Houston MMA Recap – “Cage Combat 5” and “IMKF 1” Results, Highlights, and Pictures

HOUSTON, TX, September 7, 2011 – What’s going on Houston! Judging by the looks of things, some noteworthy action (in AND out of the cage) took place while I was on hiatus in the jungles of Southeast Asia. Most notably, Cage Combat 5 took place at the Humble Civic Center on September 2^nd while IMKF held their first event in front of a crowd of a few hundred people over at Legend’s the following day on the 3^rd.

Here’s the link to the Cage Combat 5 Photo Gallery, courtesy of TXMMA Contributor Ronnie Bennett. Quick results for both events at the bottom of this post.

Now all drama aside, let’s take a look at the sporting highlights from the past two MMA cards here in Houston. 

Team Tooke’s “G” Wins Fourth Amateur Title Bout; A Move to Pro Next?

 
By all accounts, Guilherme Moreira seems to be well on his way to professional success if his latest amateur title bout is of any indication. Fresh off a title win at a Ringside Boxing Tourney late last month, Team Tooke’s resident “G” was able to put away South Texas challenger Jared Perez via a second round KO to improve his record to an undefeated 6-0 with four title bout wins. The question now becomes whether Moreira will proceed and turn pro (likely for Legacy FC) or continue to ply his trade in the amateur ranks. To this writer, it’s starting to look like the former will actually be the more sensible route as its gotten increasingly harder for promoters to find worthy challengers for Moreira on the amateur circuit. One thing is for sure no matter what though – If a move to pro is in the books, “G” has been as prepared as any in the recent past. This kid has a well-rounded skill set that continues to evolve, as evident by wins at Ringside and the Golden Gloves this past summer.  

Colin Wright Wins Bantamweight Battle to Defend GP Belt; Notches Sixth Win in a Row

 
Headed into this bout, Colin Wright and Tony Orozco Jr. were being touted as two of the most impressive young prospects from around the Houston area. With that as the premise, this 135 title fight was perhaps the most anticipated bout on the CC5 card and it seemed to have lived up to expectations for four rounds before officially ending via TKO in the fourth round – giving Wright the win while giving Orozco his first loss as an amateur. Controversy following the result of this bout seems to point to the final strike (knee by Wright) as the point of contention, with those arguing the result claiming the knee was reinforced and therefore illegal according to amateur rules set forth by the TDLR. Regardless of argument, ringside officials ruled any debate as immaterial by virtue of the TKO victory.

Colin Wright now moves to an impressive 6-0 in his amateur career with each W happening before the judges’ scorecards. It seems like the next move for this young man’s career could also be to the pro ranks but time will tell what he and his management decide down the line.

As for Orozco, this fight further validates his status as an up-and-comer in the sport. Taking on a more seasoned opponent in Wright, young Tony Jr. showed he has the mettle to compete at a high level (and through the championship rounds) during a bout that saw him dish out just as much punishment as he received. Not bad for a high school kid. Look for him to continue developing in the near feature en route to another inevitable shot at a title. 

Joe Trevino Wins Rematch of Amateur Champions in CC5 Main Event

 
Meeting for the first time earlier this year at the Legacy Amateur Series, Joe Trevino and Jacob Silva met again this time around on much more even ground – with each fighter holding an amateur title to his credit. In their first fight, Trevino largely dominated position on the ground against the cardio kid Silva, who despite being in danger multiple times in that bout refused to be put away through the entirety of the title fight. It went much shorter this time around as the 4OZ Fighter Trevino was able to quickly take the young firefighter’s back and slip his arm under the chin to force the victory with a beautiful rear-naked-choke.

Time will tell what’s next for these guys but it should an exciting future ahead for the 125 division around Texas with talents like Ricky Turcios and Hugo De La Fuente coming into their own locally and guys like Philip Maravilla doing the same out in Dallas. 

Rocky Long and Gilbert Jimenez Put on a Show; Bout Ends in Draw

 
The new IMKF organization originally billed Rocky Long vs. Chas Skelly as their main event before the bout failed to materialize (assumably due to injury to Skelly). Taking the Dallas fighter’s place was San Antonio’s “Pitbull” Gilbert Jimenez – a very game fighter always known to put on a show – as testament by his most recent fights against Derek Campos (FF3) and Alex Black (IXFA).

Heading into the bout, it was assumed that “Pitbull” would have a marked advantage over longtime Texas veteran Rocky Long – especially considering Long’s recent record of five continuous losses. However, it turns out that the bout was much closer in actuality than it seemed like it would be going into the bout. Reports back indicate that Jimenez was scrappy and dangerous as always while Rocky seemed to have some renewed vigor in going for the win in the five-round duel.

Based on post-fight comments from those in attendance, it looks like this could have truly gone either way despite the fact that nobody went home with a win as the bout was ruled a draw on the judges’ scorecards. Nonetheless, kudos to both fighters for laying it all on the line. 

Highly-Touted Veterans Derrick Lewis and Matt Thompson Log Impressive Wins

 
It looks like Derrick “The Black Beast” Lewis (5-2) and Matt Thompson (16-9) both made quick work of their equally-experienced opponents to improve their records at IMKF. Making his Houston return after a brief hiatus at Bellator, Lewis was able to gain the quick TKO over Jay Peche in the first round while Thompson ended his fight in the same stanza, except by way of submission over longtime Texas veteran Jon Kirk. We’ll see what’s next for these two as they continue to work their way up the chain nationally. 

Cage Combat 5 – Quick Results from Humble, TX

 
1. Leroy Shafer over Robert Herrera – Unanimous Decision
2 .Chris Sutton over Jeremy Lieder – Submission, RD2
3. Yan Digalov over Jose Martinez – Submission, RD2
4. Brannen Jones over Jeremy Hunter – Unanimous Decision
5. Eric Caminos over John Haydon – TKO, RD3
6. Nelson Rodriguez over Jaime Portillo – TKO, RD1
7. James De Herrera over Ricardo Delgado – Disqualification
8. Chas Liberty over James Gonzales – KO, RD2
9. Guilherme Moreira over Jared Perez – KO, RD2
10. Colin Wright over Tony Orozco Jr. – TKO, RD4
11. Joe Trevino over Jacob Silva – Submission, RD1 

IMKF – Quick Results from Spring, TX

 
1. Rocky Long and Gilbert Jimenez – Split Draw
2. Derrick Lewis over Jay Peche – TKO, RD1
3. Matt Thompson over Jon Kirk – Submission, RD1
4. Kyle Simpson over Carl Perry – Unanimous Decision
5. Noel Ligon over Edgar Verdin – Split Decision
6. Dale Mitchell over Corey Salter – TKO, RD2
7. Daniel Miller over Jason Sullivan – Submission, RD1
8. Sam Mohamed over Jonathan Lopez, Submission, RD1
9. Marcus Dupar over Chris Smith, Split Decision

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