(Photo via Scott Clark/Sherdog.com)
Impact Fighting Championship held it’s first event in Brisbane, Australia Saturday night featuring many notable mixed martial arts names such as Josh Barnett, Karo Parisyan, Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou, and Carlos Newton.
Sherdog.com was on scene and provided updates on the bout as well as the full results.
Picking up an easy victory was top ten ranked heavyweight Josh Barnett, who improved to 26-5 with a first round TKO victory over Geronimo dos Santos in their main event bout.
Barnett got a takedown to full mount within 10 seconds of the opening bell, and it looked like the bout wouldn’t even see 30 seconds. Though “Mondragon” made it back to his feet, Barnett finished another takedown, again straight into full mount, and exploited the Belem native’s nascent ground skills by posturing up and pounding away.
Dos Santos turned away from Barnett, who hammered right hands into the Brazilian’s earhole. After a salvo of clean rights, referee “Big” John McCarthy stopped in to halt the bout at 2:35 of the first frame. Dos Santos complained to McCarthy that the bout was stopped too early. As Dos Santos reached his feet in protest, the hulking Brazilian was rubber-legged, zig-zagging across the cage.
“The referee stopped the bout; that’s the only reason I quit,” said Barnett after the bout. “If he thought it was going to get any better for him, he’s wrong.”
Don’t get too excited for “The Baby Faced Assassin” just yet, the loss marked the third loss in four fights for dos Santos who was fighting for the first time out of his native Brazil.
Parisyan faced a tougher opponent in Aussie Ben Mortimer. Their bout was the first fight of the evening after “The Heat” requested the change from the main card so he could get his fight over with quickly so family back home could stop worrying about him.
For the better part of two rounds, Parisyan’s oft-praised judo dominated proceedings, as he notched four throws that landed him firmly in side control. Parisyan looked to have victory secured twice in the first round, as he spun for far-side armbars from side mount, but Mortimer escaped both, and even landed some sharp right hands on Parisyan’s face.
In Parisyan’s fourth trip to side control in the second round, Parisyan threatened with a kimura that forced a scramble. In said scramble, Parisyan rode Moritimer from the side and locked up a Caol Uno-style rear-naked choke. After securing the choke, Parisyan then sunk his hooks and coaxed the tap at 4:18 of the second round.
“I need more time. My body looks like a third-grader body. But I’m trying to get back,” said Parisyan in self-critique.
The full ‘Impact FC: The Uprising’ results are as follows:
Heavyweight bout: Josh Barnett def. Geronimo dos Santos via TKO (punches) – R1, 2:35
Light-Heavyweight bout: Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou def. Joaquim Ferreira via TKO (punches) – R1, 1:20
Welterweight bout: Karo Parisyan def. Ben Mortimer via submission (rear-naked choke) – R2, 2:35
Heavyweight bout: Jeff Monson def. Ubiratan Lima Marinho via unanimous decision
Catchweight (160 pounds): Tom Waters def. Jacob Mahony via TKO (punches) – R2, 1:38
Heavyweight bout: Fabio Fernandes def. Api Hemara via submission (rear-naked choke) – R1, 3:58
Lightweight bout: Thiago “Minu” Meller def. Jai Bradney via submission (guillotine) – R1, 1:32
Welterweight bout: Brian Ebersole def. Carlos Newton via unanimous decision