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 Two weeks after setting a promotional high ‘event rating’ of 117.81 at KOTB 13, the King of the Beach promotion would go on to shatter it with a rating 142.90 at KOTB 15. Carried by an incredible main and co-main event pairing, KOTB 15 saw a packed crowd of Brazilian and non-Brazilian fans celebrating Dia dos Fiéis Defunto, which created an electric atmosphere throughout the night - something felt by the athletes in the cage and the fans outside of it.
Opening the undercard was a matchup at middleweight between two fighters still looking for their first professional wins. Niagara Falls, Canada’s Mike Saban came out the aggressor with kicks and some nice work in the clinch with knees and dirty boxing, and seemed to be controlling most of the first round. Rio’s own Caio Rodrigues would find a way to turn things around with a late takedown and quickly jumped on a tight kimura with moments left. Saban was forced to tap out with only one second left on the clock in what had to have been a disappointing moment.
Caio “Cobra” Rodrigues (1-1, 1-1) defeats Mike “Swampthing” Saban (0-3, 0-3) via Submission (Kimura) R1 - 04:59
We’d stay at middleweight when Scotland’s Brandon Murphy took on Brazil’s Yan Gusmao in a matchup of up-and-coming strikers. While most fans expected a back and forth scrap between these two, this one would be all Murphy in a surprisingly one-sided affair. Murphy easily bounced around the cage and avoided everything Gusmao threw at range, while landing some damaging punches of his own. Despite one punch landed in the clinch, Gusmao seemed to be putting too much into every strike and was hitting nothing but air. Murphy finally sealed the deal with a brutal combo that put Gusmao out on his feet before an unneeded right hand put him to the mat.
“Braveheart” Brandon Murphy (2-2, 2-2) defeats Yan “El Grande” Gusmao (1-2, 1-2) via KO (Strikes) R1 - 03:10
Our only light-heavyweight contest on the card would pit another dangerous Rio-born fighter in Casey Frost against American sprawl and brawler, Julius Bennett. This would end up as another one-sided beating, as Bennett cruised with heavy combinations before leaving the Brazilian crumpled in the corner in a gif-worthy finish. Bennett took to the mic and excitedly spoke about a possible title shot in the future. The commissioner, Dr. Jones, always appreciates this type of attitude from his fighters and will no doubt reward him for his actions. Frost, on the other hand, is in desperate need of a win and will look to get back on track in his next bout.
Julius “Steel” Bennett (2-0, 1-0) defeats Casey Frost (2-2, 0-2) via KO (Punches) R1 - 00:39
We moved to lightweight for our next bout, as former champion Major Major took on a debuting Canadian in Vincent Medard. While Major has certainly had his difficulties on the mat, he’s always expected to challenge his opponents on the feet with his strong muay thai and boxing attack. Nobody told Medard, however, as he tore through Major’s defenses with an onslaught of punches and leg kicks. Besides an early cut-inducing headkick, Major would basically not land anything else for the remainder of the fight. Instead, Medard would eventually put Major face first onto the canvas with a devastating right hand. It’s an impressive debut for the Canadian.
Vincent “The Wing” Medard (2-0, 1-0) defeats Major “Major” Major (4-3, 2-2) via KO (Punch) R1 - 02:46
Closing out the undercard was an exciting matchup between two rapidly rising super-heavyweights, as Canada’s Kevin Wideman took on the Swede, Magnus Karlsson. This one would open, predictably, with an early takedown from Karlsson, who loves to work from top position. Unfortunately for the Swede, this is exactly where Wideman does his best work. The Canadian immediately started moving his hips into a number of triangle attempts before switching into a beautiful armbar. Karlsson recognized it and rolled with it, but it was ultimately too late and he was forced to tap. Wideman now has two straight armbar finishes to go along with his two triangle finishes earlier in his career. Wideman may just have the most dangerous guard in KOTB’s SHW division.
Kevin “The Beast” Wideman (4-1, 3-1) defeats Magnus Karlsson (5-1, 2-1) via Submission (Armbar) R1 - 01:57
Opening up the main card was our ‘fight of the night’ between the now-defunct Elite KT’s only middleweight champion Giblert Melendez and KOTB-veteran Jacare Romero. Cuba’s Romero made the first move with an early takedown and immediately jumped for an ankle lock. The former Mexican kickboxing champion’s defensive grappling held strong, however, as he managed to escape and remain in top control for the remainder of the round. The second stanza proved even more fruitful for Melendez as he began to batter his foe with body shots from range and in the clinch. The end would come at about the midpoint of the round when Melendez connected on a nasty uppercut and follow-up punches. Looks like we may have a future middleweight contender on our hands.
Giblert Melendez (4-0, 1-0) defeats Jacare “Soldier of Jah” Romero (3-4, 2-3) via TKO (Strikes) R2 - 02:35
We moved back to the super-heavyweight division when Croatia’s Mirko Vukovic tied a promotional record for his sixth appearance against Scotland’s Mick McManus. Vukovic, one KOTB’s more well-rounded athletes, came in with an early takedown and a headkick that was close to landing, but McManus got to his feet and avoided the strike before landing a destructive, pinpoint jab that made Vukovic’s eyes roll back in his head. McManus continues to be one of the most dangerous men in the division and looks forward to an important fight against fan-favorite Gustavo Gouveia, while Vukovic will look to start another winning streak after taking some time off to rehab his injuries.
“Merciless” Mick McManus (3-1, 3-1) defeats Mirko “The Shadow” Vukovic (3-3, 3-3) via KO (Punch) R1 - 00:20
Our next matchup was supposed to be an exciting standup war between two of KOTB’s more talented featherweights, but the blasé performance has resulted in a rule change for the promotion. After a couple questionable strategies in recent cards, Commissioner Jones will no longer offer or allow fights between two guys who are under the same manager. This is probably a rule that should’ve been implemented beforehand, so we’ll move along. Long story short, Nameless Fighter battered Bruised Rib Aldo over the course of three rounds while his opponent never attempted a single strike. Nameless came to KOTB holding a belt and was expected to challenge for the featherweight championship after a win here. This may still be the case, but we’ll have to wait and see how everything pans out in the next few days.
Nameless “G O A T” Fighter (8-0, 1-0) defeats Bruised Rib “Excuse” Aldo (5-2, 2-2) via TKO (Strikes) R3 - 03:21
Our co-main event pitted two of KOTB’s most celebrated fighters against each other, as Ezekiel Puchowski challenged for Guy Mourtneat’s super-heavyweight belt. As Puchowski predicted in the pre-fight interview, Mourtneant moved to the clinch after an early exchange and proceeded to punish the Polish boxer with soul-sucking shots to the body and face. After a few minutes of being stuck in Mourtneant’s office, Puchowski would fall to one knee after taking a monster uppercut. Mourtneant smelled blood and proceeded to crumple his opponent with a fight-ending right hook. Mourtneant continues to move up the world rankings and is clearly KOTB’s number one attraction at this point, so it’s with great pleasure that I can announce that KOTB has resigned Mourtneant for another four fights. Puchowski, always a showman, took to the mic and gave props to his opponent and showed off his missing tooth with a bloody smile. He also made a decision after the fight to move to the light-heavyweight division, something a lot of fans have been hoping for.
Guy “4” Mourtneant (7-1, 3-0) via Ezekiel “Power Trip” Puchowski (6-2, 3-2) via KO (Punch) R1 - 02:44
And finally our main event, and what a fight it was, as Murphy MacManus looked to defend his welterweight title for the second time, this time against a very highly-touted newcomer in James La Grande. La Grande appeared to have MacManus on his heels from the beginning, driving through a number of takedowns. MacManus showed patience and got to his feet a pair of times while landing a few hard shots to the body of his Brazilian opponent. The beginning of the end was when La Grande managed to mount MacManus after his third takedown of the round. From here, La Grande mixed in some strikes and went after a number of submissions before finally coaxing the tapout from a beautiful armbar. The Brazilian was very vocal leading up to the fight, so it’s nice to see he indeed has the skills to back it up.
James “Flames” La Grande (9-1, 1-0) defeats Murphy “Shamrock” MacManus (4-1, 3-1) via Submission (Armbar) R1 - 03:26
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