Here are the quick results from last Saturday’s Renegades Extreme Fighting event at the Verizon Wireless Theater in Houston, TX:
Sam Mohamad (Puro Azteca) d. Dylan Godesteanu (Mousel) – Tapout due to strikes R1
James Pokluda (Urban Jungle) d. Eddie Avelar (Solis Martial Arts Academy) – Ref stop due to strikes R1
Steven Garcia (Elite Martial Arts) d. Tim Snyder (Houston Metro Fight Club) – KO at last second of R1
Shane Faulkner (Texas Powerhouse) d. Ty Baker (Integrated Fighting Arts) – Ref stop due to strikes R1
Mark Sedwick (Urban Jungle) d. Timothy "Kanrock" Williams (IDF Fighting Systems) – Decision
John Kirk (Puro Azteca) d. Mike Altman (Texas Kickboxing Gym) – Towel thrown in after end of R1
Corey Salter (Independent) d. Luke Manion (Urban Jungle) – Ref stop due to strikes R1
Sam Adkins (Houston Metro Fight Club) d. Jesse Vasquez (Bushi Ban) – Guillotine R2
Meredith Campbell (Urban Jungle) d. Brandon McDowell (Houston BJJ Club) – Tapout due to strikes R1
Vince Libardi (Texas Powerhouse) d. Zane Watson (Revolution Dojo) – Unanimous Decision
Todd Moore (Houston BJJ Club) d. Jody Draper (Urban Jungle) – Ref stop due to cut R1
That’s the results, now for a few comments. This might have been one of the bigger Renegades events to date, with a completely sold out crowd. Also, with so many finishes, there was very little booing and it seemed like the crowd was pretty happy with the event as a whole. Some random match notes…..Todd Moore and Jody Draper had a short but memorable match, with Jody cutting Todd early, and knowing the cut might result in a stop, Todd came out from the doctor check and overwhelmed Draper with short fists and forearms from top position, GNP’ing him into a bloody mess and getting the cut stoppage. Vince Libardi continued to impress against Zane Watson, and the rematch should be one to watch if Saul puts it together. Snyder and Garcia had a war and it looked like it was going to be several rounds of battle between the two…until Garcia KO’ed Snyder almost right at the bell to end the round.
And, last but not least, there’s the incident involving the Adkins – Vasquez match. The ending of the match was memorable, since Vasquez opened up a small but serious gash on the side of Sam’s head during a standup exchange that would probably result in a stoppage down the road. Sam worked in a guillotine from standing, Vasquez scooped him up in a double and elevated him high for a big slam and Adkins held on despite the hard slam to get the tap, with blood from his cut dripping profusely everywhere. The postfight incident was caused by Adkins flipping off the Bushi Ban corner, which resulted in a bunch of the Bushi Ban contingent attempting to rush the ring and scuffles ensued as security and crew, including promoter Saul Soliz and announcer Reverend Bart, got into the mix and attempted to physically control the individuals causing the situation. Reportedly, as in the last Bushi Ban related incident, Zuhair Hillail was involved this time as well. The two most serious near-riots at Renegades to date have both involved Bushi Ban, and I am not sure they will be invited back to compete anytime soon unless something changes. That doesn’t excuse Sam for his gesture to the corner, either, but disrespect happens occasionally in this sport – yet you don’t see whole groups of people trying to start a rumble every time it happens.
That said, Renegades has two more shows coming up soon, with the Feb. 10th show in Austin and the bigger Renegades Ultra show at the Toyota Center in Houston on March 25th. I’m looking forward to both shows, and if this last card was any indication, you should be too.
Paul
