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 HFC 63 - Battle vs Rex
Event Review
Awards:
Fight of the Night:
Ralph McGuire vs Jet Gunner
KO of the Night:
Sabotage Rex
Under Card:
Fight 1. Aleksandar Volkanovski defeats Mitch Rapp via TKO (Kick & Punches)
Fight 2. Basko Godwin defeats Gotan Wasselach via TKO (Cut)
Fight 3. Kenneth Smith defeats Samson Komua via TKO (Strikes)
Fight 4. Rakeem Marley defeats Aloisia Alvar via Decision (Unanimous)
Fight 5. Boxing Mcsparr defeats Richard Pryor via TKO (Punches)
Fight 6. Juju Baraka defeats Platinum Fox via TKO (Punches)
Main Card:
Joe Tidd defeats Etienne Gueguen via Decision (Unanimous)
One of, if not the lowest fan approval bouts of the night saw Tidd raise his hands in victory after a decision win over Gueguen. Unfortunately, there were quite a bit of boos coming from the crowed, but that's just because they were ramped up from all the finishes early on and blood already having been spilled in the cage.
This fight had no blood, probably some bruises later and some sore limbs, but this was a grappling match from start to finish. Funny thing though is that neither fighter was willing to let the other take them down. Gueguen was 1 of 5 attempts while Tidd was far more successful with 4 of 6. But in the end, each of them wanted to be on the ground.
Once on the ground, Gueguen was completely dominated. He was simply in a defensive position almost the entire fight. He attempted to advance position 22 times and was only successful 8 of them, if that tells you anything. He did attempt 5 submissions with no success, but the day was Tidds as he was far more efficient with 5 of 9 advanced positions and landing 21 of 33 GNP strikes to award him the easy decision victory by the judges.
I know it's been a while, but Harley Blaze is here with me today to throw in his feedback on these fights. I had to force his hand to do at least the main card with me, all he wanted to talk about was the upset of the night. We'll get there soon enough, Harley what did you think of this one?
Harley Blaze
"Holy shit it's good to be back! This wasn't a fight I was looking forward to, honestly. Never been a big fan of the little guys unless they could bring some power to the cage. And these two are not what I would consider KO artists. Most fights that go the distance bore me, and this one was no different. But hey, Tidd gets a win, and a win is a win. Kudos!"
Roberto Soldic defeats Jewel Diaz via Decision (Unanimous)
Diaz came into this fight wanting to turn things around and put himself back in the title conversation. With the changing of the guards we've had and the shakeup in the division, this was a perfect chance to do just that. Soldic had other plans, however, as he put a stop to Diaz's plans by taking him the distance and winning a close fight.
It just seemed like every time Diaz got the fight to the ground, Soldic stalled him out and forced a stand up, or managed to escape to his feet. Diaz just really couldn't ever take control of this fight for any length of time. He did well hanging in there, and never stopped pushing, but just couldn't get through Soldic's defenses.
Harley Blaze
"Yeah man, Diaz struggled to do anything. He clearly wanted to take the fight to the ground and Soldic knew it. When you attempt 19 takedown attempts in a fight and only 4 of them are successful, you damned well better do some damage while you have position. Diaz just wasn't able to do that as he only landed 9 of his 23 GnP attempts.
On the flip side, Soldic did just enough to win this one. He didn't look flashy or impress on the offensive side, but his solid defense and mixing things up allowed him to land a few strikes from various means which was just enough for the judges to award him the win. "
Co-Main Event:
Middle Weight Championship Bout
And Neeewww!! HFC MW Champ!
Sabotage Rex defeats Dre Battle via KO (Head Kick)
And here we go! This co-main event has stolen the show. Already being mentioned as a potential upset of the year along with Battle vs ADA back in January. Pretty much everyone but Barney thought that Battle was going to do his thing. I mean, how often do you hear upset of the year mention when a fighter takes out a champ, and then again 2 months later when he is taken out in the same manor? Crazy to be on both sides of that consideration in one year.
Round one saw Dre take a cut in the first minute, and you have to wonder if that blood was effecting his sight as Rex took the first round. Nobody was surprised that Rex came out looking for the finish, so winning a close first round was less talk than Battles cut cage side.
Round two started in similar fashion, and a minute in Battle started getting trickles of blood running down his face as the fighters circled around the 1 minute mark when out of nowhere.. well, this..
That's one minute gone in the round.
Rex throws a half hearted mid kick.
Both fighters circling slowly here as the pace drops. Hopefully one of them does something.. OOOHHHH!!!! Rex throws an absolute beast of a head kick! Battle is done! He's out cold, twisted and contorted up against the cage! Wow!
An absolute monster of a kick and for the second consecutive fight, Battle gets put to sleep. Now nobody is faulting him for getting KO'd by Wanker, but this loss sent shock waves through the Convicted Fight Club camp, so much so that it is reported that Dre changed his name after the fight. Is there any truth to that, Harley?
Harley Blaze
"Oh man, you know it! And if I had to put money on it, I would say that his manager Chris Karter was behind it. But yes, it was announced on social media that Dre Battle has, in fact, changed his name to "Damn Barney Got Aids." What a KO man! KO of the night honors for sure, well earned, and a bit of an unorthodox approach to this fight by Rex, but man did it work! Rex was clearly head hunting and looking for the KO after seeing Wanker get the KO previously. He did land some body shots in the clinch, but he found his way through Battle's defenses and got the highlight reel KO.
Oh, and as a bonus, this fight caught the attention of Dos Anjos who has stated his intentions to come back to the Middleweight division and earn his title back. This shit just got real!"
Main Event:
Light Heavyweight Championship Bout
Annnddd sttiiillllll!! HFC LHW Champ!
Ralph McGuire defeats Jet Gunner via Decision (Unanimous)
And in our main event of the evening, a fight that did it's best to live up to the hype of the upset just before it. Champion Ralph McGuire taking on challenger Jet Gunner. Everyone expected the champ to defend, and that he did in dominating fashion. Now, rather Gunner displayed good defense and a better chin than previously thought, or McGuire dialed back on the striking power and played a more cautious approach, this fight did not end as we all expected but instead went to the judges.
Now usually, I'll say that leaving the fight in the hands of the judges is a bad idea. Shit happens, guys get paid, just don't do it! But I can't argue with the results of this one as McGuire dominated this fight from all aspects effectively ending Gunners impressive win streak. Rumor is that Gunner has become a free agent after this fight and is looking for new management. I guess he really hates losing! Any words on this one, Harley?
Harley Blaze
"You pretty much nailed this one J.W. I expected a TKO. I figured McGuire would flash that power and finish this fight in the 2nd round. I thought the longer the fight went on, the more likely it would be that Gunner would find a lucky shot through his defenses. But McGuire looked like a beast out there and just walked through Gunner. I am impressed with Gunners chin display here, and if he signs with the right manager he could find himself back in title contention sooner rather than later."
"Well, there you have it! Another night in the books with a new champ to boot! Stay HARDCORE!!"
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