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Empire 30 Recap and Bonus Awards
The 6th of March saw Empire 30 come to Los Angeles, here's a quick review of what went down and who walked away with the new and improved $30,000 bonuses.
The recap can also be read at the new forum page, your home for all Empire reviews and smack talk!
http://www.mmatycoon.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=34952
Pierre Gautier vs Tony Lamotta (185lbs)
Kicking off the prelims Gautier and Lamotta put on a balls to the wall affair going back and forth with strikes and in the clinch for 3 close rounds in a fight that perhaps nobody deserved to lose. Gautier came away with a majority decision victory to get himself back on the winning trail.
Ben Gatho vs Mauricio Silva (170lbs)
In the welterweight division Gatho squared off against Silva. Gatho was dominant from start to finish getting the better of the fight standing and on the ground before finally getting the submission win with a beautiful armbar set up from the mount position. Gatho will now be looking to move up the rankings after putting an end to his losing streak and grabbing his first win under the Empire banner.
Mason Dixie vs Gustav Graves (155lbs)
Mason Dixie took on Gustav Graves in what turned out to be a power vs precision contest with Graves out striking his opponent in the first round and then continuing it into the second and was looking like he may be on his way to winning this battle. As we know though anything can happen in MMA and Mason Dixie was fired up coming back late in the second round to finish his opponent with strikes after landing a beautiful head kick to earn himself the TKO victory. Dixie will now be looking to test himself against some of the top guys in the division after notching up a 3 fight winning streak in Empire
Bill Paroni vs Obadiah Klinefelter (170lbs)
The second welterweight fight of the night saw Bill Paroni score a dominant decision victory over Klinefelter. Despite Klinefelter getting the early takedown he was unable to get much done leading Paroni with the chance to sweep him and steal the round. After that it was a kickboxing contest that Klinefelter wasn't invited to with Paroni landing at will leading to a comfortable decision win, you have to hand it to Klinefelter though as he hung in there until the end like a true warrior.
Jeff Munster vs Kearney McGarrity (265lbs)
Closing out the prelims saw a heavyweight battle between Munster and McGarrity in a competitive affair where Munster just managed to edge the striking enabling him to get inside on the taller guy and take him to the mat scoring takedowns in every round and using his jui jitsu advantage to control his opponent and land enough strikes to keep him grounded. McGarrity was a gamer trying to take the fight to the blackbelt on the ground but it was Munster who came through in this one with a decision victory moving himself up the heavyweight rankings and extending his unbeaten run to three in Empire.
Sergio Torres vs Mitch Rapp (265lbs)
The main show kicked off by continuing with the heavyweight action as two heavy handed guys in Torres and Rapp went back and forth. It was Torres though who managed to use a more diverse striking game peppering his opponent with leg and body kicks combined with his boxing while Rapp looked to focus on the pugilistic art. As Rapp tired later in the first round Torres seized the opportunity to land a beautiful head kick which ended the contest. Torres was quick to call out Jeff Munster afterwards, who was also successful on the card, the two will do battle at Empire 34 in a much anticipated heavyweight contest as Munster was quick to accept the challenge.
Dave Semenko vs Chuck Liddell (205lbs)
Dave Semenko and Chuck Liddell treated the fans to an exciting standup battle with both guys seemingly agreeing to keep the fight on it's feet and throw down. Liddell got the better of the first round landing the better strikes but Semenko showed true heart by coming back strong in the second round and then overwhelming his opponent in the decisive third round picking up the 29-28 decision victory. Semenko extended his run of victories to five and is surely knocking on the door now for a LHW title shot if he can continue in this fashion.
Oscar Amazon vs Fedor Martinsson (265lbs)
In the third heavyweight fight of the night Amazon came into this one as a heavy underdog with the bookmakers as he squared off against Martinsson. Amazon was obviously angered by the odds and decided to take his frustrations out on Martinsson as he dropped him with a beautiful right hand in the closing stages of the opening round with Martinsson just managed to survive until the buzzer sounded. Despite missing the opportunity to finish Amazon was about to not let this one slip as he followed up in the second round landing another textbook right hand stunning Martinsson and with more time left in the round was able to follow up with more strikes finishing his opponent and pulling out one for the underdog in one of the most decisive victories of the night. Somebody really needs to have a word with the muppet who sets the odds over at the bookmakers!
Kaoklai Khanomtom (Champion) vs Happy Day (155lbs Title)
In the co main event we were treated to a lightweight title fight between Khanomtom and Day who first battled at Empire 14 with Day scoring a one sided decision victory over then champion Khanomtom to earn the gold. Khanomtom got the chance to win the title back at Empire 25 in a much closer contest which ultimately ended in a draw
At Empire 30 it was time for the rubber match to complete the trilogy between these two standout lightweights. As expected between these two evenly matched guys it was a close affair contested entirely on it's feet and in the clinch with neither guy choosing to go to the ground. Khanomtom however was the one who seemingly adjusted the most from the previous two fights and mixed up his game well landing a heavy portion of leg kicks to slow down his opponent and then working him over in the clinch with punches, knees and elbows as Day looked to try and focus on his hands. At the end of the night it was a unanimous decision victory for Khanomtom who will take great pride in reclaiming his title from the same guy he lost it to. With these guys now 1-1-1 against each other I don't think we can rule out them doing battle for the fourth time in the future.
Craig Hanks vs Patrick Jane (170lbs)
With the night nearly over all that was left was a mouth watering welterweight clash between Hanks and Jane who first fought at Empire 13 where Hanks came away with a decision victory.
Despite the outcome this was a close contest with both guys trading back and forth, Jane was looking to time his attacks and land with precision as Hanks was more aggressive looking to score heavy damage with every blow. Both guys chins stood up well as each fighter landed some big shots throughout the duration of the fight but it was Craig Hanks who impressed the judges the most with his aggression and heavy striking who came through with a somewhat surprising 30-27 victory despite Jane landing a higher volume of strikes.
That completes our recap of the event and all that's left to do is to inform the winners of the bonus awards which as mentioned earlier will now be worth $30,000 for this event and in the future.
Submission of the Night Ben Gatho Despite being the only submission on the card this one could have won the award on any other night as well with Gatho getting the better of the ground game, despite his opponent being a fellow brown belt, to land a beautiful armbar from mount.
KO of the Night Oscar Amazon Despite being the underdog in the fight Oscar Amazon came through in flying colours finishing his opponent with a beauty of a right hand.
Fight of The Night Khanomtom vs Day The battles between Gautier/Lamotta and Semenko/Liddell pushed them close put it was the rubber match for the lightweight title which was the standout clash of the card.
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