Merritt “Man of Steel” Warren vs Thomas Diagne
Round 1:
Leg kicks began the fight and Diagne landed a side kick to the body. Warren answered with a body kick of his own and was promptly slammed to the canvas. Diagne worked for a Kimura from the top, but had no success and switched to punches and hammerfists from half-guard. Warren tried to roll into a leg submission and managed to secure a heel hook in a scramble. Diagne could not escape and was forced to submit, giving Warren a rather shocking upset win.
Winner: Merritt Warren by Submission (Heel Hook) at 3:49 of round one. He improves to 3-3-0.
Zoila “The Warrior Princess” Frausto vs Elisha “Knuckles” Helsper
Round 1:
Frausto opened up with a quick combination and Helsper answered with a leg kick. More leg kicks were exchanged and Frausto missed with a Superman Punch. Both fighters landed front kicks and followed with one-twos. They continued to trade leg kicks and Helsper scored with a hard right cross.
Frausto answered with one of her own and Helsper connected with a one-two. Frausto rocked Helsper’s head back with a right hook to the nose and landed more kicks. Helsper answered with her own and a big flurry of punches ended the round. Extremely close round. 10-9 Frausto, just barely.
Round 2:
Front kicks from both fighters opened round two and Helsper rushed forward with a barrage of punches. She landed a big right hand against the cage and backed away. Helsper stalked Frausto around the cage and landed leg kicks as Frausto backpedalled. Frausto landed a nice knee in close and a grazing head kick soon after. She dropped Helsper with a right and unleashed punches from a standing position.
The fight returned to the feet and Frausto landed a counter right cross. She just missed with head kicks and Helsper backed her to the cage with a flurry. Frausto secured a Thai clinch and landed three hard knees. Helsper, bleeding from below her swollen left eye, broke free and tagged Frausto with a nice counter right hook and a combination before the bell. 10-9 Frausto.
Round 3:
Helsper landed a hard kick to the body to begin the final round and backed Frausto up to the cage with punches. Helsper clinched and took Frausto down. From half-guard, Helsper landed short punches until a horrendous standup by the referee after mere seconds. Frausto connected with jabs until Helsper backed her up with a flurry. Frausto landed a right hook over the top and clinched.
Helsper reversed and pressed Frausto against the cage, then landed knees until the referee separated the fighters. Frausto landed a four-punch combination and a body kick, but Helsper continued to be the aggressor with leg kicks and a flurry. Frausto scored a takedown and punched while standing above Helsper. 10-9 Frausto.
Winner: Zoila Frausto by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) after three rounds. She improves to 4-0-0.
Ben “The Teacher” Holscher vs “Spicy” Johnny Goh
Round 1:
An exchange of leg kicks opened the fight and Holscher clinched. He tried for a takedown against the cage, but Goh landed knees to the body. The fighters separated and traded punches. Holscher landed a hard right cross and scored a takedown. Goh trapped Holscher in place with a triangle body lock, but Holscher managed to posture up and landed a handful of decent punches. Holscher maintained top position and peppered Goh with short strikes all the way until the bell. 10-9 Holscher.
Round 2:
Goh landed a hard leg kick to begin the second round and the fighters exchanged quick strikes. Another leg kick landed for Goh and Holscher took him down. Holscher landed well over a dozen short punches with his free hand and tried to posture up, but Goh once again kept him in place with a triangle body lock. The referee stood the fighters up and Goh landed a right hook counter. Holscher scored another takedown and moved to side-control. He trapped Goh’s arms and punched from the top. Holscher tried to pass to mount, but went for a Brabo Choke instead. Goh escaped and Holscher attempted a second choke before the end of the round. 10-9 Holscher.
Round 3:
A quick exchange ended with a takedown for Holscher in round three and he punched from the top, but Goh attempted an armbar from the bottom. Holscher broke free and landed weak punches from the top. More punches scored for Holscher and Goh tried briefly for an omoplata. Goh rocked Holscher with an upkick and Holscher fell to his back. Goh immediately pounced with punches and tried for a guillotine choke. Holscher escaped, but Goh landed hard punches to the body. Holscher reversed position and wound up in side-control. Goh battled back to his feet and Holscher scored a takedown just as the bell sounded. Close round. 10-9 Goh due to damage dealt.
Winner: Ben Holscher by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) after three rounds. He improves to 4-0-0.