Legacy Amateur Series 5 – Recap, Results, and Photos from Downtown Dallas

DALLAS, TX, August 13, 2011 – Making the trip to Dallas to cover the latest edition of the Legacy Amateur Series, I was curious of two different things: (1) the level of competition in the amateur ranks with the area’s emerging fighters, and (2) the level of which the area supports its MMA Scene. Based on tonight’s fights and the crowd that came out to support Legacy at the House of Blues, it looks like the DFW fight community is in good hands.

We’ll be working closely with partners like Sean and Roland at North Texas Fisticuffs to enhance coverage of the area’s top competitors and events in the near future.

Here a first look at Event photos from the Legacy Amateur Series courtesy of Mike Calimbas.

Legacy Amateur Series Play-by-Play courtesy of NTF’s Sean Malone.

In the night’s main event Armando Servin (5-0, Prevalsy’s Boxing) scored an impressive three round unanimous decision over Mike Jackson (2-5, B3/4oz Fight Team).  Servin came out aggressively showing some improved boxing skill but Jackson was able to keep the hard-charging Servin at bay with his height and reach advantage.  Jackson was able to establish some success with a hard jab and constant movement that had Servin whiffing on a couple of shots.  However, Jackson’s success was short lived as Servin took firm control of the fight in rounds two and three.  Jackson’s major weakness seems to be his ground game and Servin exploited this to the fullest pinning him to the ground and throwing punches the whole time.  Jackson contends that the ref should have stood the fighters up, but Servin was in firm control the scores reflected as much.  The cage-side judges scored the bout 29-28, 30-27, and 30-27 all in favor of Servin who announced his intention of turning pro following his victory.

In a battle of heavyweights Alfredo Leija (7-1, Mezger Combat Sports) survived some early scares to rally back and stop Donte Torres (2-1, Hicks MMA) in an action-packed slugfest.  Early on, Torres looked like he was well on his way to a first round victory as he bludgeoned Leija on the ground with some wicked punches to the side of his head.  Despite eating a plethora of leather encased fists, Leija remained calm, managing to survive the round.  Leija seemed rejuvenated as the second round started electing to try and outslug Torres.  It was a game plan that paid off in a big way as Leija effectively walked Torres down behind a non-stop salvo of jabs and straight right hands.  Torres tried to retaliate with shots of his own but Leija was gaining steam and after connecting with a flurry of concussive punches, Torres wilted to the canvas where the fight was mercifully halted.  The official time of the stoppage was 2:05 in round two.

Alex Melendez (2-1, Dallas Jawbreakers) looked impressive in submitting Casey Williams (2-1, Fitness Fight Factory) with a vice grip of a triangle choke.  Williams looked strong early on, scoring a hard double leg takedown seconds into the fight.  However, the takedown would prove to be the opening Melendez needed as he clamped on a triangle that had Williams locked in tight.  However, Williams would not submit and even landed a cage-rattling slam on Melendez.  Still, despite Williams’ best attempts Melendez would not let go of the choke and eventually he got the leverage he needed to force Williams to tap.  The official time of the submission was 1:24 in the opening round.

Despite a valiant effort put forth by Nick Anderson, Delis Borges was simply too much to handle.  Borges (2-1, Prevalsky Boxing) seized control of the fight early on, deftly transitioning to crucifix mount where he blasted Anderson with a barrage of punches.  Anderson (1-2, Delgado MMA) was able to reverse the mount but eventually was swept into a head-arm choke from Borges that forced him to tap.  The official time of the submission was 2:41 in the opening round.

Lior Shporen (3-1, Saekson/Mohler) earned an army of new fans with his scintillating first round head kick knockout of Terrell Henson (0-2, Mercenary MMA).  Though the entire fight lasted barely over a minute it was none the less filled with as much drama as most three round affairs.  After a heated exchange in the opening seconds, Shporen found himself faced with a nasty cut over his left eye that had the cageside physician seriously considering stopping the fight.  Keenly aware of the newfound urgency, Shporen unleashed an absolutely brutal head kick that landed flush on the face of Henson dropping him to the ground unconscious.  The official time of the knockout was 1:02 in the opening round.

Though diminutive in stature, flyweights Hugo De La Fuente and Philip Maravella engaged in a three round war befitting two titans.  The action never waned for an instant as bother fighters took turns tenderizing each other’s faces with a seemingly unrelenting barrage of punches.  For the majority of the three rounds it was hard to tell if either fighter was gaining any sort of edge in the contest as for every De la Fuente hook that landed flush, Maravella would immediately return fire, landing salvos of his own.  The fight plan changes slightly in the third round as Maravella looked to take the fight to the ground, scoring a couple of impressive takedowns.  But De la Fuente (1-0, Bushi Ban) was undaunted in his tenacity and after a fiercely contested fight, one that very well could have been labeled “Fight of the Night,” it was he who had his hand raised in factory.  Still, one has to give major credit to Maravella (0-1, SFS) for displaying the heart of a lion, even in defeat.  The official scorecards read: 29-28, 30-27, and 29-28 all in favor of De la Fuente.

There are slugfests and then there are wars.  On Saturday night, Justin Patterson (2-0, The Gym) and Robert Speckman engaged in the later.  Neither wasted little time in getting to know each other as both Speckman and Patterson came out swinging for the fences.  Patterson seemed to control the opening round with a non-stop barrage of punishing punches and relentless pressure.  Speckman (0-1, 646 Martial Arts) managed to survive the early onslaught to see round two but it would offer little in the way of a consolation prize as Patterson resumed the pressure in the second.  After taking things to the ground, Patterson seized the fight with a blistering barrage of ground and pound that prompted the referee to stop the fight.  The official time of the stoppage was at the 2:17 mark in the second round.

Cesar Del Angel (1-0, KO Club) and Adlaberto Martinez (0-1, SFS)  put forth an inspired performance of MMA action at its best as bother fighters engaged in a spirited slugfest that had the crowd roaring in delight.  Things began hot and heavy from the very first round as bother fighters elected to trade haymakers and knees in exciting action.  Things continued in much the same way throughout the three rounds as both fighters had their moments both standing, and on the ground.  While many would agree that the fight was competitively close, in the end it was Corpus Christi’s Del Angel who earned the judges nod with his gutsy performance.  Scores were 30-27, 30-27, and 29-28 all in favor of Del Angel.

In what can only be described as a war of attrition, Fernando Salas (3-2, North Dallas BJJ) gutted out a hard-fought three round unanimous decision over grizzled Angel Zamora (0-3, Bushi Ban).  Despite Zamora being game throughout the contest it was Salas’ control and ability to dictate the pace of the contest that carried him to a unanimous decision.  All three cage-side judges scored the bout 30-27 in favor off Salas.

In what has to be considered a spectacular display of ground acumen Francis May and David Elizondo waged an opening round that seemed more like a grappling tournament.  Both fighters traded position and submission holds with neither fighter really getting an advantage.  However, things changed in the second round as May (2-0, Collins MMA) was able to capitalize and took Elizondo’s back while standing.  The resulting rear naked choke forced Elizondo (0-1, SFS) to tap at the 1:22 mark in the second round.

Daniel Trevino (3-0, Fitness Fight Factory/Mohler) kicked the night’s fights off with a bang scoring an impressive first round knockout over Jay Nichols (0-1, SFS).  Both fighters wasted little time in trying to tear each other’s heads off as they traded punches and kicks with reckless abandon early on.  However, it was Trevino’s numerous takedowns that seemed to slow Nichols down just enough for a vicious shot from Trevino as he postured up separated Nichols from his senses and spelled the end of the night.  The official time of the knockout was 2:21 in the opening round.

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