Ring of Combat has, by this point, moved to a cage which they seemingly have plopped down on a 20ft ring mat. Still in Jersey. 100% less Gracies that ROC 18.
1) JOSE RODRIGUEZ vs. MARC STEVENS: A welterweight contest between nondescript opposition.
Stevens won all three rounds on my scorecard. Running theme for this bout is that Stevens wants the takedown and Rodriguez wants to be upright. In the first round, Rodriguez manages only a knee, some weak punches, and a guillotine attempt that fails. In the second, he at least manages to go for a leglock that gets him on top for a little while. But even that leads nowhere, and Stevens finishes the round on top in half guard with Rodriguez pinned against the cage. In the final round, Rodriguez has his most effective moments; Stevens is cut but something in a scramble and the distraction is enough time for him to be rocked and Rodriguez to follow him down to the mat with GnP. Stevens survives and ends up on top, once more, inside the full guard before the round is over. (0)
2) ANDREW RIDDLES vs. MIKE STEWART: Names sound like better fighters! But they are not. Middleweight contest.
Stewart pulls off an awesome belly-to-belly early and a suplex late in the round and those are his high points. All he wants to do is clinch and shoot, and Riddles doesn't take long to figure out this pattern. In the second he stuffs a takedown, gets mount, and forces Stewart to give up the back. Riddles is still undefeated in a division where all the wrestlers are old as hell. (1)
3) CHRIS SCHLESINGER vs. NISSIM LEVY: Records? Not good. 180lb catchweight? Ehhh.
Dudes want to wrestle, and once they start, its scramble city. Standing? Neither is any good, but it is established early that Schlesinger really doesn't want to stand with Levy during much of the first. It seems to be a ploy though; he lands a hard couple of knees at the end of the first round and drops Levy early in the second. Levy goes for his own takedown and leaves his neck out for a guillotine. Its a sad night in Little Jerusalem. (0)
4) GREG SOTO vs. DOUG GORDON: I was stoked for this thinking Soto was that dude that beat Reis in Bellator. Nah. 170lbs.
Soto shoots, pushes, and gets a takedown. He does some smashing until he is stood up, and then he does it again. That is the first round. Gordon adjusts his gameplan in the second and decides to not be taken down. A smart move for a man who wants to win. He instead forces Soto to pull guard a couple times. Well, until Soto gets him down with the double again. Gordon lacks the jitz but still tries the guillotine. Smart? Probably not. Soto does more taking down and more light punching on the mat in the third, only stopping to get bucked out of mount briefly by Gordon. Soto wins the UD and is still undefeated a year later. (1)
5) CONSTANTINOS PHILLIPOU vs. BRENDAN BARRETT: Who the fuck are these guys? I dunno. 205.
Costa with the right hand and Barrett is cut. Barrett gets a takedown and is pushing the dude with the greekest name ever all over the place. But the cut is a gusher and the fight is stopped. (0)
6) JOHN HOWARD vs. CHARLIE BRENNEMAN: Howard is still in the UFC somehow. I don't know how, but he is! Brenneman is a nobody.
Brenneman goes for takedowns, Howard tries to stand. This is the fight, in general. Sometimes Brenneman is hurt with stuff and is forced to shoot, as happens in round 1. He takes down Howard a few times in the second round while absorbing little. Howard turns the tables with a slam in the 3rd, but Brenneman turns, is out the backdoor, and takes top control again. Howard goes for subs, doesn't get anything, and Brenneman wins all 3 rounds on my card. Guess what? Howard wins. How is Howard even a mild success in the UFC? (2)
FIGHT OF THE NIGHT: Howard/Brenneman
KO OF THE NIGHT: Barrett/Phillipou?
SUBMISSION OF THE NIGHT: Levy/Schlesinger
OVERALL FOR THE EVENT: 4 out of 10. I remember this event being boring as hell. None of the fighters are that good and apart from the main event being of minor interest, entirely skippable. Like a run of the mill KOTC card from a few years back.
D&R Rating: 13% (4/30)
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