Results, photos and video from Epic Fighting 18

In the Main Event, it was Oscar Gonzalez (top center, holding trophy) defeating Martin Georges to become the new 155 pound Epic Fighting Champion. Photo: Jim Wyatt

Four Points By Sheraton Hotel, San Diego, May 31, 2013

The success of a Broadway Show in New York often hinges on the producer opening his show with a strong opening, then continually building on that spirited impression all the way through until the final act. The phenomenal ending leaves an exhilarating feeling with an audience so they can’t help blabbing to friends about their experience. That wonderful experience insures the producer will have no problem selling out future shows.

That same scenario happens over and over with any live performance. On Friday night at the Four Points by Sheraton Hotel in San Diego, the Epic Fighting Series continued to raise their bar, when presenting Epic Fighting 18. If you’ve been a regular at these shows, you’ve been a witness to the steady progression of good show to even better show. Epic Fighting has never rested on their laurels. 

(top) Jasmin Stewart and Jordon Hebert perform a Jiu Jitsu demonstration for the patrons at Friday’s MMA show at the San Diego Sheraton Hotel. (below) A group of videographers working on the next Epic Fighting innovation are introduced to the public by Epic Fighting’s Master of Ceremonies Salvador Arellano (r).

Jasmin Stewart, the daughter of Epic Fighting’s CEO Jason Stewart led things off with a Jiu Jitsu exhibition where she fought the more experienced Jordon Hebert. After a few quick maneuvers, Mr. Hebert was in trouble and was forced to tap out. The females in the crowd were gushing with pride when celebrity referee and veteran UFC fighter Walel Watson raised her arm.

Then it was alternative fashion and glamour model Symphony Rose making her way into the Octagon to sing the National Anthem. If you’re not familiar with her work, check out her website, http://www.misssymphonyrose.com/. She’s well known for her Betty Grable-like pinups, all tasteful and all so different. 

Like a Hollywood actress, like the cat who has nine lives, Symphony Rose has been known to  change her personality and appearance overnight.

Now for that strong opening bout. In Bout #1, it was Josh Kilpatrick of Team Quest, San Jacinto, CA (1-0) taking on Greg Huth (1-0) of the San Diego Combat Academy in San Diego in the 140 pound weight class. 

After Huth’s refusal to pump fists at the outset, you knew the bout was going to be intense and it was. After several early pins against the cage, there was a lengthy attempt by Kilpatrick to get the rear naked choke. In the end, the judges scored in favor of Kilpatrick who had been the most effective.

Bout #1 featured Josh Kilpatrick (blue jersey) going up against Greg Huth (red jersey).

Bout #2 featured J. W. Lee (1-2-1) of Team Hallway MMA, Oceanside, CA going up against Waseam Dannaoui of The Arena in Point Loma who was making his Epic Fighting debut in the 145 pound weight class.

Lee ended up with three takedowns in Round #1, two more in the second round and a third time in round #3. Sprinkle in the occasional smack in the face and it was obvious Lee was the more affective of the two. And yet, when the scores were read, Lee won by split decision. That meant one of the judges in their infinite wisdom had Dannaoui winning the match even though he was the one being tossed about like a rag doll.

In Bout #2 it was J. W. Lee (bottom right) defeating Waseam Dannaoui.

Bout #3 featured two gents making their MMA debuts in the 145 pound weight class, Cameron Toor of Swift Kick Martial Arts of Rancho Bernardo and Rafa Garcia of Team United MMA, El Centro, CA.

In this one, Garcia got off to a strong start, then got caught first by an uppercut, then a menacing overhand right. The punch came off a counter and was so surprising, so devastating that it was later declared the “Knockout of the Night.”

Knockout of the night trophy went to Cameron Toor of Swift Kick MMA (bottom photo, center) who ended up knocking Rafa Garcia out in Bout #3. All photos: Jim Wyatt

Bout #4 featured James Pou (2-0) of Team Hurricane Awesome going up against Chris “The Future” Beeby (2-2) of The Arena, Point Loma in the 170 pound weight class.

When it comes to the judging, Pou likely hurt himself early by landing those inexplicable low blows, while Beeby scored a takedown, and landed several shots to the head, one countering off the high kick which Pou missed. He scored again in the third round with a kick to the head together with a takedown to insure victory. Whatever the reason, Pou was having an off night and not nearly as accurate as he has been in past matches.

In Bout #4 it was Chris Beeby (bottom, right) getting the win over James Pou.

In Bout #5 it was David Fabian of Adrenaline Combat Sports making his MMA debut against Chris Fluke (0-3) of Puminator MMA of Temecula, CA in the 155 pound weight class. 

More than likely it was his nervous energy but Fabian amazingly walked right through an early punch, picked Fluke up to thrash him back down on the canvas. Even while Fluke had top mount, it was Fabian who did the majority of the scoring with blows to the head.

Before long, the referee had to step in and call a halt to this one-sided beat down.

In Bout #5, it was David Fabian in his MMA debut defeating Chris Fluke.

In Bout #6, it was two heavy hitters Michael Andreas of Team Quest, Oceanside going up against Tommy Watson of The Arena, Point Loma in the 170 pound weight class.

After Watson got himself an early takedown, Andreas seemed bent on evening the score and came at Watson throwing the big overhand rights. Watson ducked under one such punch then landed his own hard right which caught Andreas flush on the chin to send him to the mat on his hands and knees. Watson wasted little time and pounced on Andreas hitting him with hammer like punches to the back of his head. To prevent any further damage, the referee jumped in as fast as he could to stop these unanswered blows.

In Bout #6, it was Tommy Watson getting the win over Michael Andreas.

Bout by bout, the matches kept getting even more intense. In Bout #7, it was Christopher Figeroa of Pico Rivera, CA representing the Temple Team going up against the veteran Luther Smalls of The Pit in Austin, Texas in the 155 pound weight class. 

In Round #1, Smalls used Figeroa’s momentum off missed punches to take him down and frustrate him with the pins and takedowns.

In Round #2, it was Figeroa with top mount delivering some serious ground and pound. With his high tolerance for pain, Smalls covered up the best he could and somehow withstood the punishment to last out the round.

In Round #3, back came Smalls with the momentum led by two high kicks to the head and his own knockdown. To save the fallen and groggy Figeroa, the referee quickly stopped the bout.

During the presentation of his trophy, Smalls gave high praise to his opponent who took the fight on less than a day’s notice while he had been in training for two months. He also mentioned how things could have gone either way in this intense matchup.

In Bout #7 it was Luther Smalls (blue shirt) getting the KO win over Christopher Figeroa.

Bout #8 featured Joey Sowka of Swiftkick MMA in Escondido going up against Tyler Sidders of The Arena of Point Loma in the 155 pound weight class. It was another close, exciting match. On three separate occasions, Sidders worked to get into position for the submission, and he finally succeeded on the third attempt.

Tyler Sidders of The Arena in Pont Loma received the “Submission of the Night” trophy after defeating Joey Sowka from Swiftkick MMA in Escondido.

Bout #9 in the 155 weight class featured Harrison Stevens from Honolulu, Hawaii going up against Cody Glenn an Independent. On the night, this match was without a doubt the most hotly contested, the most difficult to score. 

In Round #1, Glenn began with some of the most problematic, some might say most awkward moves with feints and counters that you’ll ever see. These deceptive maneuvers led to an early takedown and Stevens getting socked with a one, two, hard combination off a counter. Stevens hung in there and late in the round dominated by Glenn, he managed to get Glenn in a joke hold. Mind over matter, Glenn would not concede and lasted out the round.

In Round #2, Stevens went right back to dominating with a similar choke hold and Glenn resorted to the same tactic, the same trance that allowed him to withstand the pain. Relenting, the two fighters ended the round with some more standup.

The third round would surely decide the match. Once again they took turns wearing each other out mostly with knee kicks. Late in the round, it did appear Stevens had a slight edge, but just before the final bell, our Mr. Glenn came through with one final takedown. You could see the same expression on everyone’s face. How could anyone decide this match?

As the fighters stood there waiting to hear the scores, you could see the consternation on their faces and one can only imagine the relief when hearing it was a majority draw.

Bout #9 between Harrison Stevens (l) and Cody Glenn (r) ended in a majority draw.

You would think the following match had no shot of coming anywhere near matching the ferocity, the drama of the Glenn/Stevens matchup but they did.

In Bout #10, it was Jeremy Howard (3-1) of American Top Team Temecula facing Benjamin Fanjoy (4-1) of The Arena in a 170 pound clash. The same Jeremy Howard who is known for beating such tough guys as Oscar Gonzalez, Nick Horne and Zachary Pate.

Fanjoy, with his 4-1 record is no slouch, his only defeat came when he moved up in weight to face the formidable Matthew Spencer of Hallway MMA.

In Round #1, Howard held an edge using his knees and matching Fanjoy with an even stronger takedown.

In Round #2, after starting out with some pretty even exchanges, Fanjoy, known for being extremely accurate with his kicks and strikes, inexplicably kicked Howard directly in the groin. Even though Howard took almost the full five minutes to recover, he didn’t seem himself after that injury.

After gaining top position on the following takedown, Howard went all out with these hammer fists to Fanjoy’s head trying to get a stoppage which never came.

In Round #3, Fanjoy got his payback after a quick takedown, top mount and the relentless wide right and left ground and pound which led to a referee stoppage.

It all happened so fast. Ben Fanjoy (bottom left) gets the win over Jeremy Howard after catching him smack, right on the chin.

By this time, with the crowd entertained to the max, the Welterweight, 155 pound Title Fight was still ahead featuring Martin Georges (5-1-2) of Team Quest versus Oscar Gonzalez (5-4) of Victory MMA.

Gonzalez, a well-rounded, gritty fighter with wins coming via submission and TKO, had only been stopped once.

Georges, known as a wrestling machine, loves to grind his opponents down over the course of three rounds. His control comes after getting you down on the mat.

In Round #1, it appeared Georges was content to just watch and wait for Gonzalez to make a fatal mistake. Oscar held his position in the center of the cage and used his quick hands to land the stiff jab or an occasional straight right. All round long, Gonzalez kept racking up the points.

Then, with mere seconds left in the round, Georges made a mad dash at Gonzalez’s legs to get the inconsequential takedown.

Like Round #1, Round #2 started the same way until Georges tried to deliver a sweeping kick which missed giving Gonzalez an open highway to attack. His first punch was a beauty of a right to Georges’ chin and down he went with Gonzalez in hot pursuit. Kneeling over Georges, Gonzalez went on to land an additional six hammer fists with his opponent’s head bouncing up and down from the mat. The referee acted as quickly as he could to stop the carnage.

Not known for being a big talker, Gonzalez then climbed to the top of the cage to salute his fans. After strutting about the cage proud as a peacock, he went into an amusing diatribe of “bring on the competition, anybody, any weight class.” His unpretentious coaches, Jhanex Alviz and Jocko, hung back in the rear. They did allow themselves the indulgence of grinning like proud parents. Only they knew of the long hours of work that made Gonzalez’s performance possible; the preparation that made it look so easy.

Above we see the walk to the ring plus the early stages of the Oscar Gonzalez versus Martin Georges fight for the 155 pound Epic Fighting Welterweight Title.

Oscar Gonzalez has his arm raised after defeating Martin Georges in Bout #11. Gonzalez’s proud coach, Jhanex Alviz, is seen in the rear on the right. All photos: Jim Wyatt

Epic Fighting Series hostesses/dancers offer a kiss goodbye to the appreciative crowd at the conclusion of Epic Fighting 18. Photo: Jim Wyatt

Epic 18 – Final Edit from 16×9 Studios on Vimeo.

The link for that final edited version of Friday’s show from Mariano Lorde is on Vimeo. With the link: https://vimeo.com/67559729