...OH, ONE MORE THING - PLEASE BOOKMARK US & VISIT DAILY!
By: Brad Walker, MMATorch Columnist
Quick Early Results
* Amateur Welterweight: Kevin Watkins def Konstantine Deneb via TKO Round 2 (1:06)
* Amateur Heavyweight: CJ Chapman def Jake Zogg via TKO ROUND 1 (3:00) between rounds - Zogg was unable to stand after round 1.
* Amateur Catchweight 130 lbs: Edgar Flores def Matthew Vance via submission RNC round 1 (0:52)
* Ode Osbourne def Charlie Richardson via TKO rd 3 (0:44)
* Matt Stoffle def Jason Bottenhagen via sub round 1 RNC (1:04)
* Doroteo Durate def Brandon Tade via sub rd 3 RNC (0:31)
* Tommy LaGray def Kevin Hunt via sub guillotine rd 2 (0:48)
* Bryan Akins def Austin Dietrich via sub armbar rd 1 (2:41)
* Phillip Grier def Victor Rodriguez via sub round 1 banana split 1:47
* Amateur Welterweight: Vincent DiCiccio def Daniel Rojas via KO at 0:11 of Round 1
* Amateur middleweight: Patrick DiCicco def Anthony Kelly via KO in Round 1 (0:52)
Evan Page def Colby Gibson via KO round 1 (0:13)
Note: We nearly had a double KO here - insanity!
Flyweight: Andy Smith def Matt Wilcox via Unanimous decision
Notes: this was Smith's pro debut and he looked like a stud against the more seasoned Willcox. Smith took him down at will and spent a lot of time hammering on Willcox's body from half guard. Smith had a fantastic tenure as an amateur and now as a pro he is looking very promisingly towards a bright future; a great powerful win.
Bantamweight: Pedro Velasco def Vince Romandine via sub RNC Round 1
Notes: At the very least this is a massive upset. Romandine was a champion as an amateur and is one of the most promising prospect out of Team Curran. Velasco very simply worked his submission game and caught Romandine in a bad spot. Romandine locked in a deep armbar early but the larger Velasco picked him up with ease and slammed him to lock in an arm triangle which Romandine was able to escape from before getting caught in the rear naked choke. Romandine will bounce back strongly from this loss and Velasco has built up a massive head of steam by upsetting one of the best rounded fighters in the state.
Heavyweight: Wes Anderson via KO round 1 over JR Briomes
Notes: Holy crap! Wes Anderson lived up to every ounce of hype that has been put behind him as an amateur, and that time at Greg Jackson's gym in New Mexico with guys like Clay Guida and Jon Jones has made him into an absolute killing machine. Anderson made this look effortless and I don't even think Briones knew what hit him. A fantastic showing!
160 Catch: Pat Hastings via TKO round 1 over Katzfey
Notes: Katzfey looked undersized and outmatched from the get go as Hastings powered him down and beat him into the mat. Hastings for a lightweight is absolutely massive while Katzfey looks like a much smaller man, a great pro debut for Pat Hastings and a great sign of things to come!
Heavyweight: Erick Correa via UD over Aaron Ware
Notes: I won't lie, I love to watch Erick Correa fight, but after the first round this was unbearable. Both men gassed badly after a whirlwind first but their cardio turned rounds two and three into a snoozefest. Much of the time was spent clinched against the cage hand fighting and the decision for Correa was accurate as he kept control and worked nice leg kicks throughout the final rounds. Correa would be a freight train with better cardio, he did however display better grappling than in his prior bouts.
Light Heavyweight: Mike marello via SD over Rob Morrow
Notes: This decision was such a gift that it should have come in wrapping paper with a bow and some tissue. Marello dominated round one from bell to bell then faded badly in round two and very clearly lost the round, round three was even worse as both men gassed and basically fought in slow motion. In the end the decision was the wrong one, but as they say never leave it in the hands of the judges, I scored this bout 29-28 for Morrow.
140 Catch: Oliver Vazquez via decision over Christian Reynoso
Note: This was a last second fight between a flyweight and a featherweight at a catch weight of 140 lbs. Vazquez was much larger going into the cage but the two put on a blood bath of a war for 15 minutes. Both men sustained pretty nasty cuts and put forth a hell of an effort. This would be considerably shocking as Reynoso is so much smaller than Vazquez. A good grappling bout with some serious striking mixed in.
Welterweight: Quartis Stitt via KO over Lawrence Dunning in 6 seconds
Notes: Holy sh*t! Stitt just completely blasted Dunning with a huge shot and the fight was over so fast my head spun. Dunning was on a two fight winning streak into this bout and that was halted. Stitt moves his record to a positive note with one of the more insane KO's I have ever seen, very very close to KO of the night, but the main event gets that award.
Flyweight: Wade Chaote via KO (knee and punch) Round 1 over Joey Diehl
Notes: Joey Diehl was a favorite into this bout and was actually winning it until Choate absolutely dusted him with a perfectly timed knee. Diehl went down hard and caught a jumping punch from
Choate on the chin that put him stiff. This was supremely shocking and you could hear crickets in the outdoor area as Diehl hit the mat. A great showing from Choate, and Diehl being a very progressive fighter is going to only become better after this loss.
Fight Night Awards
Fight of the night: This is crazy but I'm giving it to Evan Page and Colby Gibson for their 13 second scrap that nearly became a double KO - both men connected and went down but Page managed to get back up to take the win.
KO of the Night: Wade Choate - his brutal KO of Joey Diehl was both shocking and fantastically executed.
Submission of the night: Phillip Grier an the rarely seen extremely painful Banana Split take this honor easily!
Highlights and fights from the show can be seen on Comcast Sportsnet on Friday August 23rd!
Be sure to follow XFO on twitter @XFOMMA
And me - @BradMMATorch
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
STAFF COLUMNISTS: Shawn Ennis - Jason Amadi
Frank Hyden - Rich Hansen
Chris Park - Matt Pelkey
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