Minnesota based Ambition Promotions partnered with Strikeforce to find the best rising-star MMA fighter in Minnesota.

Mike “the Marine” Richman started his march to Strikeforce on Sept 12 at The Great Hall in a 3 round battle with Derrick Getzel.

Getzel surrendered after Richman put him in a choke, Richman achieved his 1st objective three minutes and thirty-six seconds into round 1.

“Richman steals the show and most likely has the Strikeforce contract.”

Minneapolis/St Paul City Pages

Derrick Getzel v Mike Richman

We’ve got a crowd favorite in the house. People are on their feet before the fight even begins. Richman bears an uncanny resemblance to George St. Peirre. He even has the bad boy skin trunks. Comes in with a series of lightening-quick punches. Follows with knees. His combos are quick and vicious: punch to knee to elbow to knee to knee to knee to punch. All this happens in seconds. But Getzel has a chin, just takes it and keeps going, surprises Richman with a takedown, and lands a couple elbows. Richman look solid on the ground, rotates his leg for a omoplata. Getzel moves out of it. Richman regains his feet. It’s hard to keep with the speed of this fight. Richman is lethal, but totally composed. He’s not rushing the fight. Just competing at top speed. Bam. Done. Richman ends it with a choke. He steals the show and most likely has the Strikeforce contract.

See Entire Article on City Pages Blotter

Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

Sept 13, 2009

On Saturday night in St. Paul, Minnesota, Ambition Promotions unveiled their first in a series of events dubbed “The Crucible,” an eight man tournament with the winner getting a contract with Strikeforce.

The main event of the evening was an exciting three minutes of action, with the crowd at their loudest for the bout’s entirety.

Mike Richman came out the uber-aggressor in this one…..

…..throwing bomb after bomb to a resilient Derrick Getzel. Getzel took the punishment and got in for a takedown and nearly got to mount before Richman countered and got back to his feet. Getzel again went for a takedown, but this time Richman sprawled nicely, locked on a choke and rolled through with it to finish off Getzel and take the final spot in the semifinals.

Ambition Promotions is the promoting arm of Ambition Training Academy, home to Strikeforce’s Brett Rogers. This card on Saturday was their first ever event, and as raucous crowd throughout the night could attest, the first event was a success.

“We met our expectations,” said Joey Clark, Co-Owner of the Ambition Training Academy. “This is the beginning of something way bigger. As long as we can get a certain amount of activity this thing can springboard even further.”

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Submission (Choke)