Venue: BST Center
Capacity: 200
Location: Chicago, Illinois
Date: September 29, 2022
MAIN EVENT
WELTERWEIGHT BOUT
Alekzander Kristiansen (8-1-0) vs Asher Day (7-1-1)
CO-MAIN EVENT
FEATHERWEIGHT BOUT
Ernesto Gálvez (8-0-0) vs Masami Rose (7-1-0)
UNDERCARD
CRUISERWEIGHT BOUT
Mauro Santos de Lima (4-0-0) vs Soli Bassong (4-0-0)
WELTERWEIGHT BOUT
Jean-Marc Cousteau (4-0-0) vs Kian De Beer (4-0-0)
CRUISERWEIGHT BOUT
Spyro Chronis (4-0-0) vs Abdul-Salam Nadim (4-0-0)
EVENT NOTES:
For the sixth installment of DRIP, there is a huge emphasis on international in Dante Reed’s International Promotions. Ten fighters are scheduled for the card and all come from all corners of the globe.
To start off, we have a Cruiserweight bout scheduled between Spyro Chronis, hailing from Greece, and Abdul-Salam Nadim, hailing from the United Arab Emirates. Both fighters come from a wrestling heavy background, and it shows right out of the gate. The back and forth grappling chess match showcased a lot of technical prowess from both unbeaten fighters, but Chronis was the aggressor whenever the fight hit the mat. He utilized solid ground and pound for a majority of the fight and gritted out an unrelenting unanimous decision victory in the end.
Up next, the first of two Welterweight bouts. Jean-Marc Cousteau, hailing from France, and Kian De Beer, hailing from South Africa, have made a lot of noise in the kickboxing realm and have recently taken their talents to the world of MMA. Things start off fast with a lot of strikes and head movements. The intimate crowd is eating up the exchanges. It’s a pretty even contest… until it wasn’t. Just about halfway through the round, out of nowhere De Beer unloads a devastating Superman Punch that sends Cousteau in the shadow realm for an unbelievable first round finish.
Going back to the Cruiserweight Division for the second and final bout scheduled at 225 pounds, the Brazilian Mauro Santos de Lima faces the Cameroonian Soli Bassong. Both big men put their unbeaten records on the line for a shot at a contract under the Union umbrella. This is the first clash of styles match up, as Santos de Lima is a well-rounded Jiu-Jitsu practitioner, whereas Bassong brings the heat with a heavy striking arsenal. The fight starts off a bit passive, as Mauro is cautious to get in striking range with Soli. However, Bassong eventually rushes in with a flurry. He tags Mauro a couple good times, but gets swept off his feet with a slick takedown. From there it’s Mauro-time, as he works to improve his position. Bassong has little resistance as he tries to scramble back to his feet. Santos de Lima snatches a leg during the scramble and locks in a tight kneebar, and it only takes a matter of seconds for Bassong to admit defeat and tap.
Heading into the Co-Main Event for the night, it’s the lone Featherweight bout scheduled and it’s between two white hot prospects. Mexico’s unbeaten Ernesto Gálvez takes on the Japanese Buzzsaw Masami Rose. One key note here is that Rose has been training with the PRODIGY 206, who have been steadily building a stable of promising talent. The fight begins with a steady pace as both fighters exchange punches early and often. Neither man is backing down, keeping the crowd on the edge of their seats. Gálvez landed a superb shovel hook on an unsuspecting Rose that wobbled him and nearly dropped him to the mat. However, Rose powered through and rallied back to finish the round strong. In the second, the pace picked up even more, as both fighters were hunting for the finish. Masami Rose gave Gálvez his receipt in the form of a wild uppercut that dropped him to the mat. Rose quickly pounced on him and the two jockeyed for position, with Rose securing the full mount. It was all over from here, Masami Rose flipped a switch and pummeled his opponent with some nasty ground and pound. Gálvez was eating some big shots and his head was bouncing off the mat like a basketball. A few more shots slip Gálvez’s defense and he gets bounced like a bad check into the realm of wind and ghosts. The referee has to peel Rose off, but it’s an emphatic victory for the prospect nonetheless.
Finally it’s time for the Main Event. It’s a Welterweight clash between The Nightmare from Norway, Alekzander Kristiansen, and The Canadian Crusader, Asher Day. Similar to the fighters in the Co-Main Event, these fighters have enough experience to get a serious look at potentially earning a contract for Union GP. Whether they can make weight at either 185 pounds or 155 pounds is another story best saved for a later date, right now, it’s all about putting on a performance that leaves no doubt in the minds of the three-headed honchos in attendance. Alekzander Kristiansen definitely got the memo and came out of the gate guns blazing, working Asher Day over in all phases of the game. Whether the fight was standing, in the clinch, or on the ground, The Nightmare from Norway was firing on all cylinders. Somehow Day survived the opening round, but there was no doubt of it being a 10-8 score. Kristiansen showed he had plenty left in the tank and continued the onslaught. Kristiansen was walking Day down with an unbelievable combination, taking him from one side of the cage to the other. Once Day got boxed in against the fence, Kristiansen unloaded haymakers left and right that eventually hit the snooze button on Day and ended this one early in the second round.
After all of the hoopla and commotion settled and the octagon had cleared out, the three-headed honchos known individually as Cass Madrigal, Perry Wallace, and Dante Reed all stepped into the cage. Cass had a microphone in hand and asked for all of tonight’s winners to step back into the octagon. Cass praised the fighters for delivering an impactful performance that really drew the live crowd in and showed that each one had potential to build on for the future. With that, she extended a contract offer to all five winners to compete in Season 3 of Everest MMA and without any hesitation, Cass was greeted with five handshakes from all five fighters.
RESULTS:
Spyro Chronis def. Abdul-Salam Nadim by Unanimous Decision (30-27 x3)
Kian De Beer def. Jean-Marc Cousteau by KO (Superman Punch) at 2:20 Round 1
Mauro Santos de Lima def. Soli Bassong by Submission (Kneebar) at 2:15 Round 1
Masami Rose def. Ernesto Gálvez by KO (GnP) at 4:40 Round 2
Alekzander Kristiansen def. Asher Day by KO (Punches) at 1:06 Round 2
CONTRACTS OFFERED:
Alekzander Kristiansen — Everest MMA
Masami Rose — Everest MMA
Mauro Santos de Lima — Everest MMA
Kian De Beer — Everest MMA
Spyro Chronis — Everest MMA