The Weekly Wrap: April 25 – May 1

Odds and Ends

• The Tampa, Fla.-based Xtreme Fighting Championships made its national television debut on April 25, as it crowned a featherweight champion before a lively, if sparse, crowd at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. The event, XFC 8 “Regional Conflict,” was carried on HDNet and featured a diverse array of fight outcomes.

Military men Jarrod Card, of North Carolina, and Bruce Connors, of Florida, clashed for five rounds in a fight to crown the promotion’s first 145-pound champion. Card took the belt via two 50-45 scores and one 49-46 count, as he used effective takedowns and several submission attempts to soundly take the first three rounds; he came out boxing in the fourth and fifth, bloodying a hearty Connors with strong combinations. The likeable Card improved to 9-3-1.

The show’s best fight came courtesy of jiu-jitsu featherweights Jason Wood and Derek Schiffer, as Wood tried unconventional submissions in the first round and took out Schiffer with a series of knees in the second. Ovince St. Preux, a former University of Tennessee football player, used a calf slicer leg submission he called the “Kamikaze” to defeat Ombey Mobley. Rafaello Oliveira, a training partner of B.J. Penn, outworked American Top Team’s John Mahlow for a unanimous decision, bloodying him with punches on the ground as the fight came to a close. The bout was contested at a 160-pound catchweight.

Having garnered attention by drawing impressive crowds in Florida, the XFC plans to have former World Wrestling Entertainment superstar Bobby Lashley, who was in attendance April 25, compete on a card in September. Lashley fights next for the Maximum Fighting Championship on May 15.

• A curious grappling exhibition was staged in Japan, as top-ranked heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko mixed it up with lightweight Shinya Aoki on April 29 at the Differ Ariake Arena in Tokyo. Wearing a gi top, Emelianenko seemed mostly to toy with the smaller opponent, allowing openings for Aoki to test and hitting the mat to demonstrate what he would do if punches were allowed. Emelianenko eventually rolled with an Aoki throw attempt and hooked an Achilles lock for the tapout just as the exhibition, described as “playful” and “entertaining,” was about to end.

The exhibition was held as part of an M-1 Challenge event. A video should be available next week on the M-1 Web site. Team Span, Team USA West and Team UK won in team competition. The USA roster was made up of Dave Jansen, Fabio Nascimento, Givanildo Santana, Raphael Davis and Shane del Rosario.

• The latest offering from the Virginia-based Ultimate Warrior Challenge, “Capital Punishment,” saw several promising prospects continue their winning ways on April 25. Bantamweight champion and Lloyd Irvin pupil Mike Easton solidified himself as the UWC’s premier homegrown fighter, as he submitted Josh Ferguson with a first-round guillotine choke from half guard. The charismatic Easton held his young son as he gave a post-fight interview and received a strong ovation from the 4,528 on hand at the Patriot Center in Fairfax, Va. The win set up a potential fight with former World Extreme Cagefighting 135-pound titleholder Chase Beebe, who pulled out of a scheduled clash with Easton in February and fought in Dream soon after. UWC promoters and Beebe’s management have expressed interest in making the fight happen.

The show, which streamed on Sherdog.com, also saw the controversial War Machine put on a hard-hitting show against Washington D.C.-based Rashad Woods. The lanky Woods landed hard knees from the clinch and had the former Jon Koppenhaver in peril several times in the first round, but “The Ultimate Fighter” alum persevered and scored a rear-naked choke victory in the second. Machine told the Sherdog Radio Network’s “Beatdown” show that he was rocked in the fight and could not remember securing the choke or doing a post-fight interview once he got back to the locker room. Machine plans to fight June 20 in Indiana.

Elsewhere, light heavyweight Phil Davis, an NCAA national champion wrestler at Penn State, remained undefeated in his professional career. He used a commanding mount to TKO Terry Cohens. Joey Kirwan, Damian Dantibo and Kris McCray also picked up impressive wins.

• Eccentric 2008 U.S. Olympic wrestler Ben Askren picked up his second professional MMA win in his second professional fight on April 25 in Missouri. Askren used a back heel trip takedown and D’Arce choke to defeat Mitchell Harris in a little more than a minute. The bout was the main event at Headhunter Productions “The Patriot Act 2.” Askren served as a co-promoter.