Kick Down 59: Clash
January 24, 2009, the Kick Down fight promotion kicked off it's
fight year in Colorado at the Red Lion Hotel with show number 59
titled Clash. Fans were treated to eleven fights including five
title matches.
In the Main Event Colby Snyder faced Nick Mozes for the Kick
Down professional lightweight MMA title. Snyder opened with a
body kick, then after a punch exchange Snyder clinched and
landed a knee to the head of Mozes that dropped him. Snyder
followed up with two punches on the ground and at :23 of round
one he got the win by knockout.
For the CO-Main event Brenton Swanson faced Travis Linsacum for
the Kick Down junior lightweight MMA title. Linsacum started
off with a big slam, but on the ground Swanson got a sweep, took
back control and worked for the RNC until he got it sunk in for
the submission victory at 2:14 of round one.
Matt Vigil faced Nick Medina for the Kick Down featherweight MMA
title. Medina got an early takedown, secured back control and
tried for a RNC that Vigil defended well until 1:14 of round one
when Medina got it sunk in for the submission win.
Chris Saucedo faced Mark Gettler for the Kick Down welterweight
MMA title. After an even exchange of strikes Saucedo got the
takedown, but Gettler worked his way into back control and at
1:31 of round one he closed off the RNC for the submission
victory to take the title.
Shaun Ogle faced Chris Dollbaum for the Kick Down light
heavyweight MMA title. After the fight went to the mat it was
Dollbaum that worked GNP from side control, then mount until
round one ended. When the bell sounded for round two Ogle was
unable to continue due to vision problems and Dollbaum became
the title holder at 3:00 of round one by TKO.
Troy Mumme defeated Byron Sowell with a head and arm triangle
choke at 1:50 of round one when the referee stopped the bout in
the interest of fighter safety.
Luke Rutz defeated Mike Camp by triangle choke at 2:27 of round
two. Rutz controlled round one and most of round two with
positional dominance and GNP before transitioning to the
triangle choke off of an armbar attempt.
Cody Combee defeated Ali Hanjani by unanimous decision. Hanjani
scored early with the takedown, but Combee worked into top
position and stayed busy with GNP while Hanjani worked for
submissions. Rounds two and three had Combee scoring with big
slams and working his GNP to get the victory.
Mike Van Houten defeated Joel Harris by GNP TKO at 1:04 of round
two. Round one saw Van Houten get a quick takedown and work GNP
until the bell. Round two played out the same until the referee
stopped the bout due to GNP strikes awarding Van Houten the
TKO win.
Shane Johnson defeated Dallas Meadows by TKO at 3:00 of round
one when Meadows was unable to answer the bell for round two.
Johnson displayed good striking both while standing and from
mount to get the win.
Cameron Thurgood defeated Ender Chadwick by triangle choke at
1:13 of round three. Rounds one and two were a great display of
technical grappling from both combatants. Round three had
Chadwick getting the takedown, but off of his back Thurgood
worked for a Teepee choke (similar to a triangle choke, but with
the legs straight instead of figure foured). Chadwick got two
slams trying to get out of the choke, but when Thurgood switched
to a triangle choke and underhooked the leg preventing any more
slams he got the tapout for the win.
"Of the night" moments.
Cody Combee earned slam of the night honors for his big slam to
open the third round of his bout.
Submission of the night goes to Cameron Thurgood for hanging
onto the Teepee choke while withstanding two big slams before
transitioning to the triangle choke to get the tapout and the
win.
Knockout of the night goes to Colby Snyder for his display of
Muay Thai striking skills in landing the knee that dropped his
opponent and garnered him the KO win.
Fight of the night goes to Cameron Thurgood and Ender Chadwick
for keeping the crowd wondering who would win their back and
forth battle that highlighted the grappling skills of both.
Be sure to check the site calendar for upcoming events.
Best in Health and Training, J. R., Gordon.
Ring Of Fire 33
Adrenaline
Saturday night January 10, 2009, Sven Bean and the
Ring Of Fire fight promotion again showed why they are one of the
premiere fight organizations in the region by welcoming fans to
the Broomfield event center for a stellar night of Mixed Martial
Arts action featuring four title matches.
In the main event Justin Robbins faced off against Noah Thomas for
the ROF 135 lb. world championship. Both fighters came out
landing good strikes, but it was Robbins that set up the takedown
to get the bout to the mat. When Robbins shot in Thomas set up a
guillotine choke, landed with full guard and after locking a body
triangle with his legs he closed off the choke to get the win and
the title at 1:29 of round one.
Angela Samaro faced Cat Albert for the ROF 135 lb. women's young
gun championship. Albert got the fight to the mat early and for
most of the rest of the round the combatants traded submission
attempts, reversals and escapes. After an illegal kick to the
face of Samaro from Albert the fighters were started back on their
feet and Albert scored another takedown to end the round. Round
two had each fighter scoring a takedown early but the last time
they hit the mat Albert tried for a farside armbar that Samaro
defended and Albert transitioned to an anaconda choke. Once she
got her arms set she got the roll, turned the corner to cinch it
in and got it closed off at 3:40 of round two for the win and the
championship.
Mike Arrant Vs Brandon Thatch was for the ROF 170 lb. young gun
championship. Thatch is known as a devastating striker and he put
those skills on full display early. After a few probing jabs
Thatch landed a high round house kick to the head of Arrant that
dropped him. Thatch closed in and landed a few follow up punches
and at :18 of round one Thatch got the KO win and the title to
take home.
Jamie Schmidt against Tyler Toner was for the ROF 145 lb. young
gun championship. Round one was a great display of very technical
grappling by both fighters with Schmidt controlling positioning
and landing some GNP. Early in round two Schmidt slipped and
Toner followed him to the mat in top north/south position. With
Schmidt kneeling Toner stood and threw a punch that landed to the
back of the head/neck of Schmidt. Schmidt went limp and remained
on the mat for several minutes. When Schmidt was able to stand
the fighters were called to the center of the ring for the
decision. The punch was ruled illegal but unintentional. Since
the fight had not gone past the second round, and the fighter was
unable to continue the bout was called a no contest and it was
announced that the belt will again be contested in a rematch in
April.
Andrew Chappelle faced Justin Salas. Salas scored the early
takedown, but it was Chappelle transitioning from a triangle
attempt to an armbar attempt, then scoring a sweep and finally
going back to the triangle choke to get the submission win at 2:06
of round one.
Alex Rozman fought Brenden Schaub. Rozman dropped Schaub with a
right hook and followed with GNP until Schaub tapped out giving
Rozman the win at 1:23 of round one.
Joe Kelso fought Brian Wood. Round one was very even with each
fighter displaying strikes in the clinch and good grappling on the
mat. Round two again saw the fighters on the mat and Kelso set in
a triangle choke that Wood defended for a long time; however, he
was not able to escape the position. While keeping the triangle
choke in place Kelso also stayed busy with punches and elbows off
of his back. This strategy paid off when at 3:07 of round two the
referee stepped in and stopped the bout because of the strikes
giving Kelso the TKO win.
The rest of the bouts were contested as elimination bouts:
Ken Kreuscher defeated Brian Marneck by TKO (GNP) at 2:28 of round
two.
JJ Mondragon defeated Hector Salliant by TKO at :15 of round one.
Matt Simms defeated Dan Craft by head and arm choke at :47 of
round one.
Chris Holland defeated Chris Williams by TKO (GNP) at 2:59 of
round two.
Cody Frederickson defeated Ramico Blackmon by RNC at 2:35 of round
two.
"Of the Night" moments:
Slam of the night goes to Matt Simms for the belly to back suplex
that he used to set up his head and arm choke.
Submission of the night goes to Andrew Chappelle for his
transition from triangle to armbar to sweep to triangle.
Knockout of the night goes to Brandon Thatch for the devastating
head kick he used to get the win.
Fight of the night goes to Cat Albert and Angela Samaro. Each
fighter constantly worked to end the fight and this set up a nice
display of striking, technical takedowns, and fantastic grappling
including multiple submission attempts from each, multiple escapes
from each and reversals by each.
Be sure to check the site calendar for upcoming events.
Best in Health and Training, J. R. Gordon.
MMA in the Heartland: An inside look at "Kick Down 56: Champions"
Courtesy MMAjunkie.com
DENVER
-- If there is a less exciting 600 mile stretch of American
highway than the the flat plains between Kansas City and Denver, I
have yet to drive it. Unfortunately, with the bright lights of Las Vegas at the finish line of my 2,000-mile relocation from Dayton, Ohio, my second day of driving included that brutal path.
At 6:30 on Saturday night, after nine-and-a-half hours on the road, I pulled into the parking lot of the Red Lion Hotel in Denver. I had booked the room on the Internet just three days prior, and I had honestly never heard of the property. It was the best deal I could find, and I was just hoping the room would be suitable for the night.
My wife and I, along with our two dogs and luggage, dragged ourselves through the lobby of the hotel en route to the front desk to check in. But a small commotion around the banquet rooms caught our eye as we made our way through the property. A quick peek into the largest room followed, and there it was -- a six-sided cage with a bright red canvas ready for a night of mixed martial arts action.
We dropped our bags quickly in our room and headed back downstairs. Exhausted or not, we can't pass up a fight card. An investigative glance at the hotel's marquee informed us that we were going to be attending "Kick Down 56: Champions." Further discussions with event staff led us to discover that such UFC veterans as Trevor Prangley, Matt Horwich, Pat Smith and "The Ultimate Fighter 5" cast members Corey Hill, Brandon Melendez and Noah Thomas had all fought previously for the six-year-old promotion.
With a slate of nine amateur bouts and just two professional contests, I was a bit concerned at what might transpire over the course of the evening. But when the first introduced fighter of the night -- Anthony Werner from Greeley, Colo. -- came out with a fully developed Evan Tanner tribute beard, my concerns were immediately abated.
When said owner of tribute beard secured a fight-ending triangle choke at 2:16 of the first round, I knew we might be in for a treat.
By the time featherweight champion Nick Honstein bounded down the entrance in a full gorilla suit -- and subsequently tapped Brett Roller with a knee bar in the first round -- the rest of the night had not disappointed.
There was not a single boo throughout the course of the entire evening. The Denver crowd that filled the ballroom's seats and poured over into the standing-room-only area behind the filled rows cheered at the first notice of any possible submission attempt -- then just as voraciously with each sweep and reversal.
There was no discussion of shady bonuses, no debate over the superior organization, no bickering company officials, no talk of the impending demise of the group that seem to accompany every one of my business trips for MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). It was, well, refreshing.
Friends, families and training partners traveled in packs to the event. Pockets of cheers erupted loudly at each bout when the hero of another section walked into the cage. But at no point in the night was the place louder than when Apostle Spencer of Ft. Collins, Colo., and hometown fighter Garth Heth of Denver put on the unquestioned fight of the night.
Heth rocked Spencer early and often. Wobbled and bloodied, Spencer was mounted on three separate occasions during the contest. Spencer bucked, rolled and escaped each time. And while the heart shown in outlasting the nonstop onslaught from his adversary excited the Z's Training Gym T-shirt-clad supporters of Spencer, the end appeared inevitable.
And then it wasn't.
With time running out in the final three-minute round -- and well on his way to losing a unanimous decision, three rounds to none -- Spencer used a final sweep to lock in a rear-naked choke. The lights went out for Heth with just 10 seconds left in the bout, and Spencer had pulled off the improbable victory.
After the bout, I spoke with Spencer in his locker room. His left-eye almost closed, an open laceration on his right cheek, a cold compress being applied to his forehead, Spencer -- who will not be cashing any checks after his amateur-bout performance -- told me how he made it through the affair.
"That determination comes from heart," Spencer said. "That was all heart. My dad, he died a year-and-a-half ago. Me and him used to train together in Wing Chun (Kung Fu) and a couple other different martial arts. When he died, it struck me down pretty hard. And ever since then, I've dedicated myself to my gym and my family 100 percent."
Seeing the battered Spencer being tended to for damage as brutal as I've seen in any professional bout, I couldn't help but wonder aloud if the pain endured in such a rousing battle ever made Fisher think twice about continuing down his chosen path.
"This is the [fight] that makes me for sure know that this is my life," Spencer replied. "This is what I was born for. My name is Apostle Paul Spencer, and I was born a warrior. I am a warrior. I have a warrior heart."
And there it was.
The UFC has made amazing strides in bringing legitimacy and recognition to MMA. If it were not for the tireless efforts of their organization, the sport would almost certainly have vanished off the map several years ago. But in the end, this is a sport of individuals, not organizations.
Even without such now-defunct organizations as PRIDE, the IFL, EliteXC and others -- in non-descript venues across the nation and around the world -- courageous, motivated fighters such as Spencer step into the cage on a weekly basis.
In a ballroom that seemed more suitable for a high school banquet than an MMA card, Apostle Spencer and Garth Heth put on a war I will not soon forget. And thanks to an odd stroke of coincidence in travel, I had the pleasure to watch two warriors leave it all in the cage with everything -- and yet nothing -- on the line.
Kick Down promoter (and ring announcer) Steve Alley discussed with me the importance of organizations such as his to the future of MMA.
"The object is to be a proving ground for the amateur fighters that wants to get a name for themselves in this region and then move on to a bigger show," Alley said. "And the reason that this is successful is because people come in from this region, they support their favorite fighter, and they get to see talent at the early stages -- the embryo stage, and the beginning.
"We've created a situation where people can get their start, and then move on and elevate their stature."
Full results of the evening included:
PROFESSIONAL BOUTS
- Featherweight Champ Nick Honstein def. Brett Roller via submission (knee bar) -- Round 1, 3:51
- Welterweight Champ Bryant Craven def. Sebastian Puente via submission (triangle choke) -- Round 1, 1:17
AMATEUR BOUTS
- Chris Saucedo def. Gregg Shipporeit via TKO (strikes) -- Round 2, 2:30
- Frank Morris def. Cameron Thurgood via submission (arm bar) -- Round 1, 0:53
- Brenton Swanson def. Alex Whipple via submission (rear naked choke) -- Round 2, 0:33
- Nick Macias def. Nock Medina via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 30-27)
- Pete Hicks def. Code Combee via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Lannon Quintana def. Mitch Schoenwolf via submission (head and arm choke) -- Round 3, 2:58
- Apostle Spencer def. Garth Heth via submission (rear-naked choke) -- Round 3, 2:50
- Matt Vigil def. Richard Large via submission (rear-naked choke) -- Round 1, 1:34
- Anthony Werner def. Logan Petro via submission (triangle choke) -- Round 1, 2:16
John Morgan
is the lead staff reporter for MMAjunkie.com.
