A total of 110 fighters were entered, which is another Ohio Valley record, in 10 different weight classes – five male and five female.

Doors open tonight at 5:30 with the first bell at 7 in the downtown venue.

Among the local winners was Wheeling’s two-time runner up Richard “Ultra” Violet, fighting in the welterweight (140-159) division.

Using his previous experience in the ring, Violet posted a split decision over Wheeling’s Travis “T-Time” McKinley. Violet trains at Ohio Valley MMA and McKinley at the Bullpen Fight Club.

photo by: Joe Lovell

Wheeling’s Lersten McAbee, left, jabs to the stomach of Mary Kaffana, of Mingo Junction, in their women’s lightweight bout during the opening night of the 43rd annual Ohio Valley Toughman Contest inside WesBanco Arena in downtown Wheeling. McAbee earned a unanimous decision.

“I want to fight my fight and not fight my opponent’s fight,” Violet said. “I know if he can’t keep up with me the way I fight, then it’s all my fight.”

Violet said his goal is to win the title.

“I’m tired of finishing runner up,” he added.

Bellaire’s “G.I.” Joey Lewis Jr. was fighting for the first time.

“It was everything I thought it would be. I knew I was going to get hit a few times, but I definitely proved to myself that I could do it,” he said. “I’ve got some stuff to work on. I told myself if I liked it, I may make a career out of it.”

By the luck of the draw, a pair of Barnesville graduates who were former wrestling and football teammates met in a welterweight bout. Jake “Boogie Man” Boulet and Cameron “Junkyard Dog” Woods went toe-to-toe for three one-minute rounds, and when the dust had settled, it was Woods who had his hand raised.

“It was a good fight. It was just like wrestling, may the better man win,” Boulet said. “I have no hard feelings. It was a good fight.”

Woods said he was expecting something like that to happen.

“I knew there was a chance we could meet right off the bat, but it was a good fight … just like we used to go at it in wrestling practice,” he said. “He was a tough, tough opponent, so I’d rather we got it over with now instead of tomorrow night.”

Wheeling’s “Killer” Caleb Bell left little doubt in his welterweight bout with Steubenville’s Ronald “Devil Dog” Johnson.

Bell knocked Johnsdon down with his first punch and then sent him crashing to the canvas in the first round with a big right.

“I just wanted to be able to breathe,” the 38-year-old Bell said on his third time in the ring. “I just fight. That’s what I do.”

Defending heavyweight champion, R.J. “The Hammer” Harris, who stands 6-6 and weighs 293, was paired with his cousin, William Cornell. Harris advanced with a knockout in the first round. Both hail from Zanesville.

Another local fight, St. Clairsville’s Duncan Pagano, who was the runner up at the Parkersburg Toughman last month, won his middleweight bout over Quaker City’s Brad Hall by unanimous decision.

A pair of Bellaire brothers, Austen and Gabe Rejonis, joined the winners circle. “The Mullett Daddy” Austen, fighting in the middleweight division, scored a knockout of Wesley Whiteaker, of Fowler, Ohio, while Gabe, competing in the cruiserweight division (185-215) was a very close split decision winner over Barnesville’s “Tarzan” Trey Warner.

Other local winners were Steubenville’s “Killer” Denzol Morrow; Moundsville’s Zack Snyder; Steubenville’s Bruce Riley; Wheeling’s Kersten McAbee; St. Clairsville’s “Dr. Death” Blaze Hall; Cadiz’s “King” Preston Haney; Cameron’s duo of Cody “All-American” Sampson and Conner “Pretty Boy” Rogers, along with Barnesville’s “Coach” Benjamin Myers; Weirton’s Adarra “Rockem and Sockem” Atkins; Bridgeport’s Michael “The King” Kidwell; Steubenville’s Dashawn “The Joker” Schaeffer; and Martins Ferry’s Timothy Tatman.