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Ring of Combat 36 Results - June 17, 2011 It was a perfect night for the Serra-Longo Fight Team at Ring of Combat 36 Friday. The usual Tropicana stomping grounds in Atlantic City saw host to four fighters from the powerhouse Long Island fight camp, all of them picking up big wins. In the evening's main event, Pete "Drago" Sell's return to ROC seemed like a lost cause initially, as defending Welterweight Champion Eliah Harshbarger threw him around relentlessly and gave him an ugly mouse under his left eye. But Drago came charging back in the second round, securing top position then passing for an incredible reverse triangle straight armbar combo submission to claim the belt as the partisan crowd erupted in jubilation. 10th Ranked Lightweight in the 2011 World MMA Scouting Report Al Iaquinta dueled with Brazilian prospect Gabriel Miglioli in one of the most intense ROC fights ever, both showing amazing technical ability and heart for prospects with a combined seven pro fights worth of experience. The rangier Miglioli controlled the first round, dropping Iaquinta with punches for a near-KO and applying a couple close submission attempts. Round two turned into a complete brawl, with Migloli trading short punches to the head and body for Iaquinta's jabs and high right roundhouse kicks. In the final round, Iaquinta seemed in complete control with a damaging ground and pound attack, but a fading Miglioli somehow escaped, landed a hard knee to the body and then managed his own takedown. Iaquinta, who never stopped attacking despite taking hard shots in every round, scored a reversal in the dying seconds and ended the fight taking Miglioli's back. In the end, the judges rewarded Iaquinta's tenacity with a close split decision victory. Three round bantamweight and flyweight title bouts were featured as the night's two co-main events. In 135lb action, Team Bombsquad product Aljamain Sterling captured the belt in just his third pro fight, taking a convincing split decision over Claudio Ledesma. And in the 125 title affair, Sean Santella was awarded a unanimous decision despite being exhausted for the final two rounds and having his takedown game completely shut down in the second half of the fight by former Strikeforce featherweight Tito Jones. Jones was visibly displeased upon hearing that he had failed to win a single round on any of the judge's scorecards. Quick Results: Pete Sell def. Eliah Harshbarger via R2 Submission (Reverse Triangle Straight Armbar) Aljamain Sterling def. Claudio Ledesma via R3 Decision (Split) Sean Santella def. Tito Jones via R3 Decision (Unanimous) Al Iaquinta def. Gabriel Miglioli via R3 Decision (Split) Casey Manrique def. Brandon Saling via R2 Submission (Rear Naked Choke) James Jenkins def. Jason McLean via R3 Decision (Unanimous) Eddie Gordon def. J.A. Dudley via R3 Decision (Unanimous) Mike Prokop def. Brian Smiley via R1 Technical Submission (Guillotine Choke) Frankie Perez def. Andre Shuler via R1 Submission (Rear Naked Choke)

New Jersey natives and training partners Ricardo Almeida and Frankie Edgar will both compete at UFC 111 in Newark at the Prudential Center on March 27th: The card is scheduled to be headlined by Georges St. Pierre vs. Dan Hardy for the welterweight championship. Almeida hopes to make his welterweight debut against Jon Fitch if Fitch gets past Mike Pierce this weekend at UFC 107. "I don’t have anything personal against Fitch," Almeida said. "I’m interested in fighting guys who can get me to the top of the division. Fitch is a great fighter. Pretty much everyone agrees Georges St. Pierre is the number one guy in the world and Fitch is number two. Who wouldn’t want to fight the number two guy in the world?" This Fan Shot was promoted to the front page by Nick Thomas. HT: MMA Frenzy, Sherdog UFC 111 coverage

Ricardo Almeida explains the knee injury that forced him out of his UFC 106 fight with Jon Fitch: "My knee popped during training at Renzo (Gracie’s) this week and right away I knew it wasn't good. (I) got an MRI and the results were a sprained and partially torn MCL and a tear also of my meniscus. "(I) went to an orthopedist, who has treated many pro athletes from hockey through baseball and football here in the tri-state area, (and) we discussed surgery, but he said that (the) MCL tends to heal pretty well. (As a result of his diagnosis) I will be wearing a brace and doing physical therapy three times a week over the next four weeks. "I was really scared about possibly having to sit out 6 months or more, so I'm stoked I don't have to go through surgery and a long rehabilitation period. My goal is to be back training in four weeks and hopefully fighting again late February or March." HT: MMA Weekly

FightHype: Kendall Grove and Ricardo Almeida reported to meet at UFC 101 August 8th.