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By: Jason Bent, MMATorch Columnist The official attendance for tonight's card was 4,528, which is nothing short of impressive considering the current state of economics coupled with the fact that today was 93 degrees in Fairfax, Virginia. MMA fans obviously tithe once a month to the church of Zuffa, which makes the support of UWC by the fans that much more impressive. This promotion is head and shoulders above nearly every other, save for the obvious such as UFC and Strikeforce, but pound for pound I would have to rate the experience of a UWC show as being right up there with some UFC cards in the past. Tonight we have eight bouts and I will be covering them every step of the way.
Middleweight-185 lbs. 3 Rounds
Kris "Savage" McCray (2-0) vs. Ronnie Wuest (3-2)
Round one begins with a touch of gloves and Wuest shoots in for the takedown. McCray sprawls, the two scramble on the feet and "Savage" slams him to the ground unceremoniously. Wuest gives him his back, McCray slaps on the rear naked choke and just as he predicted this one didn’t last too long at all. Time to get a beer for Kris McCray who did exactly what he said he was going to do.
Winner is Kris "Savage" McCray by way of Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at :39 of Round 1
Light Heavyweight-205 lbs. 3 Rounds
Phil "Mr. Wonderful" Davis (2-0) vs. Terry "T-Rex" Cohens (5-2)
Round one begins with Davis working behind the jab early and feigning the takedown. Cohens is here to fight and he lands a good right hand, but as he goes to the ground against Davis he finds it was a mistake as he is mounted in no time at all. Davis with the full mount is physically dominating Cohens. Davis is working his ground and pound skills but Cohens now has him in his half guard. Davis has finally thrown some elbows and is paint brushing Cohens with punches. Not a whole lot on these punches but they are connecting and splitting the gloves of Cohens. Davis is much stronger but Cohens is staying in this and blocking shots while preventing a stoppage. Davis is now bringing some heat with his punches and finding openings as he has bloodied the left cheek of "T-Rex." Phil Davis has the full mount once again and Cohens has now turned and given up his back. Davis continues to pound and this one is all over as "Mr. Wonderful" has wonderfully grounded and pounded out a victory here at "Capital Punishment."
Winner is Phil "Mr. Wonderful" Davis by way of Referee Stoppage (Strikes) at 4:29 of the 1st Round
Lightweight-155 lbs. 3 Rounds
Binky "Baltimore Submission Machine" Jones (7-7) vs. Frank "The Crank" Camacho (3-2)
Jones lands a leg kick to start but he is dropped by Camacho who counters with a right hand,. Camacho is in Jones’ full guard and Jones works for a triangle but Camacho lifts and slams his way out of it thunderously. Camacho is now in Jones’ full guard once more. Camacho lands several elbows but Jones is going back to the well and working for a triangle again but nothing doing this time. Camacho is in half guard now and is pummeling a bloodied Jones. Back to full guard now with Camacho landing short left hooks to the body in order to set up vicious right elbows to the head. This is a great attack and Camacho is following the words of Master Lloyd Irvin to a tee. Jones is tiring and has received much punishment so far. Camacho gets side control but decides to get back up and the two are on their feet once more. Jones grabs a single leg and scores the takedown but his head is trapped by Camacho who was working for a guillotine. A scramble ensues and both men are back to their feet and against the cage. This doesn’t last long as Camacho scores the takedown and has side control while Jones is going for a kimura. Camacho escapes and in side control is landing a few more hooks to go with several knees to the body to end this first round.
-Bent’s Score: 10-9 for Frank Camacho-
The second round is underway and Jones is working behind his jab but eats several counterpunches for his efforts. Jones scores the takedown but Camacho scrambles back up to his feet and the fighters are in a clinch against the cage. Camacho lands one excellent knee from the clinch and the two break and return to the center of the cage. Camacho feints the jab and lands an overhand right which ices Jones. Binky lands hard and Camacho pounces to land an additional four or five uncontested punches which only served as unnecessary punishment before the referee steps in and waves this one off. Jones was out before he hit the canvas as he landed directly in front of me and I watched his eyes roll into the back of his head. Brutal.
Winner is Frank Camacho by way of KO at 1:56 of Round 2
Flyweight-125 lbs. 3 Rounds
Jose "The Pistol" Villarisco (0-1) vs. Mikey "The Burque Bulldog" Lovato (4-2)
This fight is underway and Lovato shoots in for the takedown but Villarisco sprawls. The two engage for a few before Lovato finally is successful in taking down "The Pistol." Villarisco is trying to walk his way up the cage but give much credit to Lovato for keeping the pressure on and controlling him from within the half guard. Lovato is successful when landing the elbows and now is in full guard and posturing up to land some power shots. He needs to be wary of Villarisco but seems fearless and is the stronger of the two for certain. Lovato is working towards gaining side control and is continuously landing the short elbows which are just brutal. Both men are exerting much energy but it is Villarisco who is having problems as the stronger man is just grinding him down. Lovato is unable to get free in order to get side control and much credit must be given to Villarisco for bringing him back to full guard. Lovato has not done a world of damage in this round but he has been in complete control, landed shots constantly and finishes this round strongly.
-Bent’s Score: 10-9 for Mikey Lovato-
Round two is underway and it is Villarisco feeling the need to press this thing and keep it on the feet while working behind a quick jab. This lasts for mere seconds before Lovato bulls him down to the ground and he has Villarisco’s head in a precarious position against the cage while in full guard. Lovato has openings but he is working on positioning and in the process has allowed Villarisco to move away from the cage. Lovato is in half guard now and is back to landing the short elbows which are being set up by body shots with his right hand. His corner is imploring him to work the body more and I have to agree that the opening is there and it would greatly open up chances to land more elbows. Lovato has moved his man against the cage once more and from half guard is having continued success with the short left elbow. He has greatly neutralized all of Villarisco’s strengths by using his strength to take him down and keep him there. Villarisco is being punished but is working very hard defensively in order to keep Lovato from moving to side control. This round ends in the same fashion as round one and unless Villarisco pulls out a pistol he is not going to win this bout.
-Bent’s Score: 10-9 for Mikey Lovato-
For the first time this evening we have a fight which is actually going rounds and we just might head to the scorecards in this one. The two men circle to start and it is Lovato working behind kicks while Villarisco is content to flick the jab and allow this one to slip away. Lovato is much slower but it is clear that the punishment has taken its toll on Villarisco who looks like he is fighting from quicksand which is definitely not how he typically fights. Villarisco’s mouth is open and he is chasing down Lovato who is on his bicycle for this round and clearly looking to just take the ‘W’ on the scorecards. Villarisco lands a laser like hook which drops Lovato to the ground and he pounces on his fallen foe. We have a fight my friends as "The Pistol" is getting his second wind now. Lovato is backpedaling and drops from a jab landed by Villarisco. He was hurt by that hook and has not recovered yet. Villarisco is doing the stalking and the problem for him is his opponent is running away and there is simply not enough time left in this one for Jose to get a win. The bell sounds to end the round and while Villarisco wins this one in the court of public opinion, and could have won this round 10-8 on some cards, it would appear Lovato comes out the victor.
-Bent’s Score: 10-8 for Jose Villarisco-
Bent Scores It: 28-28 Draw. I hate to give a two point round in a fight such as this but Lovato gave it away on his own by hopping on his bicycle and trying to kill the clock rather than make sure he got the victory. You cannot do this against a guy like Villarisco and in my opinion, "The Pistol" saved himself with a great final round.
Official Scores: 29-28, 29-28, 29-28 all for Mikey "The Bulldog" Lovato
Winner is Mikey "The Bulldog" Lovato by way of Unanimous Decision
Middleweight-185 lbs. 3 Rounds
Ron "Choir Boy" Stallings (7-2-1) vs. Damian "The Reach" Dantibo (4-0-1)
The first round begins and Stalling gets dropped immediately by Dantibo who throws a fastball and scores the KO. Stallings came out aggressively and looked to throw a jab but was countered by Dantibo with a Cro Cop-esque head kick and that’s all she wrote for this one. Damian Dantibo was a minor league pitcher in his previous athletic life and he definitely brought the heat with making sure this one didn’t even make it out of the opening seconds. His arm may not have been major league level but his legs look like top shelf MMA weapons of destruction, and he gets the quick win over the durable Ron Stallings in just thirteen seconds.
Winner is Damian "The Reach" Dantibo by way of KO at :13 of Round 1
Middleweight-185 lbs. 3 Rounds
Marcus Foran (6-2-1) vs. Joey Kirwan (2-1)
No Richie Hightower but Kirwan steps in on short notice to bring the fight to Foran. Foran shoots to open this one and Kirwan is working for a guillotine as the two hit the canvas. Foran looked to be in some trouble but he was able to pop his head out and is now in the full guard of Kirwan. Foran is incredibly strong and has the full mount now and it is Kirwan turning his back and Foran working for a rear naked choke. He is unable to sink it in just yet but Kirwan blasts up with a jolt and is now in Foran’s half guard. Joey Kirwan came to fight indeed and just when it seemed Marcus Foran was heading to victory it was Joey Kirwan scoring the submission victory by way of guillotine choke. Once he broke free from the rear naked choke he was able to use his speed and go back to the guillotine once more but this time it was enough to score the upset victory.
Winner is Joey Kirwan by way of Submission (Guillotine Choke) at 2:18 of Round 1
Catchweight-175 lbs. 3 Rounds
Reshad Woods (4-1) vs. War Machine (7-2)
Woods opens with a hard kick to the leg and War responds by shooting and forcing Woods against the cage. Woods gets the clinch and lands a hard knee before being backed against the cage by a hard charging War Machine. Woods scores the take down but the two men are back to their feet almost instantly. They are clinched against the cage and Woods is landing some brutal shots and some crunching knees. War Machine scores the takedown to get out of this position and is now in Woods’ half guard. Neither man is doing too much here and War Machine is doing nothing save for landing the occasional shot to the body but not looking to pass at all. Woods is doing a fine job at keeping control but this is not a good position for him to be in due to his head being against the cage. War Machine postures up and in going for the full mount it is Woods who is able to scramble to his feet. Machine lands a solid right hand which drops Woods and he pounces on his fallen foe and is back in full guard once more with one minute to go in the first round. War postures up and comes down with a right hand that landed but was more of a glancing blow. This round ends with War Machine in control of Reshad Woods but both men did enjoy their moments and this has not been one-sided at all.
-Bent’s Score: 10-9 for War Machine-
The second round is underway and Woods is circling and firing off the jab. War Machine is swinging for the fences but hasn’t landed anything just yet. Woods lands two vicious knees to the body and War Machine takes him down in order to avoid any more exchanges such as this. War Machine has side control and is landing some short elbows but Woods scrambles to his feet and is back to firing off some shots which have bad intentions all over them. Woods is having success in the clinch with his knees but War Machine sweeps the leg and scores another takedown. From half guard it is War machine trying to create some space to work but Woods is doing a good job of controlling him. Woods is scrambling to get to his feet and in the process has given up his back to Machine who has him mounted and is alternating between looking for the choke and trying to land some punches. Woods is in a bad place and it looks like he may just submit him with the rear naked choke. Which he does just a few seconds later, but I have to give Woods a lot of credit for not just giving into it and fighting his heart out to try and make his way out of what was the worst situation possible for him. War Machine gets the win over a durable Reshad Woods but he didn’t look spectacular in doing so and still has much to work on as he was getting eaten alive in the clinch.
Winner is War Machine by way of Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 4:16 of Round 2
UWC Bantamweight Championship
Bantamweight-135 lbs. 5 Rounds
Champion
Mike "The Hulk" Easton (7-1) vs. Josh "Taz" Ferguson (6-1)
Fast paced right out of the gate which is a trademark of Easton’s, but it is Ferguson scoring the first takedown of the night. Easton scrambles to his feet and is having success with the knees in the clinch. Ferguson began to work for a guillotine but not for long as he gave up on it and begins to work with some short elbows and a couple of foot stomps. Easton unloads a hard knee and it is Ferguson responding with a crisp combination of several hooks which came close to landing. Both men have excellent hand speed but it is Easton who is landing his shots and staying out of harm’s way. Ferguson scores another takedown and is working hard to pass while landing a few punches. Easton looked to be working towards a kimura but Ferguson is out and back to landing elbows. Easton has now locked on a guillotine and it’s in deep. Ferguson has no choice but to tap and the champion has successfully defended his championship with a first round victory and a solid performance. Ferguson was game and was able to land some shots on Easton but he just wasn’t quite in the same league as "The Hulk" and it shows in this victory.
Winner is Mike "The Hulk" Easton by way of Submission (Guillotine Choke) at 4:06 of Round 1
Mike "The Hulk" Easton retains his UWC Bantamweight Championship with a successful first defense of the belt.
This was a decent main event on paper, as Easton is worth the price of admission no matter who he is fighting, but it was clear that Ferguson was just a step or two beneath him in terms of skills. I give Ferguson much credit for fighting his heart out and giving one hell of an effort and this kid has some potential but tonight was just not his night. This was frustrating for him and he says he felt he could have gotten out but he didn’t and he goes home with the loss on his record, but he did give a fair showing of himself and should be welcomed back. Mike Easton is a super talented fighter but he needs to be tested and I hope he gets matched up with someone who can do just that in his next fight.
Another successful show for the UWC is in the books and this one featured many fast and furious finishes but not a single fan in attendance leaves unhappy after a night such as this. Each fighter brought their "A" game and came to leave it all inside of the cage tonight in hopes of scoring the victory while also serving to entertain the fans in the best way possible and no one failed. Eight men won, so naturally eight men go home with an "L" on their records but no one is a loser and the fans were the big winner for being able to have such a card here in Fairfax, Virginia.
I will have much more coverage from this show including an interview with War Machine along with some comments from most of the fighters on tonight’s card. I would like to thank the UWC along with Mike Schaffer and Brian Bishop for taking such good care of me and everyone involved with this promotion has been a class act. Marcello Foran has a great thing going in the UWC and is doing a fantastic job with bringing great fights and personalities to the masses here on the east coast. The fights tonight were certainly entertaining and we leave wanting to see many of the winners back in there again with hopes of seeing them tested further. There is a lot of talent in the locker room here and a few of these fighters could definitely find their way to the WEC, UFC, Strikeforce or Affliction in the future.
Be sure to keep it here at www.mmatorch.com for so much more from what was a tremendous night of MMA from the Patriot Center in Fairfax, Virginia.
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