King of the Cage came to the MGM Grand at Foxwoods in Mashantucket, Connecticut tonight for KOTC: “No Mercy.” The event was headlined by a KOTC Flyweight Championship bout between “The Silent Assassin” Abel Cullum and once-beaten challenger Jimmie Rivera.
Also on the card, KOTC Bantamweight Champion Donald Sanchez looked to successfully defend his title against Pat McGreal, while Myles Jury and Sam Oropeza went toe to toe in a brief battle of undefeated welterweights. MMARising.com has live play-by-play for all fights on the card.
KOTC Flyweight Championship
Jimmie “El Terror” Rivera vs “The Silent Assassin” Abel Cullum
Round 1:
The fighters exchanged jabs early on and Cullum tried for a takedown. Rivera stuffed it and backed him up to the cage. Both landed knees and Cullum reversed. Rivera backed away and time was called after a kick from Cullum strayed low. After the restart, Cullum dropped Rivera with a one-two, but Rivera sprung back to his feet and the fighters traded knees in a clinch. Both landed punches to the body and separated. Cullum landed a one-two and ate a hard left hand counter.
The pace remained high as both fighters landed punches in combinations. Rivera backed Cullum up to the cage, but it was Cullum who landed two quick knees. Rivera answered with knees of his own to Cullum’s thigh and stuffed a takedown. A lengthy clinch followed and the fighters continued to battle for position while throwing punches to the body. Cullum landed a knee and Rivera attempted a hip toss. The fighters broke free and Cullum missed with a combination. Very close round. 10-9 Cullum, barely.
Round 2:
Quick jabs were exchanged in round two and Rivera landed a nice counterpunch. He caught a kick from Cullum and sent him to the mat with a right cross. Cullum stood and clinched. Rivera pinned him against the cage, but Cullum landed two knees and pushed Rivera off. Cullum landed leg kicks and shot in for a takedown. Rivera defended very well and somehow stayed on his feet. Cullum tried to pull guard and met with no success. The fight stayed on the feet and the fighters battled in a clinch with punches.
Cullum landed a pair of leg kicks, but Rivera dropped him with a counter right hand. Cullum was fine and got back to his feet. Rivera’s quick counterpunches began to take over in the striking exchanges as he scored repeatedly with hooks. Rivera tripped Cullum with a leg kick and Cullum stood. He punched Rivera’s ribs in a clinch and Rivera answered with a knee to the jaw. A standing elbow and a glancing one-two landed for Cullum and Rivera countered with a flurry. Cullum tried unsuccessfully to take the fight to the mat. Both landed punches in a late exchange. 10-9 Rivera.
Round 3:
Cullum put together combinations of punches in the second round and Rivera answered with counter hooks. Cullum mixed in kicks and a left hook to the body. Rivera scored with a crisp right hand and Cullum answered with leg kicks. A big left hook landed for Rivera, but Cullum was unfazed. Rivera landed a right cross and blocked a head kick. Cullum resumed his assault with kicks and landed two to the legs and body. Rivera flashed out a head kick and Cullum shot in for a takedown.
Rivera stuffed the takedown and remained on his feet. The fighters exchanged punches in close until Rivera circled away. He continued to score with effective counterpunches including a left hook. Cullum responded with a four-punch flurry against the cage, but Rivera backed away and landed another left hook. Cullum clinched and threw knees, but Rivera slammed him down to the mat. Cullum tried for an armbar, but the bell sounded to end the round. 10-9 Rivera.
Round 4:
Cullum looked to land combinations in the fourth round, but Rivera kept him at bay with body kicks and a right hook. Time was called after a kick to the groin from Cullum. Following a lengthy break, the fight resumed and Cullum threw body kicks. Rivera landed a jab and Cullum answered with a trio of kicks and a left hook. The fighters traded punches and kicks, with both landing. Cullum connected with two straight right hands and clinched. Rivera countered with knees and Cullum backed away. More kicks scored for Cullum and he drilled Rivera with a left hook-uppercut combo.
Cullum began to take over the exchanges and unleashed a flurry of punches, but Rivera replied with a knee and punches of his own. He took Cullum down and moved to partial back control, but Cullum battled back to his feet. Rivera caught a kick and scored with a right hand. Cullum landed a quick one-two and Rivera secured a Thai clinch. He landed one knee, but was met with five punches from Cullum. Another combination landed for Cullum and he shook off a big right hook from Rivera late in the round. Another close round. 10-9 Cullum.
Round 5:
Rivera caught a kick briefly and landed a counterpunch, but Cullum scored with a flurry. Time was called after a kick from Rivera strayed low. Cullum walked it off and the fight continued. Both fighters landed punches in an exchange and Cullum looked to clinch for a takedown. Rivera reversed the clinch and the fighters traded knees. Cullum threw short punches to the body and followed with a head kick. The fight returned to a clinch and both landed punches to the ribs. Rivera dropped for a takedown, then took Cullum’s back while standing.
Cullum looked to counter with a Kimura, then switched to a unique standing straight armbar. Rivera tried to fight out with knees, but Cullum maintained his grip. Rivera eventually escaped and took Cullum’s back briefly. As Cullum spun, Rivera drilled him with a big knee. He shot in for a takedown and Cullum sprawled out. Rivera tried for another takedown and Cullum defended it as well. Rivera countered a leg kick with a right cross. The bell sounded to end the razor-thin round. 10-9 Rivera by an extremely slim margin. The round and the fight could go either way.
Winner: Jimmie Rivera by Split Decision (49-46, 49-46, 47-48) after five rounds. He improves to 7-1-0 and becomes the new KOTC Flyweight Champion.
Myles “The Fury” Jury vs Sam Oropeza
Round 1:
Oropeza opened with a left hook and Jury countered with a glancing head kick. Jury clinched and landed short punches in close. He took Oropeza down and landed an elbow. Oropeza postured for an armbar, but Jury stood up. He put his knee on Oropeza’s chest and landed three consecutive punches, then stood and connected with a diving punch.
Jury took Oropeza’s back and maintained back control as Oropeza stood. Jury worked for a standing rear-naked choke, but could not get his arm underneath Oropeza’s chin. It did not matter, as Jury leaned to the side and secured a modified neck crank. Oropeza tapped out, giving Jury a huge upset victory.
Winner: Myles Jury by Submission (Neck Crank) at 2:55 of round one. He improves to 9-0-0.
KOTC Bantamweight Championship
Donald Sanchez vs Pat “The Real Deal” McGreal
Round 1:
McGreal landed a nice combination early on, but Sanchez dragged him to the mat and took his back. He worked for a rear-naked choke and secured a body triangle in the process. McGreal defended and Sanchez mixed in punches. Sanchez locked on a partial rear-naked choke, but McGreal fought it off and stood. In the process, Sanchez got his arm underneath McGreal’s chin and secured the choke. McGreal fell backwards and tapped out.
Winner: Donald Sanchez by Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) at 2:27 of round one. He improves to 21-10-0 and remains the KOTC Bantamweight Champion.
Jesus “Chavo” Martinez vs Chip “The Surgeon” Moraza-Pollard
Round 1:
Martinez landed a stiff leg kick and punches early in round one and Moraza-Pollard answered with a straight right hand. The fighters traded punches and Martinez scored with a left hook. Martinez threw a lunging punching combination and a leg kick. Moraza-Pollard sidestepped and countered with a hard right cross. Martinez scored a takedown and worked from the top in half-guard. He landed short strikes, then postured up and drilled Moraza-Pollard with punches. Martinez locked on a guillotine choke in a scramble, but Moraza-Pollard escaped. He stood and Martinez followed.
Time was called after an inadvertent low blow, but the fight resumed and Martinez took Moraza-Pollard down again. Moraza-Pollard scrambled back to his feet and Martinez followed once more. Moraza-Pollard flashed out a head kick, but Martinez blocked it and landed one half of a lunging one-two. In response, Moraza-Pollard landed a Superman Punch that seemed to anger Martinez, who fired back with punches and a kick. He dropped Moraza-Pollard with a left hook right at the bell. 10-9 Martinez.
Round 2:
Martinez caught a kick from Moraza-Pollard in the second round and sent him to the mat with a right hand. He followed with a series of punches from the top, but Moraza-Pollard weathered the storm. More punches landed for Martinez and he allowed Moraza-Pollard to stand. Time was called after Martinez was poked in the eye. Action resumed and Moraza-Pollard landed a leg kick. Martinez connected with a combination and rocked Moraza-Pollard with a big one-two. Moraza-Pollard was wobbled and Martinez took him down.
Moraza-Pollard stood briefly and ate two massive uppercuts. He fell down again and Martinez teed off with punches from the top. Moraza-Pollard defended and pushed Martinez off with his feet, but Martinez dove back in with a right hand and another series of punches. Martinez moved to mount and tried for an arm-triangle choke. He switched to punches and Moraza-Pollard tried to scramble up. He could not and Martinez kept him down. Martinez moved back to mount and threw short punches from the top until the bell. 10-9 Martinez.
Round 3:
Martinez landed a nice right hook early in the final round and countered a kick-punch combo with a right cross. Time was called and Moraza-Pollard was deducted one point for another eye poke. Martinez recovered and Moraza-Pollard landed a leg kick. Martinez caught a body kick and tried for a takedown. Moraza-Pollard stayed on his feet and evidently poked Martinez in the eye again. A brief timeout was called, but the fight continued. Moraza-Pollard threw an inside-leg kick and Martinez indicated that it was a low blow.
Single punches landed for both fighters and Moraza-Pollard threw a leg kick. A punch-kick combo followed for Moraza-Pollard, but Martinez caught a kick and took him down. Moraza-Pollard landed an upkick from his back and tried to scramble to his feet, but Martinez battered him with short elbows to the side of the head. Martinez scrambled and took Moraza-Pollard’s back. Moraza-Pollard regained guard and Martinez landed punches. He stood over Moraza-Pollard until the referee stood him up. Martinez caught another kick and landed a right cross. 10-9 Martinez.
Winner: Jesus Martinez by Unanimous Decision after three rounds. He improves to 3-0-0.
Noah Weisman vs Sean Wilmot
Round 1:
The fighters clinched right away and exchanged knees to the body. Weisman backed Wilmot up against the cage and followed with uppercuts. Wilmot backed away, then landed uppercuts of his own in close. The fighters battled for a Thai clinch and both landed knees. Weisman once again pressed Wilmot up against the cage and landed strikes to the body, but Wilmot stayed active and countered with punches and two knees to the ribs.
Weisman continued to keep the pressure on with knees and uppercuts, but Wilmot defended well. More uppercuts landed for both fighters and Weisman scored with another trio of knees. The fighters broke free of the clinch and exchanged punches. Weisman dropped Wilmot with a knee and a barrage of punches, but Wilmot covered up and survived. He tried for a heel hook from his back and Weisman countered with punches. Wilmot nearly secured the heel hook before the bell. 10-9 Weisman.
Round 2:
Weisman pressed forward aggressively in the second round and clinched against the cage. He landed a knee from a Thai clinch and Wilmot answered with a knee to the body. Weisman struggled to control Wilmot’s posture despite holding onto the Thai clinch, which allowed Weisman to land counterpunches. The pace slowed as Weisman targeted the body with sparse strikes. The fighters were eventually separated and this time Wilmot clinched.
Weisman floored Wilmot with a big knee to the jaw, but Wilmot held on and regained his composure. He used butterfly guard to keep Weisman at bay, but Weisman struck from the top and stood up. Weisman tried to move to half-guard and Wilmot kept him in place. Weisman stood and landed three solid punches. Wilmot pulled him back into butterfly guard and Weisman struck from the top until the bell. 10-9 Weisman.
Round 3:
The fighters exchanged punches and knees in close in the final round and Weisman once again backed Wilmot up to the cage. Weisman scored with a knee to the face and Wilmot staggered backwards. He quickly recovered and the fight returned to a clinch. Wilmot landed a standing elbow and uppercuts, but ate more punches and a knee for his efforts. Weisman landed a one-two and a knee and Wilmot fell to the mat. Weisman threw knees to the body and worked from the top.
Wilmot threw punches and an elbow from his back, but was unable to land anything damaging and Weisman stayed in control of the fight. He punched from the top, then stood up and allowed Wilmot to follow. The fighters clinched and traded knees to the body. Weisman backed away very briefly, then landed a combination. Wilmot countered with a knee and Weisman landed another flurry. Both fighters were clearly fatigued, but exchanged short strikes until the final bell. 10-9 Weisman.
Winner: Noah Weisman by Unanimous Decision after three rounds. He improves to 4-1-0.
Capped off by an incredible back-and-forth KOTC Flyweight Championship main event, King of the Cage: “No Mercy” was a solid night of fights. New champion Jimmie “El Terror” Rivera upset Abel Cullum in the headlining bout, while Myles Jury shocked Sam Oropeza in the first round of their welterweight clash.
