Texas Prospects Impress, Stumble at Fury FC 24

On May 25, Fury Fighting Championship showcased a mix of Houston-area veterans and up-and-coming talent from across Texas at Fury FC 24.

The event took place at Fury’s de facto home base, the Humble Civic Center in Humble, Texas, northeast of Houston. In the main event, Rio Grande Valley flyweight prospect Juan Deantes (4-1) fell to Silverback Fight Club export and Legacy Fighting Alliance veteran Jacob Silva (4-2) via third-round TKO. Deantes dominated the first round, grounding Silva, taking his back and spending nearly half the round with Silva locked in a body triangle as he fished for a choke. Deantes repeated the performance in the second round, although in less lopsided fashion, as he began to tire visibly. In the third round, Silva denied the takedown attempts of an exhausted “Little Diamond,” stunned him with punches and followed Deantes to the mat, where he pounded away until the referee pulled him off at the 1:24 mark.

It was the first career defeat for the diminutive 5-foot-2 Deantes, who weighed in at 122 pounds and was visibly smaller than his opponent. Silva, after starting his professional MMA career with a pair of losses, has now won four straight fights in Fury FC and LFA.

In a featured 140-pound catchweight bout bout, Leomana Martinez (4-1), one of the most promising young fighters in Southeast Texas, needed less than a minute to pass his latest test, as he blasted the debuting Jarrett Walden with a first-round head kick. Martinez, normally a bantamweight, set up the knockout blow with a series of punishing kicks to the leg and body, then went over his opponent’s lowered guard with a high kick that left Waldon face down on the mat, writhing in pain. Referee Chris Reed sprang into action, waving Martinez away after a mere 24 seconds.

The 22 year-old Martinez is now 4-1 as a pro in Fury FC and LFA, with all four wins coming via knockout or technical knockout, after going 5-1 as an amateur with five finishes.

In other main card action, flyweight Emerson Guerrero Garcia (2-2-1) evened out his professional record with a first-round rear-naked choke submission of Tony Nguyen (0-1). Humble, Texas, native and local schoolteacher Patrick Hutton (5-12), fighting for the first time in three years, defeated David Armas (8-17) in their welterweight bout, to the appreciation of the hometown crowd. Reshal Malik (1-1-1) won via first-round triangle choke over Washington Luis in their 130-pound catchweight bout. In the main card opening bout, Colin Wright (5-4) defeated Gerzan Chaw (5-8) by second-round TKO in their 140-pound catchweight affair, avenging a 2012 loss to begin his professional career.