IFL "New Blood, New Battles II" Results
by Robert Sargent
On another card packed with title fights, the champions reigned supreme at the second of the International Fight League's "New Blood, New Battles" events, with Vladimir Matyushenko, Jay Hieron and Wagnney Fabiano all retaining titles.
The final fight of the evening ended with an unfortunate No Contest after Carmelo Marrero was badly cut very early in the first round, forcing a doctor to stop the fight.
Mike Ciesnolevicz vs Carmelo "The Fury" Marrero
Following a brief striking exchange, Ciesnolevicz landed a grazing kick to the crown of Marrero's head as Marrero scored a takedown. Either the kick or a follow-up clashing of heads resulted in Marrero being cut. Immediately, Marrero began to bleed badly from the cut on the top of his skull, leaving the ring a bloody mess. The fight continued on the ground for just under one minute before the referee halted the action to have the cut checked.The ringside doctor ruled that Marrero could not continue, and the fight was stopped. Ciesnolevicz was originally awarded with a TKO victory by way of cut, but it was later ruled a No Contest. Ciesnolevicz had no objections, and both fighters expressed a desire to face each other again at a later date.
Result: No Contest (Cut From Accidental Headbutt) at 1:37 of round one. Ciesnolevicz is now 13-3-0, 1 NC, while Marrero is 7-2-0, 1 NC.
Emyr "The Shark" Bussade vs Jesse Lennox
Lennox, taking the fight on very short notice, opened the fight up with a punch and a clinch in the corner. Bussade pulled guard and worked for a kneebar, but Lennox stood up and escaped. A wild striking exchange ended with Lennox taking Bussade down, where Bussade once again looked for a kneebar. Lennox again twisted and escaped, then landed two knees before the bell.Lennox landed a hard leg kick to begin the second round, then followed it up with another wild flurry of punches. He continued to push the pace and had Bussade on the defensive, with Bussade again pulling guard. Bussade latched on to Lennox's right leg once again, and was finally successful in applying a kneebar that caused Lennox to cry out in pain. The referee stopped the fight.
Winner: Emyr Bussade by Technical Submission (Standing Kneebar) at 1:20 of round two. He improves to 11-5-0.
IFL Welterweight Championship
"The Thoroughbred" Jay Hieron vs Mark Miller
Hieron landed a right hook seconds into the fight, then scored a trip takedown. He continued to land strikes from the top as Miller squirmed to avoid damage. Hieron postured up and landed a series of punches in the corner, with Miller seemingly unable to do anything in return. After another unanswered flurry of punches from Hieron, the referee stopped the fight and saved the overmatched Miller from further punishment.Winner: Jay Hieron by TKO (Unanswered Punches) at 2:08 of round one. He improves to 15-4-0 and remains IFL Welterweight Champion.
IFL Featherweight Championship
"The Silencer" Wagnney Fabiano vs Shad Lierley
Fabiano, a ground ace whose striking power has rarely been an asset, shocked everyone in attendance by knocking Lierley out with a vicious right hook early in round one.Fabiano opened up the first round with a leg kick, then a body punch and a right hook to the temple that momentarily staggered Lierley. Another hard kick to the legs dropped Lierley, but he got right back up. Fabiano pressed forward, however, landing a left cross and a right hook that sent Lierley crashing to the canvas, unconscious.
Winner: Wagnney Fabiano by KO (Punch) at 0:36 of round one. He improves to 10-1-0 and remains IFL Featherweight Champion.
IFL Light Heavyweight Championship
Vladimir "The Janitor" Matyushenko vs Jamal Patterson
Patterson surprised Matyushenko in the first round by keeping the fight standing, and managed to dominate Matyushenko for much of the round.Early in round one, Patterson landed a counter left hook that sent Matyushenko to one knee, and Patterson followed it up with a combination. After a clinch, Matyushenko landed a couple of kicks, but Patterson eventually caught Matyushenko's leg and held onto it while teeing off on Matyushenko's head with his right hand. Matyushenko backed up across the ring, trying to defend the punches, and the fighters clinched once again. Matyushenko continued to land kicks later in the round, but Patterson locked in a tight guillotine with just over 30 seconds remaining. Matyushenko managed to escape just before the bell.
The second round was very different from round one, with Matyushenko dominating the striking and scoring a takedown. From top position, Matyushenko methodically landed strikes as Patterson tried to defend. Patterson was unable to get back to his feet and, after three minutes of punishment from Matyushenko, the referee stopped the fight late in the round, giving Matyushenko the victory.
Winner: Vladimir Matyushenko by TKO (Strikes) at 3:32 of round two. He improves to 21-3-0 and remains IFL Light Heavyweight Champion.
Undercard Fights:
"Bad" Brad Blackburn came back after losing the first two rounds to Delson "Pe de Chumbo" Heleno, knocking Heleno out in round three. Blackburn wins by KO (Punch) at 1:48 of round three and improves to 12-9-1, 1 NC.Jim Miller dominated Bart "Bartimus" Palaszewski for twelve minutes to win a decision. Miller wins by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) after three rounds and improves to 11-1-0.
Chris Horodecki managed to out-point Nate Lamotte to win a decision that was closer than the judges' scorecards would suggest. Horodecki wins by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) after three rounds and improves to 12-1-0.
LC Davis knocked Rafael Dias out cold with a kick in their fight, forcing physicians to take Dias out of the arena on a stretcher. Fortunately, Dias was okay and was walking around later in the evening. Davis wins by KO (Head Kick) at 3:56 of round three and improves to 10-1-0.
Alex Schoenauer managed to take an extremely close decision victory over Brendan Barrett. Schoenauer wins by Split Decision (29-27, 29-28, 28-29) after three rounds and improves to 13-9-0.
This was a very solid event for the International Fight League, with the crowd clearly much more involved in the fights than at the previous IFL event. Hopefully, this is a sign of things to come.
