Several familiar faces from recent Carnage Media PPVs are finalists for the 2023 Ohio MMA Awards. Visit Ohio MMA News on Facebook to cast your votes. Voting ends on 1/1/24

Amateur Submission of the Year

Quintin Richards is one of the eight finalists for this award. ‘The Guy’ is nominated for his knee bar victory over Zane Finley. Richard is ranked third among active Amateur Lightweights in Ohio and fourth in Kentucky. Riding a six-fight winning streak, Quintin has sealed four of those victories via submission. Richards fights out of Black Market Jiu-Jitsu. He has shared his knowledge with the Carnage Media commentary team on previous Pay-Per-Views. 

Amateur Knockout of the Year

Two combatants that we’ve seen plenty of are up for Amateur Knockout of the Year. Gates ‘The Sniper ‘ Cook is nominated for his win over Ryan Duffy at Ohio Combat League 26. David, ‘The Great Nuke’ Music, is nominated for his victory over Brandon Billiter at Caged Thunder 25. 

Gates Cook is the ninth-ranked Amateur Welterweight in Ohio. He’s 3-0, with two victories coming by knockout. At 6’4”, Cook’s long reach and accurate striking fit his ‘Sniper’ moniker. A member of Demolition Fight Team, Cook is competing in a tournament for the 170 lb CFS Championship at Carnage Fight Series 4 on January 20th.  

David Music is another fighter who lives up to his nickname. ‘The Great Nuke’ has explosive punching power, with three of his five MMA wins coming via KO/TKO. Music is a member of Demolition Fight Team and recently headlined the Monsters Unleashed in his home state of West Virginia. Music is the top-ranked Bantamweight in Ohio and ranks 14th amongst 465 active Bantamweights in the Midwest. 

Ohio MMA Rising Star – Amateur

The Amature Rising Star field features several fighters we’ve seen on previous Carnage Media cards. Rex Hoeffel, Qwinton Scheer, Hayden Russell, and Sydnee Leeth join Gates Cook on the ballot. 

Hoeffel fights out of fights out of Black Market Jiu-Jitsu, and Scheer is a member of Fightopia MMA. Russell and Leeth both represent Demolition Fight Team. Scheer is ranked 22nd among Ohio Middleweights. ‘Reckless’ Rex Hoeffel ranks 18th at Featherweight. Russell ranks 17th in Ohio Bantamweights, and ‘Insydious’ Sydnee Leeth is the eighth-ranked woman pound for pound in Ohio, according to Tapology. 

Amateur Fighter of the Year

Quintin Richards is also up for Amateur Fighter of the Year with a 3-0 record in 2023. Richards is the BCM Lightweight Champion and the ECC Lightweight/Welterweight Champion.

‘Trouble’ Trae Cusac will be on the next Carnage Media show, CFS 4, where he’ll compete in a tournament for the Heavyweight title. Cusac is 6-1 with a 3-1 record in 2023. He’s the ECC Champion and the Light Heavyweight Champion of Made Men Promotions. 

Pro Fighter of the Year

Dylan Budka might be the most familiar face on this list. One of the newest members of the UFC, Budka has not only fought on a previous PPV (Rd 1 Submission vs. Dan Stevenson), but his Mindless Mania Boxing Series was a Carnage Media regular in 2023. ‘The Mindless Hulk’ has joined the commentary desk, hosted interviews, and even stopped by the Carnage Christmas stream. 

Budka is a three-time LFA veteran who earned his UFC contract with a victory in Dana White’s Contender Series over Chad Hanekom. He’s the second-ranked Pro Middleweight in Minnesota and ranks sixth and 38th in the Midwest and United States, respectively. Budka fights out of Demolition Fight Team and has a 7-2 record overall, going 3-1 in 2023. 

Best of 2023

Good luck to all of the fighters nominated! Carnage Media and Bite-Size Sports wish everyone involved in combat sports a Happy New Year. Thank you to the athletes, coaches, gyms, promoters, venues, officials, judges, doctors, and fans! 

If you love the world of combat sports, tune into Carnage Unleashed on Monday nights at 8 pm EST on Carnage Media!