Hardcore Championship Fighting "Crow's Nest" Results
by Robert Sargent
Rebounding from disappointing losses, David "The Crow" Loiseau scored a big win over Todd Gouwenberg in front of his hometown fans in Gatineau, Québec, while HCF Women's Bantamweight Champion Sarah Kaufman retained her title.
While Loiseau did not get a stoppage victory in his bout with Gouwenberg, it was definitely a return of the old Loiseau whose aggressive style wreaked havoc on opponents.
David "The Crow" Loiseau vs Todd Gouwenberg
All three rounds were quite similar in this middleweight clash, with Loiseau dominating in the clinch and on the ground. Loiseau used knees and punches from the clinch to weaken Gouwenberg, just as Antonio Rogerio Nogueira had done in February at HCF "Destiny," and used his wrestling to score a number of takedowns.On the ground, it was a return of the aggressive Loiseau, who shed his recent timid style and unleashed dozens of punches and elbows from the guard of Gouwenberg. Loiseau's conditioning was clearly improved over past bouts, leaving him free to push the pace from bell to bell.
By the third round, it was clear that Loiseau had the fight well in hand, but he did not let up and continued his forward assault. Gouwenberg never seemed to be able to find his rhythm, as Loiseau controlled the fight on the feet and on the ground.
Winner: David Loiseau by Unanimous Decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-25) after three rounds. He improves to 16-8-0.
HCF Women's Bantamweight Championship
Sarah Kaufman vs Molly Helsel
As in all of her fights, Kaufman relentlessly pressed forward with a barrage of punches, but Helsel gamely fought back and landed numerous strikes of her own in round one.After an early exchange of wild punches, the fighters clinched and traded knees, with Kaufman throwing punches from in close. Helsel hung on and threw punches of her own, but Kaufman pressed Helsel up against the cage late in the round. From there, she peppered her opponent with flurries of strikes before the bell.
Round two saw Kaufman once again push forward, throwing non-stop punches and kicks that had Helsel backing up. Helsel tried to counter with as many strikes as she could, but could not match the power or, more importantly, the speed of Kaufman, who began to land punches at will. Helsel tried to latch onto an ankle, but Kaufman easily escaped and unleashed another series of unanswered punches that forced a stoppage.
Winner: Sarah Kaufman by TKO (Unanswered Punches) at 2:44 of round two. She improves to 7-0-0 and remains HCF Women's Bantamweight Champion.
Hector "Sick Dog" Ramirez vs Rob "Maximus" MacDonald
This battle of UFC veterans ended with Ramirez taking the victory after battering and bloodying MacDonald early on.Round one began with jabs as the two fighters circled each other, but quickly opened up with fast-paced striking exchanges from both fighters, as each looked to land a decisive punch. MacDonald landed a right hook that dazed Ramirez, but Ramirez replied with a huge overhand right of his own, sending MacDonald stumbling backwards, bleeding from the head. Ramirez continued to push the pace for the remainder of round one.
Rounds two and three were not as action-packed as the first, but were both solid rounds for Ramirez, who continued to land hard right hands that kept MacDonald backing up. MacDonald tried to counterpunch, but Ramirez continued to find a home with his punches and dominated the latter two rounds.
Winner: Hector Ramirez by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) after three rounds. He improves to 7-3-1.
Nabil "The Thrill" Khatib vs Gideon Ray
Khatib rebounded after a poor first round to score his second straight win in HCF, as he controlled enough of the latter two rounds to take a decision.The first round was all Ray, as he landed punches at will and had Khatib on the defensive. Ray narrowly missed a spinning back kick that would have done considerable damage. However, just as he did in his previous bout with Lucas Rota, Khatib turned the tides in the second and third rounds.
Ray started strong in round two, successfully landing a spinning back kick that sent Khatib flying backwards into the cage, but Khatib did what he does best and took the fight to the ground. From there, Khatib moved to side-control and trapped one of Ray's arms beneath his leg, unleashing a series of punches for the remainder of the round.
Round three started off slowly, with neither fighter wanting to commit to strikes, as both threw weak punches and kicks. Khatib scored a takedown near the middle of the round, however, and began to work his ground and pound once again. With less than 30 seconds remaining, Ray managed to get to his feet and score a takedown of his own, but it was not enough and Khatib escaped with a decision victory.
Winner: Nabil Khatib by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) after three rounds. He improves to 8-2-0.
Brent Beauparlant vs Amir Rahnavardi
IFL veteran Beauparlant soundly dominated the ten-year journeyman, Rahnavardi, using his wrestling to keep Rahnavardi on his back throughout the fight.Beauparlant used a variety of takedowns to keep Rahnavardi on the ground for most of this battle, including a spectacular suplex partway through round one. Each time Rahnavardi would get back to his feet, Beauparlant would slam him down once again. Rahnavardi did land a handful of solid strikes in the third round, but it was nowhere near enough to make a comeback on the scorecards, and Beauparlant took a clear-cut decision.
Winner: Brent Beauparlant by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) after three rounds. He improves to 7-5-0.
Dan "The Handler" Hornbuckle vs Andrew Buckland
Hornbuckle, who is quickly becoming a veteran in the sport, handed Buckland his first professional loss with an armbar late in the first round.The fighters got the crowd going with an intense stare down, with Buckland immediately taking the fight to the ground. Hornbuckle looked for a triangle choke, but Buckland picked him up and slammed his way out of the hold. However, Hornbuckle quickly switched to an armbar and forced Buckland to submit.
Winner: Dan Hornbuckle by Submission (Armbar) at 3:34 of round one. He improves to 15-1-0.
Undercard Fights:
Bill Boland kept his undefeated record intact, as he defeated Michal Hamrsmid by TKO (Strikes) at 2:59 of round two. He improves to 4-0-0.Jameel "The Sergeant" Massouh defeated Myles "The Cowboy" Merola by Unanimous Decision (29-27, 29-27, 29-27) after three rounds. He improves to 16-3-0.
Rodrigo Ruas finally got back in the win column after four straight losses, as he defeated Marcus "Ossoduro" Vinicios by Submission (Kata-Gatame Arm Triangle Choke) at 0:52 of round three. He improves to 4-5-1, 1 NC.
Former PRIDE star Antonio "Nino" Schembri was victorious in his HCF and Canadian debut, defeating Daniel "The Bighouse" Grandmaison by Submission (Armbar) at 2:37 of round one. He improves to 5-4-0.
This marked yet another excellent event for Hardcore Championship Fighting, further solidifying its spot as the new premier promotion in Canada.
