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King of the Cage: Bad Boys 2 arrived in Detroit, Michigan with a very impressive card and some well known names in MMA last Friday night, but sudden injuries impacted the show with devastating force.
Jeremy Horn was set to headline the show against Jake Rosholt until a neck injury forced Rosholt to withdraw from the contest. In an interview I had with Rosholt this is how he described the injury “I had a sharp pain go through my neck and kind of down my arm… had a lot of numbness and tingling through my arm, real, real sore. I’ve seen 3 doctors since then, I was advised by all of them that it wasn’t going to be good to fight tonight. Pretty much what I’ve heard is that I need to have an MRI done, I haven’t had, that just some X-Rays. Most likely I’ll have some bulging discs in my neck that I have to give some rest to, I should be back and healthy in not too long.”
The lineup was earlier damaged when Ray Mercer withdrew from a bout with undefeated super-heavyweight Ron Sparks due to a leg injury, removing both fighters from the event. Leading up to and including the day of the fight injuries had dusted fighters off of the card relentlessly while Tony Hervey’s opponent was a complete no-show.
Fortunately there were some great fights salvaged for the fans at Cobo Arena and watching on HDNet to enjoy. Former UFC fighter and veteran of 55 fights, Joe Doerksen (43-12-0) headlined the night against Chad Herrick (7-3-0). The Michigan fighter (Herrick) entered the bout a huge underdog but was easily the crowd favorite.
What ensued was a three round, back-and-forth battle that left Doerksen with a bloody cut over his left eye and a tough decision for the judges. In the first round Herrick looked like he was the more experienced fighter as he confused and frustrated Doerksen the entire round. A cut Doerksen received had Herb Dean pause the match to determine the extent of the injury.
The second round was very even with each fighter dominating during the five minute interval. Round three saw Doerksen gain his composure and control until the bell rang. The judges scored a split decision victory for Doerksen but Herrick won a moral victory by putting on a great performance against a proven quality fighter.
The King of the Cage Lightweight Title was on the line as undefeated David Shepherd (4-0) defended against Dom “I Hate Him So Much” O’Grady (9-2). The two fighters had a nice battle but O’Grady caught Shepherd in an armbar to gain the victory, and more importantly, the belt.
In another close split decision, rising star Daron Cruickshank (3-0) defeated Jason Holmes (6-1). Ben Lagman (5-1) showed why he is going to be on the radar in the future as he dismantled veteran Angelo Popofski (13-7) winning by TKO.
The knockout of the night came when former Bellator lightweight Waylon Lowe (7-2) landed a vicious series of blows on UFC veteran Steve Berger, leaving him unconscious for several seconds. This was the type of knockout that would make most cringe instead of cheer.
The other televised fight was a rubber match for the Middleweight Title. Brandon Hunt (4-2) defeated Brad Burrick (9-9) by decision the first time they fought, Burrick won the decision the in their second match. Hunt left nothing to the judges as he scored a decisive knockout to reclaim his belt and proclaim dominance in his saga with Burrick.
The undercard featured Caleb Grummet (2-1) defeat Tony Smith, Eric Moon (2-2) won due to a shoulder injury suffered by Dominic Deshazor (0-1), and Chuck Mady (2-1) used a triangle to spoil Demetrius Dean’s debut.
Despite the injuries and cancellations the show offered excitement and several competitive fights. King of the Cage does a great job putting local fighters in the spotlight. As I had a chance to interview these fighters I kept hearing many of them say how much they like to fight and cannot stand long droughts between opponents.
The fighters on this card such, as Ben Lagman, Dom O’Grady, Daron Cruickshank, Chad Herrick and Tony Hervey have respect for the sport and show it. These are all young, talented fighters with bright futures.
Hervey (11-7) is a former KOTC Lightweight Champion and has faced Pat Curran in the past and battled Takanori Gomi to a five round decision. Dom O’Grady won that same lightweight title tonight while Lagman, Herrick and Cruickshank showed they will be contenders for years to come. The future of MMA is bright and promotions like King of the Cage are doing great things to help the sport grow.
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