SportFight X – III: UNDEFEATED occurred last night at the Georgia World Congress Center, and Next MMA Fighter was there to catch all the action. However, with 15 fights to write about, I’m just going to give a few highlights rather than try to give play-by-plays. Let’s face it: You don’t want to sit here and read this for 45 minutes.
155 lb (amateur) – Travis Lord defeats Alphonso Batista by TKO, 2:27 of R2
205 lb (amateur) – Jericho (Josh) Latham defeats Aaron Black by split decision
135 lb (amateur) – Andre “300” Caminera Allen defeats (?) Johnny Orango by KO, 1:37 of R1*
This fight was supposed to be Andre Caminera Allen vs. Cody Canada.
155 lb (pro) – James Williams defeats Micah Goss, TKO, 4:06 of R1*
The ref arguably stopped this fight too soon; Goss was knocked down by a straight right, but still seemed able to defend himself.
155 lb (pro) – James Logan defeats Mark Howe by submission (RNC), 4:12 of R1
155 lb (pro) – Jacob Allman defeats Troy Dollar by unanimous decision
Allman is a tremendous wrestler. He maintained ground control over Dollar for almost the entire fight, and scored some really impressive takedowns, including a brutal suplex at just 23 seconds into the first round and some stunning counter-throws against the fence. Keep an eye out for this young fighter in future matches.
155 lb (pro) – Dustin Center defeats Kenny Jackson by submission (Americana armbar), 3:22 of R2
155 lb (pro) – Jarrid Burke defeats Mark Corum by unanimous decision
Burke entered the arena wearing a tux and a kabuki mask while riding a tricycle. Quite a showman. This match was a good one, with both fighters nearly knocked out on at least a couple occasions. At the end of the second round, Corum had Burke almost asleep on his feet but just didn’t have the gas left to finish the fight because of the punishment he had taken in the first round.
155 lb (pro) – DJ Fuentes defeats Eric Kriegermeier by split decision
185 lb (pro) – Johnny Buck defeats George Allen by tap out (strikes), 3:20 of R2
George Allen deserves respect for getting in the cage at his age. However, this fight might have been a good indication that his time as a fighter might be past; Buck dropped way too many elbows on his face for anyone to think this fight was a good idea.
170 lb (pro) – Dhiego Lima defeats Keon Caldwell by submission (kimura), 4:44 of R1
It looked like Lima actually dislocated Caldwell’s shoulder with a kimura to finish this fight. By the time the judges’ decision was announced, though, Caldwell had his arm back in place and was able to raise Lima’s with his own, showing great sportsmanship.
205 lb (pro) – Ethan Garrison defeats Sammy Collingwood by submission (armbar), in 3rd minute of R2
Collingwood talked a lot of shit both before and during this fight, but he was not really a match for undefeated Pan Am BJJ Brown Belt World Champion Ethan Garrison. Aside from a couple of brief moments where Collingwood managed to mount any kind of meaningful defense, Garrison dominated this bout on the ground for pretty much the entire time.
Before I go further, let me say that I had intended to get the fight results out to our Facebook page and the live feed on our site for instant updates of the fight results, but I had no connection, nor even a phone signal out there at the Georgia International Horse Park. A wifi connection for press would be a great addition for the next event if they want live, instant coverage.
185 lbs. | Nick Poythress vs. Ashley Coursin | Poythress by Submission (choke) @ 0:54 in R1
We had seen Poythress fight before, at Fanatic Fight Night in Hiram, GA, and he stayed true to form tonight… in that the fight was delayed because he needed to have his nails trimmed. That aside, though, he looked to be in a bit better shape this time out. His size was bad news for Coursin, who looked like he was carrying a lot of unnecessary weight ― he probably should be sitting around 155-160, not 185.
Off the top, Coursin actually tried to shoot for a takedown, but Poythress easily stuffed the smaller man face-first into the mat and then, being much stronger, proceeded to have his way. At under a minute into the round, he had secured what might have been an anaconda choke ― again, there was a big fat padded pillar blocking my view, so I couldn’t really see what exactly happened very well ― causing the ref to stop the fight at just 54 seconds in.
135 lbs. | Loc Mzuynan vs. Omar Miller | Mzuynan by Unanimous Decision
Unlike in the previous match, both of these young guys came out looking fit and ready to fight. Despite looking stronger, weighing in two pounds heavier at 137 lbs, and coming from the well-proven ATT camp, Miller ended up being tossed around for most of the three rounds of the fight. Mzuynan is a very promising young fighter.
In round 1, Mzuynan shot almost immediately, and successfully, for a double-leg, which he would come back to time after time in this fight. Miller tried to get a guillotine in as he landed, but wasn’t able to cinch it in tightly enough. By about 30 seconds into the match, Mzuynan had mounted up, and at some point during that scuffle the two fighters clashed heads pretty hard; both were cut, and the ref halted to fight to have the cuts checked. Both proved able to continue, though, and they settled back into the fight in short order. Around 1:50, Mzuynan showed off some decent jiu-jitsu, switching up quickly as Miller tried to bull his way out of the mount and almost locking in a pretty sweet armbar from the stacked up position on the bottom. Miller managed to muscle out of it, but only barely. Seriously, it was that close. They ended up on their feet after a short scramble, and Mzuynan scored another takedown around 2:30, showing again that he was the superior wrestler.
In round 2, at 16 seconds, Mzuynan took Miller down again and moved almost immediately into full mount. By 54 seconds, Miller managed to win his way back to his feet, but Mzuynan, a southpaw, caught him with a sweet left cross as they stood up, staggering Miller a little. At 1:20 they were down again, Miller once again on the bottom and succeeded in escaping after about a minute. By 2:20 they were on their feet again, and the remainder of the round was mostly spent circling.
Round 3 opened with a nice leg kick from Mzuynan, who shot instantly, following the kick up with a beautiful single-leg takedown. Both fighters seemed a little tired now, and the rest of this round was pretty slow-moving, with Mzuynan generally on top and controlling Miller against the cage.
In the end, I was surprised every judge didn’t have it 30-27 Mzuynan, but the result was still Mzuynan by unanimous decision. All in all, a good fight from both men, but Mzuynan proved the sharper both on his feet and on the ground.
145 lbs. | Ricky Delorier vs. Matthew Sheats | Delorier by Submission (triangle) @ 1:46 in R1
This was another short fight, but not as one-sided as the first match. Both of these guys looked fit and came out strong, throwing haymakers one after the other. By about 35 seconds in, they ended up on the ground with Delorier on the bottom, but he proved a good grappler, very quickly sneaking in a triangle and then tightening it for the win, by choke, at just 1:46 into the round.
It was a quick, fast-paced, energetic bout, and both fighters should be proud of this one.
165 lbs. | Art Belarde vs. Roger Lewis | Lewis by Unanimous Decision
This one was the second of two fights tonight to go the full three rounds. Both men came in looking a little flabby, though Belarde perhaps more so of the two; however, he also looked strong, and he certainly came in looking mentally ready to fight. Indeed, Belarde proved the more aggressive of the two, but as a result of his haste to engage, he often ended up on the bottom in grappling contests or getting the worse out of the punching exchanges, apparently thinking more about raw offense than precision.
In round 1, both fighters threw some decent punches; in fact, aside from maybe the Delorier/Sheats match just before, these two seemed by far the most willing of the fighters so far to stand up and trade punches. In several clinches, Belarde initiated a throw or a takedown only to have it reversed by Lewis and thus find himself on the bottom. Both men threw a few decent kicks, as well, but to be honest this round was largely indecisive. I gave the edge to Lewis due to his ability to reverse Belarde’s takedown attempts.
Round 2 started off a bit slow, both fighters looking for an advantage. A short while in, Belarde tried a spinning back kick, but Lewis, in another nice demonstration of his ability to counter, caught Belarde’s leg and promptly kicked the supporting leg out. For the next minute or more, the two rolled around trying for leg and ankle locks on one another, but nothing caught. At 1:59, the ref stopped the ground fight and stood them back up. Lewis then went on the offensive, landing a few nice punches to the head (though not without eating a few himself), and then shooting for a solid double-leg, moving immediately into Belarde’s guard. Here Belarde almost managed to pull off a triangle choke from the bottom, but the attempt was stopped by the bell.
In round 3, after a few indecisive exchanges, Belarde threw a heavy leg kick that Lewis once again timed and countered, checking the kick and following with a sweep of his own, dropping Belarde to the mat. For most of the rest of the round, the two rolled around occasionally reversing through one another’s transition and submissions attempts, though mostly by sheer muscle, with no really impressive wrestling displayed. Lewis had the slight edge here by virtue of his speed in counter-attacking early in the round.
In the end, Lewis took the fight by unanimous decision, although none of the judges scored it 30-27. This was a close fight between two strong guys, and aside from the third round, when both seemed pretty gassed, it was pretty entertaining to watch.
205 lbs. | Paco DeJesus vs. Titus Burden | DeJesus by Submission (armbar) @ 2:21 in R2
The big boys came out to play at this point, and as usual, these last two fights were a lot more about standing and banging than the fights earlier in the evening between the smaller, typically more agile and technique-oriented guys. That said, DeJesus is no slouch in the ground game either, as shown by his performance in round 2.
For the first minute or so of round 1, nothing too exciting happened, but as each guy got a feel for his opponent and warmed up to the fight, the punches gradually started flying. A short stoppage occurred about 25 seconds into the round after Burden tagged DeJesus with an unintentional knee to the groin, but the fight soon got back under way. At about 1:50, DeJesus managed a nice takedown, but the fight bogged down afterward, and the ref soon stood them up. After a few more exchanges, DeJesus again scored a takedown at 2:20. At 2:49, though, Burden pulled off a nice reversal, rolling DeJesus into the cage and following up with some big downward punches to the body (again, no head punches being allowed on the ground in amateur matches in Georgia).
Round 2 opened with Burden turning into the Tasmanian devil (the Loony Toons version, not the Australian one), flailing around and throwing wild punches left and right, really going for the big knockout. DeJesus traded some punches with him, to his credit, but then played smart and took Burden down again at about 1 minute into the round. From there he moved into side control and then, shortly, into full mount; by 1:40 or so he had worked his way around to Burden’s back and tried a rear naked choke. When Burden wormed out of it, spinning into DeJesus’ guard, DeJesus showed off some decent grappling skills and switched out to an armbar, securing it for the win at 2:21 into the round.
235+ lbs. | Mark Harmon vs. Paul Passmere | Passmere by K.O. @ 1:07 in R1
Harmon, at 262 lbs., looked like a big country boy for sure ― not at all fit, and looking like he probably rolled in from the local Country Style, the crumbs of a dozen double chocolate donuts no doubt decorating his already beer-stained tee-shirt. Passmere, at 250, looked much more like a fighter; he wasn’t ripped, but he was a solid 250. While, admittedly I hadn’t seen either fight, I have to say I didn’t much like Harmon’s chances. But you never know: Roy “Big Country” Nelson isn’t exactly a noteworthy physical specimen, but he shore can wrassle some good. So I gave Harmon the benefit of the doubt. For about 15 seconds.
At just 14 seconds into round 1, Passmere got a takedown and moved right into side control. By 0:35, they were back on their feet, both slugging it out ― and Harmon, to his credit, landed a few decent punches ― but Passmere clearly was delivering the worse punishment in every exchange.
And then at 1:02, by my timer (though the announcer gave it as 1:07), it happened: Every one of the screeching 16-year-old asshats I mentioned earlier bellowed out at once, in the grating ululation of someone whose balls have just recently dropped, as Passmere caught Harmon with a hard combo (again the fucking fence in the way didn’t let me see exactly what kind of punch it was, or even which hand had thrown it) and sent him sprawling unconscious to the mat.
The band they hired, a local thrash group called iNGRAiN, were actually not too bad, but the mosh pit full of 16-year-olds definitely detracted from the legitimacy of the event.
My real problem with the band, though, was that the promoters used them as a means of filling out the time between fights, which in my mind was a bad plan.
Have the band play before the fights, maybe, then let all the fights go, and then let them play again afterward. But don’t put them in between the fights and effectively have 5 or 6 different “intermissions” among only 8 fights. Until next time this is Scott for NextMMAFighter.com, signing off.
My apologies to you all for not getting this up sooner: My laptop died over the weekend, and I’ve been writing it up in 10-minute windows at work over the last three days.
I just want to say a few words about the production value of this show. The Sportfight X guys did an outstanding job, with high production values and good entertainment. The only complaint I’d offer was the lack of raked/stadium seating for the folks sitting further back, but other than that the event was top-notch throughout. The swearing in of four new air force recruits was pretty cool, in particular. And the woman who sang the national anthem? Damn, what a voice.
But I know you guys aren’t here to read about the singing and dancing during intermissions, even if it was all pretty cool, so I’ll get to the fighting.
This event had seven fights on the card, the first one an advanced amateur bout and the other six all professional matches.
185 lbs | Jeremy Wallace vs. Hamza Mutelib | Mutelib by Submission (armbar) @ 2:03 of R1
From the beginning of this short fight, Mutelib was the clear aggressor, pushing forward hard and making life difficult for his opponent. About 25 seconds into the match, he stuck in a beautiful hip throw, landing cleanly in side control. During that exchange, though from my angle I couldn’t quite be sure, it looked like the fighters clashed heads pretty hard, yet it didn’t seem to slow either man down. About a minute later, Mutelib was in full mount, well in control of this fight, and he pulled off an armbar at about 1:50, locking it in quickly for the victory at 2:03 in the first round.
Overall, this was a strong fight for both guys, but particularly for Mutelib, who was able to show off his superior ground game.
170 lbs | Dhiego Lima vs. Kenny Moss | Lima by Submission (triangle) @ 4:28 of R1
Lima landed a pretty heavy right almost out of the gate, after a brief clinch against the cage, but if the strike proved one thing, it’s that Moss has a great chin. These guys are both scrappers, and they put on a great show. In fact, I think Moss actually wanted to get hit. Throughout the first round, both threw multiple flurries of strikes, the action almost constant, and neither showed any sign of slowing down.
Around 2:30, Moss tried a spinning right hook kick to Lima’s head, but the kick went wide and Lima came back with a hard combo, including a nasty lead-leg roundhouse to Moss’s face. Moss finally seemed a little dazed by that one, but he quickly recovered; did I mention this kid has a concrete chin?
Just a bit over the 4:00 mark, Moss got Lima’s back as they maneuvered against the cage and then tried a suplex, but Lima managed to twist in the air and seemed to take the throw in stride. By 4:25, he showed decent jiu-jitsu and caught Moss in a triangle choke, cinching it for the win at 4:28 in round 1.
Great effort from both of these guys; I’d look forward to watching either of them fight again.
145 lbs | Byron Bloodworth vs. Jarall Bowman | Bloodworth by Submission (triangle) @ 4:23 of R1
These guys spent a while circling before the action really started, but once it did they both put on a good show. Around 1:20, Bloodworth caught a kick by Bowman and shot cleanly into a single-leg takedown, but showed some classic wrestling technique by hefting Bowman up and slamming him down hard. Like, probably heard clearly in the next building hard. Bowman kept his wits, though, and almost caught Bloodworth in a guillotine from the bottom, but after struggling with it for a while just wasn’t able to sink it in.
By 2:30 they were back on their feet, still clinching and looking for the takedown, but this time Bowman took the initiative. From the bottom, Bloodworth showed off his rubber guard, but wasn’t able to catch Bowman in his gogoplata attempt. However, by 3:59 he had shifted to a triangle choke, the second of the night in just three short matches, and locked this match up to win by submission at 4:22 in the first round.
Again, great fight from both guys, and congratulations to Byron Bloodworth for defeating a tough opponent.
155 lbs | Frank Millsap vs. Matt Covan | Millsap by TKO (verbal tapout, strikes) @ 3:23 in of R1
Coran opened up with some solid-looking leg kicks, but for the most part things moved a little slowly here when compared to the previous three fights. The pace was a bit surprising given the weight class, in fact, where guys are usually throwing wallops around like caffeine-crazed Energizer bunnies on speed.
Overall, I would have given the point game to Millsap by a hair, but the fight didn’t go that far. Millsap landed a solid flurry putting Covan against the fence, following up with a vicious flying knee (well, more of a hopping knee, but it worked), battering Covan into submission by blunt force trauma delivered via the knuckles and the patella. At 3:23, the ref called the fight after the fight had left Covan, who called for someone, anyone to stop the carnage.
185 lbs | Warren Thompson vs. David Vitkay | Vitkay by Submission (RNC) @ 3:38 of R2
This was the first fight of the night to make it out of the first round, and it was also something of an upset, at least for us at Nextmmafighter.com. That’s not to say I think Vitkay is a weak fighter, not at all, but we definitely had Thompson picked to take this one home.
To his credit, though, Vitkay came into this fight looking better and sharper than I had seen him in any of his previous matches in this fight series. His cardio was greatly improved, and he just seemed to really have the mental edge coming in. In fact, he was playing mind games with Thompson from the time they came forward for the ref’s pre-fight conflab. And it worked pretty damn well.
At about 1:15 in the first round Vitkay caught Thompson with a beautiful body slam, almost a pile driver, which by all rights should have deviated Thompson’s cranium. He went immediately into Thompson’s guard, and while Thompson went for a triangle choke, Vitkay muscled his way out of the submission handily. Vitkay kept the pressure on for the remainder of the round, holding the top position and landing some decent shots. The round was clearly his.
In round 2, Vitkay revealed what must have been his game-plan by bringing Thompson down again almost immediately, keeping the fight on the ground. He seemed a little tired this round, or was just being careful, because the action was a bit less intense from the top, but he nonetheless controlled Thompson for about 3 minutes, finally getting the back and winning by rear naked choke at 3:39 in the second round.
Great match, and a hearty “cheers” to Vitkay for impressing me with this performance.
Note: After the fight, I saw Thompson walking around with what looked like a messed-up shoulder; didn’t get a chance to ask him how it happened, but I’m thinking maybe the pile driver-esque takedown early in round 1 might have been the culprit? That might explain why Vitkay so easily managed the ground game for most of the fight.
145 lbs | Diego Saraiva vs. Dee Jay Fuentes | Saraiva by Unanimous Decision (30-27)
This was the first fight of the night to go the full three rounds, and it absolutely lived up to what I expect from two good 145-pound fighters: fast and furious. Saraiva showed some good boxing and muay thai, keeping up the pace and firing off some beautiful combinations throughout the fight. Fuentes is no slouch at the striking game either, with decent hands and some nice high kicks — a bit more flash than function, maybe, but always entertaining for the crowd.
For the first few minutes in round 1, the fight stayed on the feet, with both guys landing some glancing shots. Finally, around 2:44, Saraiva landed a nice inside knee in the clinch, the first really telling blow of the fight, but Fuentes recovered quickly. At 3:09, Saraiva took it to the ground, but they scrambled and were soon back on their feet. Very soon thereafter, Fuentes took a hard knee to the groin and the fight was paused.
Once he signaled that he was good to go, the fight recommenced, and Saraiva took the lead right away, landing a nice combination to the body and head, followed by a vicious roundhouse kick to Fuentes’ upper thigh. Lesson learned? Fuentes is a tough kid, taking it all in stride. Finally, just about 10 seconds before the bell, Saraiva caught a single leg and brought the fight to the ground, but didn’t have time to really do anything more before the round ended.
In round 2, the fight went to the ground quickly, Saraiva getting the takedown and landing in full mount. He started pounding, but Fuentes weathered the storm pretty well. At 1:15, Saraiva got Fuentes’ back, but Fuentes recovered and got back around, bringing Saraiva into his guard. Saraiva seemed okay with that, though, dropping some wicked fists and elbows for a time. By 3:56, things had slowed, and the ref stood the two up for inactivity. The remainder of the round was a slower match, with some circling and a few combos thrown on both sides, but little of consequence landing.
Going into round 3, Saraiva had the edge in the standup striking game again, but only barely. At 0:49, I guess feeling that he didn’t want to wage a stand-up point battle, he shot under Fuentes’ punch and took the fight to the ground again. From there, he rained some more punishment from the top, though a bit more slowly and with less impact than in the second round. By 3:24, he managed to get Fuentes’ back again, and after some more striking, maneuvered himself into a rear triangle from the top; that’s a hard submission to sink in, though, and Fuentes fought through till the bell.
So, after a good three-round match, Saraiva had bested Fuentes in all three rounds, though by a narrow margin, and took the win by unanimous decision. Congratulations to both fighters for an exciting match.
185 lbs | Douglas Lima vs. Cortez Coleman | Lima wins by Split Decision
This fight also went the full three rounds, and it was a much closer affair than the previous fight. While I actually gave the edge to Coleman, scoring 10-9 for him in rounds 2 and 3 (which surprised me, to be honest, since I had Lima winning this hands down coming into the fight), the judges saw it differently and gave Lima the win. Admittedly, though, it was a close enough fight that it really could have gone either way, and both fighters put on an outstanding performance.
Both fighters came in looking very fit, and given the $10,000 prize, I’d have been surprised to find it any other way. Coleman looked far leaner than I recalled him being the last time I saw him fight. Then again, you’d want to train damn hard for the title in a fight series too, especially when that kind of money is on the line, right?
Anyway, both guys looked strong in the clinch early in round 1. Lima started the scoring with a takedown about 20 seconds into the round, but they were soon back on their feet. A short while later, Coleman tried a throw, but Lima capably reversed it; however, in the scramble, Coleman still ended up on top in Lima’s guard. By 1:53, Lima had worked his way back up to his feet, and they proceeded to clinch, shoving each other around and showing that both men had good cage control. For the most part, this part of the round was indecisive. At 2:53, Lima pulled of a beautiful body slam, but Coleman quickly got back to his feet. Overall, Coleman seemed slightly stronger, but Lima had the edge in speed and outpointed his opponent this round.
In round 2, they traded some powerful shots for the better part of the first minute until, at 0:44, Lima managed another takedown. By 1:15 Lima had taken Coleman’s back; Coleman managed to work around and get Lima into his guard, but Lima then got full mount about half a minute later. That didn’t decide things, though, because by about 3 minutes into the round Coleman turned things around and took the top position. Neither was able to land anything really clean from the top position, though. In all, this was a very close round, but I gave the edge to Coleman due to superior control on the ground; on their feet, the score was about even. I suspect this is where the judges and I differed.
In round 3, we saw a lot more clinching and cage work; Lima got a couple of decent knees in here and there, but nothing landed very cleanly. Following the 2-minute mark, Coleman landed a couple of nice combinations, taking the steam out of Lima, who was starting to look a bit gassed. (This surprised me a bit, actually, as he had seemed pretty much indefatigable in his previous fights I’d seen.) By 3:45, both men were looking pretty tired, and a nice crisp downward elbow from Lima in the clinch was about the only thing worth mentioning in the latter part of the round. In the end, this seemed the easiest round to score: I gave it to Coleman.
Again, this was a great fight from two skilled, strong fighters, and it really could have gone either way. Coleman performed better than I had seen him, and I just couldn’t be sure which way the judges would go in the final analysis. Certainly neither man should be disappointed in his performance during this bout.
So, that wraps it up. In all, this was one of the best nights of fights I’ve seen in Atlanta, and I congratulate everyone involved on the fighters’ side and the promoters’. Can’t wait till the next one!
Before I get started on the fight play-by-plays, I just want to say that this event was very well run. We’ve seen lots of small shows like this, and these guys really did a great job of putting together an evening of fights. And the guy who played the national anthem at the top of the show had some hella sweet riffs.
Okay, now on to the fights.
This was an all-amateur event, so keep in mind that, as usual in GA, these fighters weren’t allowed to strike to the head while on the ground.
Fight 1 (170 lb): Allen Little [1-0] vs. Alex Fergueson [5-0]
Winner, Little by Submission (rear naked choke) @ 1:14 of Round 1
Pretty short fight, and arguably a questionable stoppage. Little took the early advantage in this fight after scooping the leg of a kick by Fergueson, pulling it away into a nice turning single-leg takedown. From there he got into full mount and then got almost to Fergueson’s back when the latter fighter tried to roll away, eventually getting in a somewhat unorthodox choke (really more of a side choke than a rear naked, or so it looked from my position). The fight was stopped due to tapout at 1:14 in the first round. Good jiu-jitsu from Little, for sure.
I should point out that the ref made a good stoppage, although lots of people in the crowd — and Fergueson himself — obviously disagreed. From where I sat, it looked as if Fergueson was trying to pull Little’s hand away from his throat rather than tap on it, but I admittedly couldn’t see very well due to the angle. In any case, in an amateur bout, I’m happy seeing a referee err on the side of caution for the fighter rather than of more bloodletting for the crowd. Once a fighter starts getting paid, then sure, all bets are off.
Anyway, after a bit of an initial outburst followed by his storming out of the cage, Fergueson had some sense talked into him by one of his cornermen, after which he came back in the ring and, in a show of slightly belated good sportsmanship, congratulated his opponent. It was good to see, even if it was a bit tardy.
Fight 2 (155 lb): Josh Downing vs. Joey Nicolson
Winner, Downing by TKO (stoppage due to strikes) @ 0:43 of Round 1
Another quick fight. Of these two fighters, Downing looked the fitter, but both proved capable of throwing good, hard punches. Downing’s proved the stronger, though, when he pulled off a nice combo to finish the fight: He landed a high right-leg roundhouse followed by a big left hook and a straight right that staggered Nicolson and sent him sprawling back into the cage. After checking to see whether Nicolson still knew what planet he was on, and apparently getting the reply “Mars, right?” the ref called a stop at just 43 seconds into the first round.
Fight 3 (170 lb): Clay Bowen vs. Michael Depeyster
Winner, Depeyster by Decision (split)
This one actually went the full three rounds, although I’m not sure if the judges were watching the same three rounds I was.
Both of these guys came in looking strong for 170, and both looked well-conditioned. In the first round, they both landed some good punches, and both seemed to have good chins — there was no obvious advantage in terms of damage dealt by strikes. Bowen seemed the better boxer inside the clinch, maybe, while Depeyster had a slight edge when he was able to stay outside. Bowen managed a nice standing guillotine early in the round, but Depeyster was ultimately able to slip out of it; he also managed to keep Depeyster pushed up against the fence for a good part of the round, showing good control of the standup. Late in the round, Depeyster avoided two takedown attempts from Bowen, demonstrating a good sprawl, and managed to feed a couple of solid right hands to Bowen as he closed. I gave this round 10-9 to Depeyster due to more strikes landed.
In round 2, Depeyster caught Bowen with a heavy left hook early on, but at the 26-second mark Bowen picked him up high and slammed him hard; at 1:05, he got a full mount on Depeyster, and he managed to stay on top for most of the round. At about 1:30 Depeyster rolled out of the mount, but Bowen slid immediately into an armbar attempt, which Depeyster avoided only narrowly after struggling against it for a bit. While on top, Depeyster seemed at a loss, throwing only two punches to the body that I counted, and otherwise just lying there. I gave this round to Bowen, 10-9.
Round 3 started slowly, the fighter circling for a good 30 seconds or so, until Bowen tied up in the clinch and managed to rocket some knees into Depeyster’s legs and mid-section. None of them were earthshaking, but a number of them landed. At 1:10 he managed a nice double-leg, scooping Depeyster up and bringing him down hard on the cage floor. From inside Depeyster’s guard, he threw a bunch of solid body shots, which Depeyster had seemed unable to manage in the previous round when he had the top, and he kept control for the reaminder of the round, despite a nearly successful reversal from Depeyster at the 2:12 mark. Again, I scored this one 10-9 Bowen.
However, at least two of the judges must have still been on Mars with Nicolson from the previous fight, because they scored the fight 30-27 Bowen, 30-27 Depeyster, and 29-28 Depeyster, giving the latter fighter the win by split decision.
Fight 4 (135 lb): Diangelo Bynum vs. Hector Espinoza
Winner, Bynum by Decision (unanimous)
This one also went the full three rounds, and it was a great fight to watch — one of the two best fights of the night.
First off, I’ve got to mention Bynum’s entrance… perched, inside a dufflebag with just his head and hands sticking out, on the back of one of his cornermen. After the fight, he told us that their gag was an homage to Ace Ventura: Pet Detective. If you’ve never seen a 135-lb dude shaking his fists like a madman while shoved in a sack and carried on the back of a 230-lb guy, well… then you just haven’t lived. Or something. Anyway, it was pretty funny.
But on to the fight. With guys this size, you expect fast, frenetic action and great endurance, and neither of these fighters disappointed. Espinoza started the scoring with some solid leg kicks, but Bynum timed the first two and shot a lightning-fast takedown early in the round. Espinoza nearly caught him in a guillotine from his guard, but Bynum weaseled out around 1:30 into the round. The rest of the round was similarly quick, with the two fighters competing for the advantage on the ground and on their feet. Right on the bell, Bynum caught Espinoza with another takedown.
In round 2, Bynum showed his standup skills a little more, landing some good shots in the first 30 seconds of the round, and also managed to stuff a takedown attempt by Espinoza, ending with a classic Greco-Roman front-head-and-arm. But that doesn’t mean Espinoza was a slouch; he is a solid 135, and he throws punches like a guy who’s much heavier. Bynum’s game plan of avoiding those fists and bringing the fight to the ground whenever possible carried him through, however. The ref showed some good judgment in standing the fighters up on two occasions during this round when the ground work slowed, but each time Bynum was able to bring Espinoza back down and execute his plan, ending with a big slam from a double-leg late in the round.
The third round cinched the decision for Bynum, who shot yet another successful single-leg takedown at just 11 seconds after the opening bell, and he kept the pressure on for the rest of the round. At just under a minute into the round, Espinoza, who looked maybe slightly the stronger of the pair, rolled Bynum around and got into his guard; however, Bynum immediately went for a triangle, which nearly sunk in. Espinzo broke free around 1:40, but Bynum won the scramble and got into side control, and from there managed the rest of the round.
Interestingly, by my observation (using my trusty iPhone stopwatch app…), the bell for the third round rang at 2:00, not 3:00, making the fight result a little questionable, but Bynum dominated things pretty clearly throughout, so I certainly don’t mean to take anything away from him.
In all, a terrific, fast-paced fight from two very talented young combatants. Either one of these guys will certainly put on a good show if you ever get an opportunity to see him fight.
Fight 5 (145 lb): Dar Shorunke vs. Jason Valle
Winner, Valle by Decision (unanimous)
This was the other great fight of the night.
At the top of this action, NextMMAfighter’s Oscar and I were trying to figure out whether Shorunke is actually the biggest 145-pounder we’ve ever seen. Seriously, the guy looked at least 175 lb coming in. Very big dude for this weight class.
That said, though, Valle is a solid 145er too, probably well over 160 for this fight, I’d guess. And on top of that, this guy’s wrestling and jitz are excellent. Very strong takedowns and ground game; it was a shame we couldn’t see him fully utilize his ground-and-pound skills given that this was an amateur fight — no head shots on the ground.
At about 12 seconds into the first round, Valle shot a good double-leg and landed in Shorunke’s guard, following up with a barrage of punches to the floating ribs. They stayed there for over a minute, until Valle went for a guillotine from the top, but Shorunke was able to muscle out of the hold. Just about 7 or 8 seconds before the end of the round, Valle attempted a gogoplata, which had us all pretty excited — if you read our site regularly, you know that it’s a longstanding tradition for us to do shots every time someone gets a knockout or an advanced submission, we usually do a shot. (We found a liqueur called “kimora” that resonates for some reason, but vodka works, or tequila, whatever.) Sadly, or maybe thankfully, this was not a licensed venue.
In round 2, both fighters entered swinging, both landing some nice strikes. About 30 seconds in, Valle shot another takedown, moving almost immediately into a full mount. Shorunke managed to reverse, though, about 1 minute in, and stayed on top for a good half-minute. At 1:37, Valle shook loose and they scrambled, shifting around for position in an attempt to get the advantage. Shorunke listens very well to his corner, and you could literally watch him react as they shouted commands. Good sign of a smart fighter. Around 2:30, Shorunke got to his feet and let Valle get up, apparently not wanting to stay on the ground any more. Valle showed that he too was willing to stand and bang, landing some nice punches, but Shorunke seemed pretty much unfazed when the bell rang.
The final round was a different story, though. Shorunke answered the bell looking pretty tired, while Valle looked about as fresh as he had at the start of the previous round. That’s not to say Shorunke was drained, as he was still moving well, but conditioning did seem to come into play in this round. Nothing really remarkable happened during this round, aside from the usual strikes and grappling, with the ref standing the pair up a couple of times when the groundwork came to a standstill. To sum the round up, Valle seemed to have the upper hand for the most part, with several submission attempts and some more excellent striking. Near the end of the round, he nearly caught Shorunke in a triangle, but the bell ended the fight, not the choke.
In the end, the judges gave the fight to Valle unanimously, which agreed with my assessment.
Fight 6 (185 lb): Nick Poythress vs. Justin Woods
Winner, Woods by Submission (armbar) @ 1:49 of R1
This fight was initially held up for a good 5 minutes while people ran around looking for a pair of nail clippers because Poythress’ finger nails were too long. Now, not to be an ass, but if you’re rolling around with guys every day, you should be checking your nails at least a couple of times a week, if not every day.
Anyway, once the fight actually started, it was kind of one-sided. Woods easily dodged Poythress’ punches, which were very powerful — he’s a big, strong guy — but also telegraphed from somewhere south of Miami. Around 1:38, Poythress demonstrated his strength by powering out of Woods’ side mount, but Woods, again the faster fighter, rolled over and caught an armbar. By 1:59, he had secured it for the win. And that’s where this fight took another turn for the unusual.
Poythress, upset at the referee, nearly started a fight with the referee and with everyone in Wood’s corner, including Woods himself. But the irony was that he was apparently pissed not because he disagreed with the stoppage itself, but because he felt the judge had taken too long to stop the fight when he tapped. From the ref’s vantage point behind him, though, with Poythress’ head crunched up against the cage, his right arm splayed out underneath him and his left hand under his body, there was just no way the ref could have seen his left hand tapping.
Anyway, short fight, but a remarkable one.
Fight 7 (205 lb): Daniel Norton vs. Aundre Evans
Winner, Norton by Submission (armbar) @ 2:48 of R1
This was another short fight, and we pretty much called it as the fighters entered. Evans simply didn’t look like he was ready to fight. We assumed his conditioning would work against him, but the fight was over before it really had a chance to come into play.
Norton got a takedown very quickly after the bell, moving right into a full mount, and kept working for the armbar. At first he seemed a bit uncomfortable fighting from the mount, but he eventually sunk the armbar in at 2:49. All told, for the main card of the night, this was a pretty uneventful fight. Norton clearly had the edge.
Thats all we got for tonight, thanks to the promoters from Fanatic Fight Night, Alpha Fighting Systems and Sponsored Fan for putting on a great show that we were happy to be a part of.
Here are our round by round summaries of the action on Friday night. All pictures from the event can be seen by clicking the above link or you can enjoy the slide show.
Fight 1 (170 lb): Steele McCall vs. Heath Reep [Amateur]
Winner, McCall by Submission (armbar) @ 1:21 of Round 1
Well, this one didn’t take long. Both guys came in looking sharp, but the action began when McCall missed with a hook kick attempt and slipped, falling. Reep took advantage of the fall, diving on top, but McCall, who looked a bit bigger and stronger, was soon able to reverse things, almost catching Reep in a triangle. While Reep managed to slip that submission attempt, McCall transitioned to an armbar and was able to lock it in, stealing the victory at just a little over a minute into the first round.
Fight 2 (205 lb): Dustin McKown vs. Mike Alvarado [Amateur]
McKown and Alvarado Squaring Up
Winner, McKown by Submission (rear naked choke) @ 1:23 of Round 3
These two dudes looked like they wanted to throw bombs, but both of them proved better grapplers than strikers. Not too far into the first round, McKown shot for the double-leg, getting a takedown and landing in Alvarado’s guard. He then worked for a kimura, but Alvarado was able to avoid the hold; in doing so, though, he gave up his back to McKown. At the end of the round, McKown appeared to be very close to locking in a side-choke, but the bell interceded.
In round 2, both fighters again demonstrated a willingness to trade some punches, but no real ability to throw anything meaningful. (If I had to choose who had the advantage in the standup, I’d say the older fighter, Alvarado, I guess, but only by a hair.) McKown eventually went for the double-leg again, driving the sprawling Alvarado all the way across the ring before shoving him into the fence and then onto his back. Almost immediately, as in the previous round, McKown tried for the kimura, but was again unsuccessful. Around the 2-minute mark, Alvarado worked his way back to his feet, but McKown quickly dragged him back down against the fence, where they stayed till the bell rang. I gave this round, as I did the first one, to McKown.
Round 3 ended pretty quickly. About 18 seconds into the round, McKown got a nice single-leg takedown, and after scrambling for 30 seconds or so, he was able to get the back of Alvarado, who was looking pretty much gassed by this point. McKown dug in for the RNC, which he sunk in for the victory at 1:23 in the third round.
Fight 3 (185 lb): Chris McNally vs. Jeremy Wallace [Amateur]
McNally looking to finish
Winner, McNally by Decision (unanimous)
I don’t know if it registered with me on fight night, but now in retrospect I find it kind of interesting that the winners of the first three fights are all presumably descended from the Irish: McCall, McKown, and McNally. Scrappy bastards. Makes me happy to say I’m part Irish myself.
Anyway, McNally and Wallace are both good fighters and tough guys, but McNally’s wrestling skills are just plainly superior to Wallace’s, or at least they were this past Friday.
In the first round, McNally dominated with his grappling game, spending most of his time either shoving Wallace into the fence and stuffing knees into his gut or else slamming him into the mat hard and then controlling his position. Unfortunately, this being an amateur bout, there wasn’t much damage he could do from the ground, aside from belting Wallace in the shoulder from time to time ― not terribly effective. For me, the highlight of this round was what looked to be a figure-four leglock attempt by Wallace late in the round, which (fortunately for McNally) missed, leaving Wallace open to McNally’s reversal.
In round 2 we saw more of the same. Wallace opened with a big roundhouse to the upper body, which McNally caught, and he then proceeded to scoop Wallace and body slam him hard, the sound of it resounding through the auditorium. Around 1:35 into the round, Wallace was able to use the fence to kick off and roll on top of McNally, but McNally almost immediately reversed positions, regaining the upper hand. At the end of the round, McNally was inches away from digging in a kimura.
Wallace came out swinging large in round 3, knowing the fight was going against him, and he managed to land a couple of heavy but glancing shots. However, McNally ducked under and went for a big double-leg, landing in Wallace’s guard and proceeding to dominate the rest of the round with multiple submission attempts ― which, to his credit, Wallace was able to avoid.
Still in the end, it was plain that McNally had controlled the pace and the space, and anything other than the resulting unanimous 30–27 decision in McNally’s favor would have been a travesty. I look forward to watching either of these guys fight again. But McNally’s in great shape and has a superior grappling game; we didn’t get to see much of his boxing skills, but with a decent standup skillset, he could be a serious contender at 185 lb.
Fight 4 (185 lb): Cale Yarborough vs. Bernard Rutherford [Professional]
Yarborough dropping a huge knee
Winner, Yarborough by Submission (guillotine) @ 4:31 in Round 2
This was a good fight, with lots of fast action. Rutherford clipped Yarborough early in the round, knocking him off balance and onto his back, and then capitalized quickly, taking the top. Yarborough spent the better part of the round trying submission attempts from his back, though, and Rutherford nearly got caught a couple of times. Around 2:30, Yarborough got to his feet using the fence. They exchanged some more strikes, and Rutherford missed a takedown before throwing a flying knee that landed glancingly but didn’t appear to do too much damage; he then succeeded on a second takedown attempt and fell into Yarborough’s guard. At 4:00, though, Yarborough was able to get to his feet again, and the tide of the fight turned a bit at this point: He landed a couple of heavy punches in the last 30 seconds or so, pushing Rutherford up against the fence. Still, I gave this round to Rutherford, 10-9.
In round 2, Rutherford came out looking pretty tired. Yarborough tried a jumping roundhouse to the head, but missed and fell, rolling away; Rutherford managed to catch him before he got back to his feet, almost getting side control, but after a short scramble they ended up back on their feet. By 1:30, both fighters were looking very tired, but Rutherford more so, and they clinched and ended up falling together. Yarborugh got Rutherford’s back around 2:15 and almost ended the fight with a rear naked choke, but Rutherford was able to slip away and twist into the guard, on top. After a quick surge back to their feet, Yarborough caught a high kick from Rutherford and landed a few crisp punches to Rutherford’s head while still trapping the leg. They ended up on the ground again, where Yarborough was able to cinch in a guillotine for the win.
Fight 5 (205 lb): Ethan Garrison vs. Chase Minor [Professional]
Garrison in control from the top
Winner, Garrison by Submission (rear naked choke) @ 1:49 of Round 1
Watching the two fighters come into the ring, you could almost call the fight before it began. Of course anyone who watches a lot of fights knows that anything can happen and that appearances can be deceiving (and with a 3–0 record coming in, Minor must be a decent fighter), but combat tends to favor the much stronger guy. Garrison is a big, ripped 205er, looking about twice as big as Minor, who seemed uncomfortable at this weight class and should probably be fighting at 185.
Aside from one decent guillotine attempt by Minor, who just didn’t have the strength to lock it in, the fight bore out my initial observations. Garrison pretty much manhandled Minor, sealing the win with a rear naked choke less than 2 minutes into the first round.
REDLINE Grand Prix Semi-Final Matches (185 lb)
Fight 6: Cortez Coleman vs. George Lockhart [Professional]
Lockhart eyes his opponent
Winner, Coleman by Decision (unanimous)
Most of the first round involved Lockhart pushing Coleman up against the cage, but there was little damage done on either side. Both men landed a few punches and some decent knees, but nothing decisive. I gave this round to Lockhart, 10-9, only because he managed a nice single-leg takedown at one point, but otherwise this round was pretty even and uneventful.
In round 2, Lockhart managed another single-leg early on, but the rest of the round favored Coleman, who was able to land a couple of decent blows, including one really nice left hook that knocked Lockhart down; Coleman then spent the better part of the round on top, where he was able to land a few short elbows to the side of Lockhart’s head. I gave this round to Coleman 10-9.
After they traded some more shots, the ref called the doctor in to look at Lockhart’s eye around 1:23 or so into the third round. The fight continued, but Lockhart’s left eye was pretty swollen and he seemed leery of getting hit again on that side. Coleman pushed the advantage, and although Lockhart was able to keep him up against the fence for a while and get another nice takedown later in the round, Coleman was quick to reverse position and deal some decisive short elbows from the top. I scored this round 10-9 Coleman.
In the end, the judges scored the bout 30-27, 29-28, and 29-28 for Coleman, making it a unanimous decision.
Fight 7: Clint Hester vs. Douglas Lima [Professional]
Lima trying to loosen Hester up for an Armbar
Winner, Lima by Decision (unanimous)
This one was easily the fight of the night: Both Hester and Lima are great young fighters, both in great shape, and both loving what they do. While both are excellent strikers, with solid boxing and good kicks, Lima is an excellent counter-puncher and has great knees from the clinch, and that and his somewhat unorthodox fighting stance gave him a significant edge.
Around 3:10 into the first round, after a number of fast, exciting exchanges, Lima was able to land a solid knee to Hester’s chin, following up with a rush that brought Hester down against the cage, where Lima was able to maintain side control for the remainder of the round. I scored this round 10-9 Lima.
In round 2, Lima demonstrated some remarkable reflexes, reacting to Hester’s double-leg takedown attempt early in the round by bouncing off the fence and shoving Hester back off balance, then riding him back and down into a full mount. Around 1:45 into the round, Hester was finally able to scramble around and get to Lima’s back, but Lima then broke away himself and they ended back up on their feet. Lima then landed a few nice right hands, shaking Hester up a little, and at 3:10 Lima took advantage when Hester tried a high roundhouse and slipped. Lima then spent a little while in side control against the fence, dropping in some wicked short elbows. At 3:55, he got Hester’s back, digging in both hooks, and landed some nice head shots, until he slipped in for an armbar around 4:33. Much to the amazement of the audience, however, Hester was able to hold the armbar off for the remainder of the round, locking his hand against his own thigh and countering Lima’s constant pressure, a testament to Hester’s strength and will. I called it 10-8 Lima.
Both fighters came out throwing hard in round 3, but Lima slipped under and got a big double-leg, landing in Hester’s guard. While Hester almost slipped away a couple of times, Lima spent most of this round on top, and in the last minute of the round he got into a full mount, raining down some hard shots from a full upright posture. Right at the end, Hester turned away and Lima got his back, almost sinking in a rear naked choke before the bell. Again, 10-8 Lima.
The judges scored this one 30-27, unanimously. That said, it was a very energetic and exciting fight, even when Lima clearly had the upper hand. Hester is a tough guy with a lot of heart, and we look forward to seeing both of these guys step in the ring again.
So, going forward, we have Lima and Coleman going into the REDLINE Grand Prix finale. Should be a good match-up, but I have to give the edge to Lima, I think. Either way, it promises another night of exciting fights at Sin City, and I can’t wait. See you there.
170lbs | Amir Dadovic vs. Marcus Stanford | Stanford by Submission (armbar) R3 @ 1:07
Dadovic came out looking sharper at the top of the first round and took the offensive early, almost getting a guillotine in on Stanford within the first minute. However, things went downhill for him from that point on in the round. He narrowly avoided an omoplata from Stanford later on, and overall Stanford managed to push him around.
In the second round, Stanford began as the aggressor, attempting a double-leg takedown, but Dadovich stuffed the shot pretty easily and landed on top in the scramble. The rest of the round consisted of Dadovich sitting in Stanford’s guard, shoving him around the ring. They ended back on their feet about 6 seconds off the bell, ending a pretty uneventful round.
The final round started off much like the second, with Dadovich ending on top when Stanford missed the takedown attempt about 8 seconds in. However, this time Stanford managed to lock in the omoplata, cinching the victory at 1:07 in the third round.
170lbs | Chris McNally vs. Ernest Brewer | McNally by Submission (armbar) R1 @ 1:05
Not much of a contest, really. McNally took a few nice shots in the face early in the round and then took Brewer to the ground. By 1:05, he finished Brewer off with a pretty sweet straight armbar.
185lbs | Jeremy Wallace vs. Donald Clack | Wallace by Unanimous Decision
This was a pretty one-sided fight, ending in Wallace getting a unanimous 30-27 decision. The details don’t so much matter: Wallace was the stronger fighter, and he showed it, pushing Clack around for almost the full 3 rounds. He slammed Clack to the floor several times, each time harder than the first, to the point where we were wondering if the cage floor was going to hold out. Somehow it did, and even more amazingly, so did Clack.
While Wallace tossed him around, though, I have to give Clack credit – a lot of other fighters would have given up after a round or two of being manhandled so thoroughly. And in fact, the best fighting we saw from Clack happened in the final 20 seconds or so of the last round, so the guy definitely has spirit. Maybe he just needs a bit more time learning how to escape from a stronger guy’s clinch.
195lbs | Eddie Walker vs. Jason Black | Walker by Decision
This fight was better than the three previous, with some nice shots traded back and forth on both sides. Both fighters also got a decent takedown during the first round, making that one pretty much a toss-up.
In the second round, as in the first, these two duked it out pretty well, letting the leather fly. Black managed a nice takedown at one point, but overall I gave this round to Walker in terms of damage dealt.
The third round, like the first, was pretty damned close. Aside from Walker taking a lead-leg roundhouse straight to the nads at about 40 seconds into the round, resulting in a couple minutes of hooting and jeering from the audience, nothing too exciting happened during this round – both guys were pretty tired by now, and none of their punches were having too much effect.
In the end, the judges scored the fight 30-27 Black, 30-27 Walker, and 29-28 Walker, respectively, ending in pretty much what I expected: a victory, but a close one, for Walker.
UNDER CARD – “ADVANCED AMATEUR” BOUTS
A word about “advanced amateur” fights: I’d never seen or even heard of this before, to be honest. Apparently, to qualify, an amateur fighter needs to have at least 3 fights under his belt. And that’s it.
The fighters still wear shin guards in these matches, but they are allowed to strike to the face with fists and elbows when on the ground, unlike in other amateur fights in GA. Which, in my mind, is a good thing.
Face smashing = double-plus good.
155lbs | Steven Upchurch vs. Sid Bargo | Bargo by Submission (armbar) R1 @ 1:23
So, this being an advanced amateur fight, these guys were allowed to smash each other in the face while on the ground. And that’s exactly what Bargo proceeded to do to Upchurch once he took him down, making pretty short work of it. Upchurch struggled to escape, but Bargo was all over him like Oprah on a Mcgangbang. By 1:23 in the first round, the fight was over, with Bargo the victor by means of a pretty awesome kimura.
170lbs | Justin Chung vs. Matt Sword | Chung by Submission (rear naked choke) R1 @ 2:53
These guys traded some nice punches and kicks for the first 40 seconds or so, until Chung shot a nice takedown. They scrambled about for a while, but while they seemed pretty evenly matched on their feet, Chung had the edge on the ground, and by 2:53, he had managed to sink in a choke and bring the fight to an end.
Honestly, the fight was a bit disappointing: It would have been nice to see these two duke it out for a bit more, as they both had pretty good standup.
As I might have mentioned, I love watching people hit each other.
But Chung can’t be criticized for taking the smarter path and bringing the fight to where he was stronger, so it’s cool, I suppose.
155lbs | Charles Cooper vs. John Cofer | Cofer by TKO (strikes) R1 @ 3:35
In this fight, Cofer punched Cooper about the head and face. A lot. It was sweet. And then he won. I cheered.
REDLINE 185LB GRAND PRIX ROUND 1 (PROFESSIONAL BOUTS)
George Lockhart vs. Willie Smalls | Lockhart by Submission (rear naked choke) R2 @ 0:32
Lockhart pretty much dominated this fight. He slammed Smalls hard around 30 seconds into the first round, and then proceeded to roll him around and rain blows on him for the remainder of the round. It came as no surprise when he took Smalls down again early in the second round, but this time he was able to finish, choking Smalls out just 32 seconds into the round.
I have a feeling he could have finished Smalls earlier in the first round, but he wanted to make us all happy by showing off some ground-n-pound first. But I might just be imagining that.
George Allen vs. Cortez Coleman | Coleman by Decision
This was probably the most boring fight of the night. While I give mad props to Allen for still getting out there and throwing at his age, the fight was essentially two gassed dudes lying around on each other. I can find that on the internet in a number of places, I’m sure, if I wanted to.
Ultimately, the decision went to Coleman (as it should have), who was able to deal a bit of damage from the top position during the third round, as opposed to Allen, who couldn’t seem to do anything but try to catch his breath when he had the advantage of position.
Douglas Lima vs. Eddie Hernandez | Lima by Submission (triangle) R1 @ 2:34
Despite the short duration of this fight, it was easily the most spectacular of the night. These guys don’t like each other, and they both came out throwing bombs with very clearly wicked intent. It was great. Lima managed to land the better share of the punches, but I have to say, Hernandez has a better chin than I thought.
Eventually, around 1:30 into the round or so, Lima managed to get Hernandez’s back — I mean literally riding on his back — with the latter still on his feet, and proceeded to rain punches down on the top and sides of Hernandez’s head from this aerial position. It was an advertisement-worthy moment, and I wish you could have seen it.
Hernandez then dove forward, causing Lima to land on his head in such a way that he should have died then and there. But somehow, Lima managed not only to live, but also to keep Hernandez’s back – and even to keep his arm locked around Hernandez’s neck.
They then scrambled for a bit until Hernandez managed to reverse their position, entering Lima’s guard, but Lima soon managed to sneak in a triangle from the bottom, ending the fight.
As I said, fight of the night. Easily. These are two tough dudes, both skilled fighters and both worthy of watching again.
Clint Hester vs. Aaron “Tex” Johnson | Hester by KO (stoppage) R1 @ 0:42
Uh, yeah. Hester. Badass.
Now, I’ve seen both of these guys fight a couple of times, and they’re both mean. Johnson likes breaking dudes’ arms. I mean, I think he really likes doing it. So I thought this fight might go a long way. And Johnson proved in this fight that he’s not afraid to stand up and bang. It’s just that…
Hester. Yeah. Badass.
I suppose, if the fight had gone to the ground, things might have gone very differently. But Johnson seemed to want to trade punches, and that was his undoing.
Hester threw so many giant ham-fists at Johnson’s head that Johnson must have thought it was Christmas. Seriously. And I’m sure the little stars and birds that must have been floating in the air around him couldn’t have helped. Tex Johnson is a great fighter and will for sure be back, but Hester rocked him, ending the fight decisively and sending the crowd into a frenzy.
All in all, a great show by Sin City Fight Club, and we look forward to Round 2 of the REDLINE tournament in November.
So… Brock Lesnar: Love him or hate him, one might argue he’s good for the sport.
I would disagree.
In fact, Lesnar is exactly what the UFC and MMA in general don’t need. But then I guess there must be fans out there who love arrogant, anti-establishment, flashing-fingers-at-the-crowd dickwads like Lesnar and, oh, Nick Diaz, for example. And I guess Dana White must be in that camp. Doesn’t surprise me, actually.
Anyway, back to the point. Lesnar is making a joke of what it means to be a UFC champion. The guy is a fucking morbidly freakish human with a head the size of sputnik. And he should be fighting other ridiculously large guys who, like him, probably have no real skill.
Seriously, having a guy his size in the heavyweight division beating up on guys 20 or 30 (or more) pounds lighter is like putting a light-heavywight up against a welterweight or something. If it helps, picture Keith Jardine putting the beatdown on Mike Swick; that’s about the right size differential. I mean, it doesn’t seem right, does it?
I mean no disrespect to the guys who are stepping in against Lesnar. He gives them enough disrespect anyway. (Have I mentioned that he’s a self-important asshole?) They’re going in against someone they know has a tremendous size advantage. And it’s all well and good to say, “Well, they’re all ‘heavyweights’,” but that’s really my point – the heavyweight division isn’t sufficient. Lesnar should be fighting other guys his own size in a superheavyweight division if he wants to demonstrate that he’s badass.
Some highschool football player could go down the street and kick the shit out of a bunch of 7-year-old kids at the local karate dojo, but does that mean he’s a karate champion?
Now, before anyone says, “Yeah, but it’s fine if the smaller guys want to fight him,” let me just remind you that there’s a reason the UFC brought in lightweight and heavyweight classes in the first place back around UFC 12 or so, and then later brought in more uniform weight divisions.
Lesnar, like it or not, is not a UFC champion in my mind, nor will he be until he goes up against some guys his own size — in a division made for them — and actually shows that he has some MMA skills, and not just a shitty attitude, fists the size of Christmas hams, and an ego infinitely larger.
