The historic Fillmore theatre in Denver, Colorado, home of UFC 2 and the first Ultimate Ultimate tournament hosted the Ring of Fire show, “Summer Brawl” August 28, 2010.  There were nine bouts on the card featuring UFC veterans, local superstars and one women’s bout.

Main Event:

Eliot Marshall vs. Josh Haynes in a professional bout. 

Haynes came out with very hard punches and twice defended the takedown attempts of Marshall.  Marshall landed a glancing head kick then again had a takedown attempt stuffed by Haynes.  The round ended with each flurrying punches. 

Round two began with both fighters landing accurate punches and Haynes again stopping the takedown of Marshall.    The action was stopped so Marshall could recover from an accidental groin strike.  After restarting, the fighters both landed solid punches in multiple exchanges with Haynes looking for, but missing a takedown to end the round. 

Round three began with punch exchanges until Marshall got a takedown into half mount.  Haynes scrambled and got the fight back to standing but Marshall trapped a kick to get another takedown.  Marshall worked into full mount, then back control to set in a tight RNC.  Haynes scrambled out, but Marshall again got the back to try for the choke which Haynes defended until the bell ended the fight. 

The scorecards were used to determine the main event winner and it was Eliot Marshall by unanimous decision.

Co-Main Event:

Brandon Thatch vs. Danny Davis Jr. in a professional bout. 

The fighters immediately exchanged hard strikes before Thatch got a bodylock takedown and worked GNP from half mount. 

The fighters scrambled to their feet and Thatch immediately got another takedown into half mount. 

Davis was able to momentarily take top position but Thatch got a quick sweep to set up more GNP. 

Davis initiated a scramble but Thatch got back control and set in the RNC for the tapout win at 4:12 of round two.

Ron Muir vs. Angelo Duarte in a professional bout. 

Muir scored first by way of a double leg takedown into side control to work his GNP.  Duarte worked to his knees then standing, but was taken down by way of head control and Muir threatened with chokes until the round ended. 

Round two had the fighters immediately going to the mat with Muir scrambling to side control for GNP which he used to set up an anaconda choke attempt.  Duarte escaped to back control to set in a very tight RNC that Muir was able to fight off.  Muir rolled to his knees but Duarte maintained back control and worked GNP before Muir turned in to end the round. 

Round three began with Duarte snapping Muir’s head back with a stiff jab, but Muir pushed him into the cage to get a double leg takedown then transition from side control into full mount.  The action slowed and the referee stood the fighters.  Duarte stuffed a takedown attempt and ended in the guard of Muir to work his GNP.  Again the referee stood the fighters and again Duarte stuffed the takedown of Muir. 

The combatants worked back to standing and Muir had success with a takedown to work GNP from side control.  The fighters scrambled to their feet just before the bell ended the bout.  The scorecards were totaled and the winner by unanimous decision was Angelo Duarte.

Vellore Caballero vs. Bruce Reis in a professional bout. 

Caballero used an inside let trip takedown and quickly transitioned to full mount to work his GNP attack.  Reis scored a reversal, stood and let up Caballero. 

Reis then got a takedown, but caballero ended in half mount.  Reis again reversed and stood to score well with his striking. 

Reis then initiated a takedown but Caballero landed in back control and worked between GNP and RNC attempts until Reis escaped to standing.  Again Reis got a takedown and ended the round with GNP.  R

ound two had Reis pushing Caballero into the cage with strikes, dropping him with solid knees then following with GNP from standing to get the TKO at :27 of round two.

Michelle Blalock vs. Marciea Allen in an elimination bout. 

Allen landed three stinging head kicks early before Blalock worked into the clinch to land solid knees.  After separating Allen initiated the clinch against the cage and Blalock was penalized one point for grabbing the cage.  After restarting Blalock initiated a takedown but Allen controlled the fall and stood to work punches and kicks from above to end the round. 

Round two began with Blalock slipping punches and countering well before dropping for a rolling kneebar that Allen defended.  Blalock scrambled to top control and worked GNP before again losing a point for grabbing the fence.  The fight restarted standing and both combatants landed strong punches in and out of the clinch to end the round. 

Round three saw Blalock getting a second effort takedown and working into full mount before utilizing powerful elbow strikes to get the TKO win at 1:57 of round one.

The rest of the bouts were fought on the preliminary card.

Tyrone Wright vs. Todd Meredith. 

Both fighters came out with strong punches before Meredith scored a takedown. 

Meredith transitioned from side control to half-mount to work knees to the body. 

Wright signaled he needed to stop because of an injury so it was ruled a verbal tapout win for Meredith at 2:10 of round one.

Chasen Finkelstein vs. Howie Spratte. 

Finkelstein scored early with a takedown.  From side control he used GNP to set up a transition to full mount for continued GNP.  Spratte pulled off a backdoor escape to set in a heel-hook.  Finkelstein escaped and scrambled to end on top to end the round. 

Round two had even striking early before Spratte used punches to get the clinch to set up a body lock takedown.  Finkelstein was able to use head control to pull Spratte over to end in his guard.  Off of a scramble Finkelstein set in a topside guillotine but again Spratte got a backdoor escape and the fighters traded ankle lock attempts to end the round. 

Round three opened with Spratte missing with a rolling knee bar off of the clinch.  On the ground Finkelstein stood then jumped into the guard of Spratte with a punch.  The action slowed and the referee stood the fighters.  Spratte scored a single leg takedown and from off of his back Finkelstein tried for an armbar. 

Spratte escaped and Finkelstein ended the round in his guard.  The scorecards determined then winner and by way of unanimous decision it was Jason Finkelstein.  .

Zach Walsh vs. Olajuwon Rogers. 

Rogers trapped a leg kick to get a takedown, but Walsh scrambled to his feet.  Rogers then closed in for a takedown and Walsh spent most of the rest of the round looking for a standing guillotine that Rogers defended. 

Round two had Walsh immediately flurrying with punches to set up a takedown. 

On the ground Walsh worked GNP from half-guard.  Three times Rogers yelled out in pain so the fight was stopped and ruled a verbal tapout win for Walsh at :48 Round two.

Richard Delfin vs. Cody Freeman. 

Delfin opened with strong kicks then knees while clinched that hurt Freeman.  After separating Delfin landed a crescent kick that turned Freeman and Delfin jumped to standing back control and finished the round landing strikes from there (stand-and-pound). 

Round two had even back and forth striking all round with Freeman getting a takedown to end the round. 

Round three had the fighters trading strong knees clinched before Delfin momentarily knocked down Freeman with a spinning kick.  Freeman scrambled to his feet, scored a takedown and ended the round with GNP. 

The scorecards were totaled and the winner was Richard Delfin by unanimous decision.

Steve Hanna vs. Larry Williams. 

The fighters traded kicks early then Hanna scored a takedown and set in an armbar from guard.  Hanna rolled face down to stretch the arm and secure the tapout win at 2:33 of round one.

Ring Of Fire Ring Card Girls Miranda Renner & Karissa Schroeder…

“Of the night” moments:

Takedown of the night goes to Ron Muir for his multiple double leg takedowns.

Submission of the night goes to Brandon Thatch for his fight winning RNC late in the first round.

KO/TKO of the night goes to Michelle Blalock for her fight ending TKO GNP in the third round.

Fight of the night goes to Chasen Finkelstein vs. Howie Spratte for their back and forth three round battle that showcased striking, grappling, submission attempts and escapes to entertain the crowd for all three rounds.

Thanks to the sponsors for making the event possible.

Best in Health and Training,

J.R. Gordon/MMABuzz.com

Fight Fotos by Joe Cordova/Brawlin.net

The First Bank Event Center in Broomfield Colorado hosted the 38th Ring of Fire show titled, “Ascension.”  For the first time in the history of the promotion the main event was a women’s title bout.  There were three women’s matches, twelve matches total and three titles on the line.

Main event:

Cat Albert vs Ivana Coleman for the Ring of Fire women’s 125 lb. championship.

Albert opened with a flying knee that she used to set up the clinch.

Coleman momentarily defended the takedown, but when it went to the mat Albert worked GNP from side control, transitioned to mount, then took back control and flurried with more GNP to get the title winning TKO victory at 1:34 of round one.

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Christian Allen vs Scott Holman for the Ring of Fire 135 lb. championship.

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Allen opened with a head kick and Holman answered with a takedown, but Allen got head control and was able to roll Holman and set in an anaconda choke.

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Allen got the choke tight, held it briefly then signaled to the referee that Holman was unconscious.

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The referee stopped the bout and Allen got the title win at :54 of round one.

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Chaun Simms vs Andreas Sprang.

Simms came out displaying fast punches then the action stopped so Spang could recover from an accidental low blow.

On the restart Simms closed in and got a big scoop slam.  Simms then worked GNP, took mount, transitioned to back control and worked for an RNC.

Spang defended the choke, turned in and the fighters scrambled to standing.

After standing Spang landed a hard left hook for the clean KO victory at 3:38 of round one.

Robert Martinez vs Danny Davis.

Both fighters worked strikes from the outside until Martinez slipped throwing a kick and Davis closed in and worked GNP.  The referee stood the fighters when the action slowed and each landed solid punches and Davis landing a solid jumping knee to end the round.

Round two began with Martinez landing a hook punch that stunned Davis but Davis recovered and answered with  solid knees in the clinch followed by a head kick.  Martinez backed out and landed several solid punch flurries before Davis got a takedown.

Martinez got to his knees and drove forward to get a single leg takedown to set up some GNP.  In a scramble the fighters came back to standing and threw strikes to end the round.

Round three had Martinez putting on a boxing display with Davis showcasing his Muay Thai Skills until Martinez got a takedown and worked GNP while Davis tried to set up submissions until the bell ended the bout.

The scorecards were read and it was an unanimous decision win for Robert Martinez.

Vinnie Lopez vs Chris Holland.

Both fighters came out exchanging hard strikes with Holland favoring kicks while Lopez mainly used his punches.

Holland stepped in to close the distance and landed a left hook followed by an overhand right that dropped Lopez.  Holland landed a single punch on the mat and got the KO victory at 1:32 of round one.

Sam Rauch vs Kasheem Peterson.

Off of an early clinch Peterson landed a series of knee strikes before the referee separated the fighters.  Peterson scored a takedown but both scrambled back to their feet.  In the clinch each fighter landed knee strikes and Rauch scored a takedown, transitioned to mount and went for an armbar but the referee stopped the action because Rauch had grabbed the cage.

They restarted standing and Rauch got a single leg takedown to end the round.

Round two had Rauch getting an early takedown then the referee stood the fighters and took a point from Peterson for repeatedly grabbing the shorts of his opponent.  Peterson then landed a hard body kick, but Rauch trapped it and got a takedown.  On the ground Peterson set in a tight Kimura but Rauch escaped and took full mount.  Peterson got a sweep, stood and let Rauch come to standing.  Rauch ended the round with a takedown.

Round three saw Rauch go for an early shoot, get the takedown and work GNP.  Peterson set in another tight Kimura off of his back but Rauch escaped and transitioned to mount then back control.  Peterson escaped and stood and Rauch came to his feet upon the instructions of the referee.  Rauch again scored a takedown and worked GNP to end the round.

The scorecards were totaled and with the point penalty factored in the fight was ruled as a majority draw.

Kate Martinez vs Celestina Cano.

Martinez opened with strikes used to initiate the clinch.  Cano defended the takedown attempt, but Martinez set in a standing guillotine.

Cano defended the choke and Martinez used head control to transition to the back, then she jumped to standing back control with the hooks in and closed off a standing RNC for the submission victory at :52 of round one.

The rest of the fights were preliminary matches.

Nick Macias vs Andrew Alirez.

This fight went all three rounds with Macias scoring takedowns and working GNP in all three rounds while Alirez had his success coming with his standing striking.

The judge’s scorecards determined the winner and by way of unanimous decision it was Nick Macias.

Michelle Blalock vs Audrey Pang for the Ring of Fire Young Guns Championship.

This bout went all three rounds.  While Pang had some success with early takedowns it was the ground work, positional control and strong GNP of Michelle Blalock that got her the unanimous judges decision and the title.

Justin Gaethje vs Scott Cleve.

This was a back and forth fight with both fighters scoring takedowns, working GNP, attempting submissions and landing solid strikes while standing.

The judge’s scorecards determined the winner and by way of split decision the win went to Justin Gaethje.

Ian Chavez vs Valentine Marquez.

After a takedown Chavez escaped a solid ground attack by Marquez in order to use his GNP to set up the fight winning RNC at 2:14 of round one.

David Treanor vs Cole Stephenson.

Throughout round one and early in round two Stephenson was able to repeatedly land solid overhand right punches, but Treanor withstood the striking and used a head kick to knock down Stephenson.

On the ground Treanor took back control and set in the fight winning RNC at :37 of round two.

Ring Of Fire Ring Card Girl Miranda Renner…

“Of the night” moments:

Entrance music of the night goes to Cat Albert for coming out to M.C. Hammer’s, “Can’t touch this.”

Chin of the night goes to David Treanor for withstanding the repeated overhand right punches before getting the RNC victory.

Submission of the night goes to Kate Martinez for jumping to standing back control to set in the fight winning RNC.

KO of the night is a tie with Chris Holland and Andreas Spang.  Holland for scoring his KO early in round one against a known striker and Spang for withstanding the ground game of an Pan American champion grappler then coming back with a KO win.

Fight of the night goes to Robert Martinez and Danny Davis for their back and forth fight that showcased the skills of both fighters striking, in the clinch and on the ground with each withstanding the attack of the other for all three rounds.

Thanks to the sponsors for making the event possible.

Best in Health and Training,
J. R. Gordon.

Fight Fotos by Joe Cordova/Brawlin.net

UFC 1 on VERSUS took place at the 1st Bank Event Center in Broomfield, Colorado March 21, 2010.  After the event Dana White announced that the UFC will again be on VS August 01, 2010.

The two main event fighters in the light heavyweight division, Jon Jones and Brandon Vera were both coming off  losses and looking to become reestablished as contenders in the light heavyweight division.

Jones scored an early hip toss takedown but Vera scrambled back to his feet.  The fighters exchanged strikes and Jones scored with a double leg takedown.  From his back Vera landed an illegal up kick to the face of Jones that seemed to hurt Jones.

The referee took a penalty point from Vera and the fight resumed on the ground with Jones in the guard of Vera.  Jones postured up and landed a strong elbow that hurt Vera.  Jones followed with several punches that made Vera roll away to escape the strikes and Jones landed more punches until the referee stopped the bout giving the TKO win to Jon Jones at 3:19 of round one.

After the bout Jones remarked that the illegal up kick did not hurt him, he was just surprised because it seemed to him to be intentional.  Asked why he focused so much on his throws Jones said, “Why have a Thai match against someone who may be better than me at it?“.  UFC president Dana White remarked that he has never seen a fighter develop as fast as Jones.

In the Co-Main event, a heavyweight bout,  Gabrielle Gonzaga faced Junior Dos Santos with the winner looking to solidify their name on the short list of contenders in the heavyweight division.

There was a long feeling out process before Gonzaga landed a solid leg kick to set up a takedown. Dos Santos quickly scrambled back to his feet and both fighters worked striking from outside.

Dos Santos eventually timed his counterpunch off of a Gonzaga kick and landed a left hook that dropped Gonzaga to the mat.  Dos Santos followed with a strong Ground-And-Pound (GNP) flurry while standing over his opponent and the referee stopped the bout giving Junior Dos Santos the Knock Out victory at 3:53 of round one.

After the fight Dos Santos said he had trained specifically to counter Gonzaga’s kicks with punches and that he was ready to fight whomever the UFC thought was best for him.

Also, in a heavyweight bout Paul Buentello took on Cheick Kongo.

After a punch exchange Kongo pushed Buentello into the cage to set up a takedown but Buentello was able to quickly scramble to standing, however, Kongo countered with another slam and he worked GNP until Buentello again worked to standing.  Upon rising Buentello threw a punch combination then stepped away signaling that he had a problem with his hand.

The referee stopped the bout and called for the doctor to attend to Buentello’s dislocated finger.  Normally, a fighter could not get a stoppage due to an injury, have the injury fixed then continue, but Buentello’s finger had come out of his glove so it was ruled an equipment malfunction that had to be fixed by way of putting his finger back into joint then adjusting the glove.

The action resumed and Kongo got another takedown to work more GNP until the referee stood the fighters.  Buentello slipped and fell to the mat and Kongo closed in and worked GNP to end the round.  Round two had Kongo follow his strategy of takedown to work GNP but he threw a knee strike that illegally hit Buentello in the face when he was on the ground.

Kongo was assessed a penalty of one point and the action continued.  Three times Kongo scored takedowns for GNP but each time Buentello was able to come to standing.  The action again stopped after Kongo landed another illegal knee but no penalty was given and the action restarted from standing.   Upon restarting each fighter landed solid punches before Kongo went to his takedown and GNP game plan but Buentello again worked to standing and the round ended with the fighters working in the clinch.  Round three had Kongo stick to the formula and after taking Buentello to the ground he flurried with GNP including a barrage of elbow strikes to the body until Buentello tapped out.  Cheick Kongo got the tapout victory at 1:16 of round three.

When asked why he focused so much on taking the fight to the ground Kongo stated that he was ill and he felt he could push the pace more on the ground.

James Irvin vs Alessio Sakara in the middleweight division.

Both fighters came looking to land strikes and it was Alessio that had the more accurate and more powerful punches.

Sakara threw a left hook that visibly hurt Irvin and Irvin turned away and took a knee.

Sakara followed with several strikes until the referee stopped the bout giving Alessio Sakara the win by TKO at 3:01 of round one.

The rest of the bouts were preliminary matches.

Shannon Gugerty vs Clay Guida in the lightweight division.

Round one had Guida scoring a takedown then working GNP and avoiding the submission attempts of Gugerty.

Round two saw the fight again hit the mat early and Guida utilized several strong GNP flurries to set up a head and arm triangle choke.  By way of tapout Clay Guida got the victory at 3:42 of round two.

Vladimir Matyushenko vs Eliot Marshall in a light heavyweight bout.

Round one was all kickboxing with neither fighter taking a decided advantage.

Round two was mostly more kickboxing other than Matyushenko trapping a kick and taking Marshall down, but he was able to get back to standing quickly.

Round three was again punctuated by standing striking, however, this round Matyushenko scored twice with takedowns and Marshall again scrambled to standing.

The scorecards were announced and it was a split decision for Vladimir Matyushenko with the scores being 30-27, 30-27, 29-28.

Darren Elkins vs Duane Ludwig in a welterweight bout.

Ludwig scored an early left hook that hurt Elkins, but Elkins pressed forward for a takedown.

During the takedown Ludwig’s leg folded under him and he sustained what looked to be a dislocated ankle.

The bout was stopped and Darren Elkins got the TKO victory at :44 of round one.

John Howard vs Daniel Roberts in a welterweight bout.

Roberts shot a fast takedown but Howard got back to standing.  Roberts again scored a takedown to set up his GNP.

Howard worked his way up and scored a scoop slam.

Roberts worked for an omoplata shoulder lock submission but Howard escaped and landed three punches from standing to get the Knock Out win at 2:01 of round one.

Brendan Schaub vs Chase Gormley in a heavyweight bout.

Three times Schaub used his striking to drop Gormley.

After the third time Schaub closed in with a flurry of GNP to get the TKO win at :47 of round one.

Mike Pierce vs Julio Paulino in a welterweight bout.

This bout went all three rounds and in each round it was Pierce using his strikes to set up takedowns and working to improve his position and landing good GNP while Paulino worked for submission attempts off of his back.

The scorecards were totaled, each read 30-27 so it was an unanimous decision victory for Mike Pierce.

Eric Schafer vs Jason Brilz in a light heavyweight bout.  In round one each fighter landed solid strikes and Brilz scored two takedowns.

Round two had each land strikes that visibly hurt the other and each scored a takedown.

Round three saw Schafer stalking Brilz around the cage and landing punches seemingly at will.

Brilz got a takedown but the fighters came back to their feet, then they fell to the mat and Brilz ended the round working strikes from half mount.

The scorecards determined the winner and all three read 29-28 giving the unanimous decision victory to Jason Brilz.

UFC® Octagon Girls™ Arianny Celeste & Chandella Powell…

After the fights Dana White said that each of the bonuses handed out would be for $50,000.

There was no fight of the night, instead three fighters, Junior Dos Santos, John Howard and Jon Jones were awarded Knock Out of the Night honors.  Submission of the night went to Clay Guida.

Octagonside by JR Gordon/Brawlin.net

Fight Fotos by Joe Cordova/Brawlin.net

UFC on VS 1
Weigh-in results
 
The weigh-ins for the UFC on VS 1 show were held at the First Bank Event center in Broomfield Colorado 03/20/10.
 
All of the fighters made weight, seemingly without difficulty.  There was a one hour question and answer session with UFC fighter Nate Marquardt before the fighters hit the scales and, “The Great” who is from Colorado stated that his fellow Colorado fighters should have an significant advantage due to their acclimation to the altitude especially as the fights go into the third round.
 
 
 Main Event:

John Jones, 206 lb.’s vs Brandon Vera, 204 lb.’s.

Co-main Event:

Gabrielle Gonzaga, 255 lb.’s vs Junior Dos Santos, 238 lb.’s.

Paul Buentello, 246 lb.’s vs Cheick Kongo, 237 lb.’s.

James Irvin, 185 lb.’s vs Alessio Sakara, 185 lb.’s.

Shannon Gugerty 155 lb.’s vs Clay Guida 155 lb.’s.

Vladimir Matyushenko 205 lb.’s vs Eliot Marshall, 204 lb.’s.

Darren Elkins, 155 lb.’s vs Duane Ludwig, 155 lb.’s.

Daniel Roberts, 169 lb.’s vs John Howard, 170 lb.’s.

Chase Gormley, 265 lb.’s vs Brendan Schaub 264 lb.’s.

Julio Paulino, 170 lb.’s vs Mike Pierce, 170 lb.’s.

Jason Brilz, 205 lb.’s vs Eric Schafer, 205 lb.’s.

 
As per usual Clay Guida was the most energized person in the room as he bounded up the stairs and seemed unable to stand still while on the scale.
 
When Jones and Vera came face to face it looked like there was going to be a conflict and folks immediately stepped between the combatants to separate them and from then on Jones refused to stand near Vera.  Vera stated, “Be sure to tune tomorrow because this may be fight of the year.”

Good Luck To All Our Colorado Fighters Tonight!

At The Scales Results by JR Gordon/Brawlin.net

Fight Fotos by Joe Cordova/Brawlin.net

King Of Champions

Rumble at Ritchie

Written by J.R. Gordon

Click HERE For Complete Foto Gallery!

February 26, 2010 the Ritchie Center on the Denver University campus opened it’s doors to welcome fans to a  night of MMA action that had nine bouts including three titles and three  professional bouts.  Spectacular matchmaking was evidenced by the fact that  six of the bouts went to the judge’s scorecards and the main event that is up to  this point Colorado’s fight of the year.

The first three fights described were professional bouts while all others were elimination  matches.

Main event:

Josiah Callis vs Nick  Macias.

Each fighter showed strong striking early before the fight briefly  went to the ground.  On the mat Macias escaped a guillotine choke and  backed out to let Callis stand.

The rest of the round was a great display  of fast, crisp, accurate and technical striking that tested the chin of both  fighters.  Each fighter landed kicks, punches and solid knees while  clinched and both fighters went to their corner bloodied.

Round two had  both again showing strong striking  before Callis got a takedown into side  control.

The fighters scrambled to standing before Macias took it back to  the mat looking to sink in a Kimura shoulder lock.

Callis escaped the deep  submission and momentarily took full mount.  Macias scrambled to get full  guard and the round played out with Callis working GNP while Macias worked  multiple submission attempts.

Round three Had Callis get a quick takedown  off of ducking a punch then working strong GNP including strong knees to the  body.

Macias withstood the attack and linked together a strong set of  submission attempts.  Macias then worked back to standing but Callis got  another takedown.

There was a scramble as the fighters hit the mat and  Macias took back control to work between RNC attempts and GNP.

To end the  round Callis escaped back control and landed several punches as the bell ended  the fight.

The judge’s scorecards were read and the winner by unanimous decision was Josiah Callis.

Co-main event:

Vern Baca vs Nick  Buschman.

The fighters had a brief striking exchange before Buschman  closed in after a head kick to flurry with punches that dropped Baca to a  knee.

With Baca kneeling Buschman continued his striking attack and after  a series of unanswered strikes the referee stopped the bout giving the win to  Nick Buschman at :43 of round one.

Josh Huber vs Travis Hollis.

Round one was all kickboxing with each fighter landing hard punches, solid kicks and strong knees while clinched.

Round two started with good striking by  each until Hollis used standing back control to get a takedown.

On the mat  Hollis switched between GNP and RNC attempts until Huber escaped and worked back  to standing.

The fight quickly went back to the mat and this time it was  Huber working for the RNC until the round ended.

Round three had Huber  landing strikes that hurt Hollis.  Hollis clinched and got a takedown, but  Huber rolled through for a reversal, took mount and flurried with GNP to get the TKO win at 1:05 of round three.

Scott Cleve vs Jeremiah Record for the King of Champions 155 lb. amateur title.

Record had good striking  early including a head kick.  Cleve took the fight to the mat with a double  leg takedown, but off of his back Record worked for a triangle choke as the round ended.

Round two had Cleve using a trapped head kick to get a  takedown into side control.  The fighters scrambled to standing and Record  worked for a guillotine choke that Cleve escaped and the fighters exchanged  punches to end the round.

Round three saw Cleve use an overhand left to  close the distance and get a takedown and each fighter scrambled for position  with Cleve ending in the guard of Record.

Cleve then took back control and  worked GNP until the bout ended.  The scorecard’s were used to determine  the winner and by way of split decision it was Scott Cleve.

Jimmy Soiland vs Mike Rutherford for the King of Champions 135 lb. amateur title.

Rutherford shot for and  got a takedown, but Soiland swept him and fell back for an ankle lock.   Rutherford defended and fell back for a foot lock of his own.

Briefly both  fighters tried for a heel-hook then they scrambled for position and Rutherford took side control and worked GNP.

Rutherford then stood and from standing he used a spinning back fist punch while falling to the ground and he purposely  used the spin as a guard pass to land in side control to end the round.

Round two opened with Rutherford using a spinning back fist to close the  distance to clinch then get a takedown. On the ground Soiland tried  for an armbar that Rutherford slammed his way out of.

Both fighters worked  to standing and Rutherford got another takedown and tried for an ankle lock  before transitioning into full mount and working GNP to end the round.

Round three saw Rutherford getting a bodylock takedown into mount then using his  GNP to set up a fight winning choke for the submission win at :51 of round  three.

Eric Moya vs Abe Alvarado.

Alvarado got a quick takedown but on the mat it was Moya that linked his submission attempts together.

When not defending Alvarado worked his  GNP game to end the round.

Round two had Alvarado get the takedown and Moya was again active with submission attempts while Alvarado worked to improve  his position.

Moya scrambled to standing and landed knees in the clinch that Moya answered with a bodylock slam to end the round.

Round three had  a good striking exchange before Alvarado got a takedown.  Off of his back  Moya set in a triangle choke and used the position to land elbows from off of  his back until the bout ended.  The judge’s had to score the bout to  determine the winner and by split decision the winner was Abe Alvarado.

Tony Miller vs Carlos Huerta for the King of Champions 125 lb. amateur title.

Huerta got a takedown into  side control to set up an attempted Darce choke.  Miller escaped and  scrambled to standing but Huerta got another takedown and took side control to  work GNP until the fighters again worked to standing where they exchanged  strikes until the round ended.

Round two saw Huerta get another takedown,  Miller escaped to standing, Huerta got another takedown, Miller went back to  standing and the fighters exchanged knee strikes before Miller got a  takedown.

In a scramble for position Miller set in an inverted triangle  choke that he held until the round ended.

Round three was all standing  with each fighter spending time pressing forward with Huerta able to stagger  Miller several times.  The bell ended the fight and the unanimous judge’s decision was in favor of Carlos Huerta.

Mike Suksi vs Joey Banks.

Round one was all standing striking with each fighter landing well and Banks  using good footwork to change the distance.

Round two was also all  standing with Banks landing more, and stronger strikes while Suksi used a low  kick to sweep Banks mid-round.

Round three saw Banks drop Suksi with a  punch combination then Banks let him stand and the fighters exchanged punches  until the bell ended the fight.  The judge’s scored the fight as a  unanimous decision win in favor of Joey Banks.

Isais Gomez vs Dan Craft.

Craft got a takedown into back control and each fighter then swept the other before scrambling to standing.  Craft got a bodylock takedown to again take  back control to try for an RNC.  Gomez escaped the choke and reversed  positions to take back control.  Craft got a sweep and worked GNP to end  the round.

Round two had Craft using his strikes to set up a double leg  takedown.  Gomez worked back to his feet but Craft pulled off a strong  belly-to-back suplex, then he take back control, then mount to work  GNP.  Gomez escaped the position and got back to his feet to end the  round.

Round three started with Craft getting a double leg takedown into  side control.  Craft worked into a bulldog choke but Gomez escaped to improve his position.

Craft got a reversal, took mount, worked GNP and finally took back control to end the round.  The judge’s scorecards determined the winner and it was Dan Craft by unanimous decision.

The KOC Ring Card Girls…

“Of the night” moments:

Chin of the night of the  night goes to both Nick Macias and Josiah Callis for the shots they both withstood despite each having their head snapped back as well as spun side  to side multiple times.

KO/TKO of the night goes to Nick  Buschman for his quick flurry of strikes that got him the TKO win at :43 of round one.

Slam of the night goes to Dan Craft for his belly-to-back suplex.

Heart of the night is shared by Nick Macias and Josiah Callis.  In their bout each fighter pushed through  exhaustion, pain and injury.  From cageside you could see each fighter make  a conscious decision that no matter what they were in the fight to the end  despite the most determined effort of their opponent.

Unique technique of the night goes to Mike Rutherford for using a spinning back fist going from standing to the floor in order to get a guard pass and end in side  control.

Fight of the night, and in fact an  early frontrunner for fight of the year goes to Nick Macias and Josiah  Callis.   Their back and forth battle saw each attain dominant position, land strikes that visibly hurt the other and display cardio that seemed  unending.

The crowd gave them a deserved standing ovation and those in attendance will be telling their friends to get a DVD of the event just to see  this battle.

Thanks to the sponsors that made  the event possible.

Best in Health and  Training,
J.R.  Gordon.

Fight Fotos By Joe Cordova/Brawlin.net

Saturday night January 30, 2010 the Softball Country Pavilion  was filled to capacity for the Fight To Win show.  13 bouts were contested  with two titles and five professional bouts to end the evening.

See Full Foto Gallery HERE!

Main Event: Ian Berg VS Lumumba Sayers.

Sayers opened with  a 1-2 punch combination that dropped Berg.

Sayers closed in but Berg made it to his knees and drove forward for a takedown.

Sayers set in  a guillotine choke, fell back to guard and got the tapout for the submission win  at :30 of round one.

Co-Main Event – Ryan Martinez VS Vernon Lewis.

Martinez initiated the  clinch and worked knees while Lewis threw solid punches to the body.  Off  of the cage Martinez got a bodylock takedown and worked a strong GNP attack from  side control.

Lewis was able to work back to standing but again Martinez  got a takedown into side control for more GNP.  Lewis scored a sweep and  took full mount to get in GNP of his own.

Martinez turned face down to  escape the strikes and the round ended with Lewis in back control throwing  punches.

Round two saw Martinez land strong punches from the outside,  Lewis dropped his hands, smiled and invited Martinez in to punch his  head…

Martinez obliged him and got in several hard punches before they clinched  and Lewis scored with knees in the clinch.  Off of the cage Martinez got a  leg trip takedown to land in half mount.

From there he worked GNP before  transitioning to full mount and flurrying with GNP to get the TKO win at 3:22 of round two.

Bout 11: Cat Albert VS Barbarah Honchak for the Fight To Win 130  lb. female professional title.

Albert opened with a head kick to set up  the clinch in order to land knee strikes before getting a takedown.  On the  mat Honchak got a sweep and from off of her back Albert tried for an  armbar.  Honchak was able to defend but Albert transitioned to an attempted  kneebar.  Honchak escaped and worked GNP from half mount.  Albert was  able to regain full guard and set in another armbar that Honchak defended.   In a scramble Albert got back control and ended the round working between GNP  and attempting an RNC.

Round two opened with Albert again landing a head  kick before securing a standing guillotine choke.  Albert used the position  to turn the choke into a snap suplex takeover.  On the mat Honchak had an  armbar attempt that Albert escaped before transitioning to side control, then  north/south, then mount to work GNP before taking full mount, then back control  to try for an RNC.  Honchak was able to turn in and ended in the half guard  of Albert.  Albert worked for and got full guard and both fighters landed  solid strikes.  After a referee stand-up Albert scored with a solid  head kick then knees in the clinch.  From the clinch Albert set in a  standing guillotine to set up a transition into a rolling takedown that  landed her in full mount. Honchak escaped from being mounted and ended the  round working for an inverted Teepee choke.  The scorecards from the  judges were to decide the winner and it was Cat Albert that got an unanimous  decision victory to become the new title  holder.

Bout 10: Justin Salas VS Robert Simmons for the Fight To Win  155 lb. professional title.

Salas initiated the clinch and the  fighters momentarily went to the canvas but immediately scrambled back to  standing.

Each had strong punches and Simmons pulled Salas back to the  ground.  From the top Salas landed solid GNP while Simmons worked to set in  several solid armbar attempts.

After escaping the submission attempts  Salas took full mount and postured up and landed the title winning GNP to get  the TKO at 1:40 of round one.

Bout nine: Kenneth Seegrist VS Jeremy Kimball.

Kimball  threw an early striking flurry while Seegrist landed strong counter  punches.

Kimball was able to work to standing back control in order to set  up a bodylock takedown.

Seegrist rolled through when it hit the mat and  scrambled to back control in order to sink in the RNC for the tapout victory at  1:27 of round one.

Bout eight: Jeremy Hastings VS Travis Hollis.

The first  half of the round was nonstop flurrying by both fighters with each landing solid  punches and kicks.  Hollis was able to spin Hastings to the mat off of the  clinch and once on the ground Hollis passed from half mount into full mount and  flurried nonstop with punches to get the TKO win at 1:57 of round  one.

Bout seven: Vinny Palone VS Miguel Garcia.

Round one was  all kickboxing with each landing solid head punches.  Palone had a strong  flurry mid round while Garcia scored with hard low kicks.  Round two had  Palone shoot for a takedown, but Garcia stuffed it and landed a solid  uppercut.  The fighters then stood toe-to-toe in the middle of the cage and  exchanged punches until Palone was able to rock Garcia enough to get the TKO win  at :37 of round two.

Bout six: Josh Goldberger VS Sebastian White.

Goldberger started with several jab-low kick combinations that  set him up to score a double leg takedown.  From half mount Goldberger  used strong GNP to isolate an arm of White before transitioning to full  mount in order to lock in the Kimura shoulder lock for the submission win at  1:54 of round one.

Bout five: Todd Meredith VS Kene Jefferson.

Jefferson  landed solid strikes early that Meredith answered in kind.  Jefferson was  knocked down by punches but was able to scramble back to standing. Meredith got a bodylock takedown into half mount and each fighter flurried with  strikes on the ground. Meredith was able to get 2-3 very solid head shots  to land from the top in order to get the TKO win at 2:07 of round one.

Bout four: Diego Alvarez VS Corey Wilson.

Alvarez spent  all of round one pressing forward landing solid leg kicks while Wilson used  evasive footwork and head movement.

Round two saw Alvarez continue with  the low kick attack until he was able to make Wilson drop to a knee following a  kick and the follow up GNP got Alvarez the TKO win at 2:24 of round two.

Bout three: David Trenor VS Michael Zaragoza.

Trenor  opened with strong kicks and a flurry of knees before getting a head toss  takedown.  Zaragoza came back to his feet and slipped a spinning back  kick thrown by Trenor.
Zaragoza then stepped in and threw a right  hook that landed solid giving him a clean knockout victory at :26 of round  one.

Bout two: Daniel Bentz VS Loranti Nelson.

Fast paced  striking was displayed by both fighters with each landing all manner of strikes  in and out of the clinch.  Nelson landed a series of solid body punches  before Bentz pulled guard.  Both fighters scrambled back to standing and  Nelson landed solid punches that stunned Bentz.  Nelson then used head  control to throw Bentz to the mat in order to take top position and work GNP  until the round ended.

Round two started with Nelson landing solid punches  that stunned Bentz, but Bentz was able to turn Nelson,  jump to standing  back control, flurry
with punches then set in the RNC while standing.   Bentz was able to pull Nelson over backward and at 2:01 of round two Bentz  closed off the choke for
the submission victory.

Bout one: Jay Wymer VS Dominic Moya.

Moya landed multiple  leg kicks before Wymer got a double leg takedown.  From there Moya  used GNP to pass to side control in order to continue his GNP attack until the  round ended.

Round two started with Moya landing a solid punch-kick combination  before Wymer got a takedown.  From his back Moya tried to push Wymer away,  but one of his feet landed solidly to the face of Wymer who was grounded.   With Moya unable to continue Jay Wymer got the victory by way of  disqualification.

Fight To Win Ring Card Girls…

“Of the night” moments.

GNP of the night goes to Ryan Martinez for his fight ending  strikes from full mount.

KO of the night goes to Michael Zaragoza for his KO at  :26 of the first round.

Takedown of the night goes to Cat Albert for using the standing  guillotine choke to set up a snap suplex takeover that landed her in a dominant
position.

In his bout Daniel Bentz seemed on the verge of losing several  times, was rocked severely more than once and showed that tenacity and  perseverance
can be the deciding factors in a bout.  Because of this, he is  awarded comeback of the night, chin of the night and for jumping to standing  back control to set up his choke he also gets submission of the night.

Fight of the night goes to Cat Albert and Barbarah Honchak for  their back and forth title battle that had each fighter in trouble, each  escaping submission attempts of the other, each landing strikes that could have  been fight ending in many bouts, both displaying tremendous heart, conditioning  and superb technical skill that had the crowd on their feet cheering as the fight ended.

This was an event that cannot be done justice by a written  article.  Do yourself a favor and get a DVD of the show to see just how  good it was.

Thanks to the sponsors for making it possible.

Be sure to check the site calendar for upcoming events.

Best in Health and Training,
J.R. Gordon

Fight Fotos by Joe Cordova/Brawlin.net

January 23, 2010 the Red Lion hotel hosted the Kick Down fight  promotion for it’s ninth year.  This show, Kick Down 74 show titled,  “Grudge” was aptly named as if referenced a main event rematch between two  female fighters who last time they met put on what many called Colorado’s fight  of the year.

Also, the show had a total of three titles on the line  as well as showcasing familiar names and newcomers to the  fight scene.

Main Event:

Leslie Smith VS Louise Johnson for the Kick Down  women’s professional bantamweight title. 

Johnson had strong punches early  that Smith answered with knees while clinched.  The fighters worked into  and out of the clinch with both landing solid strikes including three head kicks  by Smith.

There was a timeout so Johnson could recover from an accidental  groin kick and upon the restart the combatants flurried until the round  ended.

Round two had Smith landing a flurry that momentarily dropped  Johnson.  Johnson recovered and came back to her feet.  The fighters  exchanged strikes until Smith scored with a head kick that stunned  Johnson. 

Smith followed up with a barrage of strikes that dropped Johnson and Smith kept on with the flurry until the referee stopped the bout giving  the TKO title winning victory to Leslie Smith at 1:35 of round two.

Bout 10:

Andrew Aldaco VS Michael Riggs.

Riggs opened with  a double leg slam that got him into side control. 

From there Riggs went to  mount and set in the fight ending kimura for the verbal tapout victory at 1:01  of round one.

Bout nine:

Justin Hueske VS Cameron Thurgood for the Kick Down bantamweight MMA title. 

Hueske initiated the clinch and was able to set in  a guillotine choke when Thurgood dropped down to get a takedown. 

Hueske  got full guard and was able to close off the title winning submission at :40 of  round one.

Bout eight: Darren Christopher VS Jayson Clayton for the Kick  Down middleweight MMA title. 

Clayton opened with strong strikes  before each fighter landed solid knees while clinched.  Clayton tried for a  rolling kneebar that Christopher defended before working GNP from side  control.

From there he used his GNP to transition to mount, then back  control in order  to work GNP to end the round.

Round two had Clayton  getting a slam takedown to work GNP before slamming his way out an armbar.   After scrambling to their feet Clayton tried for a guillotine until the round  ended.

Round three had Christopher landing a superman punch followed by a  strong overhand right before Clayton got a takedown.  Christopher worked  for a guillotine from the bottom that Clayton escaped before setting up Kimura and armbar attempts from half mount.  To end the round Clayton  flurried with elbows and punches.

The scorecards of the  judges were read and the winner by unanimous decision was Jason  Clayton.

Bout seven:

Ali Hanjani VS Eugene Rodriguez.

Rodriguez  used punches to initiate the clinch to try to set up a takedown, but Hanjani  defended and ended in the half guard of Rodriguez. 

From the top  Hanjani transitioned to full mount and worked strong elbows then a flurry of  punches to get the TKO win at 1:38 of round one.

Bout six: Jose Caro VS Valentine Marquez.

Marquez used  strikes to get the fight to the mat.  From the bottom Caro tried for a leg  lock, but Marquez escaped and the fighters scrambled to standing. 

Each  fighter then scored a takedown and each time they worked back to standing.   Marquez landed a solid overhand right that dropped Caro and Marquez ended the  round trying for an RNC.

Round two had Marquez getting a takedown off of a  trapped kick but he had to slam his way out of a triangle, then defend the leg  lock attack of Caro.  The rest of the round had each fighter landing GNP  and looking to improve position.

Round three saw Caro trying a flying kick that  ended with him on the mat and Marquez went from side control to mount and  worked GNP until the round ended.  The judge’s scorecards decided the  winner and by of unanimous decision it was Valentine Marquez.

Bout five:

Matt Kaufman VS Jake Valdez.

Kaufman  opened with a head kick that Valdez was able to trap and set up the clinch  before scoring with a huge bodylock slam. 

From his back Kaufman set in an  armbar, but Valdez slammed out of it and worked his GNP to get the TKO win at  1:44 of round one.

Bout four: Robert Bobbett VS T.J. Nunnaley.

Bobbett was  aggressive early with a takedown attempt, but Nunnaley defended and  scrambled to back control to try an RNC.  Bobbett escaped the choke and  scored a sweep into side control before taking mount.  After a  scramble Bobbett then worked for a triangle choke but Nunnaley defended and  landed solid punches to get the GNP TKO win at 1:49 of round one.

Bout three: Tim Wagner VS Abie Gonzalez.

Gonzales  opened with a fast 1-2 punch combination before defending the shoot of  Wagner.  With Wagner on his knees Gonzalez flurried with GNP to get the TKO  win at :15 of round one.

Bout two: Tom Kirschenhueter VS Mike Siedlberg.
 
Siedlberg  used punches to enter into the clinch in order to set up a double leg  takedown.  From the top Siedlberg worked GNP all round as Kirschenhueter  was busy with solid defense.

Round two had Siedlberg getting a fast  takedown but Kirschenhueter was able to wall walk and each fighter landed strong  strikes before Siedlberg got another takedown.  Kirschenhueter scored a  sweep and took side control to work his GNP and a guillotine choke attempt to  end the round.

Round three saw Kirschenhueter with strong punches, but the  double leg takedown was again executed by Siedlberg and he worked GNP until the  referee stood the fighters.  Immediately, Siedleberg again got the takedown  and worked GNP from side control to end the round.  The judge’s decision  was called for and the winner was Mike Siedlberg by way of an unanimous  decision.

Bout one: Matt Miller VS Levi Howes. 

Howes took an early  shoot that Miller defended by way of setting in a tight guillotine choke.   Howes defended the choke and scrambled to side control. From there he set  in the fight winning armbar to get the tapout victory at 1:01 of round  one.

Kick Down Ring Card Girl Megan McLaughlin

Kick Down Ring Card Girl Joie Watkins

“Of the night” Moments:

Slam of the night goes to Jake Valdez for the big slam he got off of a trapped head kick.

KO/TKO of the night goes to Abie Gonzalez for his TKO win just  15 sconds into the fight.

Submission of the night goes to Justin Hueske who at just  19 years old got to keep the bantamweight title by way of guillotine 40 seconds  into his
fight.

Fight of the night goes to Darren Christopher and Jason  Clayton.  Each displayed strong skills no matter where the fight took place  and their
conditioning allowed them to battle at a fast pace with strong strikes  and technical grappling for all three rounds.

Announced at the show were the winner’s of the promotions 2009,  “Fighter of the Year” awards.  Leslie Smith got the award in  the women’s professional
division. Chris Dollbaum and Justin Hueske shared  honors for the men’s amateur division.

Best in Health and Training,
J.R. Gordon

Fight Fotos by Joe Cordova/Brawlin.net

Saturday January 16, 2009 the Rocky Mountain Bad Boyz again held  their event at the Red and Jerry’s venue in Denver Colorado.  The show was  to have featured 13 MMA bouts including two women’s contests, four title fights  and two professional fights.  Also on tap was one grappling match.

However, in an unfortunate turn of events the last four bouts of  the night were canceled.  There were several physical altercations in the  crowd involving spectators and when order was unable to be restored in a timely  manner the Colorado boxing commission elected to cancel the uncontested  matches in the interest of fan and fighter safety.

Click Here For Complete Foto Gallery!

Now, on to the matches that did take place:

Matt Alvarado faced Chris Gerado. 

Gerado opened with a  strong striking combination, but after securing a takedown Alvarado was able to  control position and work GNP for the remainder of the round. 

To open the  second round Alvarado immediately scored another takedown and ended in the guard  of Gerado. 

From there Alvarado stayed active with GNP all round as Gerado  looked to set up submission attempts until the round ended. 

Round three  played out the same as round two and when asked to score the fight the judges  saw it as an unanimous decision victory for Matt Alvarado.

Jaron Aragon faced Adam Vigil. 

Both fighters showed strong  strikes early, but it was Vigil that got it to the mat with a nice hip toss  takedown. 

On the mat Vigil took mount but Aragon got a nice backdoor  escape and after scrambling to their feet the rest of the round was spent  with the fighters in the clinch exchanging strikes. 

Round two saw each  fighter looking to land a head kick early and after clinching a point was taken  from Vigil for grabbing the fence multiple times. 

Upon restarting Vigil  got another takedown but the round ended with Aragon having a tight triangle  sunk in. 

Round three saw Vigil again get an early takedown and work  positional control and GNP as Aragon was busy with strikes and submission  attempts. 

The round ended with both fighters scrambling to their  feet.  In the end the contest was declared a majority  draw.   

Abe Alvarado faced Raymond Duran. 

Good striking from both  fighters was shown early before Alvarado got a takedown and secured back  control. 

Duran pulled off a backdoor escape and tried to jump guard  looking to sink a guillotine choke but Alvarado escaped, took mount,  transitioned to back control and worked his GNP until the referee stopped the  bout at 2:14 of round one giving Alvarado the TKO win.

Brandon Goshorn faced Matthew McOmie. 

Goshorn opened with  an overhand right that dropped McOmie. 

Goshorn followed him to the mat,  took back control and sunk in the RNC for the tapout victory at :32 of round  one.

Willy Baisley faced Chad Romero for the Rocky Mountain Bad Boyz  145 lb. men’s amateur MMA title. 

The fight hit the mat early and it was  Romero that controlled position and landed GNP while Baisley looked  for submissions off of his back. 

Round two had Romero getting an early  takedown to set up his GNP attack.

Baisley was able end in the guard of Romero,  but from his back Romero set in the armbar that got him the submission victory  at 2:59 of round two.

Kyanne Hampton faced Jillian Lybarger. 

Lybarger almost  immediately got the clinch in order to set up a leg trip takedown.  On the  ground Hampton scored a sweep and tried for a guillotine that Lybarger was able  to defend for the entirety of the round. 

Round two saw a brief standing  exchange before Lybarger again got the takedown and worked her GNP as Hampton  stayed active off of her back  with strikes and submission attempts.   Hampton was able to escape and momentarily secure back control for some GNP as  the round ended. 

Round three had both fighters displaying strong striking  early until Lybarger secured a bodylock takedown.  On the mat Hampton was  able to get another sweep and worked strong GNP as Lybarger tried for an  armbar. 

The fighters scrambled to their feet and Lybarger got a takedown  just as the bell sounded to end the fight.  The judges turned in their  scorecards and the winner by way of unanimous decision was Kyane Hampton.

Raquel Penninton faced Tsui-Jen Cunanan. 

Cunanan quickly  jumped guard looking for a guillotine choke that Pennington was able to  escape. 

Pennington then tried for a guillotine choke of her own that Cunanan escaped and the fighters spent the rest of the round scrambling for  positon with each working in some GNP and submission attempts. 

Round two  saw Cunanan pull guard to get it to the mat but Pennington spent the entire  round controlling position and working her GNP game. 

Round three saw  Pennington score with a bodylock takedown and control position to set up  more GNP while Cunanan displayed an active guard and multiple escape  attempts. 

The judge’s scorecards again determined the winner and it was  Raquel  Penninton by way of an unanimous decision.

In a grappling match Luis La’o faced Reid Walsh. 

After the  combatants clinched Walsh jumped guard to take it to the mat and once on the  ground he quickly set in an armbar and got the win at :50 of round one by way of  referee stoppage.

Andrew Alirez faced Andrew Yates for the Rocky Mountain Bad Boyz  150 lb. men’s amateur MMA title. 

Alirez got a big slam takedown early,  worked GNP from side control, transitioned to mount then back control and after  an accidental strike to the back of the head of Yates the match was stopped as Yates was unable to continue. 

The official decision was never announced as it was at this time that the problems in the crowd started, thereby ending the show.

RMBB Ring Card Girls…

“Of the Night” Moments:

Entrance of the night goes to Kyanne Hampton for the dancing  display she put on not only to her entrance music, but to that of her opponent  as well.

Slam of the night goes to Andrew Alirez for his bodylock slam  early in his bout.

Submission of the night goes to Brand Goshorn for his :32 second  fight winning RNC.

KO/TKO of the night goes to Abe Alvarado for his fight ending  GNP attack from back control.

Fight of the night goes to Kyanne Hampton and Jillian Lybarger  for their back and forth battle where each fighter showed that they possess  skills in all areas and ranges of MMA.

Best in Health and Training,
J.R. Gordon

Fight Fotos by Joe Cordova/Brawlin.net

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Diego Sanchez had a nightmare and its name was B.J. Penn. The gifted fighter known as “The Prodigy” made the third successful defense of his UFC lightweight championship by destroying Sanchez in dominant fashion, finally ending the one-sided contest in the fifth round on cuts.

Penn moved forward early, stalking Sanchez who fired several punches, but landed none. Penn landed a straight right that dropped Sanchez. Penn then pounced, landing several more punches in the process. To his credit, Sanchez took the punishment and survived.

Sanchez continued to attack, but Penn landed an effective right hand counter. Sanchez did land a left cross after backing Penn to the cage. Penn advanced forward, looking to unleash his great striking skills. Sanchez shot for quick takedown attempt but Penn thwarted it. Sanchez attempted a flying knee but missed. Sanchez survived the round but lost it badly. It was a round that could easily be scored 10-8.

In the second round, Sanchez stepped up his aggressiveness and tried to take Penn down. However, Penn displayed the insane balance that has defined his unique skill set. Penn moved in to land his deadly straight right hand. Penn thrived again in the counter-punching role, landing deadly punches each time Sanchez attempted to go on the offensive.

In the third round Sanchez again tried mightily to take Penn down but ate some leather in the return. Sanchez pushed Penn against the cage and tried to take Penn down but Penn landed several short uppercuts and side punches. In the process Sanchez accomplished nothing other than lasting (and losing) the round.

In the fourth round Penn continued to land more strikes. Sanchez again tried his left leg kick but simply could not find a way to land it. Sanchez threw a monstrous right hook, but again Penn managed to stay out of harm’s way. Sanchez found himself caught in a dangerous situation, he was unable to take Penn down, and couldn’t match BJ’s striking prowess. What looked to be a test, became a mismatch.

The same pattern continued in the fifth round, as Sanchez was unable to mount an effective offense. Later in the round Penn landed a kick followed by several uppercuts. One of the kick’s landed with the shin and a huge gash opened up on Sanchez’s forehead. Sanchez’s face turned a crimson red and referee Herb Dean stops the fight and asked for the doctor’s advice. Upon the advice of the doctor, Dean stopped the contest at 2:37 of the fifth round.

“I was keeping my mouth shut but I always wanted to fight Diego Sanchez,” Penn said. “I knew for years he wanted to fight me.”

“BJ is a great champion,” Diego said. “That was the best BJ I’ve seen…I’ll be back.”

Mir Makes Quick Work of Kongo!

Frank Mir entered the ring heavier but with a purpose – to show that he meant business about facing and defeating Brock Lesnar in a future rubber match. But, first he had to defeat a dangerous striker and ground-and-pounder in Cheick Kongo. The two exchanged a stream of verbal insults back and forth to heighten expectations.

The two refuse to touch gloves and this one is personal. Mir lands a heavy left cross that drops Kongo like a sack of potatoes. He then sinks in a brutal submission. The referee stopped the contest only 1:12 into the round.

“Talent will only take you so far,” Mir said. “He had a very erect stance. He’s a big powerful guy and I wanted to put him to sleep. I really do hope he is healthy.”

Florian Chokes Out Guida!

Three-time “Fight of the Night” award winner Clay Guida squared off against former number #1 lightweight contender Kenny Florian fresh off his title shot loss to the great B.J. Penn. The question coming in was whether Guida’s nonstop aggression and energy would overcome the technical skills of Florian.

The orthodox Guida opened up aggressive, though not crazy aggressive as in some of his past bouts – perhaps out of respect for Florian. After Florian missed with a kick, Guida charged him and took him down. Guida tried to hammer Florian but the elusive Florian managed to get to his feet. Guida landed a good uppercut in another exchange. Florian tried some knee strikes but never landed one cleanly. Florian later picks Guida up and slams him down. Guida’s face is a bloody mess enough that referee Mario Yagasaki stops the action to let the doctor examine him.

The second round featured Guida diving in for the takedown but Florian thwarting it quite effectively. Florian landed a good right jab. Florian caught Guida with a great counter right hand and then sunk in a rear naked choke. Guida tapped out at 2:19 of the second round.

“Tonight was my night,” Florian said. “Clay Guida is a phenomenal fighter. Tonight was my night. I have really worked on and tightened up my boxing. I want another shot at the title.”

Fitch Decisions Pierce!

Mike Pierce took on his toughest competition to date in the tough Jon Fitch – a man whose only loss in the last several years was to pound-for-pound great Georges St. Pierre over five hard rounds. Fitch moved in and took Pierce down. He got his back and began punching him to soften him up, perhaps to then put in a choke hold. Pierce managed to throw Fitch down but could mount little effective offense. Pierce cut Fitch under his left eye early in the round but Fitch did more damage during the round.

In the second round, Pierce attempted to take Fitch down. Fitch landed some good jabs, bloodying Pierce’s nose. The two exchanged strikes for a long period of time. Neither fighter gained much of an advantage though Fitch seemed to win the round.

In the third round, the two picked up the pace though neither fighter distanced himself from the other. The great wrestling skills of both fighters are on display. Fitch tried a series of knee strikes but Pierce blocked most of them. Fitch landed a good uppercut and then shot in for ground control. Pierce took a good knee and a right hand but delivered a great hook that seemed to really shake Fitch. The former world title challenger wisely tied Pierce up and lasted the round without taking any more significant damage.

Fightnews scored it 29-28 Fitch. The judges scored it 29-28 for Fitch as well.

“I got off to a slow start,” Fitch said. “It kind of freaked me out when I got cut early. I wished I picked up the pace more. He’s a tough guy with a bright future,” Fitch acknowledged. When asked about whether he was hurt, Fitch said that he’d be hit hard in the past and he knew what to do.

Struve Edges Buentello!

Paul “The Headhunter” Buentello returned to the UFC for the first time since February 2006 when he stopped Gilbert Aldana. Buentello faced a tall task at UFC 107, a 6′11″ task in Stefan “Skyscraper” Struve.

The lanky Struve led with a kick while Buentello fired a right cross. Struve landed a nice uppercut that Buentello took well. Struve then clinched, tripped Buentello to the ground and then sought to submit him. Struve kept trying to sink in a guillotine choke but Buentello managed to survive. Struve took the round by controlling the action on the ground.

In the second round, Buentello landed a good right hand that dropped Struve but he wanted no part of the “Skyscraper” on the ground. Struve then pushed Buentello up against the cage. Struve then went for a heel hook submission. Struve went for a flying knee strike and took a strong uppercut from “The Headhunter”. The two later went toe to toe in a furious exchange. Later the two slapped hands in a mutual exchange of respect.

There was a bit of delay heading into the third round as they had to remove a pieced of Struve’s tooth from the mouthpiece. Heading into the third round, the fight hung in the balance with Struve taking the first and Buentello the second. Struve moved forward, attempting leg strikes and an occasional right cross. Buentello fired back a stringing uppercut. Struve landed another leg strike to Buentello’s left leg. Buentello threw more frequently in the final minute, perhaps obtaining a 29-28 victory.

The judges scored it 29-28, 29-28 and 28-28 for Stefan Struve in a majority opinion that was not well received by the Memphis crowd. The crowd booed so loudly that it was hard to hear Rogan’s post-fight interview.

“I thought it was more a draw,” Struve said. “He caught me but I wasn’t hurt bad. I’m disappointed in my performance. I finish fights and I didn’t finish this one. I’m going to work harder and come back better.”

Belcher Strikes His Way To Victory!

Alan “The Talent” Belcher returned to the winner’s circle with an exciting victory in his hometown of Memphis, Tennessee, with an exciting battle against Wilson Gouveia. Fresh off a narrow decision loss to Yoshihiro Akiyami in a bout that won “Fight of the Night” honors, Belcher needed to start a winning streak if he wants to fulfill his dream of a world title shot.

These two waged a stand-up war in the first round with Belcher seemingly landing the harder shots. Belcher later switched to southpaw and pounded Gouviea to the canvas with a beautiful right uppercut followed by a right hook. He rained down several blows to the fallen Gouveia before referee Herb Dean mercifully called an end to the bout at 3:03 of the first round.

“I’m so happy to get the win,” Belcher said. “All my friends, my family are here. All the faces that I grew up with – I love you guys. I want to show that I can finish fights, I can knock guys out. I came into the UFC and I was young. But now I’m ready to step up and be the next contender,” he said. “I want that belt baby.”

Wiman Decisions Nelson…

Matt Wiman entered his bout with Shane Nelson, desperately needing a win, as he had dropped his last two fights in the Octagon to Sam Stout and Jim Miller. He needed a win for his UFC life and he fought like it. The first round featured a back-and-forth exchange between the southpaw Nelson and the orthodox Wiman. Wiman landed a right-hand bomb just before the last minute of the fight that probably earned him the round on the judges’ scorecards.

Wiman opened a nasty cut over Nelson’s forehead, but the game Nelson kept battling Wiman in a high-energy second round. Both combatants landed some good strikes and both attempted submissions on the ground.

In the third round, Wiman landed a nasty kick to the jewels, causing a stoppage in the action. Wiman advanced forward, the aggressor again. Nelson landed a good leg kick to the side of the head, but Wiman took it well. Wiman later took the fight to the ground and ended up on top where he did more damage than Nelson. Wiman set up a rear naked choke attempt but couldn’t quite put it in final position. Wiman dominated the round and seemingly won the fight.

The judges scored it 30-27 for “Handsome” Matt Wiman.

“He’s tough on his feet, he hits hard and has a lot of heart,” Wiman said. “I felt like I was the better fighter than him tonight. We both wanted to get after it so I knew it was going to be a good fight.”

Hendricks Wins Battle Of  The Unbeatens!

In a battle of unbeatens, American Johny Hendricks used his incredible wrestling skills to batter Brazilian Ricardo Funch over three rounds. Hendricks, a former decorated NCAA wrestling champion, showed too much strength and grappling skill for the talented and game Funch.

In the opening round, the two unbeatens grappled against the cage with both showing incredible balance, fending off takedown attempts by their opponent. Hendricks finally slammed Funch to the canvas but was unable to inflict much damage. Later in the round, Hendricks excelled at dirty boxing, landing several good shots at close range while the two were clinched. Hendricks captured the first round.

In the second round, the aggressive Hendricks pressed the action, performing another crowd-pleasing body slam. Later in the round he did some effective work with knee strikes to the head. Hendricks dominated the action, almost putting in a guillotine choke near the end of the round.

Heading into the third round, Funch presumably needed a knockout to win or at least a 10-8 round to earn a draw. He didn’t get it; in fact, it took all his skill to survive to the final bell. The judges scored it 30-27 (twice) and 30-25 for Hendricks. Hendricks moved to 7-0 and Funch falls to 7-1.

“I just wanted to show that I had jiu-jitsu and I did it against a purple belt,” Hendricks said. “He’s a tough dude. I hit him with everything I had. I got to thank God and all my trainers. Those guys are awesome and helped me get the win tonight.”

Palhares Submits Linares!

In this battle of Brazilian warriors, Rousimar Palhares earned his third victory in the Octagon against only one defeat – a decision loss to “Dangerous” Dan Henderson – when he submitted Lucio Linhares by heel hook in the second round.

In the opening round, it took only a matter of seconds to hit the ground, as Palhares immediately shot in for a takedown and then sought to submit, pound and pummel Linhares. Palhares stood up and rained down an elbow strike on Linhares who managed to keep Palhares in his guard for much of the early part of the round. After the referee stood the fighters up, Palhares landed a combination and then shot in for a takedown. The two both attempted ankle submissions. Palhares dominated the action in the first round.

In the second round, Linhares started off much better, attempting submissions and landed some good strikes. However, when the two were on the ground, Palhares set in a heel hook that ended the fight when Linhares tapped, forcing referee Greg Franklin to stop the contest at 3:21 of the second round. Palhares improves to 10-2, while Linhares drops to 13-5.

“All the hard work and the training paid off,” Palhares said. “I’m a little tired. I was injured after my last fight and I felt a bit cold coming into this one. It feels great to get the win. I’m glad I did my job and got the submission.”

Johnson Pulls Off Quick Submission Over Garcia…

Both of these promising fighters looked to garner their first win in the Octagon in their second official UFC fights. Edgar Garcia had dropped a decision to Brad Blackburn, while DeMarques Johnson lost in the Ultimate Fighter finale to James Wilks.

The two traded bombs in the opening of round one with neither fighter gaining a real advantage. When the fight hit the ground, Garcia ended up on top in Johnson’s guard. Garcia nearly won via a “Peruvian necktie” submission but Johnson survived. The two even slapped five in the ring at one point after an engaging onslaught. Garcia dropped Johnson with a heavy shot and then started raining more blows down on him. It looked for all the world, like Johnson was about to be pummeled into oblivion. However, Johnson not only survived but he also thrived, as he landed an effective upkick and then set in a triangle choke. Garcia tapped out at 4:03 of the first round.

“It was pretty fucking tight, but I had to decide to either go to sleep or work my way out,” Johnson admitted when asked by Joe Rogan about the Peruvian necktie submission that Garcia nearly had him. “He’s a big strong guy. He surprised me with the choke.” Johnson thanked Jeremy Horn and his other trainers and coaches for pulling him through this exciting war. On his submission, Johnson said: “That was some straight up Jeremy Horn Fight-Jitsu. I can’t really remember much because he hits so hard.”

Grant Pounds Out Win Over Burns!

These two wasted little time going to war. The consensus headed into the fight was that Kevin Burns would seek to keep the fight standing with his superior striking skills, while T.J. Grant would look to use his submission skills and take the fight to the ground. The consensus was correct for much – but not all – of the first round.

Burns droped Grant with a devastating left hook and then sought to finish it with several more strikes. Grant somehow survived and then took Burns down tried to move in for side control. Grant had the advantage but Burns showed adequate defense and then eventually squirmed out.

Grant landed a kick to the family jewels that stopped the action with less than a minute to go in the round. With less than 20 seconds to go in the round, Grant landed a right hook that floored Burns. He followed up with a vicious right hand and further strikes.

Referee Greg Franklin stopped the bout with only three seconds in the round. Burns seemed upset by the stoppage, perhaps feeling that he should have been given a chance to finish the round.

“I recovered real quick but for a second I was on the canvas and I didn’t know what happened,” Grant said. “My hat’s off to Kevin Burns. I know what kind of fight he brings and I thank him for that. Hard work pays off.” He added that “I’ve never had a knockout out before (in the UFC) it felt good.”

Octagon Girls Logan Stanton & Natasha Wicks…

Written by David Hudson/FightNews.com

Fight Fotos by Joe Cordova/Brawlin.net

December 04, 2009 the Ring of Fire welcomed seven UFC veterans to the show at the Magness Arena in Denver, Colorado.

There was one title bout, two women’s bout and the main event featuring two fighters from television’s, “The Ultimate Fighter.”

Main Event:

Mike Nickels faced Vinny Magalhaes.

Jiu-Jitsu ace Magalhaes wasted no time getting the fight to the mat.

After punching his way into the clinch he scored with a bodylock takedown.

Nickels defended the RNC attempt but from back control Magalhaes switched to an armbar and was able to secure the tapout victory at 1:19 of round one.

Duane Ludwig faced Ryan Roberts.

Roberts worked his wrestling skills to trap a leg of Ludwig to set up a takedown, but with good footwork and balance Ludwig let the takedown take him into full mount.

Ludwig landed some GNP before Roberts was able to gain full guard, but Ludwig refused to let up with the strikes and at 2:05 of round one he got the victory when Roberts tapped out due to strikes.

Alvin Robinson faced Anthony Morrison.

Morrison closed the distance to get the clinch and Robinson jumped guard. On the mat Robinson worked to get high guard, but Morrison postured up and worked a GNP flurry that got him a tapout victory at 1:09 of round one.

Editors Note: Unfortunately during the download of the pictures for Alvin’s fight with Morrison my laptop went dead and none of the fotos were processed.  I apologize for not providing fotos for this fight.

Cameron Dollar faced Kit Cope.

Dollar got a takedown off of the clinch and worked from side control, but Cope was able to work back to standing.

Dollar again secured a takedown but this time it was Cope that got side control.

There was a scramble that ensued for position and the advantage went to Dollar by way of him securing back control.

Dollar used the position to work between GNP and RNC attempts.

At one point Cope briefly stood to try an escape, but Dollar maintained back control and when Cope went to his knees at 4:38 of round one Dollar closed off the choke for the submission victory.

Cody Donovan faced Eric Smith for the Ring of Fire Young Guns 205 lb. Championship.

Smith scored early with a bodylock takedown off of the fence to set up some GNP.

Donovan scrambled to standing. Smith again got a takedown but Donovan showed active hips and threatened with an armbar.

After effecting his escape Smith repeatedly stood then jumped into the guard of Donovan with punches to get the title winning victory by way of TKO at 3:18 of round one.

Ian Berg faced Justin Guthrie.

Twice early in the fight Guthrie was able to use standing back control to get a takedown. Berg escaped the first time, but the second time Guthrie kept back control on the mat, set his hooks and sunk in the RNC for the win at 2:17 of round one.

Andre Walker faced Andreas Sprang.

Each fighter landed strong strikes while standing. Sprang initiated a takedown but was unable to get guard and Walker took side control, then mount but was reversed and it was then Sprang that used side control to set up his GNP attack.

Walker then initiated another reversal but during the transition Sprang sunk in a guillotine choke that got him the tapout victory at 2:20 of round one.

The rest of the bouts were elimination matches.

JJ Mondragon faced Zach Valdez.

Round one had both fighters landing solid strikes both in and out of the clinch with Valdez scoring a takedown to end the round.

Round two had Mondragon open with a right body kick followed by a left head kick that landed solid. The rest of the round saw the fighters again transitioning into and out of the clinch with Mondragon being aggressive while Valdez looked for the takedown.

Round three had Valdez even more aggressive, but unsuccessful with his takedown attempts while Mondragon was accurate with his striking all round. The decision from the judges was an unanimous one in favor of Mondragon.

Jennifer Berg faced Sarah Goodlier.

Both fighters showed strong striking early. Berg landed a combination that dropped Goodlaxen and she immediately took full mount and worked strong GNP until she got the TKO win at 1:23 of round one.

Vinny Lopez faced Shane LeMaster.

LeMaster pressed forward early but Lopez showed crisp counter striking that was able to stagger LeMaster. Lopez got a takedown off of his punches and followed up with a strong GNP attack. LeMaster scrambled to standing then the bout was stopped and Lopez lost a point after an illegal knee to the head of his opponent.

After the restart Lopez landed with strong and accurate strikes and the round ended with the fighters clinched. When LeMaster was unable to answer the bell for round two and Lopez got the TKO win at 3:00 of round one.

Kyane Hampton faced Rachel Perry.

Perry opened with accurate punches while Hampton worked to counter. While clinched against the cage Hampton landed a flurry of elbow strikes then got a takedown. Perry attempted an armbar that Hampton slammed her way out of.

Hampton kept the fight on the mat and from the crucifix hold down position she worked a strong GNP attack including a fight ending flurry of elbow strikes to get the TKO at 2:52 of round one.

Husam Alberq faced Oscar Jiminez.

After a long feeling out period Alberq got a takedown into side control to set up a Kimura attempt. Jimenez escaped the shoulder lock and spent the rest of the round fending off an RNC after Alberq secured back control.

Alberq got a takedown in round two into side control, but Jimenez escaped, took mount, worked his GNP and attempted an armbar to end the round.

Round three saw Jimemez trap a kick to get a takedown into side control then work some GNP before the fighters scrambled to standing to finish the bout exchanging strikes. The judges decision was split in the favor of Jimenez.

Ring Of Fire Ring Card Girls…

“Of the Night” moments:

Quote of the night goes to Duane Ludwig, “I’m a little disappointed in a quick win. I really wanted to scrap tonight, I wanted to have to get stitches.”

Chin of the night goes to Zach Valdez. Even though he lost his bout he was able to withstand a strong kick flush to the face in order to keep his bout going.

GNP of the night goes to Eric Smith for repeatedly flying into the guard of his opponent from standing in order to land the strikes that got him the TKO win.

Submission of the night goes to Vinny Magalhaes for his slick armbar. He got the tapout by transitioning from back control and grabbing his opponents ankle to roll him over into the fight finishing submission.

Fight of the night goes to JJ Mondragon and Zach Valdez. Both fighters gave all they had and took all the other had to offer in a bout that entertained the fans for all three rounds with each looking to have an advantage at several points in the bout.

Be sure to check the site calendar for upcoming events.

Best in Health and Training,
J.R. Gordon.

Fight Fotos by Joe Cordova/Brawlin.net

BUY PHOTOS HERE

November 20, 2009 the softball country pavilion was packed wall  to wall for the fight fans that came out to support the Fight to Win, “Loaded“  show.

And loaded it was, with one title match, four professional bouts and  a host of fighters striving to make their name known in the MMA fight  scene.

Pro bout: In the main event Robert Martinez faced Chris  Holland.

Each fighter came out throwing strong, accurate, crisp, technical  and aggressive strikes with each able to stun the other.

Holland slipped to the  mat and took several punches while scrambling forward trying to secure an ankle  pick.

Martinez backed out, let Holland stand and at the end of a flurry  Martinez landed a left hook that dropped Holland.

Martinez followed up with two  GNP shots before the referee stopped the bout giving Martinez the TKO win at  1:09 of round one.

Pro bout: In the co-main event Matt Simms faced Steve Simmons.

Simms drove forward to secure a bodylock that he turned into a big scoop  slam.

On the ground Simms took side control to work some GNP.

Simmons was active off of his back setting in an armbar that Simms was able  to escape.

Simmons continued to display a good defensive guard, but in  time Simms took half mount and set in a head and arm triangle Choke for the  tapout win at 2:04 of round one.

Pro bout: Tom Sarah faced Jeremy Malatere.

The bout  started out with a prolonged feeling out process with each fighter able to land  probing strikes.

Sarah pushed Malatere into the cage for  a takedown  and the rest of the round had Malatere active off of his back with Sarah  searching to land GNP.

Round two saw Malatere more aggressive with his  strikes before Sarah got a takedown to set up some more GNP.

Malatere  tried for an omoplata that Sarah rolled out of allowing Malatere to end in side  control and work his own GNP attack to end round two.

Round three had both  fighters landing their best strikes including many low kicks.  Sarah was  able to get a bodylock takedown and after Malatere worked back to standing and  after landing kicks to the still down Sarah he closed in for GNP that Sarah  defended by way of getting to his knees and turtling.

From there Malatere  switched back and forth between anaconda and darce choke attempts until the  fighters stood and exchanged strikes to end the bout.  The judges saw it as  an unanimous decision victory for Malatere.

Pro bout: Nick Bushman faced Vellore Caballero.

Bushman  got an early takedown to set up his GNP attack, and Caballero was active  off of his back before the fighters scrambled back to standing.  Bushman  landed a solid head kick before again getting a takedown and controlling  position for the rest of the round while Caballero threatened nonstop with  submission attempts.

Round two had each fighter landing good punches and  kicks before Bushman got a high crotch takedown that he used to transition  smoothly into an Americana shoulder lock attempt.  Caballero escaped and  worked into full mount.
Off of his back Bushman stayed calm, effected a  backdoor escape, and from back control he flurried with relentless GNP to the  head of Caballero until the referee stopped the bout giving Bushman the TKO win  at 2:17 of round one.

Jeremy Kimball faced Jason Lee.

Lee got a fast takedown  and worked GNP until Kimball dropped back for a foot lock.  Lee worked to  set in an heel hook of his own before abandoning the submission in favor of  GNP.

Off of his back Kimball tried for an armbar, but Lee escaped and  worked more GNP to end the round.

After an opening flurry that opened a  cut on Lee, Kimball jumped guard looking for a guillotine choke.

On the  ground Lee escaped and worked GNP to end the round while Kimball was active with  his defense and strikes of his own.

Between rounds the corner of Lee waved  off the fight because of the cut and Kimball got the title winning victory  at 3:00 of round two.  In his post fight interview Kimball (18 years old)  said he is looking to turn pro soon.

Jeremy Hastings fought Chris Blazer.

Both combatants  landed solid strikes early before Holland went for a takedown.

Blazer  however landed on top then stood.

From the bottom Hastings tried for an  ankle pick  takedown and the referee stopped the bout when  Blazer grabbed the fence to stop the takedown.

After the restart the fight  almost immediately went back to the ground.

Blazer was on his back on the  receiving end of Holland’s GNP attack and the referee stopped the bout when  Blazer verbally submitted giving the win to Hastings at the 2:38  mark of round one.

Chris Harvey faced Mike Tougisant.

Tougisant immediately  got a double leg takedown and worked GNP until Harvey rolled to escape.

Tougisant was able to secure back control, work GNP and set in a  RNC.

At 2:06 of round one when Harvey lost consciousness the referee  stopped the bout giving Tougisant the submission victory.

Diego Alvarez faced Oscar Jiminez.

Alvarez came forward  with strong punches while Jiminez worked his counter striking.  Alvarez  landed a flush head kick that didn’t seem to phase Jiminez.

Alvarez then  initiated the clinch and spent most of the rest of the round with the Thai plum  working strong knee strikes.  The round ended with Jiminez landing a solid  punch flurry.

Round two saw Jiminez take an early advantage by way of  strong and accurate punches along with several hard head and body  kicks.  There was a brief pause while Alvarez recovered from an accidental  low blow.  Jiminez was given time to recover after an early accidental low  blow to start round three.

After the restart there was back and forth  striking until Jiminez took a shoot that Alvarez defended by way of standing  guillotine. Jiminez defended the choke until the round ended.  The  judges gave their scores and the winner
by way of unanimous decision was  Jiminez.

Chasen Finklestien faced Jared Hamil.

The fighters engaged  in a brief striking exchange before Finklestien set up a standing RNC and took  Hamil to the mat.

Hamil escaped the choke, but Finklestien scrambled up,  set in a guillotine, pulled guard and closed it off for the tapout victory at  1:04 of round one.

Josh Goldberger faced Jose Campos.

Each fighter landed  strong strikes early, but the reach advantage of Goldberger was put to good use and  he scored a knockdown followed up by GNP to get the TKO win at :53 of round  one.

Karl Ballard was to face Todd Meredith.

However, during  the pre-fight inspection by the referee Ballard was deemed to have an illegal  balm substance on his body so the win went to Meredith by way of  disqualification.

Vinny Palone faced Rich Romero.

The fighters met in the  center of the cage to exchange strong strikes  before Palone landed an  uppercut that dropped Romero.

Palone followed with a brief GNP attack  until the referee stopped the match giving him the TKO win at :42 of round  one.

Fight To Win Ring Card Girls Tara Knight (Black&White) and Jacqui Skibba (Hot Pink)…

“Of The Night” moments:

Chin of the night goes to Oscar Jiminez for continuing to fight  after shrugging off the solid head kick from his opponent.

Submission of the night goes to Mike Tougisant for the RNC that  rendered his opponent unconscious.

Heart of the night goes to Jason Lee for continuing to fight  after the receiving a head cut so deep it had his corner deciding to stop the  bout at the end of the round.

Slam of the night goes to Matt Simms for his huge scoop slam in  the opening moments of his bout.

Fight of the night goes to Tom Sarah and Jeremy Malatere.   There was a lot of anticipation for this fight and it lived up to the  expectations. It went the distance with each fighter epitomizing what it means  to be a well rounded MMA fighter.

Thanks to the sponsors: lifetime of sol, Epic vodka, 5280  fighter and ultimate takedown.  Without their continued support these  events would not be possible.

Be sure to check the site calendar for upcoming events.

Best in Health and Training, J.R.  Gordon.

Fight Fotos by Joe Cordova/Brawlin.net

Friday night, October 30, 2009 The National Western complex in Denver Colorado opened their doors to welcome Colorado MMA fans to, “Stars of MMA” brought to the venue by the Rocky Mountain Nationals fight promotion.  There were seven bouts on the card including one title fight and Colorado fan favorite Joe Trujillo facing the seasoned MMA combatant Jeremy Horn in the main event.
 
Main Event:

Jeremy Horn faced Joe Trujillo.  Trujillo probed early with low kicks before pushing Horn into the cage.  Horn tried to lock in a standing guillotine choke but on the ground Trujillo was able to escape and sweep Horn. 

Horn worked his submission game transitioning between triangle and omoplata attempts.  Trujillo scrambled to escape but Horn was able to end on top and he quickly passed guard before working into knee on belly. 

Horn then looked to set in a far side armbar which Trujillo stuffed, but Horn switched to an Americana shoulder lock and at 2:52 of round one he got the submission locked in for the tapout victory.
 
Brian Martinez faced Rocky Johnson for the RMN 160 lb. men’s MMA title. 

Johnson quickly rushed Martinez into the cage and each fighter landed well with knee strikes before Johnson scored a takedown.  Johnson tried for back control, but Martinez shook him off and the fighters returned to standing.  Johnson again got a takedown and scrambled to back control. 

Martinez was again able to work to standing, but Johnson landed a belly-to-back suplex and on the ground he secured head control.  Johnson used the position to enter into a Peruvian necktie submission and at 1:56 he got the tapout the win and the title.
 
Brett Roller faced Angelo Duarte. 

Roller got an early takedown then there was a prolonged period of grappling with Roller eventually taking back control and working between GNP and trying to set in an RNC. 

Duarte was able to fend off the choke and force a scramble for position. 

When the scramble was settled it was Duarte that had Roller’s back and he was able to set in an RNC of his own. 

At 4:18 of round one Duarte got the choke closed off for the submission victory.

Lamumba Sayers faced Brian Cristina. 

Sayers landed two kicks to open the bout followed by a left hook that dropped Cristina. 

Cristina recovered and got to standing, but Sayers had set in a tight guillotine choke. 

At :54 of round one Cristina lost consciousness, the referee stopped the bout and Sayers got the TKO win.
 
 

Travis Coyle faced Derek Morales. 

Morales scored with a quick takedown then from his knees he got a huge slam. 

From there the action slowed and the referee stood the fighters.  Morales took a shoot and Coyle jumped standing guard looking for a guillotine choke. 

Morales slammed Coyle so hard the fighters literally did a front flip after bouncing off of the canvas.  Morales continued the roll to come up in top position, but Coyle held the guillotine choke tight. 

At 1:44 of round Morales had to submit and Coyle got the win.
 
 

Isaias Gomez faced Mike Jones. 

Jones got an early takedown and controlled position while working some GNP until the referee stood the combatants.  Jones initiated another takedown but Gomez ended the round  working GNP from North/South after stuffing the takedown attempt. 

Round two saw Jones again get a takedown to work some GNP but the action slowed and the referee stood the fighters.  Jones was able to again take it to the mat, but off of his back Gomez showed an active guard, set in a triangle choke and got the win when the referee stopped the fight in the interest of fighter safety at 2:41 of round two.
 

Abe Alvarado faced Adrian Prospero. 

Alvarado got a quick double leg takedown to set up some GNP before the fighters scrambled back to standing.  After a second takedown the round played out with Alvarado working from the top while Prospero worked from his back. 

Round two had Alvarado getting the two more takedowns and controlling position all round while Prospero worked defense.  Prospero was unable to answer the bell for the third round so Alvarado got the TKO win at 3:00 of round two.
 

“Of the night” moments:
 
Slams of the night go to Derek Morales for the two big slams he got during his bout, including the one that literally bounced both fighters off of the mat for a complete front flip.
 
Comeback of the night goes to Angelo Duarte for spending most of his fight defending the RNC and GNP from his opponent before taking back control himself and setting in the fight winning choke.
 
TKO of the night goes to Lamumba Sayers.  Sayers won his fight with a choke, but his opponent did not tap, he went unconscious.  Therefore the referee had to stop the match and that means it was ruled a TKO.
 
Submission of the night goes to Rocky Johnson.  After several tries in previous fights Johnson was able to get the win by way of a choke first seen by many on The Ultimate Fighter, the Peruvian necktie.
 
Fight of the night goes to Travis Coyle and Derek Morales for their back and forth battle featuring slams, escapes, submission attempts and reversals that had the crowd wondering who would eventually gain the advantage.
 
Be sure to check the site calendar for upcoming events.
 
Best in Health and Training, J.R. Gordon.

Fight Fotos by Joe Cordova/Brawlin.net

CLICK HERE FOR HUGE FOTO GALLERY

Saturday night October 24, 2009 the Island Hall Exhibition Hall in Greeley Colorado opened their doors to Clash of the Titans fans and the fans showed their support by packing the venue.

The event would feature a big screen TV giveaway, pyrotechnics, mass T-shirt giveaways and 11 bouts including one women’s MMA match and four titles.
 
The show was scheduled to showcase two Colorado super heavyweights, both undefeated and both making their pro debut.

Ryan Martinez showed up to the weigh-ins ready to do battle, but his opponent Louis Lloyd was a no show.

No one from Lloyd’s team knew a reason for his absence so until the details are available lets hope that he and his family are safe and healthy.

In the main event of the night  George Ashaur faced Rory O’ Farrell for the Clash of the Titans 205 lb. MMA title.  Ashaur opened with a long jab, but O’ Farrell immediately closed the distance, got the clinch and secured a takedown into side control.

On the ground O’ Farrell set in a head and arm triangle choke, hopped to side control on the other side to close it off and at :43 of round one when Ashaur lost consciousness the referee stopped the bout and O’ Farrell got the title.
 
Kyan Hampton faced Raquel Pennington for the Clash of the Titans 130 lb. women’s MMA title.

Early on each fighter was striking well with both working into and out of clinch range.  Pennington set in a standing guillotine choke and fell back to guard looking to close it off.  Hampton defended the choke until the round ended. 

Round two saw Pennington open with a viscous head kick that staggered then dropped Hampton. Pennington followed up with strong GNP before securing back control and at :45 of round two she got the RNC closed off for the title winning submission victory.

Anthony Alirez faced George Morgan for the Clash of the Titans 270 lb. MMA title.

Early in round one Alirez dropped Morgan with a punch and followed him to the mat to work between GNP and submission attempts for almost the entire round.  To end the round Morgan got a sweep into mount in order to land two solid punches before the bell ended the round.

Round two saw strong and accurate striking from each with both fighters displaying their ability to take a punch as well as the ability to deliver.  Morgan lost a point partway through the round when he landed an illegal ceiling to floor elbow strike to the spine of Alirez. 

Round three was nonstop striking action early with each fighter landing strong enough punches to make sweat fly off of the head of the other.   Alirez shot for a takedown but Morgan defended, took back control and used his GNP to get the TKO stoppage and the title at 1:20 of round three.

Ricardo McKeney faced Nick Laney for the Clash of the Titans 155 lb. MMA title.

There was back and forth action between ground work and standing striking with Laney controlling position near the end of the round by transitioning from a standing guillotine to mount to back control for GNP.

Round two saw McKeney initiate the clinch but Laney turned him into the cage and landed a strong striking flurry that culminated with a punch that dropped McKeney.

Laney followed up with more strikes on the ground  to win the title by way of TKO at :45 of round two.

 Nick Meyer faced TJ Nunnely.

Meyer earned an early knockdown  then worked nonstop between GNP and submission attempts.  Nunnely weathered the pressure and came up on top after the fighters had a brief exchange of ankle lock attempts.

Meyer scrambled to his knees, then to standing before setting up a guillotine choke and falling back to attain full guard.  At 2:52 of round one Meyer got the choke closed off for the submission win.

Jose Martinez faced Dennis Maes.

Martinez closed in with punches that Maes answered with strikes of his own. 

Martinez pushed Maes into the cage and landed a left hook to stun Maes followed by 1-2 more punches in order to secure the KO win at :28 of round one.

Carlos Marquez faced Michael Martinez.

Marquez used strong striking early to set up his takedown. Martinez was able to scramble back to standing, work into the clinch and get his own takedown to work his GNP attack from side control.  Marquez was able to scramble into back control and end the round with his own GNP and RNC attempt.

Round two saw Marquez with strong striking.  On the ground Martinez was close with a Kimura submission attempt, but after Marquez escaped, the fighters scrambled back to standing. 

On the feet the action stopped so the referee could replace the mouthpiece of Martinez after it was dislodged by punches from Marquez. 

On the restart Martinez landed a head kick, followed with punches and was able to put Marquez on the mat when he rushed forward.  Martinez followed him to the mat and with his GNP he got the TKO win at 2:29 of round two.
 
 

Ryan Fotheringham faced Andrew Yates. 

Each fighter had a strong striking flurry  before Yates scored a double leg takedown.  For the rest of the round Fotheringham was active with submission attempts while Yates improved his position to set up GNP. 

To start round two Yates threw a flurry that knocked Fotheringham down.  Yates followed up with GNP from half mount to get the KO win at :23 of round two.
 
 

James DeHerrera faced Julian Gonzales.

DeHerrera got an early takedown but Gonzales  transitioned  well to back control to set up an RNC.  DeHerrera escaped and from inside the guard he worked GNP to end the round.

Round two saw Gonzales show strong striking before DeHerrera got a takedown.  On the ground both fighters put their grappling and wrestling on display before the action slowed and the referee stood the fighters. 

Gonzales again landed solid strikes before DeHerrera got another takedown.  Gonzales set in a triangle choke attempt that was defended until the end of the round. 

Round three had both striking well before DeHerrera got the takedown.  Gonzales was active off of his back and DeHerrera stood and let Gonzales up so he could score another takedown.  Gonzales was active off of his back while DeHerrera worked GNP to end the fight.

When the scorecards were totaled it was a split decision victory in favor of DeHerrera.

Jesus Melendez faced Matt Manzanares.

There was a prolonged feeling out process from the combatants before Manzanares closed in with punches and kept up the flurry until he got the TKO win at 1:08 of round one.

Andrew Alirez faced Calvin Smeeds.

Alirez got a quick takedown, took mount, worked GNP then set in his fight winning head and arm triangle choke at 1:30 of round one.
 
“Of The Night” moments:
 
Classy speech of the night goes to Ryan Martinez.  Ryan came into the ring to tell the crowd why he would not be fighting.  When the crowd booed his opponent Ryan stated, “We don’t know why he didn’t make it, so for now lets just hope that he and his family are safe.”
 
Nick name of the night goes to Kyan “Pepper” Hampton.
 
Knock out of the night goes to Jose Martinez for winning his bout by way of KO at :28 of round one.
 
Two fighters share chin of the night honors.  Anthony Alirez and George Morgan for trading shots repeatedly that would have rendered many fighters unconscious,  yet they just kept going. 
 
Recovery of the night goes to Kyan Hampton.  She took a full power kick flush to the face and even though it dropped her she was able to keep battling.

Kick of the night goes to Raquel Pennington for the head kick she scored to drop her opponent.
 
Submission of the night goes to Rory O’ Farrell for his title winning head and arm triangle choke that rendered his opponent unconscious.
 
Fight of the night goes to George Morgan and Anthony Alirez.  Their title bout went into the third round with multiple occasions where they stood toe-to-toe throwing and landing, “bombs” that each was able to withstand in order to keep pressing forward while keeping the crowd guessing who may get the win.

RMBB Ring Card Girls…

Thanks to all of the sponsors who made the event possible.

Best in Health and Training, J.R. Gordon.

Fotos by Joe Cordova/Brawlin.net

Friday night September 25, 2009 the fight fans at Red and Jerry’s again quenched their thirst for MMA action with an 11 bout fight card including 7 titles, a professional match and women’s MMA action.
 
Main event: Angelo Duarta faced Scott Grimm for the RMBB professional 145 lb. MMA title. 

To start off the only pro fight on the card  Grimm quickly shot for a takedown, but on the ground Duarta was able to control position while Grimm threatened with submissions. 

Grimm worked for an armbar, a shoulder lock and a triangle choke, all of which Duarta defended/escaped before closing off the RNC for the title win at 2:42 of round one.

  
 
Anthony Alirez faced Jack May for the RMBB superheavyweight MMA title. 

Alirez opened the bout with rushing May into the cage and looking for a takedown. 

May however was able to pull Alirez to the mat and from the top he tried for an armbar that Alirez escaped. 

Then in the scramble Alirez worked into half mount while securing the guillotine choke and at 2:10 of round one he got the tapout victory and the belt.

Ann Wyborn faced Audrey Perkins for the RMBB 115 lb. women’s MMA title. 

Both fighters showed good striking to open the bout before they clinched against the cage and Wyborn worked for a standing RNC before transitioning to a standing guillotine choke attempt.

Wyborn then jumped guard looking to close off the choke, but Perkins escaped and spent the rest of the round in mount working her GNP.

Round two saw nearly the entire round being spent in the clinch with both fighters firing off solid knee strikes and mixing in head and body punches.

While standing Wyborn tried several times for a guillotine choke, but each time Perkins was able to escape.  Near the end of the round Wyborn again jumped guard looking for a choke, but Perkins defended and worked body shots from inside the guard of Wyborn. 

The third round again saw the majority of the action occur with the combatants in the clinch firing solid strikes seemingly nonstop with each giving as good as they got.

Perkins initiated a takedown, but Wyborn ended in half mount and each worked GNP before scrambling to standing and flurrying with punches to close out the bout.

When the scorecards were totaled the title winner by way of unanimous decision was Ann Wyborn.
     

 
George Ashauer faced TJ Nunnely for the RMBB 205 lb. MMA title.

Both fighters showed striking early before Nunnely shot then pulled guard.  Ashauer passed the guard and worked his GNP before trying for a Kimura shoulder lock. 

Nunnely escaped the lock by cage walking and back rolling out from under his opponent.  A scramble for position ensued and Ashauer tried for a triangle, but Nunnely escaped.

Ashauer stayed committed to his submission attack and transitioned to an armbar that Nunnely defended once.

However, the second time that Ashauer set in the armbar he got it closed off for the title winning tapout at 2:44 of round one.

  
 
Jeremiah Record faced Travis Hollis for the RMBB 155 lb. MMA title.

Both fighters came out showcasing strong kicks.

They mixed their kicking well from leg attacks to body attacks to head kicks along with several spinning techniques. 

After the kicking display it was Record that got the takedown and after securing back control he worked between RNC and GNP. 

At 2:40 of round one Record was able to sink in the RNC to win the title.
 

Shawn Flanagan faced CJ Martinez for the RMBB 135 lb. MMA title.

After the fighters entered into the clinch Martinez scored a takedown and worked his GNP.

Flanagan answered with a solid triangle choke attempt before escaping and working back to standing where the fighters exchanged strikes to end the round.

Round two saw both fighters striking well with Flanagan landing a hard side kick that sent Martinez into the cage.

Martinez used the momentum to set up a superman punch after rebounding off of the cage.  He followed the punch with a takedown, took mount and worked his GNP until he got the TKO win and the title at 2:39 of round two.

  
 
Beau Whipple faced Willy Baisley for the RMBB 145 lb. MMA title.

Baisley opened with a strong teep kick followed by a punch flurry.  Whipple came back with a combination of his own but Baisley set up a leg trip takedown.  Once on the ground Baisley took mount, worked his GNP and set in a triangle choke when Whipple swept him.  At :55 of round one Baisley got the choke cinched off in order to win the title by way of tapout victory.

  
 
Chad Romero faced Isaias Gomez.

Romero quickly got a double leg takedown and worked his GNP until the referee stood the fighters after an accidental illegal punch to the back of the head of Gomez.

Romero again got the takedown and spent the rest of the round working GNP and submission attempts.

Round two again had Romero securing the double leg takedown and using his GNP to set up a RNC attempt.  The choke looked to be a fight winner, but Gomez refused to tap and was able to work his way back to standing.

Romero again got a takedown and set in a triangle choke when Gomez swept him. Gomez however again showed solid submission defense to get out of the choke and the follow up armbar.

From the top Gomez worked punches to end the round.  Round three had Romero getting several more takedowns and using positional control to set up his GNP attack until the bell ended the bout.  When the scorecards were tallied the winner by unanimous decision was Chad Romero.

  
 
Allen Washington faced Jeron Aragon.

Aragon was aggressive early and scored with a huge double leg slam to set up his GNP from mount.  Washingtom tried to buck and roll for an escape and the referee stopped the action and restarted the fighters standing after Aragon grabbed the cage to prevent being rolled.  On the restart Aragon again got a big double leg slam, took mount and used his GNP to get the TKO win at 2:10 of round one.

             
 
Daniel Guzman faced Matt Manzanares.

Both fighters came out probing with punches but it was Manzanares that closed in to land a crushing hook that dropped Guzman. Manzanares followed up with a single punch on the ground before the referee stopped the bout to give Manzanares the KO win at :10 of round one.

  
 
Valentine Marquez faced Jake Thompson.

Marquez got an early takedown and controlled position most of the round including several slams.  Thompson threatened with a triangle choke but Marquez was able to escape as round one ended.  Round two saw Marquez get a bodylock takedown and from side control he used his GNP to get the TKO win at :45 of round two.

  
 
“Of the night” moments:
 
Submission defense of the night goes to Isaias Gomez.  He was caught in several chokes that had the audience thinking he be able to breathe out of his ears in order to be able to keep himself in the bout.
 
Submission of the night goes to George Ashauer.  He transitioned from a triangle to an armbar, both of which his opponent escaped only to reset the armbar to get the victory.
 
Slam(s) of the night go to Jeron Aragon for his huge double leg takedowns that set up his GNP victory.
 
KO of the night goes to Matt Manzanares for his clean ten second KO victory.
 
Fight of the night goes to Ann Wyborn and Audrey Perkins.  There was nonstop action for the entirety of their three round battle as both fighters traded kicks, punches, elbows and takedowns as well as showing their grappling prowess with submission attempts, escapes and reversals.

Rocky Mountain Bad Boyz Ring Card Girls!

      
 
 
Best in Health and Training, J. R. Gordon.

Fotos by Joe Cordova/Brawlin.net

Fight To Win Promotions came to the rescue of the local MMA community this past Saturday as WE starved for some combat action over the past few weeks.

How spoiled we have become!

One of the top nationally ranked amateur fighters in the world was in town for a showdown with a highly touted young fighter making his pro debut and eyeing the upset.

Also on tap was the fight that many fight fans have been waiting for…

The Final Round in the 145lb FTW Grand Prix Tournament, as Nick Mamalis and Ron Muir were ready for battle in the co-main event of the evening!

In the main event, Colorado native Chase Hackett stepped into the cage for his professional debut against the unbeaten amateur standout Drew Dober of Nebraska.

Dober started with a brief stint of strong stand-up before Hackett clinched up and worked towards the take-down.

The ground fight was short lived and the combatants were back to their feet in the center of the ring.  The back and forth stand-up and ground fighting continued for most of the round with Hackett controlling the majority of the exchanges.

Prior to the first bell, Hackett landed a brutal overhand right dropping Dober like a sack a potatoes.  Dober quickly regained his wits and pulled guard but took a few shots along the way.

The second round was like a two minute replay of the ending of the first as Hackett came out and landed another brutal overhand right plummeting Dober back to the canvas in a daze.

Hackett wasted no time in moving forward with his attack slamming strikes to the head before moving to side control and continuing to display his vicious GNP attack.

As the round was nearing a close the fight was back to the stand-up exchanges eventually hitting the ground and Hackett still maintaining control with Dober getting back to his feet landing a couple clean shots but never putting Hackett in any danger.

Round three was a mirror image of the first two and Hackett proceeded with his dominant performance in his first pro fight.  Hackett could not finish off the game Dober and the fate of both fighters was in the hands of the judges.

Hackett came out with an impressive 30-27 unanimous decision over the extremely talented Drew Dober his pro debut and it appears the skies the limit for Hackett with a huge victory in front of the hometown crowd.

Constantly beating Dober to the punch, proved to be the key ingredient to victory as Hackett landed numerous strikes and did an excellent job of keeping the fight on the ground and pounding his way to victory.

In the co-main event we had the final round of the FTW Grand Prix 145lb pro tournament with Rough House MMA’s Ron Muir and the Underground Fight Clubs Nick Mamalis ready for war and bragging rights.

Mamalis started with some promising strikes and stuffing Muir’s take-down attempts with a solid sprawl.  The action was back on the feet and Mamalis was back to unloading crisp straight shots in displaying his arsenal.

Muir continued to shoot on numerous occasions but Mamalis was quick to shove him to the canvas and force the fight to remain standing. Mamalis responded with a stiff right hand sending Muir to the floor.

Muir had no time to waste as he quickly grabbed a hold of Mamalis to regain his composure and shake the cob webs.

The fight was once again back on the feet and Mamalis landed another devastating straight left followed by a powerful knee putting his opponent back on the canvas.

Mamalis jumped in and delivered a some GNP then moved to side control and backed off to bring the fight back to the stand-up position where he had an obvious advantage.

Muir needing to pull off something and shot in for another take-down but came up short in his attempt as the frustration mounted.

We ended the round with Muir pulling guard as Mamalis went for a take-down of his own.  Mamalis postured up and landed some good strikes before the sound of the bell.

Unfortunately Muir was unable to respond to the second round bell as his corner had felt he had enough and threw the towel into the center of the ring.

Mamalis picked up the FTW pro 145lb title as well as the winner of the Grand Prix and proved to be one of Colorado’s brightest stars as he faced top notch talent and seemingly made it look easy in each fight throughout the tournament.

Brett Roller and Joe Doeherty were set to do battle for the FTW 135lb pro title. Roller was ready to do damage early as he rushed in and started throwing strikes before he got the takedown and moved on to some GNP action.

Doeherty seemed to be comfortable on his back as he had a very active guard never allowing Roller to set up and land any heavy blows.

The fighters were back to their feet and both started working good hand combinations before the action was stopped as Roller received a few shots to the back of the head forcing the warning by referee Adam Martinez.

The action continued and Roller went in for the takedown landing in the guard of Doeherty. Once again the fighters showed good grappling skills with sweeps and mounts as well as reversals and some strikes along the way.

Round two started much like the first with great action from both warriors punishing one another with a variety of attacks including a heel hook attempt by Doeherty.

Approaching the middle of the second stanza, Doeherty began to take control as fatigue became a huge factor for Roller as he was noticeably spent and fighting to get his second wind.

Doeherty seemingly took notice to the delayed response of Roller and clinched up and started delivering knees to the body of Roller then immediately followed up with strikes to the head.

Roller worked out of danger momentarily to fall in the guard but got swept and ended up on bottom taking strikes and elbows to end out the round.

In the third round, Doeherty came out with a good head kick and Roller went in for the takedown. Doeherty pulled in the guillotine on the way down as the fighters hit the mat he closed up the guard and finished the choke.

Doeherty became the new champ at 11 seconds of the third round in what was a very entertaining fight.

Matt Simms put his 155lb amateur title on the line against the more experienced Mike Suksi.

Simms wanted this fight on the ground as he quickly clinched up and went for the big slam.

Simms kept control and moved right to side control then got the mount. Suksi showed off his ground game as he swiftly pulled off a great sweep.

Smooth like a snake, Simms slithered his way to guard and grabbed his shin in preparation of the triangle.

Continuing to finish his submission, Simms latched on the other leg and began to pull down on the head to solidify the choke forcing his game opponent to tap at 51 seconds of the first round.

Zac Chavez and Mirsad Bectik entered the ring for the FTW 145lb amateur title.

Round one was fast paced non-stop action as Bectik had a variety of positions to strike from as he quickly transitioned from side control to north-south then back to side control working in various strikes during the transitions.

Bectik continued the GNP from numerous positions while Chavez performed a sweep to regain the top position.  With little time left in the round Chavez threw a few strikes of his own but they did not impact the round as Bectik controlled the action throughout.

Round two Chavez came out with a BIG overhand right, narrowly missing the target.  With his head towards the ground, Bectik slid around and took back control, then got the mount and returned to back control before moving to the RNC.

Chavez did a great job of defending the submissions as Bectik started in with some more GNP in an effort to free up another submission attempt.

In the back position Bectik turned up the heat and let ‘em fly as referee Adam Martinez called a halt to the action at 2:03 of round two declaring Bectik the new 145lb champion by way of TKO.

Diego Alvarez and Rob Celani gave the fight fans everything they had in their respective tanks in a non-stop action packed three round battle with Celani coming out with the unanimous decision.

Jason Lee picked up a unanimous decision victory over the very game Geremy Gaskill. Lee had shown polished skills inside the ring throughout the fight but could not seem to find an answer for the reach advantage of Gaskill. Gaskill’s reach kept Lee at bay keeping him from landing the KO blow.

Jeremy Hastings ended his match up against Carlos Garcia with a triangle at 2:48 of round one.  This fight started as a slug fest before hitting the ground. Hastings locked in his submission from the mount to end the fight.

Sebastian White took home a 29-28 unanimous decision over Brian Marnec over three good rounds of action.

Kyle Nelson defeated Hector Sanchez in a three round war by way of unanimous decision.

Louie Hesse defeated Kyle Lemaire at 2:38 of the first round by RNC. Hesse showed a great ground game with good transitions and a strong base alomg with excellent control.

Trey Jackson defeated Michel Martinez with a vicious GNP attack at 1:31 of the first round.

John Kindvall defeated Dan Lovato with a strong KO in round one. Kindvall landed a clean shot early and never let up. At 59 seconds the ref called a stop to the action.

Sean Law defeated Sonny Sparling with a punishing knee to the mid section. Law followed up with strong strikes for the TKO at 2:06 of the second round.

Fight To Win Ring Card Girls…

Written by Rick Teran/Brawlin.net

Fotos by Joe Cordova/Brawlin.net

Randy “The Natural” Couture vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira was a legendary fight that fans of mixed martial arts have been begging for. The clash that has been talked about since Nogueira and Courture held the PRIDE and UFC heavyweight titles (respectively), took several years to come to fruition, but did not disappoint.

Both fighters were coming off of losses – Couture’s TKO loss to heavyweight stud Brock Lesnar and Nogueira’s drubbing at the hands of Frank Mir – and skeptics questioned if their best years were behind them.

In front of 16,088 rabid fans at the Rose Garden in Portland, OR, UFC 102 set the stage for a legendary clash that went above and beyond all expectations and will be logged in the annexes of UFC history forever. In the end, “Minotauro” Nogueira was a step ahead of the fighter they call “Captain America” and took home a unanimous decision victory to prove that his loss to Mir several months earlier was merely an aberration.

The 46-year-old Couture also proved that he still has gas in his tank – he revealed that he signed a new 28 month, six fight deal with the UFC afterwards – and put on a show for his hometown fans who went absolutely berserk from the moment he emerged from the locker room to the final bell.

The clash was one for the ages. From the opening bell, Nogueira and Couture traded emphatic punches with ill intent. Giving and receiving each other’s best, fans knew immediately they were in for something legendary. When the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu specialist was shrugged off trying to pull guard early in the fight by Couture, the 16k erupted to decibels that would leave Dana White’s head ringing long after the fight.

The first round featured it all – heated exchanges, a powerful knockdown by Nog and a near submission via D’Arce choke that Couture masterfully escaped from and came roaring back to land a beautiful left right combination to close the round. If the first round set the pace, the second saw the future Hall Of Famers go right back to work. Couture would takedown Nogueira and land some solid blows from the former PRIDE and UFC champion’s guard. But just as quickly as he went to work, Nog surprised Randy with a brilliant sweep and ended up in full mount. A collective gasp took over the crowd as “Minotauro” nearly sunk in an arm triangle and yet again finished off Couture. Captain America was resilient and somehow managed to escape the choke and scramble to his feet. At this point, the Rose Garden roof was nearly blown off by the “Randy” chants.

Although Nogueira was ahead after two rounds, he would not rest on his laurels and looked for a finish in the third. Couture frantically attacked with a rousing three punch combination at the beginning of the final frame but ate a massive right hand that sent him crumbling to the canvas as it appeared that it was over yet again. Somehow, someway Couture weathered the storm and made it to his knees as the crowd erupted yet again. Nogueira was not finished as he worked his Jiu-Jitsu and managed to take Couture’s back and got one hook in and looked like he’d secure a read naked choke. Couture called upon his championship heart once again and managed to sweep Nog and land in the top position before landed a few elbow strikes as the time expired.

It wouldn’t be enough to sway the judges, who all scored the fight in favor of Nogueira: 30-27 twice and 29-28.

The victory puts Nogueira’s MMA record at an impressive 32-5-1 and possibly in line for a future fight with the winner of Brock Lesnar’s heavyweight championship showdown with Shane Carwin.

During a post fight interview with UFC commentator Joe Rogan, Nog revealed that injuries – specifically a staph infection – set him up as damaged goods before entering the Octagon with Frank Mir in December. His victory on Saturday night proved that “Minotauro” is ready and willing to trade with the best of them.

“I was in the hospital for one week before the fight against Frank Mir, then I had my … meniscus torn out. So I had a lot of injuries — my neck, my knee, everything — but now I am here. I want to be at the top of the UFC. I want a title belt. If you guys give me a chance to fight against Lesnar, it would be my pleasure.”

Couture looked as incredible as one can look on the wrong side of the scorecards. He fell to 16-10 in defeat but proved that he still can go with the best of them and we’re sure we will see the UFC legend back in the Octagon sooner than later.

“I’m obviously disappointed to lose, but you’ve got to love this sport,” Couture said afterwards. “I tell you what, these guys come out here, and every single fight tonight, they put it on the line. That’s what I love about it. You never know what’s going to happen.”

Silva Redeems Himself; Flattens Jardine In 95 Seconds

After a devastating knockout loss to Lyoto Machida back in January, Thiago Silva knew he needed something spectacular to place his name back into light heavyweight contention. Keith Jardine was also coming off of a loss to Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and was looking for a little payback himself. Silva wasn’t expected to be as easy as Silva made him appear to be.

In a mere 95 seconds, Thiago Silva knocked out Keith Jardine in extremely devastating fashion to stamp himself as again one of the premier fighters at 205lbs.

“The Dean Of Mean” came out aggressive and landed rattling leg kicks early. Silva would catch one of Jardine’s leg kicks and shove him to the mat. Silva couldn’t keep Jardine down and the two went back to stand-up – which is probably the worst thing Jardine could have had happen.

Jardine would shoot an uppercut towards Silva that the Brazilian would slip past and launch a menacing counter left hook that rocked Jardine and sent him to the canvas. Seconds later, Silva sent several ill intentioned punches that finished off the fight as referee Herb Dean called the fight off and the Rose Garden watched in awe.

And just like that, Thiago Silva went from possibly over hyped to definite contender.

Rosholt Puts Leben To Sleep

Chris Leben was the hometown boy. Jake Rosholt was the relative unknown who could care less where his opponent was from. In the end, Rosholt would choke the fan favorite with a brilliant arm triangle at one minute and thirty seconds in the third round.

Rosholt was looking to avenge his UFC debut loss to Dan Miller back in February and did so in rousing fashion. The usually durable Leben was pressured by the four time All American wrestler from the outset. The Oklahoma State alumni landed a jumping knee that bloodied up Leben early and set the tone for the rest of the fight.

Leben looked sluggish throughout but managed to muster up some offense to keep things competitive. In the second round Leben would knock Rosholt down but couldn’t put enough together to put his opponent in any serious danger.

Leben entered the final frame looking gassed but swung wildly for the fences. Rosholt kept his composure and easily took down Leben and settled into side control. Rosholt appeared to go for Leben’s back but masterfully locked his hands in for an arm triangle and switched over to the other side to lock the hold in and put “The Crippler” to sleep as the fight was called to a halt.

“It was a great fight,” Rosholt said as his MMA record improves to 6-1. “I knew Leben was coming after me. I wanted to TKO him or submit him.”

Nate “The Great” Pulverizes Maia

One of the evening’s most intriguing match-ups turned out to be completely one-sided as middleweight contender Nate “The Great” Marquardt made extremely short work of Demian Main in a fight with future championship implications.

The chatter before the fight surrounded whether or not Marquardt could deal with Maia’s remarkable Jiu-Jitsu skills on the mat or if Maia could find his way through Marquardt’s remarkable offense and take matters to the canvas.

Marquardt didn’t give anyone a chance to see if he could deal with Maia’s ground game as all he needed was one punch and 21 seconds to put the Brazilian away in devastating fashion.

Maia oddly tried an ill fated high kick early on that Marquardt stepped inside of and lowered the boom with a vicious right hand that put Maia’s lights out before he hit the floor.

It was a statement fight for “The Great” who has been pining for a rematch with pound for pound king Anderson Silva. This fight could very well have locked him in for a middleweight title fight as long as Silva remains at 185lbs and is willing to defend his title.

“I want that belt and I don’t know who’s going to get the next shot, but if you want someone who’s going to kick Anderson Silva’s butt, you’re going to give that shot to me,” Marquardt said afterwards.

With that one punch statement, truer words may never had been spoken.

Vera Slips By Soszynski

In a match-up of 205 pounders, Brandon Vera kept Krzysztof Soszynkski off balance and managed to pull out a unanimous decision victory. Vera – who has yet to look terribly impressive at light heavyweight since coming down several fights back – was much more fluid in his striking and never provided an opening for “The Polish Experiment” to take advantage of with his own standup. Soszynski would never get the opportunity to lock in his trademark kimura or even manage to take down “The Truth” as he looked baffled and lost for most of the fight.

Vera never found himself in much danger and utilized enough leg kicks and left hands to score the 30-27 victory on all three judges scorecards. Unfortunately, the slow paced fight didn’t manage to help bolster Vera’s resume and proved that once again he has yet to reach his full potential.

Injury Gives A-Train TKO Victory

Undefeated Aaron Simpson kept his streak going as he defeated TUF Season 3 alumni Ed Herman via TKO at 17 seconds in the second round. A-Train came out with his guns blazing as he landed several strikes and a huge slam early in the first round. Herman couldn’t get anything going as he was dropped by a overhand right and was dominated throughout the first stanza. Herman would hobble back to his corner at the end of the first as his knee looked to be injured. As the second frame opened, Herman attempted a kick that was caught by Simpson and shoved him aside but Herman hit the mat writhing in pain. Yves Lavigne was forced to wave off the fight as Herman could no longer continue. Replays showed Herman’s knee completely give out on him.

Gonzaga Bounces Back From Loss

Gabriel Gonzaga bounced back from his knockout loss to Shane Carwin with a very impressive TKO victory over Brock Lesnar training partner Chris Tuchscherer at 2:20 in the first round. The fight was in danger of ending prematurely as Gonzagaused one of his trademark kicks and landed a low blow to nearly put Tuchscherer out of business in the opening seconds. Tuchscherer would writhe in pain for several minutes before finally opting to continue the fight. He may have been better off letting this one go as Gonzaga would blitz him and land a monster head kick that dropped Tuchscherer to the canvas and allow Gonzaga to smash his way to the TKO victory.

Russow Manhandles McCully

Ex-Cop Mike Russow manhandled Justin McCully throughout most of their heavyweight bout to earn an easy unanimous decision victory. Russow would take down McCully at will and pound away at his seemingly listless opponent. A vicious left hand while on the ground caused some nasty swelling under McCully’s eye as Russow would continue to pound and control his opponent en route to the easy victory. Officials scored the fight 30-26, 30-27 and 29-28 all in favor of Russow.

Duffee Wins In UFC Debut

Making his UFC debut, Todd Duffee knocked out Tim Hague in a UFC record seven seconds in their heavyweight match-up. It wouldn’t take long as the massive Duffee shot a stiff jab that floored Hague immediately after the bell sounded and then pummeled him with hammer fists as Mario Yamasaki called a halt to the fight.

“I came out aggressive and he came out aggressive,” Duffee said about his remarkable record setting victory. “He made the first move, I countered with a jab and he went down.

Munoz Wins Split Verdict Over Catone

In middleweight action, “The Filipino Smashing Machine” Mark Munoz took home a debatable split decision victory over Nick Catone.

Munoz was in need of a victory after the brutal knockout loss at the hands of Matt Hamill back at UFC 96 and may have received a gift from the judges in this one. Catone started the bout firing on all cylinders as he looked faster and sharper in his standup. But Munoz would put his excellent wrestling skills on display and get a couple of big slams and takedowns late in each round which apparently swayed the judges in his favor. Judges scored the fight 29-28 for Catone, 30-27 and 29-28 in favor of Mark Munoz.

Dunhum Wins Opener

In the evening’s first bout, Evan Dunham used a sharp standup game to upend Marcus Aureilo via split decision. Dunham – who hails from nearby Eugene – looked sharp on his feet and used his superieor striking to score the victory. Judges saw the bout 29-28 for Aurelio while the other two judges had it 30-27 and 29-28 for Dunham.

Written by Andreas Hale/FightNews.com

Fight Fotos by Joe Cordova/Brawlin.net

Thousands of Mixed Martial Arts fans embarked on the Broomfield Event Center for Ring Of Fire 35 which was the inaugural “SUMMERBRAWL” as local MMA standout Tyler “Thunder” Toner had his eye on the 145lb ROF Championship belt in the main event of the evening along with other great match-ups on a night of controversial endings, submissions and a former two-time ROF champion making his long awaited return to the cage.

Toner, the crowd favorite and Fabio Serrao of Brazil squared off for the ROF featherweight title.  Serrao wasted no time in shooting in for the takedown to start the first round and Toner had no problem defending off the BJJ black belt from taking his back after a successful takedown.

The persistent single and double leg takedowns continued by Serrao and so did the great ground defense by Toner.

Although Toner was not receiving much damage on the bottom he could not seem to stop the takedowns handed out by Serrao throughout round one.

Toner began round two by letting his stand up do the job with knees from the clinch and strikes while standing. Serrao had enough of the stand up and went in for another takedown but Toner responded well with a sprawl stuffing the takedown leaving his opponent disappointed.

The timely sprawls had become less frequent as the round continued and Serrao appeared to be losing his wind but the striking from Toner was being fired at will, landing a clean flying knee followed up by combinations to the head and body. Serrao continued to take the punishing knees and strikes to end the second round.

Round three was more of the same with Toner wisely picking his shots and Serrao wanting this fight on the ground but unable to take it there. Toner never let up keeping Serrao at bay with countless strikes and stuffing every takedown he had to offer.

Serrao began to become flustered as he would remain on his back for a few seconds after being stuffed on the takedown attempts. The third round ended and it was now in the hands of the judges.

All three judges scored the bout in favor of Toner as he picked up the coveted ROF crown and now has his sights set on the big leagues as it appears WEC awaits Thunder.

Fabian Acuna and Jon Gunderson fought for the ROF lightweight title in a highly anticipated bout that would place either fighter in the driving seat for a possible future in a larger promotion down the line. 

Acuna struck first with a good right kick that was caught and used for the takedown as Gunderson moved to his GNP from the side position.

Acuna performed a great reversal to improve to the top position but Gunderson stayed on his attack and immediately locked his arms for a Kimura from the 1/2 guard.

Acuna worked to free his arm but Gunderson worked diligently to keep it in danger and at the 2:18 mark of the first round referee Curtis Thrasher jumped in to stop the fight due to a verbal submission that was quickly disputed by Acuna.

After a long ground battle with Acuna stuck in the Kimura, Acuna worked his way to the cage and shot himself up to the standing position, but in the process he let out a very loud yell and Thrasher appeared to be very concerned with the arm of Acuna and called a stop to the action by jumping between the two combatants to ensure no further damage to the arm.

There looks to be a great opportunity for a rematch come ROF 36 as promoter Sven Bean took the mic and asked the many in attendance if they wanted the rematch, as both fighters and the crowd responded with a resounding applause.

Brian Wood faced off with Jesse Henley for the 145 lb Young Guns Championship.

Wood scored first moving in for the takedown and gaining side control but that was short lived as Henley quickly scrambled to his feet.

Both fighters clinched up and the fight once again hit the canvas as Henley went for a leg lock and Wood quickly countered.

During the scramble Henley found the opportunity to lock up an arm.  Henley continued to threaten the arm as he moved to side control and at the 2:33 mark of the first round Henley finished the fight by Kimura.

Henley put on a great performance despite only two weeks notice and went home the newly crowned champion in the process.

Christian” Relentless” Allen stepped back into the ROF cage at 135 lbs to face Chad Obermiller of Hastings Nebraska. Both fighters took a brief moment in the center of the cage to get acquainted as Allen peppered Obermiller as he circled the cage.

Allen found his mark first landing a big left hand dropping Obermiller to the floor.  Allen immediately rushed his downed opponent quickly establishing the north-south position.

Sensing a prime opportunity, Allen locked in an anaconda choke and rolled with it while Obermiller pushed away but Allen tied up the leg holding on to his choke.

Allen never let up squeezing tighter feeling this could be the end.

Allen felt no response from his opponent and letting the referee know Obermiller had went limp and was unconscious at which time he came to the defense of Obermiller at 1:43 of round one.

A two-time ROF champion at 145, Allen came out looking dominate after dropping to the 135 lb weight division and appears to be back on track and ready to regain his form of old.  

Capturing the 135 lb crown appears to be Allen’s next goal, with current champion and WEC veteran Noah Thomas in the wing, Colorado fight fans may be in store for a showdown between two of the states finest mixed martial artist in the near future.

I would love to see that one!!!

Orem, Utah’s Eddie Pelcynski met up with Green River, Wyoming’s Justin Salas in a 155 lb pro feature bout.

Both fighters squared off in the middle of the cage before Pelcynski landed a vicious knee that landed flush putting Salas on his back and seemingly out as Pelcynski moved right to the mount and began to rain down strikes before the referee was forced to step in and stop the fight at the 9 second mark of round one.

With a solid following at the fight, both the fans and Salas were not happy with the stoppage as a chorus of boo’s filled the arena as Pelcynski paraded the cage, hands raised in victory.

Mike Baldwin faced off with Nate Williams in the first pro fight of the evening. Round one found Baldwin on his back threatening with various submissions as Williams worked from the guard but delivered little punishment.

Baldwin maintained control of Williams for the duration of the round as Williams could not seem to shed Baldwin.

Williams shoot in for the takedown to start the second stanza only to be shoved to the ground by Baldwin.

Baldwin then worked to the mount then back control and locked in the body triangle as he began working towards the RNC.

Baldwin softened him up with strikes to lock in the choke as Williams continued to fight off the second arm but with no success.  At 3:40 of the second, Williams had enough and was forced to tap.

Ramico Blackmon faced Larry Williams in a 170 lbs preliminary fight in what many believed would be a great test for both combatants.

Blackmon immediately used his spectacular wrestling skills to instantly take the fight to the ground as Williams had no chance of stuffing his bull-rushing opponent

Blackmon quickly locked in the Kimura from side control to finish the fight in a fast :56 seconds once again stirring up a rouse of boo’s from the crowd as Williams would not tap and the referee was forced to call the fight given the predicament of Williams arm.

Jennifer Berg and Diana Rael entered the cage in what turned out to be an all out brawl as both fighters landed devastating strikes and kicks on one another leaving the crowd in awe, wondering how these ladies were still standing after a grueling first round of non-stop action.

The crowd had thought so much of the non-stop toe-to-toe action that they felt it necessary to give the fighters a standing ovation to end the first round as both fighters showed a wide array of stand up striking and tons of action within the clinch.

The second round started where the first left off with both fighters in the center of the cage letting it all hang out, brawlin’ from one side of the cage to the next.

Towards the end of the second round, Berg worked for the mount and started delivering continuous GNP forcing the referee to stop the bout at the 2:32 mark in round two via TKO due to strikes.

Chris Williamson defeated Matt Vanden by unanimous decision in a blood-fest as Williamson suffered a gash to the top of his head that forced a temporary stoppage to let the ringside physician have a look as the blood flowed freely down the face of Williams and covered his opponent.

Rory O’Farrell defeated Bogie Ison at 1:37 of round one.

O’Farrell showed great control once the fight hit the canvas as he instantly moved to the mount and started his GNP before locking in the match ending Kimura.  Unfortunately for Ison it appeared as though his elbow dislocated as O’Farrell applied the needed pressure to force the tap.

Vincent Lopez defeated Travis Bye at 1:37 of round one by TKO.

Justin Gaethje defeated Kevin Gonzalez by arm bar at 1:20 of the first round.

Ring Of Fire Ring Card Girls…

Written by Rick Teran/Brawlin.net

Fotos by Joe Cordova/Brawlin.net

In the main event Chaun Sims matched up with the talented Kenneth Seegrist. The fighters took a brief moment for measure and locked up. Seegrist with great reaction caught a kick from Sims and drove him to the canvas.

Sims quickly gained his footing, clinched up and scored a takedown to move on and control his opponent from the back. Seegrist worked to get back to his feet and pulled in a single leg of his own.

Sims decided the ground was a good place to be and continued precise movements to counter the explosions performed by Seegrist. The ground action continued and both fighters working to improve their offensive position and deliver some strikes.

Sims extraordinary BJJ started to showcase as he took control over the ground. He worked his way to north south and locked his legs in a reverse type triangle trapping both the head and arm of Seegrist and began raining down GNP.

Sims never let up moving to side control then the mount and on to back control punishing Seegrist the whole way. Once in full control of the back Sims began to soften Seegrist with some strikes presenting him the opportunity to pull in the ending RNC at 4:16 of the first round.

Nick Mamalis and Jesse Henley matched up in the co-main event with the winner advancing to one of the final spots in the Fight to Win 145 lb Grand Prix that started this past May and will conclude in September.

Mamalis wasted no time in going for the take-down and Henley latched his arms around for a guillotine with Mamalis ending up in side control.

As the fighters began a scramble Mamalis responded with a very tight guillotine forcing Henley to tap at 1:00 of round 1. Mamalis is advancing to the third and final round of the Grand Prix.

Ron Muir and Brett Roller entered the ring to claim the other spot in the Fight to Win 145 lb Grand Prix.

Roller began with a good right kick to the body causing Muir to lose his footing and fall to the canvas.
Muir wasted no time in returning to his feet and grabbing a leg and driving Roller down on the side of the ring.

Muir began to work his GNP.  With all the commotion, the fight worked its way under the ropes and the ref was forced to relocate the action to the center of the ring. Muir was put back on top while Roller was on all fours.

The strikes began and Muir rolled to his back putting his hooks in during the process. Roller started to defend the choke and sneaked in a few strikes with Muir on his back.

It only took a moment of distraction and Muir got the arm under the chin and on to his bicep to lock in a very tight RNC an 1:52 of round 1. Muir is looking to face Mamalis for the final match up in the Fight to Win Grand Prix.

Justen Martin and Andy Cohea were set to battle for the 170 lb amateur title. This fight started with some fast paced stand up action and then hitting the ground.

The ground action did not last long as both fighters were quickly back to their feet. Martin and Cohea clinched up and moved on to a little dirty boxing.

Martin moved to a strong clinch and started with crushing knees dropping Cohea. Martin jumped on to finish what he started and the ref jumped in to put a halt to the situation at 1:31 of the first round. Martin picked up an amateur title and improved his record to 5-2 with the victory.

Joel Mickells and Anthony Werner match up for the 135 lb amateur title. Both fighters, throughout the first worked their attack with numerous reversals and landed some good strikes in the process. This made for an exciting back and forth action packed first round.

Round two began right where we left off with back and forth action and then Werner got the takedown and the fight was now on the canvas. Mickells took the opportunity to pull in his leg for a triangle at the :42 second mark of round 2.

Joel Mickells became the new FTW 135 lb title holder and in a great show of sportsmanship, Mickells went on a search for his foe immediately following their bout to introduce Werner to the rest of his family which I thought was just great see as both combatants appeared to be off for some drinks after the bried introduction.

Jeremy Kimball defeated Nick Meyer as Kimball had a couple of promising moments in the first dropping Meyer in pain but was unable to finish him off.

The second was all Kimball working big strikes and knees from the ground. At the end of the second the fighters were brought to their feet and Kimball clinched up and landed a pounding right hand.

Meyer picked himself up off the canvas  after hearing the sound of the bell.  Meyer was unable to answer the third round bell due to a cut to the left eye.

Kimball became the new 185 lb champion at the young and mold-able age of 18.  Kimball seems to have a bright future in the MMA scene as he just turned 18 about 4 months ago and has already been crowned an amatuer titlist.

Mark Mickells and John Craycraft faced off for the Fight to Win 125 lb amateur title.   This fight quickly went to the ground and Mickells instantly went to his rubber guard.   Sitting patiently Mickells waited for Craycraft to move so he could advance for a submission.

Successfully baiting Craycraft, Mickells latched in the triangle.   He began to constrict his legs and pull the head finishing off the triangle.

Mickells claimed victory at 1:02 of the first round and retained his 125 lb amateur title.

Valentine Marquez defeated Ben Deanda in a 3 round war that went the distance. This was another classic match up of two fighters with great skills neutralizing one another to the end. After all was complete Marquez walked away with a unanimous decision.

Jeremy Hastings faced up with Kyle Lemaire in an exciting battle to the second round.  Hastings struck first landing 2 clean shots to the face of Lemaire putting him to the floor in a daze.

Lemaire grabbed on to regain his composure and the ref brought the fight back standing and the fighters went back to the ground were Lemaire was content in landing some GNP for the remainder of the first round.

Round 2 Lemaire started with a take-down to mount and Hastings worked his guard. The action continued and Hastings kept an active guard and locked in the ending triangle choke at 2:33 of round 2.

Alonso Garcia and Matt Kauffman enter the ring for another 170 lb Muay Thai fight. Garcia kept a continuous pace and was the obvious ring aggressor leaving a  better impression on the judges.  All judges scored in favor of Garcia as he pick up his first fight win by unanimous decision.

JJ Mondragon and Nick Macias exchanged everything but the kitchen sink in their showdown, as both fighters left it all in the cage to a chorus of rukus MMA fans.  This fight was an all out war, with both fighters feeling the heat as both were momentarily stunned by viscous blows just to come back strong in retaliation.

It was three rounds of grueling action and one of this years most exciting fights without a doubt, but in the end it was Mondragon that prevailed by way of unanimous decision and took home the victory in yet another slug-fest.

Brice Hogle defeated Steve Johnson in a Thai bout that went the distance.  Hogle picked up his first win via unanimous decision in the 185 lb weight class.

Nick Laney defeated Troy Mumme in a great MMA bout with lots of good back and forth Jiu Jitsu. Both fighters kept an active guard and threatened with various submissions in both the first and second rounds. Round three started with an exchange and Mumme taking the fight to the ground.

At 1:55 of round 3 Laney locked in a triangle and forced Mumme to tap.

Ricky Vasquez and Keith Burns entered the ring for a debut 170 lb Muay Thai match up. Both Vasques and Burns came prepared for their first fight with exceptional condition forcing the fights winner to be determined by the judges.

Vasquez had clearly controlled all rounds with a continues pace of various strikes over the game Burns and he was issued a unanimous score of 29-28 from all three judges.

Ring Card Girls…

Written by Rick Teran/Brawlin.net

Fotos by Joe Cordova/Brawlin.net

The Crown Plaza Event Center once again played host to the King of Champions latest promotion entitled “Night of Champions” in which the 135lb pro title was on the line in the Main Event and two amateur straps were up for grabs to round out a great night of championship action.

KOC is continuing to excel to the top of the Colorado fight organizations with exceptional fight cards, equipment and lighting leaving fans felling they have received  a great night of MMA in exchange for their hard earned dollars. In the main event, Nick Honstein and Danny Martinez faced up for the KOC bantam weight title.

This fight was nonstop action with many submission attempts and brutal strikes being landed by both warriors inside the cage.   We began the first with Honstein letting his legs fly proceeded by a takedown and a little GNP that was quickly interrupted by Martinez rising to his feet.

Honstein responded with another takedown to full mount transition and once again his opponent regained his footing.

Martinez moved on to show his stand up skills landing a beautiful straight left allowing him the opportunity to take the fight to the ground on his terms, and end up in side control.

Martinez defiantly made best of the situation landing atrocious GNP before moving to the mount and continuing the punishment.   As we approached the end of the first stanza, Honstein rolled over giving up his back and Martinez locked in a triangle and once again continued with the hostility.

Honstein maintained a great defense against the choke but had no answer to the striking from the back position.

Round two began with Honstein hitting the canvas from another right hand that was straight down the pipe.  Martinez allowed no time for recovery and moved back to his dominating GNP and vicious elbows.   Martinez kept with his relentless game plan, improve his position and delivering a variety of strikes.

Once again Martinez moved to the full mount and delivered dominating elbows leaving little room for Honstein to position himself to lock in one of his bread and butter submissions.   Martinez maintained his punishing ground and pound game which ultimately proved too much for Honstein.

With the heart of a lion, Honstein continued with submissions giving every attempt to finish the fight while receiving a savage pounding.  The referee had enough of the action at 2:06 of the second round and Martinez became the new KOC bantamweight champion with a very impressive victory over an extremely tough and well rounded Honstein.

Eric Smith and Spencer Hooker stepped in the cage for the co-main event of the evening.

Both fighters began with a great stand up exchange in the center of the canvas.  Smith landed a clean right dropping Hooker next to the cage then Smith began his attack.

He seemed to have found a hole in the game of Hooker as he remained on his feet for the majority of the round controlling the legs of his downed opponent and landing some strong strikes to the head of Hooker.

Hooker was never counted out by no means, as he would periodically work to his feet and swing for the fences with exceptional power.

Round two came with a brief moment of stand up and Smith flopping to his back in hopes of gaining a little control over the situation.   The ground control was stopped abruptly by the ref as he felt the action was inefficient and brought the fighters back to their feet.

Smith quickly clinched up and began driving knees and strikes to the body and head. After the non-stop two round battle Smith walked away with the 20-18 unanimous decision.

Corey Grant and Joe Kelso matched up for the first pro fight of the evening. This was an exciting fight for fans with many back and forth moments leaving the crowd waiting for the early win.  When all was said and done Grant pocketed a unanimous decision. Grants’ continuous pace and persistence won over the judges as he prevailed by scores of 20 -18on all three cards.

Chris Holland took home the KOC welterweight title as he defeated Chris Saucedo by TKO in 42 seconds of the second round in yet another very entertaining bout which saw both combatants having there moments in the fight.

Jimmy Soiland defeated Gabe Contreras after a 3 round see-saw battle .  Soiland proved to be too much in the end as he picked up the win via unanimous decision.  Soiland is another great up and coming amatuer from the well known Gumm Mixed Martial Arts in south Denver.

Jay Jackson and Nick Andrews stepped in the cage for another entertaining KOC match up. This was an evenly skilled match up with both fighters having what it takes to stay in the fenced battle ground.  It was the cornering that was the deciding factor as Jackson listened his way to a TKO victory. He maintained a full mount and handed out some mean GNP. The ref stopped the action at 1:26 of round 2.

Ian Chavez and Nick Albert faced off in the 5th preliminary bout of the night. It was Chavez that pulled out the victory by TKO at 1:48 of round one after he took back control and started raining down strong blows to Albert’s head.

Chavez took home his first victory and had his family and training coaches to thank for the preparation of the fight.

Mike Ruthford found his mark quickly on a more than game opponent in Joe Sally.  Ruthford showed some great ground versatility before locking in a very tight guillotine at 1:13 picking up the KOC amateur bantamweight title along the way.

Tamobora Gerl showed he has a great ground game to go with his excellent stand up as he defeated James Valimont by triangle choke in 1:17 of the first round.

Gerl instantly landed a beautiful strike on the button sending Vailmont to the cage floor in a daze.   Gerl left no time for Vailmont to recover as he quickly jumped on and continued chastisement. Gerl continues to improve his game every appearance in the cage.

Training at the Spartan House is paying off dividends as many well known fighters from northern Colorado train there and appear to be giving Gerl an arsenal of great training partners to work with on a daily basis.

Mike Palo defeated Bobby Cassada with a great ground performance to open up the RNC submission at 1:35 of round 1. Palo showed great ground movement as well as high paced pressure to overwhelm Cassada and claimed the victory.

Julian Gonzales improved his record to 2-0 after his third round TKO over Eric Fuller.  Both fighters came prepared for the fight as they were showcasing great all around MMA skills.

The ref stepped in for Fullers defense at the 23 second mark of the round.

Ring Card Girls…

Written by Rick Teran/