Lauzon, Cushman Win in WCF Debut
Andy Shapiro Sep 22, 2007
WILMINGTON, Mass., Sept. 21 -- The inaugural World Championship
Fighting event put forth an exciting night of MMA action Friday,
showcasing local talent and featuring a good mix of ground fighting
and crowd-pleasing knockouts.
The WCF card featured 12 bouts, 11 of which consisted of two four-minute rounds with a draw resulting in a two-minute overtime period.
The main event between featherweights Joe Cushman and Aguilano Brandao
was the standard Unified Rules affair, lasting three rounds of
five-minutes each.
Cushman, a local favorite, dominated Brandao over the first two rounds with superior wrestling and takedowns. In a sequence that would play itself out over and over again, Brandao would throw a kick and Cushman would catch it, with both fighters throwing punches from the awkward position before Cushman took it to the ground.
A controversial stand-up and cut-check on Cushman may have prevented a finish for Brandao who had the young featherweight in deep trouble. Cushman, battered and bloodied, hung on to collect the win by unanimous decision, 30-26, 28-27, 29-27.
Former UFC fighter Dan Lauzon (Pictures), fighting in a catch-weight bout of 160 pounds, continued on the road back to the big show with a 14-second knockout win over Wayne Harnois.
Lauzon came out firing, landing a huge right that dropped the Bruteforce fighter into the ropes. The youngest competitor ever to step inside the octagon followed up with punches before the referee called a stop to the contest.
Bobby McMasters and Bobby Dias fought an exciting ground war, with both fighters reversing each other constantly and working for submissions. After two rounds and the scores even, the fight was sent into the only overtime period of the night.
Both fighters came out cautious to start the extra round, sizing each other up in the middle of the ring. Just as fans began to get restless, McMasters landed a devastating right hook that knocked Dias out cold. Dias remained in the ring for over 10 minutes before finally leaving under his own power.
Welterweights Jamie Campbell and Steve Stengal came out fighting at full-speed in one of the most exciting bouts of the night. Both fighters scored standing with Campbell doing more damage. Toward the end of the first round Campbell appeared to have a guillotine sunk in deep but Stengal held on long enough to pop his head out and survive.
Round two began with Campbell landing a big right that forced Stengal to pull his opponent into half guard. Campbell continued to throw strikes until one apparently broke Stengal's nose, forcing an immediate tapout at 2:09 of the second round.
Exciting ground action was on the menu for the fight between Adrian Fulk and Jonas Fernandez. Things hit the mat early with both fighters scrambling to contort any appendage they could get a hold of. With Fernandez in his guard, Fulk nearly secured the armbar several times before finally locking it in at 2:33 of the first round.
Veteran Jerry Spiegel (Pictures) looked outclassed on the feet as Bellaton Frederic scored at will with an array of kicks and punches in the first, before being put to sleep by a perfect high-kick KO 24 seconds into the second.
Headlining the undercard was a clash between heavyweights James Doloff and Charlie Thomas.
The first round saw the big men trade strikes on the feet and in the clinch, with Thomas doing the most visible damage, though both fighters were relatively unhurt.
More of the same followed in the second stanza until the fight hit the mat and Doloff was able to mount Thomas. The fight was called abruptly after about three punches, eliciting boos from the crowd and protests from Thomas' corner, although Thomas himself didn't seem all that upset. Doloff took the win by TKO at 2:45 of the second round.
In a battle of lightweights, local Anubis Grappling fighter Greg Croteau looked dominant in his debut, taking a unanimous decision victory over Jim Gonsalves. Croteau controlled the fight with superior wrestling, scoring with multiple takedowns, reversals on the ground, and a couple of crowd-pleasing slams to the mat.
Welterweights Seth Davis and Mike Curtis seemed content to duke it out on the feet, with both fighters showcasing strong chins and good stamina. While the striking was fairly even, Curtis landed more damaging punches. Two low blows by Davis led to a deducted point, which secured the victory (20-17 on all three scorecards) for Curtis.
Jesse Peterson was dominating his bout with Ronnie Wuest, controlling the fight on the ground and landing damaging hammer fists and punches, until Wuest pulled off some late-round heroics.
Wuest reversed Peterson and scrambled to mount, dropping hard rights before the fight was stopped by TKO at 3:59 of the opening round.
The WCF card featured 12 bouts, 11 of which consisted of two four-minute rounds with a draw resulting in a two-minute overtime period.
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Cushman, a local favorite, dominated Brandao over the first two rounds with superior wrestling and takedowns. In a sequence that would play itself out over and over again, Brandao would throw a kick and Cushman would catch it, with both fighters throwing punches from the awkward position before Cushman took it to the ground.
After yet another takedown to start the third, Brandao was
penalized a point for stalling on the ground. With his corner
screaming at him to fight, needing a stoppage win down two rounds
on the scorecards, Brandao landed two huge knees that knocked
Cushman through the ropes.
A controversial stand-up and cut-check on Cushman may have prevented a finish for Brandao who had the young featherweight in deep trouble. Cushman, battered and bloodied, hung on to collect the win by unanimous decision, 30-26, 28-27, 29-27.
Former UFC fighter Dan Lauzon (Pictures), fighting in a catch-weight bout of 160 pounds, continued on the road back to the big show with a 14-second knockout win over Wayne Harnois.
Lauzon came out firing, landing a huge right that dropped the Bruteforce fighter into the ropes. The youngest competitor ever to step inside the octagon followed up with punches before the referee called a stop to the contest.
Bobby McMasters and Bobby Dias fought an exciting ground war, with both fighters reversing each other constantly and working for submissions. After two rounds and the scores even, the fight was sent into the only overtime period of the night.
Both fighters came out cautious to start the extra round, sizing each other up in the middle of the ring. Just as fans began to get restless, McMasters landed a devastating right hook that knocked Dias out cold. Dias remained in the ring for over 10 minutes before finally leaving under his own power.
Welterweights Jamie Campbell and Steve Stengal came out fighting at full-speed in one of the most exciting bouts of the night. Both fighters scored standing with Campbell doing more damage. Toward the end of the first round Campbell appeared to have a guillotine sunk in deep but Stengal held on long enough to pop his head out and survive.
Round two began with Campbell landing a big right that forced Stengal to pull his opponent into half guard. Campbell continued to throw strikes until one apparently broke Stengal's nose, forcing an immediate tapout at 2:09 of the second round.
Exciting ground action was on the menu for the fight between Adrian Fulk and Jonas Fernandez. Things hit the mat early with both fighters scrambling to contort any appendage they could get a hold of. With Fernandez in his guard, Fulk nearly secured the armbar several times before finally locking it in at 2:33 of the first round.
Veteran Jerry Spiegel (Pictures) looked outclassed on the feet as Bellaton Frederic scored at will with an array of kicks and punches in the first, before being put to sleep by a perfect high-kick KO 24 seconds into the second.
Headlining the undercard was a clash between heavyweights James Doloff and Charlie Thomas.
The first round saw the big men trade strikes on the feet and in the clinch, with Thomas doing the most visible damage, though both fighters were relatively unhurt.
More of the same followed in the second stanza until the fight hit the mat and Doloff was able to mount Thomas. The fight was called abruptly after about three punches, eliciting boos from the crowd and protests from Thomas' corner, although Thomas himself didn't seem all that upset. Doloff took the win by TKO at 2:45 of the second round.
In a battle of lightweights, local Anubis Grappling fighter Greg Croteau looked dominant in his debut, taking a unanimous decision victory over Jim Gonsalves. Croteau controlled the fight with superior wrestling, scoring with multiple takedowns, reversals on the ground, and a couple of crowd-pleasing slams to the mat.
Welterweights Seth Davis and Mike Curtis seemed content to duke it out on the feet, with both fighters showcasing strong chins and good stamina. While the striking was fairly even, Curtis landed more damaging punches. Two low blows by Davis led to a deducted point, which secured the victory (20-17 on all three scorecards) for Curtis.
Jesse Peterson was dominating his bout with Ronnie Wuest, controlling the fight on the ground and landing damaging hammer fists and punches, until Wuest pulled off some late-round heroics.
Wuest reversed Peterson and scrambled to mount, dropping hard rights before the fight was stopped by TKO at 3:59 of the opening round.
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