American Predator Fighting Championships held their first event at the Sears Centre, Unleashed. The night of action featured over twenty five amateur bouts with six title fights.

The main event featured Kevin Thomas taking on Oliver Vazquez for the lightweight title. Vazquez was quick to score with knees inside the clinch and tried for a standing guillotine which seemed to be the submission of the night. The two separated and Vazquez landed some good uppercuts as the first round ended. The second round the two clinched again and Vazquez took Thomas down. He stood up and wanted to drop a big punch but spent a lot of the time kicking Thomas’s legs before dropping down with the big punch. The third round Vazquez again scored the takedown but Thomas tried to finish with a heel hook. After getting out of danger from the submission Vazquez worked short punches to the head and body of Thomas to earn the unanimous decision.

The co-main event featured Jose Torres challenging Shawn Gee for the bantamweight title. The first round Gee landed several body shots as Torres tried to take him down. At one point he did and mounted him, but Gee just shoved him off and stood up. Gee continued his assault throughout the rest of the round and likely won based on damage. The second and third round were just as close, but likely for Torres. He took Gee down and threw small punches before Gee would stand back up. Torres started to land leg kick after leg kick, Gee just smiled and taunted but didn’t return fire. Torres landed a beautiful superman punch that seemed to piss Gee off more than anything as he quickly swarmed. But Torres weathered it and worked for a takedown again. The fight was extremely close and any of the rounds could have gone either way. In the end, Torres earned the unanimous decision and is the new bantamweight champ.

Egidijus Lialko and Stephan Von Aulock battled for the welterweight tile in the fourth title fight of the night. The two of them each obviously wanted a head kick knockout as it seemed like a battle of who could kick harder. Von Aulock started the fight landing some flashy spinning kicks, but Lialko kept pressing forward like a machine. No matter what Von Aulock landed, Lialko just walked forward. In the second round Lialko hurt Von Aulock with a high kick and then followed him to the ground and worked ground and pound. He nearly finished the fight, but time ran out in the round. In the third Lialko continued his assault and Von Aulock looked to just land a kick and get out. In the end Lialko was awarded the victory.

Pat O’Connor and Jason Belyew fought for the vacant light heavyweight belt in the third title fight. Belyew took control in the first as he was clearly landing more. O’Connor tried to finish in the first with a standing guillotine, but Belyew was able to escape. O’Connor took him down and Belyew worked for a triangle choke and then switched to an armbar. Unfortunately for Belyew time ran out in the round and he was unable to finish. THe second round the two clinched right away. Again O’Connor grabbed a standing guillotine and Belyew tried to punch his way out, but then was forced to tap.

Chad Mashinter took on Emilis Jaskevicius for the vacant featherweight title. Jaskevicius wanted to stand and trade while Mashinter tried time after time for the takedown. In the second round Jaskevicius defended the takedown with a guillotine and it looked extremely bad as he lifted Mashinter off the ground with it. But Mashinter got out and then scored a quick takedown. The fight was close all around, but Jaskevicius was relentless with his body punches while defending the takedown and that is what likely won him the rounds as Mashinter wasn’t successful with his takedown attempts most of the time.

The first of six title fights featured Luis Arriago taking on John James for his middleweight title. James came out with a high kick and then shot for a single leg. Arriago sprawled and tried to get his back. He wound up in side control, but James reversed. James then passed to mount but Arriago was able to pull guard. James surprised many including Arriago with a gogoplata attempt and Arriago was forced to tap to the champion.

Mike O’Connor struggled through out the three rounds to find his range against Jimmy Mareno. Mareno meanwhile was able to counter nearly everything O’Connor threw at him. Mareno was content just playing a counter striking game against O’Connor and that didn’t sit too well with some fans as they shouted boring on more than one occassion. Mareno landed several big hooks that seemed to stumble O’Connor, but he didn’t follow up and each time let O’Connor recover. In the end it wasn’t the most exciting fight, but Mareno earned the victory.

Nick Boulahanis scored the fasted finish of the night over John Massey. Massey rushed Boulahanis and ate a knee. The two clinched against the cage and Boulahanis ate some knees to the body. After separating, Boulahanis landed a big left and Massey went down. Four punches later and the ref stopped the fight awarding Boulahanis the victory.

Jose Mariscal missed a big punch and Jermy Rone ducked under and tried to take his back. He couldn’t get it and the two scrambled for position before standing. Big leg kicks by Mariscal but Rone scores a takedown. He tried to get Mariscal’s back and landed several hammer fists while Mariscal stood back up. Mariscal then had a huge takedown and passed to mount. Rone gave up his back and tried to sneak out from under Mariscal. Mariscal was ready for it though and held onto his arm and then secured a fight ending arm bar.

Super heavyweights were up next as Daniel James took on Mamadiev Elyor. Both fighters landed a big overhand right at the start. James then landed a big left hook that sent Elyor to the canvas. James jumped on top and started to rain down punch after punch and it looked like the ref was going to stop it, but Elyor started to defend and worked for a submission. James escaped and postured up and the heavy punches came fast. Elyor gave up his back and James went to town and the ref stepped in to stop the fight just before Elyor tapped to the strikes.

Otis Brumfield and John Marino put on an amazing fight. The two went back forth through out most of the fight. In the first Brumfield landed a low knee and after the restart Marino turned up the pressure. He was able to get Brumfield down and took his back, but couldn’t finish the fight. The second round he again took Brumfield down and threw punch after punch while working for a rear naked choke. Brumfield spit out his own mouth piece and then complained that it was out. The ref told him he couldn’t stop the action as he spit it out. The third round Marino attempted a takedown, but Brumfield was ready for it this time. He worked for a guillotine choke, but Marino was able to escape. Marino spent most of the round attempting a takedown, but Brumfield defended it well. In the end, the three judges scored the first two rounds for Marino and thus the fight.

Dustin Stusse is known for his wrestling and it was on display against Kevin Tadder. He immediately clinched and worked for a takedown. While he was unsuccesful with his first attempt, his second he was and landed in side control. He passed to mount and Tadder had a fantastic grip on Stusse preventing a lot of damage. The second round it was Tadder who shot for a takedown, but Stusse used a guillotine to take the top position. The two stood and Stusse took him down and again scored mount. Stusse postured up and started to throw punch after punch until the ref stopped the fight.

Heavyweights were up next as Angel Cabral took on Dakota Stanton. Cabral came out swinging with left hands before taking Stanton down. Cabral stood over Stanton trying to figure out which position he wanted to be in, all while landing short punches. He opted for the back and once it was in, he landed a couple more big punches before he snuck his arm under the chin of Stanton and secured the fight ending rear naked choke.

Rob Mesh and Anthony Gasso put on arguably one of the best fights of the night. The two ran to the center of the cage and started swinging at each other. Gasso landed the better as Mesh was hurt and went to the canvas. Gasso took his back, but couldn’t finish the fight. Mesh able to pull guard and worked for a guilotine choke. Gasso escaped but then Mesh took his back. Mesh then got the mount and finished the round throwing punches from the position. The two started the second much the same, standing and throwing. Mesh again was hurt and he shot for a takedown. He got Gasso’s back and then locked in a rear naked choke. At first Gasso seemed ok, but then he tapped and the fight was over.

The lone woman’s fight was up next as Rachelle Bacon took on Liz Roig. The two seemed content to stand in the center and throw punches at each other. Roig landed a straight right that bloodied up Bacon. Roig then went for a guillotine and pulled guard. The submission wasn’t there, but she used it to roll Bacon onto her back. Roig had the mount and started throwing punch after punch. Bacon gave up her back, but Roig continued her assault and the ref stopped the fight.

Dinisio Gilbert and Karamoatov Azaz went the full three rounds and fought to a draw. The first round Gilbert clearly won as he took Azaz down and worked punch after punch. Azaz tried to threaten with a submission, but Gilbert just used the opportunity to pass to mount. The second round was close as Azaz was stalking Gilbert, but Gilbert was landing more. Gilbert scored a takedown and and wound up in side control. Time was running out and he grabbed a guillotine choke but couldn’t finish as time ran out. The third round was clearly for Azaz, even after being deducted a point for an illegal knee. MMARecap scored the fight for Gilbert 29-27, but all three judges scored it a draw.

Jonathan King needed little time to finish Gerard Mills. King took Mills down and worked short punches. Mills turned onto his knees to shoot for a takedown, but King sprawled. King then threw Mills on his back and from side control landed four good punches. Mills tapped from the strikes and the crowd was rather deflated from the finish.

Donnie Simpson took the center of the cage against Justin Gray with jabs. He then shot for a takedown and got a big scoop slam landing in side control. Gray tried to threaten with a guillotine choke, but Simpson spun out and into Gray’s guard. Simpson worked short punches and Gray grabbed ahold of his arm and worked for an armbar. Simpson stood up and slammed Gray down not once, not twice, but three times. The third time was a bit scary as he timed and aimed it right, knocking Gray unconscious.

Nate Walker had a huge reach disadvantage against Khuseyn Kurbanov. The first round it didn’t seem to matter as Walker just closed the distance, grabbed ahold of Kurbanov and threw him to the ground. Kurbanov escaped, but Walker tried to finish with a guillotine. As the round ended, Walker landed a jumping spinning back kick to the crowd’s delight. The next two rounds Kurbanov used his reach and size to his advantage. Even when Walker closed the distance, he was able to stay standing for the most part. Walker tried with various attacks but Kurbanov seemed to be there first. Rounds two and three were very close, and the fight and could have gone either way. In the end all three judges scored it for Kurbanov.

Manny Vazquez’s strength is on the ground, and that is where he took Andrew Gates immediately. The first time it happened, Gates tried to counter with a guillotine choke, but Vazquez moved to side control to neutralize the choke. He spent the rest of the round punching Gates in the face and the second round was much of the same. The only difference in the second was Vazquez passed to mount. Vazquez nearly finished the fight in the second, but time ran out. In the third round he again scored the takedown and passed to mount. He worked several punches, then attacked Gates’s arm with an armbar and finished the fight with the submission.

Jerry Freeman tried to get to the inside of Al Corona, but was unable to as Corona kept him at bay with leg kick after leg kick. Corona then switched things up with a takedown attempt and got it. Freeman looked to have defended it with a guillotine choke, but Corona countered with a Von Flue choke and Freeman tapped.

Rick Gonzalas took the center of the cage and started throwing big punches at Dan Almario. Almario quickly clinched and landed a big knee to the belly. Gonzalas reversed the position and the two jockeyed for positioning against the cage. Almario then dropped for a single leg, picked Gonazalas up and slammed him to the canvas. Once on the ground Almario threw several quick punches and the ref was forced to call a stop to the action.

Steven Smith and Dalton Box came out and threw straight rights at the same time. The two then clinched and worked some serious body shots with Smith landing the better. Smith then landed a big knee to Box’s belly and Box went down. Smith jumped on top of Box and worked for a guillotine, but it wasn’t there. Box was able to escape and then got the mount. He started to punch Smith repeatedly. Smith rolled to escape, but didn’t finish and Box was able to get Smith’s back. He locked in a rear naked choke and Smith was forced to tap.

Danny Ortiz came out with a high kick against Jake Strazzanti, but Strazzanti just wanted to throw punches instead. He swarmed and Ortiz shot for a double leg takedown and got it. Ortiz passed to side control, but Strazzanti turned into him and stood up. Ortiz then didn’t let up the pressure as he started connecting with left and right hooks. One clearly got through and Strazzanti shot for a takedown of his own. Ortiz sprawled, then pulled a guillotine choke to finish the fight.

Tim Phinny was standing and looked like he wanted to unload a massive left against Mike Krause. Krause kept kicking the lead leg of Phinny, but then Phinny landed his left hand and Krause went to the ground. Phinny followed up with big left hands from side control. Krause wasn’t defending himself, and the ref was forced to stop the action.

Nick Cinnurasti came out with a big right hand that put Giovanny Tarrago on his butt. Cinnurasti took the mount and he waited patiently for the right time to punch. Tarrago tried to sneak out from under him, but it wasn’t there. Cinnurasti postured up and landed massive right hands that knocked Tarrago out cold.

Chris Conway and Fernando Fuentes put on an exciting back and forth fight. THe first round Conway took Fuentes down and worked punches. Fuentes tried to escape, but gave up his back. Conway nearly finished with punches and a rear naked choke, but time ran out. The second round the two started swinging with Conway landing the better in the exchange. He then got the takedown again and got the mount. From there he again nearly finished as his left hand was finding its mark over and over again. The ref warned, Fuentes, and he tried to escape. Conway grabbed ahold of his arm, but couldn’t finish the submission. The third round Conway scored a double leg takedown and spent the round on top of Fuentes throwing right hand after right hand. Fuentes did enough to hold on, but it didn’t matter as time ran out and the judges had an easy decision for Conway.

Kyle Starks wanted to get the fight to the ground as quick as possible against Justin Moore. He got the takedown, but Moore was quick to stand and work a guillotine choke. Starks escaped the choke and then countered Moore’s kick with a nice right hand. Starks caught a kick and took the fight to the ground again, but Moore was able to spin out from under and get Starks’s back. Starks fought out and started to throw punch after punch. He then quickly jumped to Moore’s back and locked in a fight ending rear naked choke.

The first fight of the night featured Ralph Howard taking on Konstantin Denev. The two fighter had a combined age of ninety three. Howard wanted to keep the fight standing, and showed off his flashy kicks. He nearly landed a spinning back kick that would have made for a short night. But Denev timed his takedowns and spent most of the fight on top of Howard working small strikes and looking for submissions. In the end, the two fighters put on a hard fought battle and the judges awarded the fight to Denev.

Quick Results
Konstantin Denev defeated Ralph Howard by unanimous decision 29-28, 30-27, 29-28
Kyle Starks defeated Justin Moore by rear naked choke at 2:05 of round one
Chris Conway defeated Fernando Fuentes by unanimous decision 30-27, 30-27, 30-27
Nick Cinnurasti defeated Giovanny Tarrago by knockout at 1:39 of round one
Tim Phinny defeated Mike Krause by technical knockout at 0:42 of round one
Danny Ortiz defeated Jake Strazzanti by guillotine choke at 1:26 of round one
Dalton Box defeated Steven Smith by rear naked choke at 2:38 of round one
Dan Almario defeated Rick Gonzalas by technical knockout at 2:08 of round one
Al Corona defeated jerry Freeman by Von Flue Choke at 2:24 of round one
Manny Vazquez defeated Andrew Gates by armbar at 1:25 of round three
Khuseyn Kurbanov defeated Nate Walker by unanimous decision 29-28, 29-28, 29-28
Donnie Simpson defeated Justin Gray by knockout at 1:05 of round one
Jonathan King defeated Gerard Mills by tapout due to strikes at 0:43 of round one
Dinisio Gilbert and Karomatov Azaz fought to a draw 28-28, 28-28, 28-28
Liz Roig defeated Rachelle Bacon by technical knockout at 1:32 of round one
Rob Mesh defeated Anthony Gasso by rear naked choke at 1:46 of round two
Angel Cabral defeated Dakota Stanton by rear naked choke at 0:55 of round one
Dustin Stusse defeated Kevin Tadder by technical knockout at 2:00 of round two
John Marino defeated Otis Brumfield by unanimous decision 29-28, 29-28, 29-28
Daniel James defeated Mamadiev Elyor by technical knockout at 1:35 of round one
Jose Mariscal defeated Jermy Rone by armbar at 1:51 of round one
Nick Boulahanis defeated John Massey by technical knockout at 0:30 of round one
Jimmy Mareno defeated Mike O’Connor by unanimous decision 30-27, 30-27, 30-27
John James defeated Luis Arriago by gogoplata at 1:34 of round one
Emilis Jaskevicius defeated Chad Mashinter by unanimous decision 30-27, 29-28, 30-27
Pat O’Connor defeated Jason Belyew by standing guillotine at of round two
Egidijus Lialko defeated Stephan Von Aulock by unanimous decision 30-27, 30-27, 29-28
Jose Torres defeated Shawn Gee by unanimous decision 29-28, 29-28, 29-29
Oliver Vazquez defeated Kevin Thomas by unanimous decision 30-27, 30-27, 30-27

The Odeum Sports Complex was invaded again with a night of amateur mixed martial arts for Summer Brawl. The main event featured the finals from the iron man tournament between Matt Braxx and Oliver Vasquez. The rest of the night featured an impressive twenty-five fights. Read on for the full recap and results.

The first round of the tournament featured Oliver Vasquez taking on Otis Brumfield. Vasquez’s strategy was to take Brumfield down and pick his shots. Brumfield in the first round was able to defend with guillotine attempts and shot back up when he was taken down. Unfortunately in the second and third round, he didn’t have as much luck defending the attempts and spent more and more time on his back working for a guillotine that wasn’t there. Vasquez was able to get to side control by his fourth takedown and started to land knees to the body. Vasquez moved on to the finals with a unanimous decision.

Matt Braxx didn’t want to waste time in his tournament bout against Dustin Stusse. After a leg kick of his that was countered with punches, Braxx went for a head kick that just missed. Stusse clinched and looked for a takedown, but Braxx was able to get the underhooks and scored a takedown of his own. The right hands came fast and furious and Stusse gave up his back. Braxx continued his assault and the ref was forced to stop the fight.

The main event featured Braxx taking on Vasquez for the sword and the three-fight pro contract for Chicago Cagefighting Championship. The first round Vasquez wanted a takedown but it wasn’t there. Braxx was the one with the takedown but Vasquez quickly stood up. The two traded punches and Braxx started to connect. Vasquez escaped and ran away, eating another punch before attempting another takedown. The second round the two were fighting for a takedown as neither had it. Braxx grabbed Vasquez’s arm, but Vasquez stacked him and passed to side control. He worked small punches to the body and head. Braxx tried for submissions, but every time Vasquez punched his way out. The third round was extremely close as Vasquez scored a takedown at the start. Braxx stood up and then worked offense of his own. He grabbed a guillotine choke and pulled guard, but Vasquez popped out. He then nearly had a triangle choke but again Vasquez escaped. The two stood up and Braxx scored a takedown of his own. Vasquez tried to sneak out the back with a single leg, and he was able to as time ran out. The fight was close and the judges were split in awarding it for Braxx.

The co-main event featured heavyweight Angel Cabral and Eddie Ecobar. The first round Cabral nearly landed a spinning backfist, but followed it up with a good one two that caught Ecobar. The two clinched against the cage and Cabral used the opportunity to get a single leg takedown. He passed to mount and was patient in picking his punches. Ecobar tried to escape and Cabral just switched to side control to end the round. The second round it was Ecobar who controlled the action. Most of the round was spent in the clinch against the cage, but when available, Ecobar landed knees and uppercuts from the position. The third round Cabral shot for a takedown and it looked like Ecobar was going to escape with a great sprawl. But Cabral ducked under and took the back. Ecobar escaped the bad position by putting Cabral in his guard, but he was unable to get out from under him as he rolled and Cabral passed to mount. Cabral locked in an arm triangle but Ecobar defended, breaking the submission. Cabral finished the round on top with punches to the body and won the fight.

A scary moment between Nick Turner and Anthony Gasso as Turner scooped up Gasso to slam him down. Gasso fought the slam and landed badly on his head. But he recovered and worked for a triangle choke on Turner. Turner tried to punch his way out and Gasso adjusted for an armbar. It wasn’t there and Turner finished the round on top with punches. Turner shot for a takedown after an overhand right and got it. But Gasso wasn’t going to take it lightly and started throwing punches from the bottom. Gasso’s punches looked like they were causing damage and Turner verbally submitted after a jaw injury.

Some confusion between Daniel Szwab and Dan Almario as Szwab landed knees to the head of Almario which many thought were legal. But the rules in the pre-fight locker room stated they weren’t and thus Szwab was deducted a point for his knees. After a second stoppage from a knee, Szwab opted to not even try to throw a knee to the body and instead unloaded uppercuts against the covered up Almario. Several landed, then a big right hand dropped Almario and the fight was over.

Donnie Simpson scored a quick takedown on Gerald Mills. Mills worked a high guard, possibly trying to trap an arm, but Simpson passed to side control. Mills tried to control the head of Simpson, unfortunately for him, Simpson used the opportunity to get the back. Once there, he sunk in a rear naked choke and Mills immediately tapped.

Jim Kernats and Heath Nicholson both looked like they had explosive power in their hands and wanted the other to feel it. Kernats shot for a takedown, but Nicholson defended well. After separating, he wanted to land kicks, but was being countered with left hooks by Kernats. Both landed a stiff jab, snapping their heads back. Kernats then shot for a takedown and Nicholson countered with a guillotine. Kernats popped out of it and was in half guard. He passed to mount and looked for a keylock but then opted to punch him instead. Nicholson gave up his back and Kernats sunk in a fight ending rear naked choke.

Wes Anderson took the center of the cage against John Strater but immediately ate a big punch to throw him off. Strater threw a combo, but Anderson avoided and landed punches and knees. Strater tried to duck under a punch, but Anderson instead threw an uppercut and Strater was knocked to the ground. A quick follow up strike and the ref stopped it, though it looked like a knockout.

Erskin Freeman loaded up a big right hand that just missed Core Menulty. The two clinched and Freeman slipped on the escape. Menulty followed and took the top position and got the back. Freeman rolled but Menulty kept his composure and took side control. He started to unload right hands. Freeman tried to escape, but couldn’t as time ran out. The two traded again and Freeman seemed to be running from Menulty. The two clinched and Freeman went for a takedown, Menulty grabbed a guillotine and the fight was over.

After a quick exchange of punches, John Rodriguez shot for a takedown and got it on Al Corona. Corona tried to counter with a guillotine choke, but gave it up to sit up and stand back up. Rodriguez stalked with punches before shooting for another big takedown. He quickly passed to mount, and Corona gave up his back. Rodriguez was able to get a rear naked choke and Corona tapped.

Matt Stoffle and Jason Bottemhaguen both stormed the center of the cage and started to throw punches to excite the crowd. They clinched and exchanged knees with Stoffle landing an accidental low knee. After the restart they again went back to the clinch and throwing punches at each other. Bottemhaguen reached over and grabbed a standing guillotine. It looked tight, but Stoffle defended by attacking his hands. After they separated, Stoffle with a half Muay Thai plum started to land punches and knees. Bottemhaguen countered with hooks, only to have Stoffle land uppercuts. Bottemhaguen looked in trouble, and Stoffle started to throw knees to the body with more uppercuts. Bottemhaguen had enough and verbally submitted before he took too much more damage.

The theme of the night was to have a game plan and shut your opponent down and Angelo Rivera was able to do that against Stephan Von Aulock. Rivera avoided the striking on Von Aulock by clinching and then scoring a takedown. Rivera showed promise by always being able to secure his position, but rarely was he attacking after establishing it. He nearly finished the fight with an armbar that Von Aulock gave him, but Von Aulock escaped just before time ran out in the second round. The third Von Aulock landed a body kick before being clinched and taken down. He wanted a triangle choke but Rivera again escaped and established his position. The fight showed Rivera’s wrestling base and given time to develop he could become a star.

Tim Kallas rushed Jose Marisal and scored a takedown. Marisal then attacked Kallas’s leg and worked for a takedown of his own. He shucked Kallas to the ground and then landed an axe kick to the belly of Kallas before jumping down into his guard. Kallas had good wrist control and looked like he me be setting up an armbar, but Marisal was wise and stood up and let Kallas stand as well. The second Marisal landed a straight left to Kallas’s nose that bloodied him up. Kallas again with the takedown attempt, but Marisal defends. The two scramble and it’s Marisal who ends up on top. He tried for a rear naked choke, it wasn’t there, switched to mount and then grabbed the fight ending armbar.

Probably the two toughest fighters to throw leather at each other were Jose Torres and Amador Estrada. Estrada nearly finished the fight in the first round with a bulldog choke, but Torress was able to escape. The two fought for position on the ground and it was Torress who got the back. He wanted the rear naked choke, but Estrada defended and turned into him and stood up. The second roud was close as both fighters decided to throw toe-to-toe. Estrada started to land but Torress just shrugged it off. Torress continued to taunt Estrada, then landed heavy bombs of his own. The third Torress again was connecting with big strikes before shooting for a takedown. Torress postured and threw punches, he went for the arm of Estrada but settled for his back. He worked for a rear naked choke, it wasn’t there. Estrada rolled into Torress and finished the round on top, but time wasn’t on his side for the decision.

Carlos Hernandez ate a big left hand from Jonathan King at the start of the fight. King then scooped him up and took him down. Hernandez gained guard, but King threw elbows and was warned, then stopped for the illegal strike. After a deduction and a restart, the two fighters looked to throw kicks. King again landed a straight right that dropped Hernandez. King rushed in and got the mount. He postured up and threw multiple punches. Hernandez gave up his back, but then reversed and was on top of King. King tried to push off Hernandez’s hips, but Hernandez sprung right back and got his back. Multiple punches and King wasn’t defending and the fight was stopped.

If you blinked you could have missed the action between Jake Palmer and Mike Ryan. Palmer attacked with a kick, but Ryan countered with a punch that sent Palmer to the canvas. Palmer tried to recover with a single leg takedown, but Ryan held his composure. In the scramble, Ryan got Palmer’s back and locked in a tight rear naked choke.

Lucas Janke and Antonio Sanchez put on an extremely high pace exciting fight. The first round the two went toe-to-toe with punches. Janke attempted a single leg takedown but ate several punches for his troubles. He scored the takedown but was swept. Sanchez worked punches but was threatened by Janke’s rubber guard. The second round the two looked to see who would flinch first from the punches and neither backed down. Janke again with the takedown attempt and got it. Sanchez timed a punch by Janke and locked up a triangle choke. After an adjustment, the choke was secure and Janke was forced to tap.

Justin Mora had a smart game plan against Brandon Andriola; take him down and control the fight on the ground. It worked as Andriola couldn’t find his way out from under Mora. All three rounds Mora was able to get the fight to the ground. Andriola was able to move a little, but only to force Mora into his guard instead of the side mount. Mora worked punches to the body to try and set up a better position. Andriola defended well and even scored punches from the bottom bloodying up Mora. But it wasn’t enough as Mora just controlled the action more to win the decision.

Kamil Broda scored not one, but two impressive slam takedown on Kuderian Douglas. Both times he was able to land in side control and quickly passed to mount. Douglas gave up his back and the first time it worked as he was able to escape. He swung wildly at Broda, before the second takedown came. Broda again passed to mount, and Douglas gave up his back. Broda immediately got his arm under the chin of Douglas and earned the tap out.

Ricky Stanton went to touch gloves with Austin Allen and immediately after, Allen attacked with a leg kick and punches. Stanton weathered the storm and got a takedown. Allen tried to for a guillotine choke, but Stanton escaped and passed to mount. He rained down punch after punch forcing Allen to give up his back. Stanton wanted the rear naked choke, it wasn’t there so he continued to punch. Allen rolled and gave up the mount, and as he rolled again to get out from under Stanton, Stanton grabbed his arm and locked in a fight ending arm bar.

In women’s action, Christine Sarricola had a visible size and reach advantage over Anne Malinoff. Sarricola used it wisely, landing punches and muscling her way to the ground. Malinoff defended everything that Sarricola threw at her well, including some deep submissions. By the third round, Malinoff switched strategies and tried for takedowns, but her size factored against her as Sarricola was able to defend and land multiple hammer fists. At the very end of the round Malinoff got her takedown, but it was too little too late.

Chris Conway immediately shot for a takedown and Sean Sanchez tried to counter with a guillotine. He was forced to let go and Conway passed to half guard and then to mount. Sanchez looked to give up his back, but used it to stand up. Conway immediately with knees and shot for another takedown. Sanchez locked in a tight standing guillotine but when he pulled guard to finish it, Conway escaped. Sanchez tried to get out from under Conway, but Conway rode the position and locked in a fight ending rear naked choke.

Tom Grimes came out aggressive against Jabari Dill with punches. Dill clinched but Grimes took him down. Dill attempted a guillotine choke, Grimes escaped and got the mount. He postured up and started unloading punches. Dill gave up his back and Grimes went to work on a rear naked choke. After a couple of attempts he finally got the arm under Dill’s chin and got the tap.

Randy Kwasigroch and Kyle Klien both looked exhausted at the end of the fifteen minute battle. Klien, an LA Boxing student, showcased his ability to land punch after punch and counter after counter. Kwasigroch was able to take a punch and kept coming forward. He started to throw head kicks at Klien with varying success. Unfortunately it wasn’t enough as Klien’s boxing won him all three rounds on the scorecards.

Bill Shelton was getting the better of the Shaundell Golden in the first round. He shot for a takedown after eating some leg kicks, but Golden countered with a guillotine. Shelton got out of the submission attempt and then reversed with guillotine of his own. He transitioned and worked for a triangle choke the rest of the round. Golden defended well, trying to slam his way out, but never escaping. The second Shelton landed a big overhand right, before clinching. Golden landed an accidental knee to the groin and Shelton was unable to continue, rendering the fight a draw.

Quick Results

• Shaundell Golden and Bill Shelton ruled a no contest after accidental knee strike
• Kyle Klien defeated Randy Kwasigroch by unanimous decision 30-27, 30-27, 30-27
• Tom Grimes defeated Jabari Dill by rear naked choke at 2:12 of round one
• Chris Conway defeated Sean Sanchez by rear naked choke at 2:04 of round one
• Christine Sarricola defeated Anne Malinoff by unanimous decision 30-27, 30-27, 30-27
• Oliver Vasquez defeated Otis Brumfield by unanimous decision 29-28, 29-28, 29-28
• Matt Braxx defeated Dustin Stusse by technical knockout at 0:42 of round one
• Ricky Stanton defeated Austin Allen by armbar at 0:58 of round one
• Kamil Broda defeated Kuderian Douglas by rear naked choke at 1:49 of round one
• Justin Mora defeated Brandon Andriola by unanimous decision 29-28, 30-27, 30-27
• Antonio Sanchez defeated Lucas Janke by triangle choke at 2:40 of round two
• Mike Ryan defeated Jake Palmer by rear naked choke at 0:35 of round one
• Carlos Hernandez defeated Jonathan King by technical knockout at 1:53 of round one
• Jose Torres defeated Amador Estrada by unanimous decision 30-27, 29-28, 29-28
• Jose Marisal defeated Tim Kallas by armbar at 1:19 of round two
• Angelo Rivera defeated Stephan Von Aulock by unanimous decision 30-27, 30-27, 30-27
• Matt Stoffle defeated Jason Bottemhaguen by verbal submission (strikes) at 2:14 of round one
• John Rodriguez defeated Al Corona by rear naked choke at 1:16 of round one
• Core Menulty defeated Earskin Freeman by guillotine choke at 1:29 of round two
• Wes Anderson defeated John Strater by knockout at 0:31 of round one
• Jim Kernats defeated Heath Nicholson by rear naked choke at 2:52 of round one
• Donnie Simpson defeated Gerald Mills by rear naked choke at 0:42 of round one
• Daniel Szwab defeated Dan Almario by technical knockout at 1:43 of round one
• Anthony Gasso defeated Nick Turner by verbal tapout due to injury at 1:33 of round two
• Angel Cabral defeated Eddie Ecobar by unanimous decision 29-28, 29-28, 29-28
• Matt Braxx defeated Oliver Vasquez by split decision 29-28, 28-29, 29-28

Cage provided by Kage Concepts

Summer Brawl is returning to the roots of mixed martial arts and putting on an Iron Man Tournament. Four fighters will square off at the start of the card and the winners will fight again at the end of the night. Should one of the winners become injured and unable to fight, an alternate bout is in place.

The winner of the tournament will receive a three-fight Chicago Cagefighting Championship professional contract and a 54 inch King Soloman double edged sword. The six fighters scheduled to partake in the tournament include: Matt Brax vs Dustin Stusse, Oliver Vasquez vs Charlie Radke, and Otis Brumfield vs Dan Darby in the alternate bout.

In addition to the Iron Man Tournament, the night will feature a massive lineup of amateur fights with fighters from all around the Chicagoland area. The current card includes:
Hwy Angel Cabral vs. Eddie Escobar
160 Brandon Andriola vs. Justin Mora
135 Nick Turner vs. Anthony Gaso
135 Kamil Broda vs. Charles Davies
145 Al Corona vs. nick hernandez
145 Donnie Simpson vs. Shaun Sanchez
125 Amador Estrada vs Evan Lawson
205 Daniel Szwab vs Dan Alamario
155 Ricky Stanton vs John Rodriquez
145 Jason Martin vs. Mike Ryan
155 Jose Mariscal vs. Tim Kallas
135 Jose Torres vs. Kuderian Douglas
170 Shandell Golden vs. Bill Shelton
185 Heath Nicholson vs. Jim Kernatz
170 Claudiu Szenasi vs. Angelo Rivera
135 Antonio Sanchez vs. Lucas Janke
Hwy Wess Anderson vs. Andrew Navkis
155 Tom Grimes vs. Mike Wojtulewicz
155 Rich O’Riley vs. Aziz King
170 Wardell Cook vs. Kyle Klien
155 Aaron Williams vs. Jabari Dill
125 Nate Walker vs. Carlos Hernandez
130 Robert Zable vs. Jonathan King
145 Dan Reimer vs. Chris Conway
105 Anne Malinoff vs. TBD
145 Brea Gilbert vs. TBD
205 Corey McNulty vs TBD

For more information call 630-373-CAGE

Last summer Summer Brawl took over the Odeum with an impressive all amateur card. This summer, it looks like it will be more of the same. On Saturday, June 30th at the Odeum Expo Center in Villa Park, Illinois, several of the top amateurs in Illinois will be competing.

Fighters set to compete include Angel Cobral, Wes Anderson, Nick FLemm, Dan Alamario, Chris Conway, Jose Chepe Mariscal, Jose Torres, Jeffery Stuckle and making her promotional debut Breea Gilbert from G2.

Matchups that have been announced include Justin Hughes vs Jake Powers, Matt Brax vs Dustin Stusse, and Oliver Vasquez vs Darrel Edmonson.

Tickets are available at Gilbert Grappling, MTC, Patrio Training Systems, The Odeum Box Office and Nova Lounge.

For more information call 630-373-CAGE.

MMA at The Max 2 took place on Saturday March 3rd at The Max Convention Center in McCook, Illinois. The night of action saw twenty amateur fights with six title fights. Read on for the full recap and results.

Kicking off the night of action was a super heavyweight bout between Sergei Grytsaienko and Kelan Moore. Moore opened the round with three kicks to set up a big takedown. He worked the entire round from side control trying to find a submission or a chance to posture up and punch his way to victory but Grytsaienko defended well. In the second round Moore again took the fight to the ground but Grytsaienko reversed and stood up. As Moore was getting up Grytsaienko landed a kick to the head of Moore and timeout was called for the illegal strike. Grytsaienko knew immediately that he was in the wrong and apologized before a point was deducted. After the restart Grytsaienko came out swinging hard and bloodied up Moore’s face even more. The start of the third Grytsaienko knew he needed a finish and nearly did as he connected with several punches. But Moore was able to survive and then returned fire of his own. The fight was a great start to the night of action.

Alex Fontanez came out strong against Jeremy Rone. He scored a quick takedown and tried to escape Rone’s guard and land his attacks. Rone was able to get up and both fighters clinched against the cage. Both threw knees and Rone looked for a guillotine choke. Fontanez fell back to escape and Rone capitalized landing in full mount. From there it was just a matter of time as he was teeing off Fontanez at will.

Ezykelo Sidney dropped Mike Hassett at the start of the fight. He nearly finished with a big right hand as Hassett was getting back up. Hassett composed himself and took Sidney down and ended up on top. He worked his forearm across the throat of Sidney and put enough pressure to force Sidney to tap.

The next fight featured Dennis Sherman and Sam Cruz. Sherman attempted a takedown immediately and was successful though Cruz just got back up. Sherman again worked for a takedown but fell back under the weight of Cruz. Cruz then in mount threw punch after punch. Sherman tried to escape by giving up his back and he was able to reverse and end up on top of Cruz. Sherman stood and pounded the legs of Cruz with big kicks. He then dove in for a big punch but fell into a triangle. Cruz adjusted the choke and Sherman fought it off as best he could. Cruz rolled and had a top mounted triangle. He rained down punch after punch until Sherman was forced to tap before the choke rendered him unconscious.

Fernando Fuentes made quick work of Dylan Wright. Fuentes immediately took the fight to the ground and got the mount. From there he started to throw small punches and Wright gave up his back. Fuentes quickly looked for the choke and after an adjustment had his arm under the neck of Wright. It was just a few seconds later that Wright was forced to tap.

Brittney Updike and Danika Thibault competed in a mixed rules bout. The first round was a kickboxing bout and Thibault controlled the action with punch combos followed by kicks and knees. Updike landed a good kick on Thibault but was unable to follow it up. As the round ended Thibault continued her assault of punches to the crowd’s delight. In between rounds the girls changed gloves and fought in a modified rules mma bout. The modified rule was no strikes to the head due to the fact that they were under the age of eighteen. Both girls threw body punches before Thibault took Updike down. She quickly worked a guillotine choke and after an adjustment got the tap.

In a confusing scorecard, Jan Manos defeated Stephan Vonaulock by split decision. The first two rounds Vonaulock wanted to trade kicks and punches, but Manos countered nearly every strike with either a hook or a takedown. Vonaulock tried to secure a guillotine choke on Manos to counter but could not lock it in. The third round Vonaulock was able to connect with his strikes, but it was too little too late. MMA Recap scored it 29-28 for Manos but the judges scored it 30-27, 28-29, 30-27.

Up next was an exciting striking battle between Brad Stanton and Darrell Edmonson. Both fighters immidately took to the center of the cage and looked to throw heavy bombs. Both were able to land a big punch that hurt the other. Edmonson started to find his range and Stanton couldn’t recover. The second round Edmonson took Stanton down and rained down punch after punch. After getting the mount, Stanton alternated giving up his back and being mounted. Edmonson started to connect on Stanton’s head and he was in trouble. The ref warned and the stopped the fight.

If you blinked you might have missed the action between Anthony Gasso and James Yarborough. Gasso came out from the gun just fired up and connected. Yarborough was on the defense and visibly hurt. Gasso continued to throw big right hands buckling Yarborough’s legs. Yarborough was nearly out on his feet and the ref stopped the action.

Josh Polk and John Box came to throw down. Both tried a body kick to start the round and both connected. Polk rushed Box with a series of punches and Box countered with a takedown. Polk worked a guillotine but Box was able to escape while passing to side control. He stood up briefly only to work a guillotine choke of his own, but that was a feint as he quickly passed to mount. Once on top, Box unloaded massive rights and lefts. Polk tried to escape, but Box continued his assault and the ref had no choice but to call the fight.

Another fast technical knockout came from Robbie Draski against Anthony Milton. Both fighters went for a high kick and both fell to the ground. Draski however continued to press forward and landed punch after punch. Milton was on the run and Draski kept chase. Both fighters fell again but this time Draski unloaded and Milton had no answer.

Emilis Jaskevicius came out with a big kick to James Brown. Brown worked for a takedown but it was Jaskevicius who scored it instead. Unfortunately for him Brown reversed and wound up on top. Brown worked punches but fell into a triangle choke after over extending his punch. Brown tried to slam his way out but it just sunk the choke in deeper and he tapped.

Dustin Stusse wanted to get the fight against Otis Brumfield down to the ground as quick as possible and he did. Brumfield tried to secure a guillotine choke, but was unsuccessful as Stusse moved to side control to escape. Once he escaped, Brumfield gave up his back. Stusse tried to get the guillotine choke and when it wasn’t there, transitioned to an armbar. The submission was in deep and Brumfield appeared to tap and the fight was over. After Brumfield shouted that he didn’t tap, but regardless the fight was over.

The first of six title fights was up next as Fallen Fox took on Scottie Fortner for her lightweight title. Fortner quickly kicked Fox, but she scooped the leg and took Fortner down. Fox was able to pass to mount and then worked an armbar. Fortner tried to escape and rolled correctly, but Fox was on top and continued the submission forcing the tap.

The vacant middleweight title was on the line between Luis Arriaga and Jonathon James. Arriaga came out strong with a leg kick and another but was quickly taken down. Arriaga reversed and wound up in mount on top of James. He worked several punches and nearly finished, but James was able to escape. James was trapped in a kimura, but once he worked his way out of that he started to throw big right hands. Arriaga worked to escape but James sunk in a guillotine choke. Arriaga tapped as he was going unconscious.

Sean Gee and Robert Lee put on one of the bloodiest fights ever. Gee landed several punches in the first round to open up Lee’s face. Gee wanted to stand and throw massive punches and it was working for him. He consistently landed his punches more and easily won the round. The second round Gee hurt Lee with a big right hand. Lee fought through it and in the last minute worked a submission. He had a top mounted triangle and worked both punches and an armbar from the position. It was a close round and could have gone either way. The third round Gee played a waiting game with Lee. Lee worked a takedown and got it. He passed to mount and looked for a guillotine, but Gee was able to escape. Gee swung wild punches and Lee returned as time ran out in the round. The round was clearly for Lee but the judges didn’t agree as two thought it was for Gee as well.

Superheavyweights were up next as Rick Farbo took on Tyler Reece for the APFC belt. Reece’s gameplan was to try and take Farbo down and work a ground game. Unfortunately he was never able to take Farbo down and ate multiple punches. When Reece wasn’t working for a takedown, the two fighters were either clinched against the cage or were in a brutal dirty boxing bout. The second round Reece didn’t land much and could have been scored a 10-8 for Farbo. In the end, one judge did score it that way.

The APFC bantamweight title was on the line as Mike Ryan took on Chris Conway. After a touch of gloves both fighters came out swinging and Ryan was the one who connected. Ryan buckled and Conway ended up in mount. The ref nearly stopped it but Ryan tried to buck. He couldn’t escape, ate five more punches and the fight was called off.

The main event featured Oliver Vazquez taking on the lightweight champion Sam Augshi. The fight was one of the hardest to score as Vazquez was able to take Augshi down with ease, but then Augshi threatened with armbar after armbar. The question was asked do you score the fight for the guy with thirty submission attempts that were able to be escaped or the guy who landed thirty punches? Both fighters were in danger a bit, but Vazquez was close to being finished. At least one round was scored for Augshi but it was a very difficult fight to figure out who won. In the end the judges scored the bout 29-28 across the board.

Quick Results
Kelan Moore defeated Grytsaienko by unanimous decision 30-26, 30-26, 29-27
Jeremy Rone defeated Alex Fontanez by TKO at 2:42 of round 1
Mike Hassett defeated Ezykelo Sidney by forearm choke at 1:05 of round 1
Sam Cruz defeated Dennis Sherman by triangle choke at 2:48 of round 1
Fernando Fuentes defeated Dylan Wright by rear naked choke at 0:53 of round 1
Danika Thibault defeated Brittney Updike by guillotine choke at 0:25 of round 2
Jan Manos defeated Stephan Vonaulock by split decision 30-27, 39-28, 30-27
Darrell Edmonson defeated Brad Stanton via TKO at 1:46 of round 2
Anthony Gasso defeated James Yarborough by TKO at 0:21 of round 1
John Box defeated Josh Polk by TKO at 1:41 of round 1
Robbie Draski defeated Anthony Milton by TKO at 0:46 of round 1
Emilis Jaskevicius defeated James Brown by triangle choke at 0:46 of round 1
Dustin Stusse defeated Otis Brumfield by armbar at 1:14 of round 1
Jonathon James defeated Luis Arriaga by guillotine choke at 2:03 of round 1
Sean Gee defeated Robert Lee by unanimous decision 30-27, 30-27, 29-28
Rick Farbo defeated Tyler Reece by unanimous decision 30-27, 30-26, 30-27
Mike Ryan defeated Chris Conway by TKO at 0:17 of round 1
Oliver Vazquez defated Sam Augshi by unanimous decision 29-28, 29-28, 29-28

Fans who are wanting to get their money’s worth of fights should be checking out this weekend’s amateur mixed martial arts event MMA At The Max 2. The night of action is currently scheduled to have twenty-one fights with six being for championship belts.

The action takes place on Saturday March 3 at the Max Athletic And Expo Center in McCook, Illinois just outside of Chicago.

The full fight card currently looks like:
Main Event
Oliver Vazquez vs Sam Augshi

Co-Main Events
Chris Conway vs Mike Ryan
Rick Farbo vs Tyler Reece
Sean Gee vs Robert Lee
Quadrae Little vs Jonathon James
Fallen Fox vs Scottie Fortner

Fight Card
Otis Brumfield vs Dustin Stusse
Emilis Jaskevicius vs James Brown
Tyree Nettles vs John Box
Jon Manos vs Stephan Vonaulock
James Yarborough vs Anthony Gasso
Brad Stanton vs Darrell Edmonson
Fernando Fuentes vs Rob Morris
Robbie Draski vs Luis Arriaga
Ezykelo Sidney vs Mike Hassett
Sam Cruz vs Dennis Sherman
Alex Fontanez vs Jeremy Rone
Brittney Updike vs Danika Thibault
Gerald Wright vs Robert Maloy
Melvin Sidney vs Dan Amato
Sergi Grytsaienko vs Kelan Moore

Bodylock Presents Winter Brawl took place on Saturday February 18 at the Melrose Park Civic Center in Melrose Park Illinois. A total of eight amateur mixed martial arts fights went down in front of a massive crowd that was into all of the action.
1. Vince Nicoline vs Dan Alamario – heavyweight
Nicoline stalked him down against the cage until he landed jabs and upper cuts. Alamario dived for a takedown and easily stuffed by Nicoline and took the back mount. Landed hammer fists and rolled him over. Tried for different submissions, but Alamario fighting back and out of back mount. More hammer fists fallowed from the Nicoline corner. Nicoline had complete control of Alamarios back until round one ended.

Nicoline with an unusual stance with his ands low and bent at the waits. Alamario opens up with jabs and low leg kicks that landed. Nicoline rushed in for a body lock and takedown into half guard. Light punches came from Nicoline and Alamario defended well and retained full guard. Ref called for stand up. Nicoline rushed in for another body lock against the cage making Alamario carry his weight. Alamario exploded off the cage and landed heavy punches to end round two.

Nicoline opened with rush in and uppercuts, but Alamario found a single leg. Nicoline landed more hammer fists with his back to the cage while Alamario switched legs. Nicoline stuffed the single leg takedown and ended up in side control. More punches from the top from Nicoline then fought Alamarios hands to secure the mount. More punches from the top followed until Alamario turned over and gave up the back. Nicoline flatted him out and delivered more punches to the side of the head.
Official Result: Vince Nicoline via unanimous decision
2. Charles Rodriques vs Adam Gleason – lightweight
Strong open from Gleason with a stiff jab and takedown into the back mount. Worked for the choke against the cage early. Rodriques quickly fount out, but was hipped tossed and was mounted then switched to back mount again. Gleason working for the choke again and gets the tap.
Official Result: Adam Gleason via tapout due to a rear naked choke at 1.40 of round one
3. Shane Kamp vs Bobby Kpa – middleweight
Low kicks to start from Kamp. Force against the cage, but Kpa secured the neck for a choke, but didn’t secure the bock to finish. Hammer fist from Kamp and fought the hands at the same time. Kamp freed himself and pushed Kpa against the cage for a double leg takedown slam into half guard. Kamp tried to soften his opponent and advance position. Kamp took the back and delivered knees to the body against the cage. Kamp secured the neck and pulled Kpa back then flattened him out for the tap.
Official Result: Shane Kamp via tapout due to a rear naked choke at 2.38 of round one.
4. Scott Bratner vs Justin Hughes – featherweight
Hughes walked in with an intense face with focus. Hughes opened with a kick and Bratner takes the single leg takedown into mount, but Hughes reversed into guard. Punches from the top from Hughes, but Bratner countered with triangle and arm bar attempts. Hughes backs off to reengage on the feet. Huge right hand landed from Hughes and started to swarm, but Bratner recovered and got back the feet. The crowd fully enjoyed this fight. Bratner dove for a takedown, but stuffed by Hughes. Hughes controlled the head and reached for a choke from the front. Hughes ended the round with punches to the face.

Hughes opened with a great punch combo that connected, but Bratner weathered the short storm and secured the takedown. Fighters scrambled to their feet and Hughes caught Bratner with a strong looping left that dropped him. Hughes jumped on him to finish the fight. Crowd loved the action and let both fighters know it witch thunderous clapping and cheers.
Official Result: Justin Hughes via TKO at .58 of round two

5. Ronnie Stewart vs David Lelis – heavyweight
heavy support for the Lelis corner. Mad scramble to start the fight with swarming punches from both fighters. Stewart secured the takedown, but leaves his neck in the side of Lelis. Lelis secures the choke and gets the tapout.
Official Result: David Lelis via tapout due to a guillotine choke at .45 of round one.
6. Michael Romars vs Dustin Stusse – lightweight
Huge fan support for Stusse corner. Romars opened up with leg kicks and tried for the takedown. Stusse reversed the position and secured the mount. Moved his opponent against the cage but Romars reversed and ended up in guard. A few submission attempts fro the bottom from Stusse. To avoid the submission Romars backs away and the fight moves back against the cage. Stusse secured a takedown and started raining hammer fists to the head. Moved to side control, but Romars secured half guard. Stusse started to land more clean punches from the top position and the ref called the fight.
Official Result: Dustin Stusse via TKO at 2.49 of round one.
7. Pat Yates vs Sam Horowitz – welterweight
very loud support for Horowitz corner. Horowitz opened up with leg kicks, but Yates pushed him against the cage and secured the takedown in half guard. Yates soften him up with punches and secured his neck. Horowitz regroups and wall walks his way up the cage. Then Horowitz takes the neck, clasped his hands together and extends his body for the tapout.
Official Result: Sam Horowitz via tapout due to a guillotine choke 1.15 of round one. “I came here tow in and whoop some ass. He left his neck out there and I confiscated it.”
8. Dennis Sherman vs Damian Norris – lightweight 
Sherman kicked then ran Norris against the cage attempted a single leg takedown. Norris showed good balance for a while, but eventually was takendown into his guard. From the bottom, Norris gathered hand control on Sherman and secured the triangle position.
Official Result: Damian Norris via tapout due to a triangle choke at 1.06 of round one.

Another amateur mixed martial arts event has been announced. Bodylock will be presenting Winter Brawl on Saturday, February 18th. The night of amateur mma will take place at the Melrose Park Civic Center. Tickets for the event are extremely cheap starting at just $20 a ticket.

Notable amateur fighters scheduled to partake on the card include Nic Thompson, Dustin Stusse, Kevin Switalla, Greyson Plate, Damien Norris, Pat O’Connor and Sam Horowitz.

Tickets are available at Midwest Training Center, Gilbert Grappling and Patriot Boxing and Fitness Systems.

Melrose Park Civic Center is located at 1000 N 25th Ave, Melrose Park, IL.

XFO 41: Outdoor War 7 took place at Sideouts Bar and Grill in Island Lake, Illinois. The day of action saw twenty seven mixed martial arts fights. The amateurs kicked the day off just after 2pm and the pros took to the cage around 8pm after a rain delay.

The professional card saw many fan favorites including Eric Schafer, Chris Albandia, Will Brooks, Christian Reynoso, Greg Reddington, Kent Rexford and Joey Diehl.

A full recap of the professional fights as well as the quick results from the event can be found here.

The first professional fight of the night was quick as Chris Haney needed just ten seconds to knock Dexter Wright out cold. Haney came out with a big leg kick, reset and then threw a high kick that sent Wright to the canvas unconscious.

Team Curran’s Mike Marrello made his return to action against Brad Scholten. Marrello opened with a big leg kick, and Scholten tried to counter. Scholten then threw a leg kick of his own, but Marrello caught it and threw a straight right. He followed it up with a high kick that rocked Scholten. Marrello quickly swarmed and nearly finished, but Scholten started to regain his composure. Marrello passed to mount and landed punch after punch and elbow after elbow. Scholten tried to use the cage to escape but ultimate gave up his back. Once Marrello had his back, he sunk in a fight ending rear naked choke.

Up next was fan favorite Kent Rexford taking on Quartus Stitt. Stitt came out with a leg kick and rushing jabs that forced Rexford against the cage. Both fighters exchanged knees before Rexford landed a clean uppercut. Stitt landed a low knee and time was called for him to recover. After the restart the fighters quickly clinched again and dirty boxed. Rexford decided to put the fight on the ground and had a beautiful trip takedown landing in mount. Stitt was able to quickly pull guard, but he spent nearly the rest of the round on his back eating punches and elbows. At one point Stitt escaped and got back to his feet, but was quickly taken down again. At the start of the second round Rexford landed a big uppercut on Stitt as he was rushing forward. Rexford followed with a swarm of punches and Stitt appeared to defend well. Rexford continued his assault and Stitt gave up his back, only to eat more punches forcing the ref to stop the fight.

Flyweights Joey Diehl and Josh Epps went to war. Diehl tried to keep his distance with leg kicks and a push kick. Epps landed a straight jab and as Diehl was backing up, he slipped on the canvas. Epps landed a massive knee that was heard through out the arena. Diehl quickly recovered and took the fight to the ground. Diehl worked for a heel hook, but couldn’t get it. He then transitioned to an arm triangle and it looked tight. Epps kept his composure and worked to escape, forcing Diehl to let go of the choke. Diehl from the mount threw a big elbow and then again looked to finish with the arm triangle choke. This time he was able to get the right pressure as Epps tapped out just as he was about to go to sleep.

Will Brooks kept his undefeated streak going by submitting Joe Richardson. Brooks opened the fight with a high kick that just barely missed the mark. Both fighters looked to box and it was Brooks who was getting the better of the exchanges. Brooks then dropped down and scored a big takedown on Richardson landing in side control. Richardson didn’t panic and he was able to escape and stand back up. Brooks again looked for the high kick and just missed and Richardson tried for one of his own. Brooks immediately took the fight to the ground again and worked elbows from half guard. While trying to pass to mount, Richardson gave up his back and Brooks controlled from there. Richardson tried to stand up and Brooks looked to suplex him, but Richardson quickly dropped back down to the canvas. Brooks transitioned to an armbar from the back and fought for it. Richardson defended it for a bit, but once the arm was fully extended he had no choice but to tap.

Greg Reddington and Christian Reynoso put on an action packed three-round fight. Reddington was making his professional debut and didn’t look nervous at all. Reddington in the first round took the fight down after a body kick by Reynoso. Reddington was patient in looking for his openings for attacking and capitalized when they were there. Not finding much to work with, Reddington stood up and let Reynoso stand too. With both fighters clinched against the cage, Reynoso jumped for a guillotine, but Reddington was able to escape. The second and third round were much of the same as both fighters looked to start the fight out strong. Both times it was Reddington who landed the better combo and then took the fight to the ground. Reddington controlled the action on the ground and ultimately won the unanimous decision.

The co-main event featured Casey Dyer taking on Dan Aguirre. Both fighters looked to just go out and let it all out. Both fighters were exchanging kick after kick and punch after punch. There was hardly any time where either fighter was not throwing a strike. The fighters worked from the clinch and threw multiple knees. Dyer decided to change the game up with a takedown and scored it rather easily. Unfortunately he left his neck open and Aguirre grabbed a hold of it with a guillotine choke and squeezed until Dyer tapped.

Eric Schafer and Chris Albandia headlined the night of action. The fight marked the first fight for both fighters in fifteen months and the first fight for Schafer at middleweight. Albandia took the center of the cage and looked to keep Schafer on the outside with leg kicks. Schafer landed a right hand that seemed to hurt Albandia and followed it up with another combo that definitely rocked his opponent. Albandia then shot for a takedown and Schafer grabbed a guillotine. Albandia escaped and was patient working body punches. Schafer grabbed Albandia’s arm and then threw it outside of his leg to set up the triangle choke. After a quick adjustment, the choke was in tight and Albandia was forced to tap.

Professional Quick Results

Chris Haney defeated Dexter Wright by knockout at 0:10 of round 1

Mike Marrello defeated Brad Scholten by rear naked choke at 1:16 of round 1

Kent Rexford defeated Quartus Stitt by TKO at 1:17 of round 2

Joey Diehl defeated Josh Epps by arm triangle choke at 1:57 of round 1

Will Brooks defeated Joe Richardson by armbar at 3:49 of round 1

Greg Reddington defeated Chrisitan Reynoso by unanimous decision 30-27, 30-27, 30-27

Dan Aguirre defeated Casey Dyer by guillotine choke at 2:19 of round 1

Eric Schafer defeated Chris Albandia by triangle choke at 1:41 of round 1

 

Amateur quick results

Mike Oconnor defeated Deshaun Fergson by rear naked choke at 1:23 of round 1

Pat Oconnor defeated Dustin McIntire by tap out due to strikes at 1:07 of round 1

Al Nelson defeated Jared Baily by unanimous decision 29-28, 29-28, 29-28

Sean Fallon defeated Brian Radtke by triangle choke at 1:44 of round 3

Tim Lagray defeated Levi Rose by guillotine choke at 0:20 of round 2

Charlie Radtke defeated Dennis Sherman by TKO at 1:00 of round 1

Danny Martinez defeated John Cabel by rear naked choke at 2:30 of round 1

Dom Singleton defeated Don Wendt by rear naked choke at 1:32 of round 1

Shawn Bridgeman defeated Jason Bottomhagen by guillotine choke at 1:36 of round 1

David Sorenson defeated Devin Orton by TKO at 1:59 of round 1

Mike Giger defeated Nick Hernandez by rear naked choke at 1:20 of round 1

Peter Tonev defeated Drew Stout by rear naked choke at 0:36 ovf round 1

Aaron Meyer defeated Matt Vance by guillotine choke at 0:35 of round 1

Dustin Stusse defeated Matt Eisenzimmer by TKO at 2:23 of round 3

Armondo Calderon defeated Jeremy Kuldniski by unanimous decision 30-27, 30-27, 30-27

Tyler Reese defeated Mike Blake by rear naked choke at 2:22 of round 2

James Gilmore defeated Pat Hastings by guillotine choke at 2:35 of round 1

Sean Bottoms defeated Greyson Plate by KO at 0:23 of round 1

Kevin Switalla defeated Tom Lagray by rear naked choke at 2:50 of round 1