Epic 4 MMA show results at Four Points by Sheraton in San Diego

We know Boxing has their supporters who can allude to the classic battles between Mohammad Ali and Smokin’ Joe Frazier and the more recent Amir Khan versus Marcos Maidana. The World Wrestling Federation had its apex with Hulk Hogan and characters like

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the Undertaker. They took the excitement gage up another notch with chair bashing and their blood pellets. After fans discovered the mayhem was contrived, the luminescence of their heroes vanished.

We now have MMA promoters like Jason Stewart who lives locally in Chula Vista, and Dana White of Las Vegas fighting for room under that same spotlight. Since Mixed Martial Artists use all of their limbs and all the Martial Arts disciplines, it appears the sky is the limit. Nothing seems to match the excitement and adrenalin flow you get from watching this combat sport. To quote Sylvester Stallone, “It’s (MMA) becoming bigger by the second.”

What amuses a fan like me are its unique personalities, their unquestioned bravery and all the fascinating tattoos. Another distinctive characteristic is the background music they played on Friday night. It doesn’t exactly speak of hearts and flowers. “We don’t give a d … , we don’t give a f …!” They don’t play that music at my church.

Another thing I enjoy is the banter you hear from the diehard MMA boosters, especially those who have had more than a few brown bottles: “I know the guy in this next fight. I train with him.”

His buddy asked, “What’s his name?” He answered: “I don’t know. But he’s not that bad.”

Like with the drinker above, you probably want me to stop my rambling and get right to the results. Bout #1 featured Chris Ashby of the Proving Grounds in Lakeside, CA. challenging Nick Vega from Team Quest of Temecula, CA.

Within the first minute, Vega had taken Ashby to the canvas and started punching his head. After the fourth unanswered blow, the referee wisely stopped the bout.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bout #2 featured Marvin Madariaga of the Blackhouse House Team Nogueira Gym on Miramar Road in San Diego, CA. making his debut against the more experienced Rogelio Reyes of the U. S. Marine Corps at MCAS Miramar. From the outset, both fighters were amazingly quick. The bout ended when Madariaga getting Reyes in a choke hold.

Bout #3 featured the Battle of the Brandons, the technically sound Brandon Doucette of the Proving Grounds facing the taller and more physical Brandon Morris of Team Quest. At first Morris went the route of striking and then he raised Doucette off his feet to eventually thrash him against the canvas. In the end Douchette had taken far too many blows to remain competitive.

 

 

 

Bout #4 had Andrew Lagdaan of So Cal MMA facing Paul Blancaflor of Spirit Wolf MMA of Poway, CA. The swifter Blancaflor took this one via his power punching and control on each takedown.

Bout #5 with Anthony Paredes of Team Quest ended early after Paredes caught Matt Fort of San Diego Combat Academy with a devastating left hook to the midsection that had Fort bending over in pain.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bout #6 featured two heavyweights, Andy Villa of So Cal Martial Arts and Odon Alvarez of Team Quest. After two hotly contested rounds, Alvarez gained the upper hand in the final stanza. With less than 10 seconds left, the referee called for a stoppage when he saw Villa locked in a choke hold.

Bout #7 was one of those bouts where neither fighter truly dominated and both were taking a lot of shots to the head. Then in a flash the fight was over after Jaime Reyes of the Proving Grounds surprised Francisco Castro of the U.S. Marine Corps with a lightning fast takedown that ended with an arm-bar. The quickness of the maneuver reminded you of the steer roping contests you see at a rodeo.

Bout #8 had Xavier Anderson of The Arena MMA Gym winning by an inverted arm-bar over Mike Martinez. This was one of the most heated battles of the night as both fighters fought to the point of exhaustion. The dramatic ending of this fight rendered Anderson the later distinction of “Submission of the Night.”

Bout #9 had Raymond Sylverne of the U. S. Marine Corps going up against Joel Lott of Team Quest. For a while there Lott found himself pinned against the cage door. After getting the room he needed, he ended the match with an arm-bar.

Joel lott is interviewed after his exciting victory in bout #9 over Raymond Sylverne. Photo: Jim Wyatt

Bout #10 had Larry Esparza of Apex MMA in Tucson, Arizona

 

 

 

 

 

After his victory in Bout #10 over Larry Esparza, Joey Gomez (in the red jersey) celebrates with his special lady and teammates. Photo: Jim Wyatt

going up against Joey Gomez of Team Quest. Gomez won the match with a triangle choke.

Ken Sells (second from left) celebrates his tough victory over A. J. Zayas with teammates. Photo: Jim Wyatt

In Bout #11 Ken Sells of the 1-on-1 Fight Club made his long awaited debut against A. J. Zayas of the Arena in Point Loma. With Sells’ height and reach advantage Zayas didn’t want any part of slugging it out. His tactic was to bull rush Sells and get him to the mat. Sells had no intention of making it a wrestling match and showed great takedown defense. His strategy of pounding the shorter man almost got him in trouble when the referee warned him about an elbow hit to the spine and 12-6 hitting on the back. In the end it was Sells getting an unanimous decision.

Cornermen gather around Diego Gosher after his TKO victory over Sean Marsicane. Photo: Jim Wyatt

Bout #12 had Sean Marsicane of Pitbull Dangerous in Tempe, Arizona going up against Diego Kosher of Victory MMA in Point Loma, CA. From the outset it looked like Marsicane, the taller, bigger and stronger of the two, had a distinct advantage and he did in fact land the cleaner and heavier blows. That all changed come round number two when Gosher’s superior leg kicks started slowing his opponent down. It was one devastating kick after another until Marsicane went down. At one point you could see Marsicane drop his hands to defend himself against these enablers. Before long, the fight doctor was called and he determined Marsicane could no longer continue. On wobbly legs Marsicane received a much needed assist upon leaving the octagon.

Photo shows Cordell Williams celebrating after his victory in Bout #13. Photo: Jim Wyatt

Bout #13 featured Cordell Williams of Undisputed in North Park being challenged by Jim Blakely of Team Quest. Plain and simple Blakely just couldn’t handle Williams’ elusiveness and quick maneuvering.

After his victory over Adam Griffis in Bout #14, Walter Selva, Jr. is surrounded by family and well-wishers. Photo credit: Jim Wyatt

Bout #14, the main event of the evening, featured two experienced light-heavyweights, Adam Griffis of Poway MMA going up against Walter “the True Warrior” Selva Jr. of Team Quest. Early on it looked like Selva had control as Griffis spent the majority of his time on his back. Then nearing the final seconds of round one, Griffis turned things around and had Selva in a choke hold with an opportunity to gain a submission. Selva somehow dealt with the discomfort as the final seconds ticked off the clock. In the second round Selva began with a fury and before long Griffis was down and in trouble. Selva’s choke hold resulted in the tap-out.

Final team tally: Team Quest 7-2, Victory MMA 1-0, Black House Team Nogueira 1-0, Spirit Wolf 1-0, 1-on-1 Fight Club 1-0, Undisputed (North Park) 1-0, Arena MMA 1-1, The Proving Grounds 1-2, San Diego Combat Academy 0-1, Apex MMA 0-1, Pitbull Dangerous 0-1, Poway MMA 0-1, So Cal Martial Arts 0-2, and U.S. Marine Corps (Miramar) 0-3.

As mentioned, Xavier Anderson of The Arena won “Submission of the night.” Diego Gosher won “Knockout/TKO of the Night” and Bout #6 featuring Odon Alvarez of Team Quest and Andy Villa of So Cal Martial Arts was deemed “Fight of the Night.”

After his grueling battle with Odon Alvarez, Andy Villa of So Cal Martial Arts sits on his stool pondering what went wrong. Photo credit: Jim Wyatt