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.
King of Kombat Judgement Day Poster Released
And look at the fighters featured - it’s going to be the most stacked King of Kombat card yet.
Former UFC Heavyweight Champion Ricco Rodriguez
Current King of Kombat Lightweight Champion Nick Gonzalez
UFC Ultimate Fighter Contender Dorian Price
Absolute Beast (that’s our name for him, nothing official) Welterweight Ryan Larson
One half of one of the most exciting fights we’ve ever seen (from the last King of Kombat card) Aaron Suarez
Check out this interview we did with Aaron right after that fight at King of Kombat 6.
Buy your tickets in advance for the best seats by clicking here
And then
Buy your tickets in advance for The Texas Testosterone Festival so you can meet these guys in person (amongst everything else). And don’t forget, King of Kombat Presents UFC Ultimate Fighter Amir Sadollah MMA Seminar and King of Kombat Presents Amir Sadollah Live Q&A with MMAJunkie.com’s Steve Sievert, both on Saturday August 15 at The Texas Testosterone Festival.
King of Kombat Returns August 29, not August 22
Updated 5/21: King of Kombat has moved their next show not only to August 29, rather than the previously announced August 22, but they will also be at a new venue, The Austin Music Hall. No word if the venue will be called The Austin MMA Hall for the show. A very exciting lineup of fights is being promised but nothing has been announced yet. Stay tuned!
Thank goodness it’s the weekend AFTER the Texas Testosterone Festival. That would just be entirely too much manliness in one weekend. Perhaps the second most vital event for you to attend in August (cough, cough), King of Kombat will return to the Crockett Center on Saturday, August 22.
The announcement comes on the heels of King of Kombat 6 being featured on HDNet’s terrific Inside MMA show and King of Kombat promoter Ron Hernandez being interviewed by Steve Sievert for MMAJunkie.com. (Sievert will be interviewing the UFC’s Amir Sadollah live on stage at The Texas Testosterone Festival.) MMAJunkie.com does tend to put up some highlights from Inside MMA so keep your eyes peeled for King of Kombat 6 highlights to possibly make their way online there.
Fight speculation for the King of Kombat 7 card should begin now… fights we’d like to see?
Welterweights: A rematch between Mikel Bronzoulis and Kamal Shalorus for the Welterweight title should be at the top of the list for just about everyone. Brian Cox won by brutal KO on the last show and would be great to have back. Not sure of too many people who would want to fight him though.
Lightweights: Nick Gonzalez defending his Lightweight title against Todd Moore or Moore throwing down with Duece King for a vacant title if Gonzalez is committed to Bellator. Derek Campos is 3-0 and is probably one win away from being able to contend. Is Lane Yarbrough that test?
Middleweights: Chris Spicer is everyone’s favorite Texas middleweight and while he hasn’t fought for KoK before, he’s active and has fought for nearly everyone else. Ken Laney must be itching to return to the King of Kombat cage since his last opponent didn’t show for KoK 6. Would Brandon Farran move up to 185 to take either of these guys on?
Heavyweights: Darrill Schoonover just keeps winning. He also hasn’t fought for KoK before but he’s active and there must be a Heavyweight out there to give Schoonover a big test before he’s called up to one of the national shows. Joel Traves?
Chris Spicer and Nick Gonzalez Fight Tonight for Bellator
Middleweight Chris Spicer and Featherweight Nick Gonzalez weighed in yesterday and are fighting tonight for Bellator Fighting Championships. According to MMAJunkie.com, the show will be broadcast on 24 hour delay on ESPN Deportes.
As well, MMAJunkie.com reports two fighters missed weight yesterday and will be fined. Those fighters are not competing against Gonzalez or Spicer.
Nick Gonzalez is fighting Luis Palomino, who is 9-5 according to the Sherdog Fightfinder and on a two fight losing streak. He last lost a split decision versus Estevan Payan at the first Bellator Fighting Championships show.
Chris Spicer last competed just a few weeks ago, winning by KO over a jiu-jitsu black belt from Travis Lutter’s camp in less than 1 minute into round 1. Tonight he is fighting Robert “Bubba” McDaniel, a tough and experienced fighter with solid submission skills and a couple TKO’s on his record. McDaniel’s last fight was a TKO loss in October at ShoXC due to a knee to the body.
I hate when that happens too.
Best of luck to Spicer and Gonzalez tonight!
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.
XFC Results: April Coutino upsets Jen Babcock for XFC Women’s Title - Updated
An amazing night of fights for a huge crowd at the Travis County Expo Center tonight for XFC was highlighted by April Coutino’s stoppage of favorite Jen Babcock as well as Darrill Schoonover’s TKO of Relson Gracie fighter Justin Howard. A number of MMA superstars were in attendance including Paul Buentello, Anthony Macias, Jeff Monson - who did not compete, Shannon “The Cannon” Ritch, and Nick Gonzalez.
Dennis Gregory vs. Josh Lee
Rd 1: Lee quickly takes down Gregory and begins to work effective ground-n-pound. Gregory scrambles and defends well but is never able to mount much offense. TTF scores the round 10-9 for Lee.
Rd 2: More of the same for Lee as he gets an early takedown and capitalizes on the top position. TTF scores the round 10-9 for Lee.
Rd 3: Lee begins the round with a couple high kicks that don’t seem to connect but quickly secures a takedown shortly after and returns to grounding and pounding Gregory. Lee begins to pass Gregory’s guard and turns in a spin to north-south position where he lands some heavy punches from above and transitions to side-control. From side-control Lee attempts a kimura that looks like it might be enough to submit Gregory but Lee quickly abandons it to make sure he holds position. Lee controlling position well, transitions to knee-on-belly and then traps Gregory’s arm between his legs as he returns to an improved side-control. Time expires as Lee begins to rain hammer fists and punches down on Gregory again. TTF scores another convincing round 10-9 for Lee.
Result: TTF scored this a dominating 30-27 win for Lee but two of the judges saw something in Gregory’s performance during one round, we’re just not sure what round it could be. Judges score 30-27, 29-28, 29-28 win for Lee by unanimous decision. Great fight to start the card. Lee has tremendous positional sense and Gregory has an amazing amount of tenacity. The crowd is pumped.
Daniel Gibson vs. Chris Tremel
Rd 1: Both fighters look ready. Tremel looks particularly confident. Right hand from Gibson seems to have hurt Tremel early. Tremel is now flat-footed despite being light on his toes earlier. Tremel throws a left hook, right hook, low right kick combination that Gibson counters with a straight right and Tremel is out before he kisses the canvas. KO is similar to Fedor’s KO of Arlovski a couple weeks ago. Tremel is KO’d clean. The crowd is surprised but absolutely roaring over the exciting conclusion to this fight.
Result: Gibson by KO, Round 1.
Ryan Carranza vs. Casey Hobson
Fight scratched.
Matthew Green vs. Roy Babcock
Babcock trains with Jackson MMA in Albuquerque and is one half of the Babcock fighting couple on this card - wife Jen is fighting for the Women’s Championship later tonight.
Rd 1: Both fighters try spinning backfists at the same time and both miss! Never seen that before. Green is able to turn the corner on a single leg takedown and ends up in Babcock’s guard. When Babcock begins to apply a triangle choke Green makes the classic mistake of picking up his opponent and trying to slam him to the mat. Babcock uses the momentum to secure the choke and Green taps shortly after.
Result: Babcock by triangle choke, Round 1.
Conan Cano vs. Brandon Farran
Rd 1: Cano goes for a double-leg right from the opening bell but Farran sprawls and brawls, landing clean punches to the sides of Cano’s face and head. After taking much punishment Cano is able to determinedly get top position, ending in Farran’s half guard. As Cano attempts to transition to mount he is reversed and Farran takes the mount. When Cano gives Farran his back Farran quickly goes for the rear naked choke and, after punching Farran a couple times behind him, Cano taps.
Result: Farran by rear naked choke, Round 1.
Cedric Marks vs. Daniel Gantman
Jeff Monson is in Gantman’s corner who is introduced as being an American Top Team fighter.
Rd 1: As the fighters clinch Gantman quickly establishes himself as the stronger fighter. He is pushing Marks against the cage and muscling Marks relatively easily. Once they fall to the ground, however, Marks reverses Gantman to take top position but finds himself in a very loose triangle. Marks chooses to throw punches with his free left arm instead of scrambling to get out of the position. Meanwhile Gantman works elbows into the top of Marks’ head and patiently cinches the triangle ever-tighter. Marks taps.
Result: Gantman by triangle choke, Round 1.
First intermission: Shannon Ritch and Jeff Monson take the center of the cage to announce Monson has signed a contract to compete in XFC June 13 at the Travis County Expo Center, but does mumble something about trying to get his legal problems resolved.
There have been some amazing fights so far. The crowd is very pumped and we’re excited to hear the submission attempts getting the same sorts of roars as the punches and kicks. This crowd knows its MMA.
Tony Melton vs. Grady Briley
Rd 1: Melton defends Briley’s takedown attempts, lands an uppercut then a combination on Briley that are some of the hardest punches thrown so far tonight. Melton starts his next combination with a superman punch that has Briley covering up. Briley then gets taken down and Melton takes side control before unleashing a barrage of punches and hammer-fists to end the round. TTF scores the round convincingly 10-9 for Melton.
Rd 2: Melton lands a left hand that backs Briley up into the fence. Briley is breathing heavily to start the second round. Melton looks fresh as he lands some good inside kicks that seem to bother Briely. The fighters scramble with seconds left to go in the round. Briley lands a knee flush to the face of Melton as the round ends but it appeared Melton’s knees were down when the knee landed. The referee does not pause the fight. Bell sounds to end the round. TTF scores the round 10-9 for Melton.
Rd 3: Melton lands a left-right combination that drops Briley but he recovers before more damage is coming. Melton continues to press Briley and eventually gains a clinch. From there, Melton lands vicious knees to Briely’s forehead which is cut and begins to trail blood down his face. Melton enjoys landing those knees so he goes to clinch again and lands more as the fight ends. TTF scores the round 10-9 for Melton.
Result: TTF scores the bout 30-27 for Melton but the judges unanimously score the fight 29-28 for Melton. Perhaps the late-moment knee to the face of Melton at the end of the second swayed them. First and third were all Melton.
Izzy Johnson vs. Ryan Lopez
Lopez is an impressive-looking athlete. He is introduces as a cast-member from The Ultimate Fighter Season Eight and has UFC veteran Anthony Macias in his corner.
Rd 1: Lopez makes a sweeping kick that takes Johnson’s legs out from under him. Lopez swarms but Johnson stays calm and is able to return to his feet where the two fighters wrestle for underhooks against the fence. Lopez tries to guillotine Johnson but the neck isn’t there. They continue to wrestle. Lopez drops for a single-leg but his neck is too far exposed. Johnson sinks a deep guillotine and Lopez is forced to tap.
Result: Johnson by guillotine, Round 1.
Chris Spicer vs. Jon Kirk
Spicer comes out to Johnny Cash. The crowd loves it.
Fight of the night. Back and forth battle with Kirk often on top grounding and pounding while Spicer tries one submission after another, including an armbar to triangle transition in the second round that had everyone amazed. Unfortunately for Spicer, the 3 minute rounds didn’t give him enough time to work and Kirk superior positioning and cage control gives him a unanimous decision win.
Jen Babcock vs. April Coutino for the XFC Women’s Championship
Babcock is considered by many a heavy favorite in this one as she is a Greg Jackson-trained fighter with a great record. Coutino appeared very unassuming at the weigh-ins yesterday but seems focused and confident coming to the cage tonight.
Rd 1: Babcock shoots for single-leg but Coutino defends well with a headlock that prevents Babcock from moving to Coutino’s back. Coutino looks strong - she takes Babcock down to the ground with the headlock. Coutino seems amazingly calm despite having one arm trapped as Babcock begins to slide on the triangle. Coutino is turned to one side, making the triangle difficult to apply, and is landing punches and hammerfists from above. Some are connecting solidly. Coutino pulls out as Babcock transitions the triangle to an arm bar. The referee pauses the bout so a ringside doctor can look at the tremendous swelling beneath Babcock’s left eye. Her left eye is nearly sworn shut. The doctor calls a stop to the bout and Coutino is elated with the upset victory.
Result: Coutino wins via doctor stoppage, Round 1.
Doug Williams vs. Patrick Castillo for the XFC Interim Heavyweight Championship
Rd 1: The fighters quickly clinch - while Williams is landing punches Castillo is landing knees and a grinding elbow to the face. Williams hates the elbow and tries a takedown that is sloppy, ending up mounted by Castillo. From there, Castillo returns to grinding his elbow into Williams’ face until Williams spins and gives his back, then returns to being mounted and very effectively covers up while Castillo rains down ineffective punches. Castillo surprisingly gives up the mount to return to standing position. The move seems to have been the right thing to do as Castillo rains punches, knees, and kicks on Williams until he crumples to the canvas just as time expires. Williams seems to have been saved by the bell.
Rd 2: Castillo returns to knees and elbows in the clinch that are very effective. The fight is paused momentarily while Castillo’s mouthpiece is recovered, rinsed, and returned. As Castillo begins to pour on the knees to Williams’ face in the clinch you can see Williams begin to get quite shaky. Williams just can’t stop the knees. He crumples to the canvas and the referee stops the fight.
Result: Castillo by TKO, Round 2.
Justin Howard vs. Darrill Schoonover
Very competitive fight with both men landing solid punches and kicks on the other. During the second round, Howard ducks from a Schoonover right hand and ends up being punched in the back of the head. After much discussion with the ringside doctor Howard admits he is having trouble seeing as a result of the strike and the fight is ended.
Result: Schoonover via TKO, Round 3.
The crowd is upset at the result of this fight but everyone has to be happy with the fightcard as a whole. Texas MMA Talent is rich and if the talent is this good in young fighters like Schoonover, Coutino, Spicer, and Farran, the future is going to only get better for MMA. Awesome night of fights.
Our picks:
Fight of the Night: Kirk vs. Spicer - plenty of back and forth action, true MMA with action on the feet as well as on the ground. This is a fight that should have had 5 minute rounds because both fighters have the stamina for it. Great fight.
KO of the night: Tough to argue Daniel Gibson doesn’t deserve this. His KO of Tremel was definite highlight reel stuff.
Submission of the night: Great that there are a bunch to choose from. Babcock’s triangle choke on Green was a thing of beauty as Green was able to pick Babcock up and slam him from inside the triangle, only to find himself deeper in it.
