EVEREST // RIP CITY
ROUND ONE: Yall remember how I asked questions after our co-main event in Seattle, about how Alexandra Hughes would react to her first loss of her career? Okay, so the answer to that question is violently, apparently; I cannot emphasize this enough, the moment the fight begins, she rushes across the cage and starts throwing huge, powerful punches. Those of you who might’ve seen her fight in the UK, or in the previous Everest shows, and thought you’d get the more disciplined striker? Yeah, this isn’t that. A winging overhand right starts the fight, clips Ruiz and stumbles her back, and Alex plants her feet and lands a series of stinging straight lefts and rights that have Ruiz on wobbly legs. Ruiz manages to fake a punch and force a reaction out of Alex, before Tatiana ties her up in a clinch and pushes her back against the fence to slow the fight down. Alex doesn’t give her a whole lot of time to work with, though–immediately, the young Welsh girl starts to shuck her Brazilian counterpart’s hands off, and while it takes some doing, Alex eventually frees herself and circles back to the center of the cage, showing a little attitude as she beckons Ruiz to join her. And again, I really can’t emphasize enough how much Alex clearly wants to make a statement in this fight–as soon as Tatiana re-engages, she’s tagged with a MASSIVE left hook that opens a cut over her eye, and while she’s stumbling back, Alex slams in a couple leg kicks that nearly cut Ruiz’s legs out from under her! Tatiana tries to respond, jabbing to keep Alex at range, but Hughes dodges the punches and counters with a quick right hook, then an absolutely BRUTAL high kick! Tatiana counters with a spinning back kick to the body, but Alex manages to block most of the impact; once she’s reset, Ruiz gets her first big opportunity of the fight, clipping Alex with a straight right that keeps her at bay, before throwing a big flurry of shots! Alex avoids most of them, but the physical toll of throwing everything she has into those early shots is clearly kicking in already; her counter shots miss wildly and give Tatiana a chance to land a quick jab, then a follow up uppercut! Alex shakes off the impact, circling away before Ruiz can land anything else, and when Tatiana follows, she gets caught with a wicked oblique kick that pushes Ruiz’s knee to an uncomfortable angle! Alex doesn’t seem worried, though, and absolutely BLITZES Ruiz, stinging jabs and crosses before an overhand right right crumbles Tatiana to the mat and ends the fight!
Winner: Alex Hughes by KO (Punches) at 2:40 Round 1
Statistics: Alex Hughes
Punches 11/19 (58%)
Kicks 6/6 (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 3/6 (50%)
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
Kayla Chapman’s Opinion: An astonishing rebound from her first professional loss, Alexandra Hughes barely gave Tatiana Ruiz a chance to get going. I’m a little worried for how…undisciplined she looked, those were some big, wild punches that we haven’t really seen from her in the past, and it looked like it was sapping the energy out of her toward the end of the fight–and bare in mind, we were less than 3 minutes into the first round! Hopefully that’s just an emotionally charged night for her, and she can correct it before San Francisco. For Ruiz, that’s 0-3 in Everest, and I know this is easy for me to say, sitting from my comfy seat at cageside, but this was the worst performance we’ve seen from her; other than one flurry before the end of the fight, she just couldn’t get going at any point. I want to see her improve, but I think she needs to find a gym that can refine her talents before we’ll see any significant growth from her.
What It Means: A big six point victory, combined with one of Ronnie Banks or Victoria Marshall having to drop points later this evening, guarantees Alex Hughes a spot in the championship match in San Francisco. Tatiana was already eliminated going into tonight, and ends the season 0-3.
What’s Next: Alexandra Hughes faces either Ronnie Banks or Victoria Marshall for the first ever Flyweight Championship.
ROUND ONE: We go from lightest weight class to heaviest, and in stark contrast to our opening fight of the evening, this fight begins rather slowly; Milo and Spyro touch gloves in the center of the cage, and the feeling out process is very real. Chronis takes his time to get into range, pawing with a series of jabs that Dragomir swats away, then counters with a big straight right that stumbles Spyro back! Spyro tries to push forward anyway, but nearly gets absolutely ROCKED with a high kick from Milo! The fact that Spyro was stunned may very well have saved his night, as the kick ultimately only grazes him, but he takes more than a few punches as Milo keeps teeing off, punctuating an impressive flurry with an absolutely blistering inside leg kick. Spyro seems to recognize the momentum and drops levels for a single leg takedown that catches Milo by surprise, putting him on his back! Spyro’s able to shuck Milo’s legs to the side, passing to Side Mount! Milo tries to recover his guard quickly, but Spyro puts a stop to that real quick with an absolutely MASSIVE elbow that visibly stuns Dragomir–but he doesn’t keep going? He just stuns him and secures the position. Milo has to work to recover any kind of favorable position, but eventually he’s able to get back to full guard; Spyro’s quick to work to pass again, but Milo takes advantage and flips him over, taking Full Mount! It’s Spyro on offense, though, albeit with some relatively ineffective punches from underneath, before clinching up tight with Milo to stall the fight out. Eventually, Ron Anderson has to stand them up, and despite the good position Milo got to, I have to agree with this one. On the restart, Milo immediately launches a sharp uppercut that rocks Spyro’s head back, then a straight left hand that wobbles him and forces Spyro back on his bicycle–but Milo doesn’t pursue him; instead, there’s a decent few seconds of just circling, before Spyro tries to jab his way into range, only to eat a kick to the inside of the knee. Over, and over, he tries this and meets the same fate, until he gives up on getting close and just starts launching punches from distance! Milo returns fire, but with more accuracy, clipping Spyro a couple times before slamming in one last kick to the knee that visibly wrenches Spyro’s leg. With Spyro on wobbly legs, Milo grabs a Thai clinch and starts to slam knees to Spyro’s body–but despite the pain Spyro’s clearly in, he manages to get a quick trip takedown that puts Milo on the mat again! It’s only for a second, he pops right back up; Spyro tries to bring the fight back to the mat by pulling guard, but Milo doesn’t budge; instead, he just backs up and forces Ron Anderson to stand Spyro back up. On the restart, Spyro’s resolve to go to the ground takes over again, and he hits a single leg takedown that allows him to pass straight to Side Mount once again–but the horn sounds to end the round before he can do anything with the takedown.
Kayla Chapman’s Scorecard (Unofficial): 10-9 Dragomir — Spyro’s takedowns can’t cancel out how much better Milo was on the fight, and how much damage he did early on. It’s an interesting back and forth, though, Spyro’s got every chance to do damage on the ground, but he’ll have to be careful of Milo on the feet again to start the next round.
ROUND TWO: Before we get started with round two, I need to point something out between rounds: Spyro’s corner were pretty adamant that they lost that round, and made a point that he had to be on the front foot this round. And to his credit, he is–while round two begins relatively slowly, it’s definitely Spyro on the aggressive, jabbing his way in range and forcing Milo to only throw counter shots that don’t really come close to impacting. Milo goes back to the leg kicks, but Spyro’s figured out the timing and checks it easily, before the two men trade shots up top–Spyro lands a counter right hand to Milo’s jab, only to eat a snapping uppercut! Milo follows up with a big kick to the body, but Spyro’s undeterred, pressing forward with a pumping jab; unfortunately, Milo’s timed it well, and rocks him with a big straight right! Spyro comes out of the exchange wincing, as if he got poked in the eye, but Ron Anderson doesn’t stop the fight–for the first one, anyway. When Milo continues his barrage, though, Spyro winces again, and this time the fight is stopped for an eye poke. Spyro makes a point to the official that that was two in the space of a couple punches, but nonetheless, Ron Anderson doesn’t take a point from Milo–which, honestly, I appreciate someone being willing to give a warning rather than just immediately take points away. Eventually, the doctor OKs Spyro to continue, and the fight restarts–and now, Milo’s on the front foot. He slams a sharp one-two combo in to counter Spyro’s pawing jabs, then a wicked leg kick that wrenches that same knee again! He follows up with a middle kick that gets blocked, then a sharp right uppercut that stuns Spyro! Spyro manages to get in tight and tie Milo up with a bodylock, but it’s more to buy time than it is to do damage or attempt a takedown–in fact, there’s a LOT of stalling against the fence with this clinch, by both men frankly. Milo lands a couple body shots as he tries to pummel his way to a better position, eventually turning Spyro back against the cage himself, then hits a quick trip takedown! And unfortunately, it looks like the fight has left Spyro Chronis at this point, as Milo’s able to slam down a couple big elbows, then pass with ease not only to Full Mount, but to Back Mount! The transitions are…clumsy, we’ll see; I saw a couple that looked like they cracked heads in the process, but Ron Anderson doesn’t stop the fight, and Milo’s digging for a Rear Naked Choke while Spyro’s just hoping to survive the last 30 seconds of the round. Spyro keeps his chin tucked, but his gas tank seems to be completely depleted, and Milo’s able to drive his arm under the neck eventually, securing a tap to the Rear Naked Choke literally as the horn sounds! There’s a moment of confusion, as the timing is judged…but eventually, Ron Anderson waves off the fight, calling the submission as legitimate.
Winner: Milo Dragomir by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 5:00 Round 2
Statistics: Milo Dragomir
Punches 22/33 (67%)
Kicks 11/12 (92%)
Clinch strikes 12/17 (71%)
Takedowns 1/2 (50%)
GnP strikes 4/7 (57%)
Submissions 1/1 (100%)
Clinch Attempts 0/0 (0%)
Time on the ground 237 s
Statistics: Spyro Chronis
Punches 3/11 (27%)
Kicks 0/0 (0%)
Clinch strikes 0/0 (0%)
Takedowns 2/2 (100%)
GnP strikes 5/6 (83%)
Submissions 0/0 (0%)
Clinch Attempts 0/0 (0%)
Time on the ground 248 s
Kayla Chapman’s Opinion: Wow, buzzer beater submission from Milo Dragomir. Spectacular work by the Polish prospect to claim the five point win. It was an ugly win at times, but Milo won’t care about that–a win is a win, and in Everest, a bonus point win is a bonus point win. You have to feel for Spyro, though; he had every chance on the ground, but he just seemed to burn himself out trying to get the fight there. I definitely think there’s room for improvement, I hope he comes back next season.
What It Means: Five points goes a long way toward booking Milo’s place in the championship fight, but he isn’t there yet; if Yoshida Sanzo gets a first round finish against Mauro Santos de Lima later tonight, Milo’s eliminated. Otherwise, he’ll face Mauro in the championship fight. Spyro was already eliminated, and this loss ends his round robin at 0-3.
What’s Next: We aren’t sure yet, but potentially Milo Dragomir faces Mauro Santos de Lima for the Cruiserweight Championship.
ROUND ONE: Kian De Beer is a scary man. Have I said that often enough yet? He didn’t even let Gavin Watts get out the gate in this fight; as soon as it started, De Beer rushed across the cage, jabbing his way in range before nearly CRUSHING him with a left hook that would’ve reduced most human beings to atoms! Watts doesn’t get time to react, either, as Kian follows up with another big power right hand, then an uppercut nearly lifts Watts off his feet, and gives referee Lars Levy no choice but to wave off the fight before any more damage gets done.
Winner: Kian De Beer by TKO (Punches) at 0:36 Round 1
Statistics: Kian De Beer
Punches 7/8 (88%)
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
Statistics: Gavin Watts
Punches 0/1 (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 0 s
Kayla Chapman’s Opinion: I mean, what else can you say, this is what we’ve come to expect from Kian after two previous Everest shows. Quick, violent finishes from the South African have led to 18 points and a relatively easy ride to the championship match. I’m honestly super worried about Gavin Watts, though; that’s two big, violent finishes in a row. I just hope he’s okay and there’s no major damage after these two fights.
What It Means: Nothing changes because of this result; Kian was already guaranteed a berth in the Welterweight Championship fight, and Gavin was already eliminated.
What’s Next: Kian De Beer fights either Alekzander Kristiansen or Ricky Jackson for the Welterweight Championship.
ROUND ONE: There’s an important rule in MMA: protect yourself at all times–and while some may call it distasteful, Sadie Williams seems to understand from the outset of this fight that all times means ALL TIMES; the two fighters touch gloves, and she immediately grabs Andrei Kozlov’s arm and jumps for a flying armbar! And it looks TIGHT! Kozlov grits his teeth and manages to wrench his arm free, eventually turning Sadie to her back and taking Side Mount for himself, but Sadie’s quick to recover her guard–and keeps the attack on, throwing up a Triangle Choke! Again, Andrei manages to get himself free of the hold and shucks Sadie’s legs to the side, passing once again to Side Mount–and this time, he manages to isolate one of Sadie’s arms, looking for a far-side straight armlock! Sadie looks fairly calm despite the predicament, and manages to free her arm and bridge up and over, taking top position for herself, but only as far as Kozlov’s guard. The two jockey for position, trading mostly pitter-patter strikes on the ground, until Andire takes Sadie’s example, and throws up a Triangle of his own! Ironically, Sadie hits the same reversal Andrei did moments ago, keeping her head up and pushing his legs aside, passing to Side Mount! Sadie switches her hips and passes to Full Mount, but only manages to hold the position for a moment before Andrei scrambles and recovers at least half-guard–and then, for SOME REASON, Jordan Ripley stands them up. AS THEY’RE ACTIVELY FIGHTING FOR POSITION. Jordan, honey, come on. Anyway. Sadie wings a big overhand left on the restart, but Kozlov easily avoids it–but what he doesn’t avoid is the driving single leg takedown Sadie follows up with! Andrei loses his balance and Sadie takes him over, literally head over heels, passing easily to Side Mount once again. She lands a couple elbows to the ribs, but they don’t seem to do a whole lot of damage–nor do they prevent Andrei from shrimping out and recovering first half-guard, then full guard. Sadie has to work to recover her position, and it takes her more time than we’re used to seeing to actually do so, but eventually she manages to pass Andrei’s guard, all the way to Full Mount again! With absolutely zero hesitation, she sits out for an armbar, and despite the attack being more than a little telegraphed, it looks locked in–you can even see Kozlov considering tapping, but somehow he manages to free his arm. He ends up on top, in Sadie’s guard, but only for a moment–Sadie hits a picture perfect sweep that takes him over, and she ends up rolling with him to take his back! She starts to fight for a Rear Naked Choke, only for the horn to sound to end the round.
Kayla Chapman’s Scorecard (Unofficial): 10-9 Williams — A little grimy early on, maybe, but technically within the rules. Sadie gets this round on aggression, takedowns, and submission attempts, but Andrei’s making her work for all of it.
ROUND TWO: Round Two starts off with Sadie shooting a single leg takedown, that Andrei both expects, and doesn’t at the same time–he clearly knows he’s in for a wrestling match, but he defends more like he was expecting a double leg, and the single leg being lifted up trips him to the mat again! Sadie passes to Side Mount, then Full Mount, and then? Rather than go for another submission, Sadie just starts dropping elbows from the top! Kozlov covers up, but Sadie gets through his defense and opens a cut over his right eye! One of the elbows obviously rocks Kozlov, and Sadie switches tactics, swimming her legs around to lock up a Mounted Triangle! The choke causes blood to pour from the cut even faster, but it also makes Kozlov more slippery, and he’s able to free his head from the choke and take Side Mount for himself! He moves to take Full Mount and maybe start pounding out this fight himself, but Sadie manages to catch him and recover half-guard, then full guard. There’s a lot of jockeying for position between the two once Sadie’s guard is locked; Andrei works to pass, but Sadie keeps him in place, then Sadie attempts a sweep, but Andrei keeps firm and prevents her from turning him over. Eventually, Andrei manages to stuff one of Sadie’s legs and starts to pass to half-guard, but Sadie manages to snag a butterfly hook and turn Andrei over–then releases it, straight into an armbar! Andrei postures up and tries to free his arm, but Sadie rolls through and turns it into a belly-down armbar, which abruptly forces Andrei to tap!
Winner: Sadie Williams by Submission (Armbar) at 2:55 Round 2
Statistics: Sadie Williams
Punches 0/1 (0%)
Kicks 0/0 (0%)
Clinch strikes 0/0 (0%)
Takedowns 2/2 (100%)
GnP strikes 10/25 (40%)
Submissions 6/6 (100%)
Clinch Attempts 0/0 (0%)
Time on the ground 380 s
Statistics: Andrei Kozlov
Punches 0/0 (0%)
Kicks 0/0 (0%)
Clinch strikes 0/0 (0%)
Takedowns 0/0 (0%)
GnP strikes 0/0 (0%)
Submissions 2/2 (100%)
Clinch Attempts 0/0 (0%)
Time on the ground 380 s
Kayla Chapman’s Opinion: I’ve watched most of Sadie’s career, and I gotta say, it’s really uncommon for someone to flow with her the way Andrei was able to; this bordered on something you’d see at a Submission Madness more than an MMA fight, but personally? I enjoyed it. That said, the stats tell a lot of the story–Andrei threw up a couple submissions, but the fight was largely dictated by Sadie, and she eventually found that arm for the submission. Great grappling exhibition at 145 lbs.
What It Means: Two second-round wins and a draw puts Sadie on 11 points, and books her spot in the Featherweight Championship fight. Easy money would be that she faces Masami Rose, but a Jethro Benson win can change up the whole landscape of 145 lbs. Andrei ends the round-robin 0-3.
What’s Next: Sadie Williams faces either Masami Rose or Jethro Benson for the Featherweight Championship.
ROUND ONE: Both fighters, having just watched Sadie Williams punch her ticket to the championship fight, will know the equation is simple for them: win, and you’re in! And yall, does Jethro Benson seem to know that fact, straight out the gate. He touches gloves with Masami Rose, and absolutely LAUNCHES a Superman Punch, that only juuuuuuuust misses Masami; that what might very well have been a knockout shot, if it landed, but Masami’s able to avoid it and counter with a blistering right hook that stumbles Jethro to the mat! Benson scrambles back to his feet before Masami can engage on the ground, and keeps his foot on the gas, pressing forward a brilliant three punch combination, but Masami’s able to get his hands up and block the incoming punches; Jethro may not have landed solidly in the combo, but he’s able to keep Masami on the back foot, and changes levels to shoot for a single leg takedown! Masami has to struggle to keep his balance, but he’s able to, and ultimately frees his leg and circles away from Jethro, who already looks a little annoyed with the way the early part of the fight is playing out. And Masami snapping off a kick to the body that lands with a THUD won’t do anything to help Jethro’s mood. Jethro throws another quick one-two combo that Masami evades, but he manages to get in close and tie Masami up in a clinch–only to eat a big uppercut that snaps his head back! Masami pushes Jethro away before landing a couple big straight punches, then a digging hook to the body that has Jethro wincing. Masami drops for a takedown while Jethro’s in pain, and easily drives him to the mat–and Masami doesn’t waste time with positions, he just starts RAINING DOWN PUNCHES on Jethro, forcing Jack Gibbs to warn Benson to defend. He manages to tie up Masami’s arms and stall the fight out, eventually getting his feet to Masami’s hips and pushing him away, getting space to scramble back to his feet. And Masami…well, he doesn’t take kindly to that; as soon as the fight’s restarted, he SLAMS an overhand right into Jethro’s nose, that…guys, I’m pretty sure he broke Jethro’s nose, there is a LOT of blood, and he’s clearly staggered! Rose lands a couple more big shots to the head, before ducking under a surprisingly powerful straight right from Jethro and hitting another easy takedown! Masami slams a few hammerfists in that get Jack Gibbs’ attention again, and Jethro has to cover up–but he can’t defend everything Masami’s throwing at him, eventually forcing Jack to wave the fight off to protect Jethro from any more shots.
Winner: Masami Rose by KO (GnP) at 4:44 Round 1
Statistics: Masami Rose
Punches 13/16 (81%)
Kicks 1/1 (100%)
Clinch strikes 0/0 (0%)
Takedowns 2/2 (100%)
GnP strikes 12/12 (100%)
Submissions 0/0 (0%)
Clinch Attempts 0/1 (0%)
Time on the ground 63 s
Statistics: Jethro Benson
Punches 0/23 (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 0/1 (0%)
Time on the ground 87 s
Kayla Chapman’s Opinion: Yanno, watching this fight, I didn’t think the statline would look quite like THAT; Jethro didn’t connect on anything? I find that kinda hard to believe–nonetheless, an impressive display from Masami Rose, who scores 6 points and punctuates a fantastic round robin tournament with a beautiful display. I said after his first fight in Vancouver, Prodigy may have themselves a diamond in this young man, and if he can give a performance like this again, he may well be wearing the 145 lb championship in a few weeks.
What It Means: A six point win tonight brings Masami to 11 points and safely books his rematch with Sadie, in a way that guarantees we have a winner this time. Jethro ends the round robin with 3 points, a grinding decision win over Andrei Kozlov, but with room for improvement if he chooses to come back.
What’s Next: Masami Rose fights Sadie Williams for the Featherweight Championship.
ROUND ONE: Knowing only a first round finish would be good enough, we almost got potentially the shock of the season when Yoshida Sanzo nearly took down Mauro Santos de Lima with the very first punch of the fight! A wicked overhand right stumbles the Brazilian backwards, but he recovers well and counters with an absolutely bone-shattering straight left hand as Yoshida engages! With Sanzo stunned, a familiar refrain takes place–Mauro shoots a single leg takedown, drives Yoshida to the mat, but Yoshida flips the script and sweeps Mauro over, taking Full Mount for himself! Mauro manages to recover half-guard with relative ease, then quick as a flash he shrimps out, frees his leg, and throws up an Omoplata! Yoshida doesn’t even know what hit him, before he’s forced to tap!
Winner: Mauro Santos de Lima by Submission (Omoplata) at 1:58 Round 1
Statistics: Mauro Santos de Lima
Punches 5/9 (56%)
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 38 s
Statistics: Yoshida Sanzo
Punches 4/8 (50%)
Kicks 0/0 (0%)
Clinch strikes 0/0 (0%)
Takedowns 0/0 (0%)
GnP strikes 0/1 (0%)
Submissions 0/0 (0%)
Clinch Attempts 0/0 (0%)
Time on the ground 38 s
Kayla Chapman’s Opinion: Yoshida Sanzo needed a first round finish after Milo Dragomir got a second rounder earlier this evening, and god bless him, he went for it, but Mauro did what he’s done all season: drag the fight to the mat, and find ways to get his opponents out of there. Both men had their moments in a relatively short fight–if that overhand at the start of the fight lands with just a little more power, we may be having a totally different discussion. But it’s Mauro who gets his hand raised, and goes into the Cruiserweight Championship fight on the back of a perfect round robin.
What It Means: Mauro Santos de Lima was already qualified for the Cruiserweight Championship fight, but Yoshida Sanzo had a chance to qualify with a first round win–unfortunately, with the loss, he was eliminated, and gave Milo Dragomir his berth in the final.
What’s Next: Mauro Santos de Lima faces Milo Dragomir for the Cruiserweight Championship.
ROUND ONE: One point separates Alekzander Kristiansen and Ricky Jackson, coming into tonight’s fight; both men lost to Kian De Beer, both men beat Gavin Watts–Jackson with a slick Armbar submission at the very very VERY last second of his fight in Vancouver, Kristiansen with a spectacular second round head kick knockout in Seattle. So all either man has to do here is win–and they’re understandably cautious as the fight begins, not wanting to give an opportunity to the other man. A lot of circling, a lot of pawing, before Jackson makes the first attack, a solid leg kick that just gets checked; Kristiansen counters with a big right hand that Jackson parries. Jackson responds with a quick one-two, and both men just start throwing punches–to Ricky’s detriment, as Kristiansen definitely gets the better of the exchange, forcing Ricky to try to clinch up to slow Alekzander’s flurry down. Kristiansen shucks him off and circles away, slamming in a leg kick as Ricky pursues him back to the center of the cage. Ricky keeps pressing the action, but it’s Kristiansen on the offensive, narrowly missing with a quick combination, but managing to grab hold of Ricky in a Thai clinch–and launches a powerful knee that cracks Jackson just below the ribs! Ricky tries to get away, but Kristiansen holds tight and slams in a couple big body shots, a couple big knees, just raining down big, powerful strikes! Ricky starts to make space on the fence, so Kristiansen drops and tries for a double leg takedown, but Ricky’s able to resist and keep the fight on the feet; it takes some doing, but Ricky’s able to pummel to a better position, turn Kristiansen against the cage, and then he’s able to secure a quick trip takedown. Ricky’s able to pass to Side Mount initially, but Kristiansen scrambles to recover his guard before any damage can be done. Ricky tries to pass right back to half-guard, but Alekzander times his movements perfectly and turns Ricky over, taking Full Mount and immediately swinging his leg around to go for a Mounted Triangle! He almost gets it secured, but Ricky’s able to squirm his head free–but Kristiansen keeps the mount, forcing Ricky to start from scratch to recover his position. It’s a scramble from Ricky to get any form of guard back before Alekzander can unload with any ground and pound, but he’s eventually able to secure a butterfly hook and just push Kristiansen away, scrambling to his feet. On the feet may not be where Ricky wants to be, though, as Kristiansen throws a big right hook that connects, followed by a powerful leg kick that leaves a notable red welt on Jackson’s thigh. A big overhand from Kristiansen nearly ends the fight, and then, for some reason known only to him, Alekzander drives a double leg takedown! He scoops Ricky off the mat, SLAMMING him down and passing to Side Mount just before the horn sounds to end the round.
Kayla Chapman’s Scorecard (Unofficial): 10-9 Kristiansen — Positional dominance, better striking exchanges, but I don’t think significant enough damage was done to justify a 10-8, especially as Ricky was able to get some good moments of his own. Definitely an easy round to score for Kristiansen, though.
ROUND TWO: Ricky obviously knows he lost round one, as he comes out guns blazing–he rushes forward, jabbing into range, then slamming in a kick to the knee that wrenches Kristiansen’s leg. Alekzander sneers and steps in with a big looping right hand that forces Jackson to back up. Despite the damage done to his leg, Kristiansen presses forward with quick-fire straight punches that back Jackson up toward the fence, giving Alekzander a chance to grab hold of him and pin him up against the cage. Jackson tries to break away, but Kristiansen slams a knee in that almost buckles Ricky to the mat! Ricky’s able to recover, though, keeping the clinch close and preventing Kristiansen from getting any more space to attack. There’s a long, grinding battle for control, before Ricky’s able to push off the fence and turn Alekzander’s back to the cage instead. Ricky drops for a double leg takedown, and while Kristiansen obviously knows it’s coming, he can only defend so much, pinned back against the cage, and eventually Ricky’s able to scoops his legs out from under him. Kristiansen retains his guard, though, and Ricky has to work to pass even as far as half-guard–only to get stopped by Darrell Stevens, who stands the fighters up? O…kay, we really gotta get better about this, but whatever. Kristiansen clearly wanted the fight on the mat, as right off the restart, he pumps a one-two combo, then drops for a single leg and trips Ricky to the mat, passing with relative ease to half-guard, then to Side Mount, only to get caught getting too aggressive; Kristiansen tries to move to mount, but Ricky catches him in the motion and turns him over, taking top position for himself! Kristiansen has to shrimp out to recover half-guard, but the fight stalls out there, and this time I understand the stand up when Darrell Stevens calls for it. Ricky misses with a body kick on the restart, then the horn sounds to end the round.
Kayla Chapman’s Scorecard (Unofficial): 10-9 Kristiansen (20-18 Kristiansen) — Ricky had some better moments in this round, but that knee very much could’ve been the finish if Kristiansen had pressed the action. Not a decisive round like the first, but I give it to Kristiansen.
ROUND THREE: Kristiansen opens round 3 obviously looking for the finish–he nearly collapses Ricky’s nose into his face with a big straight right, then a left hook clips the Brit in the chin! Ricky somehow has the wherewithal to avoid a massive high kick, but he can’t get out of the way of the follow-up uppercut that rocks his head back! Kristiansen unloads with everything he has, every punch thrown with bad intentions, and it looks like Ricky might crumble at any second…but somehow, he stays on his feet, despite another big uppercut and a looping overhand right that clips him in the chin! Darrell Stevens is watching closely to make sure Ricky’s able to defend himself, but he’s at least throwing punches in response to Kristiansen’s flurry, so the fight continues–whether that’s good or bad for Ricky, as he eats another big uppercut. Oddly, it’s almost like that shot woke him up, as he’s able to parry the next one and tie Kristiansen up in a Thai clinch, at least for a moment, before Kristiansen shoves him away and chases him down with a flurry of straight shots! Now pinned up against the cage, Kristiansen slams a couple shots to the body before backing away from the clinch, beckoning Ricky forward despite his own gas tank looking a little drained. Jackson throws a stiff straight left that Kristiansen avoids by dropping levels and driving Ricky to the mat with a double leg takedown! Alekzander takes a big deep breath, then just starts SLAMMING down blows from the top, forcing Darrell Stevens to warn Ricky to defend himself; Kristiansen passes to half-guard and postures up, dropping a couple big elbows before moving to Side Mount, then to Full Mount! Thirty seconds left in the fight, and Ricky’s obviously worn out–his only defense is to roll to his back and turtle up, but Kristiansen wants the finish; he digs for a Rear Naked Choke, but in the process, accidentally gets a finger in Jackson’s eye. Darrell Stevens stops the fight, with 5 seconds left–and penalizes Kristiansen a point. I…I’d be more upset if the scores here weren’t pretty obvious, but seriously? Come on, Darrell. Ricky gets the time he needs to recover, but neither man can do anything with five seconds left, and the horn sounds.
Kayla Chapman’s Scorecard (Unofficial): 9-8 Kristiansen (29-26 Kristiansen) — The most dominant round of the three, Kristiansen had a few moments there where he probably could’ve finished the fight. That point deduction was freaking ridiculous, but I’ll get into that after we see the scores.
. JUDGES’ SCORECARDS .
Alekzander Kristiansen 10 10 9: 29
Ricky Jackson 8 9 8: 25
Alekzander Kristiansen 10 10 9: 29
Ricky Jackson 8 9 8: 25
Alekzander Kristiansen 10 10 9: 29
Ricky Jackson 8 9 8: 25
Winner: Alekzander Kristiansen by Unanimous Decision
Statistics: Alekzander Kristiansen
Punches 26/44 (59%)
Kicks 5/8 (62%)
Clinch strikes 14/18 (78%)
Takedowns 3/3 (100%)
GnP strikes 8/22 (36%)
Submissions 1/1 (100%)
Clinch Attempts 1/2 (50%)
Time on the ground 324 s
Statistics: Ricky Jackson
Punches 0/5 (0%)
Kicks 1/3 (33%)
Clinch strikes 0/1 (0%)
Takedowns 1/1 (100%)
GnP strikes 0/0 (0%)
Submissions 1/1 (100%)
Clinch Attempts 2/2 (100%)
Time on the ground 324 s
Kayla Chapman’s Opinion: Okay. Before I get into it, let’s talk about the fight. Largely a one-sided contest, Alekzander Kristiansen showed up to claim his spot in the Welterweight Championship fight, and he did it in impressive fashion. I’m not sure I buy round 1 as a 10-8, Ricky had his moments early on, but he just seemed to gas out as time went on, and Alekzander kept pressing forward, no matter how much energy he was taking out of himself. A win was all either man needed, so Kristiansen won’t necessarily rue the missed chances for a finish, but you can tell he wanted it. Alekzander will need all he showed tonight and more to turn his loss to Kian De Beer around, but if he can bring it out in San Francisco, we may have a massive upset at 170 lbs. As for Ricky, he showed glimmers of a fantastic fighter this season, but there’s…something keeping him from reaching that next level. I’m not sure what it is, but hopefully he can find and refine it to make the most of his potential
BUT, now that we’ve covered the fight, and the fighters, LET’S TALK ABOUT THE FOULS THIS SEASON. Because goodness gracious, the only point dedication I can kind of accept this entire season, was the second point taken from Alex Hughes back in Vancouver. This was incidental contact, AT BEST. Absolutely, give Ricky the time to recover if he needs it, but there’s no way Alekzander poked him in the eye deliberately, least of all with five seconds left in a fight he was dominating, COME ON. We gotta figure out when to take points and when not to, I’m getting heated about this.
What It Means: A win was all either man needed, it didn’t matter how they did it so long as someone got their hand raised–truth be told, this probably should’ve been more than a 3 point win for Alekzander, he had chances to finish it, but a win is a win in this case, and he’s clinched his spot opposite Kian De Beer for the Welterweight Championship. Ricky Jackson had some high spots in this tournament, but at 1-2, he’s eliminated.
What’s Next: Alekzander Kristiansen faces Kian De Beer for the Welterweight Championship.
ROUND ONE: With Alexandra Hughes’ victory earlier in the evening, this fight becomes sudden death for both ladies’ seasons, and they obviously know that. As soon as the fight starts, a wild exchange of punches kicks off, and both ladies land some BIG shots! It’s ultimately Victoria that gets the better of the exchange, clipping Ronnie with a big right hook, before landing an absolutely CRUSHING Superman Punch that nearly buckles Ronnie’s knees, and leaves her with a cut over her left eye! Victoria doesn’t ease off the gas, jabbing her way back into range before connecting with a three punch combo, right, left, then a big right uppercut that wobbles Ronnie! Marshall punctuates the combo with a DRIVING double leg takedown that plants Ronnie on her back, pinned up against the cage. It’s a struggle for Marshall to pass from here, so she just hammers Ronnie’s ribs to try to make space; eventually, a moment’s lapse in defense gives Victoria a chance to pass to half-guard, but Ronnie clamps down on her and doesn’t let her get any further. Colin Davenport gives both ladies a warning that they’ll be stood up, and that spurs Victoria into action; a couple more shots to the body, then she slides her leg through and passes to Side Mount, then to Full Mount! And then…they get stood up anyway? Sure, Colin. Whatever you say. Victoria’s clearly not thrilled with the restart, and she makes that point by dragging the fight right back to the mat, this time with a powerful double leg slam; she easily passes to Side Mount this time, then to Full Mount again! For a second, I thought Victoria was looking at the clock to see how much time was left in the round, but then I realized she’s staring at the official as if to make her point that this is what she was working for, as she blocked Ronnie’s attempt to escape from the mount–and took her back in the process! Marshall wastes no time and absolutely HAMMERS down elbows to the side of Ronnie’s head, opening up a brutal looking cut, until Colin has to step in and wave the fight off!
Winner: Victoria Marshall by TKO (GnP) at 4:42 Round 1
Statistics: Victoria Marshall
Punches 7/7 (100%)
Kicks 0/0 (0%)
Clinch strikes 0/0 (0%)
Takedowns 2/2 (100%)
GnP strikes 13/17 (76%)
Submissions 0/0 (0%)
Clinch Attempts 0/0 (0%)
Time on the ground 200 s
Statistics: Ronnie Banks
Punches 3/4 (75%)
Kicks 0/0 (0%)
Clinch strikes 0/1 (0%)
Takedowns 0/0 (0%)
GnP strikes 0/0 (0%)
Submissions 0/0 (0%)
Clinch Attempts 0/0 (0%)
Time on the ground 200 s
Kayla Chapman’s Opinion: I know, I know, I’ve talked about this a lot, but guys…talk about a transformation over her Everest career, Twin Cities took a girl short on confidence but high on potential and have completely turned Victoria Marshall’s career around. I have to bring up the injury suffered in Seattle: it didn’t seem to hinder her too much tonight, but she was definitely focusing her strikes mainly on her right arm. Something to keep an eye on for San Francisco. As for Ronnie Banks, she looked like a killer against Tatiana Ruiz in Seattle; I think she’s got a pretty high upside overall, I’d like to see her back in Everest next season to improve her skills, but Victoria just shut her down here tonight in what was a pretty dominant performance.
What It Means: This fight was win and you’re in, so Victoria Marshall claims her spot in the Flyweight Championship fight, eliminates Ronnie Banks in the process, and sets up an intriguing title fight for San Francisco.
What’s Next: Victoria Marshall fights Alexandra Hughes for the Flyweight Championship.
Venue: Moda Center
Location: Portland, Oregon
Attendance: 11,886
Date: December 18, 2022
Fighter Payouts: $495,000
Gate: $891,450
FIGHT OF THE NIGHT
N/A
PERFORMANCE OF THE NIGHT
Alekzander Kristiansen, Masami Rose, Milo Dragomir
DISCLOSED EARNINGS
Victoria Marshall ($70,000)
Alekzander Kristiansen ($45,000)
Ricky Jackson ($40,000)
Sadie Williams ($40,000)
Ronnie Banks ($35,000)
Masami Rose ($35,000)
Milo Dragomir ($35,000)
Mauro Santos de Lima ($25,000)
Kian De Beer ($25,000)
Alex Hughes ($25,000)
Yoshida Sanzo ($20,000)
Jethro Benson ($20,000)
Andrei Kozlov ($20,000)
Gavin Watts ($20,000)
Spyro Chronis ($20,000)
Tatiana Ruiz ($20,000)
QUICK RECAP
Alex Hughes def. Tatiana Ruiz by KO (Punches) at 2:40 Round 1
Milo Dragomir def. Spyro Chronis by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 5:00 Round 2
Kian De Beer def. Gavin Watts by TKO (Punches) at 0:36 Round 1
Sadie Williams def. Andrei Kozlov by Submission (Armbar) at 2:55 Round 2
Masami Rose def. Jethro Benson by KO (GnP) at 4:44 Round 1
Mauro Santos de Lima def. Yoshida Sanzo by Submission (Omoplata) at 1:58 Round 1
Alekzander Kristiansen def. Ricky Jackson by Unanimous Decision (29-25 x3)
Victoria Marshall def. Ronnie Banks by TKO (GnP) at 4:42 Round 1
CRUISERWEIGHT
➖ #1 [18 pts.] Mauro Santos de Lima (8-0-0)
➖ #2 [11 pts.] Milo Dragomir (10-3-0)
▼ #3 [06 pts.] Yoshida Sanzo (8-5-0)
➖ #4 [00 pts.] Spyro Chronis (5-3-0)
WELTERWEIGHT
➖ #1 [18 pts.] Kian De Beer (8-0-0)
➖ #2 [08 pts.] Alekzander Kristiansen (11-2-0)
➖ #3 [04 pts.] Ricky Jackson (6-10-0)
➖ #4 [00 pts.] Gavin Watts (6-5-0)
FEATHERWEIGHT
➖ #1 [11 pts.] Sadie Williams (9-5-1)
▲ #1 [11 pts.] Masami Rose (10-1-1)
➖ #3 [03 pts.] Jethro Benson (13-7-0)
➖ #4 [00 pts.] Andrei Kozlov (9-7-0)
FLYWEIGHT
➖ #1 [14 pts.] Victoria Marshall (5-5-1)
▲ #2 [11 pts.] Alex Hughes (12-1-0)
▼ #3 [06 pts.] Ronnie Banks (8-2-0)
➖ #4 [00 pts.] Tatiana Ruiz (4-4-0)
▲ = Ascend in Rankings
▼ = Descend in Rankings
➖ = No Change
