Your weekly update on what big-show veterans are up to on the regional circuit.
While we’re all still drunk on power (Mark Hunt’s power, anyway), let’s unwind with some regional fight results, shall we?
Following his impressive, title-winning run in Japan, Marlon Sandro (26-7-2, 8-3 Bellator, 5-2 Sengoku) came to be ranked among the best featherweights in the world. However, the last few years have seen him struggle to gain traction in the division, the latest of these troubles coming last weekend in the main event of Road FC 29.
Sandro, a potent finisher, looked to unseat unlikely champion Mu Gyeom Choi (7-4-0) but wound up on the wrong side of the scorecards; Choi received a unanimous decision from the judges. The loss drops Sandro to 1-2-1 since his last appearance in Bellator–a unanimous decision victory over Chris Horodecki. The 39-year-old Sandro hasn’t won consecutive fights in three years.
In the co-main event, Marcus Brimage (7-6, 4-5 UFC) took to the ring for the first time since his UFC release. He faced stiff opposition in the form of brawler-of-note Soo Chul Kim (13-5-1). Brimage was unable to overcome the former One FC champion, losing by unanimous decision. Brimage has now lost three in a row; he’s 1-5 in the last three years. Kim is undefeated in his last seven outings and has added a 5th UFC vet to his resume.
Also on the card, Carlos Toyota, the journeyman heavyweight who served as a warm-up fight for Jaideep Singh (who in turn served as a warm-up fight for Fedor Emelianenko) rebounded from his loss last year to Emelianenko protege Kiril Sidelnikov with a first-round knockout of Gun Oh Shim (1-2-0). Toyota, who also owns a victory over Hong Man Choi, improves to 7-8-1.
And earlier in the night, Shinji Sasaki (16-8-3) put away Won Sik Park (11-6-1, 0-1 Dream, 0-1 Sengoku) with strikes 40 seconds into Round 1.
Meanwhile, in Canada…
Charmaine Tweet (8-5, 1-2 Invicta FC) claimed the vacant Prestige FC featherweight title with a unanimous-decision worthy effort against Jessy Miele (5-3-0). Tweet is 2-0 since her last appearance in Invicta–a first-round knockout loss at the hands of champion Cristiane Justino. Miele represents Tweet’s most credible victory to date, as all other such opponents have had less than three fights or records under .500.
Fellow Invicta FC veteran Nicdali Rivera-Calanoc (8-9, 1-3 Invicta FC) also enjoyed a victory last weekend, though under somewhat more curious circumstances. Rivera-Calanoc has been a professional fighter for ten years, but, at FCF 51 in Shawnee, Oklahama, made her way to the ring as an amateur. Opponent Ronni Lawrence has also been competing as a professional, albeit with a dispiriting 0-4-0 mark to her credit. Rivera-Calanoc won the bout via unanimous decision.
Other Results
At King of the Cage: Extreme Horsepower, Charles Bennett (28-30-2, 2-3 PRIDE, 1-1 EliteXC) dropped a unanimous decision to Matthew DiMarcantonio (9-6-0). He’s 2-2 since returning to competition.
TUF 13 alum Chuck O’Neil (16-8, 0-1 UFC) pulled himself out of a two-fight skid with a unanimous decision victory over Dennis Olson (14-11, 0-4 Bellator) at CES 33.
On that same card, Matt Bessette (17-7, 5-2 Bellator) put away Taurean Bogguess (14-11, 0-1 Bellator) with a first-round triangle choke. Bessette has won two straight. And TUF 11’s Greg Rebello (20-6, 1-1 Bellator) scored a buzzer-beater TKO of Keith Bell (7-8-1) two seconds before the close of Round 1.
At Pancrase 276, TUF: Brazil 2 tournament favorite Luiz Dutra (13-4-1, 0-2 UFC) bested relative novice Hiroyuki Tetsuka (2-1-0) by unanimous decision. And fellow Brazilian Rafael Silva (25-5, 3-2 Bellator) improved to 3-0 since his departure from Bellator, submitting Shohei Masumizu (4-1-0) with an arm-triangle choke in Round 1.