Live Event Reports
LOCAL SCENE: First round finishes abound at "Combat on Capitol Hill 2" in St. Paul, MN
Jul 31, 2010 - 3:50:40 PM LOCAL SCENE: First round finishes abound at "Combat on Capitol Hill 2" in St. Paul, MN

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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

Seconds Out Promotions, in conjunction with Vivid MMA, returned to Minnesota's State Capitol on Friday night with "Combat on Capitol Hill 2" from the Armory in St. Paul.

In a night of first round finishes - only the first two amateur fights of the night left the first frame - the top billed fighters on the card pulled out some impressive performances.

The main event between WEC veteran Courtney Buck and Minnesota Martial Arts Academy product Brandon Bergeron was a great battle for three and a half minutes. Buck, reeling after two straight losses in the WEC that led to his release, found himself on the ground early, though it was him taking it there.

That proved to be an ill-advised takedown, as Bergeron swept him early and wound up in mount. What followed was a string of transitions and sweeps from both fighters on the ground as they attempted to gain position. Bergeron kept himself in a better position throughout, landing some hard punches high in the mount, and he finally brought a quick end to the fight at 3:43 with a slick armbar that forced Buck to submit.

Bergeron continued his climb up the ranks in the featherweight division in the state, while Buck suffered a crushing third straight loss.

The co-main event brought two highly regarded Midwestern heavyweights in Karl Knothe and Richard White. Knothe is making his way back down towards the light heavyweight division, but in the meantime he took his second straight heavyweight fight in as many months here against White. The two big men literally pushed each other around in the fight, and Knothe brought a finish with a big right as he dropped into White's guard. He landed another punch while in the guard that prompted White to submit to the strikes.

#4 ranked Minnesota lightweight Marcus LeVesseur picked up his second straight victory after his loss at last month's "Havoc at the Hyatt" event, knocking out Morrison Lamb in a brutal fight. Lamb received a cut on the inside of his eyebrow early in the fight, and LeVesseur continued to land punches in between Lamb's attempts to clinch and stall the action. After doctor's checked on Lamb's cut midway through the round, which was bleeding profusely, they allowed the fight to continue. A short time later, LeVesseur connected on a brutal three punch combination that sent Lamb down and out.

The rest of the card featured a number of quick submission finishes, as Mike Jiang submitted Randy Ronchi in :51 by rear naked choke, Nick Kirk pulled off a kimura over Julian Neva in less than 30 seconds and Jay Wood submitted Eddie Larrea before the first round ended by rear naked choke.

In the night's only other professional fight, Sam Schad verbally submitted after being cut open badly by a knee to the eye. He stumbled to the ground after being hit with the strike, and lifted his hands up and verbally submitted before his opponent Dan Kiser could deliver any more punishment.

The four amateur bouts on the card provided some more quick action, with the exception of one. Police officer Mike Nimlos and Alexis Poinsette, both making their amateur debuts, fought to a draw in a fight neither wanted to engage in. The only convincing action of the fight came in the second round, where Nimlos went for a slick armbar, but Poinsette was able to tough it out and get into a better position to avoid tapping.

Codie Kahler submitted Duane Carter with seconds remaining in the third round of their bout to open the night's show, while both Donald Williams and Blake Hagert made quick work of their opponents. Hagert submitted Nick Larsin with a rear naked choke, though set it up with an unintentional heel to the groin while he had Larsin's back.

Finally, Williams left no questions in his rematch with Adam Schlepp. The two faced off at "Havoc at the Hyatt" last month, with Williams picking up a TKO win after what many believed was an illegal spike. In the rematch Friday night, Williams knocked Schlepp out cold as Schlepp tried to scramble to his feet after an early takedown.

It was another enjoyable event from Seconds Out and Vivid MMA, who are looking to return to the Armory this September. Fans in Minnesota should keep a look out for the next event.