Oliveira wins PFC title, two others move into position
Posted on | March 25, 2008 | No Comments
LEMOORE, Ca. — From a five-second Palace Fighting Championship debut, to a 5-round PFC World Light Heavyweight Title fight, Jorge Oliveira made good on his second-chance opportunity.
Oliveira bounced back from a 5-second knockout at PFC 6 to Arroyo Grande’s Glover Teixeira to capture the PFC World Light Heavyweight championship on March 20th at the Tachi Palace Hotel and Casino.
Oliveira (3-2-1) defeated Sacramento’s Jeromy Freitag (6-6) by unanimous decision.
“I still don’t think that my performance is there yet,” said Oliveira, who had Freitag rocked on several occasions in the 5-round bout but failed to follow up and finish the fight.
“There are still a lot of things I need to tighten up in my game. I really didn’t know too much about [Freitag]. I had him hurt really bad at least once, but I didn’t want to go in too wild.”
Instead, the Brazilian born fighter that now trains in Los Angeles played it safe. He peppered Freitag with shots, landed the much harder shots and was a bit more active when the fight hit the ground.
“I think that [Freitag] is a great fighter,” Oliveira said. “I trained a lot harder for this fight than I did my last. I got a second chance, and I wanted to come in here and show the fans what kind of fighter I really am.”
The light heavyweight title fight was the only belt up for grabs on the 12-bout card, which was the seventh straight sellout for the PFC.
But two other fighters did gain No. 1 contender spots and will title shots later this year.
In a sizzling featherweight bout, Fresno’s Jorge Evangelista (6-2-1) defeated Oregon’s Enoch Wilson (8-4-1) by split decision.
The victory put Evangelista in position to fight PFC World Featherweight title-holder Art Arciniega (6-1) of Oakdale.
“This wasn’t the type of fight that I was expecting,” said Evangelista, who avenged a loss by his brother by Wilson.
“I think it was kind of reverse of how I thought the fight might go.”
In what was easily the fight of the night, Evangelista and Wilson put on a striking and grappling clinic for fans, who are still debating who actually won the razor close split decision.
Evangelista probably stole the fight with his takedowns in the first two rounds, though, and then held off a lengthy heel-hook submission attempt in the final period.
“I think that my wrestling won the fight for me,” Evangelista said. “[Wilson] was really keeping me off balance with his jab. That’s something that I need to work on for my next fight.”
The pair were locked on the ground for virtually the entire third round, as Wilson sunk a heel hook and worked vigorously to finish the fight. Evangelista obviously took damage in the round, as he could hardly stand after the fight and needed help out of the ring.
“I wasn’t going to tap. I just put my mind some place else. Believe it or not, I kind of just go to a meditation state,” Evangelista said. “I kept my mind off he pain and meditated. I can’t even really remember most of the round.
It was a quick finish in the middleweight title eliminator, as Merced’s Phil Collins (6-3) defeated Lemoore’s Mike Martinez (3-2) by heel-hook at 1:16 of the first round.
“I did what I said I was going to do,” said Collins, who had been training for a fight with Ultimate Fighting Championship veteran Justin Levens (9-8) of Newport Beach.
Levens was unable to compete, because of an injury sustained in training.
“I have to give the kid [Martinez] a lot of credit for stepping in on short notice. I think he is a young, up-and-coming talent. He’s tall and strong. But I did what I had to do when you overmatch some one and that’s finish the fight fast.”
Martinez pushed the pace of the fight early, landing a leg kick and then taking Collins down with a double-leg takedown that nearly sent the two through the ropes.
“It was like a football tackle. That kind of hurt,” Collins said. “But I just caught my breath, took my time and waited for him to step in the middle, I rolled through and then popped it.”
Martinez tried to pass Collins’ guard, but the crafty veteran setup a sweep and then locked the heel to end the fight.
“[Martinez] just needs to work on his jiu-jitsu a little,” Collins said.
Martinez, who took the fight on just five days notice, says he will be back.
“I thought that Collins’ experience definitely shined through in this fight,” Martinez said. “I felt like I was the bigger, faster and stronger fighter. I just have some things to work on. I will be back in the gym on Monday.”
Collins will have to wait until September for his shot at the title, as current champion Visalia’s Kenny Ento (9-3) has a pair of bouts scheduled already. He will fight an opponent to be announced in a non-title bout in April on a night of championship boxing at the Palace and then tangle with talented submission specialist Nate Loughran (7-0) of Santa Rosa in May.
The bout with Loughran will be a title bout and is expected to be one of the better match ups of the year.
Much like Hanford’s Luis Gonzalez (1-0) did in October, Las Vegas’ Ulysses Gomez (1-0) helped put the 125-pound division on the map in the PFC by submitting Cambria’s Greg McDowell (0-1) at 41 seconds of the first round.
“I really just wanted to get the fight over with,” said Gomez, who was frustrated with having to miss his mother’s birthday and the fact that they mistakenly played the wrong music for his entrance.
“They played the wrong song and I was missing my mom’s birthday. I just wanted to get in there and finish the guy. I wanted to do it for my mom.”
Gomez made an impression on all those in attendance, as the Grapplers Quest and World Pankration Champion, took McDowell down immediately and took his back just as fast, finishing the fight with a rear-naked-choke.
“I was trying to put him in this move [Marc] Laimon teaches called the ‘gift wrap’,” Gomez said. “After the takedown I was in side control and had his arm trapped. He was either going to get punched in the face or give up his back. He gave up his back, so I choked him out. At one point he was hitting me in the face, and I was thinking go ahead and keeping punching because in a second I’m going to choke you.”
Also in flyweight action, Georgia’s David Mitchell (2-0) defeated Dinuba’s Daniel Pinedo (1-2) by submission at 2:07 of the first round.
Mitchell did something he’s never done in a fight before, pulling guard in the first minute of the match. Pinedo worked his top game, landing a flurry and then trying to sink a guillotine choke, but Mitchell slipped out.
“It felt great out there. Pinedo hit like a mule. I wanted to stay standing, but he scooped my hips early and I had to pull guard and that’s the first time I’ve ever done that in a fight,” Mitchell said. “I just worked my jiu-jitsu once I got out of the guillotine and was able to take his back and finish the fight.”
Mitchell eventually took Pinedo’s back and the fight ended soon after.
In other bouts;
— In Teixeira’s second appearance in the PFC, the Pit trained light heavyweight has still yet to complete a round.
—
Teixeira (6-2) won by technical knockout over San Diego’s Buckley Acosta (4-5) at 1:00 of the first round.
“It was a good fight. He came out swinging and landed a good shot,” Teixeira said. “You’re in a fight so that kind of stuff happens.”
After Buckley landed a heavy right hand that caught Teixeira off balance, Teixeira recovered scored a takedown, mounted and then finished the fight with an onslaught of right hands.
“I wanted to keep the fight standing,” Teixeira said. “But when it went to the ground that was also good for me. It might not have been as exciting as the last knockout, but it was a good win for me.”
—Wasco’s Manuel Quezada (1-0) knocked out Madera’s Charles Hodges (0-3) at 1:02 of the first round.
Quezada a former accomplished kick boxer put the heavyweight division on notice with his standup game.
“I want to fight MMA as often as [PFC President] Christian [Printup] will let me,” said Quezada, who is 22-4-1 as a boxer. “It felt great out there tonight. I was a little nervous when he started the round by rushing me.”
But the nerves quickly vanished and Quezada landed several offensive techniques, including several crushing left hooks that ended the match.
“A lot of people don’t know I got my start in kickboxing and I’m a second degree black belt in taekwondo,” Quezada said. “The kicks and all that come natural to me.”
—Bakersfield welterweight Bryan Travers (10-1) made quick work of Merced’s Joel Crawford (0-5). Travers submitted Crawford at 2:50 of the first round.
Travers, who was originally scheduled to fight for the PFC World Welterweight title against Arizona’s Richie Hightower, used an overwhelming strength advantage on the ground to setup some brutal ground-and-pound and then finish the fight with a kimura.
Crawford stepped in on less than 24 hours notice, as Hightower opted out of the fight due to an unnamed illness.
—Turlock middleweight Jeremiah Metcalf (7-4) beat Fresno’s Jimmy Dexter (2-5) by submission at 1:47 of the second round.
Metcalf controlled the fight with his ground game, taking Dexter’s back several times. But the game Fresnan was able to fight off some rear-naked-choke attempts.
Eventually Metcalf’s submission attempts paid off, as he sunk a rear-naked-choke midway through the third period.
—Sacramento lightweight Danny Castillo (4-0) made an impressive PFC debut with a submission of Merced’s Andy Salazar (0-3) at 1:24 of the first round.
Castillo landed a vicious left hook that wobbled Salazar, knocking him to the canvas where Castillo quickly applied a rear-naked-choke to end the fight.
—Tulare heavyweight Rafael Del Real (5-8) won a split decision over Tulare’s Carlton Jones (1-4).
Del Real was able to out duel his good friend Jones in large part due to his leg kicks. Jones flurried at times, but was able to put continuous pressure on Del Real.
—Stockton lightweight Brandon Jinnies (3-7) defeated Bakersfield’s Robert Breslin (3-8-1) by unanimous decision.
With the victory, Jinnies picked up a 2-fight contract with the PFC.
On May 8th the PFC will bring you PFC 8, as Ento battles Loughran for the PFC World Middleweight title, a rematch between former PFC champ Porterville’s Shawn Klarcyk (7-2) and current 135-pound champ Oakddale’s Rolando Velasco (5-0), the PFC debut of World Extreme Cagefighting and International Fight League veteran Devin Cole (7-6) of Oregon, a grudge match between Lemoore’s Andrew Martinez (5-1-1) and Tulare’s Roy Arriola (1-2) and PFC World Featherweight Champion Arciniega will defend his belt against an opponent to be announced
For ticket information go to palacefightingchampionship.com or
www.myspace.com/tachipalacefights
Also that the next installment of PFC on Comcast SportsNet will debut this Saturday, March 29th at 8 p.m.. The TV main event is the grueling heavyweight fight between Sacramento’s Brad Imes (10-4) and Coarsgold’s Anthony Ruiz (20-10) from PFC 6.
VELASQUEZ TWINS TRIUMPH
Posted on | March 25, 2008 | No Comments
JUAN CARLOS SCHEDULED TO FIGHT APRIL 4
AT THE MORONGO CASINO IN CABAZON, CA
Photos By Raymond Rodriguez
March 24, 2008
danny dougie
The Velasquez Twins, Carlos Ivan and Juan Carlos, continued they’re winning ways as they both recorded victories this past weekend on the Casamayor vs Katsidis card at the Morongo Casino in Cabazon CA.
Carlos Ivan improved to (7-0, 6 KO’s) with a battle tested six round unanimous decision win over Manuel Sarabia, a veteran of 48 fights. Carlos used his speed and accuracy in rout to victory as the judges score cards read 60-54 twice and 59-55. Having knocked out his previous six opponents, Carlos Ivan went the distance for the first time showing he has the ability to go rounds if need be. “I’m happy with my performance. “I believe I dominated the entire fight from the opening bell. Sarabia is a tough fighter, and I did what I had to do to come out victorious.” ~ Carlos Ivan Velasquez.
danny dougieJuan Carlos cruised to a unanimous decision over Thomas Bernal improving to (7-0, 4 KO’s). Juan chose to keep the fight inside as he landed powerful body blows while applying pressure. The score cards read 40-36 across the board. “With every win I’m getting more comfortable in the ring. I’m learning a lot in each fight. I can’t wait to get back in the gym and work hard for the next fight.” ~ Juan Carlos Velasquez
twins 3Goldenboy Promotions rising stars are set to get back in the ring in the near future. Juan Carlos is scheduled to fight April 4 at the Morongo Casino against an opponent TBA. Carlos Ivan will fight on a later date.
Mario Serrano
Publicist
boxingpublicist@aol.com
OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALIST ANDRE WARD HEADLINES BEST DAMN FIGHT NIGHT PERIOD
Posted on | March 25, 2008 | No Comments
Two-Hour Special Airs on Thursday, March 27
The last time 2004 U.S. Olympic Gold Medalist Andre “S.O.G.” Ward walked into a ring in San Jose, CA as part of FSN’s BEST DAMN FIGHT NIGHT PERIOD, he was still just a barely more than an amateur fighter. With just four fights under his belt, Ward was still learning the nuances of being a pro and how he would have to prepare himself for a shot at a title.
The lessons have been learned. In a fight airing on FSN on Thursday, March 27 at 8:00 PM local, Ward (14-0, 9 KOs) looks to build on his undefeated record and propel himself into the realm of top title contenders.
In a 10-round super middleweight bout, Ward faces a tough task, taking on Rubin “Mr. Hollywood” Williams (29-3-1, 16 KOs), a Detroit brawler who has proven tough to knock down and promises to come out swinging against the Olympian.
In the undercard, two up-and-coming fighters square off in a six-round junior middleweight fight. San Francisco’s power punching Karim “Hard Hitta” Mayfield (5-0-1, 5 KOs) battles rising star Francisco “Chia” Santana (8-0, 4 KOs), who hails from Santa Barbara, CA.
Best Damn Sports Show Period’s Chris Rose hosts the fight night. Award-winning announcer Rich Marotta calls the fight alongside analyst Sean O’Grady. Emmy-award winner Bob Steinfeld produces the fight for FSN.
*****
FSN is the nation’s leading provider of local sports. FSN’s 16 owned-and-operated regional networks and its affiliated networks reach more than 70 million homes across the U.S. FSN serves as the TV home to nearly two-thirds of all MLB, NHL and NBA teams based in the United States. FSN also produces close to 5,000 live local events each year, including more than 1400 in high definition. In addition to its thousands of home team games and a wide variety of locally produced sports programs, FSN televises national sports events and programs, including Pac-10 and ACC basketball and Pac-10 and Big 12 football.
—FSN—
DAVID DIAZ BACK IN CHICAGO, WAITING ON THE MEXICUTIONER
Posted on | March 24, 2008 | No Comments
CHICAGO, IL (March 20, 2007) World Boxing Council Lightweight champion David Diaz is back in his native Chicago after his dominant win over Ramon Montano in Las Vegas, Nevada this past Saturday night. The Diaz/Montano fight was part of the HBO Pay Per View broadcast of Marquez vs. Pacquiao II “UNFINISHED BUSINESS”, a hard fought battle won by Pacquaio for the WBC Junior Lightweight championship.
As Diaz’s promoter Top Rank Incorporated has previously stated and Chairman Bob Arum reiterated at the post fight press conference Saturday night, plans call for THE MEXICUTIONER, Manny Pacquiao to move up to the lightweight division on June 28th to challenger for Diaz’s title. Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas would once again play host as they did this past weekend.
About his immediate plans, Diaz stated “We’re just waiting to here back about Manny’s cuts and how much healing time they need. We should know something in the next couple of days. Other than that I’m just looking forward to spending the holiday weekend with my family.
I’m doing fine, my bruises are healing and I’m ready to start camp at the end of this month if the fight stays on schedule.”
About his battle with Montano, Diaz stated, “He was a real tough kid, but my conditioning really played a part in the second half of the fight. I hit him with some good, hard combinations in the later rounds but he showed a lot of heart staying in the fight.”
In regards to skeptics who doubt his chances against Pacquaio, Diaz said, ‘I’ve heard it all before, it doesn’t bother me. When we fight its just me and him. He’s been a great fighter and has beaten some true legends so it’s a terrific challenge.”
Diaz also wanted to express his thanks to his growing legion of fans for their continued support
and advised them to visit his website at www.diazboxing.com
David Diaz is promoted by Bob Arum’s Top Rank Incorporated, managed by Jim
Strickland and trained by Jim Strickland and Mike Garcia.
For press inquiries, please use the contact information below.
_______________________________________________
Bernie Bahrmasel
DOUBLE B PUBLICITY INC.
Tags: Bernie Bahrmasel > Bob Arum > Boxing > Chicago > David Diaz > Jim Strickland > Marquez > Mike Garcia > Pacquiao > Ramon Montano > The Mexecutioner > Top Rank Incorporated > WBC
FIGHTERS WANTED: MMA RECRUITER CLASSIFIEDS
Posted on | March 24, 2008 | No Comments
Dog Pound Productions is looking for Amateur Male and Female Fighters to fill spots on their upcoming fight card April 19th in Wichita, KS. All weight classes needed.
Terrell Brown
Phone = 316.518.6731
E-mail = terrell@ultimatefitnesscenters.com
Myspace = www.myspace.com/dogpoundproductions
The Fight Party is looking for Pro and Amateur Fighters to fill spots on their upcoming fight card for March 28th in Camp LeJeune, NC. This is your chance to fight in front of 3,000 Marines. Good pay for an experienced 185, and beginner type pay for the 170lb pro.
Pro 170lb opponent is 1-2
Pro 185lb opponent is 12-12
Amateur 205lb opponent is very green.
If interested in fighting on this card contact:
Tony Metcalfe
E-mail = tmet30066@yahoo.com
COV GLOVE TO MAKE NATIONAL TV DEBUT THIS FRIDAY NIGHT
Posted on | March 24, 2008 | No Comments
(PHOTO BY MIKE GREENHILL)
PHILADELPHIA (March 24, 2008)—This Friday night in Salamanca, New York, the latest innovation in professional boxing will make its national television debut.
CovGlove will be used on the ESPN 2 televised show that will feature former IBF Jr. Middleweight champion Kassim Ouma taking star of CONTENDER season-2 star Cornelius “K9” Bundrage.
CovGlove is the brainchild of former professional fighter, Associate Pastor and successful entrepreneur David Price.
CovGlove is a product that is designed to keep the action of a fight flowing as well as a safety measure in boxing.
CovGlove is a synthetic material that is placed over the tape of the glove on the wrist. Price became extremely frustrated when a fighter would get an opponent hurt and then there was a halt in the action due to the unraveling of tape
Price got the idea when he watching Mike Tyson fight Buster Douglas. When Tyson got in trouble, his tape became loose which hampered the momentum of Douglas.
A few years later, Price had a meeting with a seamstress and then a Pattern Designer and the product was developed. Price then formed a company called Price Products. CovGlove is the first product for the company.
Price approached the executive director of the Pennsylvania Boxing Commission, Greg Sirb. Sirb liked the concept and wanted to use the product right away. CovGlove was used in September of 2007 on a card promoted by Hall of Fame promoter Russell Peltz
Like most first time products, there were a few minor adjustments that had to be made. That development did not deter Price as over the next few months, he worked feverishly to improve the product until it not only met standards of the commission but his own personal vision.
The CovGlove has improved to the point where it has been used on the last four shows promoted by Peltz and Sirb will continue to use product in his state.
“The latest version has done its job” said Commissioner Greg Sirb, “It has been keeping the tape secure and most importantly it doesn’t bother the fighter.”
Hall of Fame promoter Russell Peltz added, “I think the product is terrific, you will never see the tape or laces from the glove come loose with the Cov Glove”
U.S. Olympian Jason Estrada set to conquer ‘Mount’ Whitaker
Posted on | March 24, 2008 | No Comments
April 4 headliner on ESPN2 FNF at Twin River Events Center in Rhode Island
PROVIDENCE (March 24, 2008) – 2004 U.S. Olympian Jason “Big Six” Estrada (11-1, 2 KOs), coming off of his dominating win by 10-round decision in January against former world heavyweight title contender Charles Shufford, plans to breakaway from the rest of the U.S. heavyweight prospect pack with a convincing performance April 4 on national television against former NABO/NABA/WBC Continental Americas champion Lance “Mount” Whitaker in the 10-round main event on “Heavy Hitters,” promoted by Jimmy Burchfield’s Classic Entertainment, Inc. at Twin River Events Center in Lincoln, Rhode Island.
Estrada-Whitaker moved from co-feature to main event on the April 4th ESPN2 Friday Night Fights show when Estrada’s CES stablemate, “Baby” Joe Mesi (36-0, 29 KOs) suffered a shoulder injury forcing him off of the April 4th card.
“Fighting on ESPN2 in the main event is one more step I need to take,” Estrada said. “I’m happy – not the way it happened with Joe getting injured – but now this is my moment. I’ve been waiting for this chance. I was going to be on TV in the co-feature, anyway, but now I’ll be the guy in the main event.”
The 6’ 8” Whitaker (32-4-1, 27), who has beaten former world champions Oleg Maskaev (KOs) and Al “Ice” Cole, will not be the tallest opponent Estrada has ever fought. Back in the amateurs, Jason defeated a 6’ 9” Cuban fighter and, although it’s difficult to find sparring partners Whitaker’s height, Estrada can’t wait for the challenge.
“I have the kind of hand speed Whitaker’s never seen before,” Jason spoke about his experienced opponent. “He’s been around a long time and has a lot of experience, but Whitaker’s also 35 and I don’t think he’s gotten better with age like some boxers. He’s too big and his arms are too long. I’ll be putting pressure on him from the start. I’ll be going forward and he’ll be going backwards. I’m going to keep beating him to the punch. I’ll out-hustle him like I did to Shufford.
“We were given a list of opponents. I wanted to fight on TV and said yes right away when his name was brought up. Beating a fighter like Whitaker – he’s big and has a big name — on national television will accelerate my career. I’m not taking anything away from him. Maybe he’ll come out hungry. Who knows? But Whitaker better worry about me. I’m younger, stronger faster, quicker and more motivated. I don’t care if he’s 6’ 8” because we’re not playing basketball. (Mike) Tyson proved height doesn’t matter in heavyweight boxing.”
Estrada, promoted by Jimmy Burchfield’s Classic Entertainment and Sports, Inc. (CES), recently opened his own gym, “Big Six Boxing Academy,” in Providence.
“It doesn’t get any bigger than this,” Estrada’s father and advisor/head trainer Dr. Roland Estrada commented. “What better way for Jason to prove himself than on ESPN2 in the main event. It will give him an opportunity to impress fans all over. He’s fighting a 6’ 8” guy who has fought just about everybody and only has four losses in 37 pro fights. It’s going to be a nice time to shine and separate Jason fro the pack, into a fight against a top 20 opponent and on the way to becoming world champion. People are going to be surprised at how strong Jason is. He’s been working very hard.”
Providence-native Estrada, 27, was one of the most highly decorated American amateur boxers ever, compiling an amazing 261-14 record in U.S. competition. He was the first boxer to win both the U.S. Nationals and U.S. Challenge three years (2001-2003) in a row. Highlights of his amateur career included representing the United States in the 2004 Olympics and capturing a gold medal at the 2003 Pan-American Games.
During his sensational amateur career, Estrada defeated some of today’s leading professionals including former world title challenger DaVarryl “The Touch of Sleep” Williamson (24-5, 20 KOs), unbeatens Malik Scott (30-0, 10 KOs) and Donnell “The Real Touch of Sleep” Holmes (28-0-2, 24 KOs), Malcolm “The Showstopper” Tann (23-4, 12 KOs), and Felix “Bad News” Cora, Jr. (18-2, 9 KOs).
Tickets for “Heavy Hitters,” promoted by CES, are priced at $35.00 (ADA stage seating only), $40.00, $50.00, (Bronze), $75.00 (Silver), $100.00 (Gold) and $150.00 (Jimmy’s Platinum Club) are, available to purchase by calling CES (401.724.2253/2254), going on line at www.cesboxing.com or www.twinriver.com, at the Twin River Event Center (100 Twin River Road, Lincoln, RI), or any TicketMaster location. Contact CES (401.724.2253/2254/www.cesboxing.com) or Twin River Events Center (877.82.RIVER/ www.twinriver.com) for more information. Doors open at 6 PM/ET, first bout at 7 PM/ET.
-JE-
Tags: 2004 Olympics > Al Cole > Big Six Boxing Academy > CES > Classic Entertainment Sports Incorporated > DaVarryl Williamson > Donnell Holmes > ESPN2 > Felix "Bad News" Cora > Friday Night Fights > Gold Medal > Jason Estrada > Jimmy Burchfield > Joe Mesi > Jr. > Lance Whitaker > Lincoln > Malcolm Tann > Malik Scott > Oleg Maskaev > Providence > Rhode Island > Roland Estrada > Twin River Events Center
DOMINANT DENNY WINS BY FIRST-ROUND DISQUALIFICATION
Posted on | March 23, 2008 | No Comments
DOMINANT DENNY WINS BY FIRST-ROUND DISQUALIFICATION
IN THE MAIN EVENT OF TOP-NOTCH ELITEXC FIGHT CARD
Friday, March 21, 2008, at 11 p.m. ET/PT on SHOWTIME
Chumash Casino Resort, Santa Ynez, California
SANTA YNEZ, Calif. (March 22, 2008) – The rules are abundantly clear: in mixed martial arts, a fighter is not permitted to deliver an elbow in a downward motion (ceiling to floor). Nor is a fighter allowed to strike an opponent behind the back of the head.
Malaipet did both in the closing seconds of the first-round against Thomas “Wildman” Denny Friday in the main event of ShoXC: Elite Challenger Series on SHOWTIME, and was disqualified.
The telecast, which featured five fights, aired at 11 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the west coast) from Chumash Casino Resort at Santa Ynez, Calif.
In other televised bouts, scheduled for three, 5-minute rounds, Conor Heun (7-2), of Hollywood, Calif., won an unpopular, unanimous decision over Marlon Mathias (5-2), of Brazil; Jaime Fletcher (9-3), of Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., recorded an upset points victory over Aaron Rosa (10-2), of San Antonio, Texas; Shane Del Rosario (4-0), of Irvine, Calif., scored an opening-round knockout over Analu Brash (1-2), of Kula, Maui; and Mark Oshiro (10-1), of Honolulu, Hawaii, knocked out previously unbeaten Chris Cariaso (6-1), of San Francisco, in the first round.
Non-televised results: Crowd favorite Kenny “The Poet” Johnson (1-0), of Los Angeles, did all the right stuff in his pro debut as he manhandled Michael Penafiel (2-3), of Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., en route to winning a unanimous decision by the scores of 30-27 three times; Steve Gable (1-0), of San Clemente, Calif., scored a 2:47, first-round TKO over Eric Jones (0-2), of Los Angeles; Lyle Beerbohm (5-0), of Spokane, Wash., submitted (rear naked choke) Vince Guzman (2-3), of Los Angeles, at 3:26 of the second; Devin Howard (1-0), of La Habra, Calif., impressively submitted (rear naked choke) Mark Kempthorne (1-5), of Vandenberg, Calif., at 2:53 of the first; and Brandon Tarn (1-1), of Los Angeles, submitted (rear naked choke) Jason Williams (0-1), of Rancho Cucamonga, at 1:05 of the second.
Pre- and post-fight interviews were shown only at ProElite.com. Fighter Pages are below.
“I’m sorry because I came here to fight, but this is MMA and you have to follow the rules,’’ said Denny, who could not continue after he was nailed by three blatant elbows to the back of the head. “I may have been dazed but I wasn’t knocked out. One thing I could not do, however, was move my neck.’’
Knowing his advantage on the ground, Denny took Malaipet to the ground in the opening seconds and kept him there for more than four and a half minutes of the initial five-minute session.
At one point in the 160-pound fight, it appeared that Malaipet would get choked out, but he rallied to work his way out of it and managed to continue. Denny quickly locked him up again and tried to take matters back to the ground. A frustrated Malaipet then committed the three flagrant fouls.
Denny (26-16), of Victorville, Calif., was given a few minutes to recover, but when he couldn’t the fight was called at the 4:51 mark. “Malaipet was tough because I thought I had him with the rear naked choke,” Denny said. “But I will definitely fight him again. I was totally dominating.’’
A world-class superstar Muay Thai kickboxer with reportedly more than 300 Muay Thai fights, Malaipet (3-2), of Rancho Cucamonga, by way of Thailand, had a three-fight MMA winning streak end.
“I definitely want to fight him again,’’ Malaipet said. “If he wants to do it at 150 pounds, I’ll fight him any time, any place. This wasn’t my type of fight. But there was no way I was ever going to tap out.’’
In an excellent, crowd-pleasing, give-and-take battle at 160 pounds that appeared closer than the judges had it, Heun outpointed Mathias by the scores of 30-27 on all three scorecards.
“This was yet another hard, tough battle,” said Heun, who was cut above his left eye and may have had his jaw broken. “I didn’t expect to get hit like that and I don’t like bleeding. But I love to fight and look forward to doing it again.”
“I am very disappointed in the decision,’’ Mathias said. “I inflicted the most damage and landed the most punches. I definitely won two of the three rounds.”
In an action-packed fight at 205 pounds, Fletcher dealt Rosa a second consecutive defeat, scoring one knockdown en route to winning by the scores of 30-27 twice and 28-29. Rosa lost his previous start to unbeaten Jared Hamman on Oct. 26, 2007, on ShoXC on SHOWTIME at Chumash.
“This is by far the biggest win of my career,’’ Fletcher said. “It is unbelievable how great I feel. He was so tall and had a reach advantage on me so I knew I had to push the pace. I knew by the first round that it was going to be a long fight because I couldn’t get inside.
“I pretty much felt I won the decision with the knockdown. The biggest surprise to me was that he decided to stand and fight me. He played right into my hands.”
In a match-up of 265-pounders, Del Rosario humbled Brash. Fairly dominant from the outset, Del Rosario was pummeling Brash with punches to the head when the referee stepped in and stopped it at 3:16 of the opening stanza.
“He hit me a couple of times, but I felt I was in control the whole time,” Del Rosario said. “I expected to win, I just didn’t know how. I was a little nervous because there was a lot of pressure on me, but now I am very relieved and happy.
“I was surprised the referee let it go because I thought he was out. At one point I stopped because I thought I heard the ref say ‘stop.’ But when he didn’t, I just kept going.”
In a thrilling fight to open the telecast, both fighters went down before Oshiro knocked out the previously unbeaten Cariaso at 2:38 of the first.
“I knew I hurt him after I landed the right hand, but as long as the referee wasn’t going to stop it, I was going to keep throwing punches,’’ Oshiro said.
“He had me on the ground and I fought to get back up. He hit me pretty hard in the gut when we were on the mat, so when I got back up I really wanted to get him back.”
SHOWTIME announcer Mauro Ranallo called the play-by-play for ShoXC with Stephen Quadros, The Fight Professor, serving as color analyst. The executive producer of ShoXC is David Dinkins, Jr. with Richard Gaughan producing and Rick Phillips directing.
Friday’s card will re-air as follows:
DAY CHANNEL
Monday, March 24, 8 p.m. ET/PT SHO EXTREME
Tuesday, March 25, Midnight ET/PT SHO EXTREME
The telecast also will air on SHOWTIME On Demand from Monday, March 24-Sunday, April 20.
Mixed martial arts returns to SHOWTIME next Saturday, March 29, when Frank Shamrock defends his Strikeforce middleweight title against Cung Le in the eagerly anticipated main event of an outstanding telecast that begins at 9 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the west coast).
In the March 29 co-feature at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif., Jake Shields will face Drew Fickett for the vacant EliteXC world welterweight crown. EliteXC standouts Joey “Dream Smasher” Villasenor and Nick Diaz will also appear on the card.
Tickets for the spectacular March 29 event, presented by EliteXC and Strikeforce, start at $30 and are on sale at HP Pavilion (408) 287-7070, at Ticketmaster locations (408) 998-TIXS, Ticketmaster online (www.ticketmaster.com), EliteXC’s official website (www.ProElite.com) and Strikeforce’s official website (www.Strikeforceusa.net). Doors will open at 4:30 p.m. The first live fight is at 5 o’clock PT.
The next ShoXC telecast is Saturday, April 5, on SHOWTIME (11:30 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the west coast) from Table Mountain Casino at Friant, Calif. The main event will feature an excellent matchup of promising middleweights — undefeated Jared Hamman (9-0) of San Bernardino, Calif., against once-beaten Poia Suganuma (8-1) of Hilo, Hawaii.
Tickets, priced at $50, $60, $70 and $80, are available at the Main Casino Cage at Table Mountain Casino and online at www.tmcasino.com/tickets.html. Doors open at 4:30 p.m. First live fight is at 5:30 p.m. PT.
For more information on EliteXC and other MMA-related stories, including bios, video-on-demand, photos, stats, Fantasy Fight Game TM and more, please visit ProElite.com and EliteXC.com. For information on SHOWTIME Sports, including exclusive behind-the-scenes video, photo galleries and complete telecast information, please visit http://www.SHO.com/Sports.
Fighter pages for Friday’s televised bouts: Denny (http:/thomasdenny.proelite.com), Malaipet (http://Malaipet.proelite.com), Mathias (http:/marlonmathias.proelite.com), Heun (http:/conorheun.proelite.com), Rosa (http://aaronrosa.proelite.com), Fletcher (http://jaimefletcher.proelite.com), Del Rosario (http://shanedelrosario.proelite.com), Brash (http://analubrash.proelite.com), Oshiro (http://markoshiro.proelite.com), Cariaso (http://chriscaraiso.proelite.com)
Fighter pages for Friday’s non-televised bouts: Johnson (http://kennyjohnson.proelite.com), Penafiel (http://michaelpenafiel.proelite.com), Guzman (http://vinceguzman.proelite.com), Beerbohm (http://lylebeerbohm.proelite.com), Jones (http://ericjones.proelite.com), Gable (http://stevebgable.proelite.com), Howard (http://devinhoward.proelite.com), Kempthorne (http://markkempthorne.proelite.com), Tarn (http://brandontarn.proelite.com), Williams (http://jasonwilliams.proelite.com).
About ProElite, Inc.
ProElite Inc. [PELE.PK] delivers the most exciting entertainment experience in the world of mixed martial arts (MMA) with live arena-based entertainment events, cable television programming on Showtime Networks and community-driven interactive broadband entertainment via the Internet. ProElite embraces MMA with the highest levels of honor, integrity, discipline and self-esteem all the while remaining inclusive for fighters, fans and schools. ProElite’s live fight division, EliteXC, delivers spectacular live MMA fight events that showcase the world’s top fighters [elitexc.com]. ProElite’s interactive business, ProElite.com, capitalizes on the growing popularity of the sport of mixed martial arts by building a community of MMA enthusiasts. In addition to streaming the most exciting live fights to the web, ProElite expands the fan base of the sport by providing a comprehensive set of online social networking tools for fans, fighters and organizations. ProElite.com – Empowering the Fight Community TM
About Showtime Networks Inc.
Showtime Networks Inc. (SNI), a wholly-owned subsidiary of CBS Corporation, owns and operates the premium television networks SHOWTIME®, THE MOVIE CHANNEL® and FLIX®, as well as the multiplex channels SHOWTIME 2™, SHOWTIME® SHOWCASE, SHOWTIME EXTREME®, SHOWTIME BEYOND®, SHOWTIME NEXT®, SHOWTIME WOMEN®, SHOWTIME FAMILY ZONE® and THE MOVIE CHANNEL® XTRA. SNI also offers SHOWTIME HD®, THE MOVIE CHANNEL® HD, SHOWTIME ON DEMAND® and THE MOVIE CHANNEL® ON DEMAND. SNI is also an owner and manager of SUNDANCE CHANNEL®, a venture of NBC Universal, Robert Redford and SNI. SNI also manages Smithsonian Networks, a joint venture between SNI and the Smithsonian Institution. All SNI feeds provide enhanced sound using Dolby Digital 5.1. SNI markets and distributes sports and entertainment events for exhibition to subscribers on a pay-per-view basis through SHOWTIME PPV®.
Tags: Chumash Casino > EliteXC > Mixed Martial Arts > SHOWTIME > SHOXC
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