|
ICON Fight NIGHT 1
No folks, your eyes aren’t deceiving you. We got a new event name going on and now ICON Fight NIGHT is here to entertain. We got big names on the main card and up and comers on the lower card, with the highlight being a rematch to the most controversial fight of the year between “Elvis The Fighter” Hop Sing Jung and Nate “Cholo Gangster” Gonzalez with the Lightweight Championship on the line.
In the co-main event, literal ass kicker Issumater Tariaksuq will look to defend his newly won Featherweight Belt on the line against Finland’s Favorite Featherweight Pyry Kontio. Veteran Jake Belcher will look to stop the hype train of 2 time National Jr Olympic Pistol & Rifle competition gold medalist Marty Robbins, and Former Champion Peter Potter looks to get back on track after a devastating loss to Don Julio Cesar Chavez.
Without further ado, let’s get to the Prospect Rising, Jaw Dropping, Championship Caliber action that only Revolution XC can provide.
Arturo “Bad Boy” Vidal vs Saif “Fatty” Swaleh
Light-Heavyweight MMA Action
Our first fight of the night featured the debuts of two Light-Heavyweight prospects, and true be told, it wasn’t that interesting. Vidal controlled the clinch with elbows and Swaleh was most active in the striking department, where he hit the air more than his opponent. Vidal could be one to watch, as our Light-heavyweight Division is getting bigger. I don’t see anyone taking out Vettenranta in a long while, but it is nice to see the future grow before our eyes. Saif’s pro debut could have gone worse, but starting out on a loss still has to sting. Vidal can be happy to keep his undefeated 5-0 record alive.
“Pretty” Peter Potter vs Tapio Sammalkorpi
Welterweight MMA Action
This took me completely by surprise. Potter, one of the most popular fighters on our roster, fought second on the card. This must have lit a fire underneath him, as he once again took Sammalkorpi behind the woodshed, this time in round 2. Tapio had early success with two takedowns, but didn’t do much besides that. Potter meanwhile dominated the clinch, once again scoring perfect hits that wilted Tapio to a TKO finish before the 3 minute mark of round 2. Now 16-4, Potter probably has his eyes set on revenge against the champion Chavez, while Sammalkorpi is now on a 4 fight losing streak. At 15-9, he’s going to have to do something about the predicament he’s in.
Jose Blanco vs Lamar “The Baller” Allen
Featherweight MMA Action
Looking at Blanco’s fighter pic during this fight is an interesting experience in of itself. Too bad profile pics don’t win fights. Lamar and Blanco traded strikes for a while before Allen rocked Jose with a big right hand. This led to what thought was the best moment of the fight when Blanco literally slapped Allen in the face. Seconds later he was on his ass after another big right hand. A third right from Allen was all she wrote, as he won his third pro fight via TKO. Blanco, who had just lost his pro debut, argued with the stoppage, but falling over after standing back up isn’t a good way to in that argument.
Tony “No” Love vs Gunnar Tromp
Middleweight MMA Action
Well, I guess Tony asked for it, as Gunnar showed him “No Love” by taking him down and choking him out before the round ended. This was expected to be a striking affair, but Tromp played it smart with a couple of takedowns that changed the fights trajectory. The Iceland native now sits at 4-1, while Love’s record is 1-1.
Vincent DeFarina vs Bill “Blood” Brown
Light-Heavyweight MMA Action
Holy Shit! Brown must have gone to the “Homer Simpson School of Defense” because Vincent beat the Crap out of him the cage. Whether in the clinch or on the feet, DeFarina turned Brown into really hard Pinata. Here’s the weird part though, Brown won. Brown got a takedown, and even after getting reversed, he attempted submission after submission until he got an armbar locked in that had Vincent screaming in pain and tapping. Brown is now 4-1 and I don’t know if there’s A tougher person on the roster. DeFarina is now 1-1.
Kyle Long vs “The Great White” Chandinho Silva
Heavyweight MMA Action
Despite a massive height and weight advantage, Silva couldn’t capitalize on his chance against Long, who took out the massive South African in the second round. A close first round was followed up by Long scoring huge punches in the second round, dropping Silva twice to take him out within close to a minute. Long, fresh off two losses to Vettenranta, is now 13-7 and Might be looking to make a run at Heavyweight. Silva is now 4-1, but he still has time to find success in RXC.
Blanco Russo vs Zui Quan “Drunken Fist” Tso
Heavyweight MMA Action
This went as expected, as Tso made quick work of Russo within the 2 minute mark. Blanco was completely ineffective, and Tso TKO’d him with huge punches. Now 11-5, Zui rebounded nicely from his loss to Troy Lancaster. Russo’s record is below .500, at 4-5.
Marty “Big Iron” Robbins vs Jake “The Talent” Belcher
Welterweight MMA Action
Marty Robbins has all the potential to be a star in Mixed Martial Arts. He might not have won tonight, but the fact that he probably would have won a decision had Belcher not finished him in the third round is astonishing. Robbins dominated on the feet, scoring big punch combinations. Belcher fought by way of insanity, by which I mean he did the same thing over and over and expecting different results. Belcher attempted 43 takedowns. 43! He scored 5. It ultimately didn’t matter, as he finished off Robbins with ground and pound from the mount. His record now sits at 13-6. Robbins showed great striking and takedown defense, and I truly believe that he’ll be back before too long. We all lose at some point, and It’s always good to get it out of the way early.
“Arctic Frost” Issumater Tariaksuq vs Pyry Kontio
Featherweight Championship Fight
Tariaksuq is like the ultimate one trick pony. You know that going into a fight he’s going to try to kick your head off, but no matter how much you prepare, it’s still a difficult task. Case in point, Pyry Kontio started strong with a takedown, but the end was written at 17 seconds of round two with a head kick that rocked him and follow up punches that sealed the deal. Tariaksuq’s record now sits at 13-4, and this performance solidifies him as a champion in RXC. Finland’s Favorite Featherweight will be looking to rebound next time he gets into the cage and improve his 13-6 record.
Hop Sing “Hyun Ae” Jung vs Nate “Cholo Gangsta” Gonzalez
Lightweight Title Fight
The first time these two fought it was one of the most controversial fights of all time, now both had questions to answer. Could Jung legitimately beat Nate? Could Gonzalez finish Hop Sing before the final bell sounded? Unfortunately for the Compton native, he couldn’t finish Jung tonight and once again lost via decision. Unlike last time, I truly feel like Jung won this one. His clinch game was still on point, and most importantly, he scored big takedowns and attempted 17 submissions. Nate definitely landed more strikes, but Jung reached into his championship heart and scored a big, and unanimous win. “Elvis the Fighter” is now 19-7, and his opponent now sits at 11-5. Gonzalez showed class afterwards on Buzz by congratulating Jung, though he did do it in a very Nate way. Never change Gonzalez Bros, never change.
Post Fight Bonuses
Fight of the Night-Hop Sing Jung vs Nate Gonzalez
The sheer hype that went into this fight was enough to help it score this bonus. While I don’t personally agree with the award, I can’t doubt that in South Korea there are probably still people dancing and celebrating in the Streets.
Knockout of the Night-Peter Potter
Sheer Perfection. Potter showed up tonight in a big way by dismantling Tapio Sammalkorpi with strikes until he couldn’t go on. “Pretty” is a damn good description was the performance seen tonight.
Submission of the Night-Bill Brown
Mad Props to Bill tonight, who got the beating of his life but still managed to score a big armbar victory against Vincent DeFranca. $5000 dollars will definitely dull the pain from the beating he received.
Conclusion
In front of a sold out Venice Beach, Jung and Tariaksuq proved themselves to be true champions. We also saw the emergence of several future contenders, especially in the form of Marty Robbins, who might have lost tonight but showed more in defeat then most people show in victory. I can’t wait for the next event, and I especially can’t wait for Revolution Island, which I will be hosting. Don’t worry people who have enjoyed my style of writing (at least I hope you have), unless told other wise by Mr. Jay Tycoon himself, I’ll still continue to write reviews for Revolution XC events. See you folks later, when Revolution 911 comes around. That event will have 3 Championship fights, including Don Julio Cesar Chavez against surprise challenger Fernando Luiz, Rocco Antonio Saffredi looking to defend his belt again against Andy Fitzgerald, and most interestingly, Papa Shango taking on Light-Heavyweight Champion Kaleva Vettenranta in a Heavyweight Championship Super Fight! These events can’t come soon enough.
Article views:
210
» Donate to this author |
