Jay Winston (162 lbs, BIT) vs. Dan Bonnell (150 lbs, Dragon Warrior)

Round 1: The two touch gloves and begin to trade shots from standing. Jay lands a few on Dan, who rushes into a clinch. Winston catches him in a guillotine, rolling through a takedown attempt to end up with a front headlock. Bonnell gets Winston-s legs and finishes a takedown to side mount, but Winston gets his guard back. Dan stands and delivers punches, but Jay works an arm bar. Dan defends, and Winston switches to a triangle. Bonnell punches from inside the triangle, bloodying up Winston-s nose and eventually escaping to knee-on-chest. Winston gets back to guard and locks in another arm bar, tightening this one up and forcing Bonnell to tap.

Winner by submission (arm bar) at 2:30 of round 1: Jay Winston

Aguilano Brandao (154 lbs, BMAC) vs. Henrique Bicalho (144 lbs, Dragon Lair)

Round 1: They touch gloves and Aguilano immediately fires a leg kick. Henrique advances with a flurry of punches and gets a knockdown. Brandao gets up into a clinch, where he pulls guard. Henrique stands to open guard and begins to work leg kicks and punches. Brandao works for an arm bar, but Bicalho defends. Henrique works in Aguilano-s open guard more before passing to half guard. From there, Bicalho works punches to the body before getting kicked away as Brandao resets his open guard. Henrique stomps to the stomach and legs but misses a punch. Aguilano tries to get to his feet, but Bicalho rushes him back down, landing on top in half guard. Brandao gets full guard and works for a triangle before transitioning to an arm bar, both of which are defended by Bicalho. Aguilano manages to get to Henrique-s back without his hooks in> Henrique scoots out to the bottom of half guard. Aguilano works a guillotine as time runs out.

Round 2: Henrique starts out by landing a right straight. Brandao clinches and pulls guard, working for a windmill sweep before locking in an arm bar. Bicalho rolls out and goes back to Aguilano-s guard. Brandao works for a triangle choke and an omo plata, with Bicalho defending both. Aguilano gets a windmill sweep and locks in a triangle choke, punching as Henrique defends. After fighting for about a minute, Henrique taps out.

Winner by submission (triangle choke) at 2:47 of round 2: Aguilano Brandao

Tamden McCrory (181 lbs, CNY MMA/Bomb Squad) vs. John Jenner (199 lbs, Brighton Rock Fight Team)

Round 1: Tamden jabs and lands a combination. Jenner clinches and McCrory gets a takedown to side mount. Jenner rolls away to the turtled position, where McCrory punches to the side of his head. Jenner stands with McCrory behind him with a waistlock. Tamden slams John down to side mount before going to full mount. Jenner turns away, giving his back, and McCrory fires away with a barrage of strikes. The referee stops the fight.

Winner by TKO at 1:19 of round 1: Tamden McCrory

Lyla Harvey (168 lbs, Dog Pound) vs. Victoria Ayer (156 lbs, Dragon Warrior)

Round 1: They touch gloves and circle. Lyla shoots from a few feet away. Vicki sprawls and they end up in a clinch. Lyla gets a bodylock takedown, but Ayer reverses and ends up on top in guard. Lyla works a guillotine choke, but Ayer escapes and starts to punch the body. Harvey goes for an arm bar, but Ayer defends and they both get back to their feet. Harvey lands a left hook and goes into a clinch, landing a knee before they break. Harvey lands a leg kick and a punching combination, going back to another clinch, where Victoria works a guillotine. Harvey gets a takedown to guard, escapes the guillotine, and stands to land two heavy punches. Ayer rolls out to her knees, going for the takedown, but she is visibly rocked and bloody. Harvey defends and delivers more punishment while sprawling until the referee steps in to stop the fight.

Winner by TKO at 3:33 of round 1: Lyla Harvey

Eric "Chainsaw" Charles (191 lbs, CNY MMA/Bomb Squad) vs. Alexandre Moreno (197 lbs, Kimura BJJ)

Round 1: After touching gloves, they both throw a few jabs that miss. Eric hits a leg kick and they both land combinations. Moreno gets a takedown to half guard. Charles manages to get full guard, but Alexandre passes to side mount. Moreno holds Charles down, looking for an opportunity to transition to full mount. He eventually pops up to knee-on-chest and then gets full mount. Moreno gets space and begins to pound on Eric. Charles turns away, giving his back. Alexandre sets his hooks, throws some punches, and locks in a rear naked choke. Charles taps out.

Winner by submission (rear naked choke) at 2:55 of round 1: Alexandre Moreno

Mike Picarilli (167 lbs, BIT) vs. Seth Higgins (152 lbs, Dragon Lair)

Round 1: They touch gloves. Mike throws a front kick. Seth responds with a leg kick. Higgins fires some punches and gets a knockdown to guard. Picarilli holds him down tightly. Seth punches to the body and Mike lands some shots from his back. Picarilli attempts an arm bar, but Higgins defends, stands to open guard and rushes in for a punch. Mike works for a leg lock and abandons it to get to his feet. Picarilli drives in and Seth goes for a guillotine, pulling guard. Picarilli escapes, as he does when Higgins attempts a kimura. Picarilli lands some punches to the head and body. Seth tries an arm bar. Mike defends and lands some more punches. Seth gets to his knees and Mike locks in a guillotine. Seth pulls Mike down to guard and defends the guillotine as time runs out.

Round 2: They touch gloves. Picarilli throws a middle kick. Seth lands some right hands and clinches, pulling guard. Higgins locks in an arm bar and Picarilli taps out.

Winner by submission (arm bar) at :18 of round 2: Seth Higgins

Eric Henry (180 lbs, Bomb Squad) vs. James Lockhart (187 lbs, NBC)

Round 1: They touch gloves and both trade kicks. Henry clinches but James reverses a takedown, landing on top in half guard. Eric rolls out to the top of side mount and Lockhart rolls away while attempting a headlock. Henry gets out, sets his hooks and looks for the choke. Lockhart defends. Henry is bleeding over his eye. Lockhart eventually gets out to his feet and throws a couple middle kicks. Henry lands a spinning back kick and a leg kick. James goes to a clinch but Eric pushes him down to guard before passing to side mount. James works a guillotine and Eric knees to the ribs as the round ends.

Round 2: They circle. Erick throws a middle kick. James lands a jab before Henry clinches and gets a takedown to side mount. Lockhart tries another headlock, again rolling away. Henry takes James-s back before Lockhart turns to the bottom of mount. Henry pounds and Lockhart turns away. Eric locks in a rear naked choke, forcing Lockhart to tap.

Winner by submission (rear naked choke) at 1:45 of round 2: Eric Henry

Les Richardson (200 lbs, Dog Pound) vs. Danny "Dynamite" Sheehan (185 lbs, Team Dynamite)

Round 1: They touch gloves before Sheehan drives to a clinch. Les gets a takedown to kessa-gatame. Danny starts to get up, but they are caught in the ropes. The ref stands them both up. Richardson tries a side kick as Danny shoots in, which allows Sheehan to duck the kick and get a takedown to guard. Richardson sets up a triangle and locks it in. He rolls Sheehan to mount while tightening the choke. Sheehan taps out.

Winner by submission (triangle choke) at 1:15 of round 1: Les Richardson

Stefan Jacobs (142 lbs, BIT) vs. Jonathon Lopez (147 lbs, Dragon Lair)

Round 1: They circle and trade kicks. After a leg kick, Stefan rushes in. Jonathon gets a takedown to guard, but Jacobs gets back to his feet. Stefan lands a leg kick and gets a takedown to the top of guard. From in tight, he punches to the body and face. Lopez works a triangle, but Stefan escapes and both men get to their feet. They circle. Lopez hits a kick across Jacobs-s face. Stefan throws a leg kick but Jonathon gets a double leg takedown to side mount as the round ends.

Round 2: They circle. Jonathon swings, Stefan drops for a takedown, but gets sprawled on. They break and Lopez misses a head kick. Stefan misses a middle kick. Jacobs flurries punches and goes to a clinch. Lopez gets a takedown to side mount but Jacobs gets to his feet, where he lands a leg kick and a few punches. Jonathon gets another takedown to half guard, where he starts to work an arm-triangle choke. Stefan punches to the body from the bottom and manages to roll to the top of full guard with the arm-triangle locked in. Jacobs escapes and punches to the body before time runs out.

Winner by majority decision: Jonathon Lopez

Juan Urena (214 lbs, Dog Pound) vs. Alex "Boom Boom" Rivera (210 lbs, Sit Yod Tong)

Round 1: They touch gloves. Juan rushes in to a clinch, pushing Alex to the corner. Rivera pushes away, but Urena clinches again and gets a takedown to side mount. Rivera gets half guard and up to his feet with Juan sprawled on top of him. Rivera gets up to a clinch and lands a takedown to kessa-gatame. From there, Rivera works an arm triangle choke. Juan gets out to his feet and clinches, pushing Rivera to the ropes. Alex gets a takedown to guard and lands some hard shots. Juan holds tightly as the round ends.

Round 2: They touch gloves. Urena fires a leg kick. Alex lands a flurry. Urena rushes for a takedown and presses Rivera to the ropes. The ref breaks them as they get tangled. Alex throws a middle kick and Juan clinches where he knees and pushes Rivera to the corner. Rivera reverses Juan to the ropes. Both swing and break the clinch. Alex lands some punches, a knee, and a middle kick, but misses a right hand as Juan clinches. Rivera lands some shots as they break the clinch. Again Rivera misses a right and Urena clinches. Alex lands more punches as they break. Rivera lands two shots, Urena hits a leg kick, and then runs away as Rivera tries to fire off another combination. Alex hits a middle kick and a right hook. They circle and Rivera flurries into a clinch as the round ends.

Winner by unanimous decision: Alex Rivera

Jason Girouard (175 lbs, NBC) vs. Bob Puppa (168 lbs, Dragon Warrior)

Round 1: Both men circle. Both swing and miss a few times. Jason eventually lands a right hand and knocks Pupa down. Bob gets up, but Girouard gets another knockdown and begins to pound. Pupa kicks out to open guard and gets to his feet. Both miss jabs and trade kicks. Jason lands a combination and gets a takedown to the top of the turtled position. Girouard pounds before locking in the choke and setting his hooks. Pupa taps out.

Winner by submission (rear naked choke) at 1:53 of round 1: Jason Girouard

Josh Yox (185 lbs, Ground Force) vs. Mike Varner (182 lbs, Boneyard)

Round 1: They touch gloves. Josh comes out throwing various kicks, keeping Varner away, but missing. Mike rushes in to a clinch and gets a takedown which is quickly reversed. Yox lands on top in Varner-s guard. Varner gets to his feet and lands a takedown to side mount. He gets to Josh-s back, but Yox gets to his feet in a clinch. Josh knees while Mike works body shots. Varner hits a leg trip to side mount, transitioning to north-south and back to side. Yox gets half guard. Mike lands a punch as the round ends.

Round 2: They touch gloves. Yox throws more kicks that miss but keep Varner away. Mike lands a right hand. Josh gets a takedown, but they land out of the ring. The referee stands them up. Josh throws more kicks. Varner lands a double leg to side mount. Both knee to the body. Mike starts to pound from side mount and stands as Josh gets open guard. Varner lands a leg kick before accidentally getting hit with a low blow. Mike shakes it off and the referee stands Josh up. Varner gets a double leg to side mount, but Yox gets to his feet and hits a takedown to half guard, where he lands some shots. Mike gets full guard with ten seconds left. Josh works the body as time runs out. The fight is ruled a draw and goes into a two-minute overtime.

Overtime: They touch gloves. Josh throws more kicks and gets a takedown to half guard. Mike catches a guillotine and begins to squeeze. Josh escapes and Varner gets up, getting a takedown to side mount. Yox knees from the bottom and gets out to his feet. Varner drives in for a takedown, but Yox reverses to get on top in side mount as the round ends.

Winner by split decision: Josh Yox

Play-by-Play
by Greg Pomfred

I’ll start my preview with the tournament. When I first heard rumors about this whole idea, I was skeptical, partially because it seemed too good to be true. When it was confirmed, I was pumped but was expecting a list of names for Joe Lauzon to wipe the floor with, but I was VERY, VERY wrong.

Joe Lauzon vs. Adam Comfort

Pete Jeffery vs. Zane Baker

Leandro “Tatu” Escobar vs. Andrew Montanez

Thierry Quenneville vs. Doug Brown

Obviously Lauzon in the favorite to win, but I’ve heard nothing but great things about Tatu and Quenneville. Of the first round match-ups, the toughest to call seems to be Jeffery vs. Baker, both being undefeated thus far in their short MMA careers, but both not showing any weakness in any part of their game. All of that being said, I’m saying with a good deal of confidence that the four moving on will be Lauzon, Jeffery, Escobar, and Quenneville. From there, it’s anyone’s tournament to win.

The night’s super fight will be between Jorge Rivera and Timothy Williams. I wish I could get into details on this fight, but I know nothing about Williams. But then again ,the guy’s fighting Jorge Rivera, who will undoubtedly win, so it really doesn’t matter.

In the Super-Heavyweight Title fight, Sherman Pendergast will defend his title against Dragon Lair’s monster, Jason Cadima. Pendergast took the title from Mike Dexter in his MA debut, and has since defended the title once against David Woodby. Cadima has absolutely dominated his last two opponents, showing great all-around skills. I’m predicting a new champion with Cadima leaving with the belt.

The Heavyweight Title fight puts Gracie-Barra fighter Roger Brackett against Eric Yarid of the Mountain Storm team. Brackett recently put on a stand-up clinic in his win over Mike Mitchell. Yarid also stepped into the ring that same night, performing a well-choreographed ballet with Juan Urena, which featured brief moments of violent thoughts. Yarid won that fight based on his forward movement. Brackett by KO.

Cesario De Sousa will be defending his Light-Welterweight Title against Marcus Gifford. Cesario won the title with a very unorthodox choke against Eric Larson, and is a BJJ wizard with decent stand-up. Gifford recently lost to Frank Latina, another great grappler, from a can-opener. It’s not good to judge a fighter based on their most recent fight…but Cesario will win by anything he wants.

The women’s fight features the winner of the first WFL women fight, Page Sturtevant, facing Katherine Johnson. Page was dominant in her first win, which was very exciting and, honestly, better than most of the guys’ fights you’ll ever see. Hopefully Katherine fairs better.

Undercard

Bobby McAndrews vs. Mat Keating
Keating fought just a couple weeks ago at Untamed, and in an amazing twist, helped his opponent armbar him. It was surprising with him clearly being a fighter that favors grappling, having never thrown a punch in a fight, ever. But after doing a good job of stacking his opponent while trying to get out of the submission, he decided to just stand up and tighten it. McAndrews comes out of a good gym in the Dragon Lair, and I’m sure in addition to his great hands, has been working more on his grappling to get ready for this fight. That said, I’m picking Bobby.

Erik Russel vs. Reid Homer
Russel recently fought a war with Chester Belut, and until the cut stoppage was on his way, in my opinion, to a win. Reid’s won his first two fights by submission, but has proven to be good at everything else too. I’m picking Reid to improve to 3-0.

Dana Bluen vs. David Woodby
Bluen is one of the best big grapplers in the area, but recently got knocked out by Diekman. Woodby’s also felt the wrath of Diekman in his first fight, and lost again a few months ago to the champion, Pendergast. As Rick said, Woodby plans on knocking Bluen out, but I’m thinking Bluen will take this one easily.

Eric Henry vs. Mark Matheson
I remember Henry for this win over Ali Montgomery when he executed one of the best judo throws I’ve seen before choking Ali out for the win. Knowing nothing about Matheson, I have to go with Henry in this one.

Richard de los Reyes vs. Paul Gorman
Gorman is very slick on the ground, and in his last fight gave Ferrer a great fight, coming up short in the decision. Reyes is also known for his jiu-jitsu, so this one could be very exciting.

Danny Lauzon vs. Anthony Peters
Palmquist must have been very vague in details about Dan’s skill for Peters to take this fight. Peters is a very game opponent who was successful in his first fight…but he’s in for quite an interesting night with “The Upgrade“ in the ring with him. Lauzon takes the win.

Alexander Chianurashvili vs. Mike Hansen
The last time Hansen was supposed to fight I ran into some incorrect information in my research. He’s fought once, and beat a very tough opponent in Eric Brown. Chianurashvili, like Hansen, was successful in his debut, getting a second round victory over Brian Glover. This fight could be very close, but I’m picking Hansen.

To start, this tournament is going to be crazy. It’s not just about winning one or two matches. The winner of this tournament will walk away with $4,000, but they have to win three fights in one night to get it. There has to be a certain level of strategy taken into account by these guys. Not only must they win, but they must win quickly, without taking a ton of punishment to make sure they are fresh for their next fight.

In the tournament, we have several local guys, as well as a few guys from out of state. Round 1 match ups were announced last week, and leading off will be Joe Lauzon against Adam Comfort. Joe has a flashy record, and 20 fights, where Adam is 0-1. I’m not sure if Adam is ready for Joe just yet.

Next we have Pete Jeffries vs. Zane Baker. Both are undefeated in their brief careers, and come from great BJJ schools. This may be one of the best match ups in round 1.

Doug Brown vs. Thierry Quenneville. Thierry has a few more fights, and a better record, but most of his fights were in Canada, so we have seen very little of him. Almost all of his wins were by submission, and Doug will have his work cut out for him in this one.

Leandro "Tatu" Escobar vs. Andrew Montanez round out the field. According to many, Tatu has the best BJJ in the tournament, and many have picked him to be the guy who just might have what it takes to take out Joe Lauzon.

Their title fights feature Roger Brackett vs. Eric Yarid. Both guys are fairly new to MMA, but after seeing both fight, I have to give the advantage to Roger. He had the better stand up, and coming from a BJJ school, I have to think he has the advantage there as well.

Cesario de Sousa will make his first WFL title defense against Marcus Gifford. Cesario has been working on his stand up to go along with his black belt in BJJ, and seems to improve every fight. Not to knock Marcus, but though his recent loss was to a good fighter (Frank Latina), he did get tapped out by a can opener. His limited ground skills are going to be his down fall in this one.

In their Heavyweight Title fight, Sherman Pendergarst will attempt to make his second defense of his title when he takes on Jay Cadima. Jay has looked great lately. He made his pro debut recently, and has gone 2-0, winning both fights very quickly (1:14, and :25). Sherman may have a slight grappling advantage, but Jay is the better conditioned athlete, and I’m really looking forward to seeing how this one plays out.

Their superfight features Jorge "El Conquistador" Rivera taking on Tim Williams. I have no idea why Tim though this fight was a good idea. One of the best strikers in the world at 185 is fresh off a loss, and hungry for an exciting win. Why would you want to be the guy he takes out his aggression on?

Dan "The Upgrade" Lauzon will also make his pro debut on this card against Anthony Peters. Anthony is the only guy who may have a bigger hill to climb than Tim Williams. Dan has been training like a maniac for years, and has wanted to get in the ring forever. He turns 18 the day before the fight.

The rest of the card has some great fights as well.

Bobby McAndrews vs. Mat Keating-Bobby is a former pro boxer with limited ground skills, and Mat is a judo guy with solid wrestling. If it goes to the mat, Bobby might be boned, but standing up, Mat won’t last long.

Eric Russel vs. Reid Homer-Reid has shown a ton of heart, good all around skills, and great hair. Eric just lost to a guy that trains under Dawson Walton.

Dana Blouin vs. David Woodby-Both guys have emailed me recently. Dana wanted me to stop spelling his name wrong, and David wanted to let us at MASSMMA know that he’s going to KO Dana in the first round, and that he wants a rematch with Josh Diekman asap. Dana has a better ground game, and we’ll have to wait and see how this one shakes down.

Eric Henry vs. Mark Matheson-Eric looked very angry in his first win, and I don’t know a thing about Mark.

Richard de los Reyes vs. Paul Gorman-Could you possibly match two better BJJ guys?

Alexander Chianurashvili vs. Mike Hansen-Alex’s name is way too long to type, but he’s a pretty cool guy anyway. Both guys have good ground skills, and this has potential to be an absolute war.

Paige Sturtevant vs. Katherine Johnson-Paige looked great in her first fight, showing better BJJ than most of the men on the show. Katherine looks adorable in her photo on the WFL site, but I know nothing about her skills.

I’m more excited than I have been in quite some time for a show. Zack and Mario continue to impress, and they continue to take local promoting to a whole new level. If you miss this show, you are sure to regret it.

To start, I overheard something during the rules meeting about there being no draws, and if the fight is ruled a draw, there will be a 2 minute overtime, with only that round deciding the winner. I kinda let it go in one ear and out the other, but it proved to be important later in the night. Now onto the fights.

Kier Beveridge vs. Marcus Gifford

Marcus won by guillotine in only 37 seconds, and after losing 4 in a row by submission, all in under a minute and a half, I’m starting to think it’s time for Kier to either train at a real school, or hang the gloves up. I like the guy a ton, but come on. 4 in a row in under a minute and a half?

Henrique Bicalho vs. Chris Snow

Ok fine, I knew Henrique was even better with his striking than he is with his grappling, and maybe I left that out of my preview. I apologize, but I tried to tell everyone that I met that this kid is the real deal, and everyone said that they’d wait and see. Chris may be a great fighter, but he didn’t get a chance to show it. Henrique nearly dropped him with an uppercut from the clinch, then put him on his back, and pounded him out, and I mean out. It looked a ton like the finish of David Terrell vs. Matt Lindland. As for Chris, I hope he looks at the end of the Lindland and Terrell fight, and realizes that though Lindland got knocked out quickly, he came right back and won 5 in a row.

As for Bicalho, I wonder if Clifford and Ferrer had a chance to see this fight.

Rob Gagnon vs. Jesse Rebell

Rob got him down, and hit him in the face about 100 times, and no, I’m not exaggerating. Jesse just kept defending, and working, and got the win when Rob gassed in the second round. Jesse gained at least 1 fan, because he is now one of my favorite local fighters to watch. If any of you were surprised by the win, take another look at his win over Matt Lambert. He was getting beat on the whole fight, but showed a ton of heart, and pulled out the TKO win. He has won two in a row in come from behind fashion, and I can’t wait to see his next fight.

Mike Mitchell vs. Roger Brackett

Roger used a ton of TMA type strikes, like a front kick to the face, to get the TKO in one minute. On top of his striking ability, he comes from a very tough BJJ school, so you know he’s got a solid ground game. I just hope he takes less time between fights than he did last time.

Aguileno Brandao vs. Stefan Jacobs

Great showing from both guys in this fight. I remember reffing Aguileno’s division on more than one occasion at both NAGA and Dragon Lair Grappling Challenges. I remember thinking “either this guy is sandbagging, or he just phenomenal for someone who only has X amount of experience.” I’m still not sure how long he has been training, but anybody who can go from a standing clinch, and roll into and anaconda choke is great in my book. Stefan looked to be a lot smaller, but also very skilled. I hope Mario brings both of these guys back in April.

Enrique Nunez vs. Jonathan Lope

Enrique owned him in round one, and Jonathan started to really come on late, and easily took the second round. Instead of a draw, they immediately fought a two minute overtime, in which Jonathan managed to win by RNC in just over a minute. The crowd was going crazy at the end of this fight. Can you remember the crowd ever blowing the roof off the place while cheering the decision when a draw was read? Great job in the overtime by Lopes, and my hat is off to Zack and Mario for that one.

Andrei Mevski vs. Bob Pupa

I’m not sure how I can say this and truly get my point across. Andrei has the best boxing I have ever seen in MMA. He was slipping and countering Bob to death. It looked a lot like the boxing match a few years back between Roy Jones Jr. and John Ruiz. Bob showed a ton of heart, and even though he was getting picked off left and right, he kept moving forward, and kept trying to win the fight. From what I hear, Andrei is a relative novice on the ground, which would explain why he kept letting Bob up after they would scramble to the mat. Andrei eventually won the fight via a cut, but Bob still looked very impressive in the loss. After that fight, I have a new dream match up. With the great boxing from Mevski, why not set him up with another local boxer. Enter the “Irish Hand Grenade,” Marcus Davis. This match is a fight fans dream, and if this fight is not set up, someone dropped the ball.

Juan Urena vs. Erick Yarid

I refuse to write anything about this fight, other than Urena ran the whole time, and Erick did a terrible job of chasing him. It was the worst MMA fight I have ever seen, and to make matters worse, it was ruled a draw, and the crowd was forced to watch another two agonizing minutes. Oh, by the way, Yarid won the decision.

Dana Blouin vs. Josh Diekman

The freight train that is Josh Diekman would not be slowed down by the talented Dana Blouin. Josh recorded another quick TKO, and from what I hear, next Josh will be taking on a guy who fought in the UFC recently, and no…it’s not Sean Gannon. Keep your eyes on MASSMMA for the official announcement.

Reid Homer vs. Mark Mooney

Honestly, I was too busy watching Diaz vs. Riggs on the big screen to fully watch this fight. As soon as I saw that Reid got rid of the blue Mohawk, and went with a short red hair style, I was too upset to really give the fight 100% attention. Reid was taking a beating, but stuck it out, and pulled a heel hook out of no where. If Reid continues to win, and change his hair style every time he fights, he may turn into one of my favorites.

Erick Russell vs. Chester Belut

Pop quiz: What fight team hasn’t recorded a win since 9/16/00, going a combined 0-13 during that stretch? If you said “Bull Dogs” from Maine, you’d be correct! I’m not sure how it happened but a guy who is trained by two guys that have a combined record of 1-14 actually won last night. Chester Belut got the late round stoppage due to excessive bleeding from the nose of Russell.

Bobby Dias vs. John Jenner

I was sitting next to Jenner’s corner, and it was the funniest thing I have ever seen. His corner man looked like rapper “Little John” and seemed to be stoned out of his mind. He just kept laughing and yelling “yeah john, pop that neck off!” while John was side mounted. Then, as Bobby was raining down punches from the mount, John’s corner was yelling more ridiculous comments like “he’s getting tired John!” It was one of the funniest things I have ever seen. Eventually the referee stopped the madness, with Dias getting the TKO win.

Ali Montgomery vs. Justin Hammertrum

This fight went a little too long. Justin had him down, and rained down punches, and the referee let it go a little too long in my eyes. Ali was getting beat on, and when Justin stopped briefly, Ali tapped, just before Justin hit him some more. No fault on Justin’s part, as you are told to fight until told to stop, but the referee was way late stopping this one.

Jason Girouard vs. Anthony Peters

At one point, there was a punch to the ass, and after some fast paced grappling, Anthony got the win by RNC. I wish I had more to say, but it was a very clean win.

Hitalo Machado vs. Mat Keating

Mat looked good in the loss, but Hitalo looked great in the win. Again, it was a quick fight, with little controversy. Hitalo won via arm bar.

Dan Ferrer vs. Jim Clifford

WFL 140 pound Title on the line

To start Dan won a split decision, and all three judges had it 29-28, and there were no bad judges on the panel. The first round was very close, with Jim fighting very cocky, and doing things like bouncing off the ropes WWE style into flying guillotine attempts that he came pretty close to finishing. The only thing that some in attendance forgot is that just because Jim likes to fight on his back, if Dan throws him there, or takes him down, it’s still scoring points in the judges eyes.

Though Jim came close to a couple submissions in both rounds one and two, the judges don’t award the round based only on near submissions. Though Jim was closer to finishing Dan, he let Dan take him down, and land a few strikes while trying to set up submissions. If fighter A takes down fighter B, and pounds him a little, but then nearly gets submitted, but counters, and they end up back on their feet, how do you score it? That will be debated for quite some time now, but like I said, there is more to a fight than adding up submission attempts.

The first round was very close, and the second seemed to go to Clifford. That said, it was either 1-1, or 2-0 in favor of Clifford going into the last round. No matter how you slice it, it was close, and in round three, Jim did absolutely nothing to try and win the fight. He avoided engaging for a good part of the round, and showboated quite a bit. He was all smiles, and continued to bounce off the ropes, and basically gave the last round away.

All of that said, I would have been ok with either fighter winning the fight 29-28, and before they read the decision, I wrote on my note pad in big capital letters “NEVER GIVE AWAY THE LAST ROUND WHEN IT’S CLOSE!!”

On that night, I truly believe that Jim was the better fighter, but with all his showboating, and the fact that he gave the last round away, he basically shined up his WFL Title, and handed it to Dan Ferrer. I’m hoping that we see a rematch very soon, and I wish both guys the best of luck.