortage of fights in Philadelphia, it’s an untapped resource.”

Larger mixed martial arts organizations have already scouted out Matrix Fights to sign promising fighters. Bjorn Rebney, CEO of Bellator Fighting Championship, attended the Matrix Fights card to watch Cole Konrad fight in the co-main event. Bellator announced the signing of Konrad the next day.

Migliarese said the next Matrix Fights card will be held sometime in June. He said there already been 160 entrees received from athletes who want to fight in the next event.

“These guys coming up in Philly want to be here,” Migliarese said. “We’re already tapped into the community and putting on a fight that’s well-organized and has good fighters, and it is important for Philadelphia as fighting city.”

In the main card for Matrix Fights 1, Julio Rosario defeated Steven Baker with a submission victory via shoulder lock. Will Martinez Jr. pounded Mitch Lyons nearly unconscious, prompting the referee to intervene for a victory via via technical knockout. Aaron Meisner received the judge’s decision against Francois Ambang in a back-and-forth kickboxing battle. 265-pound Cole Konrad, training partner of Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight titleholder Brock Lesnar, wrestled Joel Wyatt to the floor and swelled his opponents right eye shit with one swift elbow strike in just under two minutes. Matt Makowski trudged through a grueling fifteen-minute battle en route to a unanimous decision in a rematch against LeVon Maynard, who Makowski had faced earlier in his career as amateur kickboxer.

“We have a lot of offer,” Binns Jr. said. “I don’t want to just get guys who come and fight because they think they’re going to get a win. I want guys to come and fight their hearts out and leave it in the ring.”

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