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 Camden has seem a lot of Highland Games action, but perhaps never a night of action like we witnessed on June 7th. Some absolutely incredible action, highlighted by an all time classic in our main event of the evening when Darth Vader challenged BJ Arnold for his newly won Bantamweight belt. Vader is the only man to ever put a scratch on Arnold's record, so it just made this fight so much sweeter.
Heavyweight
Brian Collins (2-1) def. Jander Silva (0-2) by KO (Punches) at 1:20 of Round 1
These two fought each other in the first round of the 1 million dollar heavyweight tournament. Collins won in the second round, but struggled to deal with the unorthodox style of Silva. In this fight, things ended the same but were much different. Collins got his boxing working from the outside and quickly landed a big combo to drop Jander. When the Brazilian got back up, and overhand right put a stamp on things to end the night. Collins saves his Highland Games job while Jander Silva unfortunately was released from the company.
Lightweight
Bernardo Goncalves (3-1) def. Phillip Peralta (3-2) by Unanimous Decision
Both were 1-1 in HG coming into this contest, coming off of losses. For the entire duration of the fight, Bernardo Goncalves was focused on making it a grappling match. We’ve seen in the past that Bernardo likes to utilize a lay and pray strategy, landing just enough so that the ref keeps the fight on the floor, and that’s what we seen in this contest as Goncalvez grinds his way to a decision victory.
Light Heavyweight
Rimario Gracie (4-4) def. Timothy Simpson (4-2) by Submission (Armbar) at 0:42 of Round 1
Losing back to back fights for the first time in his career, both to up and comers, Rimario Gracie’s future before this fight looked bleak. He needed to go out there and prove that he was worth more to the company than a launch pad for rising stars, and he did exactly that. Timothy “Takedown” Simpson lives up to his name, quickly getting to the fight to the floor. Why would a white belt try to grapple with a purple belt? Beats me, but Rimario Gracie took full advantage and locked on a rapid armbar submission which got him a much needed victory.
Heavyweight
Teofilo Sotolongo (2-1) def. Calixtro Guerrero (2-1) by KO (Punch) at 4:24 of Round 3
Teofilo, the Cuban immigrant, has showcased some devastating power against fellow tournament enterants, and against Calixtro Guerrero, it was another day in the office. Although he suffered a loss to eventual finalist Chrollo Lucilfer, Teofilo’s stellar boxing allowed him to pick up Knockout of the Night in an absolute war. Guerrero dominated early, hurting Sotolongo bad from inside the clinch. As the rounds went on, Teofilo was able to keep his distance a little bit better, and near the end of the third round he managed to make sure he walked out with his arm raised in a fight he was probably going to lose.
Lightweight
Marx Bronson (6-0) def. Edward Wates (4-0) by Submission (Armbar) at 2:56 of Round 1
Highly touted BJJ Brown Belt Marx Bronson managed to like up to the hype by doing what he always does, finishing the first by first round submission. This is his seventh straight win in such a method, proving that Marx is not someone you want to roll around with on the mat. Wates has two sub wins of his own, but the difference in calibre was instantly visible and Marx picked up the routine win late in the third minute. Wates has another difficult jiu jitsu opponent in his next fight in the form of fleeting former champion George Moshington. If there was ever an opportunity to make a statement, Wates has it on June 26th.
Light Heavyweight
Pawel Grucha (4-0) def. Danny Knuckles (5-0) by Submission (Armbar) at 3:37 of Round 1
This could well have been a fight demonstrating the future of Highland Games. Danny Knuckles has two straight victories within the company while Pawel had a submission win over Joe Castillo. We know that Knuckles likes to try a bit of everything to keep opponents guessing, and he never overcommits to any of his strikes. Grucha on the otherhand loves getting a quick takedown and using his hard hitting ground and pound to open up the opportunity for a submission. The latter is how this fight played out. With a very active ground top game, Pawel was able to be heavy on his opponent and drop some bombs before seizing the moment and grabbing an armbar. A big win for Grucha who now has his eyes set on a very experienced competitor in Mairbek Krylov. Knuckels will fight at a slightly lower level against Shaun Hale.
Light Heavyweight
Roan Jenkinson (4-0) def. Gaius Octavius (6-4) by TKO (Strikes) at 2:58 of Round 1
Octavius was really excited coming into this fight, spurred on by the successes of his teammate John Smithing. Roan was coming off of a TKO of Timothy Simpson, while Gaius had stopped Rimario Gracie after having a goliath challenge in his debut against number 1 contender Louis Gordon. Octavius was shooting for a takedown straight away, but that only opened him up to being caught inside the clinch. From there, Jenkinson was able to land some impactful shots to both the heavy and body, and from there the writing was on the wall. Roan Jenkinson moves on to 5-0, while Gaius has a lacklustre 6-5 record to his name. Gaius is signed to fight Matt Couture, the end of Island season tournament champion, which will be a huge challenge for him. Matt’s on a 4 fight losing streak though so Octavius could write off this loss with a win in that one.
Lightweight
Tim Woods (9-4) Vs Chester Emerson (5-1) – Majority Draw
Two clinch fighters here so you know fireworks were bound to go off. Inside the clinch, there really wasn’t much to split it. Woods was much more active but Emerson was certainly more accurate. Throughout the first two rounds, it’s really a pick em, and the end result showed that. Woods was probably going to just edge it out, but in the final round Chester Emerson knew he could be down and brought it big time. Nearing the end of the round, it didn’t look like Woods was even going to make it to the judge’s decision, but luckily for him he managed to recover his senses and hold on tight until the final bell. Neither of these guys will be happy that it is inconclusive, so you know what we need to do? Do it again! We’re gonna see Woods Vs Emerson 2 at Highland Games 86 on June 21st. Both men vow to finish the fight this time, so let’s see how the action unfolds.
Heavyweight
Keijo Virtanen (10-4) def. Garcia Vega (10-5) by Submission (Armbar) at 1:55 of Round 1
Two vets of The Island going toe to toe here. Vega is a strong boxer who has finished all 10 of his professional wins, but he seemed to struggle when he clashed with some fellow heavy hitters in Mitchel Thompson and Chiyono Fuji. This was his opportunity to clash with a guy who isn’t known for having any striking, and show Highland Games what he can do. Unfortunately, things didn’t play out like that. With Keijo on a 3 fight losing streak, it’d be easy to under estimate him. Remember, Keijo has a win over the current champion, and not even that long ago, so don’t under estimate this jiu jitsu master ever. Garcia took the fight into the clinch but Virtanen was able to pull guard. From there, it was an effortless piece of BJJ to lock in the fourth armbar of the night and walk home with the win. Vega was devastated, but he has a chance to break his three fight skid when he takes on promotional newcomer Derek Lewis in his next bout.
Bantamweight
Darth Vader (16-4) def. BJ Arnold (15-1) by Unanimous Decision for the Bantamweight Championship
Perhaps the most hard to predict outcome of any fight we’ve seen. It’s not that it was hard to choose a favourite, it was just damn hard to predict how the fight would go down. BJ Arnold was entering as a fairly solid favourite. Although Vader had won their first encounter, you couldn’t see him doing it again. First time they met, BJ seemed to be by far the more dominant striker, while Vader was looking to mix up his striking to allow himself to secure a takedown. It was late in the final round, in fact with just 5 minutes to go, that the crowd absolutely exploded as Darth Vader had pulled it out and secured the win. While this is probably one of the greatest fights The Island has ever seen, how could it happen twice?
Well, if you’re reading this and assuming it did, it certainly did not. This fight wasn’t a fluke from Vader, this was a straight up outstanding performance. The stunning thing for me was the high level striking from Vader. He was able to keep the fight at distance when he wanted to and land punches and kicks. Arnold is known as a master of kicks, specifically to the body, but strangely you have to think Vader was the better with his legs here. Perhaps Arnold expected a more grappling affair and didn’t want to overcommit.
BJ was able to have success with his boxing throughout however which kept Darth honest. Round one saw Vader get an early takedown, but Arnold quickly forced a stand up which was big as it told Vader that he wont dominate like that again. The cleaner work at range edged towards the challenger so Vader took the round. The second round brought about one of the most violent and vicious beatdowns Highland Games has seen, but also one of the strongest chins and biggest hearts too. Vader scored a takedown and quickly advanced to mount. Shot after shot dropped down, cracking off of the cranium of the Bantamweight champion. BJ knew he was in trouble, but he was determined to not let the fight end as it had in their first encounter. He hung on and survived the round. Perhaps dazed and confused, BJ came out for round 3, and man did he come back. Sharp and crisp boxing, checking kicks, great footwork. Arnold dominated the third round and it was all to play for. This could have been the turning point, but unfortunately it seems Darth was just caught off guard. He went back to fighting from the outside and outtiming his opponent, cruising home to a solid victory.
Darth Vader, after defeating Jet Hemi for his first ever championship belt in AFL, vowed to one day fight for the Highland Games Bantamweight belt and walk out as the winner. At Highland Games 82, Darth Vader achieved his dream.
NEW BANTAMWEIGHT CHAMPION – DARTH VADER
I told you it was incredible. With Vader now being the new kingpin at 135, it's crazy to look at the landscape. Serge Ibaka feels like he can beat everyone in the division, which he pretty much has done already, but BJ Arnold is holding him back. Arnold feels the same, but Vader is holding him back. It's a bizarre loop, but with guys like Renato Laranja and Neil Drake looking to make their opponents tap right around the corner, it's all up for grabs in the Bantamweight division. Thanks for joining us, tune in next time when Highland Games looks to break records like never before in a card which has a double header of the fourth encounter between WC Heavyweight Champ Barney Gumble and HG Heavyweight Champ Pedro Lazaro, and Louis Gordon has his first crack at gold against the most dominant man in the history of Highland Games; LightHeavy Weight.
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