Ricardo Mayorga | photo – Jonathan Daniel/Getty Sports

MAY 4, 2013 – Noted pro boxer Ricardo Mayorga made his mixed martial arts (MMA) debut last night in his native country of Nicaragua at the at Omega MMA: “Battle of the Americas” at the Pharaohs Casino, Managua.

Despite a pre-fight scuffle with his opponent at weigh-ins caused by the 39-year-old missing the planned lightweight limit by an incredulous twenty pound margin, his bout against Canadian transplant Wesley Tiffer went off without a hitch.

Ricardo Mayorga entered this new sport after having compiled a record of 29-8-1 with 23 knockouts in boxing. He last fought back in March 2011, dropping a loss to Miguel Cotto, but has held titles in the 147 and 154 divisions over the course of his 11-year boxing career.

Mitchell Hale hits Jarret Jones right on the button in the main event | photo: Steven Tippett

ODESSA, TX, April 22, 2013 – High expectations led to similarly positive outcomes as the event put on by Fabian Butler and Twenty Four Seven Entertainment this past Friday night at Odessa’s Ector County Coliseum.

24/7 Enemy of the State featured a good mix of talent West Texas as well as up-and-coming prospects from elsewhere in the state (DFW, Austin, etc.) for a total of 13 professional MMA bouts.

At the top of the card, Abilene’s Mitchell Hale brought his record up to 7-4 with an impressive first-round knockout of hometown favorite Jarret Jones in the main event of the evening.

Meanwhile, new Texas resident and Bellator vet Damon “Leech” Jackson overcame a tough first round after taking this fight on short notice to bring his undefeated record up to 5-0 with a second round submission over the always dangerous Luis Luna.

Neal Ewing following his title win | photo: Steven Tippett

Several other prospects scored some big wins on this card to stay undefeated as well.

In title action, Neal Ewing (4-0) was able to secure the 24/7 middleweight title AND stay undefeated with his victory over El Paso resident Ricky McCall, who now falls to 4-1.

Likewise, Ewing’s Octagon MMA teammate Klayton Mai moved to 5-0 with his first round submission of Randy Hinds while another fighter considered to be a top prospect fell with Geoffrey Neal losing to pro debut fighter Martin Sano Jr. who dominated the second and third rounds of their fight to serve notice that he will be a fighter to watch out of West Texas.

Below are all the results from last Friday night in Odessa.

24/7 Enemy of the State – Quick Results from April 19, 2013 in Odessa, TX

170 lbs.: Mitchell Hale over Jarret Jones by KO, 1:45 RD2

155 lbs.: Damon Jackson over Luis Luna by submission (armbar), 1:15 RD2

185 lbs.: Neal Ewing over Ricky McCall by submission (armbar), 1:15 RD2 <TITLE>

170 lbs.: Martin Sano Jr. over Geoff Neal by submission (RNC), 1:25 RD3

125 lbs.: Klayton Mai over Randy Hinds by submission (guillotine), 3:26 RD1

155 lbs.: Desmond Hill over Leville Simpson by TKO, 1:25 RD1

145 lbs.: Brian Castillo over Brian Joseph by TKO (doc stoppage), 0:10 RD2

135 lbs.: Gino Davilla over Nathan Torres by submission (guillotine). 1:07 RD2

185 lbs.: Jeff Fraley over Samuel Trevino by TKO, 1:06 RD2

125 lbs.: Jon Voth over Jeremy Valdarez by TKO, 1:00 RD1

185 lbs.: Cameron VIllines over Carlos Herrera by split decision.

145 lbs.: Brandon Ruiz over Joe Saucedo by submission (armbar), 2:50 RD1

170 lbs.: Jessie Moreno over Marcus Simien by unanimous decision.

Will Campuzano defends against Alan Nascimento

DALLAS, TX, April 16, 2013 – The Allen Event Center in North Dallas once again played host to the Legacy Fighting Championship and AXS TV this past Friday night.

Legacy Fighting Championship 19 featured a workmanlike title defense in the flyweight division as champion Will Campuzano defended his belt for the very first time against a tough opponent in Brazilian import Alan Nascimento. The two went a full five rounds with William using his veteran savvy, striking, and some well-tooled wrestling (ala Johnny Bedford) to control the submission-minded 21 year old prospect en route to the victory.

In the co-main event of the evening, DREAM and Bellator vet Georgi Karakhanyan showed he may be UFC-ready by scoring his 7th straight win over longtime veteran Din Thomas. “Insane” now improves to 21-3 overall and looks to be as good a prospect as any in the world at 145 lbs.

Georgi Karakhanyan picks up big win over Din Thomas

Speaking of prospects, another one that may be ready for even bigger fights sooner rather than later is a guy by the name of Robert Drysdale. Maybe you’ve heard of him.

Taking on his toughest challenge yet in his third fight since signing with Legacy, he would face 20+ fight veteran D.J. Linderman. A wrestler by background who can also strike, “Da Protege” was projected by some to be the opponent that would take Drysdale into deeper waters. Instead he became just another stat in this one, namely Robert’s sixth straight victory by way of first round submission.

Aside from the three main bouts at the top of the card, some of the most exciting performances of the evening were found lower down in the fight order as well.

Most notably, George Pacurariu and Rey Trujillo rose to the occasion with scintillating knockout performances over Steven Peterson and Chris Jones to stake a claim for themselves as probable title contenders.

Robert Drysdale stays undefeated

Meanwhile, another Octagon MMA fighter did cement a title spot for himself in Matt Hobar. Scoring a convincing win over a game fighter in Nelson Salas, “Crowbar” now finds himself in a position to challenge for the bantamweight belt – presumably against Houston’s Angel Huerta.

Last but not least to score a win on the televised card was Kevin Aguilar of Longview, TX. Fighting under the Legacy banner for just the second time, Kevin took on undefeated Jackson’s MMA prospect and Waxahachie, TX native Hunter Tucker and gave him the first loss on his record via first round armbar submission. Kevin now moves to 8-0 and has to be considered one of the blue chip prospects right now in all of Texas MMA.

Legacy Fighting Championship 19 – Quick Results

Will Campuzano over Allan Nascimento by unanimous decision (49-45, 48-46, 48-46)

Georgi Karakhanyan over Din Thomas by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

Robert Drysdale over DJ Linderman by submission (rear-naked choke) at 1:48 of round one

Matt Hobar over Nelson Salas by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

George Pacurariu over Steven Peterson by knockout (punch) at 3:42 of round one

Rey Trujillo over Chris Jones by knockout (punches) at 3:59 of round one

Kevin Aguilar over Hunter Tucker by submission (armbar) at 2:24 of round one

Brad Mitchell over David Armas by split decision

Evan Thompson over Angelus Raymond McFarlane by unanimous decision

Bull Lawal over Jabari Shakur by unanimous decision.

Vernon Lewis over James Hall by TKO (Doctor Stoppage) at 5:00 of round one

TXMMA Fight Night Awards

Fight of the Night – Will Campuzano vs. Allan Nascimento

Knockout of the Night – George Pacurariu

Submission of the Night – Kevin Aguilar

Legacy Fighting Championship 19 – Event Photo Gallery

High-resolution images from Legacy FC 19 and past events available for print and download purchase via mikecalimbas.com.

DALLAS, TX, April 9, 2013 – The Legacy Fighting Championship has quickly become one of the most respected fight promotions in the country and they will look to add to that reputation with their nineteenth event happening this Friday, April 12th at the Allen Event Center in Allen, TX.

Legacy FC 19 will feature a diverse mix of Texas’ homegrown talent and well-known veterans in diverse stages of their career all looking to notch a win on AXS TV. The show features former UFC fighter and current Legacy champion Will Campuzano taking on undefeated challenger Allan Nascimento in a flyweight title fight while highly-touted Robert Drysdale makes his return in the co-main event against NorCal veteran D.J. Linderman. The main card also features some fast rising locals looking to make their own way up the ladder towards national recognition so meedless to say, area fight fans in the DFW area and those watching LIVE nationally on AXS TV are in for a treat.

Here are our preview and predictions for the LFC 19 main card with the same for the undercard following later in the week. Make sure to add your own predictions in the comments section and follow along with our event coverage via our Official TXMMA Facebook Page!

Legacy Fighting Championship 19 – Main Card Preview and Predictions

125 lbs.: Will Campuzano (11-4, Champion) vs. Allan Nascimento (7-0) <TITLE FIGHT>

Legacy FC 19’s main event will pair the dangerous Muay Thai skills of Will Campuzano against the well-versed submission skills of Allan Nascimento with the flyweight title on the line.

Will Campuzano won the belt at LFC 16 taking out another highly-touted youngster in Jimmy Flick. Meanwhile, the undefeated Allan Nascimento has used his jiu-jitsu to submit five of his seven opponents and also has a TKO and a corner stoppage on his resume. He was last seen in Legacy at LFC 12 scoring a third-round submission over veteran Terry Acker. Meanwhile, the flyweight champ has been on a tear, finishing all three of his opponents since being released by the UFC and deciding to drop down a weight class to flyweight – where he remains undefeated.

This is sort of like a classic striker versus grappler match with a few intriguing twists given that both are reasonably well-rounded as well.  Campuzano showed he can keep the fight standing against opponents who prefer the ground, like Jimmy Flick, and he’s never lost to a non-UFC veteran. Nascimento has destroyed his opposition so far, but hasn’t faced the same quality of opponents that Campuzano has so his strength of schedule leaves something to be proven.

Predictions:

Felix: Nascimento is the real deal, but Campuzano will catch him with strikes from the clinch as he fishes for a takedown in Round 2. Campuzano by TKO.

Mike: Allan is slick on the ground, especially with those leglocks, but he was having some trouble in his last Legacy fight with Terry Acker before pulling off the victory in the last round. Will is WAY more vicious than Acker and won’t be gotten in the same way. Should be another finish for him.  Will by TKO.

205 lbs.: Robert Drysdale (5-0) v. DJ Linderman (13-4)

So far the biggest challenge in Robert Drysdale’s MMA career has been the weight scale. The undefeated jiu-jitsu ace has finished all of his opponents by submission in the first round, but came in nearly five pounds overweight for his last match against Chris ‘The Celtic Tiger’ Reed. His next opponent, D.J. Linderman, is arguably the stiffest challenge Drysdale has ever faced in MMA. Linderman is 3-2 in his last five fights. He last saw action against Anthony “Rumble” Johnson under the World Series of Fighting Banner. The seasoned veteran has competed in multiple promotions including Bellator, Cage Warriors and Shark Fights. If this one gets to the ground, it is likely D.J. will be in for a short night. Or will he?

Predictions:

Felix: I predict death by Drysdale! Drysdale by Submission, Round 1.

Mike: Your prediction is strong and while I wouldn’t go that far, I will say Robert is the prohibitive favorite on the ground. Duh! Be that as it may, D.J. is a strong wrestler used to fighting big guys like Robert so maybe he can keep it on the feet long enough to make it interesting. That’s what I’m hoping for anyways just so we (the viewing public) will see Drysdale test in other facets of MMA. In the end, I do agree with you though and Drysdale is kind of like a Demian Maia in the sense that he isn’t “just a BJJ guy.” He can take down wrestling specialists too. Drysdale by submission, RD1.

135 lbs.: Matt Hobar (6-1) v. Nelson Salas (4-0)

Matt Hobar and Nelson Salas will be battling for Lone Star pride and local bragging rights. More significantly, they are both likely to fighting for a future title shot in the hotly-contested bantamweight division as well – likely opposite Houston’s Angel Huerta unless something unforeseen comes along.

Matt Hobar is tall for a bantamweight at 5’10 and has shown himself to be a well-rounded athlete through his seven professional fights. He’s also a very pedigreed wrestler who isn’t afraid to strike. He shot two birds with one stone during his last fight by getting back on the win column and avenging his lone defeat against Steven Peterson at Legacy FC 16. Meanwhile, Nelson Salas brings a 4-0 professional record and a nasty cage demeanor. The undefeated fighter has split his victories between two submissions and two TKO wins. He also has a win over the aforementioned Huerta so that’s to be considered as well. How he handles his height and reach disadvantage will be the key to this match’s outcome.

Predictions:

Felix: Hobar will use range and distance to pick Salas apart throughout three rounds. Hobar by unanimous decision.

Mike: Nelson Salas is a tough character and showed he can battle through adversity in that May 2012 win over Huerta. Be that as it may, he hasn’t fought anyone else on Matt Hobar’s level and Matt has shown he can handle the long fight as evident by his war against Peterson. Don’t get me wrong, Nelson is skilled but I think Hobar is too good everywhere to get put in danger in this fight. He may even finish it inside the distance as well. Matt Hobar by submission, RD3.

145 lbs.: Chris Jones (8-1) v. Rey Trujillo (13-9)

Chris “Lionheart” Jones and Rey Trujillo will be the main card’s second pairing of proud Texans. Jones is a Dallas native who has notched seven consecutive victories since his last loss way back in 2008. “Lionheart” will actually be making his Legacy debut in this one but has fought under the bright lights of Bellator and is no stranger to stiff competition in the past, holding wins over Chris Pecero and Steven Peterson. Meanwhile, the 32 year-old TRU has long been a fan favorite at Legacy events and has a bevy of highlight reel knockouts to his credit – including a huge one at Legacy FC 10 over Munil Adriano. Given both of their reputations, this one has all the makings of a barn-burning brawl. Definite Fight of the Night candidate for sure!

Predictions:

Felix: “Lionheart” and Trujillo will swing for the fences but Jones will connect quicker and more often, earning the judge’s nod. Jones by unanimous decision.

Mike: Judges? We don’t need no stinkin’ judges. Tell those guys in their fancy suits to go on their bathroom breaks for this one. Going by record alone you would have to say that Chris Jones should be the big favorite but I’ve seen Rey hit people very hard too many times. IF this one stays on the feet, then I’d have to go with Trujillo by knockout in a very exciting fight.

170 lbs.: Charles Byrd (5-3) v. Roy Spoon (7-5)

Despite his Muay Thai base training under Saekson Janjira, Charles Byrd has developed into a fighter who is reasonably comfortable standing or on the ground. His last Legacy fight did not go as planned with him on the receiving end of a Derrick Krantz rear naked choke at Legacy 16 but hey, Krantz has proven himself to be pretty good so that isn’t necessarily an indictment on him. Byrd can definitely bounce back from that and that’s what he will be looking to do against the Dallas Jawbreaker, Roy Spoon. The big man will be looking to bounce back from a two-fight skid against some equally tough opposition in Hayward Charles and Josh Lee.

It’s anybody ballgame on what to expect in this one but a reasonable person would be led to believe that these two guys will look to eschew ground fighting and give the fans a rousing stand up affair.

Predictions:

Felix: Spoon will get off first and not let Byrd establish his range or find his rhythm. Spoon by unanimous decision.

Mike: Roy is a hard-hitter but Charles Byrd should have the technical edge in kickboxing and rule this one with leg kicks. That’s my best guess anyways. I’ll go with Charles via unanimous decision here.

135 lbs.: Steven Peterson (8-3) v. George Pacurariu (4-1)

Steven Peterson is a Bellator, Legacy, and XKO veteran who has already fought two other athletes competing in this card. His Legacy resume includes wins against Mat Hobar and a thrilling omoplata finish over ATT Beaumont’s Cody Williams. Peterson has never been finished and poses a major threat when challenged on the ground. Meanwhile Geo Pacurariu will be making his Legacy debut against Peterson. He’s not as well-known as his counterpart yet since he’s only fought in Texas three times and hasn’t fought on a televised card as of yet but this guy is pretty skilled. He can fight on the feet AND on the ground. The question is – will he be better than Peterson in either facet?

Predictions:

Felix: Peterson will have the taste of defeat fresh in his mind and will fight smartly to get things to the ground and sink in the winning RNC in deep waters. Peterson by Submission, Round 3.

Mike: This is a sleeper fight for me. We’ve all seen a lot of Peterson but I also saw what Pacurariu was able to do at the Fight Game event way back in December 2011 and he was pretty good then. I haven’t know what he’s done since but surely he’s improved under the tutelage of Sayif Saud at Octagon MMA. Be that as it may, I’ve still going to go with empirical evidence and pick the more experienced Peterson in this one. He won’t want to lose to someone from the same gym 2x in a row.

145 lbs.: Hunter Tucker (6-0) vs. Kevin Aguilar (6-0)

More times than not, losing is an inevitable part of competition, and by the end of this match one of these two undefeated fighters will be introduced to the “L” column. Hunter Tucker has finished six consecutive opponents. He will look to make it five submission wins in a row when he faces Kevin Aguilar on Friday night. Aguilar has no interest in adding to Tucker’s streak and will be looking to protect his own consecutive victory streak fiercely and secure his second Legacy FC win in a row after besting veteran Nick “Ghost” Gonzalez in San Antonio. Simply put, this will be an intriguing match between two ascending fighters and it should be a fun one to see!

Predictions:

Felix: Although Tucker has fewer fights, he has fought for the bigger promotions and has the better submission game of the two. Tucker by Triangle, Round 2.

Mike: I’ve heard good things about Hunter Tucker out of Jackson’s MMA but his biggest win so far is over a currently .500 fighter in Javier Obregon (Travis Lutter). Meanwhile, Kevin “Angel of Death” Aguilar has a win over a seasoned international vet in Nick Gonzalez along with Rey Trujillo, Matt Hunt, and some others in smaller promotions. PLUS he’s from Texas. I am overwhelmingly going Aguilar in this fight by unanimous decision.

HOUSTON, TX, April 7, 2013

For one, the organization marked a landmark moment as far as attendance goes for their amateur shows go with 2,700+ showing up to catch Legacy Amateur Series 11 live. The show was also the first LAM event to be covered by Texas Fight Night – meaning all 13 bouts will air to over 45 million homes on Azteca, Fight network Canada, Pursuit Channel and Time Warner Cable sports channel in the coming weeks.

As far as the fights go, they delivered from top to bottom with only three out of thirteen reaching the judges’ scorecards.

In the main event of the evening, Kolton Englund achieved what has to be record in scoring his third championship win in three straight fights with three different organizations. This time around it was Metro Fight Club’s Luis Lara who fell to Englund in what ended up being a highly-competitive three round war as expected that came down to Kolton securing top position and pounding out his opponent in the third.

Also scoring a third round TKO win in his own title fight was Lara’s Metro Fight Club teammate Adrian Yanez. He was originally scheduled to take on GB North Houston’s Kody Williams but a staph infection resulted in BJJ Revolution’s Quentin Kiper getting the late opportunity to step into the featherweight title fight instead. The late change didn’t rattle Yanez however as he proved well-prepared and ready for war in earning the belt and several stitches along the way.

In other notable action…

Silverback Fight Club’s Jacob Silva picked up a disputed split decision over GB Texas’ Roberto Sanchez to end his amateur career with an impressive 8-3 record and 4 title wins to his name.

Jake Heffernan picked up a first-round submission (armn-triangle) over Eric Charalambous to keep Alex Morono’s GB North Houston MMA team undefeated in 2013 with a 3-0 record so far following their impressive 13-2 campaign last year.

Charles Sheppard upset highly-touted MMA newcomer and junior full-contact karate circuit vet Sage Northcutt with a vicious late-round haymaker that earns him TXMMA Knockout of the Night honors.

Last but not least here in our mentions is another younger in Jordan Carmona of 4OZ Fight Club debuting impressively with a first-triangle choke over Sijin Kurian.

See below for the rest of the fight results from April 6^th in Houston.

Legacy Amateur Series 11 Quick Results

Main Event – Kolton England over Luis Lara by TKO, RD3
Co-Main Event – Adrian Yanez over Quentin Kiper by TKO, RD3
11 – Jacob Silva over Roberto Sanchez by split decision
10 – Jake Heffernan over Eric Charalambous by submission (arm-triangle), RD1
9 – Charles Sheppard over Sage Northcutt by KO, RD1
8 – David Acosta over John Ballah by KO, RD1
7 – Jason Langellier over Jeff Spangler by unanimous decision
6 – Rene Saucedo over Angel Zamora by unanimous decision
5 – Jordan Carmona over Sijin Kurian by submission (triangle choke), RD1
4 – Micah Williams over Jason Carter by submission (armbar), RD2
3 – Edward Longoria over Steven Vera by KO, RD1
2 – James Morales over Donald Davis by TKO, RD3
1 – Perry Scott over EJ Turner by TKO, RD2

Legacy Amateur Series 11 Photo Gallery

GALVESTON, TX, March 31, 2013

SCC 3 “Good Friday Showdown” sold out the Galveston Island Convention Center for the show which featured a heavyweight title fight main event and 11 total fights for the fans in attendance. The event also featured a charitable contribution from Al Garza, Stephen Lawhorn, and the rest of the SCC family with a portion of the proceeds going to the Galveston Island Humane Society. On top of that, the show also featured a proposal with one man climbing into the cage only to get down on one knee and climb back out with a fiancee!

As far as the action on the night, it was a pretty fan-friendly night of fights all the way around.

There was an upset of sorts in the main event of the evening as highly-touted Jeremy “Nightmare” Hardy fell victim to West Texas-based Eric Lunsford. From the looks of the fight it seemed like Lunsford had a little veteran savvy to successfully counter Jeremy’s size and athleticism. The SPAMMA champ weathered the initial storm including some high kicks from Hardy before taking him down and working form there in both rounds. He would eventually score the Americana from side control in the second round to seal the deal and take the SCC HWT belt all the way back with him to the Panhandle.

In the co-main event of the evening, traditional martial artists and 4^th degree black belts-turned-MMA fighters Cody Garza and George Burchfield presented the crowd with a three round striking display won by the AGPMA product. Burchfield did pretty well with kicks of his own but Garza seemed to be the aggressor throughout and mixed in some timely punches in addition to his own kicks in the third to seal the deal.

As far as additional highlights go, perhaps the biggest one of the evening belonged to 17 year old Leomana Martinez who, on his birthday week, absolutely blitzed fellow 17 year old and previously undefeated Preston Anderson to win by knockout just 12 seconds into the first round to win obvious ‘knockout of the night’ honors.

For a comprehensive gallery of SCC 3 Fight Photos, check out the complete album on mikecalimbas.com.

Below are all of our fight night awards along with the rest of the results from Friday night in Galveston.

TXMMA Fight Night Awards

► Fight of the Night – David Waters vs. Michael Larson

► Knockout of the Night – Leomana Martinez

► Submission of the Night – Eric Lunsford

Superior Combative Championships 3 – Quick Results from March 29, 2013

Eric Lunsford over Jeremy Hardy by second round submission (americana), RD2

Cody Garza over George Burchfield by unanimous decision.

Andrew Martinez over Dominique Robinson by unanimous decision.

Leomana Martinez over Preston Anderson by KO, RD1 (0:12)

Rick Gonzalez over Jordan Zendejas by TKO (doc stoppage), RD1

Ion Sorici over Juan Zamudio by split decision.

Johnny Gaona over Wilbert Garner by submission (RNC), RD1

David Waters over Michael Larson by unanimous decision.

Tim Lashley over Shaun Dunn by split decision.

Dominic Wiltz over Josh Ontiveros by submission (armbar), RD1

Paulo Alcozar over Mariano McClune by submission (RNC), RD1

Superior Combative Championships 3 – Photo Gallery

New XCP champion Hector Munoz

CORPUS CHIRSTI, TX, March 25, 2013 – There was no shortage of mixed martial arts action going on around the state this past weekend and the Rio Grande Valley was no different with Rock Balboa (XCP) bringing his Rocks Xtreme MMA 2 event to the American Bank Center this past Saturday. Featuring some of South Texas’ top fighters on the nine bout fight card, Rock once again succeeded in capturing plenty of local attention with his second pro event.

The headlining fight of the evening featured Hector “H-Train” Munoz in title action versus West Texas fighter Gabriel Vasquez. The BJJ black belt (Munoz) was able to send his opponent packing for the long drive home sans title belt as he picked up his second win in a row and brought his overall record up to 10-4 courtesy of a first round triangle choke.

Meanwhile in the co-main event, Brownsville-based Luis Vega picked up the split decision victory over CC hometown fighter and TXMMA 2012 Comeback Fighter of the Year winner Chris Pecero in what was said to be a Fight of the Night contender. Vega now moves to 9-3 overall while Pecero’s record drops to 8-5.

As for the rest of the card, the results are littered with some impressive victories’ from some of South Texas’ most notable up-and-coming prospects.

Roger Narvaez, Patrick Ybarra, and Elias Garcia all picked up wins and are looking at a quick turnaround with all three slated to fight at Legacy FC 20 scheduled for Corpus Christi on May 31^st. The KO win scored by Ybarra at Rocks Xtreme MMA 2 may be especially pivotal as he is rumored to be first in line to get a crack at incoming UFC-turned-Legacy fighter Damacio Page.

Check out the rest of the winners from this past weekend below.

Rocks Xtreme MMA 2 – Quick Results from March 23, 2013

Hector Munoz over Gabriel Vasquez by submission (triangle choke), RD1 *new 155 lbs. champion

Luis Vega over Chris Pecero by split decision

Audrey Alvarez over Anita Rodriguez by unanimous decision

Roger Narvaez over Matt Jones by TKO, RD1

Paulina Granados over Sarah Lagerstrom by unanimous decision

Patrick Ybarra over Bobby Huron by KO, RD1

Santos Rosales over Roland Williams by KO, RD3

Elias Garcia over Daryl Thompson by KO, RD3

Leville Simpson over Kirck Hubble by TKO, RD2

ARLINGTON, TX, March 25, 2013

In the main event of the evening, submission whiz Hayward Charles scored his fifth straight victory (all by submission) over Kano Gregoire to snap his own streak of two wins in a row. With this win it really seems like everything is starting to come together for Charles as he’s built some impressive consistency as of late as opposed to earlier on in his career where he alternated a few wins and losses. Not sure what is next for him post-XKO 18 but I’d imagine a major TV fight or a title shot in some org wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility.

Meanwhile in the co-main event, XKO 18 featured another fighter looking to build some consistency of her own with Mohler MMA-trained Amber Stautzenberger. Taking part in the first-ever female MMA bout in Xtreme Knockout history, Amber the “Apex Predator” picked up her second win in a row over fellow local fighter Ashley Allen. It’s her second win as a pro and she’ll look to follow it up with even more in the first half of 2013 when she competes against Soannia Tiem at the upcoming PFS 4.

As for the rest of the event, there were a few notables that caught our eye.

David Armas picked up his very first submission win over of his 11 fight MMA career with a triangle choke over Moises Diaz in the second round to move to 4-7 overall.

Derek Perkins scored what has to be considered an upset over highly-touted prospect Rashad Coulter with a first round kimura to move to 1-0 as a pro while Rashad drops to 3-1.

Stephen Banaszack debuted in XKO and picked up his first pro win by armbar in the second round over Humberto Martinez.

Jeff Glemond and Jewel Snell complete the winners circle with decision wins over Mark Raso and Sean Douglas respectively while Timothy Stephenson and Steven Cloud went to a no-contest after an accidental foul forced the doctors to call a halt to the bout in the first round.

XKO 18 – Quick Results from March 23, 2013

Hayward Charles over Kano Gregoire by submission (guillotine choke), RD1

Amber Stautzenberger over Ashley Allen by unanimous decision.

David Armas over Moises Diaz by submission (triangle choke), RD2

Jeff Glemoud over Mark Raso by unanimous decision.

Timothy Stephenson vs. Steven Cloud was ruled a no-contest after RD1 (accidental foul)

Derek Perkins over Rashad Coulter by submission (kimura), RD1

Jewel Snell over Sean Douglas by unanimous decision

Stephen Banaszack over Humberto Martinez by submission (armbar), RD2

Metro Fight Club’s newest champion – Aaron Reeves

HOUSTON, TX, March 25, 2013 – Garcia Promotions held their 13^th amateur event this past Saturday at the Humble Civic Center in North Houston. Like all the rest of Eric Garcia and Jace Pitre’s events, Cage Combat 13 delivered an exciting night of fights for fans with only three out twelve bouts reaching the judges’ scorecards while the rest of the fights were finished conclusively.

In the main event of the evening, Saul Soliz and his Metro Fight Club team picked up their first championship belt of 2013 with Aaron Reeves scoring a second round knockout of always-tough James Powell to pick up the GP strap at welterweight. Powell had come into the bout winning 2 out of his past 3 (minus a title bout loss to Jose Llanas in his last fight) while Reeves came into the event 1-0-1 in his last two bouts. Experience played no factor in this one though at the 23 year old prospect (Reeves) brings his first belt back to downtown Houston after this one.

Ralph Garcia wins interim belt; Expected to rematch Kolton Englund to unify titles.

Meanwhile in the co-main event, another 23 year old, Ralph Garcia made his return a successful one by defeating Brandon Gauthier by split decision to win the GP interim 155 lbs. belt. “Plexin’ Texan” last fought for the promotion last July, losing by first round TKO to Kolton Englund. With this win he now sets up a belt unification rematch with the Silverback fighter possibly on the next Cage Combat event if not this summer.

As for the rest of the card, several other fighters impressed. Tough grappler Craig Campbell finished quickly with a rear-naked choke win over Jose Gomez in the first round of their matchup. Meanwhile, Gracie Barra Katy’s Chris Sutton picked up the fastest victory of the night with an impressive 24-second guillotine choke win over KWMMA’s Joe Whichard.

Also impressing was Elite MMA’s Arthur Ashton who moved to 2-0 with a third round TKO over 4OZ Fight Club’s Kyle Villereal and Isai Cabrera of GB Texas who also stayed undefeated at 2-0 with his own TKO in the second round over Jason Harrington.

Here are complete results from this past Saturday in Humble below.

Cage Combat 13 – Quick Results from March 23, 2013

Aaron Reeves over James Powell by KO, RD2 *New 170 Champion

Ralph Garcia over Brandon Gauthier by Split Decision) *New Interim 155 Champion

Craig Campbell over Jose Gomez by submission (RNC), RD1

Joel Garcia over Joey Carr by Unanimous Decision

Victor Lomax over Alex Zavillja by TKO, RD1

Francisco Segura over Matt Whichard by submission (armbar), RD3

Miguel Martinez over Darelle Brooks by Unanimous Decision

Chris Sutton over Joe Whichard by submission (guillotine choke), RD1

Arthur Ashton over Kyle Villereal by TKO, RD3

Isai Cabrera over Jason Harrington by TKO, RD2

Sean Kennard over Tommy Wood by TKO, RD1

Garvens Brun over Eduan Espaillat by TKO, TD1

HOUSTON, TX, March 2, 2013

We’ll go into full detail on each of the fights in just a minute. For now here are the quick results from LFC 18 held March 1^st at Houston’s Arena Theatre.

Legacy Fighting Championship 18 – Quick Results

Main Card

Derrick Lewis over Ricky Shivers by TKO (GNP) – RD3 – 4:22
Jorge Patino over Derrick Krantz by submission (guillotine choke) – RD2, 3:07
Rafael de Freitas and Antonio Banuelos fight to a split draw (27-29, 29-28, 28-28)
Todd Moore over Charlie Ontiveros by TKO (GNP) – RD1, 2:01
Lauren Taylor over Jennifer Scott by TKO (GNP) – RD1, 4:10
Alex Morono over Brandon Farran by submission (armbar) – RD1, 1:16

Preliminary Card

Larry Crowe over Matt Rogers by TKO (strikes) – RD1, 1:16
Dale Mitchell over Chad Cook by TKO (rib injury) – RD2, 3:00
Gerzan Chaw over Davis Armas by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Chris Reed over Jermaine Anugwom by KO (straight left hand) – RD1
Kaileb Cummins and Justin Murry fight to a draw (28-28, 28-28, 28-28)
Eric Valdez over Edgar Juarez by decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

TXMMA Fight Night Awards

Fight of the Night – Derrick Lewis vs. Ricky Shivers

Knockout of the Night – Chris Reed

Submission of the Night – Jorge Macaco Patino

 Legacy Fighting Championship 18 – Fight-by-Fight Recaps

265 lbs.: Derrick Lewis (8-2) vs. Ricky Shivers (10-5-1) <TITLE>

It was really interesting to see what would go down in this main event considering all the posturing beforehand. The challenger, Ricky Shivers, seemed rather brash and even obnoxious in his pre-fight interviews in banter – calling himself “the best competitive grappler in Texas” in one interview and egging on the Silverback camp at weigh-ins saying stuff like “Dan Henderson couldn’t touch this chin, son.” The pre-fight stuff concluded at the rules meeting when he walked in saying something along the likes of “How many black belts are in here? …THE black belt is here” or something to that effect. Did he somehow forget that world-class grapplers like Roberto “Tussa” Alencar, Rafael “Barata” De Freitas, Ulpiano Malachias (fellow GB black belts) and others like Jorge “Macaco” Patino were in the room? Or was this all a heel act to get in his opponent’s head? Either way Houston hasn’t seen such a loud talker in some time so it was interesting to see how the fight would go down.

To his credit, Shivers did much better in the fight against the current champion than some expected – who predicted he would go down in a heap in the first round. That was not the case and this was in actuality a fairly competitive fight all the way to the end in the third. Though as powerful as ever, Lewis never really could land the one killer knockout shot on his feet in this one. Instead the two trades barbs grappling for the most part. We’d say they were about equal in the takedown department with Lewis proving effective with trips and simply throwing his opponent down while Shivers went forward with some double-legs and trips of his own. Both guys had some near submissions in this fight with Lewis almost tapping Ricky with a kimura – from bottom mount no less – while Shivers had an armbar extended at the very end of the second. It all came down to cardio, power, and sheer will in the third as the champion eventually wore on his opponent and started raining down blows from the top position. With Ricky covering up referee Jake Montalvo called a halt to the action and Derrick Lewis has now officially defended his heavyweight belt for the very first time.

155 lbs.: Jorge Macaco Patino (24-13) vs. Derrick Krantz (14-6) <TITLE>

The co-main event for the Legacy lightweight title proved to be quite an exciting affair as Longview, TX native Derrick Krantz proved initially that he was more than up to the task of getting in there with vale tudo legend Macaco. D-Rock definitely started out faster than his champion opponent, landing some well-timed strikes while defending some judo takedowns and even securing one of his own – getting Macaco’s back momentarily at one point and probably winning the round though it was close.

Macaco would fare better in the second stanza, moving ahead aggressively to try and get the fight to the floor. The two would trade some shots and end up in scramble after an attempted back-take by Krantz. That gave Macaco just the opening he needed to slap on a modified one-handed guillotine to force the tap midway through the second round. Very exciting fight in this one.

125 lbs.: Rafael De Freitas (5-0) vs. Antonio Banuelos (20-9)

The third fight of the evening proved to be an even affair based on the resulting draw which left this fight without a winner. De Freitas, otherwise known in BJJ circles as “Barata” was expected to be more of a grappling specialist heading into this fight but he was largely content to trade on his feet with his WEC/UFC pedigreed opponent. Rafael would do well in measuring distance for the duration of this fight as Banuelos was never quite able to come forward and get inside and his corner pleaded for him to do. The fight did go to the ground with about a minute left on the second after a big slam by Banuelos (and accidental soccer kick by Barata that led to a break) but he wasn’t able to do anything from inside the Gracie Barra black belt’s guard after the restart.

The second and third rounds were really much of the same in terms of Antonio trying to find his way inside without answer. De Freitas on the other hand looked to grow more and more comfortable on his feet even connecting with a big shot that dropped Banuelos at one point. He’d probably have won the fight if striking were the only area being considered but ironically Antonio was likely saved from a loss due to his grappling – mainly a few timely takedowns that surely had an effect on the judges’ scorecards.

170 lbs.: Charlie Ontiveros (3-0) vs. Todd Moore (14-5)

In a very intriguing fight it was the “Texas-Sized Comeback 2013” that proved to be successful for veteran Todd Moore as he picked up his first win in over a year since his Strikeforce stint and subsequent knee injury over upstart fighter Charlie Ontiveros.

Many were perplexed before the fight by Charlie’s decision to take on such an experienced and dangerous opponent but to his credit, Charlie didn’t look all that outmatched in the cage last night. He simply lost to a crafty relentless opponent. A striker by nature who moved into MMA, Charlie looked good as usual on his feet and even displayed some exceptional takedown defense and poise on the ground when he was taken down. He also did some showboating in there (at the very least with his facial expressions, etc.) but Todd proved unfazed by that mental aspect of the game. He just went on with his gameplan of working the takedown and scoring from dominant position on the ground.

That plan came to fruition in the second as he was finally able to secure mount after getting the Hard head Hitter on the ground. From there he would rain down punches and elbows cutting Ontiveros open and forcing the ref to call a halt to the action about two minutes into the round for the victory.

125 lbs.: Jennifer Scott (2-2) vs. Lauren Taylor (4-0)

In the featured women’s bout of the evening (the first in Legacy history), Lauren Taylor was able to move to 5-0 at the professional level with a vicious ground and pound KO of Houston-based opponent Jennifer Scott in the first round.

A boxer, Jennifer looked to be aggressive on the feet early, moving in with jabs and combos but Taylor remained composed while awaiting her opportunity to take her opponent down. She found the double-leg about halfway through the round and quickly started raining down hell-bows from half guard – splitting Jennifer’s forehead with open and staining the mat with blood. She wouldn’t stop until Scott gave up her back and had no answer left – forcing the ref to call the action and put a stop to the bloodletting.

170 lbs.: Brandon Farran (7-6) vs. Alex Morono (4-1)

In the first televised fight of the evening Alex Morono of Gracie Barra North Houston quickly dispatched of Abilene-based Brandon Farran in the first round of what proved to be a quick and relatively painless affair.

Alex would pick up the takedown early and look to score some strikes to a grounded Brandon who countered with a pretty nice armbar attempt defended nicely by the GB brown belt. Alex would then move to sub attempts of his own – first a guillotine and then the armbar forcing the dreadlocked-one to submit little over a minute into their fight.

185 lbs.: Larry Crowe (5-2) vs. Matt Rogers (8-3)

Too strong, too fast, and too intent on picking the victory is how we’d describe Larry Crowe in this one as he looked to overwhelm 37-year old opponent Matt Rogers. Larry didn’t waste any time coming forward at the start and never allowed his opponent any opportunity to control him or clinch from the inside – punishing him whenever he tried. The end came quickly little over a minute into the affair as Rogers, having not fought since 2004, proved to be overmatched in this one.

Interesting to note is that (according to LFC matchmaker Collin Cantrell) Crowe will now face his originally-planned opponent Bubba Bush at a future event with the Legacy middleweight vacated by Andrew Craig on the line for whoever wins that one.

135 lbs.: Gerzan Chaw (2-2) vs. David Armas (3-5)

Prior to this fight we had this one labeled as a potential fight of the night thinking these two would stand and wage war but Gerzan Chaw instead fought a smart fight and stifled the Silverback fighter with a strong dose of takedowns and positional control on the ground. Gerzan threated with a triangle choke at one point but to his credit David once again displayed resiliency in submission defense. With this win, Chaw now moves to a winning record at 3-2 and has loads of potential to do even more now that his game seems to have matured quite nicely.

205 lbs.: Chris Reed (4-2) vs. Jermaine Anugwom (0-1)

“The Celtic Tiger” Chris Reed made the most of his bon voyage fight by winning in spectacular fashion – knocking out the College Station kickboxer Jermaine Anugwom. Reed was supposed to be all-wrestling while Coxinha was supposed to be the spectacular striker but it was Reed who killed it in this one – bullying Jermaine on the ground and punishing him with strikes against the fence. A few uppercuts and a straight left right on the kisser put this one to bed and sends Reed into retirement with his bald head held high.

265 lbs.: Chad Cook (9-9) vs.  Dale Mitchell (5-5)

Similarly to his good friend Chris Reed, Chad Cook has a long history in MMA – as in really long. The guy has been fighting since before TXMMA.com first got started in 2000-2001, finding fights wherever he could. He’s an active police officer nowadays but still maintains his love for the sport as evident by taking this fight at heavyweight against big Dale Mitchell.

A true heavyweight, Dale used his mass to muscle Chad to the ground throughout this fight – something Chad doesn’t really mind considering the ground is his strength. Chad almost had a heel hook in the second round but in the end, it was a slam by Dale early on in the fight that resulted in the end as Cook couldn’t come out for the first due to a broken rib. Dale now moves to a winning record at 6-5 overall.

170 lbs.: Kaileb Cummins (2-0) vs. Justin Murray (3-3)

This was a pretty back-and-forth contest contested mostly on the feet with well-rounded Justin Murray taking on much-improved Kaileb Cummins. Both guys took turns being the aggressor throughout three rounds of action – all of which could have been anybody’s ballgame. Two low blows by Murray may have (actually did) cost him the fight however considering he had a point taken away in a fight that ended up being a split draw.

145 lbs.: Eric Valdez (debut) vs. Edgar Juarez (debut)

These two guys made their respective pro debuts in the first fight of the evening. Eric Valdez used a conservative gameplan of trapping Juarez on the fence and forcing him to the floor on many occasions throughout this fight. More of a striker than grappler at this point in his development, Edgar was never able to get off with much of anything in this fight as Metro Fight Club’s Eric Valdez grinded his way to a unanimous decision.

Legacy Fighting Championship 18 – Event Photo Gallery

 

 
Complete gallery (1,500+ shots) available for print order at www.mikecalimbas.com.