For this show, KOTC is employing a round cage.
1) Sean Wilmot vs. Noah Weisman: Lightweight. Wilmot has been around forever and ever and ever and ever. Weisman is a prospect with 3 wins.
FIGHT: Weisman Unanimous Decision. Not the most enthralling fight. Wilmot hadn't fought in 4 years in a pro bout, and it showed as he basically does nothing other than give Weisman rounds and go for a heel hook in the second round. Weisman hurts Wilmot a couple times with grazing head and body shots and Wilmot goes immediately into survival mode. (0)
2) Chip Moraza-Pollard vs. Jesus Martinez: Welterweights. Both are New England guys.
FIGHT: Moraza-Pollard Unanimous Decision (1)
Martinez: Looks more comfortable on his feet early, then gets tired as he is taken down. Also absorbs punches (as in the first where he's dropped) as he moves straight backwards with the hands down.
Moraza-Pollard: Decent striker with better kicks than punches. Likes to take a picture after his shots, for the most part. OK takedowns, does a nice wrestling switch in the third. No idea if he can pull subs. Not overpowering though on the mat. Looks like he'd be disrupted if you threw a jab twice though.
3) Pat McGreal vs. Donald Sanchez: Bantamweight title bout, but this being KOTC, that means 145. McGreal was a track and field guy and is undefeated in 6-0, but only has trained for 15 months. Sanchez is a journeyman type guy who has some wins over people its unlikely you would have heard of unless you read this blog (example: Joe Boxer).
FIGHT: Sanchez Submission Rnd 1. Pretty easy fight, as McGreal and Sanchez end up on the mat, Sanchez gets the switch and takes the back, eventually winning by RNC. McGreal tries to stop the sub by standing up with Sanchez on his back, but it is to no avail. Sanchez wants a guy in the top 10. (1)
4) Myles Jury vs. Sam Oropeza: Welterweights. Both are undefeated. Jury has a bunch of early stops.
FIGHT: Jury Submission Rnd 1. Jury was apparently a huge underdog we're told after, but at this stage, you can't take that stuff too seriously unless its a Cain Velasquez squash early in his career. Jury and Oropeza are close standing, but Jury gets a takedown in the first. He then takes the back after affecting Oropeza with a strike. Like the last fight, the opponent elevates to try and relieve themselves of the man on their back. And also like last time, it fails. Jury holds the body triangle and tries for the RNC, and sorta wins by that - he never sinks it but basically smothers Oropeza's mouth and nose with it. (1)
5) Jimmie Rivera vs. Abel Cullum: Flyweight title bout. Rivera is an undefeated fighter, Cullum a DREAM and EXC vet.
FIGHT: Rivera Split Decision. FOTYC. (3) Another example of why 5 rounders are great. The scoring on this is 49-46 for Rivera from two judges and 48-47 for Cullum by one. Honestly, its a tough fight to score. Cullum can be argued to have been controlling the bout by consistently pushing the pace, either with takedown attempts or with striking as he did in the 4th. He even had a reasonable submission attempt in round 5. However, Rivera generally pushed around Cullum after the clinch was initiated and landed more strikes in Round 1-3. More on all this in the analysis below.
Cullum: Cullum comes out in the first 3 rounds looking to overwhelm Rivera with activity, pushing the pace, looking for takedowns and punishing with punching. Cullum isn't a big 135lb fighter though, and whatever technical advantages he imagined coming in never come to fruition. In fact, its not until round 3 that he scores any sort of takedown on Rivera, and even that is potentially nullified in scoring by a takedown by Rivera near the end of the round. In round 4, Cullum decides to go full bore into kickboxing mode, again pushing the pace and seeking to outwork Rivera. He does in fact out throw Rivera by a healthy margin in the last couple of stanzas, but as Compustrike displays, the connection rate is so much higher for Rivera that they basically land an even number of punches and kicks. His best chance at finishing comes in round 5, as Rivera takes his back standing after Rivera shoots for a takedown attempt and there's a resulting scramble. Cullum locks in a straight armbar from the position, but can't get Rivera to release his grip on his left arm, preventing him from pushing it away and then rolling to the mat with Rivera in tow. When Rivera escapes, it leads to a knee that in many ways punctuates the fight for him.
Rivera: Rivera comes in looking like the larger man and he fights that way too. When Cullum comes forward to take him down, Rivera is often able to get underhooks and then push around Cullum. Not only does he prevent the takedowns in this way, he also gives the impression (because, well, he is) that he is controlling the clinch. Rivera also lands over and over and over with the left hook. The fact that Cullum basically never sees it coming and yet isn't rocked by it is due to Rivera never really turning his hips into the shots. They're arm punches, and more important than that, he's landing often times with the finger side of the gloves. That kind of slapping gets missed a lot in camps because when you hit with big ass 16 oz ammy gloves on pads, hey, the white zone stretches far.
As the fight progresses, Rivera continues to land the hooks, straight rights, and even a jab at incredible rates. He has leg kicks too, though he doesn't concentrate on these too much, fearing a loss of balance and a resultant takedown. He himself shoots on Cullum in round 3 and round 5, getting takedowns, however brief, on both occasions. Rivera escapes an Saku style armbar attempt after one of the attempts (round 5) ends in a scramble with what would seem to be dominant position. He has some bruising on the face when this is over from Cullum's intense forward assault, but its not any worse than how Cullum looks. A very good effort by Rivera, who looks like a legitimate prospect capable of some impressive things in the sport. Can't say yet that he's a title contending sort of guy, but 135 is thin and he's not tiny for the weight.
FIGHT OF THE NIGHT: Rivera/Cullum
SUBMISSION OF THE NIGHT: Oropeza/Jury
OVERALL FOR THE EVENT: 6.5 out of 10. The quick stop fights aren't anything mindblowing and are often between guys that don't really ring anyone's chimes in the sport. However, the main event is a great affair - yeah, it'll be lost to the two great UFC fights of the year (Sonnen/Silva and Carwin/Lesnar) but it is still a great, great contest.
D&R Rating: 20% (6/30)
No comments:
Post a Comment