DARTMOUTH, Nova Scotia -- For the first time in 11 local events, mixed martial arts left the Halifax Forum and moved across the harbor to the beautiful Dartmouth Sportsplex for Phoenix Fight Promotions' third card.
The first round was fairly close, as Grant took Reiner's back, slid forward and appeared to be going for an armbar before Reiner squirmed out.
The second round saw Grant turn it up several notches. Reiner went for a guillotine choke, but Grant immediately slipped out and assumed top position, dropping elbows to Reiner's body. When Reiner regained his feet, Grant grabbed a beautiful Thai plum and connected with hard knees.
Grant missed a high kick and fell to his back, but continued to look good. After connecting with an upkick, Grant continued to score with elbows from the bottom and almost locked in a tight omoplata. Grant switched to a heelhook, but Reiner held out.
In the third, Grant's takedown landed him in another guillotine, but he ended in side control. Grant switched to North-South, locked onto Reiner's arm and cinched a very tight kimura that forced Reiner to finally tap out.
Detroit's Jake Short (Pictures) learned that fighters should be careful about what they say in their promo videos.
"I don't foresee jiu-jitsu playing a major role in this fight," he said before facing Brazilian jiu-jitsu ace Rowan Cunningham (Pictures).
Cunningham's ground display was fluid and beautiful, securing him a submission victory via rear-naked choke at 1:36 of the first round.
After the fight, Cunningham revealed to Sherdog.com that he will be leaving Nova Scotia this summer for London, Ontario, where he will take over as grappling trainer for the famed Team Tompkins.
Steve Claveau (Pictures) continued his recent tear with a rear-naked choke against Kevin Manderson (Pictures). Manderson showed great composure and held out as long as he could before tapping out at 1:19 of the first round.
Chad Cox employed a terrific Thai plum and solid jiu-jitsu to submit Travis Axworthy (Pictures) via rear-naked choke at 4:48 of the first round.
Impossibly huge light heavyweights Steve Skinner and Maneka Weva, an MMA rookie, engaged in a barnburner. The pair went all out, punching and throwing each other until exhausted. Skinner proved to have more gas in the tank and earned a technical knockout at 32 seconds of the second round due to unanswered strikes.
Tristan Johnson put on a technical showcase against the overmatched Tommy Pariseau, picking him apart with accurate kicks and combinations for a unanimous decision.
Ottawa's Clint Martin (Pictures) and Remi Morvan made the most of their trip east. Martin submitted Jason Bernava via rear-naked choke in 42 seconds and Morvan used a beautiful D'arce choke to tap out Jason Vautour in 33 seconds.
Chris Currie (Pictures) weathered Brian Mazerolle's accurate hands during a brutal first round to score a takedown in the second. Currie moved to the mount and rained down blows until the referee halted the bout at 2:35 of the second round.