Saturday November 19 was the date...The famous Hu Ke Lau was the place..... and great mma fights were the nights attraction!! Promoter Jesse Camp, and Matchmaker Notorious Nick Newell were back at it.... bringing awesomely matched mma fights, with a good solid production, in an intimate and entertaining enviroment!!! The Hu Ke Lau is known for serving up some of the area's best Polynesian food, with your favorite cocktail, while providing top notch entertainment.
I made the short trip out from Greenfield, with my site partner, the famous CityBoy, along with our good friend, and sometime guest writer, Selva. When we arrived, the place was packed tight!! We picked up our tickets, and were brought out to our booth. I was thrilled to see that we had possibly the best booth in the house, and we would be sitting with our good friends, and fellow fighters Sarah "The Soulja" Payant, Jeremy Ross, and Mrs. Premier FC herself, promoter Karyn Wesch! We slid into the booth, CityBoy had his camera ready, and me my trusty pen and notebook, and both dug into the awesome food our fellow booth mates had just ordered, and couldn't finish......YUMMY (in my best fat kid voice...)!!! On to the fights!!!!
Fight 1 (135lbs) Hassan Mamhood (Bombsquad) vs Micheal Johnson (Lion's Den.DCNU)
rd1 - Mike comes out with a nice punch to kick combo that grazes Hassan. Hassan looks to shoot, and the fighters clinch up against the cage. As they jockey for position, I notice Mike is bleeding from the nose a bit. They throw punches, and Hassan connects with a big right that sends Mike's mouthpiece flying, and puts him on the mat. Hassan follows to the mat to finish, and the ref steps in for the stop.
winner Hassan Mamhood rd1 TKO ref stoppage.
Fight 2 (125lbs) Chad Kelly (FAA Gardener) vs Joe Martinez (Blue Devils)
rd1 - Both guys look in good shape, and poised to fight. They exchange combo's and Chad shoots the take down into guard. After a short time the fight is back to the feet. Chad throws some nice kicks, high and low, mixed with some crisp boxing and clinch knees. Joe's nose is bleeding, but he keeps coming forward. Chad scores another take down, and finishes the round on top looking for openings to ground and pound.
Kelly 10-9
rd2 - The fighters circle, trade, and clinch up. Chad takes the back in a scramble, and is working for the rear naked choke. Joe fights it off, and ends up mounted. Chad lays on the ground and pound, and the punches are connecting. Joe turtles again, and is fighting off choke attempts. Back to mount, and Chad keeps the pressure on...Joe is starting to show more damage, but keeps trying his hardest to escape. Chad ends the round trying for an arm bar. Kelly 10-8
rd3 - Chad punches into a sweet take down and into side control. Joe keeps fighting hard to gain position, but Chad's control is perfect, and he keeps throwing punches to try to finish the fight. The position changes from guard, to side etc, but Chad ends the round on top. Kelly 10-9
winner Chad Kelly unanimous decision
Fight 3 (170lbs) Mike Laduke (Bedroc MMA) vs Julian Papasian (Royce Gracie)
rd1 - Mike enters the cage looking angrier than HELL!! He comes out swinging with the same ferocity!!! Julian does his best to avoid the hard wild punches, and swings back with some of his own. The fighters clinch, and Mike fires a knee square on Julian's face!! The bout is halted, as this is ILLEGAL in amateur mma. Julian takes about a minute to recoup, but still looks dazed, They restart, and Mike is firing hard again, and catches Julian with a HUGE right, that crumbles him to the cage floor...Julian is out cold, but Mike puts another one on the jaw of the downed Papasian. The ref jumps in, and Mike is a WILD MAN!!!
winner KO 1:06 rd1 Mike Laduke
Fight 4 (155lbs) Ahsan Abdulla (Bombsquad) vs Frank Falso (Team United)
rd1 - Ashan starts out with a nice leg kick, and scores a quick take down and into half guard. He soon moves into mount, then takes the back. He sinks in his hooks, and applies a rear naked choke for the quick finish.
winner Ashan Abdulla rear naked choke 1:15 rd1
Fight 5 (125lbs) Joe Martin (Recluse) vs Dan Wilcox (Blue Devils)
rd1 - Joe comes out throwing a series of head and body kicks, mixed with a few punches. Dan looks tentative, and seems to be having trouble finding his range, as he's the much shorter fighter. Joe gets the best of the exchanges throughout the round. 10-9 Martin
rd2 - More of the same, as Joe mixes some crisp punches with various kicks. Dan is starting to fie back a bit more, but continues to have trouble getting into spots where he can use his strikes effectively. Joe controls the cage, and is the aggressor. 10-9 Martin
rd3 - Dan senses the need to finish, and gets a take down into side control. They scramble, and as they stand Dan jumps and takes Joe's back. He's working the rear naked choke, and they fall to the mat. Dan ends up in mount, and trys for some ground and pound, but doesn't do much damage. Joe reverses as the round ends. 10-9 Wilcox
winner Joe Martin rd3 unanimous decision
Fight 6 (135lbs) Anthony (Skwirl) Carmenatty (ind.) vs Kurt Chase-Patrick (ATT Ct)
rd1 - Skwirl comes out firing hard, and Kurt looks to go to the floor. Kurt gets the take down, and Skwirl scurries to full guard. Kurt passes to mount, and works for the arm triangle. Skwirl escapes, and fires up from the bottom. Kurt postures for some ground and pound, then works another arm triangle. This time it's tight, and Skwirl is forced to tap, or he's going to sleep.winner Kurt Chase-Patrick rd1 arm triangle
Fight 7 (150lbs) Brian Brown (Bedroc MMA) vs Miguel Santos (Lion's Den/DCNU)
rd1 - Miguel comes out with a solid leg kick. Brown looks like he wants no part of the stand up, and shoots in for a take down. Miguel avoids it, and ends up in the clinch. Looks like this is Miguel's world, as he uses the position, to fire some nice knees to the body and legs of Brown. Miguel gets a take down and finishes on top. Brown's eye is showing some damage as well. 10-9 Santos
rd2 - Miguel comes out the aggressor, throwing strike combos, and gets a take down. He fires from the top, and Brown scrambles to get up. Miguel grabs the out stretched neck of Brown, and sinks in the guillotine choke for the tap.
winner Miguel Santos rd2 guillotine choke
Fight 8 (125lbs) Brandon Warne (Bombsquad) vs Shane DiCristoforo (Team United)
rd1 - As the fighters enter the cage, we all notice Brandon is HUGE for a 125er!! The fight starts, and Shane shoots for a take down. He is instantly stuffed by the bigger Warne, and reversed to the mat. Brandon is on top, and passes to mount, and transitions to the back. He can't control, and the fight is back up. Shane is trying to exchange, but Brandon doesn't seem like striking is his best weapon. Brandon takes it back down to the ground for more wrestling control. 10-9 Warne
rd2 - The round begins, and both fighters are looking for the take down. It becomes a wrestling match, and Shane preses the fight to the cage. He gets the take down, and Brandon wrestles for the reverse. Great wrestling is displayed by both guys, as the position war continues. very close round, hard to call.....
rd3 - Shane shoots, and is again stuffed. Brandon is on top, and Shane tries to scramble out. Brandon takes his back, but another scramble ensues. Both guys are again showing good wrestling, and position control. Brandon again gets back mount, and applies the rear naked choke. Shane seems to be fighting it, and holding on, but the ref stops it with only 14 seconds to go in the fight. Shane seems upset, and his corner is down right pissed!! Not sure if he even tapped, but the ref stopped it, and it's in the books.
winner Brandon Warne rd3 rear naked choke submission/ref stoppage?
Fight 9 (170lbs) Adam Gordon (Recluse) vs Damion Malon (ATT Ct)
rd1 - Both guys a jacked for 170lbs!! They circle and trade leg kicks. They clinch up, and trade some shots from this position. Damion gets a nice take down into side control. They scramble, and the fight is standing. Adam throws a body kick, but Damion catches, and trips into a take down into full gaurd until the round ends. 10-9 Malon
rd2 - The fighters circle and throw punches, Damion whips out a sweet left hook, that catches Adam on the chin and drops him. Damion follows to the mat, and works for some ground and pound from the top control position.Towards the end of the round, Aron makes his way back to standing, only to be taken down and controlled until the round ends. 10-9 Malon
rd3 - The fighters circle again, and trade some nice combos. Aron is moving forward with aggression, but gets caught with a few more nice left hooks that stop his advances. Damion scores another big take down, and controls until the fight ends. 10-9 Malon
winner Damion Malon rd3 unanimous decision
Pro Fights**
Fight 10 (140lbs) Zech Lange (Bombsquad, 5-1) vs Thane Stimson (TPS, 6-0)
rd1 - Zech looks like a Muay Thai fighter, with his truncks and his entrance. Both guys are in phenominal shape, and very well muscled for the weight class. (or lack there of...) Zech comes out and finds his range with a few nice high kicks that miss thier mark. Thane rips a couple leg kicks that do find some meat. Thane shoots in for a leg, and gets a take down. He postures up and throws down some ground and pound. Zech shows good poise on the bottom and throws up a few sub attempts, one being an omoplata that Thane stands out of. Thane ends the round on top. 10-9 Stimson
rd2 - Thane fires forward with some nice punches and into the clinch. He gets the take down from here, and moves into side control. A scramble ensues, and Zech shows good technique and takes Thane's back. He works for the rear naked choke until the round ends, but is unsuccessful. very close round....
rd3 - Both fighters circle and exchange combos. Thane rushes in and tries for a take down. Zech sprawls, and pulls a nice reverse, and ends up in the top position in side control. He again transitions to the back, and works for the rear naked choke until the Thane briefly reverses as the round ends. 10-9 Lange
winner Zech Lange rd3 split decision
Fight 11 (185lbs) Harley Beekman (Bombsquad, 3-0) vs Will Santiago (ATT Mass, 3-1)
rd1 - Will comes out and asks to touch gloves, but Harley will have none of it. The fighters circle, and Will starts throwing bombs on the Bombsquad fighter!!! Harley is forced to back up, and cover up on the cage. Will is firing like a mad man, but the heavily muscled fighter is starting to show signs of gassing , and quickly!! Harley is bleeding from one eye, but sense the tide may be turning. He begins to push forward, throwing his own strong punches. Will is still trying for the KO, but seems to hurt his shoulder in the process. Harley keeps coming, Will throws a few more, but winces in pain, he looks at the ref, and he seems to have a shoulder injury. The ref calls it, and Harley wins!!
winner Harley Beekman rd 1 TKO rdf stoppage injury
They also continue to keep the fighters happy with nice trophies, and even a fight of the night award, given to the best under card fight, and picked by yours truly!! Chad Kelly and Joe Martinez were the fight that was a unanimous decision at our table for the award. Although it was somewhat on sided, Chad showed great skill and technique in his win, while Joe showed the same, as well as true gameness, and the will to keep trying to win. My hats off to both fighters!!
Warrior Nation continues to raise money and awareness for great causes, including the wounded warrior project, and also raising money for a wrestling scholarship for a young man from the area in honor of local mma hero Abi Mestre, that sadly, we lost this past year. It was nice to see his family called into the cage to present a trophy for the young man who won the scholarship.
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