DRIP EP. 3
Venue: Union GP Performance Institute
Capacity: 200
Location: Chicago, Illinois
Date: June 4, 2022
MAIN EVENT
MIDDLEWEIGHT BOUT
Cooper McDonald (9-0) vs Bodhi Bottoms (8-1)
CO-MAIN EVENT
LIGHTWEIGHT BOUT
2Face Rodriguez (8-1) vs Freddie Barker (7-2)
UNDERCARD
FEATHERWEIGHT BOUT
Sadie Williams (5-3) vs Alexa Bradshaw (4-2)
STRAWWEIGHT BOUT
Jovanna Moreno (2-1) vs Kimber Taylor (2-1)
HEAVYWEIGHT BOUT
Nathan Watts (2-0) vs Mike Oxemull (2-0)
EVENT NOTES:
Back at the Union Grand Prix Performance Institute in Chicago, the lineup is set for the third installment of DRIP. It’s another intimate crowd with a maxed out 200 spectators in attendance for this live look at some of today’s top prospects of MMA.
Leading off is a Heavyweight Bout between two unbeaten rookies both entering their third pro fight. Nathan Watts (2-0) and Mike Oxemull (2-0) threw caution to the wind and came out guns blazing. Both big men emptied the tank and survived the first round, but round two saw a steep drop off for Watts. Clearly gassed, he simply didn’t have the awareness to dodge the heavy hands thrown at him, and ultimately paid the price when he ate a filthy haymaker that sent him face first to the mat.
After that, we plunge to the total opposite end of the weight class spectrum with a Strawweight Bout between Jovanna Moreno (2-1) and Kimber Taylor (2-1). These two rookies showed a lot of grit and displayed a wide range of skill sets that went the distance. In the end, it was Jovanna Moreno who got her hand raised in a razor-thin unanimous decision victory.
In the featured undercard bout we move into the Featherweight Division where we see a familiar face in Sadie Williams (5-3) taking on a promising prospect Alexa Bradshaw (4-2). On paper these two matched up well, but once the cage door closed, it quickly became a one-sided fight for Williams. “The Serpent” finished the fight in under three minutes after dragging Bradshaw to the mat and locking in a highlight reel Arm Triangle.
In the Co-Main Event, a battle in the Lightweight Division is set between 2Face Rodríguez (8-1) and Freddie Barker (7-2). A very familiar face is in Rodríguez’s corner, the reigning Lightweight Champion Delaney Donovan, which drew a big pop from the small crowd. Rodríguez and Barker traded punches in the phone booth from start to finish in the first round and brought the crowd on their feet. The same could be said to start the second, but Rodríguez pushed the pace to a level Barker couldn’t handle. After getting boxed in the corner, Freddie Barker ate a nasty flurry that was capped off with a brutal uppercut that gave the official enough reason to stop the fight.
The final fight of the evening is scheduled for a Middleweight Bout between the unbeaten Cooper McDonald (9-0) and the Long Beach Boxer, Bodhi Bottoms (8-1). Both of these fighters knew the stakes at hand and came out with vicious intent. McDonald and Bottoms showcased a surprisingly high level striking affair, considering their status as pros. The otherwise even exchanges screeched to a halt when an uppercut by Bodhi Bottoms connected clean and stiffened Cooper like a 2×4 as he dropped to the mat.
After the celebrations ended, Dante Reed, Perry Wallace, and Cass Madrigal entered the octagon with all of the winners from tonight. Mike Oxemull, Jovanna Moreno, and Sadie Williams were offered contracts to compete in the second season of Everest MMA, where 2Face Rodríguez and Bodhi Bottoms were offered contracts to compete in Union GP.
RESULTS:
Mike Oxemull def. Nathan Watts by KO (Haymaker) at 3:54 Round 2
Jovanna Moreno def. Kimber Taylor by Unanimous Decision (30-27 x3)
Sadie Williams def. Alexa Bradshaw by Submission (Arm Triangle) at 2:57 Round 1
2Face Rodríguez def. Freddie Barker by TKO (Uppercut) at 0:54 Round 2
Bodhi Bottoms def. Cooper McDonald by KO (Uppercut) at 4:19 Round 1
CONTRACTS OFFERED:
(MW) Bodhi Bottoms (9-1) — Union GP
(LW) 2Face Rodríguez (9-1) — Union GP
(HW) Mike Oxemull (3-0) — Everest MMA
(FW) Sadie Williams (6-3) — Everest MMA
(SW) Jovanna Moreno (3-1) — Everest MMA
