Written by: Matt Little
Photos by: Lindsey Angelone
DALLAS, TX, May 30, 2011 – The Legacy Fighting promotion based out of Houston put on their latest amateur mixed martial arts show in the Dallas area this past Saturday, May 28th. The promotion entered the area with a reputation, well-known across the state for putting on quality shows for both the professional and amateur athletes across the region, creating anticipation for the recent show.
Saturday’s action took place at the House of Blues Dallas in the West End. This card was originally stacked with 18 total fights but was whittled down to 8 by the time the weigh-ins were completed Friday night. I’d say this was smart move by the promoter to schedule a surplus of fights as some of the fights were scratched and fighters were shuffled to make new bouts. In recent history, the Dallas area had an amateur promotion put on a show with only three fights on the card so hedging your bet is always a good idea.
The event itself was run very well. The lighting, video, audio, and pace of the fights were handled well and the show never had any lull moments. Unfortunately, the venue was not the best choice for such an event. General admission tickets placed fans on the floor while the cage was sitting up on an elevated stage where musical acts would typically perform. The cage itself barely had enough room for officials and media. Hopefully Legacy will choose a more appropriate venue for future events.
As for the action on the night, the fight that seemed like the biggest draw featured Jordan Gaza (Weapons at Hand) and Christina Lozano (Mohler MMA). Jordan Gaza was coming off her first loss as an amateur back in February and Christina was making her amateur debut. Gaza had changed gyms after her previous loss and looked to make some adjustments moving forward in her MMA career.
The bout largely featured Jordan as the aggressor though she had to overcome some difficulties within the bout. Gaza was able to back Lozano up with strikes and generally won in the stand-up. “My game plan for the fight was to utilize my stand-up to help get the fight to the ground and remain dominant on top,” she told us.
Gaza was able to take the fight to the ground with multiple throws and take-downs throughout the fight. About midway through the 1st round Gaza was working from side-control and the referee stood up both fighters for inactivity which seemed like a very poor decision due to the dominant position. “The fight started exactly as I wanted. I was able to take her down and achieve the side mount. The standup from side-mount was terrible. I had hoped to be able to work my game by either submitting or finish with strikes from this position.“
Later in the 2nd round, Gaza was hit with an illegal knee to the head as she was grounded but was given time to recover. “The shot definitely dazed me and my corner was telling me to take my time to recover.” The fight seemed to be close at the close of round 2 and the winner of the third round was likely going to win this fight. Gaza came out and displayed dominant striking and dictated the pace of the final round. That was enough to seal the fight for a unanimous decision from all three judges. When asked how she felt going into the third round Gaza stated, “my coaches told me that I have to treat every round like it’s just one fight. Each round has to be won and treated as such to ensure the win. You never know what will happen when the fight goes to the scorecards so I knew I needed to come out and win the third round to be safe.”
Both of these women seem to have a bright future in the sport if they continue to evolve as fighters and I have no doubt that they will.
Full Results for the Legacy Amateur Series – May 28, 2011:
- Rob Butler (SFS) vs Joshua Obena (Premier MMA) at 145lbs
Fight moves at a furious pace to start the round. Rob Butler wins via RNC at 1:00.- Jordan Gaza (Weapons at Hand) vs Christina Lozano (Mohler MMA) at 115lbs.
Jordan Gaza wins a very tough fight via unanimous decision.- Fabian Gutierrez (SFS) vs Evan Thompson (Machado JJ) 185lbs.
Evan Thompson wins via unanimous decision.- Roy Little (Premier MMA) vs Bobby Moore (Dallas Jawbreakers) at 185lbs.
Moore wins via TKO stoppage in round 1.- Marcus Simien (TX Fighting Syndicate) vs Dustin de la Cruz (Premier MMA) at 155lbs\
Simien wins via unanimous decision. All three judges scored the fight 30-27.- Bryan Head (Collins Martial Arts) vs Gabriel Ratliff (Star Jiu-Jitsu) at 185lbs.
Ratliff wins via triangle choke midway through round 1.- Nelson Salas (Texas Fighting Syndicate) vs Tristan Grimsley (Reyes BJJ) at 135lbs
Grimsley jumps guard near fence and wins via tap to guillotine early in round 1.- Shawn Smith (Peak Performance) vs Sandy Curtis at 185lbs
Shawn Smith of Peak Performance wins via TKO early in round 1.
Matt Little is currently a blue belt under JD Shelley at North Dallas Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (NDBJJ) and an MMA writer.
