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Walel Watson vs. Anthony Gutierrez
Titan Fighting Championship 30
Sept. 26 | Cedar Park, Texas
James Goyder: This Titan FC 30 fight is a contender for both “Submission of the Year” and “Comeback of the Year,” but we wouldn’t be talking about it at all were it not for referee Jon Schorle, who could easily have called the contest off when a damaged Walel Watson was eating punch after punch from Anthony Gutierrez in the opening two minutes, only to turn the tables with a triangle choke.

It is a contest which clearly illustrated what a difficult job referees have because, one moment Watson was flat on his face, covering up and clearly not defending himself intelligently as Gutierrez teed off on him, the next he was scrambling for position and eventually using his long legs to lock in a triangle armbar from his back. Watson showed superhuman powers of recovery and recuperation to retain his composure. Also, the triangle itself was pretty special too, as the UFC veteran locked not one, but both of Gutierrez’s arms into the submission.

Jordan Breen: I've been harder on Jon Schorle than probably anyone. I've taken him to task in print and on air multiple times for being, in my estimation, a poor referee and judge for boxing, kickboxing and MMA. However, I think Schorle nailed this one, all jokes about broken clocks be damned.

When Watson is first hit with Gutierrez's overhand right, he's knocked off balance, but I don't think he's seriously hurt. Actually, Watson just makes a series of maneuvers that made it easy for Gutierrez to completely bash him. After he gets hit, he shoots desperately, then pulls guard, then goes to deep half guard with no head protection, then starts going for leglocks. He essentially dares Gutierrez to pound him, and he obliges. While Watson goes face down at points, even appears to have gone still, it seems like he's digging for legs and trying to sweep. Even when he's off balance and scrambling, he's taking clear technical steps to improve his position in the fight, albeit under fire. Is it the most intelligent defense I've ever seen? No, of course not. But despite “The Gazelle” looking every bit the prey his nickname would suggest, he was given a righteous chance to turn the fight around and Watson then turned into a lion.

Gutierrez, being a then-undefeated fighter with general submission prowess, clearly felt like he was in the driver's seat on top, but dealing with the guard of a nearly-six-foot bantamweight is a tricky endeavour. Watson's constant upkicking first caught Gutierrez off guard, then when he became comfortable with it, Watson shots his hips up and ensnared him in the triangle. And, two arms in that triangle! You get the two-for-one deal of a comeback and a snappy submission in less than a round and two arms caught in the triangle.

And that's not all! You want extra laughs? Check out Stephan Bonnar's breakdown before the bout, insisting that Watson keep the fight standing and Gutierrez get it on the ground, showing precisely why doing MMA commentary is constantly heartbreaking. Also, when Watson throws up the triangle, look through the cage at the face of Titan FC CEO Jeff Aronson. He freaks out and starts yelling at Lex McMahon and all those beside him, like he's having beers with the boys and watching the UFC pay-per-view in the basement. Gotta love a promoter that still gets geeked for the product.

Number 3 » In a “Flash”