Despite a series of last-minute injuries and cancellations, King of the Cage returned to HDNet tonight with KOTC: “Bad Boys 2” at the Cobo Arena in Detroit, Michigan. The event was headlined by a middleweight matchup between UFC veteran Joe “El Dirte” Doerksen and Chad Herrick.

The card also featured a pair of title fights, as Brad Burrick and Brandon Hunt squared off for the KOTC Middleweight Championship, and David Shepherd lost his KOTC Lightweight Championship to new champ Dom O’Grady. MMARising.com has live play-by-play for the main card.

 

Joe “El Dirte” Doerksen vs Chad Herrick

Round 1:
Herrick threw quick jabs early on and kept Doerksen at a distance. He tagged Doerksen with stiff jabs and right hands and avoided Doerksen’s attempt to take the fight to the mat. Herrick landed an overhand right and avoided a wild right hook. Doerksen kept his distance and threw single leg kicks, then scored with a pair of knees in close. Herrick threw him into the cage and Doerksen circled away.

Single punches landed for both and Herrick threw a one-two. Doerksen answered with a counter left hook and followed with a jab that snapped Herrick’s head back. Doerksen landed another leg kick and the fighters traded kicks, but Doerksen was poked in the eye. Time was briefly called, but the fight resumed and Doerksen backed Herrick up with a big flurry. He took Herrick down and landed in side-control. Herrick held Doerksen in place until the bell. 10-9 Doerksen.

Round 2:
Herrick jabbed to begin the second round and Doerksen fired back with leg and body kicks. He landed a one-two, but Herrick countered with a right hook. Doerksen shot in for a takedown and Herrick stayed on his feet. Doerksen picked Herrick up and slammed him down, but Herrick stood up and shrugged Doerksen off. Time was called to check a cut above Doerksen’s left eye. The fight resumed and Doerksen scored an emphatic takedown. He moved straight to side-control.

Doerksen landed knees to the body, but Herrick used the opportunity to regain guard. Doerksen pressed him up against the cage on the ground and threw short elbows. Herrick tried to scramble to his feet and Doerksen took his back. Herrick tried to shake Doerksen off, but could not. Doerksen went high and moved for an armbar, but Herrick escaped and backed away. The fighters traded wild punches and spinning backfists. Herrick dropped Doerksen with a counterpunch just before the bell. Still 10-9 Doerksen, but barely.

Round 3:
Doerksen took Herrick down early in the final round, but Herrick scrambled to his feet and evaded a guillotine choke. Doerksen stood up and clipped Herrick with a right hook, then dropped him with a left. He blasted Herrick with four punches on the ground, but Herrick survived. Doerksen took his back and transitioned to side-control. He landed short elbows until Herrick got back to his feet.

Doerksen landed a lunging left hook, but appeared to be tired. Herrick threw jabs and Doerksen took him down again. Doerksen moved to mount, then took Herrick’s back. Herrick defended well and prevented Doerksen from securing a choke. Doerksen continued to try for a rear-naked choke, but could not lock it in and Herrick landed two back elbows before the bell. 10-9 Doerksen.

Much like the fight earlier in the night, Anne Morrell once again turned in a dreadful scorecard and somehow awarded the fight to Herrick. Fortunately, the remaining two judges correctly sided with Doerksen, giving him a Split Decision win that should have been Unanimous.

Winner: Joe Doerksen by Split Decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29) after three rounds. He improves to 44-12-0.

 

KOTC Lightweight Championship

Dom “I Hate You So Much” O’Grady vs David Shepherd

Round 1:
The fighters traded punches early on and time was called after an accidental low blow from Shepherd. Action resumed and O’Grady pressed forward with punches. He threw Shepherd to the mat, but allowed him to stand. O’Grady clinched and used a judo throw to take Shepherd down. Shepherd defended well, but O’Grady landed a nice elbow as he pressed Shepherd up against the cage.

Shepherd tried for a triangle choke from the bottom, but O’Grady escaped and landed a short elbow. Shepherd latched onto O’Grady’s arm and attempted an armbar. O’Grady spun free and escaped to side-control. He landed another elbow and followed with more. O’Grady landed punches before the bell. Close round. 10-9 O’Grady.

Round 2:
The fighters exchanged kicks in round two and O’Grady rocked Shepherd with a one-two. O’Grady floored Shepherd with a right hook and unleashed a barrage of hammerfists on the ground. Shepherd held on and weathered the storm. O’Grady reversed and worked from half-guard, but Shepherd regained full guard. He tried for a triangle choke from his back and Shepherd worked free.

Shepherd took O’Grady’s back and looked for a rear-naked choke, but O’Grady rolled to his back and escaped danger. He tried for another triangle choke from his back and Shepherd escaped. He could not escape an armbar seconds later, however, and was forced to hastily tap out. Very impressive win for O’Grady, who becomes the new champion.

Winner: Dom O’Grady by Submission (Armbar) at 4:18 of round two. He improves to 9-2-0 and becomes the new KOTC Lightweight Champion.

 

Daron Cruickshank vs Jason “The Hitman” Holmes

Round 1:
Cruickshank threw a front kick to the body and looked to find his range early on. He landed a nice left hand, but Holmes cracked him with a quick counter right. The fighters traded body kicks and Cruickshank landed a hard leg kick. Holmes replied with a right hook and Cruickshank drilled him with a knee and a looping hook. Big punches were exchanged and Cruickshank landed another stiff leg kick. Holmes blocked a head kick, but ate an uppercut and a second kick to the head.

Cruickshank connected with a spinning back kick to the body and the fighters flurried with punches. Holmes pushed forward with a combination that missed. The fighters exchanged jabs and Cruickshank landed a variety of kicks. A clinch followed and Cruickshank scored with a knee to the body. Holmes tried for a takedown, but Cruickshank elbowed his way free. The round ended seconds later. 10-9 Cruickshank.

Round 2:
Round two began tentatively as the fighters circled and looked to find their range again. Both threw high kicks, but missed the mark. Holmes landed a jumping knee and Cruickshank replied with a quick spinning back kick. He landed a nice left hand and a combination. Holmes fired back with punches of his own. More punches were exchanged and Cruickshank scored with a spinning backfist.

Holmes jabbed and looked to set up a combination, but Cruickshank used superior head movement to evade. A quick snapping head kick just missed for Cruickshank and Holmes answered with a wild uppercut that came up short. Cruickshank scored a takedown and postured up, then landed elbows before the bell. 10-9 Cruickshank.

Round 3:
Cruickshank put together combinations of punches and body kicks in the final round as Holmes backed up. Cruickshank just missed with a spinning back kick and a side hammerfist over the top. He put Holmes on the defensive with another flurry, but Holmes circled. Time was briefly called to replace Cruickshank’s mouthpiece.

Holmes pawed out with jabs and Cruickshank just missed with a vicious elbow over the top in close. Holmes threw a combination and Cruickshank took him down against the cage. Referee Cecil Peoples strangely stood the fighters up almost immediately and Cruickshank scored another big takedown. He took Holmes’s back and landed elbows to set up a choke. Holmes defended until the bell. 10-9 Cruickshank.

Cruickshank clearly won all three rounds, yet one judge gave a round to Holmes and Anne Morrell somehow awarded the entire fight to Holmes. Absolutely ridiculous judging. This was a clear-cut 30-27 fight for Cruickshank.

Winner: Daron Cruickshank by Split Decision (30-27, 29-28, 28-29) after three rounds. He improves to 4-0-0.

 

Ben “Bad News” Lagman vs Angelo Popofski

Round 1:
Lagman immediately dropped Popofski with a short left hook counter, but allowed Popofski to stand. Popofski tried for a takedown, but Lagman stuffed it and blasted him with punches. The fighters clinched and Lagman landed a big knee. A weak takedown attempt by Popofski was countered with a one-two. Lagman landed a flying knee and dropped Popofski with a right hand. Again, Lagman allowed him to get up and Popofski was wobbly.

Lagman mixed up punches to the head and body as Popofski seemed to struggle to maintain his balance. A knee landed for Lagman, but Popofski latched onto his ankle and dragged him down. Lagman spun and teed off with hammerfists as Popofski rolled to his side. Referee Herb Dean wisely stopped the fight as Popofski was badly hurt. Excellent win for Lagman.

Winner: Ben Lagman by TKO (Punches & Hammerfists) at 2:58 of round one. He improves to 6-1-0, 1 NC.

 

Waylon Lowe vs Steve “The Red Nose Pitbull” Berger

Round 1:
Lowe opened up with a nice combination and scored a brief takedown, but Berger got right back to his feet. Lowe avoided jabs from Berger and countered with a left hook. He floored Berger with a big left hand, but Berger managed to survive. He stood up, but appeared to be dazed. Lowe landed a left cross and a flurry of punches that knocked Berger out cold. Berger fell in a heap against the cage and the fight was waved off. Impressive win for Lowe. Berger was down for a long time and was taken out on a stretcher.

Winner: Waylon Lowe by KO (Punches) at 2:18 of round one. He improves to 8-2-0.

 

KOTC Middleweight Championship

Brandon Hunt vs “Bad” Brad Burrick

Round 1:
Burrick kept his distance early on as Hunt threw leg kicks and looked for a takedown. He pushed Burrick back to the cage, but Burrick blasted him with a big knee. The fighters separated and Burrick landed a head kick. Hunt fell to his knees and turtled as Burrick punished him with punches. Hunt recovered and stood up, then tried unsuccessfully for a takedown.

Burrick landed more kicks and punched his way into a clinch. He threw short punches to the body and added a knee. Burrick broke free of the clinch with an elbow over the top. More leg kicks landed for Burrick and he followed with a head kick that backed Hunt up. Hunt scored a half-hearted takedown and was promptly swept. Burrick landed punches and elbows from mount until the bell. Complete domination. 10-8 Burrick.

Round 2:
Burrick opened the second round with more kicks that nearly tripped Hunt to the mat. Burrick followed with a combination and remained in complete control. Seconds later, Hunt unleashed a massive right hook to the temple that dropped Burrick to the ground, unconscious. Huge comeback win for Hunt in the pair’s third title fight.

Winner: Brandon Hunt by KO (Punch) at 0:59 of round two. He improves to 5-2-0 and becomes the new KOTC Middleweight Champion.

 

Aside from atrocious scoring from judge Anne Morrell in two separate fights, KOTC: “Bad Boys 2” was otherwise a solid event despite the unfortunate string of injuries and last-minute fight cancellations. Two new champions were crowned and Canadian veteran Joe “El Dirte” Doerksen picked up a well-earned decision win in the main event.