The Sprawl And Brawl Video Review: King Of The Cage - Steel Warrior
Posted by Randy Harrison on 03.18.2008
Karo Parisyan main events in his only King Of The Cage appearance and I'll give you one guess how the fight ends. Fifteen matches fill out a HUGE card in this week's Sprawl And Brawl!!!
The Sprawl and Brawl is back and we're back to looking at our favorite promotion in terms of events and excitement, King Of The Cage. It's March 23, 2003 and we're back at the Soboba Casino in San Jacinto, California, home to some of King Of The Cage's most memorable moments. This card has fifteen fights and definitely has some star power involved as current UFC stars Jason Lambert and Karo "The Heat" Parisyan appear in front of the huge crowd at the outdoor Soboba Casino venue, as well as current King Of The Cage star Thomas "Wildman" Denny in a wild showdown. There's a ton of action to get to and I won't waste any more time dilly-dallying so let's get right into it folks!
King Of The Cage: Steel Warrior is part of the five-disc, ten-event Undergound box set available right here.
King Of The Cage: Steel Warrior
Another down and dirty King Of The Cage release, with no entrances or in between analysis, just fight after fight. I will also eschew most of my pre-fight commentaries, mainly because a lot of these fighters seem like they've stayed on smaller circuits, but also because of the sheer volume of fights with fifteen set for this card.
Match One: Catchweight
Steve Renaud (1-0) vs. Brent Wooten (1-1)
Round One
Wooten has an almost thirty pound weight advantage and would be well-served to use it wisely. They clinch immediately against the fence with Renaud landing some good knees to the ribs with his back pressed against the fence. Right hands inside land for Renaud and another hard knee inside and they just keep the clinch up against the fence. More knees traded inside and punches as Wooten tries to grab a single-leg but misses. Cecil Peoples moves in to break up the clinch and puts them back in the center of the cage. Renaud just misses a big overhand right and Wooten hits an overhand right after a couple of hard jabs. Renaud catches Wooten in the pills with an inside kick and he's hurting for sure. They restart and Renaud hits a couple of good outside leg kicks, with Wooten coming over the top with a right hand in return. Wooten tries to shoot in again and gets the takedown up against the fence. Renaud puts up a high guard but there's nothing there and Renaud just closes off the guard and controls the body well. Wooten tries to posture up for some punches but he can't really get anything off until a BIG right hand lands, sending sweat flying off of Renaud. Renaud tries to sweep but can't get Wooten over and he just keeps eating some patty-cake punches while being pressed up against the fence. Renaud comes dangerously close to the sweep but he doesn't get it again and Wooten is back to being on top and trying to separate to land strikes. Wooten doesn't really get anything good off in terms of strikes and the round closes out with Wooten in side control after getting pushed away by Renaud's feet. Wooten hits a couple of short elbows but doesn't do too much else as the bell sounds.
Round Analysis: Wooten gets the round for having top position for most of it, but that's the only reason. He did next to nothing with it once he had it and the striking was fairly even, with even a slight edge going to Renaud for the Thai knees.
Round Two
An inside leg kick from Renaud starts the round out and Wooten tries to keep touching him with the jab. Wooten pushes him up against the cage and grabs a single-leg, getting Renaud down to the mat with another takedown. Renaud tries a high guard but there's nothing there and he gets stacked up and can't break out of it. Another high guard into an armbar attempt by Renaud and Wooten locks his hands to try to defend it, forcing Renaud to give it up. Renaud scores a takedown off the subesquent scramble and ends up on top in Wooten's full guard. Wooten throws the high guard up now, looking for a triangle choke and Renaud defends it well, popping his head out and moving to the north/south position. Renaud moves to side control and starts dropping HARD elbows and Cecil Peoples jumps in to stop it as Wooten looks pretty well out of it.
Winner: Steve Renaud, TKO at 2:32 of Round Two
Match Analysis: Renaud showed the importance of taking advantage of top position. Wooten could have very easily done the same thing in the first round, but he didn't and Renaud jumped all over him in the second. Renaud gets a good win after losing the first round to an opponent that outweighed him by thirty pounds.
Match Two: Catchweight
Tony Bonello (5-0) vs. T-Bone (0-0)
Round One
Bonello is giving up about 70 pounds to T-Bone in this one, so it'll be interesting to see if he can use some solid BJJ to nullify that size advantage. Bonello connects with a right hand over the top, right off of the bell, and shoots in to take T-Bone down to the mat against the fence. Bonello moves to side control and pops his head up, taking the full mount and then T-Bone's back. Bonello takes the rear naked choke and draws the tapout from T-Bone.
Winner: Tony Bonello, submission (rear naked choke) at 0:39 of Round One
Match Analysis: T-Bone looked lost and Bonello ate him alive. He used his quickness to get off the first punch and score the takedown, then it was just a matter of time before he pressured the inexperienced T-Bone into a mistake and choked him out. Quick and decisive victory for Bonello here.
Match Three: Heavyweights
Mike Cordova (0-2) vs. Daniel Ortiz (0-0)
Round One
They touch gloves and Cordova shoots in for a takedown immediately. Ortiz tries for knees inside as they clinch against the cage and Ortiz finally gives up the takedown in the middle of the cage. Cordova on top throwing right hands and Ortiz tries for an armbar, but Cordova pulls right out of it. Cordova tries to move from a better position but can't and Ortiz just closes off the guard, before eating a couple of HARD lefts and rights. Cordova backs off and lets Ortiz back up to his feet and they restart. Cordova loads up with a HUGE overhand right that just misses and Ortiz lands a big knee up the middle, following it up with rights and lefts, forcing Cordova to shoot for a takedown. Ortiz goes to the body as Cordova gets the takedown and they end up scrambling a bit before Ortiz is standing over Cordova, who is turtled on his hands and knees, raining down punches until Cordova taps out.
Winner: Daniel Ortiz, TKO at 2:35 of Round One
Match Analysis: Cordova looked like he was trying to turn this into a wrestling/grappling match, while Ortiz just wanted to stand and bang. He caught Cordova with some good knees and then finished it off with the power punches. Good showing from Ortiz to finish him off in relatively quick fashion.
Match Four: Middleweights
David Ortiz (1-0) vs. Louis Jablowski (0-1)
Round One
Jablowski tries a knee up the middle as Ortiz shoots in for a bodylock, but it misses and Ortiz gets the takedown, with Jablowski reversing it over into a full mount, ten seconds into the fight. Ortiz tries to get out the back side and does, and they're back to the clinch as Jablowski throws Ortiz to the mat again. Hard right hands from Jablowski and he takes the full mount again, forcing Ortiz to give up his back. He flattens Ortiz out and secures the rear naked choke, drawing the tap soon after.
Winner: Louis Jablowski, submission (rear naked choke) at 1:18 of Round One
Match Analysis: Ortiz didn't look at all like he knew what to do once he was on the mat and Jablowski used strength and technique to get exactly what he wanted and to take the fight on his own terms. Great display of wrestling and using positions by Jablowski to pick up the win on the game, but inexperienced Ortiz.
Match Five: Heavyweights
Raul Delgado (0-1) vs. Timothy Mendoza (1-0)
Round One
Delgado gives up about seventy-five pounds to Mendoza in this fight, so you know his strategy is going to be to try to attack the legs and strike from the outside. Delgado tries to throw a right hand but misses and Mendoza moves right to the clinch in the midle of the cage. Delgado hits an inside right and Mendoza pressures him up against the fence, shooting for a single-leg. Delgado lands some strikes, but Mendoza gets the takedown, moving to side control against the fence. They trade punches back and forth, with neither guy doing a ton of damage, and Delgado tries to regain his footing. Mendoza holds on to a front facelock and hits a big right hand over the top when he lets it go. Delgado fires back and they're just slugging away in the middle of the cage before Mendoza gets another takedown into side control. Mendoza punching to the thighs of Delgado and Cecil Peoples stands them up. A carbon copy of the start of the fight as Mendoza ducks under a punch and shoots in for a takedown against the fence. Delgado grabs a guillotine with one arm in and tries to cinch it, but Mendoza just circles and slings them both down to the mat, moving to side control on top of Delgado. They stalemate a bit as Delgado hands on to the head and Mendoza strikes away at his legs again. Mendoza moves to full mount near the end of the round but isn't able to do much striking with it as Delgado controls well from the bottom. A couple of elbows land, but for the most part, nothing happens and the round closes out.
Round Analysis: Mendoza takes the round on the strength of his takedowns, but he needs to do a lot more with the top position when he has it. Delgado showed flashes, but he just wasn't able to negate the size advantage that Mendoza has.
Round Two
Mendoza again shoots down and gets the top position, with side control on Delgado, pressing him against the fence. Mendoza holds him down and lands a couple of right hands, but nothing's happening and they get stood up again. Delgado hits the jab and lands a right hand and has Mendoza looking STUNNED with a bunch of right hands, putting him down to his hands and knees. Mendoza back up and he eats a BIG left, right, left combination, before they trade and grapple with Mendoza ending up back on top of Delgado on the mat. Cecil Peoples stands them up quickly and we're back to the action. Delgado just misses another right hand and both of these guys look exhuasted, barely able to lift their hands to throw, let alone defend. Delgado hits a big overhand right and a knee to the gut and Mendoza fires back with a right of his own. They circle with both guys looking winded and throwing sloppy punches that miss by a mile. They try to clinch but neither has the energy, then Delgado unloads with a couple of BIG left hands that land flush, nearly putting Mendoza down and out. Delgado wheezing with his hands on his knees and they kind of huff and puff and trade jabs until the round finishes out, endign the fight.
Winner: None (majority draw)
Fight Analysis: Delgado gets the nod for the second round based on how many HARD strikes he landed and how close he seemed to ending the fight. That put it at a round apiece, which makes the draw pretty easy to understand. One round apiece, but honestly if it was a different way of scoring this would have been all Delgado.
Match Six: Heavyweights
Wes Combs (2-0) vs. Dale McDonald (0-1)
Round One
McDonald has about forty pounds on Combs and looks crazy on his way to the cage. Combs misses with an overhand right and they clinch, with McDonald pushing him up against the fence. Some inside knees from both guys and they grapple against the cage. McDonald complains about a knee to the pills and they take a moment to let him recover before restarting the action. Combs lands a right hand and some HARD inside uppercuts, forcing McDonald to shoot in for a takedown. Combs defends it well and throws a knee to the body and another couple of wicked uppercuts that put McDonald down onto his stomach. Combs backmounts and starts throwing punches but McDonald has already had enough and starts tapping.
Winner: Wes Combs, TKO at 1:18 of Round One
Fight Analysis: Combs overwhelmed the bigger McDonald with the power in his punches and ended it in relatively short fashion. McDonald tried to use his size to bully Combs, but he couldn't do it effectively and paid dearly for that. Another display of striking fireworks from Wes Combs.
Match Seven: Welterweights
Bob Dowell (2-1) vs. Louie Vaith (3-1)
Round One
They touch gloves and Vaith hits an inside leg kick and Dowell slams Vaith to the mat as he tries to pull guard. Dowell tries to do some striking from the top as Vaith throws up a high guard and tries for a triangle. Dowell scrambles to try to get out of it but can't and ends up having to tap as Vaith locks in the triangle choke.
Winner: Louie Vaith, submission (triangle choke) at 0:48 of Round One
Fight Analysis: The bell rang, Guy A choked out Guy B, the bell rang again. Fight analyzed.
Match Eight: Lightweights
Adam Lynn (3-2) vs. Tadarius Thomas (2-3)
Round One
Lynn ducks under a left from Thomas and they move to the clinch against the fence with Lynn pressing Thomas up against the cage. Thomas reverses it and hits a knee to the body and a hard right hand as well. Inside knees from Thomas as Lynn tries a trip takedown but misses it and they stay in the clinch. More knees traded inside from both men and the grappling against the fence continues until Thomas hits a good high knee to the face of Lynn. Thomas reaches underneath to try for a single-leg but can't get it and they're working through this clinch against the fence before Lynn is able to get the takedown, pushing Thomas up against the fence. Lynn in half-guard fires away with some hard right hands and Thomas get back to his feet and they resume the clinch. Lynn hits a couple of good knees on the inside and tries to change levels but Thomas stuffs it. Lynn tries the trip takedown and gets it this time, working some right hands and forearms from half-guard. Lynn presses him up against the cage again and continues to land punches and forearms, trying to pass to side control. He can't get it and just continues to strike with right hands to the face instead as Thomas tries to move up the cage to regain his feet. Lynn moves to side control and tries to mount but Thomas is able to stand up out of it, eating a couple of HARD knees for his troubles. Lynn ends up back on top in half-guard and is lowering some short elbows and punches as the round comes to an end.
Round Analysis: Total dominance from Lynn in that round, start to finish. He used the top position to full advantage, landing a ton of strikes and scoring two takedowns, and Thomas is going to have to change something drastically or he's going to end up losing this fight.
Round Two
Lynn and Thomas both flash out jabs to start the round and Lynn tries to cut the cage off but can't do it. Thomas misses with a left hook and Lynn connects with a left and right of his own before moving to the clinch and trying for a trip takedown. He gets the takedown into side control and immediately moves to the full mount, before getting back in side control. Full mount again for Lynn and he drops some HARD punches and elbows, flurrying with a ton of rights and lefts and the referee steps in to stop the fight.
Winner: Adam Lynn, TKO at 1:37 of Round Two
Fight Analysis: A one-sided ass-kicking if I've ever seen one. Thomas had next to nothing go right for him this entire fight and he had no defense for Lynn's striking prowess. Lynn looked like an absolute world-beater and showed a ton of potential while picking up the dominating win.
Match Nine: Middleweights
Jason House (3-2) vs. Sost Infante (4-1)
Round One
They touch gloves and circle early on and House looks to be setting up some strikes, throwing a REALLY quick five or six punch combination that glances off of Infante's head. They keep circling and Infante ducks under a right hand to shoot in for the takedown, but House sprawls out of it very well, avoiding the takedown and trying to free his arms to strike again. House tries to pull his arms free but can't and the referee stands them back up. House throws a HARD leg kick that lands and bounces on his feet, throwing a front kick that Infante catches, tagging House with a right and then moving to a clinch against the fence. Infante tries for a trip takedown but can't get it and they remain clinched against the fence and stalemated. Referee Herb Dean is making googly-eyes, possibly at some broad in the front row, and isn't paying much attention to the action, with good reason because there isn't any. The fight spills to the mat with House on top in half-guard, landing a ton of shots to the body of Infante. Elbows to the ribs and punches to the body as Infante just eats shot after shot to the body from House. Infante holds on and tries to work body control, and Herb Dean stands them up. They circle again and House hits a hard body kick but misses a flying knee, ending up in the clinch against the fence with Infante presuring and landing a couple of knees to the body.
Round Analysis: House takes that round with the better work from top and the crisper striking on the feet. Infante had moments, but nothing nearly enough to be able to win the round. House did some solid body work as well, which could pay huge dividends for him as the fight wears on.
Round Two
They touch gloves again and House stalks him with some inside leg kicks and a combination that lands. Infante tries for a single-leg as House is trying to grab the Thai clinch but House is able to sprawl out of it well. House transitions to the top and into half-guard, pressing Infante up against the fence and trying to land some shots. House starts dropping a ton of elbows, and a SHIT-TON of rights and lefts in a huge flurry and Herb Dean calls a halt to the bout.
Winner: Jason House, TKO at 1:30 of Round Two
Fight Analysis: House had a ton of aggression when he was able to gain control of the positions on the mat and used that to finish off the fight. He seemed to be taking the fight to Infante and was always on the offensive or pushing forward. Infante seemed to be trying to get the fight back to his gameplan, rather than changing his gameplan to fit the flow of the fight and ended up paying for it.
Match Ten: Catchweight
John De La O (3-3) vs. Joe Camacho (3-4)
Round One
Camacho gives up fifty pounds so it'll be interesting to see if he has enough of an advantage in the jiu-jitsu game to negate it, which might be hard considering De La O is a good jiu-jitsu man as well. Camacho comes out with a flying knee that gets caught and O ends up on top in half-guard, trying to get to full mount, but Camacho gets things back to full guard. O moves Camacho against the fence and Camacho walks the cage to get his head away from the fence. They scramble with Camacho landing some good strikes from the bottom, but it ends up with O on top and in side control. Camacho tries a sweep and allllmost gets it, but eats a couple of right hands from O in side control instead. O throws a couple hammerfists that land and the pace slows ever so slightly as O keeps side control with patty-cake punches. Camacho scrambles and gets the fight back to his half-guard and then takes it all the way to full guard as O presses him up against the fence again. More short punches from O and some elbows to the side of the head and it looks like O ended up throwing a headbutt from that position and Cecil Peoples takes a point way from O. The fight restarts and O lands a good Thai knee to the face, but Camacho gives as well, landing a nice combination on the inside. Camacho with a knee inside and they clinch against the cage with Camacho getting a takedown and ending up on top. They scramble again and it ends up with Camacho in side control, landing some short forearm shots to the face, clearing some space to try for harder strikes. Big right hand misses and O rolls, reversing and getting top position on Camacho. O works from the closed guard, and it's lots of short punches from O and Camacho throwing up his guard periodically until the round ends.
Round Analysis: O had the better round, but it ends up as a split round because of the point deduction. It all comes down to who wins the second round now, and if I had to bet I'd bet on O. He did a lot more in the first round and had it not been for the deduction, he would have won this first round going away.
Round Two
Camacho lands a HARD leg kick but O gets the takedown off of it into the full guard of Camacho. O working from the top, trying to ground and pound but he can't get any separation to do so. Mainly short punches and forearms from O thus far, and Camacho is trying to do some striking from the bottom but to no avail. O with some shots to the body now and the pace slows quite a bit from the first round. Camacho flashes up a high guard but there's nothing there and they move to Camacho being pressed against the fence by O. Camacho tries to move out from underneath but can't and there's really nothing going on, outside of a possibly kimura attempt from Camacho. O tries for a hammerfist but misses and gets pushed away by Camacho, who regains his feet and stands over O. Camacho tries to pass but he can't and they trade some wild punches before Camacho swing passes into side control. Camacho drops some strikes and O tries to roll to his stomach, almost giving up his back. O rolls onto his back, flipping Camacho while holding onto his arm and he locks on what looks to be a reverse kimura for the tap out.
Winner: John De La O, submission (reverse kimura) at 4:09 of Round Two
Fight Analysis: This one looked a lot like the first round, with De La O in complete control. He took the fight to Camacho, used his size and looked good with that slick litle counter submission at the end. Great job by De La O on that reverse kimura to draw the tap and great win for him on a big card.
Match Eleven: Light Heavyweights
Jimmy Breech (2-0) vs. Jason Lambert (11-4)
Round One
Lambert ducks and slips most of Breech's punches early on, catching a couple of right hands, but avoiding a lot more of them. Lambert shoots in and hits a BIG slam on Breech into his full guard. Breech throwing punches from the bottom but they don't do much as Lambert passes from side control to north/south. Breech rolls over and gives up his back but Lambert flattens him out, landing a few shots before Breech tries to move out from underneath. He can't do it and Lambert just punishes him further, pounding away with rights and lefts until the referee has to stop the fight.
Winner: Jason Lambert, TKO at 1:35 of Round One
Fight Analysis: Lambert was just too much for Breech. Too much power, too much strength, too much wrestling ability and too much aggression once he had the top position. Lambert showed why he was able to make the leap to the UFC, easily dispatching of a fighter who was a notch below him in skill level.
Match Twelve: Light Heavyweights
Art Santore (4-0) vs. Joe Garcia (0-1)
Round One
Quick pre-fight note, Santore made his way down to the ring in what looked to be a full-on zoot suit, stripping it off as he came down the ramp. Quite the showmanship from Santore before the bell. They touch gloves and Santore gets a takedown right away on Garcia, putting him on his back against the cage. Santore throws some lefts and rights from the closed guard of Garcia, landing the short punches as Garcia tries to throw up his hips for an armbar, but he can't close it out. Santore stays on top and keeps landing punches, slamming Garcia into the fence, avoiding another armbar attempt from Garcia. Santore lands some short elbows and some bodyshots before throwing a flurry to the head that lands, as Garcia tries for a triangle/armbar combo from the bottom, trying to cinch it up but he can't finish it. Santore moves back on top and keeps landing punches as Garcia keeps trying for the armbar from the bottom but he can't manage to finish any of the attempts. Santore with a big right hand that lands and he continues to press Garcia against the fence, doing enough to keep the fight from being stood up, while not putting himself in any real danger. Santore keeps up with the ground and pound, working combinations to the body and the head and he backs off, allowing Garcia to get back to his feet. Santore hits a HUGE straight left hand and a combination that backs Garcia up against the fence, before Garcia responds, rushing forward with a combination of his own. Santore gets the double-leg again and scores another takedown, pushing Garcia against the fence and landing more right hands, stacking Garcia up on his back. Santore postures up and lands a ton of short strikes and elbows, really punishing Garcia while he's on top. Garcia pushes Santore away and takes a lead left and a big right hand follow and santore is full of confidence, throwing another right hand as the bell sounds, ending round one.
Round Analysis: Santore dominated that round from the onset, outstriking the striker Garcia, and then outworking him on the mat as well, with solid takedowns and ground and pound. Garcia looked a little wobbly at the end of that round and it will be up to Santore to keep the pressure on and try to dominate again in the second.
Round Two
Garcia misses with a WILD high kick early and then starts throwing some leg kicks that land. Santore hits a little uppercut and starts landing the jab at will as Garcia tries to turn things around. Santore hits a BIG knee with Garcia up against the fence after rushing forward with a combination and throws a flurry of strikes that land well on the face of Garcia. Santore has his hands low and is really just picking apart with the punches, landing combinations all over the place to the head of Garcia. Santore throws a leg kick and follows it up with a combination of punches, and Garcia looks like he's backpedalling with no real answer for the power and quickness of Santore. They trade jabs and santore hits another flurry of punches, pressing Garcia up against the fence and staggering him. Garcia gets fired up and starts hammering his chest but Santore follows it with a HUGE uppercut against the fence that staggers Garcia and Santore ends up on top and in the mount, throwing hard elbows, rights and lefts, and the referee steps in to save Garcia from more abuse.
Winner: Art Santore, TKO at 3:10 of Round Two
Fight Anlysis: Santore looked like a million bucks in this one. He had the advantage for the entire fight while it was on its feet and he was able to get Garcia down to the mat and hold him there to do some ground and pound as well. Garcia tried his best to put together offense, but with Santore pressuring and backing him up, he just couldn't get anything done. An impressive win for Santore with the full compliment of his skills on display.
Match Thirteen: Light Heavyweights
Justin Stanley (1-0) vs. Thomas Denny (10-10)
Round One
They touch gloves and Stanley throws a big kick that misses and a body kick that lands but Denny pushes over the top with two big right hands, pressing Stanley up against the fence in the clinch. Denny tries for a high knee that misses and they continue clinching up against the fence, with Stanley catching one of Denny's knees and slamming him down to the mat. Stanley in side control for a moment before Denny gets it back to guard, rolling to try for a kneebar but it's not there. Stanley tries to throw another punch and it ends up with him holding onto the head of Denny in a guillotine, but he doesn't have the position and is going to end up in trouble. Denny mounts him while Stanley still has the head trapped, but not for long as Denny pops it out and starts raining in some strikes from the top. Stanley tries to buck or sweep but can't get Denny off of him and Stanley has no choice but to eat the punches or turn to give up his back. Denny gets the hooks in on Stanley's back and rolls with him, trying to secure the rear naked choke and he does, forcing Stanley to tap.
Winner: Thomas Denny, submission (rear naked choke) at 3:12 of Round One
Fight Analysis: Denny looked like he was in complete control the entire fight, staying totally calm when Stanley had him in that guillotine, and moving to stay out of danger before turning it on and finishing things up in impressive fashion. Stanley was game but was just overmatched in this one from the beginning.
Match Fourteen: Middleweights
Richard Solis (1-1) vs. John Cole (2-2)
Round One
Another quick pre-fight note, Cole made his entrance carrying a leg with him. A full-on prosthetic leg with a shoe and sock and everything. That's some bad mojo right there. Cole fires off a god jab early on and Solis fires back with a one-two of his own. Solis throws some good combinations and tries an overhand right that misses. Cole hits a right hand over the top and another couple of shots while Solis is trying to close the distance. Solis throws a body kick but eats an overhand right and then some knees in the clinch from Cole, who looks much quicker and stronger. They clinch in the middle and Solis just misses a standing elbow as they separate. Cole tries a knee and Solis catches the leg, trying for a single-leg takedown, but Cole sprawls it and ends up on top of Solis, in the full guard. Cole tries to posture up and throw some strikes, landing some short elbows while on top and they're back to their feet. Cole with a WICKED straight left that catches Solis square on the nose and Solis is backpedalling big time. Solis throws a couple of rights and they get blocked well from Cole and Cole shoots back in with another big combination. Solis throws a one-two and then gets into a clinch with Cole who lands some HARD knees on the inside before they separate. Solis is bloodied in the nose and takes a big shot from the outside, with Cole sprawling out of it easily, landing knees to the thigh while they clinch against the fence. Solis falls down to his back and ends up in full guard with Cole on top. Cole pushes Solis against the fence and holds him there, landing some short punches as he passes to half-guard and grinds a forearm across the face to end the round. Cole says something after the round and Solis tries to charge him, drawing security in to keep things under control.
Round Analysis: Blowaway round for Cole as he dominated the positional battle in the clinch, picked Solis apart standing and took the best shots that Solis could dish out and continued to move forward. Solis looks like he's in a world of trouble in this fight unless something drastically changes for him in the second.
Round Two
They trade hooks to start with neither landing and then circle a little, feinting in and out. Cole hits a couple of good punches and they're back to cricling with Cole landing a good jab. More exchanging and more good shots from Cole, as Solis seems like he just can't fire off like he wants to. Cole hits a leg kick and Solis responds with another one-two combination that lands. Cole keeps stalking Solis down and hits a right hook, left uppercut combination against the fence. They separate into the middle and then clinch again with Cole holding Solis against the cage. Cole hits a couple of knees to the gut of Solis and some HARD right and left hooks that put Solis down to try for a shot. Cole backs away and lets Solis get back up and they continue to circle with Solis holding back on a right hand and Cole using that time to shoot for a takedown. Solis sprawls well but not for long as Cole picks him up out of it and slams him hard, taking a victory lap around the cage and playing to the crowd as Solis stands back up. They trade combinations again and end up clinched against the fence, with Cole getting another takedown into half-guard. Cole starts firing off elbows and punches and he lands a couple of elbows to the body that land as well. Cole just controls and throws short punches, keeping Solis from being able to do anything to prevent him from passing to full mount. Cole on top with full mount and Solis just holds him down to keep from being hurt.
Round Analysis: Another huge round from Cole and there's really no stopping him at this point. Solis has nothing and looks to be tiring, which will make the situation even worse for him. Cole is running circles around him, outstriking him and taking him down at will and nothing short of a miracle is going to save this fight for Solis in the third round.
Round Three
Solis comes out with right hands and Cole just moves past them and clinches into a takedown, pushing Solis down to the mat against the fence, working the head and the body with punches. Cole not getting up to posture for strikes as well as he has in the first two rounds, though he lands a couple of decent elbows from the top. Solis works well controlling from the bottom, but he needs a LOT more than that to get the win, eating more shots to the body and head from Cole. Cole continues to pound away and Solis tries to turn over but Cole keeps him down, moving to half-guard and continuing to pummel away at Solis, doing enough to keep the fight on the ground including a half-dozen short right hands and a couple of solid elbows from the top. Solis is stuck on the bottom, taking punishment and watching the fight slip away from him as Cole continues to work the ground and pound, trying to pass and gaining full mount on Solis. Cole working stiff shots to the ribs and Solis is hanging on until Herb Dean stands them up with a minute left in the fight. Cole reaches with a right hook that misses but scores another easy double-leg takedown to seal the deal. Cole ends up pushing Solis against the fence and posturing up out of the full guard to end the fight.
Winner: John Cole, Unanimous Decision
Fight Analysis: Cole controlled this fight from beginning to end and with this one being billed as a winner-takes-all grudge match, Solis has to be disappointed to leave empty-handed. Cole was just too strong and too good on the feet and with the takedowns for Solis to have even a remote chance at winning this fight. The MMA equivalent of an extended squash match, since Cole was in no danger of losing this fight at any time.
Match Fifteen: Welterweights
Karo Parisyan (8-2) vs. Fernando Vasconcelos (2-1)
Round One
They touch gloves and Parisyan hits a body kick and a glancing head kick before driving forward with a takedown into Vasconcelos' full guard. Parisyan working short punches to the body as Vasconcelos controls from the bottom, trying to bring his guard up a little higher. Karo keeps pounding away with the punches to the rib cage, trying to pass the guard and they scramble with Vasconcelos reversing and ending up in the top position. Parisyan on his back now, working the full closed guard as Vasconcelos tries to land some hard punches. Parisyan moves to his stomach and regains his feet, taking a couple of punches and knees to the hamstring before getting taken down again by Vasconcelos. Parisyan gives up his back and Vasconcelos gets the hooks in, trying to flatten Parisyan out and get things back down to the mat, but Karo fights it and avoids going down. Vasconcelos is higher and higher up on the back and Parisyan takes advantage and reverses to get things back to him being in top position. Good punches by Karo up against the fence and he starts to separate a little to land before standing up to kick at the legs of Vasconcelos. Karo jumps back into the guard and lands a forearm to the face of Vasconcelos and they trade short punches as the first round comes to a close, with Karo trying to pass the guard and flurrying to finish strongly.
Round Analysis: Karo spent most of the round on top, landing some solid strikes from that position and got out of a sticky situation with Vasconcelos on his back. The only thing missing to make it a carbon-copy Karo round was the judo throw, but I'm sure that's coming soon.
Round Two
They circle to start the round and Karo tries another head kick that misses before getting another big takedown, putting Vasconcelos down on his back against the fence. Karo works from the full guard, landing short punches and keeping Vasconcelos on the mat as he tries to stand up out of the takedown. Vasconcelos tries a sweep but it doesn't happen and things go right back to where they were, with Karo pounding away with short punches from the closed guard. They exchange some punches with Parisyan getting the better of it and he steps out of the guard as Vasconcelos tried an armbar attempt. They're both standing and Vasconcelos shoots down low for a takedown, putting Karo down on his back and ending up in closed guard. Vasconcelos with some shots to the ribs, posturing up to hit the right hands to the face before passing to half-guard. Parisyan looks to lock in a kimura from the bottom and Vasconcelos pulls out of it, ending up back in the full guard of Parisyan. A big Karo chant comes up from the crowd as Vasconcelos throws some hard punches from the top. He tries to pass to full mount but Karo keeps managing to get things back to the guard position, locking his arms around Vasconcelos' neck. Vasconcelos manages to pass out of the guard, moving to side control and forcing Karo to try to turn and spin away from any punches or elbows. He does a good job of avoiding any damage while in the bad position and holds on until the round ends.
Round Analysis: This one goes to Vasconcelos for the strong top position work at the end of the round and the solid position he ended up in right before the bell. If he had taken side control a little sooner, Karo might have been in some serious trouble, but as it is, it's one round apiece heading to the third and final round.
Round Three
Another glove touch and Karo moves in for a clinch, missing it and landing another high kick and a couple of punches before getting a takedown on Vasconcelos, slamming him to the mat near the fence. Karo working again from the full guard, throwing rights and lefts to the head and body, keeping busy from the top. Vasconcelos tries to roll with a kimura and he gets it, forcing Karo to roll through and end up on the bottom. Vasconcelos tries to land and Karo immediately tries to go for a sweep or kimura of his own. Vasconcelos throws punches but most of them miss and he moves to half-guard now. Karo rolls into a kneebar/anklelock attempt and uses that to get back to his feet, as Vasconcelos holds on to a single-leg. Karo sprawls out of the takedown attempt and gets a front facelock as Vasconcelos pulls guard. Parisyan throws some right hands from the top and works in shots to the body and head again, landing as many punches as he can, using a short slam to put Vasconcelos' head against the fence again. The fight gets stood up and Parisyan lands a BIG right hand before rushing in for a clinch, pushing Vasconcelos up against the fence before slamming him down again. Karo stands in the guard and lands some solid right and left hands and there's a HUGE cut above the eye of Vasconcelos. Karo tries to pass but instead settles for landing more punches and he just grinds his forearm across the face of Vasconcelos, holding him down to finish the fight.
Winner: Karo Parisyan, Unanimous Decision
Fight Analysis: The usual performance from Karo Parisyan, using top position on the mat and smothering his opponent with pressure and punches. He essentially nullified the jiu-jitsu game of Vasconcelos and spent the entire fight on top with no real danger. A really good back and forth fight that was a technical ground battle, and yet just as exciting as any stand-up war.
That does it for the King Of The Cage: Steel Warrior card and another edition of The Sprawl and Brawl. Thanks for joining me and be sure to join me next week when I have a look at the recent DREAM 1 card and give it the good old Sprawl and Brawl treatment. Mirko CroCop, Gesias Calvancante, Shinya Aoki and many more will be here next Tuesday and I hope that you'll all be here as well. In the mean time and in between time, I'll see you all here next time for an all-new, all-DREAM, Sprawl and Brawl Video Review.
The 411: A card that brought the volume, but sadly didn't bring a lot of action. For there being fifteen fights, only one of them was a back and forth fight that either fighter could have won, and that was the main event. I really don't like to see matches that end up as one-sided bouts, and that's all there seemingly was on this card so it makes it a big thumbs down for me. The only thing that keeps it from being a 2 or a 3 is the main event.
