Michael “The Menace” Johnson vs Tony “El Cucuy” Ferguson
Round 1:
The fight began with a cautious exchange of punches and body kicks. Johnson lunged in with a left hook and Ferguson countered with a combination. Both fighters continued to mix up their strikes with leg kicks and punches. Johnson threw a kick to the upper body and dropped Ferguson with a left hook. Ferguson recovered and stood up.
Johnson landed a counter left as Ferguson pressed forward. A head kick grazed off of Ferguson’s chin and Johnson targeted Ferguson’s lead leg with kicks as well. Johnson landed a leg kick and a left hook. Ferguson closed out the round strong with a head kick and a flurry against the cage. 10-9 Johnson.
Round 2:
More leg kicks landed for both fighters early in round two. Johnson put together a combination of punches and a leg kick, but action began to slow down. Ferguson pushed forward with punches, but had his head snapped back by a counter hook from Johnson. Another flurry followed from Johnson, but Ferguson managed to duck under most of it.
Johnson snuck in a solid left hook as Ferguson closed in and the fighters traded power punches. Johnson swung wildly and missed as Ferguson circled on the outside. Ferguson landed a counter right hook and avoided kicks from Johnson. He clinched briefly, but Johnson circled away and the round came to a close. 10-9 Johnson, barely.
Round 3:
Johnson caught two kicks from Ferguson in the final round and countered with overhand lefts. Ferguson tried to push forward with his punches, but it was Johnson who remained most effective with his counters. Ferguson wobbled Johnson briefly with a right hook, but Johnson recovered and landed a straight right in return.
Johnson connected with two left crosses just as Ferguson fired off right hands in close. A big left hook staggered Ferguson and he backed up. Ferguson regained his balance and stuffed a takedown attempt. Johnson missed with a flying knee, but managed to land a quick flurry as Ferguson countered with a left hook. Left hands backed Ferguson up in the final seconds. 10-9 Johnson.
Winner: Michael Johnson by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) after three rounds. He improves to 11-6-0.
John “The Magician” Dodson vs Timothy Elliott
Round 1:
Elliott missed with a spinning flying head kick early on and Dodson nearly made him pay with a counter head kick. A scramble ensued and Elliott briefly got Dodson down. Dodson stood and landed a hard knee to the body. He ate a counter one-two, but landed a left hook and another knee. Left hooks were exchanged and Dodson landed a quick one-two.
Dodson caught a kick and slammed Elliott down to the mat. He avoided an armbar attempt and landed a knee on the way up. Elliott connected with a nice two-punch combo and Dodson flurried in return. Time was called after Elliott was poked in the eye. The fight eventually continued and Elliott was aggressive. Dodson clipped him with a counter hook late in the round. 10-9 Dodson.
Round 2:
Elliott cartwheeled his way into a counter knee from Dodson in round two, but Elliott managed to land a body kick and a left hook. The pace remained high as the fighters exchanged punches. Elliott threw a head kick and Dodson answered with a knee. Dodson landed a one-two and avoided Elliott’s counterstrikes. A right hook from Dodson set off an exchange of punches and Dodson ended with a standing elbow.
Dodson landed a knee and countered a left hook with a flurry of punches in close. Elliott latched onto Dodson’s leg and tripped him, but Dodson somersaulted back to his feet and the fighters resumed striking. Time was called when Elliott was punched in the groin. Action resumed and Elliott tried to close the distance. Dodson kept him at bay with counter right hands and slammed him to the mat. Elliott scrambled up and landed a knee. 10-9 Dodson.
Round 3:
Both fighters landed punches early in the final round. Dodson appeared to be favouring his left hand after noting a hand injury between rounds. Dodson began to mix up his strikes with knees to the body. Elliott remained the aggressor and walked Dodson down with punches, but Dodson countered with elbows. Two left hooks landed over the top for Elliott and Dodson answered with another knee. Elliott remained a step ahead of Dodson in the punching exchanges and he caught a body kick.
Dodson pulled his leg free and Elliott tagged him with two punches. Another quick combination backed Dodson up and he missed with an elbow. Dodson scored with a series of leg kicks and Elliott snapped his head back with a jab and a left cross. More big punches landed for Elliott, but Dodson stayed up. Elliott caught a body kick and unloaded with left hooks until Dodson pulled his leg out. Good final round. 10-9 Elliott.
Winner: John Dodson by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) after three rounds. He improves to 13-5-0.
John “The Hitman” Hathaway vs Pascal “Panzer” Krauss
Round 1:
Hathaway landed a one-two early in the first round and just missed with a standing back elbow strike. He targeted the body with kicks and followed with a left hook in close. The fighters clinched briefly, but neither held an advantage and they broke away. Hathaway landed another body kick and Krauss responded with punches. A big knee floored Krauss, but he recovered quickly and tied Hathaway up on the ground.
Krauss kept Hathaway trapped in his full guard and prevented him from posturing up. Hathaway eventually broke Krauss’s grip and landed two punches, then stood and allowed Krauss to follow. Hathaway landed a switch kick and Krauss countered with a right hook. Krauss followed with leg kicks, but Hathaway landed another knee. Krauss took him down and closed out the round with short punches from the top. 10-9 Hathaway.
Round 2:
The second round began with an exchange of hooks and Hathaway took Krauss down against the cage. He tried to pass to side control, but could not and instead settled for punches and elbows from the top in half-guard. The fight returned to the feet and Krauss clinched. Hathaway shrugged him off and landed an overhand right. Krauss landed a right hand of his own and tried to trip Hathaway to the mat. Hathaway stayed up and time expired soon after. 10-9 Hathaway.
Round 3:
Hathaway began round three with a grazing right hook and a knee. The fighters clinched very briefly and both threw knees. Hathaway took Krauss down and postured up with punches. He tried to move to side control but had to settle for half-guard. Hathaway landed more punches and stood up. He scored with a jumping switch knee as Krauss got to his feet. Hathaway landed a hard spinning backfist, but Krauss did not appear to be fazed at all. Hathaway remained aggressive with more unorthodox strikes. Krauss clinched and Hathaway landed a huge knee to the nose. 10-9 Hathaway.
Winner: John Hathaway by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) after three rounds. He improves to 16-1-0.
Louis “Goodnight” Gaudinot vs John “Hands of Stone” Lineker
Round 1:
Lightning-fast punches were exchanged right away and both fighters landed some big shots. More punches scored for both and the pace finally slowed a bit one minute into the opening round. Gaudinot missed with a spinning backfist and Lineker countered with leg kicks and punches. Lineker began to find a home for his lead left hook and he followed with rights to the body. Gaudinot answered right back with a combination of his own.
A counter left hook backed Gaudinot up momentarily and Lineker continued to target the body. Gaudinot fired off a flurry to the face, but Lineker mixed up his strikes to the head and body and remained the more effective striker. Gaudinot took Lineker down and Lineker elbowed from the bottom. Gaudinot postured up with punches and Lineker spun into a heel hook. Gaudinot escaped and attempted a Brabo Choke. He punched until the bell. Close round. 10-9 Lineker.
Round 2:
Gaudinot followed up on an exchange of punches in round two with high and low kicks. Both fighters continued to swing away with punches and Lineker targeted Gaudinot’s ribs with right hooks again. Lineker hurt Gaudinot with a lengthy flurry of punches to the head and body, but Gaudinot held on and clinched. Lineker broke away and walked him down with more punches, but Gaudinot snuck in a pair of stiff jabs.
Lineker landed a knee and a left hook and narrowly avoided a spinning backfist. Gaudinot took Lineker down and tried to posture up to land elbows. He scored with punches until Lineker rolled for a kneebar. Gaudinot rained down left hands to prevent Lineker from securing the submission. Big punches and hammerfists scored for Gaudinot and he locked on a guillotine choke as Lineker stood. Gaudinot pulled guard with the guillotine and choked Lineker unconscious with mere seconds remaining.
Winner: Louis Gaudinot by Technical Submission (Guillotine Choke) at 4:54 of round two. He improves to 6-2-0.
Danny “Last Call” Castillo vs John Cholish
Round 1:
Castillo clinched in the opening minute and pressed Cholish up against the cage. He landed short knees and elbows until Cholish circled away. Cholish landed a punch-kick combo, but slipped and Castillo eyed a guillotine choke as Cholish stood. Cholish escaped and nearly took Castillo’s back in a scramble. He clinched against the fence, but Castillo landed a knee and reversed.
The fighters separated and both came up short with right hooks. Cholish landed a stiff jab and both men scored with right hooks in close. Cholish put his hands down and rushed in with a looping right, but missed. A clinch followed and Cholish briefly held back control after a failed throw from Castillo. Leg kicks and right hooks were exchanged late. 10-9 Castillo.
Round 2:
Cholish ducked under a flurry of punches in round two and took Castillo down. Castillo quickly battled back to his feet and landed a pair of winging hooks that had little effect. A nice right cross scored for Castillo, but action remained relatively sparse and the crowd began to grow restless. The fighters traded jabs and more boos rained down from the audience.
Cholish shot in and took Castillo down, but Castillo quickly sprawled out and used a front headlock to transition to the back. Cholish got back to his feet and landed a jab. Big right hooks scored for both fighters at the same time. Castillo landed a lunging right and slammed Cholish down just as the bell sounded. Very close and uneventful second round. 10-10.
Round 3:
Leg kicks and jabs were exchanged in the early goings of the final round. Castillo picked Cholish up and slammed him down. Cholish used the cage to get back to his feet and tried for a standing guillotine choke. Cholish dropped down for a kneebar, but Castillo stayed calm and easily escaped. He took top position and prevented Cholish from standing up.
Cholish managed to get up and Castillo kept him pinned against the fence. Cholish circled out and landed a quick flurry of punches. More punches were exchanged and Cholish appeared to be the more active fighter. Cholish dragged Castillo to the mat with a flying scissor heel hook, but wound up on the bottom with Castillo punching from the top. 10-9 Cholish.
Winner: Danny Castillo by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) after three rounds. He improves to 14-4-0.
Dennis “The Menace” Bermudez vs Pablo “The Scarecrow” Garza
Round 1:
Bermudez landed a right hook and slammed Garza down early on. He fought out of a guillotine choke and attempted one of his own as the fighters returned to their feet. Garza scored with two knees, but Bermudez slammed him down again. Garza worked for an inverted triangle choke and tried to sweep. Bermudez remained on top, but Garza drilled him with four hard upkicks as Bermudez stood.
Bermudez backed up and Garza got to his feet very briefly, but Bermudez took him back down. Garza tried to set up a triangle choke and scrambled up to his knees. He stood up and Bermudez landed punches to the body. Garza countered a leg kick with a front kick, but Bermudez slammed him to the mat and closed out the round on top. Very close first round. 10-9 Garza, despite the takedowns.
Round 2:
Bermudez closed the distance again in round two and clinched against the cage. He took Garza down and stood over him with punches, but Garza upkicked from the bottom. Bermudez tried to move to mount, but Garza kept him in his guard. Bermudez passed to half-guard and worked for a Brabo Choke. He could not get it, but instead landed a series of elbows.
Garza attempted to kick Bermudez off, but Bermudez evaded and landed some solid hammerfist strikes. Garza stood and avoided a flying knee. Bermudez tossed him to the mat and resumed striking from the top with punches and elbows. Garza regained full guard and kicked Bermudez off. The fighters stood and Bermudez clinched. He tripped Garza at the bell. 10-9 Bermudez.
Round 3:
Both fighters attempted flying knees in the final round and Garza tried to pull guard. Bermudez had none of it and slammed him to the mat. He nearly passed to side control, but settled for punches from Garza’s butterfly guard. Garza got back to full guard and tried to defend against Bermudez’s strikes. Bermudez was actively working, but the fighters were stood up anyway.
Bermudez tripped Garza and briefly struck from the top. He allowed Garza to stand and Garza shot in for a takedown. Bermudez sprawled out and nearly took Garza’s back. Garza rolled and upkicked. Bermudez dove back into his half-guard and then moved to mount. Garza gave up his back as Bermudez punished him with right hands. Garza defended against a rear-naked choke until the end of the round. 10-9 Bermudez.
Winner: Dennis Bermudez by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) after three rounds. He improves to 8-3-0.
“Stunning” Roland Delorme vs Nick “The Ninja of Love” Denis
Round 1:
Denis landed punches right away and stuffed a pair of takedown attempts. Both fighters landed left hooks and Denis followed with a one-two. Denis reversed a takedown and landed punches and hammerfists from the top. He escaped an armbar attempt and landed more strikes. The fighters stood and Delorme briefly got Denis down. Denis got back up and countered a leg kick with a series of right hands. He hurt Delorme with more right hooks and some vicious knees.
Delomre wilted, but managed to stay on his feet. He fired back with a standing elbow, but Denis dragged him to the mat. Delorme got back to full guard and used it to stand up. Delorme rocked Denis with big punches on the feet. Denis staggered and was backed up by another flurry. He clinched, but Delorme took him down and used punches to set up a move to back control. Delorme locked on a rear-naked choke and Denis tapped out right at the bell. Incredible back-and-forth battle.
Winner: Roland Delorme by Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) at 4:59 of round one. He improves to 8-1-0.
Karlos “The Terminator” Vemola vs “The Master of Disaster” Mike Massenzio
Round 1:
Vemola sprawled out of a takedown early on and the fighters returned to their feet. Vemola landed a leg kick and looked for a takedown of his own, but Massenzio countered with a knee and a flurry of punches. Vemola secured a guillotine choke as Massenzio took him down, but Massenzio managed to work free. Massenzio landed short elbows from the top in half-guard and followed with more strikes as Vemola tried to stand. Massenzio controlled Vemola’s position with a front choke and took top position again in side control. He attempted a North-South Choke and the fighters stood. Both landed punches and Vemola slammed Massenzio down at the bell. 10-9 Massenzio.
Round 2:
Massenzio landed a flurry of punches in round two, but Vemola answered with a right hook. He got Massenzio down and briefly looked for a Peruvian Necktie, then transitioned to Massenzio’s back. Vemola landed some hard left hands and locked on a rear-naked choke. He could not sink in either hook, but the choke was tight and Massenzio tapped out.
Winner: Karlos Vemola by Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) at 1:07 of round two. He improves to 9-2-0.