Fightcard Entertainment returned to the Sports Zone in Melrose Park on Saturday, September 29th for their annual No Mercy event. The night of action saw two kickboxing bouts, six non-title amateur mma bouts, a fight for the interim lightweight title and Yousef Al-Ghoul defending his welterweight title.

MMA Quick Results:
Yousef Al-Ghoul defeated Angelo Rivera Jr by head kick knockout at 1:46 of round 1
Jose Mariscal defeated Tony Ortiz by armbar at 2:39 of round 1
Shane Schubbe defeated Rafael Reyes by unanimous decision
Curtis Blades defeated Robby String by technical knockout at 0:14 of round 1
Ivan Garcia defeated Ricardo Thurman by rear naked choke at 2:56 of round 1
Danny Flores defeated Ted Greene by armbar at 2:06 of round 1
Stephen Holt defeated Charles Brown by guillotine choke at 2:25 of round 1
Jordan Wiggins defeated Marcus Jones by rear naked choke at 1:46 of round 1

Kickboxing Quick Results
Iszak Morgan defeated Max Perez by split decision
James Yarborough defeated Luis Rangel by unanimous decision

Thanks to www.moremma.com for the results

Fightcard Entertainment’s 42nd event “No Mercy 2011″ took place at the Grand Sports Arena in Hoffman Estates, Illinois on Saturday, October 22nd. The night of action featured the return of the team versus team challenge as well as three title fights.

The night also featured five Muay Thai fights that got the crowd standing on their feet. The quick results of those fights were:
Seavan Zaya and Matt Hefferman fought to a draw
Rolando Baguisa defeated Jordan Rivera-Haasch by unanimous decision
James Yarbrough defeated Eathan Tamisin by unanimous decision
Lisa Wells defeated Olivia Gonzalez by unanimous decision
Kayla Altergott defeated Vanessa De La Garza by unanimous decision

This mixed martial arts fights took center stage with an impressive nineteen fights.

Richard Garnica versus Dan Palamario
Garnica rushed in, but Palamario pressed him into the fence. He held him there for a while, while both fighters worked for positioning. Short shots were landed by both fighters before Palamario scored a big takedown. He quickly got the mount and was dropping punches as the bell sounded ending the round. Garnica switched up tactics in the second round, this time opting to strike a lot from within the clinch. He landed several punches and easily tied the fight up in the second round. Palamario tried for a takedown, but Garnica stuffed it. Garnica rushed Palamario, who opted to pull guard instead of eating punches. It was a mistake as Garnica took side control and landed damaging shots to the body of Palamario to end the round and win the fight.

Darrell Edmonson versus John Borthwick
The fight exploded into action as both fighters came out striking. Edmonson lead the attack but Borthwick was quick to counter with massive power. The first round was an all out slug fest with both fighters amazingly still standing on their feet. Borthwick seemed the fresher of the two as the second round started. A jab landed for him, followed by another and he quickly established his distance. Edmonson landed great punch, but Borthwick returned the favor dropping Edmonson. Borthwick quickly secured the back and locked in a fight ending rear naked choke.

Alex Garcia versus Nate Walker
Garcia quickly went after Walker and looked for a takedown. He picked Walker up and slammed him into the canvas earning himself side control. Walker tried to defend with a guillotine, but used it to stand back up. Garcia attempted another takedown, and after the initial stuff by Walker, Garcia was able to hoist him up in the air and walked him to the other side of the cage with another big slam as the round ended. Garcia slipped in the opening of the second round and Walker tried to finish with a flurry of wild bombs. Garcia survived and scored a takedown, but Walker quickly reversed and again worked punches from the top. Garcia held on and forced a stall in action forcing the fight to be stood back up. Garcia again looked to his bread and butter and scored a takedown and quickly took Walker’s back. The fight ended as he was attempting to finish with a rear naked choke. The start of the third round, Walker refused to touch gloves. Garcia again looked for a takedown, but Walker was aware and tried for a guillotine. Garcia spent a great amount of time trying to take Walker down without being choked and eventually succeeded. Garcia finished the round on top and it looked like an victory was on hand for Garcia. The judges’ scorecards were read and it was a split decision for Walker much to the surprise of many in the crowd.

Brian Ortiz versus Quinton Jordan
Both fighters opened with kicks, triggering Jordan to go for a headlock. Both men worked for position and Ortiz was able to secure side control. Jordan tried to escape and gave up his back to Ortiz. Ortiz quickly locked up an open neck and strangled Jordan for the win.

Mike Velez versus Justin Shelby
Velez immediately dropped Shelby and swarmed in with a flurry of punches. Shelby was able to regain his senses and pulled guard. He attempted a kimura, but Velez defended well and delivered more punches from the top. Velez tried to pass Shelby’s guard, but was unsuccessful. At the start of the second round, both fighters landed hard shots. Shelby blasted Velez with knees to the body and Velez appeared hurt. Shelby continued to pressure Velez and Velez collapsed to the canvas. Two big hammer fists and the ref was forced to stop the fight.

Mike Hampton versus Gerard Mills
Hampton came out very aggressive and caught Mills right away. Mills dropped to the canvas and Hampton pounced with a barrage of strikes. Mills tapped to the strikes forcing a halt to the action just fifteen seconds into the fight.

Ken Hansen versus Salvatore Terracciano
Hansen was taken down by Terracciano and then mounted. Hansen powered his opponent off of him and out of the dominant position, but gave up his back in the process. Terracciano sunk in a rear naked choke and forced the tap.

Angelo Rivera versus Brandon Priest
Priest opened with threatening striking as Rivera avoided. Priest landed some knees to Rivera and quickly took him down. Rivera quickly reversed but Priest tried to catch him in an armbar. Rivera escaped and passed to side control. Rivera worked for a D’Arce choke, but used the choke to stay on top and land some damaging strikes. Priest opened the second round with some big body kicks. Priest again looked to take the fight down, this time Rivera stuffed and got his own takedown. Rivera worked several strikes while Priest tried to at least get to guard. He was successful in that, but Rivera controlled the action in the second round. Rivera continued his safe striking as Priest had a hard time landing anything solid. Rivera saw an opening and took Priest down. Rivera continued to throw punches and Priest was stuck against the cage unable to escape as time ran out. The judges had an easy time giving Rivera the fight.

Tony Ortiz versus Nick Hill
Hill quickly took Ortiz down, but Ortiz just popped back up. The up and down battle continued as the pair scrambled across the cage. Hill attempted another takedown, but Ortiz defended and took his back. Ortiz was high, but set up a reverse triangle. After a moment he squeezed and forced the tap.

Juan Lopez versus Robert Lee
Both fighters went to the clinch and traded knees and punches. As they separated, Lee tagged Lopez with an inadvertent groin kick. After the restart, Lopez waded in with big punches. Lee answered with impressive leg kicks, slamming his shin into Lopez’s leg. Lopez rocked Lee with a punch and pressed in with punches. A slam takedown followed with a scramble, a choke attempt and an upkick warning from the referee. The fighters returned to their feet and Lee went back to his punishing leg kicks. Lee took Lopez down, but Lopez secured a guillotine choke. He torqued it and Lee was forced to tap.

Ivan Garcia versus Kendall Gunn
Garcia shot in early and worked for a single leg, but Gunn was threatening with a guillotine choke. The two fighters broke away and Gunn rushed in with aggressive striking backing Garcia into the fence. The pair traded shots for the remainder of the round in a very difficult round to score. Gunn opened aggressively, swinging wildly from his Muay Thai stance. Garcia again tried a takedown and was countered by a guillotine choke. But Garcia persisted and avoided the choke. Garcia moved to mount and rained down punch after punch forcing Gunn to tap to the strikes.

Azamat Shogenov versus Tony Velasco
Shogenov scored an early takedown and Velasco attempted a heel hook. The submission was unsuccessful and both fighters stood. Shogenov landed a vicious high kick and ended up on top of Velasco. He couldn’t finish and they again stood. Velasco caught another kick by Shogenov and threw him down to the ground as time ran out in the round. Shogenov returned the favor as he caught a kick from Velasco and took him down. Both fighters tried to finish with hell hooks, but opted to stand back up. Shogenov scored another takedown as the round ended. The third round Shogenov decided he was going to use his wrestling as he took Velasco down and held him there. He was unable to do much damage, but the top control easily earned him the victory.

Andrew Potopenko versus Disino Gilbert
A big left hand from Gilbert landed early. Gilbert quickly clinched and threw a right hook and an uppercut that landed flush. Potopenko circled away and after fainting and throwing a mild combo, connected with a spinning back fist. Gilbert landed a big left followed by an even bigger right. Potopenko returned the favor, but followed with a knee to the head that dropped Gilbert. He quickly pounced and finished the fight with punches.

Yousef Al-Ghoul versus Franco Martinez
Martinez opened the round with a big jab-cross. Al-Ghoul caught Martinez and stunned him. He quickly took mount and dropped heavy leather. Martinez tried to escape by using the cage and was successful rolling into Al-Ghoul’s guard as time ran out. Al-Ghoul set up a takedown with punches and quickly advanced to side control. he stepped over Martinez’s head and worked for a kimura. Martinez defended and gained guard. Al-Ghoul moved back to side control and finished the round with short punches. The third round Al-Ghoul took Martinez down after Martinez delivered a fancy kick. Al-Ghoul passed to mount and flurried with hammer fists and punches to a flailing Martinez. The ref jumped in and Al-Ghoul won the FCE welterweight title.

Maurice Greene versus Brandon Willimson
Williamson landed early with kicks, as Greene tried to keep his distance from the strikes. Greene secured a clinch against the fence and Williamson pulled guard. Greene passed to half guard and started to throw massive strikes. Williamson curled up and the ref jumped in. It appeared that Green won via TKO and he celebrates on top of the cage. Williamson is down for a while and confusion set in over the strikes as Greene may have landed strikes to the back of the head which would result in a DQ. An official claimed it should be a TKO to Greene, stating otherwise Green would have been sent to a neutral corner and Williamson offered time to recover. Williamson wasn’t able to stand and was taken out on a stretcher. The fight was ruled a no contest, in a very apparent mess up on procedure.

Mitch Nix versus Andrew Navickas
Both fighters came out wanting to punish the other with heavy punches. Nix scored a takedown, but Navickas quickly shot back up. Navickas grabbed a guillotine choke, but Nix was able to defend and escape. Nix attempted to pass guard, but then was rolled and he quickly scrambled back to his feet. The first round was extremely close as both landed some great shots. Nix opened the second with a stright right that damaged Navickas’s eye. The action stopped briefly, and after the restart both fighters immediately tried to end it. A spinning back-fist landed for Navickas. Nix threw kicks at a distance and Navickas returned the favor. Nix began opening up with his boxing and after landing several hard shots finished with a takedown. He secured a head and arm choke and it was in deep. Navickas had no way out and was forced to tap.

Muay Thai results
Sevan Zaya and Matt Heffmen fight to a draw
Rollie Baguisa wins via Unanimous Decision
James Yarborough wins via Unanimous Decision
Lisa Wells wins via Unanimous Decision
Kayla Altergott wins via Split Decision

Mixed martial arts results
Richard Garnica defeated Dan Palamario by unanimous decision
John Borthwick defeated Darrell Edmonson by rear naked choke in round 2
Nate Walker defeated Alex Garcia by split decision
Brian Ortiz defeated Quinton Jordan by rear naked choke in round 1
Justin Shelby defeated Mike Velez by tko in round 2
Mike hampton defeated Gerard Mills by tko in round 1
Salvatore Terracciano defeated Ken Hansen by rear naked choke in round 1
Angelo Rivera defeated Brandon Priest by unanimous decision
Tony Ortiz defeated Nick Hill by reverse triangle in round 1
Juan Lopez defeated Robert Lee by guillotine choke in round 1
Ivan Garcia defeated Kendall Gunn by tko in round 2
Azamat Shogenov defeated Tony Velasco by unanimous decision
Andrew Potopenko defeated Disino Gilbert by tko in round 1
Yousef Al-Ghoul defeated Franco Martinez by TKO in round 3
Maurice Greene and Brandon Williamson was ruled a no contest in the first round
Andrew Navickas defeated Mitch Nix by head and arm choke in round 2

Fight Card Entertainment invaded Joe’s Bar and Grill on Weed street in downtown Chicago.  “FCE 38: Cross the Line” featured eight amateur mixed martial arts fights with a stellar main event featuring Matt Tierney and Danny Morales for the FCE welterweight title.  Read on for the full recap of the action and quick results.

The first fight of the night was an exciting welterweight matchup featuring Robert Lewis and Tom Kriplin.  In the first round Lewis and Kriplin looked to exchange, but Lewis quickly attempted a takedown.  Kriplin reversed and scored a takedown of his own.  Kriplin looked for ground and pound, but Lewis was able to push off and stand up.  Once on their feet, Lewis clinched and landed a big knee that took Kriplin’s legs out.  Lewis quickly jumped on the back, but Kriplin somersaulted and reversed the position.  Kriplin was able to get the mount as time ran out in the round.  The second round Kriplin quickly got a takedown and worked vicious ground and pound.  Kriplin landed some serious knees to the body of Lewis while trying to pass to the mount.  Kriplin got the mount and started raining down strikes.  Kriplin nearly ended the fight, but time expired in the round.  The third round Kriplin landed a right hand before taking Lewis down.  From half guard, Kriplin worked several strikes to the body and head until the ref was forced to stop the action.

Heavyweights were up next and Maurice Greene and Jason Miller put on a fantastic fight.  In the first round Greene tried to utilize his reach advantage on Miller, but Miller was able to frustrate Greene with his movement and closed the distance.  Greene landed a left high kick that excited the crowd.  With time running out Miller shot for a takedown, but ate a big knee instead.  In the second round Miller looked to throw leg kicks to throw Greene off his balance.  Greene landed a fantastic front kick that sent Miller to the canvas.  Greene quickly pounced and landed several short uppercuts that bloodied up Miller.  Greene stood up and threw a massive knee to the body and then continued his punches sending blood into the crowd.  Miller couldn’t defend and the ref halted the action.

After an intermission to clean up all the blood shed in the last fight, lightweight Logan West and Charlie Radtke went to battle.  Radtke came out with a big right and West shot for a takedown.  Radtke defended and worked for a guillotine, but West was able to escape and stand up.  Radtke continued the pressure with strikes and West stalled him with a big body kick.  Radtke then shot for a takedown and never let up the pressure as he threw multiple lefts.  After standing up and landing some heavy shots, Radtke landed several big rights and then was like a machine gun with his punches forcing a stop to the fight.

Wanting to follow his brother’s victory, Brian Radtke looked for the victory over Franco Martinez.  The first round Radtke looked for a double leg takedown and got it.  Martinez had a high guard looking to quickly submit Radtke, but Radtke stood up and slammed him to the ground.  Radtke worked multiple strikes and Martinez threatened with submission.  Radtke stood up to drop a big right hand, but instead went for a heel hook.  Martinez punched his way out, but Radtke remained on top. Martinez had a beautiful sweep to get the mount on Radtke, however Radtke then swept Martinez and was back in his guard.  Radtke finished the round with punches and the round ended with Martinez nearly getting an armbar.  The second round started and the fighters quickly clinched.  Radtke landed a big knee and then quickly got Martinez’s back while standing.  Radtke worked for a rear naked choke while standing and got it.  The fighters fell to the canvas and Radtke was able to tighten the choke forcing Martinez to tap.

Lightweight Omar Diaz was the crowd favorite against Ken Hansen.  The first round  had the crowd really going as both fighters were causing damage to each other.  Diaz grabbed a clinch and threw multiple knees that found Hansen’s face.  Hansen would land uppercuts from the clinch, forcing Diaz to separate and create distance.  Diaz continued with jabs and Hansen looked to be in trouble, but was able to recover and land punches of his own.  In the second round Diaz continued his jab and quickly bloodied Hansen up.  Seeing the blood just flow from Hansen’s nose, Diaz was relentless with his punches.  Hansen never went down, but ate several shots and was unable to intelligently defend himself forcing the ref to stop the striking clinic.

After another brief intermission, featherweights Richard Dey and Rudy Behena were up next.  Dey landed a high kick, one-two, high kick combo, but Behena defended and was able to get Dey’s back.  Behena had a fantastic belly to back suplex and quickly got the mount.  Behena nearly finished the fight with his ground and pound, but Dey was able to buck and stand up.  Once on the feet, they clinched and Dey landed two knees before working for an omoplata.  Unable to get the tap, Dey transitioned to a heel hook.  Behena was tough to finish and continued to punch his way out of the submissions.  Dey was able to put Behena in his guard, and quickly worked an armbar.  The submission was in deep, but Behena defended well.  Dey rolled and the arm looked to be in bad shape.  Behena, sensing his arm was about to break, verbally submitted.

The co-main event featured light heavyweights Ivan Garcia and Andrew Navickis.  The exciting three round fight had the crowd going crazy.  In the first round Navickis used leg kicks to keep Garcia at bay.  When Garcia would rush in and clinch, Navickis landed several knees.  Navickis used a guillotine choke to take Garcia down, but both fighters quickly stood.  Navickis looked like he had a standing guillotine choke, however Garcia was able to escape.  Navickis scored another takedown with time running out in the round and tried to finish it with strikes but was unable to.  Round two was extremely close.  Garcia again attempted a takedown, but it was Navickis who was able to get it.  Garcia defended well with submission attempts but Navickis threw the legs to the side and got Garcia’s back.  Garcia countered by spinning into Garcia and able to get the mount.  Navickis bucked and was able to stand up.  An extremely close round that could have been scored for either fighter.  The final round Navickis came out with a spinning backlist that just missed.  Both fighters were swinging wildly looking for a finishing blow.  Garcia was stalking Navickis and able to close the distance working knees and punches from the clinch.  Garcia was clearly controlling the fight at this point and with time running out, both fighters attempted big strikes but neither landed.  With a close second round that could go either way, it was no surprise that the judges were split in their decision for Garcia.

The main event featured undefeated Matt Tierney taking on Danny Morales for the FCE welterweight title.  Both fighters came out swinging and looking to cause damage.  Morales used leg kicks to set up his punches.  Tierney was able to clinch and take Morales down on two separate occasions, but Morales just popped back up.  Both fighters started to find their range when Morales landed a spinning backlist sending Tierney down to the floor.  Morales quickly jumped on the wounded Tierney and landed two strikes before the ref could stop the action.  Morales became the new FCE welterweight champion with the knockout victory.

Quick results
Tom Kriplin defeated Robert Lewis by TKO at 1:14 of round 3
Maurice Greene defeated Jason Miller by TKO at 1:22 of round 2
Charlie Radtke defeated Logan West by TKO at 2:02 of round 1
Brian Radtke defeated Franco Martinez by rear naked choke at 0:59 of round 2
Omar Diaz defeated Ken Hansen by TKO at 1:14 of round 2
Richard Dey defeated Rudy Behena by armbar at 2:29 of round 1
Ivan Garcia defeated Andrew Navickis by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Danny Morales defeated Matt Tierney by KO at 1:30 of round 1

Fightcard Entertainment held their No Mercy 2010 event last night at the Cicero Stadium in Cicero, Illinois. The event featured four Muay Thai fights and eight MMA bouts.

The night started with three Muay Thai fights. In the opening fight, super-bantamweight Alex Garcia used trips and headkicks to dominate his way to a unanimous decision victory over Corey Forshaw. In the second fight, crowd favorite Olivia Gonzales weathered an early storm from opponent Brittney Jetters in their atomweight bout. Gonzales came back in rounds 2 and 3 with leg kicks and body strikes to get the win with 29-28 on all the judges’ scorecards. The third fight started with both fighters, middleweights Luis Robles and Patrick Parsons, doing a Muay Thai ritual in the cage to some Eastern music. Unfortunately, due to an eye injury Robles sustained by an accidental headbutt at just 1:12 of the first round, he was unable to continue and the fight was ruled a no contest.

Next, the lightweights took the stage, when David Sanchez dropped his opponent Gerard Mills with an early barrage of punches. After some scrambling on the ground and a near rear naked choke by the victor, Mills tapped out due to strikes at 26 seconds of the first round. Next bout featured featherweights Chris Johnson and William Peterson. After an early assault by Peterson, Johnson slammed his opponent to the canvas. The two scrambled and exchanged submission attempts, with Johnson getting the better of it in Round 1. Round 2 started the same as the first, but this time Johnson was able to finish his submission, earning a submission victory at 2:36 of the second round with a rear naked choke.

The 160lbs catchweight bout between Tony Ortiz and Stefan Ivanoff was over as quickly as it began. Ivanov came at his opponent with an array of punches, forcing Ortiz to attempt a takedown, an attempt which resulted in Ortiz being caught in a guillotine and choked unconscious at just 23 seconds into the first round. The only heavyweight bout of the night was pure domination for Sammie Sabbach as he used his superior wrestling to take the fight everywhere he wanted to go. Starting with a takedown that led to Sabbach mounting his opponent, his opponent, Ole Nickels was able to scramble enough to get back to the feet. Unfortunately for him, the fight didn’t remain there long. Sabbach scooped his opponent up for a powerful body slam that once again led to the mount position where Sabbach reigned down punches until his opponent’s corner had no choice but to throw in the towel at 2:00 of the first round.

Down to the welterweight division, Franco Martinez appeared rocked by an early bombardment of strikes from Frank Ciangi, but he proved his resiliency when he was able to sweep his opponent and gain control of his back, where he worked his vicious ground and pound until the referee stepped in to stop the fight at 1:02 of the first round.

In what was probably the closest match-up of the night, featherweights Johnny Torres and Victor Johnson sure put on a show. Torres worked for takedowns and improved his position to mount and back control, dropping leather the whole time. But Johnson’s scrambles were nothing to scoff at as he was able to attempt a rear naked choke and do some ground and pound of his own. Round two started with Torres rocking his opponent with a left hook, immediately followed by a takedown that eventually turned into an omoplata, before gaining mount and dishing out some punishment. The third and final round didn’t disappoint, Johnson starting it off with a flying knee that landed right on the money, though it led to another takedown from Torres. Not content with trusting the judges, Torres dropped bombs from the mount position, forcing the referee to end the fight at 1:07 of the third round due to TKO.

In what this journalist considers the fight of the night, light-heavyweights Ivan Garcia and Quadra Littles nearly brought the house down. The two exchanged takedowns, slams, sweeps, and ground and pound before Garcia was able to take his opponent’s back and attack his opponent from there. The second round saw Garcia scoring more takedowns. Littles swept his opponent and ended up getting caught in a triangle choke. Lucky for Littles, he was able to lift his opponent off the ground and slam him down in what can only be described as Rampage/Arona-esque. Garcia, however, survived the round and even attempted an armbar. Round 3 was all business for Garcia, bolting into his opponent with a takedown that immediately led to the fighter getting the dominant crucifix position where he dropped punches until the ref stopped it at :58 seconds in the third round due to TKO.

On to the co-main event and the first title fight of the evening, Super Middleweight Muay Thai Champion, Mike Reid, defended his belt against Chris Flach. An early sweep from Reid set the pace for the Muay Thai clinic he was about to give. He continued to work his opponent’s body with knees, punches, and kicks until it was clear how little challenger Chris Flach had left. It was then that Reid used a spinning back kick to the liver to drop Flach to the ground, where he stayed, writhing in pain, while the referee counted to eight. Mike Reid wins via TKO at 1:53 of Round 1.

In the final bout of the night, Bantamweight champion Pedro Velasco defended his title against Dave Havice. Velasco tripped his opponent early with a leg kick, but stayed tentative and didn’t follow him to the ground. After a couple of exchanges, the two clinched against the cage where Velasco was able to take Havice down. On the ground, Havice grabbed the leg of his opponent and looked to be working on either an Achilles lock or a heel hook, but it wouldn’t matter. The champion stood up over his opponent and knocked Havice out cold with an undefended punch right on the chin. Two more shots landed on the unconscious challenger before the referee was able to stop the fight at :56 of the first round.

Quick results:
Alex “The Tiny Bully” Garcia def. Corey “C-4” Forshaw by Unanimous Decision(30-27)
Olivia “The Brat” Gonzales def. Brittney “Lil Taz” Jetters by Unanimous Decision(29-28)
Luis “Gumby” Robles vs. Patrick “Pure Punishment” Parsons: No Contest
David “The Hitman” Sanchez def. Gerard “Sparky” Milles via Submission due to strikes at :26 of Round 1
Chris Johnson def. William “Lil Will” Peterson via Submission from rear naked choke at 2:36 of Round 2
Stefan Ivanoff def. Tony Ortiz via Technical submission from guillotine choke at :23 of Round 1
Sammie “Swamp Thing” Sabbach def. Ole Nickels via Corner stoppage at 2:00 of Round 1
Franco “No Love” Martinez def. Frank Ciangi via TKO from strikes at 1:02 of Round 1
Johnny “Triggerman” Torres def. Victor “Smoke” Johnson via TKO from strikes at 1:07 of Round 3
Ivan Garcia def. Quadra “The Tyrant Titan” Littles via TKO from strikes at :58 of Round 3
Mike “The Dragon Catcher” Reid def. Chris “Lion Killer” Flach via TKO at 1:53 of Round 1
Pedro “Clark Kent” Velasco def. Dave Havice via KO from strikes at :56 of Round 1

A night of solid Amateur MMA last night for Fightcard Entertainment for FCE 35 Victory. The event had a solid attendance at the Cicero Stadium on the south side of Chicago, Illinois.

The night started out with lightweights Julius Collins vs Victor Johnson. They both came out trading early, and Collins immediately went for the take down after taking some shots. Victor showed some nice sweeps, but Julius ended up on top. He was mainly just controlling and not really trying to finish. This is how the rest of the fight went too. Collins showed some excellent control, and really exploited the top position the majority of the time. Julius grinds out the Unanimous Decision over Victor Johnson.

Middleweights Andrew Wombley and Gene Garcia were up next. As soon as Gene got his hands on Wombley he rag-dolled him across the cage. Gene took the top position and moved into a dominant position near the fence. The ref rescues Andrew from the ground and pound at 30 seconds into the first round.

Tony Ortiz and Mario Gomez were up next for a welterweight scrap. Ortiz came in looking relaxed and more focused. He took Gomez down after a small feeling out process. After Mario got in some ground and pound of his own, Ortiz created a scramble landing him in top position. Mario took advantage of a high guard turning Tony over into a slick armbar at 2:37 in to the fight.

Heavyweights Anthony Torres and Ivan Garcia came out in a hurry. This fight almost seemed one sided. Although Torres showed a lot of heart, and the ability to take punches in bunches, it was clear from the get go that Ivan was in control. After landing a questionable illegal knee I van was warned in the first, but no points were taken. Torres kept going for take downs, and drop his hand as a point of contact when he saw knees coming. In the second round Ivan kept his distance, and was landing at will. He showed an excellent clinch game, and avoiding the take downs. He was close to ending the fight at the end of the round. In the the third Ivan came out swinging and Torres finally wilted from the strikes at 30 seconds.

Steve Kozola and Chris Johnson were up for a lightweight fight. Steve had a significant reach and used it to get inside for a take down. Chris turned the tables and swept Kozola. Steve went for a kimura and used it to end up in full mount. Johnson took some heavy shots and gave up his back. Kozola sank in the rear naked choke at 1:20 in the first round.

Welterweights Yousef Al-Ghoun and Nick Watermont took the cage. This was a close round, and I only gave it to Nick for ending up on top at the end of the round and landing strikes. However at one point Yousef had Nick’s back. However, for the rest of the fight Watermont really showed off his ground game. Al-Ghoun had no answers for the big take downs from Nick, and Nick controlled him the entire time on the floor. At the end of the second Nick was landing some decent shots, but there was nothing threatening to end the fight. Nick grinds out the Unanimous Decision over Al-Ghoun.

Quincy Smith and Matt Tierney started with a short feeling out period. The welterweights finaly got in close and Matt pinned Smith up against the fence. Matt created distance and started landing big shots on Quincy. The ref almost stopped the fight a few times but Quincy kept coming forward. Matt finally dropped Quincy with a big right hand earning a solid knock out at 2:15 in the first. Tierney holds on to his undefeated amateur record.

Heavyweight champ Jeff Burdof and Shane Bumbar were up next for the FCE heavyweight crown. Burdof came out and immediatelyput the pressure on Shane. Jeff goes for a take down after avoiding some punches, and drags Shane up to the cage. Burdof went to work from half guard after stacking up Shane and started landing big shots. Bumbar tapped to strikes at 2:15 in the first frame.

Although no awards were given, Matt Tierney clearly had the KO of the night, Mario Gomez had the submission of the night, and Fight of the night to Al-Ghoun and Watermont. It was a solid outing by the FCE, and they are planning on being back early to mid summer at Cicero Stadium.

Quick Results:

Julius Collins wins U. Decision over Victor Johnson
Gene Garcia wins 1 TKO :30 over Andrew Womble
Mario Gomez wins 1 Sub 2:37 over Tony Ortiz
Ivan Garcia wins 3 TKO :20 over Anthony Torres
Steve Kozola wins 1 Sub 1:20 over Chris Johnson
Nick Watermont wins U Decision over Yousef Al-Ghoun
Matt Tierney wins 1 TKO 2:15 over Quincy Smith
Jeff Burdorf wins Heavy Weight Title by 1 Tap to strikes 2:15 over Shane Bumbar

Chicago, IL (USA): The Xtreme Fighting Organization (XFO), one of the most respected MMA promotions in existence, has announced today their fight card for their upcoming fight event. On May 8th, MMA is overtaking the Copernicus Center in Chicago as fight fans will be treated to nine professional fights and four amateur bouts. Headlining the event are welterweight veterans Keith Wisniewski (25-12-1) and Ted “Red” Worthington (27-20). Wisniewski is coming into this fight on a three-match win streak, and he hasn’t allowed an opponent to go the distance during that span, winning two bouts by submission and one by TKO (strikes). Worthington has had an active year in 2010 thus far, fighting three times within the first four months and earning two victories, one by submission and one by knockout. Each warrior has proven throughout his career that he will fight his heart out to win, so fans can expect an epic battle when these two meet.

This exciting card features fighters from all different points in their career, and with a vast arsenal of skills. Some of the veterans will be looking to get back to their winning ways, while others will be looking to continue the strong start to their young careers. In what may be the 170 lb. fight of the night, Matt Tobie (2-0) will be putting his unbeaten record on the line as faces his toughest opponent to date in Quinton McCottrell (4-5). McCottrell is known for his heavy hands and ability to end the fight with one shot. Also on the main card will be a fight at 150 lbs. as former WEC fighter Rafael Dias (12-7-1) will be looking to get back on track after losing his last two fights, as he’ll be facing Ryan “Bones” Bixler (15-7). Dias is known as a submission specialist, while “Bones” is more of an all-around fighter. Regardless, both fighters will look to impose their will on the other.

The full card is as follows:

PROFESSIONAL
170-Keith Wisniewski vs. Ted “Red” Worthington
155-Rafael Dias vs. Ryan “Bones” Bixler
HVY-Boban Simic vs. Rashad Brooks
170-Matt Tobie vs. Quinton McCottrell
135-Carson Beebe vs. Chris Clark
145-Bobby Reardanz vs. Gustavo Rodriguez
185-Dan Bolden vs. Bill Hill
155-Chris Garcia vs. Glenn Hanson
155-Mike Santiago vs. Chris Tickle

The amateur card features hungry up-and-coming fighters as well as future stars looking to shine as they put their futures on the line.

AMATEUR
145-Alex Martinez vs. Mike Ryan
HVY-Ivan Garcia vs. Ken Fresbee
145-Steve Kozola vs. Joaquin Sanchez
170-Jonathan Melecio vs. Brian Kalsto

XFO—the Midwest’s premiere MMA show— features the best up-and-comers in the Midwest circuit and young fighters from all over the United States will look to hone their skills in the XFO cage. Tickets for the event are on sale now for $50 for Main Floor Seats and $35 for Mezzanine Level and are available for purchase by visiting http://www.xfomma.com/. Doors open at 6:00 PM, and the fights will begin at 7:30 PM.

Information on the pre-event press conference and weigh-ins will be made public soon, as well. The Xtreme Fighting Organization is sure to electrify local fight fans so purchase your tickets now before the event is sold out!

About the XFO
The Xtreme Fighting Organization is operated by “The Big Frog” Jeff Curran, a veteran of the UFC, WEC, PRIDE, and StrikeForce, and has showcased some of the top talent in the sport of MMA today. Fighters such as Pat Militech, Ben Rothwell, Kevin Jordan, Jason Dent, Terry Martin, Tara LaRosa, Nick Thompson, Naoyuki Kotani, Ryan McGivern, Chase Beebe, Mike Russow, Travis Wiuff, Shonie Carter, Luke Zachrich, Sherman Pendergarst, amongst others, have all fought in the XFO cage. The promotion puts on regular events, and is committed to entertaining local fight fans with quality production values and exciting events. In addition, the XFO is dedicated to introducing some of the top young talent in the Midwest to the MMA masses. For additional information on the Xtreme Fighting Organization, please visit http://www.xfomma.com/

Fightcard Entertainment went to the Sports Zone in Melrose Park, Illinois.  The night saw a total of ten fights headlined by a middleweight title bout between Jeremy Godina and Luke Austin.  MMA Recap’s Brent Todd and DC Baker were on hand for the event.  Read on for the full recap and results.

The night’s first fight set the stage as Tony Ortiz needed less than thirty seconds to finish off Allen Hile.  After two leg kicks by Ortiz, Hile shot for a takedown, but Ortiz countered with a big knee that dropped Hile.  Ortiz then unloaded several shots to Hile’s head forcing the ref to stop the action.

The second fight kept up the excitement of the first.  While both John Melencio and Robert Chancellor were a bit hesitant at the start, Chancellor landed a good jab that hurt Melencio.  Melencio tried for a takedown, but Chancellor unloaded several shots before Melencio was able to complete the takedown.  Once on the ground in side control, Melencio worked small shots and attempted to pass to mount.  While Melencio attempted to pass, Chancellor rolled and reversed the position landing in side control.  Melencio was able to quickly pull guard but Chancellor just picked him up and slammed him four times before getting mount.  Once in mount position, Chancellor rained down blow after blow until the ref halted the action.

Continuing the technical knockout streak, Eric Baehr handed Carlos Encinas his first FCE loss.  The first round Encinas swung with a big right that Baehr ducked under and scored a takedown.  From there he worked several shots until he got mount but Encinas gave up his back.  Baehr worked for a rear naked choke but Encinas turned into Baehr and reversed the position.  After no action the ref stood both fighters up.  The end of the round saw very little action.  The second round Encinas landed a big knee that hurt Baehr, but Baehr took the fight to the ground.  From there he worked several small punches until he was able to pass to mount.  Baehr then pinned Encincas right arm with his knee and landed five punches squarely before the referee ended the fight.

The night’s first/only submission of the night happened between E.J. Vazquez and Victor Johnson.  Johnson landed a big right, but Vazquez countered with a kick forcing Johnson to clinch.  In the clinch Vazquez landed several knees.  After a big knee, Vazquez was able to secure a standing guillotine choke.  Johnson tried to break free with a trip takedown, but Vazquez kept the choke.  Johnson tried to posture out of it, but Vazquez secured a body triangle and squeezed harder ensuring the tap.

The super heavyweight matchup featured Ivan Garcia and Jerry Garcia. The bout began with a series of jabs dealt by I. Garcia landing the occasional combo in between several failed takedown attempts from J. Garcia.  Heavy leg kicks were the prime weapon for the heavier J.Garcia who seemed unable to catch his opponent in the open. As a result, I. Garcia continued to dominate throughout the first two rounds by dodging takedowns and landing swift jabs. The start of round three only further sealed the fate of J.Garcia who at times flinched repeatedly at taunting swings – at one point collapsing backwards without so much as a touch. Following the conclusion of round three the judges scored a unanimous decision win to I. Garcia by a score of  30 to 27.

To contrast the super heavyweight bout, the next fight featured dual bantamweights  who each burst out of the gate swinging. From the blue corner, Mike Kriewalt, a self-trained fighter was the early aggressor. Kriewalt was able to land initial strikes on Chyle Vance. After a quick takedown by Kriewalt, Vance assumed control of the fight by dodging wild haymakers and repeatedly unleashing well-timed strikes. Vance was able to reverse his positioning each time the fight hit the mats until earning a verbal submission due to strikes at just 2:12 into round one.

The next bout of the night featured featherweight competitors Zack Hernandez and Ken Hansen. Hansen started the fight with a powerful leg kick followed by a striking combo. Hernandez was able to recover quickly with a heavy takedown followed by downward striking. From the ground Hernandez seemed in control with continuous submission attempts that were successfully weathered by Hansen throughout round one. At the start of the second round the two exchanged strikes and kicks until Hernandez lands his second major takedown which was quickly reversed by Hansen. On the ground the two grappled for positioning stopping occasionally to exchange jabs and knees until the end of round two. The fight came to an unexpected end via verbal submission when Hernandez threw in the towel due to symptoms from asthma, earning Hansen a win via second round stoppage.

The second set of bantamweight fighters for the evenings event wasted no time taking the match to the ground. Brian Ortiz opened the match by dodging a heavy  right from Dominic Costantini and followed up by delivering a powerful takedown. Once on the ground Ortiz unleashed a series of strikes to open up the guard of Costantini and ultimately lock him into a rear naked choke hold. Ortiz captured one of the fastest victories of the night at just 0:28 into round one following the tap from Costantini.

The final bout before the main event featured two featherweights, Joaquin Sanchez and Jonathan Terry. The bout began with a series of jabs from Sanchez which subsequently forced Terry to the corner. Unable to pull free from Sanchez, Terry was forced to wrap himself around his competitor and endure jabs and knees. The ref breaks the hold by Sanchez who immediate follows up with a takedown. Once on top of his opponent Sanchez rained down windmill strikes until Terry caught his arm for an unsuccessful armbar attempt. At the end of round one, Terry stayed on the ground suffering from a noticeable shoulder injury, the result of which earned Sanchez the TKO victory.

The main event of the event of the evening featured a title match between the interim FCE middleweight champion Luke Austin and reigning FCE middleweight champion Jeremy Godina. Austin started the fight out with combination of wide stance strikes until Godina forced him back into the cage. Godina wasted no time demonstrating his power by slamming Austin to the ground and hammering away at his head and side. Godina stayed in control throughout round one, blocking the reversals and a mounting attempt, occasionally peppering his opponent with strikes. Round one came to an end with Godina pounding away at a floored Austin. At the start of round two, Godina launched another big take down on the visibly gassed Austin. From the ground Godina continued to work the face and sides until mounting Austin to lock in the rear naked choke which ended the bout at 1:29 of round two. Godina emerged victorious and successfully defended the FCE Middleweight title.

Quick Results
Tony Ortiz defeated Allen Hile by technical knockout 0:26 of round 1
Robert Chancellor defeated John Melencio by technical knockout 2:54 of round 1
Eric Baehr defeated Carlos Encinas by technical knockout  1:31 of round 2
E.J Vazquez defeated Victor Johnson by guillotine choke 0:50 of round 1
Ivan Garcia defeated Jerry Garcia via unanimous decision scored 30-27
Chyle Vance defeated Mike Kriewalt via TKO (verbal submission) at 2:12 of round 1
Ken Hansen defeated Zach Hernandez via TKO (fighter unable to continue) at the end of round 2.
Brian Ortiz defeated Dominic Costantini via rear naked choke at 0:28 of round 1.
Joaquin Sanchez defeated Jonathan Terry via TKO (fighter unable to continue) at the end of round 1.
Jeremy Godina defeated Luke Austin via rear naked choke at 1:29 of round 2.