IFL Grand Prix Finals Results
by Robert Sargent
An exciting night of IFL title fights was capped off with a pair of upsets, as Ryan "The Lion" Schultz handed Chris Horodecki his first loss and Matt "Suave" Horwich stopped Benji Radach early in the second round.
With the win, Schultz avenged a previous loss to Horodecki, while Horwich came back from the brink of defeat and knocked out Radach.
IFL Lightweight Championship
Ryan "The Lion" Schultz vs "The Polish Hammer" Chris Horodecki
After an early feeling-out process and a takedown by Schultz, the fight was moved into the middle of the ring, with Schultz in Horodecki's guard. Schultz managed to posture up and create enough space to rain down some punches and elbows, which he used to hurt Horodecki. To his credit, Horodecki showed why he was undefeated coming into this battle, and absorbed numerous hard shots from Schultz. However, after a continued flurry of strikes from Schultz, the referee stopped the fight and Schultz was ruled the winner. Ryan Schultz wins by TKO (strikes) at 2:51 of round one to become IFL Lightweight Champion in a considerable upset.IFL Middleweight Championship
Matt "Suave" Horwich vs Benji "Razor" Radach
Horwich went for a takedown early on, but was met with a series of strikes for his troubles, stunning him. After a brief spell on the ground, Radach landed a solid punch as the fighters rose to their feet. A period of inaction in the clinch against the ropes followed, with the fight restarted in the middle of the ring. Another stretch of inactivity in Horwich's corner resulted in the fight again being restarted, and Radach landed a series of strikes just before the end of the round.Another clinch began round two, with Radach scoring a takedown and the action being moved to the centre of the ring. Radach rose from Horwich's guard and allowed him to stand back up, which would prove to be Radach's downfall, as Horwich rushed forward with a devastating punch that knocked Radach out. Matt Horwich wins by KO (punch) at 1:58 of round two to become IFL Middleweight Champion in yet another upset.
IFL Welterweight Championship
Jay Hieron vs Delson "Pe de Chumbo" Heleno
The action was sparse early in this contest, with both fighters cautiously throwing occasional strikes and playing a game of defence. Hieron landed more strikes early, but was unable to do any definitive damage. Heleno appeared to injure himself as he attempted a kick, and Hieron pounced on the opportunity to finish Heleno off. Hieron landed a series of punches that dropped Heleno, but Hieron's follow-up strikes on the ground were unable to put Heleno away before the bell sounded to end round one. However, Heleno had indeed injured himself and was unable to continue. Jay Hieron wins by TKO (injury) at 4:00 of round one to become IFL Welterweight Champion.IFL Featherweight Championship
LC Davis vs Wagnney Fabiano
The previously undefeated Davis suffered his first loss in this 145-pound battle, with Fabiano prevailing by submission in the first round.Davis escaped an early takedown attempt by Fabiano, but Fabiano managed to get Davis down to the ground after a brief clinch. Davis maintained guard and did a good job of keeping Fabiano from inflicting any meaningful damage, even after Fabiano moved to mount. Davis escaped and the fighters returned to their feet, where Fabiano attempted another takedown. He eventually got Davis down against the ropes, and locked in an armbar soon after as Davis tried to rise and escape. Wagnney Fabiano wins by Submission (armbar) at 3:38 of round one to become IFL Featherweight Champion.
IFL Heavyweight Championship
Roy "Big Country" Nelson vs Antoine Jaoude
Both fighters came out swinging in this battle, trading a series of punches. Nelson landed a punch and leg kick, then stuffed a takedown attempt by Jaoude. After a clinch against the ropes, Nelson landed an uppercut and the fighters clinched once more. The referee restarted the action in the middle of the ring and Jaoude landed a series of jabs. Jaoude began to take control of the round as he landed stronger punches, but Nelson dropped him with a huge punch just before the end of the round.Nelson picked up where round one left off, as he blasted Jaoude with another punch early in the second round and knocked him out. Roy Nelson wins by KO (punch) at 22 seconds of round two to become IFL Heavyweight Champion.
Non-Title Bouts
Elias Rivera vs Tim Kennedy
Kennedy rebounded from his decision loss to Jason "Mayhem" Miller two weeks ago by brutally knocking out the completely overmatched Rivera in a one-sided affair.Kennedy began the fight with a low kick and Rivera countered with a punch, but Kennedy promptly slammed Rivera to the mat. Kennedy got top position and moved to half-guard, but Rivera did a good job of preventing Kennedy from doing much damage. However, Kennedy moved to mount and began raining down a series of hard punches which knocked Rivera completely out. Medical staff had to carry Rivera off on a stretcher, but he was moving. Tim Kennedy wins by KO (strikes from mount) at 2:00 of round one.
Brett Cooper vs Rory Markham
Cooper made it two wins in under a month, as he dispatched of Markham by TKO in what was another upset on the card.Markham began the action with a series of punches, and both fighters traded high kicks soon after. Markham stunned Cooper with a left and a high kick. The fight went to the ground, with Markham locking in a triangle choke and Cooper fighting to survive. Markham began to tire, and Cooper escaped the hold and wound up in Markham's guard. Markham went for another triangle, but Cooper quickly escaped and the fighters stood back up. Cooper missed a knee and both fighters exchanged wild punches. Markham defended a takedown attempt and landed punches to end the close round.
Round two also began with a striking exchange, and Cooper quickly went for a takedown. Markham stood back up, but Cooper drilled him with a series of strikes as he rose. Another flurry of punches from Cooper rocked Markham, and an uppercut sent Markham down. Cooper followed up with more strikes and the referee called a stop to the fight. Brett Cooper wins by TKO (strikes) at 1:15 of round two.
Marcello Salazar vs Alex Cook
Salazar avenged a 2006 loss to Cook as he won a clear decision in this battle.After circling each other for a moment, Salazar scored a takedown and moved to side-control, where he landed six knee strikes to the body. After a period of inactivity, the fight was brought back to the feet, where Salazar landed a right and took Cook down once again. From Cook's guard, Salazar landed a few weak strikes before the round ended.
The second round began with Cook landing several punches and putting Salazar on his back. Salazar got back to his feet and attempted a front kick, to which Cook laughed. Cook landed a solid knee, but was taken down once again. After the fight was moved to the middle of the ring, Salazar landed some decent strikes from top position and both fighters rose back to their feet. Salazar took Cook down once more before the end of the round.
Salazar got Cook down again early in the third round, and quickly moved to mount, but the fight was restarted shortly thereafter when Salazar was unable to mount any offence. Cook tried for a high kick and Salazar responded with a few punches and yet another takedown. Cook tried for an armbar from the bottom, then hit Salazar with a few weak strikes, and Salazar replied with a trio of Mongolian chops, with little success. Salazar continued to land hammerfists and other assorted strikes for the duration of the round. Marcello Salazar wins by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).
Overall, it was a very good event for the International Fight League, and they now have many new individual champions in addition to their team-format competitions.
