Almost 2400 fans piled in the Cajundome for the historic event. Looking over the rowdy audience, it was clear that overly-printed t-shirts and sparkly jeans are to 2010 MMA as mullets were to UFC 1. One can always tell one's at an MMA show when it looks like an invasion from Jersey Shore.
Amateur fights are 3x3 minute rounds. Professional fights are 3x5 minute rounds.
Fight 1
Devin Verner vs Victor Russell (amateur 135 lbs)
Round 1
Russell comes out aggressively throwing good punching combos and a nice mid kick. Verner immediately shoots and pushes Russell up against the cage. Russell attempts a kimura, and the fight hits the ground with Russell in Verner's guard. The round ends with Verner going for a sloppy guillotine choke.
Round 2
Verner is looking to take this to the ground again. Russell lands a combo followed by a left high kick, and Verner ties him up and delivers a powerful slam that visibly hurts Russell. Verner's corner is shouting that he is done. Verner advances to half-guard, and Russell manages to lock up a kimura. Before Verner can defend his wrist is touching his own shoulder, and he is forced to tap. Russell showed a very well rounded skill set and was very impressive.
Fight 2
Steve Lord vs Cody Mitchell (amateur 135 lbs)
This fight was a grappling exhibition as neither fighter wished to strike. It was clear that Lord was the superior grappler as he was able to dominate position for the entirety of the fight. Unfortunately, he was sloppy in his submission attempts and was unable to finish Mitchell. However his control and use of the mount earned him the unanimous decision. Mitchell did look impressive in his mount defense in which he would roll backwards over his own head to escape. This he managed to do several times in the fight.
Fight 3
Greg Perry vs Abe Williams (amateur 135 lbs)
Round 1
Perry is a very rangey fighter, and he comes out looking to strike. Right away he catches Williams with a knee to the body. After this, he does a jump spinning roundhouse that just misses Williams. Williams clinches against the cage and jumps on Perry's back, but the wirey Perry shucks him off. Williams pushes him to the cage and pulls guard going for the guillotine, but Perry survives the choke until the bell.
Round 2
Perry comes out with a solid straight that connects. He overpursues and Williams clinches him up at the cage. Perry lands some good shots in the clinch. They separate and Perry connects with an overhand right that cuts Williams' forehead and hurts him. The round ends as both fighters are showing signs of fatigue.
Round 3
This time Perry lands a crushing right hand that buckles Williams' knees as he sags into the cage. They briefly clinch before Perry lands another hook that drops Williams. Mercifully the ref stops the fight. Perry showed incredible physical talent in his striking, and his height for the weight class just underscores his dangerousness on the feet. His only weakness is that he is too reckless in his striking which allowed his opponent to close the distance too easily.
Fight 4
Joe Lerma vs Chai Phumsorn (amateur 145 lbs)
Lerma is a very powerful, squat wrestler taking on last minute replacement Phumsorn. Lerma has no wish to stand with the taller fighter, and so the fight takes place almost entirely on the ground. To make matters worse, Lerma does not appear to have planned what to do once in his opponent's guard. This fight can be perfectly summed up by a comment one fan yelled during the final round, "Come on ref this looks like real sex!!" Despite Phumsorn's heart and ground defense, Lerma was able to ride his way to a unanimous decision.
Fight 5
Justin Timpa vs Allen Myers (amateur 155 lbs)
Round 1
Timpa gets the takedown right away. Myers makes a nice omaplata attempt. He follows this with a takedown of his own. He quickly gains mount. They scramble, and Timpa ends up on top in half guard. Myers sweeps and end up in Timpa's guard. Myers rains down some good shots. They scramble as the round ends.
Round 2
Myers leads with a body kick. Then he comes with a 1-2-left high kick combo that sees his shin land squarely on Timpa chin for the KO. Myers showed very good all around skills, and this comes as no surprise as he trains under UFC veteran Tim Credeur.
Fight 6
Victor Reyna vs Charles Garrett (amateur 170 lbs)
Round 1
Reyna scores a quick takedown off of a highkick thrown by Garrett. He gains full mount. Garrett escapes to his feet. Garrett then gets a takedown, but Reyna reverses him into full guard. They stand up again. Reyna then lands a cross and follows it up with a takedown. He has his knee on Garrett's belly looking to land some punches, but he escapes. Garrett gets a takedown as the round ends.
Round 2
Reyna shoots and gets the takedown. He is in half guard. Garrett sweeps him and they stand up against the cage. Garrett shoots for the single leg, but Reyna stuffs it. He then reverses position and mounts Garrett. Reyna lands some good ground and pound from the mount and Garrett rolls to avoid taking any more. This allows Reyna to take his back and go for the rear naked choke to which Garrett taps.
Fight 7
Aaron Lebrun vs JD Domengeaux (amateur 185 lbs)
Round 1
Lebrun pushes Domengeaux into the cage. Domengeaux lands a good knee in the clinch. They separate and clinch again, with Lebrun landing body punches and Domengeaux going with knees to the gut. Lebrun presses him into the cage and gets the takedown into side control. Domengeaux rolls into full guard. The round ends with them both throwing punches on the ground.
Round 2
They come out trading punches and leg kicks. Lebrun shoots and gets the takedown into half guard. Then he takes Domengeaux's back and secures a body triangle. Domengeaux does a good job of defending against the rear naked choke, but it gets close a few times. The round ends.
Round 3
Domengeaux lands a stiff jab, and Lebrun shoots. They clinch and Lebrun gets an inside trip into full guard. He lands some decent shots and does a good job of maintaining position. The round ends with no real damage to Domengeaux. Lebrun takes the unanimous decision.
Fight 8
Calvin Miller vs Jared Chafed (amateur 145 lbs)
Round 1
The fight opens with a solid exchange. Chafed pushes Miller to the cage and goes for the single. He slams Miller down and gets side control. Miller escapes and tries to stand. Chafed attempts an anaconda, but Miller eventually makes his way back to his feet. They separate and exchange strikes. Chafed pushes Miller to the cage, where he works footstomps and knees to the leg. They separate, and the round ends. Miller throws a late punch and then punches the corner of the cage out of frustration.
Round 2
Miller opens with a leg kick and jab. Chafed pushes to the cage and gets the slam. Miller stands up, and Chafed tries to take his back. Miller escapes and throws a crisp 1-2 combo followed by a front kick. He throws another combo and lands a deep side kick which throws Chafed off his feet. Chafed quickly stands up and catches the next kick. He advances to full mount as the round ends.
Round 3
Miller comes out kicking again. He lands another side kick followed by a leg kick. Chafed answers with his own leg kick. Miller side kicks, and Chafed fires back with another leg kick. Miller is looking really comfortable on his feet at this point and tees off with a side kick and a punch combination. He then puts together a dazzling string of kicks and punches, connecting with a 1-2 before launching into a jump spinning hook kick. Chafed retreats as the round ends.
Miller gets a split decision in what was the fight of the night. Chafed was game, but he didn't really have anything to offer Miller on the feet or on the ground. Miller had an amazing arsenal of strikes and used the front side kick very effectively. This is the second time I've seen Miller fight, and he has duly impressed me with his cage generalship and striking prowess both times.
Fight 9
Eddie Warren vs Justin Martin (amateur 170 lbs)
Round 1
Martin lands some good punches right away. Warren lands a jab in return. He then catches Martin with a big overhand right that looks to wobble him. Martin comes back aggressively and returns fire, catching Warren with a huge punch that drops him. In the scramble, Martin takes Warren's back and gets the rear naked choke. Martin looked a bit like Chris Leben staying in the pocket after being rocked to fire back like that.
Fight 10
Eddie Quiroga vs Ferral Francis (amateur 205 lbs)
Round 1
Francis comes out very aggressively thowing flurries of punches. He throws a superman punch that Quiroga slips and gets the takedown. Francis makes it back to his feet. He sweeps Quiroga and ends up on top. Quiroga stands up by the cage and gets the takedown. Francis reverses him, but Quiroga takes his back in a modified triangle/armbar. He doesn't have the position to get the finish and so rides out the round.
Round 2
Francis comes out with a low kick. Quiroga clinches him against the cage. Francis gets the takedown, but Quiroga takes his back again. He flattens him and lands a number of big shots forcing the ref to stop the fight.
Fight 11
Dustin Hebert vs Tye Bouher (amateur 155 lbs)
This was a lackluster fight, as Bouher seemed to get more afraid to engage as the fight wore on. Hebert was more aggressive and was able to achieve numerous dominant positions to get a unanimous decision.
Fight 12
Mike Guidry (1-0) vs Devin Conkling (8-3) (professional 135 lbs)
Round 1
Guidry comes out with a lightning quick high kick. He throws another high kick and shoots for the single, pushing Conkling to the cage. Conkling defends well and throws some good punches back. He gets free and lands some good punches on Guidry. Guidry gets a takedown and takes Conkling's back as the round ends.
Round 2
Guidry opens the round with another high kick but slips. Conkling enters his guard and immediately goes for an ankle. Guidry spins several times, and it appears the Lion's Den fighter is well trained in the famed lock. Guidry's face bears witness to how tight the hold is, but he perserveres and escapes. They clinch up at the cage, but they soon separate. Conkling lands a good punch and pushes Guidry to the cage. Conkling then lands a big uppercut, and Guidry drops for a leg. He works and gets the takedown. He advances to side control, but Conkling regains half guard. Guidry passes to full mount and puts Conkling in a crucifix. He then rains down elbows and opens up some nasty cuts. The round ends.
Round 3
Guidry gets a takedown and is in full guard. Conkling throws nice elbows from the bottom. Guidry passes and obtains the crucifix again. Conkling escapes, and as he is standing up he lands a flush knee to Guidry's face while he still has a hand down. Conkling is very apologetic, and Guidry is hurt...bad. There is a collective gasp while we wait to see if he will be able to continue. He tells the ref he's good, but he still looks dazed. The ref takes a point from Conkling. Upon restart, Guidry shoots and gets a takedown against the cage, right in front of us. He passes to half guard, and shortly after to back mount. He starts unloading with big punches while Conkling struggles to defend and try to stand. He fends off the rear naked choke, but Guidry is relentless with big punches as the round ends. Guidry wins a majority decision in what was another fight of the night (if Dana White can give more than one FOTN award, so can we). It's hard to believe this was only Guidry's second pro fight. Conkling is a bloody mess, and I look down and see blood on my notepad. God bless MMA.
Fight 13 Main Event
Ken Shamrock (27-14-2) vs Johnathan Ivey (29-42) (professional heavyweight)
Round 1
They open up trading punches. Ivey throws a leg kick. Shamrock comes back with a big uppercut followed by a 1-2 combo. Ivey answers with another leg kick. They exchange 1-2 combos. Shamrock, having the faster punches, starts to open up with a flurry of punches and a snapping left hook that sounds off with power. Ivey doesn't seem too worried about it, though. Ivey throws another leg kick. At this point the crowd erupts. "That was either the best leg kick ever thrown or there is a fight behind me." I thought to myself, so I turned around. Sure enough, there was a big brawl with several people trying to have their own show. I guess they think the A in MMA stands for alcohol. I turn back, and Shamrock closes the first stanza with another solid combination.
Round 2
Shamrock comes out throwing hands again. He has no interest in taking Ivey down, resting on his superior handspeed and power. Ivey throws the occasional leg kick, but otherwise is largely non-committal. Shamrock does a nice job of working his left hook and right uppercut together to keep Ivey guessing. Shamrock then lands a nice overhand right, and Ivey is bleeding from the nose. Just when it seems Ivey is done fighting he connects with a glancing overhand that drops Shamrock, but he backrolls to his feet. Ivey clinches with him, and the round ends.
Round 3
Shamrock opens with an uppercut. Ivey fires back a 1-2. Shamrock connects with a combo, and Ivey slaps his own chin in a taunt. Shamrock throws another uppercut and accidentally pokes Ivey in the eye. Ivey takes a minute to recover, and the fight resumes. Shamrock pushes the pace with a left uppercut and hook that visibly hurts Ivey. Ivey is looking busted up at this point. He tries to mount some offense by throwing a hook, but Shamrock overpowers him with more punches that connect. Ivey closes out the fight throwing two consecutive back somersault kicks. This was probably to show that his inactivity in the fight was not due to his lack of cardio, just his lack of talent. Shamrock wins by unanimous decision. I was surprised with how relaxed and effective Shamrock's boxing was. I could clearly hear the power behind his punches. He didn't show that many aspects of his game, but he did show me that he has competent stand up and good cardio. Before the fight Shamrock told me that he was in the best shape he's been in in five years. He looked it.
In closing, I have to say that USA-MMA put on a solid card of fights. Several amateurs stood out as fighters to watch, and Mike Guidry established himself as a hungry young fighter with tons of potential. Tim Credeur has done a fantastic job training his fighters, and I don't think it will be long before we start seeing them in the big shows. Lastly, Ken Shamrock showed that despite his age, his ability to draw crowds is from his status as a fighter, not a spectacle.
