Every Monday, The MMA Corner takes a look – with video footage when possible – at the previous weekend’s action at small regional and international shows with a focus on UFC and Pride veterans, consensus-ranked fighters and up-and-coming prospects. Here’s what went down between Feb. 2 and Feb. 5:
King of the Cage: Reckless Abandon (Highland, Calif.; Feb. 2)
Bellator and ShoXC veteran Tony Lopez (29-8) successfully defended his KOTC heavyweight title with a second-round knockout of Rob Jackson (5-3)…Frank Baca (14-1) captured the vacant KOTC flyweight (135-pound) crown with a unanimous decision victory over Marvin Garcia (7-2)…All-American wrestler Brandon Halsey (1-0) made a successful professional debut, earning a unanimous nod over UFC and Bellator veteran Shonie Carter (50-28-7)…David Gomez (11-4) earned a unanimous verdict over Boyko Ranchev (5-5).
Feb. 3
Classic Entertainment and Sports MMA: Extreme Measures (Lincoln, R.I.)
Bellator veteran Saul Almeida (12-1) earned a unanimous decision over Jeff Anderson (10-6)…Mike Stewart (6-3) secured a kimura in the third round to submit Bellator veteran Greg Rebello (13-4)…UFC veteran Josh Hendricks (19-8) submitted WEC vet Josh Diekmann (12-4) by way of a first-round arm-triangle choke.
Feb. 4
Cage Fury Fighting Championships 13: Gambino vs. Foster (Atlantic City, N.J.)
CFFC featherweight champion Joey Gambino (9-0) retained his crown with a unanimous decision win over Bellator veteran Kenny Foster (9-5).
Ultimate Challenge MMA 26: The Real Deal (London)
Stav Economou (12-2-1) submitted Tomasz Czerwinski (3-5) in the first round via a keylock.
X Fights Series: Night of Champions 3 (Poznam, Poland)
Jotko (white trunks) vs. Kondraciuk
Borys Mankowski (11-4-1) needed just 45 seconds to sink in an anaconda choke to submit Darius Minkevicius (1-4)…Krzysztof Jotko (9-0) remained undefeated, forcing Tomasz Kondraciuk (6-4) to submit, due to strikes, in the second round.
Feb. 5
Road FC 6: The Final Four (Seoul, South Korea)
Pride and Dream veteran Shungo Oyama (13-13) won the promotion’s middleweight tournament, submitting Jong Dae Kim (3-2) in the semi-finals and returning later in the evening to score a first-round TKO of Hae Suk Son (3-3). Son advanced to the finals with a second-round TKO win earlier in the evening over Pride vet Eun Soo Lee (15-4).
Photo: Frank Baca (Dave Mandel/Sherdog)
About the Author
Bryan Henderson
Bryan Henderson became a fan of MMA in the late '90s when he happened upon the early UFC events on VHS at a local video rental store. He started writing about the sport on his Sporting News member blog in 2007 before becoming an official staff writer for Sporting News' "The Rumble" MMA/boxing blog. He then became a staff writer and the Features Manager for MMA DieHards before moving on to assume the same roles in his current position with The MMA Corner. In addition to covering mixed martial arts, Bryan also operates the Modified Mind body modification e-zine website.
