Tachi Palace Fights returned tonight with TPF 7: “Deck The Halls” from the Tachi Palace Hotel and Casino in Lemoore, California. The solid event was headlined by a catchweight bout between hard-hitting UFC veteran James “The Sandman” Irvin and Brazil’s Jorge “Van Damme” Oliveira.
Also on the card, top-ranked flyweight Jussier “Formiga” da Silva made his Tachi Palace Fights debut against Danny Martinez, while John “The Natural” Alessio and Phil “The Pain” Collins squared off for the TPF Welterweight Championship. MMARising.com has live play-by-play for the card.
Jorge “Van Damme” Oliveira vs James “The Sandman” Irvin
Round 1:
The fighters traded big right hands right away and Oliveira tried for a takedown, but had to pull half-guard. Oliveira tried for a triangle choke and Irvin postured up to escape. Irvin landed punches and stood up. He dove in with a wild right hand, but trapped himself in a triangle choke. Oliveira added an armbar as well and Irvin tapped out.
Winner: Jorge Oliveira by Submission (Triangle Armbar) at 1:33 of round one. He improves to 5-2-1, 1 NC.
Jussier “Formiga” da Silva vs Danny “The Gremlin” Martinez
Round 1:
A back-and-forth battle took place in the early stages of the fight as the fighters scrambled out of takedowns and submission attempts. Da Silva attempted a guillotine choke and Martinez escaped. The fight returned to the feet and da Silva clinched against the cage. He took Martinez’s back while standing and dragged him to the mat.
Da Silva worked from back control and tried for a rear-naked choke. He nearly got it, but Martinez escaped. Martinez stood up with da Silva on his back. Da Silva used punches to try to set up a standing rear-naked choke, but Martinez defended well. Da Silva could not secure the choke and the round expired. 10-9 da Silva.
Round 2:
An exchange of punches opened round two and da Silva landed an uppercut. More punches landed for both and Martinez stuffed a takedown. He landed a quick combination and da Silva countered by taking him down. Da Silva moved from side-control to Martinez’s back and sunk in both hooks. He tried for a rear-naked choke and Martinez attempted to escape out the back.
Da Silva kept Martinez from fully standing up and brought him back down to the mat while still hunting for the choke. Martinez stood up again and, as in round one, da Silva held on and continuously worked for rear-naked chokes. Martinez defended until the bell once more. 10-9 da Silva.
Round 3:
Martinez stuffed a takedown and landed a nice left hook early in the final round, but da Silva answered with a knee. Da Silva attempted another takedown and Martinez sprawled out. Da Silva fell to his back and Martinez landed elbows. He continued to strike from the top as da Silva postured for a submission from his back. The fighters stood and Martinez threw a flying knee.
Da Silva caught the flying knee and took Martinez down, but Martinez returned to his feet. Lead left hooks landed for Martinez and da Silva put him on the mat again. Da Silva moved to side-control and Martinez countered by spinning into a guillotine choke. Da Silva escaped and took Martinez’s back. Da Silva worked for rear-naked chokes all the way until the bell. Very close round. 10-9 da Silva, barely.
Winner: Jussier da Silva by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) after three rounds. He improves to 9-0-0.
“Maverick” Micah Miller vs Isaac DeJesus
Round 1:
Miller scored a takedown immediately in this non-title bout, but DeJesus swept and worked from the top. Miller tied him up and tried for an armbar, but DeJesus escaped and secured a guillotine choke. Miller spun out and took top position in side-control. Miller worked for submissions, but DeJesus defended well.
Miller moved to back control and tried for a rear-naked choke. He mixed in punches as well and secured a neck crank. DeJesus tried to hold on, but was forced to submit. Due to Miller’s failure to make weight, this bout was not for DeJesus’s TPF Featherweight Championship, but he takes the impressive victory nonetheless.
Winner: Micah Miller by Submission (Neck Crank) at 4:11 of round one. He improves to 17-4-0.
TPF Welterweight Championship
John “The Natural” Alessio vs Phil “The Pain” Collins
Round 1:
The fighters circled and traded jabs in the opening two minutes as Collins missed with right hands. Alessio landed a glancing right, but slipped after a counterpunch from Collins. He smiled and stood and Collins missed with a wild right hook.
Collins pawed out with jabs and Alessio answered with a right hand. More sparse strikes were exchanged and Alessio remained calm. He scored with a quick flurry late in the round and a body kick before the bell. Uneventful round. 10-10.
Round 2:
A handful of jabs were exchanged in round two and Collins scored with a looping overhand right. He missed with a second one and Alessio began to target the body. Jabs were exchanged and Alessio scored with leg kicks.
Alessio landed a left hook and Collins answered with one of his own. He caught a kick and scored with another left. Alessio resumed kicking at Collins’s leg as the pace remained slow and Collins landed a brief flurry before the bell. Another largely uneventful round. 10-10.
Round 3:
Collins landed a lunging right hook early in the third round and Alessio dropped him with a counter left to the right eye. Collins collapsed backwards holding his face and Alessio landed punches until the fight was stopped.
Winner: John Alessio by TKO (Punches) at 0:35 of round three. He improves to 31-13-0 and becomes the new TPF Welterweight Champion.
Seth “The Polish Pistola” Baczynski vs Tim “The Wrecking Machine” McKenzie
Round 1:
The fighters clinched early on and Baczynski took McKenzie down. He secured a guillotine choke from the top, but McKenzie escaped and got back to his feet. He took Baczynski down briefly, but Baczynski stood. Punches were exchanged and Baczynski landed a big knee. McKenzie fell and Baczynski swarmed with punches. McKenzie recovered and rolled into a very tight armbar.
McKenzie looked to break or dislocate Baczynski’s arm at the elbow, but Baczynski did not tap out. Instead, he blasted McKenzie with a series of elbows and hammerfists that left him struggling to remain conscious. The amazing fight was waved off, giving Baczynski the victory. His arm appeared to be badly injured.
Winner: Seth Baczynski by KO (Punches & Elbows) at 2:15 of round one. He improves to 12-6-0.