Coverage via TXMMA.com Correspondents – Kris Bickham, Misty McMillan, & Veronica Cortez
In the most anticipated bout of the evening, Steven “Ocho” Peterson was able to validate his status as XKO’s bantamweight champion by defending his title for the first time in thrilling fashion by finishing Alex “Warpath” Russ via submission the first round to keep his belt!
There were upset surprises and impressive performances galore to round out the XKO 11 card as none of the bouts went to the judges’ scorecards. Perhaps the most surprising result among them was a TKO win by Jose Sanchez over the highly-decorated JJ Holmes due to cuts. James Vick, Chris Pecero, Josh Foster, and a host of others performed impressively to close out the action in Arlington.
See below for the quick results and read through the play-by-play courtesy of Kris and Misty to get a sense of all last-night’s action. Check back soon for photos from this event right here on TXMMA.com!
Xtreme Knockout (XKO) 11 – Quick Results
- Ciprian Hangan over Steve Hess by KO in round 1.
- Dusty Mason over Ali Ileiwi by submission (armbar) in round 1.
- Josh Foster over Hayward Charles by submission (kneebar) in round 1.
- Nelson Salas over Eliasar Rodriguez via TKO in round 1.
- James Vick via submission (armbar) in round 1.
- Chris Pecero over Burt McDonald via submission (triangle choke) in round 1.
- Zach Haney over Jose Diaz via submission (RNC) in round 3.
- Jose Sanchez via TKO (doctor stoppage) in round 1.
- Steven Peterson (c) over Alex Russ by submission (RNC) in round 1.
Fight 1 – Jason Fisher (3-6) Vs. Joshua Lee (5-11)
Longview’s Josh Foster fights hard for the takedown for the whole first round. He’s really pressuring Fisher against the cage to work the double-leg. Fisher’s takedown defense is solid but Lee is relentless in his pursuit, eventually getting a takedown towards the end of the round to take it. In the second stanza, Lee scored a takedown in quick fashion that initiates a scramble. Josh Lee capitalizes on the opening to take the back and secure the rear-naked choke for the win.
Winner – Josh Lee over Jason Fisher by submission (RNC) in round 2.
Fight 2 – Steve Hess (1-2) Vs. Ciprian Hangan (1-0)
Steve Hess gets off a well-timed leg kick to begin round one. They exchange and Ciprian clips Hess with a shot that clearly stuns him. Looking to capitalize, Hangan steps forward to pour on the shots with his hands and try to get the win. In the exchange, Hess backs up against the cage and eats a couple of flying knees for his efforts. Steve is now trying to circle away from the cage but Ciprian is maintaining forward pressure and keeping him there. Hangan’s strikes are really unorthodox but they are relentless and effective. Eventually he catches the brown belt Hess with a hook that drops him to the mat for the finish. Quick fight but a devastating won that brings Ciprian Hangan to 2-0 in just :44 of round 1.
Winner – Ciprian Hangan over Steve Hess by KO in round 1.
Fight 3 – Ali “Iraqi Samurai” Ileiwi (2-3) Vs. Dusty Mason (0-2)
The “Iraqi Samurai” gets a takedown early but Dusty Mason is on the attack and soon gets a well-secured armbar. Dusty struggles and here is now some visible shakin of the head between the fighters and the ref breaks it in Dusty’s favor to give him the submission. Ali clearly disagrees with the referee’s ruling and we honestly did not have a vantage point to clearly see a tap. Controversy much? The crowd is now shouting, “Let them fight! Let them fight!” but it’s too late now. The bout is called at :54 of round 1 for Dusty Mason via submission. (note: After the fight, the big screen replay reveals what clearly appears to be a tap. If you were there, chime in through our comments section and give us your take on this fight.)
Winner – Dusty Mason over Ali Ileiwi by submission (armbar) in round 1.
Fight 4 – Hayward Charles (1-1) Vs. Josh Foster (3-2)
This bout starts off with a bang as the hard-hitting Foster drops Hayward Charles within the first five seconds! Foster jumps on his fallen opponent like a hungry lion on a wounded baby gazelle but to our amazement, Hayward weathers the storm and very quickly latches on his own triangle choke. The crowd goes wild as Foster attempts to strike his way of the submission. They spend what seems like forever in this position with Foster showing decent submission defense. Finally he pulls out of the triangle and Hayward is soon chasing the armbar. They continue to fight here and Foster catches Charles in a kneebar to pull off the submission victory!
Winner – Josh Foster over Hayward Charles by submission (kneebar) in round 1.
Fight 5 – Nelson Salas (3-2) Vs. Eliasar Rodriguez (3-0)
Nelson Salas comes to ‘Guerilla Radio,’ our choice for walkout music of the night. His opponent Eliasar Rodriguez looks focused and ready to go. The bells rings and Rodriguez immediately pressures for the takedown and gets it. His control is quite apparent on the ground and he’s continuing to pour the pressure on. Salas weathers a barrage of elbows and eventually gets the fight to its feet. Salas then catches Rodriguez and wastes no time in pouring on the strikes and eventually dropping Rodriguez with an elbow. He follows him down with strikes and gets the TKO in 1:46 of the first round.
Winner – Nelson Salas over Eliasar Rodriguez via TKO in round 1.
Fight 6 – Jimmy Taylor (0-0) Vs. James Vick (1-0)
They circle cautiously to start round one before Vick initiates with a head kick. Taylor responds by rushing his opponent and lands in Vick’s triangle choke for his efforts. Vick secures the position and eventually achieves the mount using Taylor’s own momentum against him. Vick doesn’t finish the choke but stays composed enough to finish with the armbar instead. Another impressive submission victory for the converted boxer. Kudos to him along with Albert Hughes and Tony Tipton over at Genesis where Vick does his jiu Jitsu training.
Winner – James Vick via submission (armbar) in round 1.
Fight 7 Chris Pecero (3-2) Vs. Burt McDonald (1-0)
There’s a quick exchange to start round 1 and McDonald throws a long series of hooks that’s able to inflict some damage. He moves forward and scoops up Pecero for the slam to get him on the mat. Staying composed, Pecero is able to transition in a triangle choke. It’s not deep at first but he eventually get it over the angle and finishes with the first round submission.
Winner – Chris Pecero over Burt McDonald via submission (triangle choke) in round 1.
Fight 8 – Jose Diaz (3-3) Vs. Zach Haney (1-5)
Jose Diaz steps into the cage looking confident and jumping around while Zach Haney is quietly composed in his corner. Diaz open up with a leg kick but Haney ties him and they trade knees. Diaz pushes Zach against the fence and looks to chop him down at the thighs. They trade against the fence for the duration of round 1 and it looks like it goes to Diaz for being the busier fighter.
Round 2 begins with Diaz against being aggressive and landing a straight. Haney responds with a roundhouse before they once again lock up and trade knees. Haney goes for the takedown but Diaz scrambles out. Haney throw an unintentional low blow that stops the action briefly. Once they resume Haney tries a head kick with Diaz retaliating with combinations that cut Haney. Zach now gets the takedown and eventually gets the back. A few solid elbows and choke attempts to pull off the second round.
The final round starts the same as the first two with Haney being the aggressor. Diaz advances and tries for the takedown but Haney sprawls out. Zach now goes for the back and he’s got it. Diaz taking some shots and Haney gets in the RNC for the win.
Winner – Zach Haney over Jose Diaz via submission (RNC) in round 3.
Fight 9 – JJ Holmes (2-1) Vs. Jose Sanchez (1-0)
We’re heading into the two featured matches of the evening with this, the battle of the JJ’s. Holmes looking extremely confident before the fight while Sanchez appears to be a little nervous based on the look on his face. The bell rings and Holmes comes in with a straight that backs Sanchez up. Holmes goes in for the takedown but is too far out of range to secure it. Sanchez goes a roundhouse but catches air. They now lock up and Holmes gets Sanchez down on his knees briefly. They are both now back up and Sanchez goes for a running knee that catches Holmes square on the end. JJ is now bleeding pretty good as he goes in for another takedown. That knee to the top of JJ’s hairline busted him wide open and he’s bleeding all over the place. They’re tied up in guard as the ref puts a halt to the action so the doctors can come in and take a look. WOW! The fight is over due to the cut! Holmes is pissed off about the stoppage to say the least and leaves the ring without a word to his opponent.
Winner – Jose Sanchez via TKO (doctor stoppage) in round 1.
Fight 10 – Steven Peterson (4-1) Vs. Alex Russ (3-0)
It’s time for the one that everybody has been waiting for as Alex “Warpath” Russ takes on Steven Peterson for Ocho’s bantamweight title!
The tension is palpable in the air. The two stare down and look intense. This alone brings the crowd to their feet and it almost looks like they’ll be exchanging blows before the bell.
The fight starts with both fighters being cautious before a few skirmishes with their hands. “Warpath” rushes Peterson and brings him against the cage before getting the takedown. Ocho immediately starts to work and latches on one of his quick vaunted armbars. Alex escapes but Ocho maintains dominant position and gets the back! He’s now chasing the rear-naked-choke but Russ stays calm and is defending for what seems like an eternity. Wow! It seems like eternity is not enough and the champ finally gets under the chin to secure the submission at 1:57 of round 1 to defend his XKO bantamweight title! Very impressive performance!
Winner – Steven Peterson (c) over Alex Russ by submission (RNC) in round 1.
Kris Bickham has been a contributor to TXMMA.com since 2009 and is also currently the XFC Welterweight title holder. In addition to writing and training in MMA, Kris is also an assistant instructor and purple belt under JD Shelley of NDMMA. For more on Kris and the rest of our staff, follow TXMMA on Facebook!
