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 OFC 305: Wyatt vs Jah REVIEW
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This past weekend, the OFC made the trek to Amsterdam for the 1st time, where everything is legal...except soccer kicks to the head of a downed opponent. Over 5000 fight fans filled The Beer Garden arena, along with weed smoke and anticipation for an exciting night of fights. And that's exactly what they got with big finishes under the big lights, that would bring joy to the heart and a tear to the eye of Cro Cop, reminding him of earlier days, simpler times. Right Kick hospital, Left Kick Cemetery...but more on that in just a bit. OFC 305 is now the 7th Highest Rated Event in org history, so you know the stoners got their money's worth with this one. And before we get in to the results, for anyone planning a trip to the Red Light District, I highly recommend the Blueberry and Bruce Banner strains of their finest but...Without further ado, let's run it all back with a Full Review!
MAIN EVENT
HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP
Koba Wyatt (12-2-0) vs Soul Jah (23-3-0)
After OFC 300 and the sudden leave of absence Former Champion Mark Riccuito took from the sport, the Heavyweight division was left with two clear-cut killers at the top of it, both on monster win streaks. The clashing of the two was inevitable and after what went down on Saturday night, I truly hope we get to run this one back again some day. The opening round saw Jah work the champ over with counters, roughing him up a bit. Wyatt managed to come back with a few shots of his own before taking something no man should...and that's a kick to the nether regions. Upon recovery both of these soldiers seemed to have their moments throughout the round, trading strikes, Jah most likely taking the advantage on the judges scorecards though. Late in the round however, the Champion Wyatt caught Jah with a combo, cutting and dropping him! The crowd was going nuts at this point, but Jah managed to get his feet back under him before throwing a few kicks (foreshadowing what's to come...) to end the round, possibly saving him. Hopefully the audio from their corners will be released at some point and I'm willing to be it contains a lot of curse words and yelling, which is almost massaging to the eardrums, something you can take a nice relaxing bath too. But back to the fight, 2nd round, Jah's Head Coach from Killer Instinct gym must have given him a Martin Luther King Jr.-esque level of a pep talk speech, because his head was back in the game. Jah unloaded his diverse striking arsenal before landing a monster head kick that reverborated around the arena! The roof was torn off the building as Wyatt toppled to the mat and the New Champion; Jah was crowned after the incredible comeback. He even stopped for the media to take a 5 second pose as if he were Edge & Christian...I have a feeling this title reign is going to totally reek of awesomeness. Only thing that could top off this win is to also be awarded the Knockout of the Night for it and that's exactly what happened. See kids, say your prayers, take your vitamins and your dreams will come true!
CO-MAIN EVENT
MIDDLEWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP
Ravi Shankoli (38-9-0) vs Carlos Centurion (32-11-2)
Since arriving in the OFC and toppling Peter Parker`s reign as Middleweight Champion, Ravi Shankoli has staked his claim as one of the best to ever step in the cage at 185 lbs. Stepping up to challenge his supremacy was Former Trinity Welterweight Champion Carlos Centurion, making his OFC debut. Carlos actually buckled Ravi's knee early with a kick before returning one of his own. I'm not sure if the Champion was taking his current foe lightly or if Centurion's varied attacks actually caught him off guard. From jabs effecting the vision to leg kicks that could tenderize next Sunday night's meat rations at Family Dinner, they were all on display. The momentum shifted momentarily when Ravi caught Carlos with a lovely overhand right, busting him up, but the damage was already done on the scorecards for the round, pointing in the challenger's favor. What surprised me is the fact that he was able to proceed with his game-plan in to the 2nd round without Ravi finding the solution to this lament configuration, Pinhead and his cenobites would be proud. The 3rd round however, taught me as well as the rest of the world why we should never doubt Shankoli again. He's the Champion for a reason and a very very good one at that. 14 seconds in to the round, Centurion lost his concentration momentarily and Shankoli countered with a picture perfect head kick! Centurion went down, out cold! I had to signal for our medical team to bring in the stretcher, all I can say is our thoughts and prayers are with Carlos and his loved ones, here's to a speedy recovery. Ravi showed a lot of respect and compassion in his post fight speech, celebrating his 3rd consecutive title defense. Up next for him is Wykyd "Attitude" Dall (11-5-0) at OFC 309, tickets are available now, visit our Merch Partner; Urban Fighter's website and enter the code: Trancendental Dentist for a discount and major savings!
MAIN CARD
LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT DIVISION
Benjamin BK (22-13-1) vs Shape Shifter (21-14-0)
There's nothing I love more than seeing two OFC veterans tangle it up in the center of an arena, surrounded by chain meshing. Benjamin "Duboo" BK and the OFC Light Heavyweight Champion Greg Coleman's nemesis, the sinister Shape Shifter gave us just that by putting on a show for the ages! Originally meeting at OFC: Blood Night XXXI, it was only a matter of time before the two crossed paths once again. Shifter was able to get the fight to floor much quicker this time around which had to have given BK's corner a few grey hairs, flashbacks of the armbar in their minds. Much to everyone's surprise, BK was much more prepared with his defensive grappling, fending off submissions for the majority of the round but living to fight another day because of it. 2nd round saw his takedown defense improve tenfold. He clearly didn't want to go to the ground with Shifter again, everyone knows you can only stick your hand in a bee's nest so many times before you get stung, right? Shifter was able to get him down late in the round but it was too little too late as BK narrowly escaped, evening things up. With that said, sometimes magicians save their best trick for the final act and that's exactly what BK did in the final frame. After being taken down once again, he was able to reverse position and dive in to side control, and this is where he let loose scoring with short elbows, rocking Shifter! One after another before it became too many and even Jon Bones Jones learned a thing or two from that vicious ground n pound. With the victory, BK not only finds redemption but also positions himself nicely at the top of the division, possibly earning that long awaited OFC title shot!
MAIN CARD
BANTAMWEIGHT DIVISION
Aribert Heim (30-19-0) vs Barack Obama (18-19-1)
Former OFC Bantamweight Champion; Heim's path back to the Gold all starts here as he took on OFC newcomer and MMA vet Barack Obama. This was one of those fights where being well-rounded goes a long way since it was going to take place everywhere. Obama was able to dump Heim on the mat in the opening minute, reminiscent of a vintage Kurt Angle power slam! For the remainder of the round, they traded submission attempts and ground strikes back n forth, each one with more intensity. The following five minutes took place entirely on the feet and mostly in the clinch, the dirty boxing came in more handy than keeping a box of kleenex in the bedroom of someone going through puberty. Pressing fast forward, the final round saw Heim continue to get the better of the standup before gaining a takedown of his own in to half guard. Obama was able to muster up enough energy for one last kneebar attempt but Heim somehow managed to wriggle free and regain top position. Heim continued to control...literally, on cruise control until the final bell rang and he was awarded with the unanimous decision victory. Where he goes from here will be interesting as he continues to remain a fixture of the division but was just finished by the champion. The next chapter in his comeback story should be made more clear within the next week or so, keep an eye on the OFC homepage for more details.
MAIN CARD
WELTERWEIGHT DIVISION
Yancy Makaki Iii (13-4-0) vs Cheik Imbula (8-6-1)
The opening fight of our main card saw former Title Challenger Yancy Makaki Iii take on OFC fan favorite; Cheik "Genesis" Imbula. There's a reason why this one started our night off and it was shown almost immediately. The skill level of these two warriors is so high class, I'd be shocked if they both don't somehow someway end up as OFC Champion someday. Imbula's aggressiveness definitely pushed the pace of the fight early but I feel as though speed was on Yancy's side which worked to his benefit, resulting in more counters with crisp shots.
After moving the fight in to the clinch and a series of strikes being traded between the two, Yancy may have done just enough to take the lead. We were treated to more calculated brutality in the middle round before Imbula switched things up and pulled guard successfully. Four consecutive submission attempts followed but to no avail and we headed in to another break. The final five pins on the clock is where things got even more interesting, when a little over a minute in Imbula got rocked by a glancing head kick (didn't I say that was a theme of the evening) but somehow found a way to survive, think Mark Wahlberg in Lone Survivor. As the final seconds withered away, Imbula knew he had to do something and truly showed heart as he pulled guard once again and worked for a loose triangle. Unfortunately for the Genesis, time ran out and even though he took the round, it wasn't enough to be awarded the decision victory. Yancy with the win, looks to climb the ladder to gold once again, meanwhile it's back to the drawing board for Imbula.
For our prelim matches of the night, there's two fighters I wanted to highlight and congratulate in particular...and that's Levan Revazshvili (18-12-2) & Wiremu Huia (9-7-0). Both of these Superstars earned 2nd Round TKO victories over respected opponents; Former OFC Light Heavyweight Champion Mayo Kermode (42-28-0) & DFC Veteran Leonidas Sparta (6-2-0). Levan now sees himself only a win or two away from gaining a shot at the gold while Huia continues to climb the ranks moving his OFC record to (5-1-0). Also picking up victories in the undercard portion of the event were Middleweight Contender Matt Kroblur (17-11-1), Peter "The Crimson Killer" Redfield (12-11-0) and Nick Shamrock (4-1-0) in his OFC debut. A big thank you goes out to every fighter that appeared on the card, every time they step foot inside the cage there's a chance they may not come home the same. They not only put their careers but also their lives on the line each time and it's on us to not forget that. On a lighter note, before leaving the dam, to top off the night, word on the street was that Shankoli was throwing the bash of the century...I don't want to sound too TMZ but I heard OFC Hall of Famer and Former Middleweight Champ Ang even showed up and things got a little bit heated. Unfortunately for us, that's a fight we may only ever get in the next EA OFC Video Game.
And that about wraps it up for this event, definitely one for the record books.I really hope everyone enjoys our coverage of the event and continues to be a part of what we're doing here in the OFC, putting on the best damn fights with the best damn fighters this game has ever seen. And the way I see it is in order to become a Legend, you're going to have to pass through Ontario at some point. Ohh, I like that line, might have to engrave it on tombstone while I'm still breathing. But once again, thank you for your continued support. If you have any unsigned fighters looking for a home or if you just want to shoot the *BLEEP*, feel free to send me a message, my inbox is always open! Moving forward, we got two more exciting events heading your way this week with OFC: Blood Night XLII headlined by Achab Denis (14-3-0) and Hone Huia (20-15-0), as well as OFC 306: Luzhin vs Debble where the OFC Welterweight Championship will be up for grabs! You know the drill at this point, train hard, fight harder, have a great week and I'll see you all again Wednesday for another exciting night of fights...Stay Gold Ponyboy!
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