Matt “The Immortal” Brown vs James “Lightning” Wilks

Round 1:
The fighters traded quick leg kicks and clinched against the cage early in round one. Wilks landed punches in close and Brown answered with an elbow over the top. Brown attempted a standing Kimura and Wilks countered with a rear naked choke. Brown escaped and tried for a standing guillotine choke and the fighters separated. Big punches were exchanged and Brown backed Wilks up. Wilks shot for a takedown and clinched against the cage.

After a separation, Wilks scored with a head kick and a quick combination, then clinched again. He tried for a takedown, but Brown stayed on his feet. Brown secured a tight guillotine choke, but Wilks slammed him to the mat. Brown tried for a Kimura and Wilks stood up, then landed another head kick. Close round. 10-9 Wilks.

Round 2:
Brown opened round two aggressively with kicks and punches. Wilks backed away and Brown floored him with a flying knee. He dove in and blasted Wilks with punches, but Wilks survived and attempted a heel hook. Brown escaped and stood up, then looked for a guillotine choke. Wilks clinched, but Brown landed punches and knees. He followed with an elbow over the top.

A fatigued Wilks tried for another takedown and an equally tired Brown defended. The referee separated the fighters and Wilks landed a head kick and an uppercut, but Brown rocked him with a big combination of hard punches. Wilks shot for a desperation takedown, but Brown stuffed it and briefly looked for a choke. Wilks swept Brown and worked from the top, but was trapped in a triangle choke just before the bell. 10-9 Brown. Nearly a 10-8.

Round 3:
Quick kicks were exchanged in the final round and Wilks clinched. He tried for a takedown and landed a one-two. A left hook scored for Brown and he clinched against the cage. Wilks took Brown’s back and locked on a Kimura. He dragged Brown to the mat and tried to torque back on the arm. Brown rolled, but Wilks maintained the hold.

Brown escaped and used a guillotine choke to move to mount. He teed off with punches that bloodied Wilks and forced him to roll over. More punches followed from Brown until the referee stopped the fight. Definitely one of Brown’s best performances and he finally earned his spot on an event’s main card.

Winner: Matt Brown by TKO (Punches) at 2:27 of round three. He improves to 13-7-0.

Ross “The Real Deal” Pearson vs Aaron Riley

Round 1:
Single punches were exchanged in the opening minute and Pearson landed a pair of looping lefts. He followed with a right cross and a stiff leg kick. A one-two landed for Riley and Pearson answered with a head kick. He secured a Thai clinch and landed knees to the body, then backed Riley up to the cage with more strikes. Pearson was relentless with more knees and an elbow over the top.

Riley backed away, but Pearson landed more knees and another elbow, then followed with a hard kick to the body. Riley answered with two knees and a body kick of his own as he began to find his rhythm. Knees were exchanged in a clinch and Pearson scored with two head kicks. Another combination landed for Pearson and he landed a punch and more knees to the body. 10-9 Pearson.

Round 2:
A four-punch combination briefly rocked Riley in round two and he tried for a takedown. Pearson defended and continued to score with knees in close. Three more punches backed Riley up and Pearson looked to strike in close. The fighters traded punches and Pearson got the better of the exchange. He landed two more combinations and ended with a head kick.

Riley attempted to land knees of his own from a Thai clinch, but Pearson punched his way free. He landed a flurry that backed Riley up and scored with a one-two. Pearson opened a huge gash above Riley’s right eye and another on his nose with a flying knee. Time was called while the cageside doctor checked the cuts and the fight was stopped. Big win for Pearson.

Winner: Ross Pearson by TKO (Doctor Stoppage – Cuts) at 4:38 of round two. He improves to 10-3-0.

John “The Hitman” Hathaway vs “Relentless” Paul Taylor

Round 1:
The fighters traded punches early on and Hathaway scored a quick takedown. He worked from Taylor’s guard and Taylor tried to scramble back to his feet, but was dragged down again. A stalemate followed and the referee stood the fighters up. Hathaway scored another takedown and landed some solid punches from the top. Taylor was briefly warned for an illegal upkick, but the fight continued and Hathaway landed more punches. 10-9 Hathaway.

Round 2:
A nice right hook opened round two for Hathaway and he took Taylor down again. Hathaway punished Taylor with elbows and moved to side-control, where more elbows followed until Taylor regained guard. Hathaway stood over Taylor and easily fended off a heel hook attempt, then blasted Taylor with more punches and elbows for the remainder of the round. 10-9 Hathaway.

Round 3:
Another Hathaway takedown began the final round and he went right back to punches and elbows from half-guard. Taylor struggled to get back to his feet and could not. Hathaway stood over him and teed off with punches against the cage as Taylor could do little more than cover up. From Taylor’s guard, Hathaway scored with punches and elbows until Taylor got to his feet late in the round. Hathaway took him down just as the bell rang. 10-9 Hathaway.

Winner: John Hathaway by Unanimous Decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27) after three rounds. He improves to 12-0-0.

Terry Etim vs Shannon Gugerty

Round 1:
The opening round began slowly as the fighters circled each other and picked their shots. After a full minute, Etim clinched and pressed Gugerty against the cage, where he landed an elbow over the top before the referee separated the fighters. A stiff jab and a leg kick scored for Etim and he followed with a three-punch flurry. Gugerty stayed on the outside and did very little until he took Etim down late in the round. 10-9 Etim.

Round 2:
Etim threw a head kick early in round two that partially landed. A follow-up leg kick sent Gugerty off-balance, but he regained his composure and shot in for a takedown. Etim countered with an arm-in guillotine choke. He maintained the hold for over 30 seconds, then rolled Gugerty over and forced a very hasty tapout.

Winner: Terry Etim by Submission (Guillotine Choke) at 1:24 of round two. He improves to 14-2-0.