Interview with Brian Gillespie of ECFC MMA

Written by: Tom "Captain America" Evans

What is your role in ECFC?

B.G- I am the promoter, matchmaker, and business owner with my partner Hal Charnley.

What got you involved in MMA?

B.G- I have always been a fan of the sport, ever since UFC 1. I just love everything about the sport; it is the only sport I watch.

Who are some bigger names you have worked with as a Professional MMA Manager? For what organizations have they fought for?

B.G- I have placed fighters in XFC, M1-Global, WEC, Strikeforce, WSOF, Bellator Tournaments, Invicta, UFC, and countless other promotions throughout the country. Also I have placed fighters in 2 other countries. Answering questions about whom I have managed locally and who I have put into bigger shows is nothing more than an infomercial to me. That is not what this is about. ECFC is about a platform that will allow fighters to hopefully get to a bigger show some day. Despite popular belief in this area-- a promotions doesn't get you into the UFC, WINNING gets you into the UFC

What made you decide to enter the promotion side of MMA?

B.G- When I started working with fighters I had a list of goals I set out to achieve. I have done everything on that list except put a local kid onto a bigger stage such as UFC. . So putting on a show is a way for me to be able to have a little more control in getting a local kid into the UFC or signing a Bellator MMA tournament deal.

What are you most excited about this Friday night at the Lowell Auditorium?

B.G- Well first off, because people have asked me if 'this was harder than I expected" and that question I feel is such an insult to every other promotion in the area. It implies that I think the other promotions are not working hard which is complete nonsense. Most excited about? Everything! There is not one part of Friday night that I am not excited about. I can't narrow that down to one thing , I am most excited about getting a chance to work with some fighters and teams that I did not have the chance to do when I was managing fighters. There is something pretty cool about meeting a fighter male or female who I have never worked with before and I can see that they have the "it" factor.

Being this was the first time I have ever done this and considering the fact that I only met my partner 8 weeks ago over a plate of sushi I am already excited because what we did in 8 weeks in my opinion has been awesome. My goals for this show were never to sell out the venue; my goal was much simpler than that. I wanted to put on a card that I would not feel bad about paying to see, and at least from where I sit I think I have done just that.

Anything you would like to tell the fighters and fans about this coming friday?

B.G- To the fighters- I would like to say that I can't recall a time in the last 6 years I have been so been so excited to work with such a great group of fighters. From start to finish most if not all of this has been a pleasure to work with. Fans- I think you are going to see some very exciting fights. The Main event which I still say is possible the best fight of the night to the female fight between Ashley and Bior. My hope for them is that they are entertained and that at the end of the night they go home and start to take a look at local MMA as an event that they want to go to and not just because their friend or teammate is on the cards

B.G- What do u think is fight of the night Tom?

T.E- Joey Gomez vs Robbie Leroux. I have had the pleasure of cross training with Robbie Leroux and I know that if he goes out and lives up to his nickname “Relentless” he can really control a fight. I have also seen Joey fight and I believe he has some of the fastest hands in the Regional 135 lb. division. This fight should be very interesting to watch.

Why ECFC? How do you stand out?

B.G- As long as there are fighters who truly want to fight the best in the area with the intentions of getting to the next level than ECFC will be around for them to fight on. As to how we stand out? That is a question that can't be answered before the first fight. I would suggest you come to the first show and you tell me how we stand out, but if you need me to give you a "sound bite" we already stand out- I could have brought in guys to lose to the Robbie, Josh, Joey and Pedro but I didn't. I had plenty of managers offer me guys who were 1-0 or 1-1 and I said no because they would get hurt. I made the decision to stay true to the vision and have the best fight each other. Pedro Gonzalez had an offer to fight 3 weeks before our event and at the end of the day and for reasons that are not of anyone else concerns, he had a chance to fight for good money on TV. I could have worked to stop it or even tell Pedro to make a choice, but I didn’t. That’s how I stand out, because my goal and my vision is to put guys in the UFC, that’s it period!

East Coast Fighting Championship “ECFC Party in the Streets”

Pre-Fight Block Party at Lowell Memorial Auditorium on Friday June 13th starting at 5:15. Doors open at 6:30

Lowell, MA – June 11, 2014

Pre-fight Block Party to be held before the ECFC 1 Event at the Lowell Memorial Auditorium. Music provided by WAAF, food, drinks, and giveaways. Located at 50 East Merrimack St. in the heart of downtown Lowell, there is plenty of convenient parking for these events. Start the party early and end late. Yes…we have beer!

East Coast Fighting Championships Fight Card

125lbs AM Nick Laciofano 1-0 (USMMA) vs Sam Micale 2-1 (Ultimate Athletics)

155lbs AM Ryan Dibartolomeo 1-3 (Triumph) VS Robert Moser 0-0 (Team Redline)

155lbs AM James Hoyt 2-0 (Burgess) vs Lloyd Fernandez 2-0 (Renzo Gracie NH)

150lbs AM Bior Guigni (Team Redline) vs Ashley Jane (South Shore Sports Fighting)

170lbs AM Jack Welch 0-0. 170 (Triumph) vs Barry Liseno 0-1 (TEAM DPG)

155lbs AM Dylan Lockard 0-0 (Renzo Gracie NH) vs Kevin Carrier 3-2 (Bombsquad)

185lbs AM Brad O’Brien 2-0 (Triumph) VS Tim Caron 2-0 (Team Burgess)

170lbs Pro Joe Cloutier 3-0 (Quiet Man/Doomsday) VS Wayne Harneis 3-14 (Brute Force)

Professional 135 lb. 4 Man Bantamweight Tournament

Joey Gomez 3-0 (Triumph) VS Robbie Leroux 4-3 (Team Clinch)

Pedro Gonzalez 10-5 (Redline) VS Josh Lange 3-1 (Bombsquad)

Professional Main Event

170lbs- Nick Drummond 5-0 (Wai Kru) VS Mike Hurlburt 1-3 (Team Triumph)