Ecc 3: East Coast Warriorsmacdonald Goes 3 For 3 In Ecc
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ECC 3: East Coast Warriors MacDonald goes 3 for 3 in ECC Report by Peter Parsons – Photos by Brian Parsons HALIFAX, Nova Scotia, July 22 — An enthusiastic crowd at the Halifax Forum appreciated a night of knockouts and submissions alike at ECC 3: East Coast Warriors. Arena officials were not finished counting the ticket sales at press time, but one arena official estimated the crowd to be 2,500. "I’m happy with the crowd tonight," exclaims event promoter Peter Martel. "Our main demographic is the younger crowd and with university being out this time of the year, I think we had a very successful show." In the main event, Jason "The Athlete" MacDonald earned his third straight victory and made it three-for-three in the ECC with his armbar submission over Montreal native Fritz Paul. After a brief exchange, MacDonald rushed Paul into "The Athlete’s" corner against the cage. "Our game plan is always, it sounds silly, but it’s always to take the fight to our corner," said an enthusiastic MacDonald post-fight. Continues MacDonald, "The last thing Josh [Russell, MacDonald’s jiu-jitsu trainer] said to me was, ‘Jay bring him over to the corner and let’s pick this guy apart.’" MacDonald did just that. The two fighters exchanged knees against the cage before MacDonald went for a standing Kimura. "We just watched a tape of that standing Kimura on the Internet today," MacDonald laughed. "All of a sudden it was right there and Josh walked me through it step-by-step, we systematically picked him apart." MacDonald brought Paul into his guard where he then transitioned into a straight armbar. Paul fought the armbar off for about a minute as the fighters ended up in almost a North-South position. "Josh walked me through it; I knew it was just a matter of time." Continues MacDonald, "We made a few small adjustments and snap, snap, snap, there it is," said MacDonald. MacDonald, usually not one to talk trash, had this to say in his post-fight interview with FCF. "Fritz Paul, he went out on a limb here and announced that he was going to knock me out no problem. Well, Fritz Paul’s going back to Montreal with a broken arm." Next up for Jason MacDonald is the main event of the Maximum Fighting Championships in Alberta on September 8. Unsure of his opponent, MacDonald wants to fight a top level fighter or anyone who will take him one step closer to reaching his ultimate goal of fighting in the UFC. Never one to back down from top level competition, MacDonald says, "Anyone who my manager Mark Pavelich feels is necessary to take me to that next step, that’s who I’m going to fight." In the semi-main event, Halifax’s own Roger Hollett looked to improve to 2-0 against Jason Cecil. Son of former Canadian Middleweight Boxing Champion and local hero Ralph Hollett, Roger entered the cage to the loudest ovation of the night. Hollett quickly got the fight to the ground where he passed Cecil’s half-guard with ease to side control. Hollett landed some strong punches that set up a keylock attempt that Cecil defended. His second attempt was the charm and Hollett got the keylock submission at 1:41 of the first round. "I went for the first keylock, he slid his knee in, I gave him a couple of hammerfists and went back to it, he got lazy with it and I was able to put it back on him for the finish," describes Hollett of his second pro fight, and what looks to be the start of a promising MMA career. In the most dramatic fight of the night, local favorite Robert Colbourne took on Prince Edward Island’s Travis Axworthy. A high paced first round saw Colbourne working hard for takedowns against his opponent. Colbourne unloaded some effective ground and pound early in the round, however Axworthy showed his toughness as he survived Colbourne’s early barrage. Axworthy worked his way back to his feet against the cage forcing Colbourne to work hard to get him back to the mat. The takedowns became harder to come by as the round went on for Colbourne who started to tire. Axworthy stuffed a Colbourne takedown attempt to end the round. In round two, an exhausted Colbourne was unable to take Axworthy down. A Muay Thai stylist, Axworthy began to find a home for his vicious leg kicks that echoed throughout the arena. Colbourne began to flop to his back after each missed takedown attempt. Axworthy proceeded to throw leg kicks and let Colbourne back to his feet. Axworthy then saw the opportunity to follow an exhausted Colbourne to the ground and unleash some ground-and-pound of his own looking for the stoppage. Colbourne absorbed a tremendous amount of punches as he continued to defend himself, but offer nothing in return. The referee was forced to stop the fight late in the second round. Local standout Jason Mackay made short work of opponent Curtis Fiander as Mackay choked Fiander unconscious at the 55-second mark of the first round. McKay applied the rear-naked choke in which Fiander didn’t tap. Fiander appeared to go limp for approximately the last seven seconds the choke was applied. The referee finally stepped in to stop the fight. After the match you could hear a pin drop in the Halifax Forum as Fiander laid motionless. The cageside physicians rushed in to the ring only to see Fiander begin to go into convulsions. Thankfully, this only lasted for a few seconds and Fiander ended up coming around and was quickly back to his feet. He was able to walk out of the cage under his own power. Edmonton’s Victor Valimaki improved his record to 6-2 with a victory over Ohio native Shane Lightle. After a brief exchange, Lightle looked for the takedown in which Valimaki defended successfully. Valimaki knocked Lightle down where he followed him to the ground and finished Lightle with strikes at the 1:46 mark of the first round. Next up for Valimaki is a fight for the MFC Light Heavyweight title versus Jason Day on September 8. TJ Grant joined local fighters Roger Hollett and Jason Mackay with a submission victory of his own. Grant came out with a big slam of opponent Daniel Grandmaison in which he landed in side control. Grant quickly advanced to full mount where he landed some big shots. To Grandmaison’s credit, he was able to reverse position. However, Grant looked very comfortable from his back getting the armbar submission from his guard at the 1:46 mark of the first round. The evening’s second fight produced the highlight of the night as Nelson Riquelme landed a beautiful spinning backfist that sent opponent Jay Jenkins to the mat in the second round. Riquelme wasted no time jumping on his dazed opponent, throwing a quick flurry of punches to get the TKO at 3:35 of the second round. ECC 3 was a professional 10-fight card sanctioned by the Nova Scotia Boxing Authority. Extreme Cage Combat looks like it’s definitely here to stay as MMA looks alive and well in Atlantic Canada. "Our next show will be late October or early November in either Halifax or Cape Breton," says promoter Peter Martel. The first three ECC shows have seen a combined attendance in the ballpark of 10,000.
Extreme Cage Combat 3 "East Coast Warriors" Results
Look for more extensive coverage of ECC 3 in the next issue of Full Contact Fighter. |
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Rutten Rises, Jackson Power-Plays Lindland at WFA Return By Loretta Hunt – Photos by Daisy Rosas LOS ANGELES, Calif., July 22 — His return, in a word, was tremendous. From the first note of his mariachi-inspired "El Guapo" anthem to the moment the curtains subsided to unveil his bald, smiling melon of a head, Bas Rutten brought the house down with an infectious personality that carried him down the long ramp and into the cage. Dispersed throughout Inglewood’s Great Western Forum 17,500-seat arena, an estimated 5,000 spectators had finally found a common cause to get behind — the salute of a true mixed martial arts’ original.
Rutten’s UFC 20 heavyweight title bout against Kevin Randleman was a turning point in the sport, the unwavering division between fans regarding who prevailed catalyzed the formation of rounds and the re-evaluation of judging criteria. Although Rutten retained his belt that night, it would prove his last fight for seven years. The time away did nothing to tarnish Rutten’s star, undoubtedly assisted by his foray into commentating, which kept him in the spotlight. The 42-year-old Holland import opened his performance with a couple of sharp punches replacement opponent Ruben Villareal ate heartily, but he quickly adjusted and began to close the distance to try and land some preferred close-range punches. A look of puzzlement passed Rutten’s face, and he later commented it was time to make a decision. With a torn groin, a torn ACL, and a pulled rib, Rutten added his missing kicks. Three low kicks connected a few seconds apart, the last had the 260-pound fighter limping to meet Rutten once more. A final low right kick and Villareal fell to his knees. Referee Josh Rosenthal hesitated to see if Villareal would rise. When Villareal didn’t even raise his head, he halted the action 3:24 in. In the main event, light heavyweights Quinton Jackson and Matt Lindland both staged a worthy battle and the highlight of this card. Olympic silver medallist Lindland waged a stellar first round, latching on his guillotine from his back following Jackson’s opening slam, then later took a standing Jackson’s back for a rear-naked choke attempt.
Jackson evened the score in the second with a pair of slams and an unloading of punches on the fence that had Lindland wobbly. Lindland demonstrated some crafty scrambles to his feet throughout, but still dropped the round. Two minutes of stalemate on the fence to open round three quickly evolved into a gripping final moments. With a jaw-snapping right, Jackson again caught Lindland, but to his credit the Team Quest fighter returned fire with a high kick to ward his stronger foe off. In a following clinch, Jackson craftily fell to a knee to prevent Lindland from throwing more knees himself, but it would set up another of Lindland’s "choke slams." Lindland held the guillotine grip from his back for an extended moment and the audience was on its feet. Wiggling free, Jackson then reversed and tried to land some elbows — an authoritative final few seconds that could have swayed two of three judges in his favor. Even without his Kentucky Fried Chicken hat, a masked and Monopoly-money-chucking Jason Miller’s entrance was energetic and snappy, much like his gung-ho attack on "The Ultimate Fighter" season one veteran Lodune Sincaid. Miller rushed Sincaid at the bell with a flying knee, then went to work in the cageside clinch with knees Sincaid deflected. Grabbing Sincaid’s head with a Muay Thai hold, Miller brought Sincaid to the mat with a knee. From side to back control with a body triangle, Miller flirted with the rear-naked choke, finally snagging it 4:29 in.
Middleweight Ivan Salaverry’s left high kicks proved the fatal ingredient for Team Quest’s Art Santore, who absorbed over a half dozen flush to his right cheek throughout rounds one and two. Both athletes were active with strikes from the start, yet Salaverry’s speed in giving and (avoiding the) receiving made the difference. Skirting Santore’s advances by backtracking each times, Salaverry may not have over-impressed the crowds, but he legitimately came forward and connected when he did. In round two, he’d softened Santore enough to land a high right kick, then the left, and a final left hook that sent Santore down. Salaverry leapfrogged to mount, landing a slew of punches that opened Santore’s face and brought on the stoppage. Surprisingly, 808 Fight Factory’s Harris Sarmiento chose to trade with challenger Rob McCullough, whose whip-like inside and outside low kicks peppered his three-round offensive. To keep up with McCullough this way one has to be rugged, which Sarmiento undoubtedly was, but a takedown attempt or two might have been a more prudent route for the Hawaiian. Catching McCullough’s left leg in his hands in round two, Sarmineto was able to take the former kickboxer off his feet, but the advance was short-lived. McCullough deservedly earned the unanimous decision. Tedious was the only way to explain a lackluster pairing between Vernon White and the anticipated U.S. debut of Brazilian Ryoto "Lyoto" Machida, who list of credits includes UFC middleweight champion Rich Franklin’s only career loss and a decision victory over BJ Penn. Choosing a traditional sideways stance, Machida often switched lead legs, but spent more time backing away from White’s advances than pushing forward himself. When Machida did engage, his technique was there, but his few connecting strikes and takedowns were few and far between. At the conclusion of round three, the audience booed uniformly, an indication that they weren’t really intent on learning the victor in this stagnant affair. Halting the steamroller that is wrestler Ron Waterman, a rematching Ricco Rodriguez managed to keep his feet securely planted and connected with his first overhand right midway through round one. The effect on Waterman were almost immediate, so Rodriguez kept on coming with looping lefts and rights, cornering Waterman on the cage for a barrage of short hooks that left him winded. Still demonstrating the same technique and finesse that once earned him the UFC heavyweight title, it was only Rodriguez’s extra weight (some 35 pounds) that slowed his punches. Still, Rodriguez’s onslaught was effective. Waterman’s left eye bubbling and bruising over and under within a course of the first minute rest prompted the doctor to recommend a stoppage referee nelson Hamilton seconded. A draw and a house of jeers is what Marvin Eastman and Jorge Oliviera’s uneventful standoff earned them in the second offering of the evening.. Tossing off a plethora of high kicks too far out of range to land, Oliviera lacked the fire to ever really threaten Eastman; while the Las Vegas native rarely accomplished contact from the handful of times he actually closed the needed distance to hit his mark. Working off a clinch along the fence, Denmark native and last minute replacement Martin Kampmann scored the takedown, but Mexican brawler Edwin Aguilar managed to his feet. Positioning himself for his trademark rapid-fire onslaught, Kampmann simply slipped in on the inside, landing a combo whose tail end punch connected. Registering the hit slowly, Aguilar took a slight step back, then crumpled to his side and down to the mat. Referee Cecil Peoples stepped in right then, ensuring Kampmann’s record would now move up to a sound 9-1. WFA "King of the Streets" Results
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