LXF 2: Chad George Wins Final Fight Of Career

Also: Former NFL player Chrs McCain wins MMA debut with TKO; Heavyweight title changes hands; Papazian falls short in comeback fight; Khashakyan continues KO streak

BURBANK, California - Chad George marked the end of his remarkable 15-year career with an arm triangle choke submission victory over Hector Valenzuela in the Lights Out Xtreme Fightingcage during LXF 2 on July 6 at the Burbank Marriott Convention Center. 

The fistic fireworks will air on select Fox Sports networks in California (Los Angeles; July 11 at 8 p.m. PST), San Diego, Texas, Florida, Arizona and Ohio, and will re-air again thereafter multiple times. Check local TV listings for a full, updated schedule.

The LXF provided George, a Southern California staple and fan favorite to have a platform for his retirement fight, and the 37-year-old former Bellator and WEC veteran took full advantage of the opportunity. George dominated Valenzuela from stem to stern in his final swan song and finished his career with an 18-8 record, with a four-fight winning streak to boot. George had over 200 friends and family attend the fight and provide an electric fight atmosphere. For his cage walk, he was chaperoned by students from CMMA, the Los Angeles-based gym that he owns and operates. After his convincing victory, George placed his gloves in the middle of the mat and walked out of the LXF cage one last time, and announced that he's now fully committing himself to groom the next wave of up-and-coming MMA fighters.

Much like George's ambitions in developing the generation of MMA talent, the LXF's mission is to offer athletes from other sports a platform to step into the cage and pursue their dreams as fighters.

Former NFL defensive lineman Chris McCain seized the opportunity and took the stage in his MMA debut with a TKO victory over Jamal Harris. McCain, who played 35 career games for the Chargers, Dolphins and Saints, looked every part fighter in his two-round destruction as he put on a powerful performance in front of his childhood friend and former teammate Keenan Allen, and other football luminaries like Lavar Arrington.

With the help of former NFL legend and LXF co-founder Shawne Merriman, McCain wore his Chargers jersey during his post-fight celebration, but made it very clear afterward—MMA and the LXFis his new career. 

LXF, a reimagination of the long popular California Xtreme Fighting (CXF) league, also crowned a new heavyweight champion when it awarded Jay Silvathe title. During the Friday weigh in, May and Silva were involved in a scuffle that forced the California State Athletic Commision to levy a fine and suspension. May did not accept the fine of his purse for the fight, so the tilt was called off, and it forced a change of hands in title to Silva.

In a separate title fight, former CXF champion AJ Bryant defeated Jared Papazian via second round knockout. Bryant, who was two pounds overweight, however, could not claim the title due to the discrepancy. Papazian, a former King of the Cage champion and UFC veteran showed no signs of rust following a two-year layoff and looked every part game for the fight in a competitive first round. He was caught, however, with a right from Bryant and collapsed to the mat shortly after where his opponent finished the fight in exhilarating fashion. 

Six other action-packed fights rounded out the second installment of LXF.

Knockout machine Alfred Khashakyan scored his tenth career victory and defeated Keith Carson via first round TKO. It was Khashakyan's second-consecutive first-round victory for LXF.

Following a loss at LXF 1, Julian Baez got back into the win column and defeated Roberto Romero by unanimous decision (30-27 x3).

Gilbert Nakatani scored a come-from-behind win over Mykola Aivazian with a second-round bulldog choke in a battle between two combatants with a wrestling-heavy background.

Blake Bilder survived a cut over his left eyebrow and took the fight to the ground for three grueling rounds and defeated Derion Chapman by unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27 x2).

Alex Trinidad bloodied and dominated Brian Del Rosario with several takedowns and followed up with impressive ground and pound en route to a unanimous decision victory (30-25, 30-26, 29-27).

With judo legend Gokor Chivichyan standing in his corner, Sergio Perez survived a scare when he was almost choked out to defeat Taylor Alfaro with an armbar in round 3.

LXF3 will take place September 21, 2019 at Commerce Casino in Los Angeles. 

For more information, tickets, news and developments, visit www.LightsOutXF.com, and follow along online on the following LXF platforms - Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and the LXF Newsletter.

RESULTS FROM DTLA FIGHTS 5: CHURCHILL CHALLENGE

Once again, the punches were flying in bunches at one of the hottest clubs in in Downtown Los Angeles , Exchange L.A.. PR Sports, Bash Boxing, and Churchill Boxing Club teamed up to present the inaugural Churchill Challenge.  Eight professional bouts, a live music act, a capacity crowd, and an awesome atmosphere for boxing engulfed DTLA last Thursday night. 

In the Fight Of The Night, Burbank’s favorite son Damien Lopez remained unbeaten as a professional, dispatching WSB veteran Siddharth Varma  by  4^thround knockout.  The aggressive Varma seemed to catch Lopez of guard with his volume in the first round and had Lopez’ large contingency of fans worried.  Varma even began showboating and taunting Lopez as the two duked it out in an entertaining back and forth brawl.  But Varma began to fade late in the third round as Lopez began imposing his will.  After eating a nasty liver shot from Lopez in the fourth, Varma appeared to freeze and doubled over in pain in the middle of the ring.  After admiring his work for a moment, Lopez swarmed in as Varma collapsed in a heap.  Referee Rudy Barragan waived the fight off without even issuing a count.  Lopez improves to 7-0-1 with the KO win over the game Varma (4-2-1). 

In the closest bout of the evening, Gloferson Ortizo and unbeaten Mario Esparza went toe-to-toe for 6 rounds before needing the judges scorecards to sort things out.  Ortizo was able to score effectively when working at range, however his tenacious opponent kept breaking down that range by creating angles and landing effective counter punches.  Judge Kristi Rosario had Esparza taking the bout 58-56, while Judges Marty Denkin and Timothy Hick both saw the bout 58-56 the other way and awarded Ortizo a razor close split decision victory.  Ortizo rebounds from his only loss as a pro and improves his record to 13-1-1 while Esparza suffers his first defeat to go to 4-1-2. 

Super featherweight prospect Adan Ochoa (7-1) dropped his opponent James Thomas (6-4) early with a nasty flurry that pretty much set the tone for the rest of the fight. The long and lanky Thomas did his best to stay in the fight, firing missiles that had previously resulted in all six of his wins coming by knockout.  But Ochoa withstood the Thomas’ assaults and knocked him down again in the third round.  After Thomas rose slowly to his feet, Ochoa put together the fight ending combination that dropped Thomas for the final time as Referee Raul Caiz Sr. stepped in to call the bout. 

Local fan favorite “Bad News” Brandyn Lynch emerged victorious in a tough 6 round decision against upset specialist Tavorus Teague.  Lynch kept trying to work his way inside to get to the body of his opponent, but the elusive scrapper Teague kept utilizing frenetic movement and awkward angles to keep himself out of harms way every time Lynch would engage. Showing excellent patience Lynch refused to be lured in and did not over pursue Teague, instead he kept boxing at range looking for an opening. The strategy paid off in the fourth round when Lynch caught Teague flush with a heavy shot that dropped him to the canvas. Teague quickly brushed off the knockdown but was unable to get his offense going as Lynch cruised to the unanimous decision victory (60-53 on all three scorecards) and a 6-1 professional record.

Undefeated Kareem Hackett treated his loud and boisterous crowd of supporters to his fourth win against the heavy handed David Damore.  Hackett found success early, working effectively behind his jab and continuously peppering his shorter opponent with long snapping shots. Damore walked through most of the shots unfazed, but the accumulation of blows began to leave their mark. Unable to put his opponent away, Hackett found himself relying on the judges for the first time in his young career but was awarded every round on the scorecards. 

18 year-old Anthony Garnica (1-0) made a successful professional debut, and did so in quick fashion needing only 2:37 to earn his first victory at the expense of Obed Fernandez (0-3).  Despite outweighing Garnica by nearly 5 pounds at the weigh-in, Fernandez was on the defensive early and often and appeared overwhelmed with the reach of his taller opponent.  Garnica continually tattooed Fernandez with long straight punches to the head and dropped him with multiple shots to the body.  After Fernandez answered the referee’s count, Garnica continued his onslaught and finished the fight with the very next combination he landed.  

East Los Angeles native Ruben Campos came out with both gins blazing despite receiving a nasty head-butt from veteran Thomas Herrera that left a gash on his forehead and prompted a brief stoppage. Campos showed excellent composure after the incidental blow and stayed true to his game plan. Herrera kept charging forward until Campos dropped him with a blistering combination. Referee Rudy Barragan allowed Herrera to survive another knockdown but then ended up stepping in to stop the bout at 2:27 of the very first round.   Campos improves to 5-0.

In a battle of winless fighters, Ivan Ortiz got off the schneid with a one-sided unanimous decision (40-36 on all judges scorecards) against Patrick Gutierrez.  Ortiz improves to 1-1-1 while the game Gutierrez will continue to look for that elusive first victory.

Results From Hollywood Fight Night 12

 By Chris Strait

You never know what you're going to get at a Bash Boxing show. Returning to its original home at Florentine Gardens in Hollywood, fans were treated to not only 10 pro boxing matches, but also a professional wrestling intermission 6-man tag team and a live “mini” reenactment of the Manny Pacquiao vs. Lucas Matthysse fight, conducted by two little people. 

In the pro boxing action, Uzbek Olympic silver medalist from the 2016 Rio games, Shakhram Giyasov (3-0) scored a 1st round knockout over Daniel Echaverria, who drops to 19-6 with 17 Knockouts. A devastating body punch dropped the Mexican fighter just past the one minute mark of the first round. Echeverria stood up well in time but spit out his mouthpiece. Referee Raul Caiz Sr. proceeded to suddenly stopped the fight. Echevarria's Corner protested, but to no avail. Giyazov is now 3-0, 2 KOs while his three opponents have a combined record of 53-17.

In the co-main event, local hero Jessy Martinez made it a perfect 10-for-10 in his young career, scoring a fourth round stoppage over Cuban Yunier Calzada. Calzada had never been stopped in his previous nine fights and showed his might over the first three rounds of the fight. But Calzada was badly rocked in the fourth by Martinez, which prompted “El Mago” to unload a barrage of punishing blows until referee Ray Corona stepped in to stop the contest. Martinez is now 10-0 with 7 knockouts, while Calzada falls to 6-4-1.

Welterweight Damien Lopez, 6-0-1-4 KOs, of Burbank, California, scored his second consecutive later round TKO in the most entertaining scrap of the night. This time it was over Liberian import and local L.A. Fighter Isaac Freeman. Freeman, now trained by former gold medalist Henry Tillman, exhibited an aggressive come-forward style heart and landed several flush shots on Lopez. But Lopez gradually wore down Freeman and the bout was stopped with Freeman helpless along the ropes in round 4. 

Rudy Garcia moved to eight wins without a loss, as he scored a shutout 6 round decision over Edward Ceballos, 7-3-1-3KOs. Ceballos deserved a little bit better on the scorecards, but the right man got the decision. Good action throughout, as Garcia showed maturity that belied his 21 years, cutting off the ring very effectively. 

Murodian Akhmadeliev (“MJ”), thoroughly outboxed Argentine fighter Luis Fernando Molina.  Southpaw MJ was a bronze medalist in the 2016 Olympics for his native Uzbekistan and showed his pedigree throughout the contest. MJ did an excellent Sergio Martinez impression against his Argentine opponent, fighting with his hands down and proving very elusive with his movement. A bit too much showboating cost MJ a point when some of his shots fell below the belt. But the entertaining MJ still shutout the game Molina, improving to a perfect 3-0 as a pro. Molina drops to 7 wins, 5 losses and one draw with two knockouts.

In opening action, Salvador Perez, 4-0-1, received the first blemish on his career, as he was held to a draw by spoiler Kevin Shacks, 2-2-3, 2KOs in a 4 round welterweight bout.  Not a bad decision, but one could have made the argument for Shacks getting the nod on the scorecards. Good body work by both men.

Southpaw Alexey Mazur showed maturity in winning a unanimous decision over Markus Jones in a junior welterweight fight. It was a more competitive affair than the scores indicated but in the end, the fighter from St. Petersburg, Russia had the superior skills, counterpunching, and experience. Jones is now 1-2, while Mazur is 2-0, 1KO.

Steven Pichardo overcame a rough first round against veteran spoiler Evan Torres to take a 4 round majority decision win. Pichardo, of Torrance, finally figured out his aggressive opponent and established distance with the jab, while also landing hard shots inside. Torres dropped to 7 - 6, with 5 Knockouts. Pichardo is now 4-1, with three straight wins.

Israel Mercado scored a first-round knockout at 2 minutes and 39 seconds over Daniel Bastien in a lightweight fight. Bastien was staggered all over the ring, and finally dropped with a temple shot, after which the bout was stopped.

Darel Harris, 1-3-1, looked merely to survive against Ashkat Ualikhanov.  The Kazakh fighter, who was disqualified in his debut, has now won three straight. Harris was penalized a point for refusing to engage in round 4.

Ring announcer was Barry Eget. CBS SportsLive commentary team was Todd Keneley, Jonathan King, and Chris Strait. Others in attendance included Light Heavyweight Champion Dmitry Bivol, Hall of Fame boxer and trainer James Buddy McGirt, Two-time trainer of the year Jack Mosley, Former Cruiserweight Champion Denis Lebedev, Former Light Middleweight Champion Roman Karmazin, former Heavyweight Champion Prince Charles Martin, and undefeated prospects Arnold Barbosa and Zhora Hamazaryan.

BASH BOXING’S VALLEY FIGHT NIGHT DELIVERS AGAIN

 Story: Chris Strait

Photo Credit: Richard De La Cruz (35 Raw)

A packed house at The Burbank Marriott Events Center played host to Bash Boxing's latest incarnation of Valley Fight Night on Friday April 20, 2018.  The promotion’s industry wide reputation of stellar matchmaking did not disappoint once again.  Nearly every fight on the 8-bout show was a brawl, featuring 6 decisions that were book-ended by KOs.   Friday’s show was also broadcast CBS SPORTS DIGITAL’s OTT service, CBS SportsLive. 

In the featured bout of the evening, Burbank's own Damien Lopez won a hard earned TKO victory over Rodolfo Gamez in a welterweight battle.  Gamez showed the same toughness that led him to an upset victory over previously undefeated Ronnie Biggers on the last Valley Fight Night show.  But this time Gamez was clearly bothered in the first three rounds by the local favorite’s body shots and relentless attack.  The referee kept a close eye on things at the end of round 4, as Gamez was taking punishment along the ropes.  Only 8 seconds into the 5th round of a scheduled 6, Lopez dropped Gamez with a left hook and the bout was waved off.  Lopez moves to 5-0-1 with 3 KOs.  Gamez, who has now fought an undefeated fighter in all 7 of his professional bouts, drops to 2-5.

In the co-feature, another welterweight battle took place.  This time between young unbeaten prospects with decorated amateur backgrounds.  Egis Klimas, manager of Vasyl Lomachenko and Sergei Kovalev among others, brought a new prospect into the Bash Boxing ring.  Kazakhstan’s Sagadat Rakhmankulov won a unanimous 6 round decision, moving to 2-0- 1KO, over Bogota, Colombia's Jhon Sanchez Leon.  Leon (3-1- 2 KOs), who was coming off two consecutive wins over undefeated fighters, tried many different approaches and had some offensive success.   But steady work, round by round, was done by Rahkmankulov.  Leon definitely proved to ringside observers that he belongs at a high level in the sport.  But the Kazakh, who is now boxing out of Oxnard in the Lomachencko camp, trumped the Columbian’s efforts on all 3 scorecards.

Houston’s Josue Morales returned after posting a draw with Alexander Enriquez in his last foray into the Bash Boxing ring.  The tough Texan did what he has done in all 15 of his professional fights as he went the distance with popular local icon Rudy “Tiburon” (Shark) Garcia.  It was a tactical 122lb battle in which neither fight was hurt. But it was Garcia who outboxed Morales over 6 rounds. Garcia showed good technique and innovation in finding new ways to split Morales' guard. improving his undefeated record to 7-0 in the unanimous decision win while Garcia drops to 5-7-3 (0 KOs)

In a stunner, Jesus Cruz Bibiano (17-13) was awarded a controversial 6 round decision over previously unbeaten Humberto Velasquez (6-1-2).  Southpaw Velasquez seemed to outwork Bibiano in most rounds, although the former WBF champion landed good counters and kept it somewhat close.  The split decision, by 56-58, 60-54, and 58-54 went against "El Camaron de los Pobres (Poor people's shrimp)" Velasquez.

In the Super Bantamweight opener, former Olympic hopeful and current Tim Bradley protege Santos Ortega needed only a few seconds to end the night of fellow pro debuter Giancarlo Espinoza.  A right to the temple dropped Espinoza, who made no attempt to rise from the crushing blow.

Pro MMA fighter Derrion Chapman continued his moonlight run as a boxer and gave another good account in the Bash Boxing ring as he ran his record to 1-1-1 after a draw with Debuting Gerardo Alvarez in a 4 round welterweight fight.  There was great two-way action throughout, making each round tough to score, as evidenced by 2 judges each having it 40-36 in different directions. The 3rd judge had it even 38-38.  

Lightweight Ricardo "El Conejo (The Rabbit)" Quiroz of Oxnard won a tough majority decision over spoiler Archie Weah.  Weah used movement and gamesmanship to pull even on one card after 4 rounds.   But the steady work of Quiroz took the decision on the other 2 cards.  Weah (2-10) continues to impress against undefeated prospects, but Quiroz improves to 6-0.

In 130lb action, Roger Gutierrez, of Pacoima, CA moved to 7-1-1 with 4 KOs with a unanimous decision over Jordan Baletero (2-6). Nearly all of Baletero's wins and losses have come by KO. And after getting dropped in round one, it looked to be happening again.  However, Baletero showed toughness and made it to the final bell, where he lost 40-35 on all cards.  Gutierrez maintained a steady attack throughout to delight his faithful fans in attendance.

Another successful event has already led to talk about the next show in late June, with rumblings of tournament style shows and the return of Bash Boxing’s popular Hollywood Fight Night series from 2012 to 2015.  

RESULTS FROM VALLEY FIGHT NIGHT IN STUDIO CITY, CALIFORNIA

Story By Chris Strait, Bash Boxing

Photos Courtesy of Richard De La Cruz, 35 Raw

The San Fernando Valley’s only professional boxing show kicked off the 2018 season this past weekend. Despite the NBA All Star Game in town, Valley Fight Night produced another packed house at the World Famous Sportsmen’s Lodge in Studio City, California.  

Valley Fight Night witnessed the return to action of former 140lb contender Art “Lionheart” Hovhannissyan (18-4-3, 10KOs).  Originally scheduled to face Carlos Villa (12-3) before a fight week injury by Villa, the Lionheart scored an easy 1st round TKO over replacement opponent Francisco Medel (12-12, 8KOs).  Medel, of Tuson by way of Mexico, had nothing to offer his opponent and was floored 3 times with body shots before a stoppage was signaled.   The 36 year-old Hovhannissyan, who came out of retirement after going winless in 4 bouts against Top 10 ranked competition, looked brilliant in the beginning of his comeback towards the world rankings. 

In the co-main event, the Valley's own Jessy Martinez (9-0, 5KOs) from Tarzana scored an easier then expected stoppage over San Francisco's Richard Hargraves (3-2-2).  Martinez showed patience in figuring out his foe, who had recently held another 8-0 fighter Flavio Rodriguez to a draw.  But this time, it was all Martinez, as he dropped and stopped Hargarves in the 3^rd with a right hand to the temple.  Hargraves rose but referee Wayne Hedgepeth stopped the fight, as the fighter's legs were very unsteady.

The undercard of Valley Fight Night re-confirmed that boxing’s typical lines of “A sides” and “B sides” get blurred on a Bash Boxing matched card as there were multiple upsets on hand.  

First, John "Joe Louis" Ward of Los Angeles (who has a striking resemblance to the Brown Bomber) made his debut a successful one, stopping crowd favorite Alberto Leyva, of Duarte, CA in the first round.  Ward showed jitters early, but opened up with big shots to drop his awkward foe with a barrage of punches that were punctuated by a big left hook.  Leyva got up and gamely fought back, but was taking punishment along the ropes when the referee stopped it.  Leyva, who had a highlight reel knockout in his Valley Fight Night debut last November, falls to 1-1.

Then, undefeated welterweight Ronnie Biggers was shockingly upset by unheralded, Rodolfo Gamez.  Southpaw Biggers, of Fontana, had staggered and dropped Gamez his over the course of the first two rounds.  Then in the 3^rd round, Gamez decked Biggers with a big right hand.  Gamez's follow up barrage dropped Biggers again and he could not beat the count.  Gamez, of Tucson, improves to 2-4, while Biggers falls to 3-1.

Finally, Dan Diego’s Canton Miller returned to action after a long layoff and won a mild upset over undefeated Ivan Ortiz.  Miller used a switch-hitting stance, as well as his height advantage, to take a unanimous 4 round decision.  Ortiz kept up the pressure, but could not maintain an effective attack.  Miller looked very impressive with his skill set and moved to 3-1 while Ortiz fell to 1-1.

In other undercard action, Gardena's Steven Pichardo scored a wide 4 round decision over UFC and Bellator MMA veteran Estevan Payan.  Payan kept up the pressure, but was being outlanded in the clean shots department by the taller, slicker fighter.  Pichardo moves to 3-1 while Payan falls to 1-4 as a boxer.

Vlad "Superbad" Panin of Los Angeles, by way of Belarus, stopped San Marcos's Jonathan Espino in round 3.  Espino found a home for the left hook, but it was too sporadic an offense, as Panin dictated pace throughout.  In the 3^rd round, Panin scored the KO with a beautiful right hand counter.  Espino fell flat on his back, and although he rose, the referee had seen enough.  Panin moves to 2-0, while Espino drops to 1-2.

In the opener, undefeated featherweight Robert Ochoa, of Los Angeles, won a 4th round TKO over veteran Jesse Adame of San Bernardino.  Ochoa looked to be having an early night after dropping Adame early in round 1 only 15 seconds in.  However, Adame hung in there and fought through blood and a barrage of punches, until referee Wayne Hedgpeth decided he'd had enough at 58 seconds of round 4.  Ochoa improves to 4-0 with 3 knockouts.

The entire Valley Fight Night show from this past Friday can be viewed for free on the Bash Boxing Facebook page.

The next VALLEY FIGHT NIGHT will move to one of its other locations at the Burbank Marriott Events on April 20^th.  Ticket information will be available soon at

www.VALLEYFIGHTNIGHT.com or www.bashboxing.com

Summary up from Celtic Gladiator 17, Friday Night @ Marriott Convention Center

BY CelticGladiator.com

The second bout of the evening amateur Arturo Guevara was able to outpoint Saekson’s Muay Thai’s Luke Duran, in a back and forth battle that relied on the judges scoring to decide the winner. In the end, the judges thought Guevara did enough to secure the victory, cruising on all three judges scorecards to a unanimous decision victory.

It certainly didn’t take very long for Celtic Gladiator 17 to make a huge impression on the Southern California fight fans as Sochiro Sasaki needed only :17 seconds to bring the crow to their feet with a huge knockout victory over Samuel Tucker. Tucker came out aggressive looking to establish his range with along front kick, but Sasaki defended well and kept his right hand cocked by his ear, before uncorking a hellish counter that dropped tucker instantly forcing the referee to stop the fight.

Winner Sochiro Sasaki via Knockout :17 Rd 1.

Winner Arturo Guevara via unanimous decision.

Taylor Alfaro and Mark Alvidrez opened the pro portion of the card, and it became apparent pretty quickly that this was going to be a barn burner. Alvidrez started out using his jab, looking to establish his range, but Alfaro continued to stalk his taller opponent, looking for an entrance. After a close first round, Alfaro looked to bring the fight to the mat. Once their, he established position and quickly worked for a finish. The opportunity came at 4:21 seconds of the second round, and Alfaro seized his chance cinching in the fight ending rear naked choke.

Winner Taylor Alfaro via submission (Rear Naked Choke) 4:21 Rd 1.

It took a little time for Eric Steans to find his groove, but once he did his opponent Christian Bizarretty had his hands full. Steans showcasing his well rounded game plan, controlled his opponent on his feet, before taking control on the mat as well. Continuing his dominance, Steans found top position late in the second round and inspired the finish with some heavy ground and pound, earning the TKO victory at 3:48 of the second round.

Winner Eric Steans via TKO 3:48 Rd 2.

Making his pro debut after a long layoff as an undefeated amateur, lifelong martial artists and Hollywood Actor Chris Bruno decided it was time for his first pro fight at the tender age of 51. Unfortunately for Chris, his opponent Mark Matsumoto had his own story book finish in mind. Matsumoto took control at the opening bell, utilizing his size to smother the early attacks of Bruno. Closing the distance, Matsumoto was able to instigate a clinch, before scoring with the takedown. Once the fight hit the mat, Matsumoto stayed heavy securing position before unloading an unanswered barrage that forced the referee to intervene at 4:08 of the very first round.

Winner Mark Matsumoto via TKO 4:08 Rd 1.

Lightweights Brandon Van Cleave and Donte Stubbs followed up with what many consider the best fight of the night. Early on, Van Cleave was able to keep his shorter opponent at the end of his jab, frustrating Stubbs. Van Cleave appeared to be cruising with a two round lead before fading late in the third round. Exhausted but still game, Van Cleave some how was able to get Stubbs to the mat, however ‘The Savage’ quickly got back to his feet. Once standing, Stubbs uncorked a vicious left hand that clipped Van Cleave leaving him against the fence. Sensing the finish Stubbs swarmed with a combination that dropped Van Cleave and forced referee Mike Beltran to step in to stop the fight, just as Van Cleave collapsed in the corner.

Winner Donte Stubbs via TKO 4:35 Rd 3.

The comeback trend continued in the next fight as Jonathan Martin stunned the crowd with a lightning fast KO over Julian Baez. Baez appeared to clearly be in control, winning the first round with a versatile attack that featured some nasty counter punching. In the second round Baez continued his charge before walking into a furious combination from Martin that immediately dropped Baez like a sack of potatoes. Sensing the victory, Martin swarmed with some nasty ground and pound that inspired referee Mike Bell to stop the fight at 1:29 of the second round.

Winner Jonathan Martin via TKO 1:29 Rd 2.

CXF lightweight standout Brian Del Rosario continued his winning ways, taking out Bellator MMA veteran Anthony Taylor with only one second remaining in the very first round. After a long feeling out process Del Rosario quickly established a lead utilizing his superior hand speed and vicious body kicks. After tasting the power of Del Rosario’s hands Taylor decided it may be a good idea to bring the fight to the mat. However, Del Rosario was able to counter with a heavy sprawl, and transitioned into top position. From there Del Rosario began to unleash on Taylor with vicious elbows, forcing the stoppage at 4:59 of the very first round.

Winner Brian Del Rosario via TKO 4:59 Rd 1.

Professional drift racer and lifelong martial artist Dave Roberts traded in his racing gloves for a pair of 4oz Celtic Gladiator mma gloves, and didn’t waste any time putting them to use against his opponent Jose Marroquin. Roberts came out very aggressive looking to dominate Marroquin, until a right hand from Jose put Roberts on notice. A back and forth tango continued for two minutes before Roberts captured the checkered flag in the form of a guillotine choke, forcing Marroquin to tap at 2:09 of the first round.

Winner Dave Roberts via submission (Guillotine Choke) 2:09 Rd 1.

Making his return to the cage after almost 2 years off due to injuries fan favorite Eddie Jackson was looking to shake off the ring rust early by overwhelming Daniel McWilliams with power shots, however the wily grappling veteran was stifle that power by bringing Jackson to the ground with a takedown. Once on the mat, McWilliams methodically worked for the back, and was able to cinch a rear naked choke, that left Jackson asleep. The official end came at 1:56 of the very first round.

Winner Daniel McWilliams via submission (Rear Naked Choke) 1:56 Rd1.

In the co main event Daniel Hernandez came out looking to trade hands with Jonathan Rivera. However, Rivera split open Hernandez with a combination that quickly reminded Hernandez of his wrestling pedigree. Utilizing his excellent take down defense Rivera was able to stuff the shot, and immediately looked to take the back of Hernandez off the sprawl. Once the back position was secure, the finish came quickly as Rivera forced Hernandez to tap with a choke at 1:23 of the first round.

Winner Jonathan Rivera via submission (Rear Naked Choke) 1:23 Rd 1.

The main event of the evening featured a back and forth war between featherweights Derion Chapman and Jacob Rosales. Making his second promotional appearance Rosales came out in the first round with a ton of energy, sitting down on every punch Rosales was looking to check his opponents chin early. Chapman quickly began circling looking to counter the aggressive Rosales. Late in the first round, a combination from Chapman rocked Rosales, however Rosales was able to withstand the onslaught and the dance continued. In the second round Rosales was able to find his spots, but again the counter punching of Chapman appeared to take control. Rosales surged towards the end of the third round, as Chapman began to fade, however by then the dividends were already in the bank, and Chapman cruised to a unanimous decision victory. 

Winner Derion Chapman via unanimous decision

Valley Fight Night Results from L.A.

BY DAVID A. AVILA

LOS ANGELES-A vibrant crowd showed up to watch a very long Bash Boxing Promotions fight card on Friday night.

Though the fight card wasn’t the size of those put on in Mexico, it provided nonstop action at Sportsman’s Lodge before a packed crowd in Studio City. The boxing lineup showcased mostly talent from the San Fernando Valley and inner city Los Angeles area.

A super welterweight clash saw Jessy Martinez (8-0) out-work Nam Phan (3-5-1) behind a stiff left jab and sharp punching in the first two rounds. Then Pham stepped on the gas and was battering Martinez who waited for the proper moment to unleash a withering counter-attack. Martinez was banging Pham around the ring when referee Jerry Cantu decided to stop the fight at 1:30 of the third round.

“I feel great it was good,” said Martinez. “Nam is an impressive fighter he kept that pressure going.”

Martinez, who fights out of Tarzana, the town named for the movie hero Tarzan many years ago, was several inches taller than Phan and possesses a crisp effective jab. He used it wisely the first two rounds.

Pham also fights in MMA and like most of those fighters he is willing to exchange freely. But he ran into a few punches especially in the third round and though he never went down, he was being smacked around the ring and couldn’t stop the onslaught. It was a wise stoppage and allows Pham to fight again in the near future.

Miguel Alcantara (4-0) managed to avoid an upset by the clever southpaw Adrian Rodriguez (2-10-1) in a featherweight match that saw both have their moments. After four rounds the judges saw Alcantara (pictured in the white trunks) as the winner by unanimous decision. Rodriguez continuously befuddles opponents with his darting style but was unable to connect as frequently as Alcantara.

Stephen Pichardo (2-1) used his taller height and longer reach to an immediate advantage against Donnis Reed (0-2) and floored the smaller fighter with a right hand blast. Reed beat the count and was allowed to continue but was met with a left hook and wicked right cross that folded him like an old accordion.

Rudy Garcia (6-0) survived a horrible gash high on his forehead due to a clash of heads to win by unanimous decision against Yezber Romero (2-6) in a four round bantamweight clash. No knockdowns were scored and all judges scored it for Garcia.

A battle between two debuting middleweights saw Albert Leyva (1-0) floor Sheldon Payne (0-1) twice before referee Jack Reiss stopped the fight at 1:37 of the first round. The first knockdown saw Leyva deliver a crunching right that sent Payne crashing against the ropes and down. The second knockdown saw Leyva deliver another right that crushed Payne even worse than the first knockdown. The referee allowed the fight to continue but a five-punch combination saw the referee decide it was enough and stopped the fight.

Stelios Papadopoulos (9-0-1) out-muscled Martin Martinez (17-13-1) for six rounds to win by unanimous decision. Papadopoulos floored Martinez in the sixth round with an overhand right but the fight continued until the final bell. The judge’s scores were 60-53, 58-55, 59-54 Papadopoulos.

Alex Enriquez (4-0-3) held and wrestled his way to a majority decision win over Victor Torres (2-7-1) after a four round super bantamweight contest. The fight was marred by constant holding by Enriquez who won by scores 38-38, and 39-37 twice.

Valley Fight Night continues today with an MMA card at the same location, the Sportsman’s Lodge on Coldwater Canyon and Ventura Blvd.