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 What a mixed bag we got at Highland Games 79. We had fighters scoring upsets, controversial decisions, bad gameplans and comebacks all throughout. Some fights ended in knockout, one in submission and plenty of judges got involved in the action also. Let’s take a look.
Middleweight
Ruslan Volkov (2-2) def. Wanderson Dos Pintos (3-0) by KO (Punch) at 2:47 of Round 3
With Dos Pintos being a BJJ Purple Belt with three straight decisions, it was expected that he would win this fight as long as it went to the floor. This wasn’t the case. Surprisingly, it was Volkov who was more successful with taking the fight to the ground and was more active with ground strikes and submissions. The end came late in the first when a punch from Volkov sent Dos Pintos to the mat, which was the icing on the cake for the underdog.
Middleweight
Terakado Tessai (5-2) def. Lapu Gatmaitan (4-2) by KO (Knee) at 0:27 of Round 1
What a finish it was from Terakado Tessai. He was not only clinical and accurate with his strikes, but after rocking his opponent, Tessai landed a perfectly timed knee to score the knockout. After his disappointing debut, this was just the win he needed and it also earned him a $5000 bonus.
Heavyweight
Anderson Natanael (8-1) def. Bratt Nardello (4-2) by Submission (Triangle) at 4:37 of Round 1
Bratt Nardello has hands of stone and can hurt any man with his punches, but damn is he stupid. When you’re taking on a BJJ Brown Belt who you’ve just dropped, don’t ever decide “I think I’ll grapple with him”. Anderson, who hasn’t lived up to his hype since joining Highland Games, scraped through this fight with a submission victory.
Bantamweight
Dominance Zelditeez (10-5) def. Tom Noisy (8-2) by Unanimous Decision
Dominance was once a title contender so it’s unfortunate to see him on the undercard once again, but for the second straight fight he managed to perform at a high level and dominate an opponent over the distance. This was Tom’s debut and he was fighting a battle tested veteran so he’ll come back strong. The slick ground game and accurate GnP was the difference maker in this contest.
Heavyweight
Christopher Wilt (4-3) def. Wrestlin Randy (3-1) by TKO (Cut) at 0:59 of Round 1
Randy didn’t take this fight seriously and walked into the cage looking fat and out of shape. This completely came across in his performance. Chris, who was defeated in his debut but Barol Kedorf, was taken down instantly but showed some expert ground skills by getting the sweep and taking the top position. With some powerful ground and pound, he had Randy in all sorts of trouble and the ref stepped in to save Randy from any more facial damage.
Heavyweight
Barol Kedorf (6-6) def. Vitaly Karelin (4-0) by TKO (Cut) at 1:05 of Round 2
I love seeing long time HG fighter Barol Kedorf performing well, but not at the hands of the HG tournament winner Vitaly Karelin. Vitaly wanted to bring the fight to the floor but struggled badly to drag it down. Even when he did, Kedorf was able to avoid any damage and force a referee stand up. The crisp boxing of Barol was cutting the tournament winner up badly and like the fight that preceded, it was stopped due to cuts. That makes it two straight wins for Barol who might just be looking for a bigger name in his next fight.
Bantamweight
Dan Sten (10-4) def. Jomlong Kiapoity (12-5) by Unanimous Decision
It’s surprising that these two guys have never clashed before considering their long time standing as elite Bantamweight fighters. We know that Dan absolutely loves the clinch and sinking his knees in, while Kiapoity is at home in a grappling exchange on the mat. From the very first bell, it was Dan who controlled the fight. With his ability to get the clinch instantly, and how accurate and dangerous he is with those knees, he steam rolled Jomlong for all 15 minutes. We have to give Jomlong credit though, he hung on like an absolute champion under an incredible amount of punishment. We’ll see these two back again that’s for sure.
Lightweight
Ska Asap (18-6-1) def. Mustafa Shabazz (9-5) by Split Decision
Ska’s first challenge in Highland Games was certainly a tough one as he was taking on former champion Mustafa Shabazz. Mustafa worked an interesting gameplan. As Ska is a wrestler, Mustafa wanted to try and work on the feet as much as possible. He knew that he would be capable on the ground so he didn’t want to give his opponent an even fight so he landed a few punches before the fight was dragged down. Ska was working a boring lay and pray style which the crowd were certainly not happy with, while Shabazz was trying to advance positions and looking for submission attempts. The judges were split, but I think they had it right. Ska might have spoiled for the entire fight but he kept top control and landed a couple of nice takedowns which were really the only things of note throughout. Shabazz drops his second in a row and will probably be looking for an easier fight to bounce back.
Middleweight
Jon Askren (9-1) def. Razor MuayThai (10-5) by KO (Strikes) at 2:22 of Round 1
It’s strange to see so much action in just over 2 minutes, but man did these guys deliver. Almost as soon as the fight started, Razor landed a trademark headkick and Askren looked in all sorts of trouble. Stumbling around the ring, Askren still managed to avoid shots and even land a huge overhand right himself. Razor looked for a bodyshot late in the round but it was countered with a huge takedown. Askren managed to get side control instantly which was not what Razor wanted. Passing to the mount, Askren reigned down with shots like only he can and managed to knock the former champ out cold. While Askren is in a place to challenge for the title, we’re told that he doesn’t wish to compete against his training partner Massimo Benvenuti. Like Jake and LHW at 205, it’s expected that Askren will be the unofficial gatekeeper to the title, testing everyone to see if they’re worthy of facing the champ.
Lightweight
Calvin Brooks (15-7) def. Gottlieb Hiebknecht (15-5) by Unanimous Decision
This was the main event and these guys know how to win fights so it was really up in the air. Gottlieb has proven himself to be one of the best we’ve ever seen, but Calvin Brooks can bring it and with the right gameplan, a fight can be his easily. That was the case in this fight. Gottlieb came out strong. He was scoring well on the feet, took the clinch, landed some shots and then pulled guard. This was a huge risk and it didn’t pay off at all. Calvin managed to pass to the mount but luckily for the favourite the round ended before he took too much damage. In the second round it was Brooks who was able to take the fight to the ground, doing so on two occasions. Hiebknecht still looked like the better boxer but being on his back didn’t do him any favours. It was anyone’s fight in the final round, but the momentum was all with Calvin. Yet again he was able to bring the fight to the floor and yet again he maintained control for 5 minutes. This was probably the biggest win of Calvin’s career and will be devastating for Gottlieb who’s had 4-4 since joining Highland Games, despite holding the title as well.
KNOCKOUT OF THE NIGHT
Terakado Tessai
SUBMISSION OF THE NIGHT
Anderson Natanael
FIGHT OF THE NIGHT
Jon Askren Vs Razor MuayThai
There are some big things to look at from this card. Starting from the bottom, Anderson Natanael may have picked up the win but we saw a lot of holes in his game. His record might be impressive but he’ll have a long road ahead if he wants to challenge for a title. Barol Kedorf scored an upset with a dominant performance against the inaugural tournament winner. Barol has fought for us for a long time and Vitaly didn’t have the diversity to be able to out play a crafty veteran like Kedorf. Ska Asap slides into contendership status, but Mustafa is not happy about this fight.
He feels this is the second time he’s had the judges steal a win from him, the first being his title defence to Gottlieb, so it’s going to be very interesting to see if he can come back once again. Jon Askren and Massimo B have essentially tied up the Middleweight division. Jon won’t fight Askren so will be playing guard at the gates of the championship. There is talk that Massimo might fight World Combat’s Tony Bullard at Welterweight soon but nothing is official yet. Gottlieb losing to Calvin was quite the shock, but Calvin is a very experienced guy and this proved that he can out gameplan the best of them.
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