King of Kombat Play-By-Play
King of Kombat has definitely stepped up the production to world-class. The Austin Music Hall is a great venue with great seating throughout. One item that beats the Crockett Center… the air conditioning is working great! Should have brought a sweater.
Gilbert Jimenez vs. Jace Pitre
Round 1: Pitre is active with punches and a kick to the head. Jimenez is hesitant getting started. Pitre quickly cynches in a guillotine and Jimenez is unable to defend. Pitre falls to guard and Jimenez falls asleep quickly. The fight is over in just a few seconds. Pitre by guillotine, round 1, 43 seconds. Dominating performance.
Davis Sylvester vs. Ryan Benoit
Round 1: Marcus Hicks in Davis Sylvester’s corner. Crowd gettinmg a little restless as they feel each other out. Trade punches that connect. Low kick from Benoit, looking like he wants to be go as Muay Thai as possible. Right connects for Benoit. Sylvester clinches but Benoit shurgs him off. Benoit rolls and Sylvester charges but Benoit able to stand back up. Sylvester chases Benoit across the ring and Benoit lands on top as they reach the cage. Benoit ends up in half mount than converts to full mount raining down elbows and punches in bunches. Sylvester turns his back but the round ends before it can be stopped.
Round 2: Benoit anxious to work his striking. Low kick from Sylvester that sounded terrible but Benoit seems ok. Benoit ends up in Sylvester’s guard against the cage but they battle back to standing where Benoit lands a couple knees to the body and a strong knee to the head. Right hand connects for Benoit. Sylvester looks tires. Benoit attacks. And connects with punches. The referee stops the fight after several strong punches connect to Sylvester’s head and chin. Good job by Benoit to perceive Sylvester being tired and then to pounce. He came running across the cage to attack Sylvester and Sylvester just didn’t have the energy to stop the punches. Benoit is wincing at his right hand just before the post-fight interview.
Jacob Austin vs. Navied Sadeghi
Round 1: Boos for Sadeghi, the Houston fighter during the intros. Big pop for Austin. Austin lands kicks and ties Sadeghi up against the cage. Sadeghi tries to judo throw but ends up half mounted by Austin. Austin is ver active on top and working hardas Sadeghi spins for a leg lock. Good job by Sadeghi to prevent mount. Big elbows from top but the ref stops the fight to warn Austin about elbows to the back of Sadeghi’s head. Austin is tenacious. Pulls Sadeghi to the ground but the ref stops the fight briefly to deduct a point from Austin for again hitting with downward elbows.
Round 2: Austin has the energy and the strength. From the bell he picks up Sadeghi and slams him to the mat, landing in side control. He traps Sadeghi’s left hand with his own and lands unanswered strikes with his right. Extremely impressive performance from Austin. One of the most impressive 145 pound performances we’ve ever seen. Sadeghi is tough but he never got a chance to get off against Austin, who just overwhelmed Sadeghi. Great future ahead for Austin.
Randy Vera vs. Jesus Rivera
Round 1: It’s 9:00. The show is running seamlessly. Rivera has an intense stare. Scary. Kicks from Vera to start. A kick responds from Rivera but it’s blocked. Knees to the body from Vera against the cage. Right connects for Rivera and then one connects for Vera. Kick to the body from Rivera hurts Vera but they end up against the cage. Rivera works hard to his feet. Vera gets the fight to the ground and is on top.
Vera trips Rivera but the ref warns Vera against holding the glove as he did so. Vera catches a kick and takes Rivera hard to the ground. Vera gains mount and tries for armbar as the round ends. VERY exciting first round. TTF scores it 10-9 for Vera.
Round 2: Nice left-right combo from Vera stuns Rivera. Ref stops the fight to cut Vera’s tape on his glove. Poor timing as Vera seemed to be taking control. Combinations back Rivera up but Rivera kicks and Vera catches, tripping Rivera hard to the mat. On the ground, Vera has been superior thus far. He’s working from top position here, landing punches. Rivera able to kick Vera off him. The fighters trade punches, connecting more often now. Defense is starting to wane. Rivera lands a kick to the head and ends up in top position as they hit the ground. Round ends. Tough round to score. Vera led early but Rivera connected more often late in the fight. TTF scores is 10-9 Rivera as the judges most likely went this way.
Round 3: Very exciting fight thus far. May come down to who has the better cardio. Rivera throws another body kick Vera catches and takes Rivera to the ground. He lands a knee to the body as they stand. Combination from Vera rocks Rivera. His hands are now low as Vera punches. Suprisingly, Vera goes for the takedown but doesn’t get it. Rivera is too tired to block Vera’s punches. Vera’s punches are now all arms. Ref pauses the fight again to fix the tape on Vera’s gloves. Both fighters are very tired but Vera is throwing more. Rivera needs a strong combination to steal the round. He does land a great body kick but the ref pauses a third time to fix the tape. The round is coming to an end and Vera holds his arms up, expecting a victory that should rightfully be his.
29-28 Rivera, 30-27 Vera, 30-27 Vera Randy Vera wins a split decision.
15 minute intermission.
Paul Buentello announces he is going back to the UFC.
Chris Trammell vs. Charles Byrd
Round 1: If you can tell who is going to win a fight by the look in their eye, it doesn’t look good for Byrd. Trammell is an intimidating presence in the cage. Byrd presses Trammell to the cage and then defends a couple takedown attempts. Elbows by Byrd have cut Trammell badly over the right eye. They will be restarted, Trammell is bleeding badly over the right eye. Byrd lands a big kick to Trammell’s head and then pounds on Trammell’s head as Trammell turtles. The ref stops the fight after Trammell takes a few punches. An early stoppage as Trammell doesn’t seem fazed at all and there didn’t seem to be any communication from the referee instructing Trammell he intended to stop it. Regardless, the eyes DON’T have it as Byrd wins in a dominating performance. Early stoppage or not, Byrd didn’t give Trammell a chance to implement a gameplan or get off any offense. Congratulations to Byrd.
Adam Schindler vs. Lane Yarbrough
Round 1: Schindler lands a mean right cross flush to Yarbrough’s face to start the round. Yarbrough tries for a guillotine but ends up on the wrong end of Schindler’s half mount. Yarbrough gains guard after a reverse armbar attempt but eats forearms from Schindler anyway. Great chin from Yarbrough as Schindler is throwing with power. The ref warns Schindler about head butts. Yarbrough is bleeding and reverses position afterone leg submission and then another. Schindler knows how to defend and is able to put Yarbrough on his back again. Schindler’s left eye is bleeding and is squinting but the doctor clears them to go. They are restarted with Schindler in Yarbrough’s guard. The bleeding from Schindler may have come from one of the headbutts. The ref stops the fight to restart the fighters on their feet as the round comes to an end. TTF scores the round 10-9 for Schindler.
Round 2: Yarbrough lands a great left hook but Schindler is unfazed. Schindler with a combination that seems to have rocked Yarbrough as his hands are low. Schindler is chasing Yarbrough around the walls of the cage landing punches and elbows one after another. The fighters are broken from their tie-up against the cage and restarted only to return. Schindler this time picks up a leg to trip Yarbrough to the mat. Yarbrough again goes for a footlock but Schindler kicks Yarbrough’s hands free. Both are trading footlock. and Yarbrough lands punches and knees to Schindler’s face but Schindler eats them and throws some back. Both fighters are tired but Schindler looks more winded as Yarbrough finds some bounce in his step. He lands a big kick flush but Schindler responds with a punch of his own. Yarbrough seems able to choose his spots better now as Schindler is standing more zombie-like than before. This zombie, however, still has power in his hands. TTF scores the round 10-9 for Yarbrough.
Round 3: The crowd is loving this fight. On paper, this was an awesome matchup but no one could have predicted the war that has transpired. Schindler has found a second wind as he catches a kick from Yarbrough and responds with a right-cross that puts Yarbrough on his back. Schindler is in Yarbrough’s guard with new energy, landing forearms from the top while Yarbrough is tying up his arms and delivering heel-strikes to the liver. The fighters are stood up. Schindler lands a great punch and takes Yarbrough to the mat again, this time landing in half-guard. What did this guy eat in-between rounds? Schindler is more dynamic in the first half of the third than he was in the second half of the second. More ground and pound from Schindler while Yarbrough works hard to escape or find an opportunity for another submission attempt. Time is running out. The ref restarts the fighters and Schindler lands a kick. Yarbrough lands a tough right haymaker that catches Schindler but not quite flush. Schindler lands a right of his own. Both fighters are throwing strong punches in the latter moments of the fight. Big kick and a left hook from Schindler ends the fight and should put the punctuation on another 10-9 round for Schindler. TTF gives the fight to Schindler 29-28 in fight of the night candidate thus far.
Schindler wins via unanimous decision.
Duece King vs. Warren Stewart
Round 1: Big pop for King - definitely the first rock star on the card. Both fighters are anxious to engage. Stewart throwing lots of kicks while King goes with punches. The punches seem to be winning as King takes down Stewart and lands left punches while holding Stewart in a headlock. King traps Stewart’s Right arm but can’t hold it. King is dominating with ground and pound but Stewart rolls out and finds himself on King’s back. King escapes and the fighters are back to the center of the cage. King landing uppercuts and body shots in the clinch. Stewart is looking for distance but King seems to be enjoying the dirty boxing. King gets a good clinch and works knees to the body. Stewart is holding on but the body shots seem to be doing more damage. Stewart pulls King to the mat but King ends up on top. With Stewart’s back, King lands right hands and then cynches a rear naked choke Stewart rolls out of. The round ends with Stewart on top but TTF gives the round to King, 10-9.
Round 2: Stewart continues to throw leg kicks while King tries to wrap Stewart up for dirty-boxing. King lands a knee and a couple punches in close that seem to rattle Stewart but he’s very tough, throwing back with everything he’s got. King seems to be winning the battle against the cage. His knees and uppercuts now seem to be connecting with regularity. Stewart’s hands are very low. King again gets Stewart’s back but Stewart is able to roll into guard. Both fighters are tired. King tries pulling Stewart’s leg up to Stewart’s head but doesn’t seem submission-worthy. Stewart is able to take King’s back and lands hammer-fists to the side of King’s head. King eats punches to end the round but TTF still gives King another 10-9 round.
Round 3: This is a tough fight so far. King has taken the first two rounds but Stewart is hanging tough, keeping things close. Stewart attacks to start the round but nothing connects clean. Warring chants of “Warren” and “Duece” from the crowds as the fighters trade more punches and knees in the clinch. Once again, King lands clean strikes that seem to rock Stewart but punches and kicks from Stewart say otherwise. King is the fresher fighter but Stewart is hanging in. Stewart trips King and takes side control. King spins to give Stewart his back while holding a headlock. It’s a dangerous move positionally but it pays off as he is able to roll Stewart and can land right fists from top position with Stewart trapped in a headlock beneath him. Duece skips to mount and Stewart gives his back only to keep rolling and end up with King ending up on bottom. As the round ends, once again, Stewart is landing strikes from on top but it’s too little too late. King should win this one 30-27.
It’s unanimous, King wins.
Cedric Marks vs. Eric Davila
Round 1: Davila responds to a sharp leg kick with a strong overhand right that has Marks holding and pulling Davila to the ground. The XFC middleweight champion is caught in a guillotine and the fight ends with Marks asleep on top of Davila as the choke puts him out. Marks seems to wake and is upset… whether with the referee because he is NOT asleep or with himself for getting caught is not clear. Davila wins via guillotine choke at 1:00 of the first round.
Justin Howard vs. Ricco Rodriguez
Round 1: The last time Rodriguez was scheduled to fight in Austin was nearly five years ago for a now defunct promotion and Rodriguez had an injury at the time making it impossible for him to compete. The crowd seems anxious for his return. Howard is content to stay calm and shrug off Rodriguez’s takedown attempts but Ricco is anxious to engage. A left kick to the body makes a powerful smack and a nice redmark on Howard’s stomach. Howard still hasn’t thrown much more than a few leg kicks as Ricco lands a couple punches and a knee to Howard’s head followed by more punches as Howard falls to his back and the referee has seen enough. During the official announcement, it is announced Ricco wins via tapout. Ricco wins by tapout in the first round.
Nick Gonzalez vs. Dustin Neace
Round 1: The main event of the evening is no longer a championship fight as Nick Gonzalez didn’t make weight. Neace looks anxious and ready to test himself against veteran Gonzalez. Neace tries a spinning back kick that misses but gets oohs from the crowd. Then grabs a leg and takes Gonazalez hard to the mat. Neace has top position on Gonzalez but doesn’t have a free hand to land much until he lands three punches with the left hand, and more that are connecting whilehe holds Gonzales head in a head lock. the fighters scramble to their feet and Neace drops for a leg but is stuffed. The crowd chants “Nick” while Neace works hard for a takedown that never comes. When on their feet, Neace again works for a takedown, attempts a footlock, ends up in Gonzalez’s guard, then another scramble. Neace gets another takedown against the cage and lands a kneed and a punch Gonzales doesn’t react to. Neace takes a tough knee to the body and every time Neace goes to his back gonzales retreates. Gonzales is now landing on his feet and Neace is falling to his back but Gonzales wants none of Neace’s ground game. Neace having trouble getting to his corner, on all fours next to his stool. The referee is speaking with him to see if he’ll continue but the referee stops the fight. It looks like the knee was too much for Neace. It was a strong knee to the body and minutes later Neace still seems unable to get his wind. The official word is Gonzales by TKO at the end of the first round. Gonzales gets the check for $5000 for finish of the night. Every winner is getting an additional $500 from Fleshlight but the big check goes to Gonzales.
The King of Kombat show is over - amazingly successful. Great production, great fights, and a huge leap forward for King of Kombat.
Kamal Shalorus Returns to Action June 20
SWC 7 is being held at the Frisco Convention Center outside Dallas on June 20 and includes a packed card of Texas’s most talented MMA fighters headlined by Kamal Shalorus.
Kamal is coming off an exciting draw against Mikel Bronzoulis at the last King of Kombat show, trading head-kicks and punch combinations with Mikel that had the crowd on its feet and each opponent barely able to stay on their own. Kamal faces 2-0 jiu-jitsu prospect Justin Miller on June 20 in a fight sure to be quite different than the one against the heavy-handed Bronzoulis.
Duece King, Tim Snyder, and Ryan Lopez are among the other fighters on the card. According to The Fight Network, this is how the card looks of late:
SWC 7: Discountenance
June 20, 2009
Frisco Convention Center
Frisco, Texas
-Justin Miller vs. Kamal Shalorus
-Ira Boyd vs. James “Duece” King
-Johnny Bedford vs. Tim Synder
-Frank Barragan vs. Steve Garcia
-Julias Karrow vs. Ryan Lopez
-Sam Mohmad vs. Jay Don Wells
-Josh Clopton vs. Edwin Figueroa
-Jerry Hinojosa vs. TBA
Duece King King of Kombat Post-Fight Video Interview
King of Kombat Comprehensive Recap
All of our King of Kombat coverage in one place.
Pre-Fight Information:
Duece King Pre-Fight Interview
Todd Moore Pre-Fight Interview
Mikel Bronzoulis Video Preview
Kamal Shalorus Pre-Fight Video Interview and Workout Footage
King of Kombat Weigh-In Results
Fight Results:
King of Kombat Undercard Results and Fight Descriptions
King of Kombat Superfight Results and Fight Descriptions
Kamal Shalorus vs. Mikel Bronzoulis Fight Description
Post-Fight Video Interviews:
Aaron Suarez Post-Fight Video Interview
Brian Cox Post-Fight Video Interview
Derek Campos Post-Fight Video Interview
Duece King Post-Fight Video Interview
Mikel Bronzoulis Post-Fight Video Interview
King of Kombat Undercard Results and Fight Descriptions
Great night of fights last night at the Crockett Center. King of Kombat delivered great production and the fighters delivered one great fight after another. We were cageside to take down blow-by-blow descriptions and take photographs. We missed a couple fights while backstage getting some great post-fight interviews. We’ll get those interviews with Aaron Suarez, Brian Cox, Derek Campos, Duece King, and a very disappointed Mikel Bronzoulis posted as soon as we can.
Jordan Jackson vs. Aaron Suarez (145 pounds)
Amazing fight to start off the night. CTC-trained UT law student Jackson is making his debut against San Antonio 0-1 TAMMA fighter Suarez.
Round 1: Jackson utilizing his wrestling skills to set the tone but ends up eating some ground n pound from Suarez. Lots of up and down - seems to be Jackson’s wrestling versus Suarez’s untapped jiu jitsu. TTF gives the round to Suarez 10-9 but it’s a pick ‘em.
Round 2: Jackson starts showing off his jiu jitsu skills. Kimura, arm bar, and leg lock attempts are made but the leg lock attempts end with Suarez pounding on Jackson’s head, flush against the mat. TTF gives the round to Jackson 10-9. He sustained damage from Suarez with the punches but was attempting to finish the fight and had Suarez in some trouble with the armbar. Suarez doing a good job of battling out.
Round 3: Suarez has a great armbar attempt of his own but Jackson battles through. These guys are extremely well matched for each other. The entire fight has had lots of up and down action - MMA the way it was meant to be. Jackson attempts another leg lock with the same result as the first, hard punches from Suarez above him. Suarez takes Jackson’s back and is able to apply a body lock Jackson can’t wrestle out of. Jackson able to defend the RNC as this amazing fight ends. TTF gives the round to Suarez 10-9.
TTF gives the fight to Suarez 29-28 but the first round was close enough to be a pick ‘em. The judges have it right on. Suarez wins a split decision 29-28, 28-29, 30-27.
Sherif Ghaly vs. Brian Cox (170 pounds)
Round 1: Fellow CTC-trained Ghaly fights for the takedown immediately but Dallas-based Cox is able to withstand Ghaly’s punches as he scrambles back up. Cox lands a heavy right-left combination and the left hand has rocked Ghaly. Ghaly turtles and Cox unleashes a barrage of hammer-fists. The ref stops the fight.
Cox wins by TKO (ref stoppage from strikes).
Ralph Kelly vs. Joel Traves (Heavyweights)
Apologies for missing this one. Traves wins.
Edwynn Jones vs. Red Fraser (170 pounds)
Round 1: Fraser comes out swinging. Jones covers and returns fire but leaves his left arm extended when it hits the ground. Fraser grabs on and applies an armbar. Jones tries to hammer-fist out instead of protecting the arm and taps shortly after.
San Antonio’s Fraser wins by submission (armbar).
Ken Laney vs. Francisco Alcantara (185 pounds)
Apologies for missing this one as well.
Derek Campos vs. Adam Schindler (155 pounds)
This is one of the more highly-anticipated fights of the undercard. Dallas-based Campos and San Antonio-based Schindler are both undefeated fighters (2-0 and 3-0 respectively). Good staredown in the center of the cage to set the tone.
Round 1: Campos is jabbing while Schindler is throwing heavy, looping punches that glance off Campos’s gloves and forehead. Schindler dives for a single-leg takedown and ends up in Campos’s guard. Schindler briefly mounts and Campos gives up his back. Kids, take out your notepads. Campos controls Schindler’s right wrist, pulls it over his left shoulder, and escapes from Schindler’s right side. TTF gives the round to Schindler 10-9 but Campos seems to be the fresher fighter in the corner.
Round 2: Punches from both. Schindler lands a nice left kick to Campos’s head but Campos remains standing. The fighters clinch and scramble - Campos ends in side control and twice slams Schindler to the mat. Schindler looks very tired. Campos catches Schindler with a wicked elbow that cuts the right side of his forehead. There is a lot of blood but the cut does not appear to be too deep. Campos continues to unleash ground n pound, targeting his fists and elbows at that cut. TTF gives the round to Campos 10-9.
Round 3: Campos catches Schindler’s body kick and takes Schindler to the ground. More ground n pound including slicing elbows that re-open round 2’s cut and add a few more. Blood is all over Schindler’s face and Campos’s elbow and shin. The referee stops the bout for the doctore to check the cut. The fight is restarted from the feet. Lots of scramble including Campos taking Schindler’s back, Schindler reverses, Campos slams Schindler to the mat. The fighters stand up against the cage where Campos lands knees and body shots in the clinch then goes for a double-leg slam. Schindler is too exhausted to defend. The fight ends with Schindler on his back.
TTF scores the bout 29-28 Campos and all three judges agree. Campos wins my unanimous decision.
Layne Yarbrough vs. Seth Clifton (160 pounds)
Round 1: Haymakers from both fighters at the opening bell. Clifton from Dallas shoots for a double leg against the cage but can’t get it. Clifton reverses Huntsville native Yarbrough’s takedown attempt but Yarbrough takes a leg and executes a strong heel hook that catches Clifton off guard. Clifton taps.
Yarbrough wins by submission (heel hook).
Duece King vs. Mike Barreras (155 pounds)
Another of the most anticipated fights of the undercard. Both fighters are King of Kombat veterans coming off losses and looking to get into the King of Kombat Lightweight title hunt. Cedar Park’s King is definitely the crowd favorite. He comes to the ring wearing his crown and the crowd is more pumped than at any point prior. Staredown is amicable, almost friendly. Both fighters look relaxed, King looks like he’s turning in a book late to the library.
Round 1: The fighters size each other up, missing testing jabs, until Barreras lands a one-two combination on King’s chin but he seems unfazed. Barreras takes King’s back against the cage, goes the the ground, and sinks in a rear-naked choke that seems to have everyone scared but King. Duece escapes and roars back with punches of his own. Is Barreras tired? As they go to the ground King holds Barreras’s head in a headlock to prevent Barreras from re-taking his back. Duece spits out his mouthpiece as Barreras is able to take the back again - this time flattening Duece out and raining down punches from above. Duece is able to get back to his knees and slides a tired Barreras over his head and lands a flurry of punches as the round ends. Exciting back-and-forth action. TTF scores the round 10-9 for Barreras as he had superior position and a submission attempt that looked close to finishing the fight.
Round 2: Barreras is soaking wet to start the round but the referee allows the round to begin without first toweling Barreras off. Barreras clinches and puts King’s back against the cage but Duece is the one landing hard body shots. As they separate, King throws snapping punches and a brutal uppercut that looks to rock Barreras. As Barreras goes to his back King lands elbows to the face from above and hammerfists. Barreras scrambles to a kimura attempt and is able to transition to King’s back once again. King finds room to breathe in the rear-naked choke as the crowd now starts to chant his name. Barreras looks very tired as he returns to his corner while King still looks fresh. TTF scores the close round 10-9 for Duece but it could go either way.
Round 3: King is definitely the fresher fighter. The fighters trade punches but nothing in combination. As they go to the fence Barreras takes King’s back and tries another rear-naked choke, this time from a standing position. King easily defends and they return to the clinch. King now starts punching to the body and lands a solid knee to the face followed by a left cross that has Barreras bleeding from the nose. The referee separates the fighters and Barreras’s corner is shouting to him to “make no mistakes”. Unfortunately, Barreras makes no offensive attempts and as the round ends King follows a trip takedown with a hailstorm of punches from above. Incredible fight. TTF scores the round 10-9 for King, who used superior conditioning to grow stronger as the fight wore on.
TTF scores the bout 29-28 for King and all three judges agree. Duece King wins by unanimous decision.
King of Kombat Weigh-In Results
King of Kombat Saturday, April 25 at the Crockett Center in Austin, TX. Doors are at 6:00 PM. Tickets still available.
Jordan Jackson - Austin, TX (0-0) 145.5
vs. Aaron Suarez - San Antonio, TX (0-1) 147 re-weighed at 146 one hour later
Sherif Ghaly - Austin, TX (0-1) 168.75
vs. Brian Cox - Dallas, TX (2-0) made weight
Ralph Kelley - Plano, TX (6-6) 245.5
vs. Joel Traves - Amarillo, TX (4-7) 243.5
Edwynn Jones - Houston, TX (4-4) 170.75
vs. Red Fraiser - San Antonio, TX (0-0) 168.5
Ken Laney - Houston, TX (2-1) 186
vs. Francisco Alcantara - Corpus Christi, TX (1-3) did not weigh in
Derek Campos - Dallas, TX (2-0) 155
vs. Adam Schindler - San Antonio, TX (3-0) 156
Layne Yarbrough - Huntsville, TX (8-5) 161
vs. Seth Clifton - Dallas, TX (4-1) 159.75
James “Duece” King - Cedar Park, TX (10-7) 155.75
vs. Mike Barreras - Albuquerque, NM (6-2) 156.25
*weight forgiven by King
Tim Snyder - Houston, TX (8-2-1) 141.25
vs. Davis Sylvester - Dallas, TX (3-0) 139
Todd Moore - Houston, TX (9-3-0) 159
vs. Rocky Johnson - Denver, CO (20-8) 159.5
Kamal Shalorus - Austin, TX (6-0) 170
vs. Mikel Bronzoulis - Houston, TX (7-1) did not weigh in during official weigh-ins
Notes from the weigh-ins:
Mikel Bronzoulis was jogging around Dave & Buster’s in an effort to cut two pounds when his weigh-in was scheduled. The search for Mikel was extensive and most of the room bailed rather than wait for his weigh-in and pose-down with Kamal. Even Kamal made his way to an eagerly anticipated plate of chicken and mashed potatoes. We can not report whether he eventually made weight or not.
Aaron Suarez needed an hour allowance to cut the additional pound to compete against Jordan Jackson. Competitive Training Center fighters were 2 of 3 with opponents missing weight on the first try.
The previously announced Freddie Poole vs. TBA and Ryan Larson vs. Ken Jackson fights were scrapped. Jackson reported suffered a KO loss just a few weeks ago and could not get permission to fight from the athletic commission.
King of Kombat’s Duece King “I Don’t Fight Out of Hate”
One of the most active and recognizable fighters in the Texas MMA scene, James “Duece” King has slowed things down, dropped down to Lightweight, and is set to face 4x NCAA Wrestling All-American Mike Barreras of Albuquerque, New Mexico. King has lost his last two fights but against amazingly tough competition - a decision loss to Nick Gonzalez and a submission at the hands of up-and-coming Diego Brandao. Having taken some licks at 170, King is now ready to set a new table for himself at 155. Barreras is to be the first course on April 25 at the Crockett Center in Austin.
1. Why do you think Mike Barreras requested a fight with you?
Duece: IDK? MAYBE TO AVENGE HIS RECENT LOSS TO MY TEAM MATE ERICK
GERBER.
2. Is it more difficult to get up for a fight when you have no animosity for your opponent?
Duece: NO, NOT WHEN YOU’RE COMING OFF LOSSES LIKE ME. I DON’T FIGHT OUT OF HATE FOR MY OPPONENT, I FIGHT TO FURTHER MY CAREER.
3. For a guy used to winning, two losses in a row must be mentally challenging. You went through this once before but was able to come through it with a Unanimous Decision win against Anthony Dominguez. Your opponents in this streak included Nick Gonazalez, a decision loss one can’t hang their head over. What did you do mentally to get out of your last two fight L streak that you are doing again to prepare for this fight and what are you doing differently?
Duece: I AM STILL MAKING SURE I HAVE THE CARDIO TO LAST TWICE AS LONG AS THE FIGHT, BUT I HAVE MOLDED MY GAMEPLAN AROUND MY OPPONENT THIS TIME.
4. Your last Victory was your first KO - do you have the itch for KO’s now or are you happy with a Submission Victory next Saturday?
Duece: I STILL HAVE THE ITCH FOR KO’S BUT MY LOVE OF SUBMISSIONS IS DEAREST TO MY HEART!
5. You are returning to Lightweight for this fight despite a lot of guys calling you out at the higher weight classes. Your strength will be an advantage at 155 - will your speed translate as well?
Duece: THIS TIME IT WILL. THAT HAS BEEN ONE THING KIND OF COSTING ME DECISIONS. THE SMALLER GUYS ARE FAST, BUT MIKE HAS COME DOWN RECENTLY JUST LIKE ME SO IT’LL BE EASIER MATCHING HIS SPEED. PLUS I HAVE BEEN WORKING SPEED DRILLS RELENTLESSLY TO CATCH UP IN THAT DEPT.
6. What do you think you can achieve at 155?
Duece: AT LEAST A TEXAS BELT, AT BEST A BELT IN A BIG SHOW.
7. You fought an impressive 15 times in 2007 and 2008 and this is your first fight in 2009. How is your preparation different when you have this much time between fights? How many times will you fight this year and what will it take to make that happen?
Duece: I ACTUALLY FOUGHT 18 TIMES IN 07&08 BUT THIS YEAR I SLOWED DOWN TO FOCUS ON EACH FIGHT MORE AND TO LEVEL CHANGE THROUGH MORE TRAINING BETWEEN FIGHTS. BEFORE, MY LEVEL OF A FIGHTER WAS THE SAME EVERY FIGHT. I DIDN’T HAVE TIME TO PROGRESS IN SKILL, JUST TO GET IN SHAPE FOR THE NEXT FIGHT. THIS YEAR, I WILL ONLY FIGHT 3-5 TIMES BUT EVERY TIMES BUT EVERYTIME YOU SEE ME I WILL BE A DIFFERENT & BETTER FIGHTER.
8. What’s your day job?
Duece: IT’S A NIGHT JOB, I’M A BOUNCER @ A POPULAR BAR/NIGHT CLUB ON 6TH ST IN AUSTIN.
9. We are going to have seminars from the legendary Relson Gracie and we will announce soon a seminar from a UFC Fighter to be named. You have attended seminars in the past from UFC and MMA veterans. Do you recommend these types of seminars and have you had any in particular that you took something special away from?
Duece: YES I RECOMMEND THESE TYPE OF SEMINARS, AND YES I HAVE PICKED UP SOME TRICKS FROM A FEW OF THEM THAT I FAVOR.
James “Duece” King fights Mike Barreras at King of Kombat on Saturday, April 25 at the Crockett Center in Austin. Sign up on our mailing list through April 23 for a chance to win 4 tickets to the King of Kombat show or visit KingsEmerge.com to purchase tickets online.
King of Kombat Austin, TX April 25 Fight Card Released
In Pride-like fashion, King of Kombat has released the fight card for its April 25 event at the Crockett Center in Austin with just over two weeks to go. For fans of Texas MMA, the wait is worth it.
King of Kombat will be headlined by a Welterweight Championship throwdown between current champion Kamal Shalorus of Austin versus Houston’s heavy-handed Mikel Bronzoulis.
A Lightweight Superfight is scheduled between Houston’s Todd Moore, a veteran of the WEC and Dream promotions who is coming out of a three fight losing streak against John Alessio, Shane Roller, and Shinya Aoki, versus Denver’s Rocky Johnson, a MMA veteran with matches against Alvin Robinson, Josh Thomson, and Leonard Garcia.
Other highlights on the card include a Lightweight grudge match between Cedar Park’s Duece King and four time NCAA All-American wrestler Mike Barreras, Ryan Larson versus Ken Jackson, and Ken Laney versus Cole Cortez.
For the full fight card and press release from King of Kombat, click here.
Good, old-fashioned grudge match
The only thing better than two guys who just can’t agree… is when they both are professional fighters. Cedar Park resident and King of Kombat veteran Duece King recently posted on his Myspace page his desire to go toe-to-toe with Ira Boyd. Ira ain’t got the best record, hasn’t fought (officially) in a couple years and Duece is a bad bad man, but Ira’s got good abs. And these grudge matches are fun to watch however they turn out.
Duece writes “well this ira boyd <bleep> has kicked up again so i need y’all to read how the back and forth is going. i guess he’s confident cuz i lost a few but he sucks bad. i am getting to the point where i have too much experience to fight nobodys so by ira calling me out it’s an excuse to take an easy fight and not be looked at as sand bagging.”
It doesn’t take us much to get us out to a King of Kombat show but a Duece King with a chip on his shoulder - that’s entertainment worth paying for.
