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 KOTB 9: Nocuate (Review)
The King of the Beach promotion held it’s 10th event this Saturday, it’s highest rated show at The Underground to date. Only four fighters were making their KOTB debuts, which was a record low and a testament to the emerging veteran presence of the growing promotion. Middleweight Thatcher Halverson looked to be the first KOTB champion to defend his belt, so let’s get into the recap:
The only featherweight action on the night would open the card, as boxers Cliff Carriggian and Marcus Aurelius took centre stage. In a somewhat surprising - yet successful - move, Carriggian decided he’d be better off working his developing ground game. After a slam, Carriggian would eventually move to mount and hammer Aurelius with ground strikes. Aurelius tried his best to get things back to the feet, but would eventually give his back and tap out to a tight rear-naked choke about half way through the opening round.
Cliff “Blazing” Carriggian (1-1, 1-1) defeats Marcus “The Tutor” Aurelius (0-3, 0-2) via Submission (RNC) R1, 02:40
It was Manaus vs. Rio in a battle of Brazilian lightweights when Jose Almedia took on Maiquel De Oliveira. Almedia put a pace on his opponent and would control all three rounds with precise punches, kicks, clinches and takedowns. De Oliveira showed some great heart over the course of the fight, looking for sweeps and control, but perhaps was not aggressive enough with his submission game.
Jose Almedia (1-1, 1-1) defeats Maiquel De Oliveira (0-1, 0-1) via Decision (Unanimous)
Another lightweight battle of Brazil would follow, as Fortaleza’s Hermes Franca took on Rio’s Emerson Sheik in a shootout on the feet. Both fighters came out firing; with Franca pushing the pace with jabs and hooks to the head and body, while Sheik countered with combinations and jabs. Franca appeared to be getting the better of the exchanges in the opening minute but Sheik would come on strong, landing a 1-2 that rocked Franca before finishing him up with a fight-ending left hook.
Emerson Sheik (2-0, 1-0) defeats Hermes Franca (1-1, 1-1) via KO (Punch) R1, 01:21
A pair of East Coast American super-heavyweights would be up next, as Florida’s Tim Wallace took on New Jersey native, Todd Hunter. Hunter came into the fight with a foot of height on his opponent, along with 50 pounds of weight. Nobody told Wallace, however, as he stuffed a plethora of Hunter’s takedown attempts before taking the giant for a ride with a beautiful suplex. From there, Wallace would attack with heavy ground and pound while Hunter tried to recover position. The shots would wear on Hunter, forcing the referee to intervene just before the end of the first round.
Tim “Lights Out” Wallace (4-1, 1-1) defeats Todd Hunter (0-1, 0-1) via TKO (Strikes) 1, 04:43
Our featured preliminary matchup had the fans on the edge of their seats, as American boxer Billy Styles took on hometown favorite, Tito Gomez. Styles showed his dominance on the feet from the very beginning, dropping his foe within seconds of the opening bell. Gomez, though, showed great heart by recovering quickly and immediately looking for submissions from his back. After an extended exchange on the ground, Styles would stand up and knock down his foe twice more in the first round, while Gomez would miraculously recover again and again, going for submissions until the ref pulled them apart. Gomez then started the second round by diving for a takedown and attacking Style with even more submissions. Styles would hold strong until a referee standup late in the round, allowing him to connect with a fight ending left punch just before the end of the second round.
Billy Styles (2-1, 2-1) defeats Tito “Chacal” Gomez (1-1, 1-1) via TKO (Strikes) R2, 04:40
We’re unsure if American wrestler Gary Finkler had spam for breakfast on Saturday, but we are sure he showcased his takedown skills in our main card opening bout. Brazilian lightweight Pablo Esposito couldn’t give much resistance as Gary Finkler seemed to be too strong and too fast, constantly taking his opponent down and clinching him, before backing out of the positions. Perhaps Finkler didn’t want to hang out in Esposito’s guard, but the record setting number of takedowns wore out the Brazilian before he finished with a second round kimura.
Gary Finkler (4-1, 1-1) defeats Pablo “Breaker” Esposito (1-2, 0-2) via Submission (Kimura) R2, 04:41
Veteran KOTB welterweight, Inci Yarakos, should’ve been Lucas Samurai’s toughest opponent to date, but it wouldn’t show on Saturday night. The young Brazilian star shone brightly once again in another “blink and you’ll miss it” KO victory. The only difference in this appearance was that he finished the fight with a high kick, the first thrown in his career. Campos will now take on former champion Parker Allen in the biggest fight of his young career.
Lucas “Samurai” Campos (3-0, 3-0) defeats Inci Yarakos (2-4, 1-3) via KO (Head Kick) R1, 00:10
Our next main card matchup would feature two super-heavyweight who had never been out of the first round in their combined seven fights. Blob Sapp would be the one to make the first and only impression, lighting Gustavo Gouveia up in a near perfect 37-second performance. The 300-pound wrestle-boxer rebounded nicely from his KOTB debut and looks forward to a showdown with fellow American Tim Wallace, who won earlier on the card.
Blob “Voodoo Child” Sapp (3-1, 1-1) defeats Gustavo “Montanha” Gouveia (3-2, 1-2) via TKO (Punches) R1, 00:37
A middleweight title eliminator served as the evening’s co-main event, as recent contender Bago Biga took on a talented debuting fighter in Starling Silva. The Brazilian had success early with heavy punches, while the Romanian Biga bobbed in and out, throwing strikes to set up his takedowns. After a relatively close opening round, Silva found find his way into the clinch and battered his opponent with punches, forcing the referee to jump in after a devastating uppercut. Biga took to the mic and looked like he may be thinking retirement after consecutive losses.
Starling Silva (1-0, 1-0) defeats Bago “Badaboom” Biga (3-2, 1-2) via TKO (Strikes) R2, 02:42
In yet another “fight of the night” main event, Eric Ashton continued his ground and pound world tour with a title winning performance over champion Thatcher Halverson. Ashton started both rounds by immediately taking his opponent down and going to work, while Halverson proved to be a hard out, attacking with submissions and sweeps. In the end, Ashton’s grappling defense held strong and his fists kept talking. It’s a big night for the middleweight division, stay tuned to see what happens when the dust settles.
Eric Ashton (7-1, 2-0) defeats “The Avalanche” Thatcher Halverson (3-1, 2-1) via KO (Strikes) R2, 03:59
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