Advertise on podcast: Caged In w/ Chris DiCarlo

Andrew Valdina (7-0) stops by to preview his upcoming Main Event at Cage Titans: Revolution. Valdina takes on Kam Arnold (7-1) at MGM Fenway in Boston, MA in the biggest fight of his career. We took a bit to catchup from the last time we spoke including: Becoming CTFC Bantamweight Champ at CTFC71, his Flyweight title shot at CTFC74 that fell through, & the rescheduling of his fight vs Kam Arnold from CTFC75 to CTFC: Revolution in February. Valdina tells me about the excitement of headlining in Boston, touring the new venue & visualizing the moment, how important this new setting is to the progression of his career, & breaking down the matchup vs Arnold.

Brian Russell joins me on this episode of Caged In to preview his upcoming matchup vs Ian Barrett at Ring Titans 2. We dove into Russell's background, introduction to combat sports, & how he's developing his own unique fight style. Russell talks about his current training camp regimen, which gyms he's getting work in at, & which coaches we'll see in his corner on 12/13. We recap his combat sports debut at Ring Titans 1 where he secured a unanimous decision victory, went over how he felt about his performance & what he wished he did better that night. To end the show we preview the fight that's being dubbed "The People's Main Event" between Russell & Barrett. Russell previews Barrett as an opponent, what he expects on fight night & recaps the fight announcement staredown at Cage Titans 74.

Ian Barrett is back on the show to preview his upcoming Muay Thai matchup vs Brian Russell at Ring Titans 2. We did a quick recap of Barrett's unanimous decision win at Ring Titans 1, what he learned from that fight & how he's improved upon that experience in the gym. Barrett is looking to put on a show at Ring Titans 2 in a bout that's being dubbed The People's Main Event & he can't wait to show his improvements. We previewed Barrett's opponent, how he feels about the matchup, what the fans can expect from his second Muay Thai fight & the intense staredown between the two at CTFC74.

Calvin Dalton (3-0 Am) joins me on this episode of Caged In to preview his upcoming Amateur Flyweight Title shot at Cage Titans 74 vs Joziah Fry. Dalton tells us about how he got his nickname "Killa Cal" & describes his fight style for those that haven't seen him fight yet. We also dove into his wrestling background, including his one year as a D1 Collegiate Wrestler at Bucknell University. Dalton currently trains at New England Cartel & Defensive Edge & has been splitting his time between the two gyms for this training camp leading up to November 15th. We wrap up the show by previewing his upcoming matchup vs Fry, how big of a factor both their wrestling pedigrees will be, the faceoff between them at CTFC73 & what fans can expect from Dalton inside the cage at CTFC74.

Joziah Fry (3-0 Am) joins the show to preview his upcoming Ammy Flyweight title defense vs Calvin Dalton (3-0 Am) at Cage Titans 74. Fry is former 3x NCAA National Champion wrestler at Johnson & Wales with a career record of 121-1. He was also a member of the Judo Cadet World team & has years of competition experience under his belt. We chopped it up about his transition to MMA, his fast 3-0 start, capturing a title in only his second fight, & where he sees this journey taking him in the future. We wrap up by previewing CTFC74, where he sees his biggest advantages, his thoughts on his opponent & how they match up, as well as what the fans can expect & what statement he's looking to make on Nov 14th.

Zach Converse joins me in person to preview his MMA Debut at Cage Titans 73 on 9/13. We start by getting to know Converse better outside of the cage: where he grew up, his athletic background, how he got introduced to mixed martial arts, & how he would describe his fight style. Converse trains at some well known gyms in the Plymouth, MA area such as Daniel Gracie Plymouth, Surgeon Muay Thai & Brick Road Wrestling. With 7 Muay Thai bouts under his belt Converse is looking to transition those skills to MMA & he details how his training has been tailored for just that. We wrap up with a full preview of his CTCF73 opponent David Diaz, how Converse feels his skill set is ready to get him the win, what the fans can expect from his debut & what we could see from him in the future.

Joe Giannetti joins me on this episode to preview his upcoming matchup vs Dakota Bush at Cage Titans 73 on September 13th. We recapped Skeletor's last victory at LFA 204, broke down the finish, talked about finally avenging his 0-2 record in the LFA promotion & his reaction to the POTN bonus he received. Giannetti recently opened up his own gym in Whitman, MA called Giannetti Martial Arts & he tells us all about how the process started, what the gym offers it's clients as well as himself as a gym owner & active fighter, as well as how he's balancing training camp. We finish up by breaking down Joe's return to Cage Titans on 9/13 vs Dakota Bush, how he feels about his next opponent, what a win over Bush could do for his career, & his excitement to be back in front of his home crowd in Plymouth, MA.

Jake Ferri joins the show to preview his upcoming Pro Debut at Cage Titans 73. We start by recapping Ferri's amateur career, his accolades & he tells us which one of his five ammy fights are the most meaningful to him. Although he could have hunted for more amateur flyweight titles, Ferri made the decision to turn pro & he fills us in on how training has changed & why now was the right time for the turn. We preview Ferri's matchup vs Tyler Redmon, how he feels about the matchup & where he sees his advantages. This is Ferri's first fight for Cage Titans & he's hyped to make his debut in front of the fans at Plymouth Memorial Hall.

Ian Barrett joins the show to preview his upcoming Muay Thai debut at Ring Titans 1 vs Brendan Martin. Barrett is the younger brother of New England legend Peter Barrett & is looking to pave his own way in the world of combat sports. We discussed how he got his nickname "War Elephant", his introduction to combat sports, training at Lauzon MMA under Jay Perrin and Hook & Roll under Pete Luciani, as well as the advice he's gotten from some MMA vets. To wrap up the show we dive into a full breakdown of Barrett's opponent, how he sees himself getting the victory, & what the fans can expect from his debut.

Dee Reddick joins the show to preview his upcoming pro debut at Fury 108. We recapped Reddick's 6-0 amateur career, talked about what's been keeping him out of the cage for almost a year, why right now is the correct time to turn pro, & how his team has prepped him for this moment. "The Revenant" takes on Shane Wright (1-2) at Fury 108 & we broke down that matchup, where Reddick feels his biggest advantages are, how it feels to fight for a big regional promotion like Fury & if we might see the return of the blonde hair in the pro ranks.

Ozzy Martin (2-0) joins me to recap his massive first round finish over Kenyon Moore at Cage Titans 72. We break down the left hand to ground & pound sequence that secured him the win, discussed if there was anything he could improve on after watching the fight back, & if anything about his opponent surprised him once the cage doors locked. Martin is now 2-0 as a pro with a 100% finish rate dating back to his Ammy career & we dive into how he's been able to consistently finish his opponents. Before CTFC72 Martin spent some time in Thailand & he details the culture he was immersed in as well as the benefits from that trip with the team. Ozzy plans on getting back into the cage two more times before the end of year, so stay tuned. **Sorry for the audio issues**

Joe Poirier (6-1) joins me in person on this episode to preview his upcoming Flyweight Title Shot at Cage Titans 72 vs Isiah Torres (7-3-1). We recapped Poirier's previous fight at CTFC70 which he won via first round rear naked choke. We also get into his training camp, the gyms he's working at, how the body is feeling currently & the benefit of having a training partner like Andrew Valdina to come up with side by side in the sport. To end the conversation we preview CTFC72, breakdown Joey Guns' next opponent, talk about how it feels to be fighting for his first professional title & what the fans can expect from his performance on July 19th.

Jay Curley (2-1 Am) joins me on this episode to preview his upcoming Amateur Welterweight Title Shot vs Gavin O'Connell at Cage Titans 72. We recapped Curley's last fight, a 2nd round TKO loss to Ozzy Martin at CTFC66, & talked about the energy in the building that night, his performance highs & lows, as well as what he learned most from the loss. Curley details his training camp, the gyms he's spending his time at & the teammates he's working most with including Andrew Valdina & Joe Poirier. We transition into a recap & reflection on Curley's college wrestling career that just came to an end before diving into CTFC 72 & what we can expect from his return to Plymouth Memorial Hall.

Matt "Pikachu" Martinez joins me on this episode to preview his upcoming bout at Cage Titans 71. Martinez will be taking on Stanislov Rakov for the Vacant Amateur CTFC Flyweight Championship. We dove into his background, introduction to MMA, nickname origin story & fight style at the top of the show. Then we transition into his training camp at Sityodtong Boston, the vibe of the gym, key training partners & head coaches. Martinez breaks down his opponent for CTFC71, detailing where he sees his biggest advantages, how it feels to be fighting for his first amateur title, & what his future looks like if he wins on May 24th. We finish with Rapid Fire questions including: favorite MMA fighter, biggest hobby outside MMA, favorite movie, etc.

Andrew Valdina (6-0) joins me in person to preview his upcoming Main Event at Cage Titans 71 vs Joe Penafiel for the CTFC Bantamweight Championship. We start by recapping Valdina's last fight at CTFC66 vs Tyler Smythe, which he won via Unanimous Decision. "The Gladiator" vs "The Party" goes down on May 24th & we break down the matchup, the evolution of each fighters game, & what fans can expect from this Main Event in Plymouth, MA.