EVEREST // EMERALD CITY
ROUND ONE: Victoria Marshall may have left Seattle to join Twin Cities MMA, but the Emerald City native gets a warm reception from her hometown fans as she enters the cage to face Jovanna Moreno, and…well. Do you remember when I said Twin Cities had improved her game? The fight begins with a stinging 1-2 combo that snaps Moreno’s head back, then a MASSIVE left hook that knocks Moreno to the mat! And for a second, it almost looks like that might be it, but Moreno’s able to recover enough that the fight keeps going. Moreno tries to keep a guard up with her feet, but Marshall just shucks Moreno’s legs to one side, passing swiftly into side mount, then just as easily straight into mount! Jovanna scrambles to try to escape, forcing Marshall to focus more on maintaining her position than attacking, but in one of those scrambles, she leaves an arm exposed and Victoria snatches it for an armbar! Moreno’s able to free her arm before Marshall can get it hyperextended, and backs away back to her feet, forcing Jordan Ripley to stand Marshall up as well. On the restart, Marshall digs a couple body shots on Moreno, then lands a few big straight punches that rock Jovanna! Jordan Ripley warns Moreno to defend herself, but Victoria doesn’t give her the chance, clipping her with an uppercut and punctuating it with a big, winging right hook! Before she can do any more, Jordan Ripley steps in and waves the fight off, giving Victoria her first professional win in front of her hometown!
Winner: Victoria Marshall by TKO (Punches) at 1:54 Round 1
Statistics: Jovanna Moreno
Punches 0/0 (0%)
Kicks 0/0 (0%)
Clinch strikes 0/0 (0%)
Takedowns 0/0 (0%)
GnP strikes 0/0 (0%)
Submissions 0/0 (0%)
Clinch Attempts 0/0 (0%)
Time on the ground 69 s
Statistics: Victoria Marshall
Punches 11/12 (92%)
Kicks 0/0 (0%)
Clinch strikes 0/0 (0%)
Takedowns 0/0 (0%)
GnP strikes 0/0 (0%)
Submissions 1/1 (100%)
Clinch Attempts 0/0 (0%)
Time on the ground 58 s
Kayla Chapman’s Opinion: Goodness gracious, what a turn around we’ve seen from Victoria this season. The fight with Eugenie in Vancouver may not have gone her way, but I said that night that it was easily the best performance of her career, and this may have been even better. We’ve seen her rely heavily on wrestling in the past, but this was everything BUT wrestling, and she made it look easy. 6 points well deserved. For Jovanna, she really just couldn’t get out of the starting blocks tonight, and after a disappointing fight in Vancouver, that leaves her on the bottom of the Strawweight standings.
What It Means: Despite the loss in Vancouver, 6 points puts Victoria right back in the mix at 115 lbs, and at least for the moment ahead of the woman who beat her, Eugenie Bombelles, who fights Megan Reed later tonight. At 0 points, and with first round losses to both Victoria and Megan, Jovanna is eliminated from contention for the 115 lb championship.
What’s Next: In Portland, Victoria Marshall faces Megan Reed, and Jovanna Moreno faces Eugenie Bombelles.
ROUND ONE: Jackson Family violence! And that will be the first and last time I make that joke, obviously I know these two aren’t related, but it is interesting that this is the first time to my knowledge we have two fighters with the same surname competing against each other. ANYWAY, both men touch gloves and it’s D’Ante who starts us off, doing a little too much bobbing and weaving early on, but he launches a big straight punch that Ricky just manages to deflect, and counter with a sweeping single leg takedown! D’Ante recovers his guard and manages to lock Ricky down, and the fight immediately grinds to a halt; for the best part of a minute, Ricky tries to break D’Ante’s guard, with minimal success, until he drops a few shots to the body that force D’Ante to cover up, leaving time and space for Ricky to pass to half guard! But again, the fight stalls out, and Bruno Alves stands both men up. On the restart, it’s D’Ante who tries to take the fight to the mat; Ricky resists at first, but D’Ante doubles down on his effort and lands a big throw to end up on top! While Ricky’s stunned, D’Ante moves straight to full mount! He throws a few punches from the top, but Ricky catches an arm and turns him over, recovering top position but only getting as far as D’Ante’s guard. Again, both men jockey for position, trying to sweep or pass more than anything, and Bruno Alves stands them up once again. D’Ante attempts another takedown once the fight is restarted, but Ricky refuses to go down and D’Ante has to pull guard. Rather than risk getting stood up once again, Ricky throws a couple stinging body shots, but D’Ante absorbs the impact to the arms more than anything. Nonetheless, Ricky persists, throwing body-body-head to try to catch D’Ante off-guard, but none of the shots have much impact, and once again the fight stalls. Three minutes into the fight, and this is the third time Bruno Alves has stood the fight up already–but this time, when we restart, Ricky launches a stinging body kick that D’Ante can’t quite get out of the way of; D’Ante answers be pressing the action, throwing a big looping hook to the body that Ricky blocks, but following up with a series of straight punches; a couple get through, but most get blocked, and D’Ante punctuates the flurry with a huge double leg takedown into Ricky’s guard! D’Ante grinds his elbows into Ricky’s ribs to try to force an opportunity to pass, then he starts slamming them down toward Ricky’s head–but Ricky’s able to block the elbow and swing his hips around for an armbar! At first glance, it looks tight, but D’Ante’s able to free his arm and pass all the way to side mount! And…before he gets a chance to do anything, Bruno Alves stands them up again. I’m actually getting tired of this, I can’t imagine how they feel. Both men exchange punches on the restart, D’Ante landing more of a flicking jab than anything truly powerful, but Ricky counters with a stinging low kick. D’Ante shoots for another double leg, but this time Ricky’s able to sprawl and stay on his feet, forcing D’Ante to pull guard; a lot of working for position, hand fighting and the like, is how we end the round, with Ricky on top in D’Ante’s guard.
Kayla Chapman’s Scorecard (Unofficial): 10-9 Ricky — In a close round, with both equally able to land their takedowns, I’m going to say the one who almost caught the submission wins the round.
ROUND TWO: D’Ante presses the action as round 2 begins, with a bone shattering straight left punch that Ricky’s only just able to duck underneath. He manages to drive forward, securing a body lock and dragging D’Ante to the mat, but only getting as far as D’Ante’s guard. And…if you think you’ve heard this story before, you’re right; Bruno Alves only gives them about fifteen seconds to work before there’s just not enough action for him, and the fight gets stood up again. This is getting ridiculous, honestly, both guys obviously want the fight on the mat, let them fight! Anyway, they get stood up yet again, and…literally the moment the fight is restarted, D’Ante hits a double leg takedown into Ricky’s guard instead! D’Ante seems to have learned his lesson from round one, though, and immediately works to pass to half-guard, but Ricky’s wise to it and sweeps him over, securing top position for himself! He slams punches into D’Ante’s ribs, but D’Ante keeps his guard tight and nothing really gets through. We’re back to position fighting, D’Ante trying to recover full guard, while Ricky tries to pass to side mount–and neither get much of anywhere, so once again they get stood back up, and the fans in the Climate Pledge Arena actually seem to support this one. Ricky opens up with a quick left hook that clips D’Ante’s chin, and rather than risk that getting worse, D’Ante drops for a double leg takedown again…and again, he hits it! This time, he’s able to scoop Ricky’s legs out of the way and land in side mount right away, but Ricky’s able to recover half-guard in a scramble. D’Ante tries to pass straight to mount by feeding his leg through, but Ricky’s able to shrimp his hips out and recover full guard! And…I’ll be honest, guys, I’m getting tired of telling you the same thing over and over, Bruno Alves doesn’t give them a lot of time to work before standing them up. D’Ante digs a punch to the body, but Ricky gets out of the way and counters with a stinging low kick that D’Ante checks. Both men exchange wild punches, and it’s Ricky getting the better of it after a back and forth barrage; D’Ante tries to step in with a stinging punch, but Ricky moves to the side and drops for a double leg takedown! D’Ante keeps on his feet, so Ricky swaps to a single leg, but he still can’t get the fight to the mat. D’Ante engages with a wild flurry of punches, which Ricky deflects with relative ease, but it gives D’Ante a chance to snatch a single leg takedown! He passes straight to mount, and lands a few punches from the top before the horn sounds.
Kayla Chapman’s Scorecard (Unofficial): 10-9 D’Ante (19-19 Push) — Again, a grappling heavy round that I’ll give to the guy who ended in a better position. D’Ante didn’t get a lot done, but he ended the round in mount landing a few shots, so we’ll call it even going into round 3.
ROUND THREE: D’Ante starts round three with a digging shot to the body that Ricky visibly didn’t like, which forces Ricky onto his bicycle. The round is much slower than the previous two, with Ricky circling around D’Ante looking for an angle before launching a big front kick that D’Ante has to block. D’Ante counters with a stiff jab, but Ricky avoids it and counters with a stinging leg kick. D’Ante throws one of his own, but Ricky checks it…only to be dragged to the mat with a single leg takedown as he’s off balance! D’Ante pushes Ricky against the fence and tries to pass to half-guard–it takes some doing, Ricky resists as much as he can, but eventually D’Ante’s able to get by, and starts UNLOADING shots, to the body and head. And for the first time in the fight, with time to work, Bruno Alves warns Ricky that he has to keep defending himself or the fight could be stopped! Ricky manages to stem the onslaught, but in the process, he gives D’Ante a chance to slide to mount! Ricky scrambles to escape, keeping D’Ante from really stabilizing his spot, but he can’t get out of the mount before taking a couple more big shots from D’Ante. Eventually, Ricky manages to escape to half-guard, then shrimps out and scrambles to his feet! D’Ante follows, and…immediately, within seconds of the restart, drags Ricky right back to the mat! Backed against the fence, Ricky tries to wall-walk his way back to his feet, but D’Ante pulls him back to the mat and manages to pass to half-guard, before SLAMMING a few elbows into Ricky’s ribs to solidify the position. Once he’s got Ricky flattened down, D’Ante passes to side-mount, then to full mount! With less than a minute left, D’Ante starts to unload punches from the top, slamming elbows down on Ricky’s temple! Bruno Alvez watches carefully as D’Ante continues to slam down elbows–some get through Ricky’s guard, others deflect off his arms, but D’Ante continues his attack consistently until the horn sounds to end the round.
Kayla Chapman’s Scorecard (Unofficial): 10-8 D’Ante (29-27 D’Ante) — D’Ante did A LOT this round. This easily could’ve been stopped a couple times in the third round, and Ricky didn’t offer much back. If there was ever an obvious 10-8, this was it.
JUDGES’ SCORECARDS
D’Ante Jackson 10 10 10: 30
Ricky Jackson 9 8 8: 25
D’Ante Jackson 10 10 10: 30
Ricky Jackson 9 8 8: 25
D’Ante Jackson 10 10 10: 30
Ricky Jackson 9 8 8: 25
Winner: D’Ante Jackson by Unanimous Decision
Statistics: D’Ante Jackson
Punches 4/27 (15%)
Kicks 0/1 (0%)
Clinch strikes 0/0 (0%)
Takedowns 7/12 (58%)
GnP strikes 21/55 (38%)
Submissions 0/0 (0%)
Clinch Attempts 0/0 (0%)
Time on the ground 544 s
Statistics: Ricky Jackson
Punches 12/17 (71%)
Kicks 2/5 (40%)
Clinch strikes 0/0 (0%)
Takedowns 2/4 (50%)
GnP strikes 0/0 (0%)
Submissions 1/1 (100%)
Clinch Attempts 0/0 (0%)
Time on the ground 544 s
Kayla Chapman’s Opinion: Wow, my scoring was WAY off this time. Round 2 scored 10-8 to D’Ante across the board feels particularly egregious, though; I don’t know what round they were watching, I didn’t feel like it was nearly that dominant. Ultimately, though, the right person gets the decision. I think D’Ante did enough to justify getting his hand raised, but Ricky was impressive in grinding him down for the first two rounds.
What It Means: After a first round win in Vancouver, what turned out to be a dominant decision win puts D’Ante at 9 points and on top of the Welterweight Standings, well on his way to the championship fight. Ricky’s not eliminated from the tournament yet, but after losing to Derrius Webb in Vancouver, he needs Garfield Garret to get a win over Webb later tonight, and a first round stoppage of Garfield in Portland to stay in contention for the championship fight himself.
What’s Next: In Portland, D’ante Jackson faces Derrius Webb, while Ricky Jackson faces Garfield Garret.
ROUND ONE: Two heavyweights going in opposite directions out of Vancouver–Benjamin King was beaten by Heavyweight Champ Dax Levandrier in…frankly, spectacular fashion, while Dominic Donaldson put down Mike Oxemull inside the first minute. But I said not to doubt King off an unfortunate night against the champ, and he showed why early in this fight, jabbing his way into a clinic with Donaldson, and, despite eating a couple punches, scoring a trip takedown to drag Dominic to the mat! King starts to pass Dominic’s guard, but Dominic’s able to scramble to prevent King from advancing. Every time King starts to move, Dominic defends well, even managing to turn the fight over and take top position himself eventually! King’s aggressive in trying to reclaim top position, and ends up giving Dominic a chance to pass to side mount; he has to work to retain the spot, though, as King scrambles to recover his guard–his aggression gets the better of him again, though, and Dominic passes to mount off the back of one of King’s attempts to recover guard! King’s aggressive from the bottom, throwing punches up, but there’s not much power on them–and Donaldson responds with one massive shot from the top! However, the fight cools down, and the men get stood up, despite the position. King presses the action on the restart, but it’s Dominic who gets the better of the exchange, landing a couple straight punches, then spinning around with a picture perfect spinning back fist! King hits the mat like a sack of potatoes, and Dominic doesn’t even bother following up!
Winner: Dominic Donaldson by KO (Spinning Back Fist) at 3:44 Round 1
Statistics: Dominic Donaldson
Punches 4/5 (80%)
Kicks 0/0 (0%)
Clinch strikes 0/0 (0%)
Takedowns 0/0 (0%)
GnP strikes 1/1 (100%)
Submissions 0/0 (0%)
Clinch Attempts 0/0 (0%)
Time on the ground 93 s
Statistics: Benjamin King
Punches 0/3 (0%)
Kicks 0/0 (0%)
Clinch strikes 0/0 (0%)
Takedowns 1/2 (50%)
GnP strikes 0/3 (0%)
Submissions 0/0 (0%)
Clinch Attempts 0/1 (0%)
Time on the ground 93 s
Kayla Chapman’s Opinion: Oh…my god, the heavyweights will never not be scary to me. I just, that’s all I got, the heavyweights are terrifying and every time they hit each other, I’m convinced someone’s gonna come out with a broken face. Benjamin King was game, but Dominic Donaldson shows that same violent power that saw him knockout Mike Oxemull in Vancouver, and earns another 6 points in the process.
What It Means: Dominic follows up a spectacular first round knockout in Vancouver, with another in Seattle, and well and truly punches his ticket to the heavyweight championship fight. Benjamin’s chance at the title fight isn’t gone yet, but he needs Mike Oxemull to beat Dax Levandrier later tonight for a chance to make it to San Francisco.
What’s Next: In Portland, Dominic Donaldson faces Dax Levandrier, while Benjamin King faces Mike Oxemull.
ROUND ONE: Another Seattle native, another enthusiastic reception from the Emerald City Supporters–which Derrius Webb seems to take offense to, and opens the fight by blitzing Garfield Garret with a flurry of punches that opens a cut over his right eye within a matter of seconds in the fight! Garret responds well, though, landing a flurry of his own to the cheers of the Seattle fans, but Webb puts a stop to it with a CRUSHING overhand right that slams into Garret’s nose! Garret keeps coming forward, though, pawing his way into range, but every time he tries, Webb slams him with a kick to the calf, lands a few stinging punches, and forces Garfield to find a new way in. Garret wings a looping right hand of his own, but Webb jumps back and Garret’s punch whiffs–and, in the process, Webb lands a massive uppercut that clips Garret’s chin! Garfield backs away before Webb can follow up, but Webb’s in pursuit, slamming another leg kick in when Garfield tries to get away. He winds up for another one, forcing Garfield to attempt to check it–but, in a split second, Webb changes trajectory and slams a Question Mark Kick into the side of Garfield’s head! Garfield stiffens up and hits the mat, and the fight is waved off!
Winner: Derrius Webb by KO (High Kick) at 2:22 Round 1
Statistics: Derrius Webb
Punches 23/28 (82%)
Kicks 4/5 (80%)
Clinch strikes 0/0 (0%)
Takedowns 0/0 (0%)
GnP strikes 0/0 (0%)
Submissions 0/0 (0%)
Clinch Attempts 0/0 (0%)
Time on the ground 0 s
Statistics: Garfield Garret
Punches 2/10 (20%)
Kicks 0/0 (0%)
Clinch strikes 0/0 (0%)
Takedowns 0/0 (0%)
GnP strikes 0/0 (0%)
Submissions 0/0 (0%)
Clinch Attempts 0/0 (0%)
Time on the ground 0 s
Kayla Chapman’s Opinion: What is with tonight and these violent finishes, my goodness. Derrius Webb with a picture perfect feint into a high kick for the finish, so impressive from the Spyda. He got the better of almost every exchange in the fight, to the dismay of the Seattle fans and their hometown boy, but Garfield showed improvements himself. He had the right idea, he had a good gameplan, he just came up against a Derrius Webb that wasn’t going to be denied tonight.
What It Means: 6 points tonight, plus 5 from Vancouver, moves Derrius Webb to the top of the Welterweight standings, and effectively decides our championship fight already; both Garfield and Ricky Jackson, at 0 points each and with losses already to D’ante Jackson and Derrius Webb, are eliminated, and the Welterweight Championship fight gets a preview in Portland.
What’s Next: In Portland, Derrius Webb faces D’ante Jackson, while Garfield Garret faces Ricky Jackson.
ROUND ONE: Mike Oxemull clearly learned something from his fight with Dominic Donaldson in Vancouver–namely, don’t try to get into a slugfest with these monsters at Heavyweight! Right off the touch of gloves, Mike feigns a big punch, and instead shoots for a double leg! Dax is able to sprawl at the last second and make space, landing a big kick to Mike’s ankle before stepping away. Mike keeps his distance and tries to find a good angle to attack from, but every punch he throws misses wildly, while Dax manages to counter with a couple quick pot-shots, then a CRUSHING right hand to the chin! Mike stays on his feet, though, and absorbs a couple more straight punches from Dax, but he eats a big right cross that puts him on rubber legs! Dax backs Mike all the way across the cage with a series of punches, then, once he’s pinned against the fence, slams a massive uppercut into Mike’s chin that crumbles him to the mat!
Winner: Dax Levandrier by KO (Punches) at 1:05 Round 1
Statistics: Dax Levandrier
Punches 17/19 (89%)
Kicks 1/1 (100%)
Clinch strikes 0/0 (0%)
Takedowns 0/0 (0%)
GnP strikes 0/0 (0%)
Submissions 0/0 (0%)
Clinch Attempts 0/0 (0%)
Time on the ground 0 s
Statistics: Mike Oxemull
Punches 0/3 (0%)
Kicks 0/0 (0%)
Clinch strikes 0/0 (0%)
Takedowns 0/1 (0%)
GnP strikes 0/0 (0%)
Submissions 0/0 (0%)
Clinch Attempts 0/0 (0%)
Time on the ground 0 s
Kayla Chapman’s Opinion: It just. It just shouldn’t be legal to have that kind of power. No, I don’t care how big you are, the fact that Dax can turn your brain off with one big uppercut is HORRIFYING. That’s just…that’s just it. That’s all. God bless Mike, he had a good idea with the takedown attempt, but like Benjamin King in Vancouver, his timing wasn’t right and…well, Dax did what Dax does. Yeesh.
What It Means: Like Dominic earlier in the night, Dax punches his ticket to San Francisco, with 12 points, and eliminates Mike and Benjamin King in the process. All that’s left to decide is who’s officially the number one seed, when Dax and Dominic give us a preview of our championship fight in Portland.
What’s Next: In Portland, Dax Levandrier faces Dominic Donaldson, while Mike Oxemull faces Benjamin King.
ROUND ONE: It’s probably no surprise the way this fight starts–literally seconds off the glove touch, Harris drops for a double leg takedown, that Ciaran resists at first but eventually he hits the mat. And Harris is AGGRESSIVE straight off the takedown, trying to pass all the way to side mount, but Callahan’s able to resist her and recover his guard, though every time he tries to lock his guard and secure the position, he takes a couple shots from the top to pull his focus up to blocking his head. It takes some doing, but Callahan eventually catches one of Harris’s arms as she throws the punch, securing it and keeping himself out of danger, such that he’s able to lock his guard–and lock up a kimura in the process! Harris pulls her arm in tight, trying to keep Callahan from having much room to work with, and eventually manages to slip his wrist free and use the attempt to pass to half guard! Callahan scrambles to recover his guard, but Cat keeps him in place and drops a couple more shots from the top, which Ciaran defends well and eventually forces a standup, to Harris’s displeasure. Ciaran very clearly doesn’t lack for confidence on the feet, as he wings a massive right hand off the restart, which forces Harris to duck out of the way–and as he overextends, she drops for another takedown! This time, she shucks the leg to the side and passes all the way to side mount, but Ciaran’s already scrambling and recovers as far as half guard before Cat can pin him down. Cat starts to just unload from on top, big punches and elbows that force Ciaran to cover up and block the impact as much as he can and forcing Cat to rethink her strategy. The two jockey for position, but neither gains a significant advantage, and eventually, Dusty Whittaker stands the two up. This time, when the fight restarts, the two are much more patient, much more deliberate, sizing each other up with pawing jabs and circling away from any potential attack, until Cat drops for a single leg again! Ciaran resists this one at first, but Cat keeps driving forward, pinning him against the cage and managing to lift him up, and SLAM him down! It may have driven some of the air out of Ciaran, but it didn’t drive the fight out of him, as he manages to keep his guard and cover up as Cat unloads another big series of punches. A couple get through, but Ciaran clearly knew what Harris’s gameplan would be, so he just locks her down and forces another stalemate before the horn sounds to end round 1.
Kayla Chapman’s Scorecard (Unofficial): 10-9 Harris — You could make an argument for 10-8, because Ciaran really didn’t get much going, but I don’t think Cat did enough damage to justify a 10-8, so we’ll call it 10-9.
ROUND TWO: After the last round, it might be a surprise to find out that Ciaran fancied his chances on the ground with Cat, and shoots for a double leg of his own–but Cat sprawls back and stays on her feet, backing away before Ciaran can double-down and try again. Both fighters circle each other, measuring each other, but it’s Harris who re-engages first, feigning a punch before powering Ciaran to the mat with a double leg! Like round one, Cat unleashes a flurry of punches from the top, but Ciaran’s able to cover up and only takes the brunt of maybe one, and considering the power Cat’s putting behind every punch now, his guard holds up well. She postures up to slam a massive elbow down, and when she does, Ciaran manages to block it, secure her head, and lock his guard down to keep her from dropping any more bombs. Cat almost looks frustrated by that fact, and tries to pass Ciaran’s guard–but when she does, Ciaran manages to sweep her over and take top position himself! First in half-guard, then passing to side mount, but Cat manages to keep him from doing anything significant, until the two get stood up. Now a little more confident, Ciaran doesn’t mind taking his chance on the ground by dropping for a single leg of his own–and despite her resistance, he’s able to sweep Cat’s leg out from under her, and pass to side mount again! Ciaran looks for an opportunity to move to mount, while Cat looks for a chance to sweep him over herself, but it ends up being a lot of small movements and, to the displeasure of the majority of the Climate Pledge Arena, a lot of seeming inactivity, just alternating positions; eventually, Ciaran finds space and works to move to mount, but he leaves too much space and Cat’s able to scramble out and back to her feet! There is no patience off the restart this time, Harris paws her way into range and manages to secure both underhooks, then twists Ciaran back to the mat! She tries to pass straight to side mount, but Ciaran’s ready for her and manages to turn her over, albeit not getting past her guard right away. Harris is active to recover her position, but in the aggression, gives Ciaran an opening to pass to side mount–not quite seeming to have realized that he’s wrapped up an Arm Triangle Choke in the process! Cat resists, trying to prevent the choke, but she’s more saved by the horn than her own defense, as the second round ends.
Kayla Chapman’s Scorecard (Unofficial): 10-9 Callahan (19-19 Push) — A lot more jockeying for position than damage done, but Ciaran was on top quite a bit in this round, and almost got that submission at the end. It seems like a relatively easy round to score for him, and we go into round 3 with everything to fight for.
ROUND THREE: Despite what you might expect, we don’t open with another takedown this round; rather, Harris seems to want to test Ciaran’s chin, launching a massive straight right hand that Ciaran ducks away from and counters with a quick hook of his own; it doesn’t do a whole lot of damage, but the glove does open a small cut below Cat’s right eye, which gets just enough of her attention. Ciaran moves to follow up the punch, but Cat just drives him to the mat with a single leg, and–as she has in the other rounds–postures up for some big ground and pound; Ciaran keeps that guard up as he has all fight, and none of the punches do the damage they could do, but when he works to lock Cat down this time, she just slams down a hammer fist! And then another, and another, and a couple big hooks that get Dusty Whittaker’s attention, warning Ciaran to cover up–and when he does, Cat shifts her focus and works to pass to half guard, but Ciaran’s able to keep her in place. Having seen an opportunity, though, Cat starts to unload punches–whether they do damage or not, she’s just trying to force Ciaran to stay in place, but Ciaran has other ideas; he blocks most of her punches, and in a flash, turns Cat over to full mount! Cat scrambles to get away, but Ciaran solidifies his position…and not much else, with the ever impatient Dusty Whittaker standing them up despite the mount, this time to Ciaran’s visible displeasure. So he takes his own opportunity, feigning a punch to draw Cat’s guard up, then taking her down with a double leg! He can only get as far as her guard, though, and Cat’s already working to get back to her feet or sweep him over. In her scramble, though…something happens, with Ciaran blinking and looking away, seeming to have been poked in the eye in Cat’s scramble, but Dusty Whittaker doesn’t stop the fight, and rather, stands the two up as not enough is happening for his liking. Harris extends a hand, seem to know what happened, and Ciaran nods and touches gloves with her again, before the two re-engage; Harris drops for a single leg, but Ciaran manages to stay up, even as she drives for a second attempt; he manages to free his leg, and lands a quick two punch combination that backs Harris up; that seems to be Ciaran’s MO for the last minute of the find, he lands a couple quick punches, then gets out of takedown range. Harris tries one more, audacious takedown attempt, but Ciaran sprawls and that’s how the third round ends.
Kayla Chapman’s Scorecard (Unofficial): 10-9 Harris (29-28 Harris) — This was the toughest round to score. Ciaran was able to take position from Cat, even got her taken down, but I think the takedown and pounding from early in the round did enough to punctuate round 3 for the Canadian. But, as you guys know, my opinions have been wrong plenty in the past, so we’ll see if the judges agree with me.
JUDGES’ SCORECARDS
Catherine Harris 10 10 10: 30
Ciaran Callahan 9 9 9: 27
Catherine Harris 10 9 10: 29
Ciaran Callahan 9 10 9: 28
Catherine Harris 10 9 10: 29
Ciaran Callahan 9 10 9: 28
Winner: Catherine Harris by Unanimous Decision
Statistics: Catherine Harris
Punches 0/2 (0%)
Kicks 0/0 (0%)
Clinch strikes 1/2 (50%)
Takedowns 7/10 (70%)
GnP strikes 11/47 (23%)
Submissions 0/0 (0%)
Clinch Attempts 0/0 (0%)
Time on the ground 579 s
Statistics: Ciaran Callahan
Punches 8/10 (80%)
Kicks 0/0 (0%)
Clinch strikes 0/1 (0%)
Takedowns 2/3 (67%)
GnP strikes 1/1 (100%)
Submissions 3/3 (100%)
Clinch Attempts 0/0 (0%)
Time on the ground 579 s
Kayla Chapman’s Opinion: …Who. WHO gave round 2 to Harris? Round 2 was one of the most easily scored rounds I’ve seen in Everest, and one judge still managed to get it wrong? Whatever. Either way, another grinding fight for both the Featherweight leaders at the moment, with Cat doing JUST enough to get the result. Ciaran did what nobody else at 145 has, though, and not only took Cat down but controlled her on the mat. Don’t look down on this result, this said a lot about Ciaran as well.
What It Means: Say what you like about Catherine Harris’s style, but she’s certainly effective at what she does. 2 grinding decision wins puts her at 6 points, and while her spot in San Francisco is far from secured, she’s in the driver’s seat for a return to the Featherweight Championship fight. A loss like this doesn’t hinder Ciaran too much, but he’ll be hoping for whoever wins between Sadie WIlliams and CC Flynn to only do so by decision so there’s not a bigger mountain to climb in Portland.
What’s Next: In Portland, Cat Harris faces Sadie Williams, while Ciaran Callahan faces CC Flynn.
ROUND ONE: 115 lbs seems to have brought out the monster in Megan Reed–as soon as the two women touch gloves, she spins around and launches a backfist, but Eugenie’s able to block it. The Frenchwoman counters with a looping right hand that forces Megan back, and gives Bombelles a chance to rush in with a flurry of straight punches! Reed eats a few good shots, but manages to get off a swinging low kick that, while it misses, forces Bombelles to back up a step. Eugenie dodges another haphazard kick, and counters with a HUGE uppercut that jacks Megan’s head back and puts her on spaghetti legs. Eugenie launches a flurry of punches at Reed, and while not as many land as she might like, the ones that do visibly rock Megan, until eventually she collapses to the mat!
Winner: Eugenie Bombelles by KO (Punches) at 1:16 Round 1
Statistics: Megan Reed
Punches 0/4 (0%)
Kicks 0/1 (0%)
Clinch strikes 0/0 (0%)
Takedowns 0/0 (0%)
GnP strikes 0/0 (0%)
Submissions 0/0 (0%)
Clinch Attempts 0/0 (0%)
Time on the ground 0 s
Statistics: Eugenie Bombelles
Punches 14/23 (61%)
Kicks 0/0 (0%)
Clinch strikes 0/0 (0%)
Takedowns 0/0 (0%)
GnP strikes 0/0 (0%)
Submissions 0/0 (0%)
Clinch Attempts 0/0 (0%)
Time on the ground 0 s
Kayla Chapman’s Opinion: Eugenie Bombelles must’ve taken the right lesson from her fight with Victoria Marshall: namely, not to give her opponent a chance to get going. It almost cost her in Vancouver, and she certainly was not about to let it cost her anything in Seattle. An emphatic first round finish, over a Megan Reed that looked incredible in Vancouver, and clearly had a gameplan for Eugenie, but just didn’t get it off like she wanted.
What It Means: 6 points tonight, on top of 5 in Vancouver, moves Eugenie to the top of the Strawweight standings, and secures her spot in the championship fight. On 6 points, Megan is level with Victoria Marshall, who she faces next, to determine who challenges Eugenie in San Francisco.
What’s Next: In Portland, Megan Reed faces Victoria Marshall, and Eugenie Bombelles faces Jovanna Moreno.
ROUND ONE: A New Yorker training in Seattle, and a Vancouver born girl who’s toured the PNW step into a cage together. Seattle fans are notoriously moody toward both Portland and Vancouver, though, so any chance to boo their neighbor to the north, they take; CC Flynn is by far the fan favorite as the fight gets underway. Sadie definitely studied CC’s last fight, as she drops for a takedown right away–but unlike in Vancouver, CC sprawls and blocks the takedown; Sadie tries again, but CC resists and ultimately, Sadie goes to option B, and pulls guard to drag the fight to the mat anyway. She tries to use that momentum to turn CC over, but CC just…slams her with an elbow! Whether it’s wanting to make her statement on the feet, or knowing better than to play games with Sadie on the mat, CC opens Sadie’s guard only to back all the way out, beckoning Sadie up again. Sadie feigns a punch and drops for another takedown, but CC sprawls again and blocks the relatively telegraphed takedown attempt; Sadie manages to drive forward enough to get the clinch, and when CC tries to shrug her way out of it, Sadie drops all the way down–not for a takedown, but for a rolling kneebar! It looks tight, but before she can really secure it, CC manages to free her leg and step away from Sadie’s grip. Several seconds of stalemate, with Sadie on her back and CC out of range, force a standup, but almost no sooner is she on her feet, than Sadie drops for another takedown, this time landing it! CC’s able to lock the fight down, though, grabbing Sadie’s arm and locking her guard. The two trade a couple ineffective strikes to the body, but the fight stalls out and the official stands the two up. Sadie throws a quick one-two combo that CC’s able to avoid, and lands a couple quick shots of her own, before the exchange gets a little more frantic–Sadie doing more covering up than attacking, as CC starts to unload. She drops for a takedown, but CC’s able to keep the fight from hitting the mat, eventually forcing Sadie to pull guard again. Not a lot of action from the ground this time, though, before the horn sounds.
Kayla Chapman’s Scorecard (Unofficial): 10-9 Flynn — Sadie’s gameplan is obvious, but it isn’t working out yet. All the damage in this round was done by CC, so I’ll give it to her, but it’s not a lot to go on yet.
ROUND TWO: Rather than risk playing Sadie’s game in round 2, CC opens the round with a quick jab and uppercut combo that connects on Williams’ chin. Sadie knows where she wants the fight, though, and eats the shots to try to drive for a takedown–again, CC resists, and forces Sadie to pull guard. CC covers Sadie’s face with her hands as she works to pass, but in the process, she manages to poke Sadie in the eye, and Lars Levy stops the fight to let Sadie recover–and takes a point away from CC for it! I don’t know about that, incidental contact is all it was, but nonetheless, CC’s working from a point down this round as the fight restarts. Sadie jabs her way into range before dropping for a single leg–CC resists, but Sadie’s able to switch to a double leg and this time drives CC to the mat! It’s only as far as her guard, though, as CC locks the fight down once again. Williams drives a couple elbows into CC’s ribs that force her to move, and CC manages to use just raw power to turn Sadie over, getting as far as half-guard–but she leaves an arm hanging, and Sadie grabs it and starts to work for…some kind of variation on an armbar from half-guard! CC scrambles to rip her arm free, landing a couple shots to the body in the process, before backing up and forcing Sadie to her feet as well. Sadie’s on the aggressive on the restart, pawing with a couple punches and swinging a low kick that misses wildly. CC steps in to attack, and Sadie drops for a takedown again! She manages to drive CC to the mat, but Flynn immediately starts to scramble, and manages to force her way on top! CC throws a couple big punches from on top, but Sadie’s able to defend well, and the Canadian starts work for a sweep, or a submission, or something–and, in her own scramble, it seems that there was some clash of heads between the two! Lars Levy stops the fight again, this time taking a point away from Sadie for the foul! Again…I don’t know how I feel about that, but we’re on even terms again at least. On the restart, Sadie launches a surprise attack–an Imanari Roll into a straight ankle lock! She almost gets it, too, but CC’s able to step her leg free, and the horn sounds with Sadie on her back, CC on her feet, and a lot of range between them.
Kayla Chapman’s Scorecard (Unofficial): 9-8 Williams (18-18 Push) — This round could go either way, I’m inclined to give it to Sadie for the aggression, the takedowns, and the submission attempts, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the judges give it to CC for effective striking.
ROUND THREE: Sadie certainly knows what her gameplan is–fresh off the start, she shoots for a single leg takedown, but Flynn keeps her balance this time and counters with a couple shots to Sadie’s head. Sadie keeps working for that takedown, though, until eventually CC’s able to free her leg and find an opening for a straight punch that gets through Williams’ guard! There’s a lot of circling this round, which might make sense with the amount of energy both have put into the first two rounds, so the fight slows down considerably; Sadie paws her way into range before dropping for a double leg, but CC’s able to sprawl enough to stay on her feet, although she’s backed into the fence now. Sadie switches to a single leg, trying to turn the other way and get the fight to the mat, but CC keeps her foot planted firmly on the mat and eventually manages to force Sadie to give up on the takedown. Again, the fight slows down, and both measure each other; a lot of feints coming from Sadie, who’s obviously trying to keep CC’s attention on the hands so she can open up a chance, but CC’s not humoring any of it, and it forces Sadie to just rush a takedown again! The initial takedown fails, but again Sadie drives CC to the cage, this time managing to get around to her back and trying to drag her to the mat that way; CC keeps her balance, though, and eventually the clinch is broken by Lars Levy. On the restart, Sadie looks to land a couple jabs, but she gets countered by a quick but…not so powerful two punch combo from CC. With less than thirty seconds to go, Sadie tries for one more takedown, but when CC doesn’t immediately go down, she pulls guard and tries to get a position for an armbar–but before she can establish it, the horn sounds to end the fight.
Kayla Chapman’s Scorecard (Unofficial): 10-9 Flynn (28-27 Flynn) — Despite Sadie being very much the aggressor in that round, the only really effective thing that happened was a couple quick punches from CC, so…I guess we give her the round? This fight will be interesting to see the scores.
JUDGES’ SCORECARDS
C.C. Flynn 9 8 9: 26
Sadie Williams 10 9 10: 29
C.C. Flynn 9 8 10: 27
Sadie Williams 10 9 9: 28
C.C. Flynn 9 8 10: 27
Sadie Williams 10 9 9: 28
Winner: Sadie Williams by Unanimous Decision
Statistics: C.C. Flynn
Punches 18/22 (82%)
Kicks 0/0 (0%)
Clinch strikes 1/1 (100%)
Takedowns 0/0 (0%)
GnP strikes 8/12 (67%)
Submissions 0/0 (0%)
Clinch Attempts 0/0 (0%)
Time on the ground 253 s
Statistics: Sadie Williams
Punches 0/14 (0%)
Kicks 0/5 (0%)
Clinch strikes 1/9 (11%)
Takedowns 3/18 (17%)
GnP strikes 0/2 (0%)
Submissions 3/3 (100%)
Clinch Attempts 0/0 (0%)
Time on the ground 302 s
Kayla Chapman’s Opinion: Uh huh. Well, bar the fight against Cat in Vancouver, it just wouldn’t be a CC Flynn fight going to a decision if it wasn’t…questionable. 29-26 is a ridiculous score, but I guess if you saw Sadie’s aggression and grappling as more effective than the few punches CC landed in round 1, you could maybe justify giving Williams round 1. It’s definitely not how I scored the fight, but…again, I just report on the fights, I’m not a judge. And thank god for that.
What It Means: In the most competitive division we have in Everest, 145 lbs is far from settled at this point. Sadie’s 3 point win puts her even with Ciaran Callahan, but despite losing to both Sadie and Cat, CC is far from out of things at Featherweight. An emphatic finish in Portland puts her right back in the mix.
What’s Next: In Portland, CC Flynn faces Ciaran Callahan, while Sadie Williams faces Catherine Harris.
Venue: Climate Pledge Arena
Location: Seattle, Washington
Attendance: 12,656
Date: July 9, 2022
Fighter Payouts: $775,000
Gate: $1,075,760
FIGHT OF THE NIGHT
Ciaran Callahan vs. Catherine Harris
PERFORMANCE OF THE NIGHT
Dominic Donaldson, Victoria Marshall, Derrius Webb
TOP EARNERS
Megan Reed ($135,000)
CC Flynn ($80,000)
Derrius Webb ($80,000)
Dax Levandrier ($70,000)
RECAP
[6 PTS.] Victoria Marshall def. Jovanna Moreno by TKO (Punches) at 1:54 Round 1
[3 PTS.] D’Ante Jackson def. Ricky Jackson by Unanimous Decision (30-25 x3)
[6 PTS.] Dominic Donaldson def. Benjamin King by KO (Spinning Back Fist) at 3:44 Round 1
[6 PTS.] Derrius Webb def. Garfield Garret by KO (High Kick) at 2:22 Round 1
[6 PTS.] Dax Levandrier def. Mike Oxemull by KO (Punches) at 1:05 Round 1
[3 PTS.] Catherine Harris def. Ciaran Callahan by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28 x2)
[6 PTS.] Eugenie Bombelles def. Megan Reed by KO (Punches) at 1:16 Round 1
[3 PTS.] Sadie Williams def. CC Flynn by Unanimous Decision (29-26, 28-27 x2)
UPDATED POINT RANKINGS
HEAVYWEIGHT
#1 [12 PTS.] Dax Levandrier (9-1-0)
#1 [12 PTS.] Dominic Donaldson (7-1-0)
#3 [00 PTS.] Mike Oxemull (3-2-0)
#3 [00 PTS.] Benjamin King (0-2-0)
WELTERWEIGHT
▲ #1 [11 PTS.] Derrius Webb (9-4-0)
▼ #2 [09 PTS.] D’Ante Jackson (8-4-0)
#3 [00 PTS.] Ricky Jackson (4-8-0)
#3 [00 PTS.] Garfield Garret (0-6-0)
FEATHERWEIGHT
#1 [06 PTS.] Catherine Harris (5-2-0)
▼ #2 [03 PTS.] Ciaran Callahan (1-1-0)
▲ #2 [03 PTS.] Sadie Williams (7-4-0)
▼ #4 [00 PTS.] C.C. Flynn (6-4-0)
STRAWWEIGHT
▲ #1 [11 PTS.] Eugenie Bombelles (10-0-0)
▼ #2 [06 PTS.] Megan Reed (6-7-0)
▲ #2 [06 PTS.] Victoria Marshall (1-4-1)
▼ #4 [00 PTS.] Jovanna Moreno (3-3-0)
▲ = Ascend in Rankings
▼ = Descend in Rankings
