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Welcome to RL Studio's post-event and highlight discussion of SPFT 224 LIGHTWEIGHT Tournament, and Middleweight title event! Hula's Arena in Hilo was nearly packed, and the energy was intense! We'll start with coverage of the Lightweight Matchups.
145lb Enrique Molito (24-4-1) v Julian Reis (20-14-1)
Congratulations to Reis for securing his 20th win! That's two in a row now, and it looks like there has been some new life breathed into a career that some said was floundering. A man possessed, he fended off Enrique's strikes, and continually brought the fight to the ground. Early in the 2nd round, Molito was tapping out, as Julian Reis secured a powerful Kimura submission. Enrique has now gone 3 straight matches without a win. Is the Steel Pen too much for him?
Winner: Julian Reis, 2nd Round Submission (Kimura)
155 Domino Kennedy (6-3) v Boros Monet (7-5)
Domino Kennedy's momentum was brought to a screeching halt tonight by Boros Monet's masterful boxing combinations. Kennedy's team has to be kicking themselves for not working harder to implement the grappling game in this match. He tried to stand toe-to-toe with Boros, and paid for it. With only four seconds left in the 1st round it was double-jab, duck, and BOOM the right hook counter, lights out Domino.
Winner: Boros Monet, 1st Round KO, Punches
155 Pale Monster (12-5) v Ben King (3-5)
Chokes, Kimuras, and Guillotines, oh my! Grappling fans were not disappointed, as these two brown belts took the game to the ground. As RL Studios predicted, the experience of Pale Monster made all the difference. King made some nice positioning and sub attempts, but Monster kept blasting those strikes on the ground, softening him up. In the third round, from the bottom, Monster got a hold of a loose arm, and subbed King with a triangle.
Winner: Pale Monster, 3rd Round Submission (Triangle)
155 James Miller (5-0) v Conor Nelson (4-2)
When RL Studios predicted that this would be a rough welcome to the Steel Pen for Conor Nelson, we didn't realize how much of an understatement that would be! Highlight films have been showing this KO of the Night in slow motion all day long. Leg kick, body kick, HEAD KICK, and Nelson was rocked. Miller appeared to back away, and then exploded into the air like a rocket, his knee connecting with Nelson's temple, and ending his night prematurely.
Winner: James Miller, 1st Round KO, Flying Knee.
155 Hugh Jasshole (4-1) v Deanthony Wagner (7-3)
"Phil Tinker ain't here tonight", said Wagner to Jasshole, as the referee's unanimously named Deanthony the victor. The fight was messy, with lots of missed shots, and blown takedown and clinch attempts. Hugh wanted to grapple in any way he could, while Deanthony worked with his fists. Try a few less combos next time, Deanthony, it will clean up your game some.
Winner: Deanthony Wagner, Unanimous Decision
155 Andy Burns (5-8) v Puna Wai (6-5)
What do you get when you throw a sloppy head kick? You get taken down, and whipped, when you throw it against Puna Wai. That's what happened to poor Andy Burns tonight. A brown belt should normally defeat a purple belt, right? All bets are off when you're getting punched in the face. Puna managed a big shot while standing, another on the ground, and then secured a Kimura for the victory.
Winner: Puna Wai, 1st Round, Submission (Kimura)
205 Brutus Nash (13-8) v Yuya Inoue (27-14)
Slippery as a snake, Yuya Inoue snatched victory from the jaws of defeat tonight. Nash cut Inoue early, and won both the 1st and 2nd rounds with his boxing skills. Yuya would have to finish, or would surely lose the match. With less than 2 minutes remaining, he grabbed Brutus's free arm, stepped over his head and cranked it for the Submission Victory of the NIght!
Winner: Yuya Inoue, 3rd Round, Submission (Kimura)
205 Arvo Laar (18-15) v DonT Bill (10-10)
What a match! They're standing, and Laar is scoring with punches and kicks. Bill scores a takedown, and is transitioning and striking! Round 1 goes to Arvo, Round 2 goes to Dont. The key moment came in Round 3, when Bill made a move for full mount. Arvo dug deep, extricating himself from the position, and getting back to his feet. One point was all that separated the fighters on the scorecards, but it was Arvo's hand that was raised.
Winner: Arvo Laar, Unanimous Decision
185 Rocky Scalante (25-18) v Red Redyan (8-9)
Scalante is baaaaaaaaaaack! With just one win in his last 9 fights, he needed to show he was still capable of fighting. Red waited for a chance to bring the fight to the ground, but it never came. High kick, right-left, left-right, and it was over! Thirty seconds and Redyan was snoozing on the floor.
Winner: Rocky Scalante, 1st Round, KO
185 TITLE MATCH John Mayhem (29-12) v Vlad Kersikov (21-6-2)
The belt on the line! John looked sharp at the beginning of the match, scoring with some leg kicks, and cutting Kersikov with a punch. The blow staggered Kersikov, and some thought he might be in trouble. Not tonight. That cut changed everything, and Kersikov transformed into an unstoppable force. It turned into an expose on standup fighting, mixing punches, and kicks with great effect. Just one minute into the 2nd round, Mayhem blinked on a counter. Kersikov spun and landed a reverberating head kick. Mayhem's lights were instantly snuffed out, and he dropped like a stone, unconscious.
Winner, and new Middleweight Champion! Vlad Kersikov, 2nd Round, KO, Head Kick
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