ROUND ONE: We begin the night with the Flyweights, and two fighters that are definitely looking to turn their luck around from Vancouver–and they waste no time in getting to work, as they’ve barely touched gloves before Tatiana Ruiz flicks out a couple jabs to back Ronnie Banks up toward the fence, then manages to secure a clinch and pins her up against the cage. Ruiz pummels for an underhook before trying to sweep Banks’s feet out from under her, but she over-commits and Banks manages to keep her balance, and shuck the clinch off. When Ruiz presses forward, it’s Banks’ turn to attack, as she SLAMS a high kick in, that visibly dazes the Brazilian! Banks presses the action, but Ruiz keeps her at bay with attempted oblique kicks–they miss for the most part, but they make Ronnie second guess her attack. When she does finally commit, it’s given Ruiz a chance to recover from the kick; Tatiana slips Banks’ big punch before landing with a crisp counter uppercut that wobbles Banks in response! Rather than give Banks an opportunity to recover, Ruiz continues to throw, but she’s throwing wildly and missing, ultimately giving Ronnie an opportunity to land another big kick upstairs! This one causes blood to start to flow on Ruiz’s left cheek, and Banks seems to have found what works for her–Tatiana tries to circle away, but after getting clipped with a couple quick straight punches, she eats ANOTHER big head kick! Bruno Alves warns Ruiz to defend herself, and in response she drops for a takedown…but Banks easily defends it, and in the exchange that follows, Ruiz gets wobbled by a quick right hook, then an uppercut that snaps her head back. While she’s stunned, Banks lands one more big kick to the head, that turns the lights out for Tatiana!
Winner: Ronnie Banks by KO (High Kick) at 2:27 Round 1
Statistics: Ronnie Banks
Punches 7/9 (78%)
Kicks 5/5 (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: Tatiana Ruiz
Punches 1/6 (17%)
Kicks 1/2 (50%)
Clinch strikes 0/1 (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: What a turnaround for Ronnie Banks! In Vancouver, she was pretty comfortably beaten by Alexandra Hughes, only to come to Seattle and say “nah, not again;” virtually a flawless performance, and the repeated head kicks was like something out of a video game, with that last one, just…yeesh. I said after the fight in Vancouver, she looked dangerous on the feet, and she went ahead and proved me right tonight! Tatiana seemed a bit flat, like maybe she was counting on landing that big knockout punch, and she paid for it–but it has to be said, what she did land looked like it hurt. I’d like to see her sharpen up her defense, though, or I’m afraid of what happens over time.
What It Means: A 6 point win for Ronnie Banks means that, despite her loss in Vancouver, she’s still very much in the mix at 125 lbs; barring a draw in our co-main event tonight, she’ll be in 2nd place going into Portland. Two losses in two fights puts Tatiana Ruiz on the outside looking in, but she’s not eliminated yet; she’ll need Alexandra Hughes to beat Victoria Marshall tonight, though, or her head-to-head losses with Ronnie and Victoria will eliminate her.
What’s Next: In Portland, Ronnie Banks faces Victoria Marshall, while Tatiana Ruiz faces Alexandra Hughes.
ROUND ONE: We move up to the always competitive 145 lb division next, where both Jethro Benson and Andrei Kozlov will look to turn their luck around after both getting finished in Vancouver. They touch gloves and, immediately, Benson’s on the attack, jabbing his way into range and provoking a response flurry from Andrei–before launching a MASSIVE uppercut that snaps Andrei’s head back early! Jethro pushes the action, but it’s actually Kozlov who lands the better shots, as he catches Benson with a couple nice shots; Kozlov slips a two punch combination from Benson before landing a big overhand right that clips Jethro and wobbles him back! Kozlov rushes to try to finish the fight early, but Benson catches a breath and absolutely WRECKS him with a big right hook! Both men trade HUGE shots back and forth, Benson lands the bigger shots and opens a cut on Kozlov’s cheek early on; Kozlov tries to mix in a kick to the body, but Jethro blocks it and circles away. And with THAT, we reach 60 seconds. Y’all, there were at least 2 almost-knockouts in a minute, these guys are THROWING! Jethro tries to keep up the big shots, obviously wanting to get as many points tonight as he can, but the big haymaker right that he throws misses wildly, and Kozlov’s able to back him up to the fence and secure a Thai Plum! Benson pummels a hand in and grabs a collar tie before Kozlov can do anything with the Thai clinch, and steps through to try to sweep Andrei to the mat–but Kozlov maintains his balance, and keeps hold of the clinch. Benson’s eventually able to circle away and both men trade more pawing strikes for a second, before Kozlov SLAMS in an oblique kick that…yeesh, it was an ugly impact, and Jethro’s much more tentative as he recovers from it; his big right hand in particular stays holstered, and he’s mostly throwing jabs. Andrei launches a flurry of big shots, but Jethro easily gets out of the way and loads up that one big knockout shot we saw him try to land in Vancouver–but, similarly, he misses wildly as well. Kozlov circles out before launching a lightning fast calf kick that snaps off Benson’s leg; Benson eats it and comes back with a big overhand right again, but Kozlov avoids it and comes back with a quick counter left hook! With Jethro stunned, Kozlov clips him a second time with a big straight right, before driving him to the mat with a double leg takedown! When they hit the ground, Jethro’s grimacing, possibly from the impact but I didn’t see what happened; either way, the fight’s still going, and Andrei’s not stopping, working to get past Jethro’s guard–it takes him longer than you might expect, with a hurting opponent, but he’s eventually able to get to half-guard and drop a few big shots from the top! Jethro covers up, and Kozlov shoots the arm across, looking to secure an Arm Triangle! Jethro manages to get his head free before the choke is too tight, though, and the fight stalls out, eventually forcing Darrell Stevens to stand the two men up. On the restart, Jethro digs a big hook to the body, but Kozlov gets his arms down just in time. Kozlov comes back with a couple jabs of his own, then catches a grip on Jethro’s head–but it’s Jethro who’s the aggressor, launching a couple uppercuts to the body that Kozlov’s forced to defend before can do any attacking of his own. Both men trade control of the clinch, until…again, for no discernable reason, Darrell separates them and we start back at range? I’m not sure what that was about? Either way, the clacker sounds for the last ten seconds and Kozlov absolutely empties the clip, throwing a LOT of big strikes that look like they might end the fight–but instead, it’s the horn that sounds to end the round.
Kayla Chapman’s Scorecard (Unofficial): 10-9 Kozlov — Close round, both guys had good moments. It definitely felt like Jethro landed the heavier shots, but Kozlov was more accurate, had control on the ground, and ended the round in a better spot. Close, but 10-9 Kozlov.
ROUND TWO: Both men touch gloves to start the second round, and Andrei immediately hits a double leg takedown! Jethro’s still in visible discomfort from the end of the first, but he bites down on his mouthpiece and manages to use Andrei’s aggressiveness against him–when Kozlov works to pass, Jethro turns him over and takes full mount! Kozlov’s immediately on the move, not giving Jethro an opportunity to do much damage before he recovers his guard; both men work to improve position, but Jethro gets clumsy and leaves an opening for Kozlov–rather than take top position, though, Kozlov rolls underneath for a Kneebar attempt! Jethro manages to keep his knee clear and eventually passes to half-guard. Kozlov blocks a few elbows from Benson, before locking the fight down, and eventually forcing Darrell Stevens to stand both men back up. On the restart, he misses wide with a low kick, before eating a big right hook from Benson! Kozlov’s wobbled, and for…some reason, Jethro tries to take him down? Kozlov manages to sprawl enough to get backed up against the fence, buying himself time to recover, before turning Jethro against the cage and securing a Thai Clinch! Benson has to work to get himself off the cage, but eventually he’s able to free himself from the clinch–and immediately spins around and connects FLUSH with a spinning backfist that clearly wobbles Kozlov! Benson presses the action, but Kozlov circles away rather than risk a firefight while he’s recovering. He manages to buy himself enough time to recover, and when Benson re-engages, Andrei counters with a nifty straight right hand that clips Benson and sends him circling out! Kozlov pursues him, slamming a low kick that connects with a snap! It’s Jethro on the attack for the last minute of the round, though; he misses as often as he hits, but when he hits it’s with the force of a pick-up truck! A big overhand right, then an absolutely WICKED Superman Punch almost puts Andrei down! But before Jethro can follow up, the horn sounds, and round 2 ends.
Kayla Chapman’s Scorecard (Unofficial): 10-9 Benson (19-19 Push) — Another reasonably close round, but Jethro stunned Andrei multiple times, which I think should take precedence over positional control.
ROUND THREE: I will never understand our ref’s decisions to break things up–round 3 starts with Jethro on the offensive, jabbing into range before throwing two big power shots that Kozlov manages to block, then tie Benson up in a clinch…and it lasts about 15 seconds, before Darrell Stevens breaks the clinch up. Why? Who knows! But he does. On the restart, Benson launches a big right hook to the body, but Kozlov avoids it and lands a big body kick that causes Jethro to wince. Benson circles out, patiently waiting…before launching a big Superman Punch! Kozlov avoids it by changing levels and catching Jethro when he jumps, SLAMMING him to the mat with a powerful double leg! That possible rib injury from earlier in the fight rears its head again, as Jethro just lays on his back, covering up to prevent Kozlov from landing any big shots but otherwise not really doing much on the mat; all he can really do is prevent Kozlov from improving his position, until Darrell stands the fight up again. Jethro’s notably slower to get up than Kozlov is, and once the fight restarts, he’s only throwing tentative punches–something Andrei’s very happy to take advantage of, landing a couple big shots in succession! Benson finally seems to snap out of it and lands two big, digging hooks to the body, but when he goes up top again, Kozlov hits another double leg takedown! The fight absolutely grinds to a halt once we’re back on the mat, though, and I’m honestly surprised Darrell Stevens didn’t stand them up–but eventually, Andrei’s able to pass to half-guard, forcing Jethro to scramble as best he can to recover his guard. Andrei tries to pass again, but this time, Jethro locks him down and Darrell is forced to stand them up after a period of inactivity–for once, a standup I understand. Benson grits his teeth and takes the center of the cage, forcing Andrei to engage, and giving Jethro a chance to land a few good counter punches! Andrei seems to say screw it and just starts to unload punches, forcing Benson to either return fire or defend; he opts to try to exchange punches with Andrei, but it’s Kozlov that gets the better of the exchange. Andrei backs Jethro up to the cage and secures the Thai Clinch again, but Jethro pushes up on Kozlov’s face to try to ease any pressure and control he has–and I’m pretty sure I saw an eye poke in the process, but even Kozlov doesn’t seem to be protesting too much, so maybe I’m just imagining things. Jethro’s able to get away from the clinch, and the last ten seconds are just the two men trading absolutely MASSIVE shots–with Benson getting the better of the exchange, cracking Andrei with a big left hook, then a right uppercut that CLEARLY wobbles Kozlov! Before Jethro can take advantage, though, the horn sounds and the round ends.
Kayla Chapman’s Scorecard (Unofficial): 10-9 Kozlov (29-28 Kozlov) — I think Kozlov largely controlled the third round, right up until the end; both landed big shots, both had some time in control, but Kozlov landed that big takedown and had the better exchanges overall. It’s close, but I feel pretty comfortable in my scoring.
. JUDGES’ SCORECARDS .
Jethro Benson 9 10 10: 29
Andrei Kozlov 10 9 9: 28
Jethro Benson 10 10 9: 29
Andrei Kozlov 9 9 10: 28
Jethro Benson 9 10 10: 29
Andrei Kozlov 10 9 9: 28
Winner: Jethro Benson by Unanimous Decision
Statistics: Jethro Benson
Punches 29/86 (34%)
Kicks 0/0 (0%)
Clinch strikes 0/12 (0%)
Takedowns 0/2 (0%)
GnP strikes 0/9 (0%)
Submissions 0/0 (0%)
Clinch Attempts 0/0 (0%)
Time on the ground 246 s
Statistics: Andrei Kozlov
Punches 39/53 (74%)
Kicks 5/6 (83%)
Clinch strikes 0/0 (0%)
Takedowns 4/4 (100%)
GnP strikes 0/0 (0%)
Submissions 2/2 (100%)
Clinch Attempts 2/2 (100%)
Time on the ground 246 s
Kayla Chapman’s Opinion: …Or, yanno, the judges can say “No, Kayla, you don’t know what you’re talking about;” so, let’s start with the fact that these two guys were going at it; they left nothing in the tank, it seemed like virtually every punch they both threw were knockout shots if they landed. I thought Kozlov was the more effective fighter overall, I’m surprised by the scoring, but Jethro won’t care what I think; he gets his hand raised, and his first Everest win.
What It Means: A grinding decision win nets Jethro 3 points and keeps him right in the mix of the Featherweight tournament, just a point outside of Masami Rose and 2 below Sadie Williams, although it’s important to remember that’s our main event, so that could change dramatically later tonight. 145 lbs being what it is, even back to back losses isn’t enough to eliminate Andrei Kozlov yet, although he’ll desperately need help to make the championship fight at this point.
What’s Next: In Portland, Andrei Kozlov faces Sadie Williams, while Jethro Benson fights Masami Rose.
ROUND ONE: Cruiserweight action now! Both Spyro Chronis and Yoshida Sanzo are looking for their first points of the season, and like the Flyweights earlier, they get started in hectic fashion! They’ve barely touched gloves before they both start throwing BIG punches at one another; Yoshida lands the better shots, but both men miss way more than they land, and it’s only when Spyro drops levels and drives for a takedown that the firefight stops; he passes easily to side mount, before dropping some major hammer fists on the side of Yoshida’s face! Despite the advantage, Spyro doesn’t press the action, and unfortunately for him, gives Yoshida a chance to recover his guard and stall the fight out, forcing Archie Driscoll to stand both men up. Right off the restart, Yoshida fakes left, before slamming a right uppercut that lands flush on Chronis’ chin! Yoshida follows up with a big looping right hand, then a couple jabs and a right hook that wobbles Chronis! As Yoshida continues to push forward, Spyro drops levels again, this time with a single leg takedown, but he only gets as far as Yoshida’s guard–and it’s Yoshida that’s on the attack, quickly flipping the script and taking top position himself! Chronis manages to recover half-guard, then full guard, and two spend more time jockeying for position than anything; Chronis lands a couple shots to the body from underneath, but there’s not a whole lot of power to them, and eventually the fight grinds to a halt, forcing Archie to stand them up once again. Yoshida takes a glance at the clock, and when the fight restarts, with only 20 seconds left in the round, he just goes for it–power shots straight from the restart, power straight punches that stun Chronis, before a winging right overhand shuts the lights out and leaves the Grecian out cold on the mat!
Winner: Yoshida Sanzo by KO (Punches) at 4:46 Round 1
Statistics: Spyro Chronis
Punches 5/8 (62%)
Kicks 0/0 (0%)
Clinch strikes 0/0 (0%)
Takedowns 2/2 (100%)
GnP strikes 8/11 (73%)
Submissions 0/0 (0%)
Clinch Attempts 0/0 (0%)
Time on the ground 163 s
Statistics: Yoshida Sanzo
Punches 13/19 (68%)
Kicks 0/0 (0%)
Clinch strikes 0/0 (0%)
Takedowns 0/2 (0%)
GnP strikes 2/9 (22%)
Submissions 0/0 (0%)
Clinch Attempts 0/0 (0%)
Time on the ground 163 s
Kayla Chapman’s Opinion: Wow. What a hectic first round, both men landing big shots on each other, both on the feet and on the mat! Yoshida Sanzo in particular, he took some brutal shots early on before that big uppercut in the middle of the round just changed the whole complexion of the fight. Great showing for the Japanese fighter, but let’s not discount what Spyro Chronis showed us as well, he’s definitely got power in his hands, and that ground and pound was some scary stuff.
What It Means: A six point win takes Yoshida level on points with the man who beat him in Vancouver, Milo Dragomir, and the likely betting favorite in the Cruiserweight tournament, Mauro Santos de Lima. That will obviously change later tonight, when those two fight, but he’s still on the cusp of making the title fight in San Francisco. Meanwhile, despite going 0-2 so far, Chronis isn’t eliminated yet, but he’ll need Mauro Santos de Lima to win tonight AND in Portland, AND a first round finish in his own fight on the next show. Not impossible, just…difficult.
What’s Next: In Portland, Spyro Chronis faces Milo Dragomir, while Yoshida Sanzo fights Mauro Santos de Lima.
ROUND ONE: After an absolutely devastating knockout loss to Kian de Beer in Vancouver, Alekzander Kristiansen looks to right the ship against Gavin Watts, who succumbed to an Armbar at the very last second against Ricky Jackson–and Gavin came out seemingly to make a point, immediately jabbing into range and tying Kristiansen up in a clinch, possibly to prove his own grappling credentials? But Kristiansen has no interest in a clinch, and pummels his way free, eating a quick left hook on the way. Alekzander lets fly with a big looping right hand, and while Gavin ducks back to avoid it, he still gets clipped and seems to be hurt–or at least, his reaction made me think so, as he immediately dropped levels and shot for a takedown! Kristiansen got his leg free and circled away from the shot, though, before slamming in an inside leg kick, followed by an absolutely MASSIVE head kick! Watts keeps pressing forward, but he eats a body kick as well and nearly doubles over! Watts has to back off to catch his breath, but he doesn’t have his guard up, and Alekzander lands a huge head kick again! Rather than follow up on the feet, Alekzander shoots for a double leg takedown, lifting Gavin off the mat and slamming him to his back, passing easily to Side Mount, then to Full Mount! Kristiansen isolates Watts’ arm and tries for an Americana, but Watts straightens his arm out and prevents the lock. Gavin tries to get free from the mount, but Alekzander keeps his positioning secure–so Gavin, instead, just wraps him up and locks him down, stalling the fight out and forcing Ron Anderson to stand them up. Kristiansen gets the better of the exchange right off the restart, aided by a sloppy low kick from Gavin that gives Alekzander a chance to absolutely BLAST him with a straight right hand! Kristiansen again takes Watts down, getting all the way back to Full Mount again, but the horn sounds before he can do much damage from the top.
Kayla Chapman’s Scorecard (Unofficial): 10-9 Kristiansen — This round was kinda slow, except for that burst of kicks from Alekzander early on; relatively easy to score, though, Gavin was mostly on the defensive. Hopefully we see better in the second round.
ROUND TWO: Round two begins with an absolutely wild exchange, just straight punches being traded back and forth–it’s definitely Kristiansen getting the better of the exchanges, though, forcing Watts to back off…and Alekzander unleashes a MONSTER of a head kick, that absolutely stiffens Gavin Watts up and sends him to the mat!
Winner: Alekzander Kristiansen by KO (High Kick) at 0:41 Round 2
Statistics: Alekzander Kristiansen
Punches 18/25 (72%)
Kicks 5/5 (100%)
Clinch strikes 0/0 (0%)
Takedowns 2/2 (100%)
GnP strikes 0/0 (0%)
Submissions 1/1 (100%)
Clinch Attempts 0/0 (0%)
Time on the ground 101 s
Statistics: Gavin Watts
Punches 3/16 (19%)
Kicks 0/1 (0%)
Clinch strikes 0/0 (0%)
Takedowns 0/1 (0%)
GnP strikes 0/3 (0%)
Submissions 0/0 (0%)
Clinch Attempts 0/0 (0%)
Time on the ground 101 s
Kayla Chapman’s Opinion: WELL! That was definitely better, although I’m not sure Gavin Watts would agree with me. Yikes. That is some SCARY power, guys. This was what I wanted to see against Kian in Vancouver, I’m glad Alekzander got a chance to show what he can do tonight; all I can hope is that Gavin’s alright, that was a brutal kick and I’m always afraid when I see fighters go stiff like that…
What It Means: Five points in the bag for Alekzander Kristiansen, and minimal damage taken during the fight, he’ll certainly take that. Pending our next fight between Kian De Beer and Ricky Jackson, Alekzander is currently in second place, albeit by one point, making the fight in Portland with Ricky Jackson a win-and-you’re-in for both men. Meanwhile, with Ricky and Alekzander fighting in Portland, two losses from two eliminates Gavin Watts from contention,
What’s Next: In Portland, Alekzander Kristiansen faces Ricky Jackson, while Gavin Watts fights Kian De Beer.
ROUND ONE: Remember how I said the sound Kian De Beer’s Superman Punch made when it hit Alekzander Kristiansen in Vancouver scared me? He clearly wanted to put the fear of god in me again straight off the bat, as he and Ricky Jackson touch gloves, before Kian wings a looping right hand that looks like it might stop a semi! Ricky just manages to stay out of the way, though, and counters with a couple quick jabs that keep De Beer at range. Kian doesn’t take kindly to getting clipped, though, and lands a quick one-two combination in response; both men engage, Ricky landing a crisp right hook, but missing the follow-up high kick–and Kian takes advantage of it, landing a big counter right hook, then a digging left hook to the body. He winds up a kick, and Ricky misjudges the target–he covers his body, only to get blasted in the head! Ricky’s very much out of it, even though he’s still on his feet, and Colin Davenport waves the fight off!
Winner: Kian De Beer by TKO (High Kick) at 1:21 Round 1
Statistics: Kian De Beer
Punches 7/11 (64%)
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: Ricky Jackson
Punches 3/4 (75%)
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: Oh my god. As if Kian’s punches weren’t scary enough, here he shows us what he can do with one kick, y’all. One. I said it in Vancouver, I’ll say it again, this is a dangerous man at 170 lbs. I’m just grateful it didn’t sound like he broke something on Ricky, unlike the Alekzander fight. Speaking of, what he got a chance to throw looked good from Ricky, he landed a couple big shots that made Kian second-guess his strategy for a second, but maybe a takedown would’ve been more prudent? Hopefully he can recover from this going into Portland.
What It Means: For Kian, two first round finishes punch his spot in the championship fight at 170, regardless of what happens in Portland. For Ricky, he’s still very much in the mix at 170, and Portland can give him a chance to earn a rematch with Kian in San Francisco.
What’s Next: In Portland, Kian De Beer faces Gavin Watts, while Ricky Jackson fights Alekzander Kristiansen.
ROUND ONE: There is no feeling out process. None, at all. The horn sounds to begin the fight, and Mauro Santos de Lima digs a couple hooks to the body, prompting Milo Dragomir to respond with a wild flurry of punches! Both men land big, BIG shots, with Dragomir aiming for Mauro’s head and looking like his only intention is to knock Mauro’s soul from his body, while Mauro digs to Dragomir’s body to zap the energy from him. However, when Milo finally defends downstairs, Mauro flips the script and clips him with a right hand on the chin! Milo responds with a winging right hand that misses wildly, and Mauro drives him to the mat quickly in response! And on the mat, there’s only one winner–Mauro passes to half-guard with ease, securing an Arm Triangle Choke before Milo even knows what’s coming! Slowly but surely, Mauro passes to side mount and tightens up the choke, until Milo’s forced to tap!
Winner: Mauro Santos de Lima by Submission (Arm Triangle) at 1:14 Round 1
Statistics: Mauro Santos de Lima
Punches 8/11 (73%)
Kicks 0/0 (0%)
Clinch strikes 0/0 (0%)
Takedowns 1/1 (100%)
GnP strikes 0/0 (0%)
Submissions 1/1 (100%)
Clinch Attempts 0/0 (0%)
Time on the ground 10 s
Statistics: Milo Dragomir
Punches 5/6 (83%)
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 10 s
Kayla Chapman’s Opinion: Um. Wow. What a frantic minute and change. Look at those numbers real quick, y’all. 17 punches, a takedown, and a submission, all in less time than it takes to pop popcorn. Crazy. Honestly, it’s hard to find anything to criticize either man for, other than the obvious that we’ll get to in a second. On the feet, both men landed big shots, I honestly thought someone was going down in that early firefight, but they both managed to withstand it. Then it hit the ground, and…well, we saw the class difference. Once we hit the mat, Mauro looked incredible, and secured the six point finish with ease.
What It Means: A second first round finish secures Mauro’s spot in the championship fight in San Francisco, but it has to be said that he might be seeing tonight’s opponent again–Milo’s win over Yoshida Sanzo in Vancouver means that he stays in second place despite this loss, with a chance to rebound and gain some momentum, and I dunno if I’d chance that firefight again.
What’s Next: In Portland, Mauro Santos de Lima faces Yoshida Sanzo, while Milo Dragomir fights Spyro Chronis.
ROUND ONE: Victoria Marshall may have left Seattle for the Twin Cities, but her return home never ceases to earn her a roar of approval from her hometown crowd; by contrast, Alexandra Hughes was greeted…less than favorably, which almost seemed to get under the young Welsh girl’s skin a little bit. Both ladies touch gloves as the fight begins, and Alex launches an absolute MISSILE of a right hand that Victoria’s just able to get out of the way, and catches Alex around the waist before dumping her to the mat with an immediate takedown! Alex scrambles to recover her guard, but she eats some BIG elbows in the process, and ends up giving up her back in her attempt to turn her head away! Victoria can’t really solidify the position, though, and Alex is able to at least escape back to her back, but she’s not able to recover her guard–Victoria stops her at side mount, and goes right back to dropping BOMBS down on Alex! Two, three, four elbows land unguarded, and Alex has to roll over to stop the barrage, giving up her back again. But she’s able to grind the fight to a halt from there, and despite the good position, Jordan Ripley stands the fighters up. And I gotta be honest, I hate that stand up. Victoria was in control, it wasn’t a 50/50 position, why stand them up!? Anyway, I need to emphasize, that was the opening minute, guys, these ladies are setting a FRANTIC pace. On the restart, Alex immediately ducks a punch from Victoria and drives her to the mat with a takedown of her own! Alex’s aggression gets the better of her, though, and she tries to move too fast–halfway through a transition to side mount, Victoria turns her over and ends up on top, in Alex’s guard again! And once again, she just starts TEEING OFF with punches; some get through, some don’t, but Jordan has to warn Alex to defend herself. Alex manages to break down Victoria’s posture and lock the fight down for a moment, but Victoria digs a couple shots to the body before trying to force through a pass–there’s a lot of jockeying for position on the ground now, with every movement Victoria makes, countered by Hughes flowing with her, until eventually Jordan Ripley has to stand them up again–this time, I get it, I agree. Hughes gets a little momentum on her side on the restart, landing a new quick combination that gets Victoria’s attention–but she eats a MASSIVE straight right hand from the hometown girl that stumbles Hughes back! Alex gets on her bike and starts circling around Victoria, feigning a leg kick to see if Marshall will bite on it–and again, eating an absolutely wicked shot that has Alex rocked! Both ladies are throwing shots, but Alex gets the best of the firefight–and so, Victoria goes back to old reliable, and takes Alex down with a double leg takedown, with ease! Again, the two ladies start jockeying for position, but Alex is eventually able to turn Victoria over and take full mount! She doesn’t have time to do much with it, though, before the horn sounds to end the round.
Kayla Chapman’s Scorecard (Unofficial): 10-9 Marshall — Relatively easy to score. Victoria landed the best shots, did the most damage, and scored a couple solid takedowns. I defy you to find me a judge who thinks Alex won that round.
ROUND TWO: Alex comes out aggressive to start round two, I wonder if her corner told her she’s likely down a round–either way, she lands a wicked leg kick to start the round, then jabs her way in range before dropping and taking Victoria down with a single leg takedown! In the process of the takedown, it looks like something may have happened to Marshall’s arm, but the fight wasn’t stopped, so Alex doesn’t stop–she passes to side mount with ease, but when she tries to move to mount, Victoria’s able to get her guard back and slow the fight down. Alex tries to pass Victoria’s guard, but the fight largely stalls out, and Jordan Ripley starts to look impatient–only for Victoria to hit a nifty little sweep to turn Alex over and take full mount! Something obviously happened to Victoria’s left arm, though, as she’s dropping elbows from the top–but only with her right arm; either way, they’re landing, and Alex ends up giving up her back once again! Marshall’s inability to control with both hands becomes an issue, though, and Alex is able to scramble to her feet before Victoria can solidify the back mount. It takes an extra second or two, but eventually Victoria gets up as well, and the fight resumes on the feet. Alex seems to like her chances on the mat, though, and when the fight restarts, she drops for a single leg again–this time, Victoria’s able to stay on her feet, but Alex keeps driving forward, and eventually she’s able to sweep Victoria’s leg out and take her down, ending up in side mount! Victoria’s wincing this time, as if something hit her eye, but Jordan Ripley doesn’t stop the fight and, rather than complain, Victoria starts to defend herself; a couple punches from the bottom that don’t have a whole lot of steam to them do force Alex to at least be aware that Victoria will attack–and give her room to recover half-guard, at least. Alex lands a couple big shots from the top before sliding her leg through and securing full mount over Victoria! And it’s that hurt arm that’s immediately The Dragon’s target–she isolates Victoria’s left wrist, then wraps up an Americana attempt! Victoria bites her mouthpiece and manages to fight her way free and straighten her arm out. Alex starts to sit out for an armbar, but Victoria pulls her arm in close, and instead, Alex just solidifies her position, landing a couple more shots to ride out the round.
Kayla Chapman’s Scorecard (Unofficial): 10-9 Hughes (19-19 Push) — A better round from Alexandra Hughes, albeit significantly influenced by what looks like an injury to Victoria’s left arm. Victoria’s still in the fight, though–even with just one arm, those elbows from the top looked nasty.
ROUND THREE: Marshall’s corner spent their minute stretching out the hometown girl’s arm, trying to alleviate some of the pain she seems to be feeling–to her credit, you’d never know it; Victoria’s expression is stone cold going into round 3, where she literally IMMEDIATELY dumps Alex Hughes on her back with a driving double leg takedown! Alex locks up her guard, but Victoria doesn’t seem to care; instead, she just pushes her head free and starts RAINING. DOWN. PUNCHES. Marshall’s not playing the body-body-head game anymore, these are big shots to the side of Hughes’ head–but it’s that aggression that gives Alex a chance to evade a punch, catch the arm, and sweep Victoria over! Now in full mount, Alex is right back to attacking that left arm, again with an Americana! Victoria’s in less danger this time, easily freeing her arm from Hughes’ grasp–and then, out of the blue, Jordan Ripley stands the girls up. WHY!? With Alex in full mount, fresh off a submission attempt? Dante, if you’re reading this, I’m BEGGING YOU, we GOTTA get these refs into BJJ lessons or something, this is…ugh. Anyway, the fight restarts on the feet, and Alex…I mean, immediately, cracks Victoria with a big high kick! The hometown girl is wobbled and eats a few quick jabs that keep her on her toes–and, ironically, give her time to recover from the big shot, so when Alex comes in again, it’s right into a looping overhand right that SLAMS into her face! With Alex stumbling, Victoria takes her down again! Marshall lands a couple quick hammerfists before Alex covers up, then the fight starts to stall, both ladies neutralizing each other’s intentions–until Alex finds a burst of energy to power Victoria over and take full mount for herself! Again, Alex is right back on that hurt arm, sitting out for an armbar! Marshall’s smart enough to go with the pressure and prevent Alex from really getting it locked up, and once her arm’s freed, she’s able to scramble to escape to guard, where the fight GRINDS to a halt; more than a minute of small adjustments and maneuvers passes, before Jordan Ripley stands the girls up for inactivity–first a standup straight off a submission, now more than a minute of virtual inactivity. Jordan, honey, you gotta pick one. 90 seconds left in the fight, and Alex restarts with a series of stinging leg kicks that force Victoria to switch to southpaw–and, to her credit, she lands a nice one-two combo, punctuated by a big right hook! She gets too aggressive, though, and the follow up shot misses wildly, and gives Alex a chance to take Victoria down one more time! It’s Victoria on the attack from the bottom, though, throwing up a couple elbows that don’t do much more than annoy the Welsh girl. When Alex tries to pass to half-guard, Victoria’s able to scramble out from under her and back to her feet, where the horn sounds to end the round.
Kayla Chapman’s Scorecard (Unofficial): 10-9 Hughes (29-28 Hughes) — This is the closest round, by a lot, but I think Alex had the better positioning, she had the submission attempts, accumulated damage on that arm and the leg kicks. It wouldn’t shock me to see the round scored for Victoria, though, it was definitely close. I just edge toward Alex getting her hand raised.
. JUDGES’ SCORECARDS .
Alex Hughes 10 9 9: 28
Victoria Marshall 9 10 10: 29
Alex Hughes 9 9 9: 27
Victoria Marshall 10 10 10: 30
Alex Hughes 9 10 9: 28
Victoria Marshall 10 9 10: 29
Winner: Victoria Marshall by Unanimous Decision
Statistics: Alex Hughes
Punches 10/17 (59%)
Kicks 4/7 (57%)
Clinch strikes 1/1 (100%)
Takedowns 4/5 (80%)
GnP strikes 4/11 (36%)
Submissions 4/4 (100%)
Clinch Attempts 0/0 (0%)
Time on the ground 588 s
Statistics: Victoria Marshall
Punches 8/16 (50%)
Kicks 0/0 (0%)
Clinch strikes 0/0 (0%)
Takedowns 5/5 (100%)
GnP strikes 37/60 (62%)
Submissions 0/0 (0%)
Clinch Attempts 0/0 (0%)
Time on the ground 588 s
Kayla Chapman’s Opinion: Um. Wow, okay, so remember I said I defy you to find me someone who gave round 1 to Alex? WELL THERE THEY ARE. How? Just how? Whatever; overall, a pretty close fight, I’m not screaming robbery here (30-27 might be a stretch, though), but I thought Alex won by a hair. Both ladies put on a great grappling showcase, and each one had their big moments on their feet, this fight very easily could’ve gone either way; sadly for Alex, her undefeated run comes to an end tonight.
What It Means: A grinding decision win probably wasn’t what Victoria wanted, especially after seeing Ronnie Banks earn a massive six point win earlier in the evening, but the three points she gets tonight keep her in first place at 125 lbs, and eliminates Tatiana Ruiz. I’m worried about that arm headed into Portland and, possibly, the championship fight. Alex is far from out of things with this loss, too; she’s just one point away from Ronnie, very doable in Portland. It’ll be interesting to see how she reacts to that first loss, though.
What’s Next: In Portland, Victoria Marshall faces Ronnie Banks, while Alexandra Hughes fights Tatiana Ruiz.
ROUND ONE: And now, for the Main Event! Seattle transplant and Prodigy 206 rep Masami Rose gets the closest thing you’ll hear to a hero’s welcome as he more sauntered to the cage than walked; in stark contrast, the Emerald City fans made their bias known, as Sadie Williams was greeted even more harshly than Alex Hughes was–but unlike the young Welsh girl, Sadie plays up the villain role, beckoning the audience to get louder even as the introductions are done. When the fight begins, it’s clear Sadie’s not here to give the Seattle fans what they want to see–a couple quick jabs to get in range, then the 10th Planet rep gives us almost a perfect replay of the end of her fight in Vancouver, an Imanari Roll that leads to a Heel Hook! Within seconds, Masami’s wincing, and Lars Levy is watching close in case the fight ends abruptly…but Masami’s able to free himself and escape back to his feet, not even pretending to engage with Sadie on the mat. Lars has to stand the Canadian up, and on the restart, she wings a big looping left hand! Masami just gets out of the way, but he eats a crisp one-two as a follow up that staggers him. Sadie presses the action, but Masami launches a big uppercut that forces Sadie to defend. The two fighters circle each other for a second before Masami engages with a couple pumping jabs–that Sadie doesn’t bite on a bit, just waiting for him to recover his footing before dropping for a single leg takedown! Masami hits the mat again, but recovers his guard. Sadie throws a couple big shots to the body that force Masami to cover up before trying to pass, but Masami’s able to scramble out from under Sadie and get back to his feet! Once again, Lars has to restart the fight–but it stays on the feet for about 5 seconds, before Sadie hits another takedown, this one a double leg that she powers Masami over, and takes Side Mount straight away! Masami tries to hip escape and recover his guard, but Sadie just flows with him, keeping her position…until she gets a little arrogant, and Masami’s able to almost get back to his feet again! She manages to catch him in front headlock, almost a guillotine choke but she’s not under the neck–instead, she adjusts her grip and sits out, looking for an Anaconda Choke! Masami’s face turns a bright red, but he waves off Lars Levy’s question of submission, and after quite a bit of struggling, he manages to pop his head out, and take top position for himself! In side mount, Masami takes a moment to recover his breath, but Sadie’s not inclined to give him that time, and she’s quick to pommel her legs into position, eventually recovering her guard–and throwing up an armbar when she thinks Masami’s not ready! He manages to posture up and keep Sadie from getting the hold, so she switches to the Triangle Choke frame instead! Masami keeps his head postured up, despite Sadie’s attempt to break him down, and eventually manages to shuck her legs away and get back to his feet again. It’s increasingly obvious what Sadie expects to win this fight, as on the restart, she hits another takedown, but in the process, there’s an accidental clash of heads–and all I can hope is Lars has more common sense than Bruno Alves or Jack Gibbs had in Vancouver. He stops the fight to give Masami a chance to recover, but he just warns Sadie to be more careful, no point deduction–at least there’s that. The fight restarts again, and this time? It’s Masami that jabs his way in range, before clinching up with Sadie and sweeping her feet out from under her! She tries to grab a Guillotine Choke, but Masami keeps his neck protected–at least for a moment, until Sadie manages to secure her guard and throw up a triangle frame again! She’s not so close to the choke this time, though, and Masami just breaks the frame and ends the threat. The fight largely stalls out for the last 15 seconds of the round, until the horn sounds.
Kayla Chapman’s Scorecard (Unofficial): 10-8 Williams — I lost count of how many takedowns Sadie hit, and how many times she came close to submitting Masami, all in the first five minute period. Her gameplan’s pretty obvious, but so far, it’s pretty effective, and Masami’s only real offense was the takedown late in the round, that he ended up having to defend afterward anyway. Might be 10-9, but I feel comfortable saying 10-8.
ROUND TWO: The Prodigy corner had one fairly obvious message for Masami in between rounds–do not get taken down; she may not have caught him yet, but Sadie was obviously looking for a submission win, and his best bet was on the feet. And I don’t know if Sadie heard that and took it personally, or if she just wanted to test herself in the second round, but once the second round kicked off, she came dangerously close to landing an absolutely MASSIVE kick to the head! Masami just got out of the way, but Sadie followed it up with a surprisingly smooth spinning back fist that clipped him! Masami staggered back, and Sadie rushed him with a couple straight punches, then shot for a single leg takedown! Masami resisted at first, even managing to plant his foot back down, but Sadie switched to a double leg and took him back to the mat! Before Rose could lock his guard, Williams sat back and tried to catch a straight ankle lock, but Masami kicked his way free and forced Sadie to focus on the position rather than the submission. Masami threw a few shots from underneath, more to annoy Sadie than to do any real damage, before locking his guard when he felt her start to reach for another leg lock, and the fight stalls out, forcing Lars Levy to stand the two back up. Sadie’s right back on her attack, two jabs, then a single leg takedown–but Masami resists this time, and forces Sadie to engage on the feet with him this time! Sadie’s on the aggressive, but most of her shots miss wildly, and Masami takes advantage of her wild striking to land an absolutely beautiful counter uppercut that wobbles Sadie! Williams backs off a step or two to catch her breath, and when Masami re-engages with her, Sadie drops and hits a double leg takedown! This time, it’s Masami on the attack with submissions, throwing up a Triangle Choke that gets surprisingly tight! Sadie’s face turns about as red as her fight gear, but she’s eventually able to slip her head free, but she can’t pass Rose’s guard; in fact, it’s only when Masami opens his guard to try to improve his position that Sadie’s able to improve her own, sitting back for a Kneebar! Masami’s wise to it, so even though she kinda gets the position, he’s able to kick his leg free and scramble on top before she gets the knee really locked out. Once he’s got his position, Masami just starts wailing on Sadie with powerful strikes from on top; she blocks some, eats others, but it’s enough damage that Lars is warning the Canadian to defend this time. She’s eventually able to lock her guard again and break Masami’s posture, stalling the fight out for the rest of the round.
Kayla Chapman’s Scorecard (Unofficial): 10-9 Rose (19-18 Williams) — A much closer round, Masami landed some big strikes both on the feet and on the ground, got that Triangle Choke, but Sadie was just as dangerous on the mat, with several leg lock attempts and multiple takedowns. I wouldn’t be surprised if judges see it Sadie’s way, but the end of the round was Masami’s and I think that’s gonna sway the scoring. All to fight for in round 3.
ROUND THREE: Sadie Williams continues her audacious submission attempts–this time, to start round 3, she rushes forward and hits a scissor-takedown on Masami, right into another Heel Hook attempt! And this one’s even tighter than the Imanari Roll from the first round, Masami visibly wincing as he struggles to get himself free, but he is eventually able to wrench his leg out of Sadie’s grasp and get back to his feet. Sadie kicks at Masami’s knee multiple times, trying to goad him into engaging on the ground with her, before launching an up-kick that he avoids with ease; with neither seeming to change their approach, Lars Levy steps in and stands Sadie back up. On the restart, Sadie launches a wicked low kick, but Rose checks it and waves her off as if to dismiss the effort. The round slows down considerably, as both fighters just paw at each other with more tentative jabs, trying to gauge the other’s response this late in the fight. Sadie breaks the deadlock with a big overhand right, but Masami moves out of the way and clips her with a counter straight right! She’s stunned, but not too badly hurt–but it’s enough to make her go back to her habit, and shoot for a double leg takedown! Masami sprawls hard, and even as she drives and drives to try to get him over, he defends well and eventually manages to circle away from Sadie. And when she comes in again, Masami’s able to tag her with a couple quick, powerful strikes, that very much stop the Canadian’s attack this time! Sadie tries to reply with a big right hook, but Masami defends easily, and the fight becomes more tentative again. Sadie throws a couple leg kicks that get checked with ease, before going for one last hail mary submission attempt–she just drops to her guard and tries to catch Masami in a kneebar! He’s able to free his leg before she can lock it out, though, and Masami instead dives into her guard, only narrowly avoiding slamming down a powerful strike from above. Sadie overhooks one of Masami’s arms, going for some variation of an Armbar? Or a Kimura? I’m not really sure what it was, but it was interesting looking–but nothing comes of it, and the horn sounds to end the fight.
Kayla Chapman’s Scorecard (Unofficial): 10-9 Rose (28-28 Draw) — Oh no. I think this was a fairly easy round to score for Masami, he definitely did more damage, he defended a lot of Sadie’s takedown attempts this round, and while she got in a good position to try those wild submissions, nothing really came close this round. But if I’m right…that means we have a draw, which isn’t the most satisfying thing.
. JUDGES’ SCORECARDS .
Sadie Williams 10 9 9: 28
Masami Rose 8 10 10: 28
Sadie Williams 10 9 9: 28
Masami Rose 8 10 10: 28
Sadie Williams 10 10 10: 30
Masami Rose 8 9 9: 26
Winner: Sadie Williams and Masami Rose ends in a Majority Draw
Statistics: Sadie Williams
Punches 8/32 (25%)
Kicks 0/6 (0%)
Clinch strikes 1/2 (50%)
Takedowns 6/17 (35%)
GnP strikes 0/12 (0%)
Submissions 12/12 (100%)
Clinch Attempts 0/0 (0%)
Time on the ground 359 s
Statistics: Masami Rose
Punches 14/23 (61%)
Kicks 0/0 (0%)
Clinch strikes 0/0 (0%)
Takedowns 1/1 (100%)
GnP strikes 8/15 (53%)
Submissions 1/1 (100%)
Clinch Attempts 0/0 (0%)
Time on the ground 296 s
Kayla Chapman’s Opinion: 30-26? What on Earth? I could maybe see giving Sadie round 2, but certainly not round 3, that’s wild. This really was a tale of two halves of this fight–the first round, and even the opening to round 2, was all Sadie, a grappling attack masterclass only let down by Masami’s submission defense, but she got close, a LOT. The second half of the fight, though, was all Masami–he figured out Sadie’s timing on her takedowns, and punished her with big shots, both on the feet and when they hit the mat. I’m not entirely surprised by the two judges scoring it a Draw, it’s how I scored it, but this makes things…well. Interesting.
What It Means: A draw isn’t the worst thing in the world for either fighter, although it once again keeps 145 lbs as the division to show that every point you can earn is a bonus. Both Sadie Williams and Masami Rose are still in the right place to earn a rematch for the title, courtesy of their finishes in Vancouver, so we’ll have to see what comes in Portland. Nobody’s eliminated yet, although Andrei Kozlov needs to finish Sadie in the first round, AND the unlikely scenario of a second draw at 145 pounds, between Masami Rose and Jethro Benson
What’s Next: In Portland, Masami Rose fights Jethro Benson, while Sadie Williams faces Andrei Kozlov.
Venue: Climate Pledge Arena
Location: Seattle, Washington
Attendance: 12,016
Date: December 4, 2022
Fighter Payouts: $515,000
Gate: $901,200
FIGHT OF THE NIGHT
Alexandra Hughes vs Victoria Marshall
PERFORMANCE OF THE NIGHT
Ronnie Banks, Alekzander Kristiansen, Mauro Santos de Lima
DISCLOSED EARNINGS
Sadie Williams ($60,000)
Victoria Marshall ($60,000)
Masami Rose ($45,000)
Alex Hughes ($35,000)
Mauro Santos de Lima ($35,000)
Ricky Jackson ($35,000)
Alekzander Kristiansen ($35,000)
Ronnie Banks ($35,000)
Kian De Beer ($25,000)
Yoshida Sanzo ($25,000)
Jethro Benson ($25,000)
Milo Dragomir ($20,000)
Gavin Watts ($20,000)
Spyro Chronis ($20,000)
Andrei Kozlov ($20,000)
Tatiana Ruiz ($20,000)
QUICK RECAP
Ronnie Banks def. Tatiana Ruiz by KO (High Kick) at 2:27 Round 1
Jethro Benson def. Andrei Kozlov by Unanimous Decision (29-28 x3)
Yoshida Sanzo def. Spyro Chronis by KO (Punches) at 4:46 Round 1
Alekzander Kristiansen def. Gavin Watts by KO (High Kick) at 0:41 Round 2
Kian De Beer def. Ricky Jackson by TKO (High Kick) at 1:21 Round 1
Mauro Santos de Lima def. Milo Dragomir by Submission (Arm Triangle) at 1:14 Round 1
Victoria Marshall def. Alex Hughes by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28 x2)
Sadie Williams and Masami Rose ends in a Majority Draw (30-26, 28-28 x2)
UPDATED POINT STANDINGS
CRUISERWEIGHT
➖ #1 [12 pts.] Mauro Santos de Lima (7-0-0)
▼ #2 [06 pts.] Milo Dragomir (9-3-0)
▲ #2 [06 pts.] Yoshida Sanzo (8-4-0)
▼ #4 [00 pts.] Spyro Chronis (5-2-0)
WELTERWEIGHT
➖ #1 [12 pts.] Kian De Beer (7-0-0)
▲ #2 [05 pts.] Alekzander Kristiansen (10-2-0)
▼ #3 [04 pts.] Ricky Jackson (6-9-0)
▼ #3 [00 pts.] Gavin Watts (6-4-0)
FEATHERWEIGHT
➖ #1 [06 pts.] Sadie Williams (8-5-1)
➖ #2 [05 pts.] Masami Rose (9-1-1)
➖ #3 [03 pts.] Jethro Benson (13-6-0)
▼ #4 [00 pts.] Andrei Kozlov (9-6-0)
FLYWEIGHT
▲ #1 [08 pts.] Victoria Marshall (4-5-1)
▲ #2 [06 pts.] Ronnie Banks (8-1-0)
▼ #3 [05 pts.] Alex Hughes (11-1-0)
▼ #4 [00 pts.] Tatiana Ruiz (4-3-0)
▲ = Ascend in Rankings
▼ = Descend in Rankings
➖ = No Change
