Combat Games MMA held another installment of amateur MMA bouts with Fight Quest 5 at Fitness Quest Auburn on Saturday, May 21st. There were a total of 12 MMA bouts on the card, plus a four man submission grappling tournament. The 155 lb main event title fight was scheduled for five 3-minute rounds with all of the other bouts scheduled for three 3-minute rounds.
It was another exciting event at the massive and sprawling Fitness Quest location. Sponsors for the event included Gravity Coffee, Fix Auto USA, Daffodil Bowl, Sarco Supply, JW Brower Mechanical and Puyallup Towing.
Dakota Benson Wins 4 Man Submission Grappling Event in Final Over David Marquez
The first two bouts of the evening were the semifinals of the submission grappling tournament. In the evening’s first bout Dakota “the Bully” Benson defeated Caleb Abenorth by d’arce choke at 2:01 of the five minute regulation period. In the second semifinal, David Marquez advanced to the final with a rear naked choke victory over Jack McCrae. In the final, which was contested later in the evening, Benson hit a nice judo throw when he threw Marquez over his hip. Benson initially was laying on his back while in top position but was able to maneuver into proper top position by turning into Marquez’s guard. However, there was no submission in the five minute regulation period, sending the final into a one minute overtime which was won by Benson on points.
“King” Arthur Millis Takes TKO Victory Over Alejandro Arboleda
Alejandro Arboleda had a good start to the fight as he scored early with a left hand and then secured the clinch where he briefly controlled Arthur Millis up against the fence. Arboleda worked for a single leg but Millis was able to defend the takedown attempt. Millis then turned the tide of the fight as soon as the fighters broke the clinch. Off the clinch break Millis blasted a right hand that clearly had Arboleda hurt and in serious trouble. Millis then followed up with a 1-2 that sent Arboleda to the canvas. Millis followed up with three or four ground strikes and the referee had seen enough calling the TKO victory for “King” Arthur at 1:36 of Round 1. Millis did great work in this fight by capitalizing on the clinch break to bring this fight to an early conclusion.
Kyler Kruger Submits Francisco Ramirez With North South Choke
Kyler Kruger scored right of the bat in his bout with Francisco Ramirez as he landed a front push kick. Kruger then scored with another front kick a short while later, but this time Ramirez was ready and scored with a left hand counter. Kruger then went to work scoring with four inside low kicks followed by a big left hand. Kruger then scored with another left hand. Kruger then shot for a takedown, and while Ramirez was able to sneak in a punch, Kruger was able to convert the takedown attempt. After briefly standing over Ramirez in top position, Kruger then moved to side control and landed a couple quick hammer fists before transitioning to north-south position. Kruger transitioned to mount position for a brief moment but Ramirez was able to escape out of the bottom. However, Kruger was able to regain the north-south position before finishing the fight by North South choke at 1:57 of Round 1.
Tara Ray Earns Solid Unanimous Decision Against Amanda Buckner
Tara Ray won by judges scores of 30-27, 30-27, 30-26 in her bout against Amanda Buckner. Ray started the bout with forward pressure, landing a nice left kick followed by punches. The fight then entered the clinch, but three or four solid knees by Buckner forced the clinch break. The southpaw Buckner continued with some nice work as she landed a couple of outside leg kicks and a strong left hand as Ray closed in. Ray then capitalized with a takedown after catching a Buckner kick attempt. Buckner did well to defend by tying up Ray. Buckner attempted an armbar but Ray was able to slip out of the attempt and was able to secure Buckner’s back in the transition. Ray was able to land four hammerfists before Buckner was able to roll out of the compromised position. Buckner was able to reverse into side control at the end of the round but was unable to do any damage due to limited time. This was the closest round of the fight.
In the early part of Round 2, the fight entered the clinch with neither fighter seeming to gain an advantage. After the fighters broke the clinch, Ray capitalized by catching a Buckner kick and tripping her by kicking out the plant leg. After a short time in top position Ray was able to take Buckner’s back. Ray was able to land some punches while controlling Buckner’s back. Ray won this round comfortably with a significant amount of control time.
The fighters traded kicks to start Round 3 before the fight once more went to the clinch. Buckner landed a knee from the position but then off the break Ray clipped Buckner with a strong right hook before the fighters went back to the clinch. From the clinch the fighters traded knees. Ray then put Buckner up against the cage in the clinch. Later in the round, Buckner had one of her best moments of the fight when she slammed a hard left body kick into Ray’s midsection. Buckner later scored with a solid left hand and two inside low kicks. Buckner continued to score with her kicking attack, landing a hard left body kick. Ray then swung the momentum back in her direction with a couple of hard right hooks. Ray later landed some nice hooks to the body near the end of the round.
Kees Huisman Impresses With TKO Against Lleyton Toon
Lleyton Toon attempted to impose his ground game early against Kees Huisman as he shot for an early takedown. Huisman was able to stuff the first attempt and land a solid knee in the process. Shortly thereafter Toon was able to land a couple of punches as he advanced, but Huisman then floored Toon with a wicked left hand as Toon was pressing forward.Toon recovered quickly, however as he was able to immediately get up. Toon wasted no time in attempting another takedown but Huisman stuffed the attempt. Undeterred, Toon shot for a third time and had Huisman up against the cage, but the much taller Huisman did well to use his leverage advantage to once more defend the takedown. With his back against the cage Huisman was able to land a good knee strike before the fighters broke the clinch. Toon, however had some good moments late in the round when he landed a nice left hand as he charged in on Huisman. Right when the clapper went off Toon was finally able to secure a takedown. Toon took advantage of the few remaining seconds left in the round as he rained down six of so hard punches to close the first frame. With the strong finish, Toon was able to make it a close round.
It was all Huisman, though, in the second round. Early in the round Huisman landed a big left hand that stunned Toon. Huisman then landed another big left hand followed by a couple more punches that dropped Toon. The referee quickly called an end to the fight giving Huisman the impressive victory at 1:01 of Round 2.
Nathan George Secures Quick TKO Victory Against Thomas Voegeli
Nathan George scored an early takedown in his bout against Thomas Voegeli but Voegeli was able to quickly get back up. Goerge then had Voegeli up against the cage in the clinch, but Voegeli was able to defend and turn George’s back to the cage. After briefly looking for a single leg along the fence, Veogeli scored with a couple of knee strikes. A thunderous right hand from George then dropped Voegeli. Geoge followed up with a couple of punches but Veogeli was able to get back to his feet. George immediately went on the attack, hammering Voegeli with big looping hooks. George then took down Voegeli and quickly got busy in top position with punches, hammerfists and elbows. The referee called off the fight at 1:15 of Round 1.
“Machine” Gunner Franz Displays Good Jiu-Jitsu in Quick RNC Submission of Chase Robinson
After a brief feeling out period, Chase Robinson charged in aggressively against “Machine” Gunner Franz and landed a few wild punches. Franz then initiated the clinch position and immediately proceeded to take down Robinson. Franz initially was in Robinson’s half guard, then briefly passed into side mount before going back to half guard. Franz landed a few short pinches before quickly taking Robinson’s back and sinking in and securing a lightning quick rear naked choke. The speed with which Franz took Robinson’s back and secured the tap at 1:44 of Round 1 was impressive.
Zared Crawford Defeats Gerrardo Herrera By First Round TKO
Zared “The Kid” Crawford and Gerrardo Herrera both came out super aggressive, throwing hard shots. Crawford landed the first clean blow with a hard left body kick. Herrerra then threw a nifty spinning kick at Crawford’s head that was mostly blocked. Crawford then used a left hand to knock down Gerrardo, with Crawford immediately into side control. Crawford scored with a few quick hammerfists before deciding to take the fight back to the feet and letting Herrera back up. With the fight reset to the feet Crawford got busy landing an uppercut followed by a hard right hand. The beginning of the end started with a hard left body kick followed by a punch that sent Herrera to the canvas. A combination of hammerfists and punches caused the referee to call off the fight at 1:34 of Round 1.
Fight of the Night – Keandre Blackshire Impresses Against a Very Tough Kevin Li
Keandre Blackshire and Kevin Li should both be commended for turning in solid performances in what likely was the fight of the night. Both fighters showed some of the best striking technique of all fighters on the card. Blackshire clearly possessed more effective striking and won the bout 30-27 on all three judge’s scorecards, but Li displayed incredible toughness as he took some significant damage in the bout but never wavered in his attack.
In the first round, Blackshire displayed some good striking skills with his hands, landing effectively to the head. Li threw a body kick that Blackshire caught and converted into a takedown Li refused to accept the position and quickly got back to his feet. Blackshire then landed a nice combination of two jabs and a solid right hand before landing another hard right hand that backed up Li. Blackshire continued to land hard right hands. He landed one cracking right hand counter to a Li kick. Blackshire then landed a hard 1-2 combo that put Li up against the cage. From the clinch, Blackshire then hit a hip toss on Li and was briefly in top position before Li was able to reverse. With the fight back on the feet, Li gained control of Blackshire up against the cage and landed a couple of knees. Blackshire landed a big overhand right and a hard hook to close the round. The crowd roared their approval at the end of the round as Li was a bit bloodied and was showing damage.
Round 2 opened with Blackshire attacking with low leg kicks. Li then dropped to his knees and shot for a takedown that was stuffed. Li then had likely his best moment of the fight by landing a solid front kick that appeared to land square on Blackshire’s face. Blackshire responded by smiling, a usual tell-tale sign that a blow landed solidly. Li then shot for another takedown that was ultimately stuffed but the ended with the fighters in the clinch. From clinch, Li attacked Blackshire’s legs with knee strikes. Midway through the round Blackshire started to turn the momentum back in his favor as he used an effective jab and hard right hands. Off of a missed Blackshire missed punch, Li attempted another takedown but was once more stuffed. Toward the end of the round as the fighters broke the clinch position, Blackshire landed a solid knee and a hard 1-2. Round 2 was a very close round.
Round 3 started with a big moment for Blackshire as he slammed Li with a hard front kick to the face as Li charged forward. Blackshire later caught a Li kick and was able to land a couple of punches as he held onto Li’s kicking leg. Li was clearly well damaged at this point of the bout and Blackshire was the more active fighter. Blackshire continued doing good work with his jab, landing hard 1-2 combinations. Li, however, showed impressive will by not backing down and landed a another hard front kick to the face, as he had done in Round 2. Late in the round Blackshire landed another hard jab that snapped Li’s head back. Li had a nice moment late in the round, landing a solid low kick that cased Blackshire to twist a quarter turn from the impact. Blackhire closed the bout with a hard front kick to Li’s midsection and final, hard straight right hand.
Chance Forrar-Paul Wins Unanimous Decision Against James Hubman
Round 1 opened with the fighters immediately entering the clunch as Chance Forrar-Paul then took down James Hubman. Hubman did pretty well to defend the position by holding Forrar-Paul tight to his chest from full guard. Forrar-Paul was only able to get off a little bit off offense from top position with short punches. Hibman, however, seemed all too content to simply hold onto Forrar-Paul for the most part. Hubman did briefly look for a triangle choke. Forrar-Paul racked up a ton of control time in this round, almost the entire round, and landed a couple of hard right hand from top position. Late in the round Forrar-Paul got a little busier with his ground and pound and closed the round with four decent right hands from guard.
Forrar-Paul opened Round 2 attacking with a low kick and a body kick as Hubman looked to pressure, although he appeared hesitant to throw strikes. Forrar-Paul then landed a solid front kick but Hubman answered with a nice left hand. Hubman then appeared to look for a front headlock before pulling guard. Hubman continued the theme of the first round by defending from bottom position by trying to tie up Forrar-Paul by holding him tight to his chest. Hubman did not look to stand up, sweep, reverse or submit. But he at least did a decent job of limiting damage. Forrar-Paul postured up and landed a few looping punches. Forrar-Paul controlled Hubman for a large portion of the round, posturing up late in the round to land, rising to his feet and landing a few punches.
Round 3 opened with low leg kicks from Forrar-Paul, but Hubman landed one of his only clean blows of the night with a hard right hand. Forrar-Paul then shot and converted a takedown as he once more wound up in Hubman’s guard. Forrar-Paul controlled Hubman for the last two minutes of the fight, but this round was more active and effective with his ground and pound. All three judges scored the bout 30-27 for a unanimous decision for Forrar-Paul.
William Cole Davis Wins By Third Round TKO Over Oscar Montes
In the first round, Oscar Montes started with a couple of outside low kick-lefthand combinations against William Cole Davis. After Cole Davis landed a hard outside low kick, Montes charged forward but Cole Dvis was ready as he clipped him with a left hand that briefly dropped Montes. Montes quickly recovered, however, as he hit a hip toss on Cole Davis. Montes then landed a few punches. Cole Dsvis was able to quickly get back to his feet and then shot a takedown of his own. Montes tried to defend by grabbing a headlock but Cole Davis was able to convert and was initially in half-guard. Montes then started working on a guillotine attempt as he went to full guard. The guillotine appeared pretty tight, but Cole Davis was eventually able to pop his head out. Cole Davis then went to work with some looping punches. Montes was able to use his feet to push off Cole Davis and get the fight back to the feet. Cole Davis then scored by landing repeated leg kicks.
In Round 2, both fighters started the round with some wild punches, all of which appeared to miss their mark. Cole Davis then scored a takedown as Montes briefly looked for a guillotine. From side control Cole Davis transitioned and rained down twenty or more strikes from the position, although it was unclear how many landed cleanly. Montes did well to reverse position and scored with some short punches to the ribs and head. Montes then scored with hard left punches from top position. Montes later used a slick transition from top position into an armbar attempt, but despite the nifty transition was unable to secure the tap. Cole Davis then gained top position and landed some hard punches to close out the round.
After a brief striking exchange to open Round 3, Cole Davis impressed with a spectacular takedown by lifting Montes into the air and slamming him to the mat. From side control Cole Davis threw some short backfists and punches to the head and ribs. Cole Davis then did well to transition to mount. Cole Davis did really well to control the mount position. Cole Davis then went to work with hard punches and hammerfists. Seattle Fights thought the referee could have called a stop to this bout much sooner considering all of the hard punches Cole Davis landed, but the ref finally called a stop to the bout at 2:38 of Round 3, giving Cole Davis the TKO.
Joey Walker Impresses in First Round TKO of Jordan Ferrier
Joey Walker opened Round 1 with a couple of outside low kicks. Jordan Ferrier then appeared to land a partially blocked head kick but Walker quickly responded with punches before the fight entered the clinch. Ferrier then landed a hard jab. Walker responded with a solid left high kick. A hard inside low kick landed for Walker and he followed with a hard outside low kick that dropped Ferrier to the canvas. Twenty or so hard punches from Walker left Ferrier bloodied and forced the referee to waive off the bout, giving Walker the TKO at 1:33 of Round 1.
Nicasio Ortiz Wins 155 lb COGA MMA Title In Comeback Win Over Monty Anderson
After a brief exchange trading strikes early in Round 1, Nicasio Ortiz and Monty Anderson engaged clinch position, with Ortiz looking for a trip takedown that Anderson defended. After Ortiz threw a couple of punches to Anderson’s ribs, Anderson was able to convert a takedown. Ortiz did well to defend initially but Anderson then picked up Ortiz and dumped him up against the cage and proceeded to land about twenty punches. Anderson then picked up Ortiz again to reposition Ortiz. Anderson then took Ortiz’s back. Ortiz then was able to stand up but Anderson jumped onto Ortiz’s back. Anderson looked for a choke, as both fighters were sitting upright on the canvas with Anderson’s back to the cage. Ortiz attempted to land punches behind his head, from the compromised position with Anderson still controlling Ortiz’s back. While it may seem a questionable tactic to throw punches behind your head, perhaps Ortiz had a solid plan as he was able to turn into Anderson’s guard, taking top position, as he landed some solid punches to close the round. Round 1 was clearly Anderson’s round. Round 2 opened with the fighters trading hard body kicks. Ortiz then turned the momentum of the fight in his favor as he landed a hard right hand followed by a hard left hand. Ortiz was briefly staggered by a punch that almost appeared to knock him down. Undeterred, Ortiz then engaged the clinch briefly, taking Anderson down in the process. Anderson looked for a guillotine, prompting his cornermen to warn against burning out his arms. Ortiz then popped his head out and started throwing right hands from top position. Ortiz then transitioned to Anderson’s back and continued attacking with right hands. With the fight going back to the feet, Ortiz once more re-engaged the clinch, landing several punches. Anderson then looked for a takedown as Ortiz landed some punches to the ribs. Ortiz then scored the final takedown of the fight and quickly went to work landing hard punches. With Anderson in belly down position Ortiz then landed a few punches before showing good jiu-jitsu as he got a lighting quick tap via rear naked choke. The tap came at 2:56 of Round 2, giving Ortiz the 155 lb amateur title with an impressive comeback victory.
