RAZE MMA Fight Night Recap
UrbanEmpires.com and ActionFight.com were on hand to catch all of the action of the RAZE MMA Fight Night which took place on April 29th 2006 at the ipayOne center in San Diego. First up was the weigh-ins which took place on April 28th. Weigh-ins for a Mixed Martial Arts event can be stressful or very laidback and fun. For some fighters the agony of cutting weight makes them irritable to say the least. For other fighters, those who need to cut very little weight or none at all, the weigh-ins are a time for joking around and meeting other fighters and people in the industry. Below is a photostrip of the weigh-ins.
The night's action began with the first fight on the card which pitted Sam Ortiz of Team Voodoo against Adam Bass. Both fighters came out like a bolt of lightening and kept that pace for the duration of the match. Both fighters landed their fair share of heavy punches and the fight seemed on the verge of being stopped many times in the first and second round. If ever the term see-saw battle was in order it was for this fight. Both fighters refused to succumb to the other fighters punching power and kept fighting with everything they had. Late in the second round Bass tagged Ortiz with a heavy shot that sent Ortiz crashing to the mat. At this point it looked as if referee Mario Lopez was ready to step in and stop the bout. Referee Mario Lopez assessed the situation and decided to try and let Ortiz work out of this position. Ortiz, sensing that the fight could be stopped at any moment, did everything he could to secure a better position from which he could mount a counter attack. In the blink of an eye Ortiz reversed position and ended up in the full mount position (one of the most dominant positions in MMA and grappling in which the fighter on top has both of his or her legs on the outside of the fighter on the bottom allowing the fighter on top to unleash punches or work for a submission). Bass, having spent all of his energy trying to finish Ortiz after the knockdown, was unable to work for a better position and proceeded to eat many unanswered punches from Ortiz. Referee Mario Lopez was forced to stop the bout at 4:54 of the second round.
The second match of the night was an interesting match-up of David versus Goliath. Justin McElfresh was about 5 inches taller than his opponent Brent Stevens and had a very distinct reach advantage with which to work. Although Stevens was much shorter than McElfresh, he looked to have a decisive advantage in the strength department. Having tasted many elbows from McElfresh (he sat next to me at the weigh-ins and his elbow kept hitting leg) my money was on McElfresh! All kidding aside, this match was almost as exciting as the first bout of the evening. Both fighters were happy to trade punches on the feet and many of those punches landed. Midway through the first round Stevens landed a knee to the groin of McElfresh which caused referee Big John McCarthy to deduct one point from Stevens. The point deduction did not factor into the final outcome however. In the second round both fighters continued to stand and trade and it was Stevens who landed a heavy punch which he followed up with a takedown. Once on the ground Stevens looked to finish McElfresh, but McElfresh sensing this bout slipping away was able to sweep (a term used for when the fighter on the bottom is able to reverse his position and end up on top, this is usually done with a "sweeping" motion) Stevens and unleash a barrage of punches which caused referee Big John McCarthy to jump in and call a halt to this match at 2:34 of the second round.
For the third bout of the evening Dave Hisquierdo came out like a man possessed against opponent JC Pennington. On paper Pennington looked to have had an easy match-up against Hisquierdo as it was Pennington with the 7-1 record while Hisquierdo sported only a 4-3 record. Perhaps it was the hometown crowd that motivated Hisquierdo to dominate the fight. Whatever it was, Hisquierdo came out firing on all cylinders and controlled the fight from start to finish. Hisquierdo impressed the fans with a number of big slams and nearly finished the fight with a triangle choke which Pennington was somehow able to escape.
Dave Hisquierdo victorious.Match number four on the night saw upcoming prospect Brandon Magana make quick work of Dave Kelly. As the fight began both fighters circled the cage in an attempt to feel their opponent out and measure the distance. It appeared as if Kelly wanted to measure the distance for punches, all the while Magana was just waiting to shoot in for a takedown. Magana executed a beautiful double leg takedown and put Kelly on his back very quickly. Magana wasted no time in taking the mount position and delivering a number of punches to the face of Kelly. In an attempt to escape the punches, Kelly rolled onto his stomach which left his back exposed. Magana seized the opportunity and took Kelly's back. Magana proceeded to put his hooks in (a term used when a fighter has another fighter's back and wraps his feet and ankles on the inside of the other fighters thighs, making it almost impossible for the fighter to escape this position) and sink in a rear naked choke (a choke hold, also referred to as the mata leo or lion killer, which cuts off the flow of blood in the carotid arteries from the body to the head thus causing the fighter to submit or pass out due to lack of oxygen to the brain). Magana finishes the fight at 2:08 of the first round.
Brandon Magana victorious.Up next was the highly touted lightweight fighter Roger Huerta against seasoned fighter Joe Camacho. For Huerta this fight looked to be a stepping stone fight as Camacho has faced some of the most talented lightweight fighters in the world. Camacho however had other ideas. Camacho came out very aggressive and for his efforts almost secured an armbar twice in the first round. Huerta showed the poise of a veteran and calmly escaped both submission attempts. In the second round Camacho continued his attack and floored Huerta with a big right hand. As if woken up, Huerta flipped the switch in his mind and began to launch an all out ground and pound assault on Camacho. Huerta started with a takedown and moved into the mount position. Camacho continued to fight and tried several times to escape the position, in some cases giving up his back. Huerta showed excellent control and was able to keep a dominant position while handing out punch after punch to the head of Camacho. As the beating continued, referee Big John McCarthy was forced to step in and call a halt to the fight at 2:43 of the second round. With this win Huerta puts himself in a position to fight for a large promotion such as the UFC, Pride FC, or K-1 Heros.
Roger Huerta victorious.
The second to last match of the night saw upcoming fighter Alan "The Talent" Belcher of Team Voodoo against Buck Meredith from the highly respected Team Quest fight team. Meredith came out swinging against Belcher and dominated much of the first round. In round two Meredith once again came out very aggressive, but was beginning to show signs of fatigue. Belcher took advantage of the situation and was able to establish top position after a failed takedown attempt from Meredith. Belcher then unloaded with a number of punches until the round came to an end. In the third round it was more of the same, Belcher taking advantage of Meredith's fatigue. Meredith, to his credit, continued to try and take the fight to ground but was unsuccessful. Belcher denied the takedown and actually ended up in the mount position. After some ground and pound from Belcher, Meredith attempted one last scramble to get to his feet. Belcher nullified the attempt and unleashed a flurry of punches to end the third round. Belcher won the fight 29-28 (two rounds to one) on all three judge's scorecards.
Alan Belcher takes Buck Meredith's back.In the main event of the evening Olympic Wrestling Silver Medalist Matt "The Law" Lindland faced off against another wrestling superstar in NCAA national champion Mike Van Arsdale. Both fighters came out looking to establish their wrestling dominance at the start of the first round. It was Van Arsdale who struck first landing a beautiful takedown which put Lindland on his back. Van Arsdale was unable to improve his position or score with any punches so referee Big John McCarthy stood both fighters up after a period of no action. Once on their feet again, Lindland landed a punch to the head of Van Arsdale which sent Van Arsdale backward towards the fence. Lindland pursued and initiated a clinch. From the clinch Lindland secured a guillotine choke and fell back to secure his legs around Van Arsdale. Van Arsdale, looking as if he didn't fight the submission attempt at all, quickly tapped out at 3:38 of the first round. After the fight Van Arsdale revealed in an interview that the punch from Lindland caused his neck to "give out." Van Arsdale also revealed in a post fight interview that this would probably be his last fight. He sited the lack to win in competition coupled with his physical ailments as the main reasons. Van Arsdale finishes up his career with an 8-5 record having lost primarily to some of the top fighters in the sport.