Tag: Nah-Shon Burrell

Bellator 128 Results and GIF Highlights: Warren Edges Dantas, Page Defeats Burrell

Another Friday night, another Bellator card–Bellator 128, to be specific.

This card wasn’t the best Bellator has put on, but it was good enough. Alexander Sarnavskiy took on pornographic actor Dakota Cochrane. Bubba McDaniel fought Emiliano Sordi. In the co-main event, highly touted prospect Michael Page met Nah Shon Burrell. Eduardo Dantas defended his Bellator bantamweight title against Joe Warren in the main event.

Check out the GIF highlights and the complete results below (all via Zombie Prophet):

Another Friday night, another Bellator card–Bellator 128, to be exact.

This card wasn’t the best Bellator has put on, but it was good enough. Alexander Sarnavskiy took on pornographic actor Dakota Cochrane. Bubba McDaniel fought Emiliano Sordi. In the co-main event, highly touted prospect Michael Page met Nah Shon Burrell. Eduardo Dantas defended his Bellator bantamweight title against Joe Warren in the main event.

Check out the GIF highlights and the complete results below (all via Zombie Prophet):

Bubba McDaniel vs. Emiliano Sordi:

The GIF tells the entire story of this fight. McDaniel shot in and earned a tight guillotine choke for his efforts. It was a slick submission win for Sordi.

Alexander Sarnavskiy vs. Dakota Cochrane:

Domination was in vogue at Bellator 128. Sarnavskiy vs. Cochrane was just as one-sided as Sordi vs. McDaniel. Sarnavskiy made Cochrane look like he hadn’t boxed in his life. After rocking him on the feet and flooring him, Sarnavskiy sunk in a rear naked choke.

Michael Page vs. Nah Shon Burrell:

The fight many expected to be the fight of the night turned out to be a dud. There weren’t many highlights from this match. Burrell tried to wall-and-stall Page, but Page managed to land far more strikes. He won via decision. The GIF above shows off a post-fight scuffle between the two fighters–or it shows officials trying to break up a hug. You decide.

Eduardo Dantas vs. Joe Warren:

Much to our surprise, Joe Warren managed to defeat Eduardo Dantas! Warren out-wrestled and out-hustled the Brazilian, who seemed disinterested in the fight. To use a terrible cliche, Warren just WANTED IT MORE [barfs from using that phrase]. Warren’s performance was of the gritty wrestler variety. As such, it doesn’t lend itself to GIF highlights. So what we have above is an illegal kick to the head of a grounded Dantas. Big John McCarthy didn’t take a point for this infraction, which caused some controversy among MMA fans on Twitter.

Here are the complete results:

Main Card

Joe Warren def. Eduardo Dantas via unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 48-47)
Michael Page def. NahShon Burrell via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Alexander Sarnavskiy def. Dakota Cochrane via submission (rear naked choke), 2:32 of round 1.
Emiliano Sordi def. Bubba McDanial via submission (guillotine), 0:58 of round 1.

Preliminary Card

Cortez Coleman def. William Florentino via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28).
Andreas Michailidis vs. Jason Butcher via TKO (strikes) at :28 of round 2.
Emmanuel Sanchez def. Stephen Banaszak via submission (rear naked choke) at 2:18 of round 1.
John Teixeira def. Scott Cleve via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28).
J.C. Cottrell def Jonathan Gary via submission (guillotine) at 3:38 of round 2.
Brandon Seyler def. Demario Cade via submission (rear naked choke) at 2:25 of round 1.

Bellator 112 Results: Curran Submits Straus With Clutch Rear Naked Choke, Koreshkov Blasts Burrell

Injury considerably dimmed Bellator 112’s star power, with War Machine and Joe Riggs withdrawing from the season 10 welterweight tournament due to injury (as well as Mark Scanlon but he’s not as high profile). We received unheralded fighters Nathan Coy, Cristiano Souza, and Paul Bradley.

Still, the card’s main event featured a featherweight title rematch between champion Daniel Straus and challenger Pat Curran, making it worth the investment of time.

But was the rest of the card worthwhile? Read our main card recap and decide for yourself.

Injury considerably dimmed Bellator 112′s star power, with War Machine and Joe Riggs withdrawing from the season 10 welterweight tournament due to injury (as well as Mark Scanlon but he’s not as high profile). We received unheralded fighters Nathan Coy, Cristiano Souza, and Paul Bradley.

Still, the card’s main event featured a featherweight title rematch between champion Daniel Straus and challenger Pat Curran, making it worth the investment of time.

But was the rest of the card worthwhile? Read our main card recap and decide for yourself.

Jesse Juarez vs. Adam McDonough

In the first round, McDonough landed a stiff knee to Juarez’s head after a brief feeling out period. Juarez, however, had presence of mind enough to take McDonough down off the knee strike. After a few minutes, Juarez advanced to mount and nearly secured an arm triangle choke. McDonough defended. The two fighters briefly rose to their feet. McDonough reversed a Juarez takedown and mounted him before transitioning to the back. The round ended with McDonough attempting to lock in a rear naked choke.

The pace was slower in the second round. McDonough again reversed a Juarez takedown and wound up on top, this time in side control. Juarez eventually escaped, and both men resorted to flashy but ineffective striking exchanges. The round ended with McDonough in a sprawl, defending a tepid takedown attempt from a tired Juarez.

The third round was much closer. McDonough landed a takedown early and controlled Juarez on the mat for the first half of the round. Juarez managed to change things though, rising to his feet and then landing two of his own takedowns, after which he nearly took McDonough’s back. He then opted for a guillotine choke, which failed.

Adam McDonough got the nod from the judges in a unanimous decision. He’ll be fighting Nathan Coy (who defeated Paul Bradley in the Bellator 112 prelims) in the next round of the welterweight tournament.

The winner will fight Nathan Coy in the next round of the welterweight tournament semifinals.

Cristiano Souza vs. Sam Oropeza

The fight ended in the first round with KO. Souza botched a lateral drop, bringing Oropeza down on top of him. However, the Brazilian managed to stay calm and rise to his feet…only to be sent to the canvas moments later by a devastating right hook from Oropeza.

Andrey Koreshkov vs. Nah-Shon Burrell

Last we saw Andrey Koreshkov, he was being ridden like a racehorse and mocked (GIF via @ZProphet_MMA) by former Bellator welterweight champ Ben Askren. At Bellator 112, he fought Nah-Shon Burrell, and looked like a different fighter.

He landed a body kick at the start of the fight that floored Burrell. The referee waved it off after a handful of follow-up punches. It was over in under a minute. He’ll be meeting Sam Oropeza in the semifinals.

Daniel Straus (c) vs. Pat Curran

Incredible fight with an incredible finish. After four and a half rounds of back and forth striking exchanges and scrambles on the mat, Pat Curran sunk in a rear naked choke with only seconds remaining in the fight to become the Bellator featherweight champion once again. If you DVR’d the event, you owe it to yourself to watch this fight.

Complete results:

Main Card

Adam McDonough def. Jesse Juarez via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Sam Oropeza def. Cristiano Souza via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 3:07
Andrey Koreshkov def. Nah-Shon Burrell via TKO (knee, punches) – Round 1, 0:41
Pat Curran def. Daniel Straus via submission (rear naked choke) – Round 5, 4:46

Preliminary Card

Daniel James def. Erick Correa via submission (strikes) – Round 2, 4:30
Anthony Gomez def. Jason Guida via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27)
Derek Loffer def. Bobby Reradanz via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Darrion Caldwell def. Lance Surma via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 1, 0:50
Belal Muhammad def. A.J. Matthews via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Nathan Coy def. Paul Bradley via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

And Now They’re Fired: Karlos Vemola, Roger Hollett, and a Bunch of Guys You’ve Probably Never Heard of Get the Axe


(Hollett’s spinning elbow may have been way off the mark that night, but his impression of a James Toney side check kick was SPOT ON.) 

Another Monday morning means another batch of UFC firings, Nation. Thankfully, none of the names on today’s list should really come as all that big a surprise, so let’s quit beating around the bush and get right to this thing…

Roger “The Hulk” Hollett: This one-time Bellator veteran was originally brought over to face Matt Hamill in his un-retirement fight at UFC 152, was then forced out of the fight do to a contract dispute with his former promotion (Author’s note: My shocked face. Let me show you it.) and replaced by Vladimir Matyushenko, and was then brought back in against Hamill when Vladdy went down with an injury. Unfortunately, the story ends with Hollett getting his ass handed to him in a snoozer at UFC 152, then getting similarly outgunned by Fabio Maldonado at UFC on FX 8 last month. Sad story, bro. This one’s on us.


(Hollett’s spinning elbow may have been way off the mark that night, but his impression of a James Toney side check kick was SPOT ON.) 

Another Monday morning means another batch of UFC firings, Nation. Thankfully, none of the names on today’s list should really come as all that big a surprise, so let’s quit beating around the bush and get right to this thing…

Roger “The Hulk” Hollett: This one-time Bellator veteran was originally brought over to face Matt Hamill in his un-retirement fight at UFC 152, was then forced out of the fight do to a contract dispute with his former promotion (Author’s note: My shocked face. Let me show you it.) and replaced by Vladimir Matyushenko, and was then brought back in against Hamill when Vladdy went down with an injury. Unfortunately, the story ends with Hollett getting his ass handed to him in a snoozer at UFC 152, then getting similarly outgunned by Fabio Maldonado at UFC on FX 8 last month. Sad story, bro. This one’s on us.

Karlos “The Terminator” Vemola: Not since Kenny Florian have we seen a fighter change weight classes so many times over the course of a UFC career. After entering the promotion as a heavyweight in 2010 and suffering a UD loss to Jon Madsen, Vemola immediately dropped down to 205, where he scored a KOTN-earning win over the now-retired Seth Petruzelli at UFC 122. A decision loss to Ronny Markes in his next contest would sending him down to the middleweight division, where he would submit Mike Massenzio with a rear-naked choke at UFC on FOX 3 before getting rear-naked choked by Francis Carmont and Caio Magalhaes in back-to-back fights.

Nah-Shon Burrell: This is the one guy on the list that everyone appears to be making a big stink over, although the evidence against him seems pretty compelling. For starters, Burrell couldn’t make weight in both his Strikeforce and UFC debuts (the latter of which he missed by a metric fuckton, scientifically speaking). Secondly, he needed two attempts to make weight for his eventual decision loss to Stephen Thompson at UFC 160. Although his UFC record currently stands at an even 1-1, Anthony Johnson will tell you that being a fatty boom-boom in the UFC is a surefire way to get the boot, regardless of your merit as a fighter.

Eddie Mendez: 0-1 in the UFC, was quickly submitted by TUF Brazil finalist Daniel Sarafian in the opening bout of UFC on FUEL 10 earlier in the month. Moving on…

Anthony “Lionheart” Smith: After getting submitted by Roger Gracie at the final Strikeforce event, Smith was also submitted at UFC on FUEL 10 via a kneebar at the hands of Antonio Braga Neto in just under two minutes. Man, it looks like submission defense is just under shit-talking skills on the checklist of reasons to keep a fighter in the UFC these days.

Leandro Silva: *Also* 0-1 in the UFC, Silva was outworked by Ildemar Alcantara en route to a UD loss at, you guessed it, UFC on FUEL 10. Hey, at least he always has professional soccer to fall back on.

–J. Jones

“Strikeforce: Barnett vs Cormier” Aftermath: Tournament Alternate Cormier Takes the HWGP

Mauro haters, hit mute now. Actually, everyone hit mute and read what I say about the fights below. (Video: YouTube/ShoSports)

Bruised and battered. Cut and bloodied. Josh Barnett’s face wasn’t one of a man who got out-wrestled last night. Olympic-level or not, wrestling doesn’t leave you looking like you put your head through a meat grinder. Don’t get me wrong, he did get out-wrestled last night, he just got out-struck as well. He got out-everythinged, if you want to get technical.

It didn’t have to be that way, of course. A lot of men would have wilted earlier–much earlier–in the onslaught of Daniel Cormier’s attack. But Barnett never thought of taking the easy way out, and today his face testifies to the evolving game of Cormier. The AKA product showed great versatility in his striking, staggering Barnett with heavy hands, head kicks, and knees. His combinations come fast, hard, and often, which explains why his hand surgeon is on retainer (yeah, he broke his hand again last night). When he did grab hold of “The War Master”, his grappling pedigree shone as well. He sent Barnett stumbling across the cage from the clinch and dolled out single-leg frequent flier miles, at one point flipping the former UFC champion in the air before slamming him to the mat.

Mauro haters, hit mute now. Actually, everyone hit mute and read what I say about the fights below.  (Video: YouTube/ShoSports)

Bruised and battered. Cut and bloodied. Josh Barnett‘s face wasn’t one of a man who got out-wrestled last night. Olympic-level or not, wrestling doesn’t leave you looking like you put your head through a meat grinder. Don’t get me wrong, he did get out-wrestled last night, he just got out-struck as well. He got out-everythinged, if you want to get technical.

It didn’t have to be that way, of course. A lot of men would have wilted earlier–much earlier–in the onslaught of Daniel Cormier’s attack. But Barnett never thought of taking the easy way out, and today his face testifies to the evolving game of Cormier. The AKA product showed great versatility in his striking, staggering Barnett with heavy hands, head kicks, and knees. His combinations come fast, hard, and often, which explains why his hand surgeon is on retainer (yeah, he broke his hand again last night). When he did grab hold of “The War Master”, his grappling pedigree shone as well. He sent Barnett stumbling across the cage from the clinch and dolled out single-leg frequent flier miles, at one point flipping the former UFC champion in the air before slamming him to the mat.

If Cormier looked great last night it was only because Barnett forced him to. Josh had DC in trouble on more than one occasion, visibly hurting him in the second frame with a right hand-left knee combination, and later working dutifully for leg-locks on the ground. He too will have to nurse a broken hand suffered in the opening frame, but hopefully he’ll find his way to the Octagon soon.

The rubbermatch between Gilbert Melendez and challenger Josh Thomson was far more evenly contested and therefor far more difficult to judge. The old rivals started off slowly in a pair of cautious opening rounds. Both men found a home for their fists in those first two frames, but with the more active hands and several short-lived takedowns the champion edged out Thomson on the cards. “The Punk” came alive in the third, turning up the heat in a pivotal swing-round that could arguably have gone either way on a night where the scorecards bore little resemblance to the action taking place inside the cage.

Thomson took control in the championship rounds. Another slick trip takedown in the fourth round ended with the challenger taking Melendez’s back and threatening with several rear naked choke attempts. “The Punk” outlanded the champion two-to-one in significant strikes in the final round, taking Melendez down and maintaining top-control to close the bout.

Thomson suffered from repeated unintentional eye pokes throughout the bout, and a potential point deduction would have yielded a majority draw in a bout that either man could have been awarded under the Unified Rules. Under Melendez’s hometown ‘Stockton Rules‘, however, that belt is changing hands. “El Nino” got busted up in the exchanges and looked far more worse for wear after the fight. Though Thomson wasn’t exactly unleashing hell from above as the final bell rang, momentum had clearly shifted in his direction in the latter half of the battle. No matter who you had ahead, there will be no fourth fight and Melendez is keeping the strap.

In a far more decisive battle, Rafael Cavalcante evened the score in his rematch with Mike Kyle. Only seconds into their bout, “Feijao” connected with a knee to the grill that sent Kyle flying back against the cage. The Brazilian swarmed him on the ground with a torrent of hammerfists, many to the back of the head, before Kyle worked his way back to his feet. Perhaps inspired by Jon Jones pulling guard at UFC 145–not!–Feijao jumped around MAK’s waist and sunk in a guillotine. Kyle stayed standing for a bit before attempting to slam his way free of the choke, but Feijao rolled with the momentum and cranked away for the tap once they hit the ground.

In the evening’s opening tilt, late-replacement Chris Spang needed less than a round to dispatch Nah-Shon Burrell and even up his family’s MMA record over the weekend. Spang dropped Burrell halfway through the first then threw more high knees than a Rockettes performance. Fortunately for Burrell, he was out on his feet for much of the abuse, and referee Josh Rosenthal mercifully called the bout once Burrell collapsed his way out of Spang’s thai clinch and sprawled out on the canvas.

Also, if you didn’t catch the Virgil Zwicker-Carlos Inocente throwdown in the prelims, do yourself a favor. The only part of Zwicker’s body that Inocente doesn’t smash was his heart. It’s an entertaining scrap that casts Zwicker as the loveable anti-Sapp.

 

– @ChrisColemon

 

Full Results: (via: MMAWeekly.com)

Main Card (on Showtime):
-Daniel Cormier def. Josh Barnett by unanimous decision (49-46, 50-45, 50-45)
-Gilbert Melendez def. Josh Thomson by split decision (48-47, 47-48, 48-47)
-Rafael “Feijao” Cavalcante def. Mike Kyle by submission (guillotine choke) at :33, R1
-Chris Spang def. Nah-Shon Burrell by KO at 1:35, R1

Preliminary Card (on Showtime Extreme):
-Isaac Vallie-Flagg def. Cesias “JZ” Cavalcante by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
-Carlos Augusto “Guto” Inocente Filho def. Virgil Zwicker by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
-Gian Villante def. Derrick Mehmen  by unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
-Quinn Mulhern def. Yuri Villefort by split decision (30-27, 28-29, 29-28)
-Bobby Green def. James Terry by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)

Strikeforce (Tonight)- Crisper’s Betting Picks

Ok – keepin this one short and sweet. Like two favorites… Nah-Shon Burrrell (-260) and Rafael Cavalcante (-200). Both of these fights should end early. Lay the money tonite and add 2 units to the.

Ok – keepin this one short and sweet. Like two favorites…

Nah-Shon Burrrell (-260) and Rafael Cavalcante (-200).

Both of these fights should end early. Lay the money tonite and add 2 units to the bankroll!

Crisper

Strikeforce Undercard Live Blog: Terry vs. Burrell, Villante vs. Smith, More

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This is the Strikeforce live blog for tonight’s four Showtime Extreme preliminary bouts at the Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.

The undercard bouts are Nah-Shon Burrell vs. James Terry, Trevor Smith vs. Gian Villante, Ricky Legere vs. Chris Spang and Alonzo Martinez vs. Estevan Payan.

The live blog is below.


James Terry vs. Nah-Shon Burrell

Round 1: Herb Dean is the referee. The wrestler Terry pumps out jabs to gauge the distance. Terry lands a clean right overhand. A nice Burrell jab pushes Terry back. Burrell follows with a leg kick. Terry pushes forward with a takedown attempt, driving Burrell against the cage and eventually to the floor. Burrell gets to his feet, but Terry quickly returns Burrell to the floor. Burrell explodes back to his feet but Terry quickly reclaims control. This time Terry works to take Burrell’s back. Burrell stands and Terry switches to a single-leg. Terry scores one more takedown with a little over 30 seconds remaining. Burrell escapes to his feet. MMA Fighting scores the first round 10-9 for Terry.

Round 2: Burrell does a nice job finding angles to land punches. Terry scores on a right hand and closes the distance for a takedown. Terry takes Burrell’s back. Burrell stands up and frees himself from Terry. Terry lands a nice right uppercut followed by a left. Burrell lands a right and Terry answers back with a clean right of his own. Terry ties up with Burrell and Burrell launches a high knee to break the clinch. Terry shoots and Burrell sprawls. Terry holds onto the double-leg with Burrell against the fence. Terry finishes the takedown and controls Burrell for the remainder of the round. MMA Fighting scores the second round 10-9 Terry.

Round 3: Burrell plays headhunter as Terry circles to avoid Burrell’s punches. Burrell traps Terry against the cage and lands several shots. Burrell confidently scores with a knee. Burrell lands an uppercut. Terry is slowing down here and giving Burrell a chance to get back into the fight. Burrell goes wild, charging in with hooks and flying knees. Meanwhile, Terry seems content trying to block Burrell’s shots. An overhand by Burrell pushes Terry back. With around a minute left, Burrell rocks Terry with the best shot of the fight, a launching right uppercut. Terry attempts the takedown and scores it with 21 seconds remaining. MMA Fighting scores the final round for Burrell but the overall fight 29-28 for Terry.

Whoa …

Nah-Shon Burrell wins via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)

Terry appeared to have cruised in the third and paid for it. Still, Terry should have won the fight on the first two rounds.

Gian Villante vs. Trevor Smith

Round 1: The light heavyweights collide early with Villante stuffing a shot and punishing Smith with a knee. Villante lands with rights. Villante catches a leg kick and sends Smith to the floor with a straight right punch. Villante pours down hammerfists (to the back of the head!) and referee Kim Winslow stops the fight. Stoppage was a little on the early side, but fight didn’t look at all competitive.

Gian Villante wins via TKO – Round 1, 1:05

Ricky Legere vs. Chris Spang

Round 1: Here we have a wrestler (Legere) vs. striker (Sprang) matchup and Legere shoots early. Legere scores a takedown early, lifting Sprang high and then driving him down towards the mat. Sprang throws up an armbar attempt, but Legere postures to escape. Legere goes to work with short punches and elbows. Legere stands to push Sprang’s legs away and passes to side mount in the midway point of the round. Sprang escapes to halfguard and then full guard. Eventually, Sprang kicks Legere off to bring the fight back to standing. Sprang drops down for a guillotine choke attempt in the closing moments. 10-9 Legere.

Round 2: Sprang throws a beautiful flying knee that connects, but under the chin of Legere. The knee also allows Legere to catch Sprang and put him on the ground. Legere goes back to work to score points with ground and pound punches. The referee stands them up at 1:50. Legere quickly attempts another takedown and eventually lifts Sprang up for the big slam. Legere finishes the round trying to pass from Sprang’s halfguard. Another 10-9 for Legere.

Round 3: Sprang keeps the fight standing early, but Sprang eventually finds an opening to take Prang down. Legere isn’t able to stay active enough and the fight is stood up. Legere shoots and lifts Prang up for the easy takedown. Prang kicks Legere off. Legere shoots but he misses. Sprang quickly takes the back of Legere and tries for a choke hold. Sprang doesn’t have the hooks and Legere manages to escape. Legere claims full mount and finishes the round strong. Best round for Sprang in the fight, but it’s still 10-9 in round three and the fight 30-27 for Legere, according to our score cards.

Ricky Legere wins via unanimous decision (29-28 3x)

Alonzo Martinez vs. Estevan Payan

Round 1: Kim Winslow is the referee. They are quick to trade hands and the wrestler Martinez connects on a nice knee early. Each are throwing and landing big shots. Martinez attempts an ankle-pick takedown at 3:17, but the Arizona Combat Sports fighter Payan frees his leg. Back to their feet, Payan muscles Martinez near the cage and unleashes a punch combo. Martinez shoots for the double-leg with a little over a minute remaining and Payan again successfully defends. Martinez held his own, but it’s Payan who controlled the first round on the feet, landing more significant strikes with higher accuracy. MMA Fighting scores the first round 10-9 for Payan.

Round 2: Payan continues to effectively implement his game plan, working his stiff jab while finding openings to follow up with right hooks, and also right uppercuts. Martinez throws a head kick that makes contact with Payan. Payan greets Martinez’s takedown attempt with a kick and Martinez is a little stunned. Payan continues to effectively utilize the jab. Payan defends another takedown. Once again, Payan controls the striking game and has stuffed all over Martinez’s takedown attempts. MMA Fighting scores the round 10-9 for Payan.

Round 3: Martinez opens actively with kicks. He lands a good kick to the body and then a leg kick. Payan’s jabs continue to present problems for Martinez. Payan lands a nice straight right hand. To his credit, Martinez is taking these shots and not going down. Martinez makes desperate attempts at bringing the fight to the floor, but Payan easily defends. Martinez missed all six of his takedown attempts. Payan’s superior boxing was the difference in this fight. MMA Fighting scores the round 10-9 and the fight 30-27 in favor of Payan.

Estevan Payan wins via unanimous decision (30-27 3x)

 

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This is the Strikeforce live blog for tonight’s four Showtime Extreme preliminary bouts at the Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.

The undercard bouts are Nah-Shon Burrell vs. James Terry, Trevor Smith vs. Gian Villante, Ricky Legere vs. Chris Spang and Alonzo Martinez vs. Estevan Payan.

The live blog is below.


James Terry vs. Nah-Shon Burrell

Round 1: Herb Dean is the referee. The wrestler Terry pumps out jabs to gauge the distance. Terry lands a clean right overhand. A nice Burrell jab pushes Terry back. Burrell follows with a leg kick. Terry pushes forward with a takedown attempt, driving Burrell against the cage and eventually to the floor. Burrell gets to his feet, but Terry quickly returns Burrell to the floor. Burrell explodes back to his feet but Terry quickly reclaims control. This time Terry works to take Burrell’s back. Burrell stands and Terry switches to a single-leg. Terry scores one more takedown with a little over 30 seconds remaining. Burrell escapes to his feet. MMA Fighting scores the first round 10-9 for Terry.

Round 2: Burrell does a nice job finding angles to land punches. Terry scores on a right hand and closes the distance for a takedown. Terry takes Burrell’s back. Burrell stands up and frees himself from Terry. Terry lands a nice right uppercut followed by a left. Burrell lands a right and Terry answers back with a clean right of his own. Terry ties up with Burrell and Burrell launches a high knee to break the clinch. Terry shoots and Burrell sprawls. Terry holds onto the double-leg with Burrell against the fence. Terry finishes the takedown and controls Burrell for the remainder of the round. MMA Fighting scores the second round 10-9 Terry.

Round 3: Burrell plays headhunter as Terry circles to avoid Burrell’s punches. Burrell traps Terry against the cage and lands several shots. Burrell confidently scores with a knee. Burrell lands an uppercut. Terry is slowing down here and giving Burrell a chance to get back into the fight. Burrell goes wild, charging in with hooks and flying knees. Meanwhile, Terry seems content trying to block Burrell’s shots. An overhand by Burrell pushes Terry back. With around a minute left, Burrell rocks Terry with the best shot of the fight, a launching right uppercut. Terry attempts the takedown and scores it with 21 seconds remaining. MMA Fighting scores the final round for Burrell but the overall fight 29-28 for Terry.

Whoa …

Nah-Shon Burrell wins via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)

Terry appeared to have cruised in the third and paid for it. Still, Terry should have won the fight on the first two rounds.

Gian Villante vs. Trevor Smith

Round 1: The light heavyweights collide early with Villante stuffing a shot and punishing Smith with a knee. Villante lands with rights. Villante catches a leg kick and sends Smith to the floor with a straight right punch. Villante pours down hammerfists (to the back of the head!) and referee Kim Winslow stops the fight. Stoppage was a little on the early side, but fight didn’t look at all competitive.

Gian Villante wins via TKO – Round 1, 1:05

Ricky Legere vs. Chris Spang

Round 1: Here we have a wrestler (Legere) vs. striker (Sprang) matchup and Legere shoots early. Legere scores a takedown early, lifting Sprang high and then driving him down towards the mat. Sprang throws up an armbar attempt, but Legere postures to escape. Legere goes to work with short punches and elbows. Legere stands to push Sprang’s legs away and passes to side mount in the midway point of the round. Sprang escapes to halfguard and then full guard. Eventually, Sprang kicks Legere off to bring the fight back to standing. Sprang drops down for a guillotine choke attempt in the closing moments. 10-9 Legere.

Round 2: Sprang throws a beautiful flying knee that connects, but under the chin of Legere. The knee also allows Legere to catch Sprang and put him on the ground. Legere goes back to work to score points with ground and pound punches. The referee stands them up at 1:50. Legere quickly attempts another takedown and eventually lifts Sprang up for the big slam. Legere finishes the round trying to pass from Sprang’s halfguard. Another 10-9 for Legere.

Round 3: Sprang keeps the fight standing early, but Sprang eventually finds an opening to take Prang down. Legere isn’t able to stay active enough and the fight is stood up. Legere shoots and lifts Prang up for the easy takedown. Prang kicks Legere off. Legere shoots but he misses. Sprang quickly takes the back of Legere and tries for a choke hold. Sprang doesn’t have the hooks and Legere manages to escape. Legere claims full mount and finishes the round strong. Best round for Sprang in the fight, but it’s still 10-9 in round three and the fight 30-27 for Legere, according to our score cards.

Ricky Legere wins via unanimous decision (29-28 3x)

Alonzo Martinez vs. Estevan Payan

Round 1: Kim Winslow is the referee. They are quick to trade hands and the wrestler Martinez connects on a nice knee early. Each are throwing and landing big shots. Martinez attempts an ankle-pick takedown at 3:17, but the Arizona Combat Sports fighter Payan frees his leg. Back to their feet, Payan muscles Martinez near the cage and unleashes a punch combo. Martinez shoots for the double-leg with a little over a minute remaining and Payan again successfully defends. Martinez held his own, but it’s Payan who controlled the first round on the feet, landing more significant strikes with higher accuracy. MMA Fighting scores the first round 10-9 for Payan.

Round 2: Payan continues to effectively implement his game plan, working his stiff jab while finding openings to follow up with right hooks, and also right uppercuts. Martinez throws a head kick that makes contact with Payan. Payan greets Martinez’s takedown attempt with a kick and Martinez is a little stunned. Payan continues to effectively utilize the jab. Payan defends another takedown. Once again, Payan controls the striking game and has stuffed all over Martinez’s takedown attempts. MMA Fighting scores the round 10-9 for Payan.

Round 3: Martinez opens actively with kicks. He lands a good kick to the body and then a leg kick. Payan’s jabs continue to present problems for Martinez. Payan lands a nice straight right hand. To his credit, Martinez is taking these shots and not going down. Martinez makes desperate attempts at bringing the fight to the floor, but Payan easily defends. Martinez missed all six of his takedown attempts. Payan’s superior boxing was the difference in this fight. MMA Fighting scores the round 10-9 and the fight 30-27 in favor of Payan.

Estevan Payan wins via unanimous decision (30-27 3x)

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