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Empire 33 Recap and Bonus Awards
The 23rd of March saw Empire 33 come to Los Angeles, here's a quick review of what went down and who walked away with the $30,000 bonuses.
Prelims
155lbs; Aiden ORielly beat Calogero Anello via Submission(Strikes, 2.18, RD3)
185lbs; Peter Tosh beat Carlos Penagos via Submission (Strikes, 3.39, RD2)
185lbs; Sampsa Siloposki beat Mickey ONeil via Unanimous Decision
155lbs; Bob Marley beat Mordecai Wollsey via Unanimous Decision
155lbs; Jayson Timmins beat Shang Chi via Split Decision
Main Card
170lbs ; Sabin Figaro vs Gregg Valentine
The main card began with a Welterweight contest between Figaro and Valentine. Both men lost last time out so they we're both keen to try and put on a good performance and get a W back in the results column. In the first round it was Valentine who came out as the aggressor looking to score with punches and leg kicks while Figaro was looking for counter opportunities and a way to take it to the mat. Valentines managed to keep the fight standing in the first round and easily dealt with the takedown attempts, the clinchwork of Figaro may just have edged the round though after a relatively even striking battle. In the second round just as Valentines was beginning to relax and score with a few good strikes Figaro managed to take him down for the first time in the fight. Figaro was unable to get his ground game going though and Valentine landed an early sweep and then did his finest blankest imitation to finish the round on top and probably steal it in the eyes of the judges. The third round followed the same path as the second as Valentine was looking to impose his striking game as Figaro darted in and easily managed to takedown his opponent. Figaro then looked to land strikes and pass through to half guard before once again Valentines was able to land the sweep and take the top position. Figaro was not about to simply lie there on his back though and lose the fight, choosing instead to throw up a triangle attempt and just as Valentine thought he was safe Sabin Figaro switched it to a guillotine forcing the tap from his opponent. Sabin Figaro had obviously been watching Smokudju Womba's performance back at Empire 32!
Winner - Sabin Figaro via Submission (Guillotine, 3.55, RD3)
145lbs; Hector Cabrera vs Jason Griffin
The main card continued with Featherweight action as ground specialist Hector Cabrera took on the feared striker Jason Griffin. It was Griffin who came out swinging in this one, starting off with a big head kick and quickly following up with some more kicks to the body. Cabrera maintained his composure and was quick to take Griffin down after breaking his concentration with a well placed jab. Griffin defended well on the mat though and not long after they had hit the floor the referee had decided to restart them standing. Griffin decided to focus his attacks on landing some big kicks to the body trying to wear down Cabrera and catch him with another one of those head kicks. Cabrera stayed patient and worked his own boxing throughout the round even cutting open Jason Griffin at one point but he was unable to get the fight back to the mat and Jason Griffin most likely took the first round with his superior striking. Just moments into the second round Griffin instigated a clinch, no doubt looking to use his superior knees and elbows, Cabrera though had other ideas by quickly using the grappling exchange to pull guard and after throwing up a loose triangle he waited for Griffin to try and stand before locking in a textbook armbar which left Griffin no choice but to tap.
Winner - Hector Cabrera via Submission (Armbar, 0.35, RD2)
170lbs; Dave Bower vs Pauli Panijia
Despite being the superior striker on paper Bower looked keen to take this one to the mat early, Panijia had no plans to be on the bottom though, stuffing 3 early takedown attempts before taking the fight into the clinch where both guys slowed things down and were unable to get in much offence. Bower then began to settle down on his attacks and postponed his plan to take the fight to the mat, scoring with a variety of strikes until Panijia chose to take it to the ground for the first time as he scored with a takedown into half guard. Bower managed to nullify most of Panijia's top game though despite an elbow getting through and probably took the round for his fine work standing. In the second round Bower controlled the action with his well respected boxing and showed enough movement to avoid the takedown attempts from Panijia. Panijia did have him worried midway through the round, stumbling him with a good right hand but Bower was quick to get back to his precision striking that Panijia had little answer for. As the fight moved into the clinch once again Panijia scored with a heavy knee to the body but overall it was another round for Bower. In the third round Bower finally succeeded with a takedown against his tiring foe and began scoring with some heavy ground and pound while fighting off submission attempts from Panijia. Bower avoided an omoplata well and used it to advance into side control where he began to fire away with some brutal elbows and punches before distracting him with a kimura attempt and advancing into full mount. Bower continued to rain down shots as Panijia fought hard to try and escape the position but the barrage was just to much and as he turtled up the referee had no choice but to call the TKO victory for Dave Bower.
Winner - Dave Bower via TKO (2.51, RD3)
205lb: Ignatius Reilly vs Bruno Rafael Batista Da Silva
In the Co-Main event Ignatius Reilly took a break from tournament action to challenge one of Empire's top LHW prospects in Bruno Da Silva who was currently on a 3 fight winning streak.
Both competitors came out swinging in the early parts of the round with Da Silva scoring with an overhand right that had the crowd on their feet and then following it up with kicks to the leg and body either side of Reilly scoring well with his jab. Da Silva then seemed to play mind games with his opponent as he landed an open hand slap that somehow managed to split Reilly wide open. Da Silva began to use his movement, scoring and countering with an array of strikes against the larger man but you could tell that slap had fired up Reilly as when he fired back he loaded up with bad intentions scoring with the heavier shots halfway through the first round. After a succession of body kicks from Reilly he chose to take the fight into the clinch where he put on a Muay Thai clinic unleashing a series of elbows, punches and knees tenderizing the body and wearing down the head of Da Silva which the Brazilian just had no answer for. A comfortable round for Reilly despite coming off slightly worse and getting bloodied up in the early striking exchanges.
The clinch onslaught had no doubt tired out Da Silva as in the second round while he still managed to score with his own strikes it was Reilly who began to get the better of things, scoring more frequently before taking the fight into the clinch once again. From here it was one sided once again as Da Silva was unable to score with any of his clinch strikes and was unsuccessful in his attempts to pull guard as Reilly really looked to pour it on scoring with ease as he landed with more punches and elbows while unleashing some brutal knees to the face and mid section after utilising the muay thai plum. It really looked like the beginning of the end as Reilly made space and fired off a vicious elbow that had Da Silva rocked and then followed it up with another causing a cut and the blood to flow. Da Silva showed good heart seeing the round out and both men took to their stools with Reilly looking the much happier man.
Reilly showed all of his experience in the 3rd round, remembering what had brought him to the dance and immediately took the fight into the clinch. Reilly worked the body with punches and as Da Silva began to cover up the crowd were cheering for knees and Reilly was more than happy to oblige scoring with two heavy knees to the jaw, dropping him on the second occasion. A forlorn Da Silva picked himself up on the canvas and was dragged into the clinch once again. Reilly was no doubt beginning to tire himself and perhaps wondering just what he had to do to put his opponent away. Da Silva looked to raise his game knowing he needed a finish to pull off a victory but just didn't have the energy left to present any real problems to Reilly in the clinch as he continued to work his decorated clinch game and midway through the 3rd round wobbled Da Silva with a huge right hand and then unloaded with a chain of punches that dropped the man from Curitiba to his knees causing the referee to step in and call the fight, declaring Ignatius Reilly the victor. Reilly then somewhat bizarrely took to the microphone and opted to defend the much persecuted name of Steel Penn much to the bewilderment of the fans who seemed more content to watch the replay of his sweet finish on the big screen.
Winner - Ignatius Reilly via TKO (2.57, RD3)
185lbs; Dante Evangelisti vs Boba Fett
In the main event of the evening we saw Empire debutant Dante Evangelisti square off against Empire Hall of Famer, Boba Fett. Evangelisti was 26-5 going into the fight riding a 7 fight win streak and having the honour of never being finished in his career. Fett was looking to respond after losing last time out in a close decision to the MW champion Pat McDermott.
Fett was the first to score in the opening round, firing off a couple of leg kicks and catching Evangelisti as he was stepping in with a beautiful left hand. Evangelisti responded by scoring with two heavy low kicks of his own before being momentarily dazed by a left hook from Fett. Boba Fett tried to take the fight into the clinch but Evangelisti kept him back by throwing some more low kicks and working his jab. The man from the Vaitcan fired up with a big head kick causing a cut to the forehead of Fett but Boba Fett just smiled back at him as if to say it wasn't his first rodeo. The Macedonian native Boba Fett continued to attack with low kicks as Evangelisti worked his boxing before landing with his own low kick that landed south of the border leading to a stern warning from the referee. Fett took a moment to compose himself and gave the thumbs up to get things restarted. Fett then looked to rely on his footwork and defence to avoid the striking of his opponent but Evangelisti showed no sign of slowing down and moved forward with an aggressive attack scoring with a number of strikes and causing Fett to throw some air shots before succeeding with a heavy head kick that was shrugged off by Evangelisti. Both opponents continued to throw down in the first round, trading heavy body kicks but it was the perseverance and diversity in striking of Dante Evangelisti which looked to be proving the more effective as the round ended.
The 2nd round started well for Evangelisti as he scored with a number of low kicks and body punches that were surely beginning to take their toll on the Empire veteran. Fett tried to fire back by using his jab and countering with a powerful straight but Danta Evangelisti continued to wear him down with body shots and leg kicks taking the snap out of Boba Fett's strikes. As Fett began to tire Evangelisti looked to switch things up and began landing more head shots perhaps sensing a finish. Fett was not about to crumble though and with his hampered movement he opted to fire back with some stand and deliver straight right hands before taking another huge kick to the forehead opening up his cut even more and causing the blood to stream down his face. Fett tried to respond with a takedown but Evengelisti had the agility to avoid the attempt with ease and began to land more strikes as Boba Fett struggled to find his range. As the round came to an end Dante Evangelista landed with a huge uppercut that caused more blood to flow, Fett tried to show he was unphased but it was clear to see as the buzzer sounded and the blood dripped that he was truly rocked.
A bloodied up Fett rose from his stool and took the centre of the cage for the beginning of the third round showing his true warrior spirit as the blood streamed down his face, however it was Dante Evangelista who saw the opportunity to put down a legend and pounced in with an unholy left hook dropping his opponent to the mat. Fett tried to battle on but Evangelista poured it on with more strikes forcing the referee to jump in and end the bout early into the 3rd round. Dante Evangelista had announced himself to the rest of the Empire Middleweight division in emphatic fashion, becoming the first man in nearly 40 pro fights to finish Boba Fett with strikes and extending his own winning streak to 8.
Winner - Dante Evangelisti via TKO (0.05, RD3)
That completes our recap of the event and all that's left to do is to inform the winners of the $30,000 bonus awards
Submission of the Night - Sabiin Figaro - Cabrera impressed with his armbar over Jason Griffin but with Griffin not being known for his submission defence the award goes to Sabin Figaro who took a page out of Smokudju Womba's book by switching a triangle attempt into a guillotine to earn the submission victory over the resilient Valentine.
KO of the Night - Dante Evangelisti - Reilly and Bower both impressed tonight with their own finishes but Evangelisti went one better in becoming the first man to finish Boba Fett without the help of the doctors, earning himself the KOTN.
Fight of The Night - Ignatius Reilly vs Bruno Rafael Batista Da Silva - With some great fights on the card it was tough to pick an overall winner but Reilly and Da Silva just get the nod with Reilly battling back after Da Silva controlled the early striking exchanges to put a brutal clinch beating on the Brazilian. Da Silva hung in there trying to stage a fight back but with just minutes to go in the fight Reilly finished his nights work in impressive fashion scoring a TKO victory.
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