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(2 votes)
Elite Cage Fighting 16 review (viewed 1,071 times)
(2 votes)
Elite Cage Fighting returned to the Indiana State Fairgrounds on Saturday, September 1, 2007, for another strong event. As it turns out, the judges could have taken the night off, because all 17 fights of the night resulted in stoppages.
James Smith (1-0) and Thaddeus Haltom (0-0) opened the action for the night. Despite their relative inexperience, both fighters showed a lot of skill and discipline in the first round. The fight ended early in the second round though, when Halton landed a big punch, gained full mount on the ground, and rained down punches until the ref stepped in 16 seconds into the round.
From there, Chris Niklowicz made his MMA debut, following in his brother Phil’s footsteps. His opponent, Greg Ruby, also made his MMA debut. The first round once again saw excellent action indicative of more experienced fighters, as Niklowicz worked a takedown to side control and then full mount, only to see Ruby work out of it. Niklowicz slammed Ruby to the mat and quickly gained side control, only to see Ruby eventually pull guard and work for an armbar and then a triangle choke. Niklowicz appeared to be saved by the bell at the end of the first round. However, Niklowicz quickly finished the fight in the second round, dropping Ruby with a well-timed shot to win by TKO 37 seconds into the round.
The next two fights were each decided in just over a minute each. Dave Sheppard (2-0) made short work of Adam Shea (3-1), quickly working a north-south position to back control before locking in a rear naked choke to win. In the next fight, after an audacious entrance masquerading as a pencil-neck geek, Bobby Chadwell (0-3) sought his first win against Damon Roberts (1-6). Unfortunately for Chadwell, a body shot taken while in the clinch against the cage broke a rib, resulting in a TKO victory for Roberts.
In the first of three title fights of the night, Paul Martin (9-2) squared off against John Asbury (6-1) for the lightweight belt. Both fighters were coming off solid wins, Martin at NAAFS in Ohio and Asbury at Throwdown with Hoedown. Martin opened the fight with a big takedown, landing in Asbury’s guard and scoring a couple good punches before returning to stand-up. After Asbury landed some good shots on their feet, Martin eventually would work the fight back to the ground, ending up in Asbury’s butterfly guard and landing some shots as the first round ended. In the second round, Martin worked an excellent fireman’s carry only to find himself again in Asbury’s guard. Asbury worked for an armbar or triangle, but Martin powered out of it and gained side control. From there, Martin eventually was able to work a guillotine choke to gain the win 2:20 into the second round.
The next two fights lasted about a minute total. Nicholas Wakley (1-0) survived two excellent takedowns by Seth Kellogg (0-0), sinking a guillotine choke on the second takedown and finishing the fight just 34 seconds in. Justin Haughn (0-0) clearly wanted to stay standing against Colin Campbell (0-0), and for good reason, as Haughn was able to land a big shot that dropped Campbell for a TKO victory 27 seconds into the fight.
The next fight saw undefeated Steve Thompson (4-0) notch yet another impressive performance, this time against “The Eastside Strangler” Jai Woodruff (3-1). After Thompson survived some good shots by Woodruff, Thompson gained a takedown and worked to back control. From there Thompson landed several devastating shots before working for a rear naked choke. Before the submission could be finalized, the ref intervened to have the doctor examine Woodruff, who was bleeding badly. Woodruff could not continue and Thompson gained the victory 2:05 into Round 1.
The ninth fight of the night saw Daniel Farmer (2-0) remain undefeated, dropping Jason Hayes (0-1) with a big shot and then landing one more for good measure while Hayes was down, before the ref stepped in and stopped the fight at the 1:27 mark. Hayes was clearly frustrated afterwards, while the sky seems the limit right now for Farmer’s MMA career.
After a decisive lost in a fight last month as a last minute replacement against rising star Kyle Gibbons, Thomas Hoover (1-1) was looking to redeem himself against Josh Jones (0-0). Hoover pulled out all the stops in a first round that saw back-and-forth action but no resolution. From there Hoover found himself on the wrong end of another decisive finish, as Jones opened the second round with a takedown to full mount and then rained bombs until the ref stepped in 24 seconds into the round.
The second title fight of the night, this time at light heavyweight, saw Jason Law (4-3) make his much-anticipated return to the cage after nearly a year layoff against reigning champion Doug Sparks (7-1), who has won six fights in a row and whose only career loss was in 2004. In this excellent back-and-forth fight, Law looked to pick his shots in stand-up, landing an excellent knee to the head in a clinch before Sparks took the fight to the ground. Law sought to land strikes while in Sparks’ guard, but Sparks defended well. Law gained side control and then briefly a mount and back control, but Sparks flowed well with each transition and eventually reversed to side control of his own. From there Sparks was able to gain Law’s back and, after landing some good shots, was able to sink in a rear naked choke and force Law to tap. Sparks retained his title with an extremely hard fought win over a very game Jason Law, winning 4:10 into the first round.
Two fighters making their MMA debuts, Aaron Cooper and Kyle Horsley, squared off in the next fight. Cooper largely controlled the action but for most of the fight neither fighter seemed able to threaten a finishing technique. That all changed in the third round, as Cooper gained side control and then full mount off of a takedown. After landing short punches and some elbows, Cooper was able to achieve some separation and land some huge punches. Horsley tapped furiously as the punches kept raining down, giving Cooper a victory by submission 1:43 into the third round.
The next two fights were perhaps the most one-sided and punishing of the night. After “Twisted” Terry Tucker (1-1) came out swinging wildly and missing, Josh Rines (0-0) took him down and quickly worked to a full mount. From there Tucker ate a relentless barrage of punches and elbows. Unable to sustain the damage being inflicted, Tucker rolled over and gave up his back, allowing Rines to secure a rear naked choke 2:26 into the fight.
In an even more impressive display of one-sided punishment, Steve Yavo (0-0) made a spectacular MMA debut, landing a stinging sidekick seconds into his fight against Justin Boley (1-0). Once the fight was on the ground Yavo gained full mount and spent the next minute confidently and mercilessly punishing Boley. By the time the ref intervened, 1:31 into the fight, Boley was a bloody mess and Yavo had made a triumphant first impression on the MMA world.
The next fight saw a fierce battle between Mark Miller (0-0) and Chris “The Gladiator” Brinson (3-3), and the emotions were heightened by vocal contingents of supporters in attendance for both fighters. The first round could have been scored either way, as Brinson controlled the first couple of minutes only to see Miller make a spirited comeback and control the last half of the round. The second round saw repeated attempts by Miller to shoot for a takedown get stuffed by Brinson. In the third round, Miller opened with some good shots, only to see Brinson respond with two huge shots that dropped Miller and ended the fight 33 seconds into Round 3, leaving Miller’s fan contingent vocally disappointed.
The penultimate fight of the evening saw Ron Griffin (0-0) and Dwayne Detty (0-0) weigh in at a combined 700 pounds for a super-heavyweight fight. Detty dropped Griffin with a head shot 2:02 into the first round. Griffin complained that the punch was illegal, but to no avail, as Detty earned a TKO victory.
In the third title fight, and final fight of the evening, Darren Smith (2-1) and Rob Arnett (1-1) squared off at super-heavyweight. After finding himself on the wrong end of a controversial stoppage at the last ECF in July, Arnett was able to gain a measure of redemption, forcing Smith to tap due to strikes from the mount at 3:09 into the fight.
ECF hits the road again for its next event, returning to Bloomington for ECF 17 on October 13. ECF will return to Indianapolis in December to round out the 2007 calendar.
James Smith (1-0) and Thaddeus Haltom (0-0) opened the action for the night. Despite their relative inexperience, both fighters showed a lot of skill and discipline in the first round. The fight ended early in the second round though, when Halton landed a big punch, gained full mount on the ground, and rained down punches until the ref stepped in 16 seconds into the round.
From there, Chris Niklowicz made his MMA debut, following in his brother Phil’s footsteps. His opponent, Greg Ruby, also made his MMA debut. The first round once again saw excellent action indicative of more experienced fighters, as Niklowicz worked a takedown to side control and then full mount, only to see Ruby work out of it. Niklowicz slammed Ruby to the mat and quickly gained side control, only to see Ruby eventually pull guard and work for an armbar and then a triangle choke. Niklowicz appeared to be saved by the bell at the end of the first round. However, Niklowicz quickly finished the fight in the second round, dropping Ruby with a well-timed shot to win by TKO 37 seconds into the round.
The next two fights were each decided in just over a minute each. Dave Sheppard (2-0) made short work of Adam Shea (3-1), quickly working a north-south position to back control before locking in a rear naked choke to win. In the next fight, after an audacious entrance masquerading as a pencil-neck geek, Bobby Chadwell (0-3) sought his first win against Damon Roberts (1-6). Unfortunately for Chadwell, a body shot taken while in the clinch against the cage broke a rib, resulting in a TKO victory for Roberts.
In the first of three title fights of the night, Paul Martin (9-2) squared off against John Asbury (6-1) for the lightweight belt. Both fighters were coming off solid wins, Martin at NAAFS in Ohio and Asbury at Throwdown with Hoedown. Martin opened the fight with a big takedown, landing in Asbury’s guard and scoring a couple good punches before returning to stand-up. After Asbury landed some good shots on their feet, Martin eventually would work the fight back to the ground, ending up in Asbury’s butterfly guard and landing some shots as the first round ended. In the second round, Martin worked an excellent fireman’s carry only to find himself again in Asbury’s guard. Asbury worked for an armbar or triangle, but Martin powered out of it and gained side control. From there, Martin eventually was able to work a guillotine choke to gain the win 2:20 into the second round.
The next two fights lasted about a minute total. Nicholas Wakley (1-0) survived two excellent takedowns by Seth Kellogg (0-0), sinking a guillotine choke on the second takedown and finishing the fight just 34 seconds in. Justin Haughn (0-0) clearly wanted to stay standing against Colin Campbell (0-0), and for good reason, as Haughn was able to land a big shot that dropped Campbell for a TKO victory 27 seconds into the fight.
The next fight saw undefeated Steve Thompson (4-0) notch yet another impressive performance, this time against “The Eastside Strangler” Jai Woodruff (3-1). After Thompson survived some good shots by Woodruff, Thompson gained a takedown and worked to back control. From there Thompson landed several devastating shots before working for a rear naked choke. Before the submission could be finalized, the ref intervened to have the doctor examine Woodruff, who was bleeding badly. Woodruff could not continue and Thompson gained the victory 2:05 into Round 1.
The ninth fight of the night saw Daniel Farmer (2-0) remain undefeated, dropping Jason Hayes (0-1) with a big shot and then landing one more for good measure while Hayes was down, before the ref stepped in and stopped the fight at the 1:27 mark. Hayes was clearly frustrated afterwards, while the sky seems the limit right now for Farmer’s MMA career.
After a decisive lost in a fight last month as a last minute replacement against rising star Kyle Gibbons, Thomas Hoover (1-1) was looking to redeem himself against Josh Jones (0-0). Hoover pulled out all the stops in a first round that saw back-and-forth action but no resolution. From there Hoover found himself on the wrong end of another decisive finish, as Jones opened the second round with a takedown to full mount and then rained bombs until the ref stepped in 24 seconds into the round.
The second title fight of the night, this time at light heavyweight, saw Jason Law (4-3) make his much-anticipated return to the cage after nearly a year layoff against reigning champion Doug Sparks (7-1), who has won six fights in a row and whose only career loss was in 2004. In this excellent back-and-forth fight, Law looked to pick his shots in stand-up, landing an excellent knee to the head in a clinch before Sparks took the fight to the ground. Law sought to land strikes while in Sparks’ guard, but Sparks defended well. Law gained side control and then briefly a mount and back control, but Sparks flowed well with each transition and eventually reversed to side control of his own. From there Sparks was able to gain Law’s back and, after landing some good shots, was able to sink in a rear naked choke and force Law to tap. Sparks retained his title with an extremely hard fought win over a very game Jason Law, winning 4:10 into the first round.
Two fighters making their MMA debuts, Aaron Cooper and Kyle Horsley, squared off in the next fight. Cooper largely controlled the action but for most of the fight neither fighter seemed able to threaten a finishing technique. That all changed in the third round, as Cooper gained side control and then full mount off of a takedown. After landing short punches and some elbows, Cooper was able to achieve some separation and land some huge punches. Horsley tapped furiously as the punches kept raining down, giving Cooper a victory by submission 1:43 into the third round.
The next two fights were perhaps the most one-sided and punishing of the night. After “Twisted” Terry Tucker (1-1) came out swinging wildly and missing, Josh Rines (0-0) took him down and quickly worked to a full mount. From there Tucker ate a relentless barrage of punches and elbows. Unable to sustain the damage being inflicted, Tucker rolled over and gave up his back, allowing Rines to secure a rear naked choke 2:26 into the fight.
In an even more impressive display of one-sided punishment, Steve Yavo (0-0) made a spectacular MMA debut, landing a stinging sidekick seconds into his fight against Justin Boley (1-0). Once the fight was on the ground Yavo gained full mount and spent the next minute confidently and mercilessly punishing Boley. By the time the ref intervened, 1:31 into the fight, Boley was a bloody mess and Yavo had made a triumphant first impression on the MMA world.
The next fight saw a fierce battle between Mark Miller (0-0) and Chris “The Gladiator” Brinson (3-3), and the emotions were heightened by vocal contingents of supporters in attendance for both fighters. The first round could have been scored either way, as Brinson controlled the first couple of minutes only to see Miller make a spirited comeback and control the last half of the round. The second round saw repeated attempts by Miller to shoot for a takedown get stuffed by Brinson. In the third round, Miller opened with some good shots, only to see Brinson respond with two huge shots that dropped Miller and ended the fight 33 seconds into Round 3, leaving Miller’s fan contingent vocally disappointed.
The penultimate fight of the evening saw Ron Griffin (0-0) and Dwayne Detty (0-0) weigh in at a combined 700 pounds for a super-heavyweight fight. Detty dropped Griffin with a head shot 2:02 into the first round. Griffin complained that the punch was illegal, but to no avail, as Detty earned a TKO victory.
In the third title fight, and final fight of the evening, Darren Smith (2-1) and Rob Arnett (1-1) squared off at super-heavyweight. After finding himself on the wrong end of a controversial stoppage at the last ECF in July, Arnett was able to gain a measure of redemption, forcing Smith to tap due to strikes from the mount at 3:09 into the fight.
ECF hits the road again for its next event, returning to Bloomington for ECF 17 on October 13. ECF will return to Indianapolis in December to round out the 2007 calendar.