Among the "names," a super heavyweight Ricco Rodriguez got back to his winning ways with a versed performance against the 300-pound Jimmy Ambriz in the main event. Rodriguez played a patient game in letting Ambriz pucker himself out along the fence trying to get the former UFC heavyweight champion down, then later unloaded with some left-rights and a final knee that crumbled his fellow Huntington Beach counterpart to the mat for a tapout.

Vernon "Tiger" White scored a knockout on a game Alex Stiebling tonight nine seconds into the second round, following a very close first round. With a verbal Ken Shamrock coaching from his corner, White eked out the first five minutes after reversing Stiebling from the top and landing some connecting head and body shots through Stiebling’s guard. White is reported to have broken his hand for his efforts.

Gil Castillo also made his return to competition tonight after a 16-month absence with a second round victory over a passionate but ultimately outclassed Steve Ramirez. Local Ramirez did land a few punches on Castillo that would force the Cesar Gracie rep to shoot, but Castillo never seemed to really be in any true trouble as he eased himself on to the TKO win throwing punches to Ramirez’s head after mounting his back.

Castillo cracks Ramirez with a solid right.

A main attraction of tonight’s event was the 4-Man Light Heavyweight tournament, a format of fighting that has been all but eliminated in America in the last few years with the onset of the Unified Rules of Combat, but can still be visited on unaffected sovereign land. The tournament has its benefits, as fans naturally become invested in its build-up and the familiarity of watching a fighter perform more than once in a night. However, fighters tend to get hurt in fights, and more times than not, the rightful victor from a first fight can not move on to his second. Tonight was an example of the latter, and a shame for fans (and the fighters involved) because all four participants truly proved they belonged there, which made it a credible endeavor indeed.

"It happened at 1:20 in the first," Clementi remembers. "He had me in half guard. I was on top, and my leg got caught. I felt it rip and pop out of the socket. I think he did, too. He said something to the ref in Japanese, but he didn’t hear."

Clementi continues, "After the second round, I was ready to give up. I never had an injury like that." Discussing the matter with his manager and corner, Monte Cox, it was decided that if Clementi could continue, he should. He had already, after all, won the first two rounds, and a three-fight deal with MFC Euphoria was waiting on the other end of the W. So, in his MFC Euphoria-USA vs. World bout with Japan’s Daisuke Hanazawa, Clementi forged through a very painful two and a half rounds to win a unanimous decision, torn ACL and all.

The injury caused Clementi to do something he had never even considered, let alone done, since he decided to make MMA his career: take time off. It’s been 8 months since the injury and only recently was he able to begin working out again.

"I used my hamstring tendon for my ACL replacement," Clementi reveals. Choosing to use his own tendon rather than an artificial one, Clementi felt more comfortable knowing where the surrogate came from. What he didn’t know, however, was the difference in recovery time. He confesses, "If I had knee surgery alone, recovery would have been okay, but using my hamstring hindered me way more than I thought." Perhaps what came as a shock most was the toll the recovery took on him mentally. "Psychologically, it wore on me. I can remember cornering one of my guys, and I had to drag my crutches up to the cage with me. It was hard for me to rely on them for everything."

NEW FSN/PRIDE FIGHTING EPISODE
PREMIERES SUNDAY NIGHT!
New Episode Premieres Sunday, October 16th at 9:00 PM Local Time

Hosted by Jay Glazer and Bas Rutten, "The PRIDE Fighting Championships" program looks back at some of the most exciting fights in PRIDE’S history. Included in this upcoming episode:

In the Lightweight division, local hero and international fight veteran Jeff Curran (27W-7L-1D) will take on one of his most dangerous opponents to date in the form of a stone-faced Canadian by the name of Antonio Carvalho (9W-0L-0D). Curran needs no introduction, having fought the world over against top international opponents, beating the likes of Baret Yoshida, Bao Quach, Ryan Ackerman, and others.

While not quite as seasoned, his opponent, Antonio Carvalho boasts an undefeated record with all but one of his wins by smooth submission or brutal TKO, a testament to his balanced fighting skills. Included in his list of credentials is a second round TKO over Brian Geraghty (14W-10L-1D), a first round triangle choke submission over Tommy Lee (13W-5D-0L), and a recent decision win over one of Japan’s finest lightweights, Lion Takeshi (6-1-0). This Shooto Americas Lightweight Division tile bout pits America’s best against Canada’s finest. One will emerge victorious and claim the belt to become the first ever regional champion in the Shooto Americas Lightweight Division.