This time around should be another fun night of MMA action at the Arena Theater with a card featuring a solid mix of up-and-coming fighters, seasoned veterans, and even a few men some would consider legends in their own rights.
Headlining the main card will be a “champion versus champion” clash as 170 titleholder and vale tudo legend Jorge “Macaco” Patino will defend his belt for the first time since winning it against Pete Spratt at Legacy FC 8. This time around, he’ll be taking on none-other than a man that never lost that same belt in the cage in Mike “The Greek” Bronzoulis. The former champion had dropped that belt after signing an exclusive contract with the Strikeforce promotion and most recently won at Strikeforce Challengers 18 but couldn’t stay away after his bosses gave him the go-ahead to take one fight outside of his contract. He’ll be making the most out of that opportunity with this fight back in his home city and it should be a barnburner.
Supporting Legacy FC 9 in the co-main event is a clash featuring another Paradigm fighter in Jeff “The Executioner” Rexroad being the latest in a recent line of Houston-based fighters getting a shot against national competition. This time, it’s actually Houston versus international competition as Rexroad will be taking on UFC veteran Paul Kelly, a tough Englishman with a penchant for getting himself into tough fights. No doubt as tough a test as any but if Jeff can perform as well as Andrew Craig, Carlo Prater, and Daniel Pineda before him, it may just be a good night once again for the vibrant Houston MMA community fan base.
The rest of the card features many other fighters looking to make aname for themselves as well.
There’s Derrick “The Black Beast” Lewis, a heavyweight Bellator vet looking for his sixth win. and Daniel “Pit” Pineda, who’s beat three straight champions plus a tough WEC veteran in his bid for national respect. Then there’s “The Chosen One” Angel Huerta, an undefeated prospect with top sport karate experience fighting for Chuck Norris’ WCL prior to making the successful transition to MMA.
The list goes on and on but we’ll dig deeper into this card as it draws nearer. For now, here’s the quick card and an in-depth preview of the matches currently on deck for your enjoyment.
Legacy Fighting Championship 9 – Quick Card
• 170 (Title) – Jorge “Macaco” Patino (22-13) versus Mike “The Greek” Bronzoulis (13-3-1)
• 170 – Jeff “The Executioner” Rexroad (5-1) versus Paul “Tellys” Kelly 12-4)
• 155 – Daniel “Pit” Pineda (14-7) versus Gilbert “Pit” Jiminez (5-2)
• 265 – Derrick “The Black Beast” Lewis (5-2) versus Rakim Cleveland (2-1)
• 170 – Jonathan “Hulk” Harris (5-1) versus Antonio “King Kong” Flores (5-3)
• 135 – Cody “Wolverine” Williams (2-0) versus Steven Garcia (7-5)
• 170 – Patrick “Bam Bam” Hutton (3-2) versus Noel Ligon (2-0)
• 155 – Randy Hauer (7-12) versus Jesus Rivera (6-2)
• 160 – Frost “Icepick” Murphy (0-0) versus TBD
• 170 – Jeremy “The Karate Man” Morris (1-1) versus Justin Murray (3-1)
• 145 – Jeremy Mahon (1-3) versus David Armas (0-1)
Legacy FC 9 In-Depth Fight Card Preview
Main Event – 170 (Title) – Jorge “Macaco” Patino (Gold Team) versus Mike “The Greek” Bronzoulis (Paradigm Training Center)
A returning champion comes back from Strikeforce to fight the man who won his belt after he left. That’s the storyline in this one as Mike “The Greek” Bronzoulis returns to Legacy after winning his last bout against Chad Leonhardt to take on current welterweight champion Jorge “Macaco” Patino.
“You know, Macaco is a legend in the game and I believe he’s an awesome fighter but watching him win that belt broke my heart man,” Mike B. told us in an article confirming this matchup this past September. Now he’ll get a chance to win it back in the great champion vs. champion matchup since Hulk Hogan took on The Ultimate Warrior at Wrestlemania 6.
This HDNet main event will undoubtedly deliver for the crowd in attendance as both these guys are known for having some of the biggest hearts in the game, as they’ve proven in bouts past. The only question remaining now is who gets to leave with both belts in tow.
Co Main-Event – 168 – Jeff “The Executioner” Rexroad (Paradigm Training Center) versus Paul “Tellys” Kelly (Wolfslair Academy)
As we stated in our TXMMA Tale of the Tape announcing this one, December 16th will be Jeff Rexroad’s opportunity to host his coming-out party for the national scene when he takes on a seasoned UFC-vet in Paul Kelly. If he succeeds, he’ll likely be joining his Paradigm teammates Mike Bronzoulis and Brian Melancon as 3 of the top welterweights around. Training a few weeks with noted Coach Rafael Cordeiro (Kings MMA) at the time of this writing, Jeff’s certainly doing everything he can to prepare for his big shot.
In order to In order to get that recognition, Jeff ill have to get past the tough Wolfslair product in 27 yr. old Paul Kelly, who’s looking to get back into the UFC after a February loss to Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone. He went 5-4 in his last stint in the big leagues including several FOTN awards so that’s not too far of a stretch should he past the Houston product.
Look for both men to want to prove their worth in this one.
155 – Daniel “Pit” Pineda (4OZ Fight Club) versus Gilbert “Pitbull” Jimenez (Ohana Jiu Jitsu Academy)
Pit vs. Pit.
Daniel Pineda has been on as impressive a streak as any fighter in recent Texas history, taking out three fellow Legacy champions in addition to a tough-as-nails WEC vet in Frank Gomez to put the exclamation point on Legacy FC 7. This time around, he’ll be facing another aptly-nicknamed opponent and another “Pit” in San Antonio’s Gilbert Jimenez – another heavy-handed fighter that typically explodes out of the gates.
Pineda likely will and should be the sizeable favorite heading into the bout but make no mistake about it, Jimenez is a live underdog after some gutty performances against Rocky Long at IMKF 1 and Derek Campos at Fightfest 3.
265 – Derrick “The Black Beast” Lewis (Silverback Fight Club) versus Rakim Cleveland (4OZ Fight Club)
This fight is rematch of their November 2010 encounter at WGC that saw Derrick Lewis take the win home via armbar. The two colossally-sized gargantuan have both improved plenty since that bout with Lewis going on to fight in Bellator and winning 2 other bouts while Rakim Cleveland went on to win his own 2 fights after than loss in his pro debut.
There are few local heavyweights that can match size with Lewis but Cleveland is certainly one of them. Whether he can match power and skill remains to be seen but he’ll get his chance in this one. Let’s hope the cage supports hold up.
170 – Jonathan “Hulk” Harris (Submission Boxing) versus Antonio “King Kong” Flores (Pound 4 Pound Boxing)
Between Jonathan Harris or Antonio Flores, it’s safe to bet that somebody is getting fished in this one.
If you look at the records of both men, that’s not a very bold statement to make. Out of 14 fights between them, these two has a combined 2 fights that have gone to the judges’ scorecards and both of them would have preferred it end otherwise.
What more is there to say…? These two both have knockout power and fight with a proverbial chip on their shoulders. Between them, the two have no less than four fights that have ended thirty seconds. That should say it all right there.
Look for a highlight reel finish to end this one.
135 – Cody “Wolverine” Williams (American Top Team) versus Steve Garcia (4OZ Fight Club)
This fight is a test for both men.
For ATT’s Cody Williams, it’s a chance to prove that he indeed for real against another veteran opponent after trouncing Nate Garza in his last Legacy appearance on the Legacy FC 8 undercard. This time, he should get prime billing in front a nationwide audience to put a stamp on his “real deal” reputation but it won’t come easy.
Despite his quick guillotine loss to another top prospect in Steven “Ocho” Peterson on the same LFC 8 event, Steve Garcia remains a dangerous opponent for anybody on the planet. He’s quick, feisty, and has knockout power to go along with seasoned experience on the ground. He’ll be looking to right his mistakes from his last fight in this one against his more inexperienced yet highly-touted opponent.
170 – Patrick “Bam Bam” Hutton (RSKA) versus Noel Ligon (Moussel’s MMA)
Talk about a stand-up battle.
No seriously, if you wanted to talk about a stand-up battle, this one may be the one to talk about. Of all the fights that could feature great strikers on this card, and there are several, this one may be the one that has the least likelihood of going to the ground.
Patrick Hutton (a boxer) and Noel Ligon (a Muay Thai expert) both like to contest things on their feet and have all the tools to do so for an entire fight. “Bam Bam” was last seen gutting it out to get the decision win over Pat Bierschwale at Legacy FC 6 while Ligon was last seen getting his own decision win over Edgar Verdin at IMKF 1 this past September. Look for both fighters to end things more conclusively this time around in what should be a strategic yet action-packed affair.
155 – Randy Hauer (Metro Fight Club) versus Jesus Rivera (4OZ Fight Club)
Finally, “The Most Exciting Referee in Texas” Randy Hauer comes back to fight in his home state for the first time since Art of War 2 way back in 2007. Randy’s had a storied career, starting in MMA since it was wasn’t even MMA here in Texas – fighting with no gloves and open hands in front of bloodthirsty crowds in the days pre-regulation. In his time, he’s fought names like Carlos Condit, Clay Guida, Spencer Fisher, and more. With that being said, he’s also dropped his last five and is looking to come back for one more run at the age of 37.
In order to do that, he’ll have to take out a fellow 37 yr. old in “The Spaniard” Jesus Rivera. The 4OZ. fighter looked nothing like his age his last time out fighting on the HDNet Legacy FC 8 main card against Rey Trujillo. A Muay Thai stylist, Jesus dominated much of that fight en route to a round 3 TKO and has now won his last two bouts a row if you count the kickboxing match he had with Lee King along with his MMA bouts. In fact, if you consider that series with Trujillo a wash after taking back a win to offset his March 2010 decision loss, River’s only other defeat as a pro remains another split decision to fellow MT pro Randy Vera. Maybe this guy’s not his age after all.
160 – Frost “Icepick” Murphy (Elite MMA) versus Chris “Chop” Rucker (Paradigm)
As we mentioned in our recent article behind his motivation to return the fight game, Frost Murphy wants to fight in order to set an example and raise funds for charity – not some large faceless organization but a specific kid who needs heart surgery.
If that’s not reason enough to tune into this fight, I don’t know what is.
In this fight, we can expect a dynamic battle of two debuting pros as Frost will be facing the rapidly improving Chris “Chop” Rucker out of the Paradigm camp. This will be a very interesting contrast in styles with Rucker being such an athletic specimen and Murphy being the BJJ expert. Those elements should make for a very interesting dynamic in this one.
170 – Jeremy “The Karate Man” Morris (646 MMA) versus Justin Murray (Bushi Ban)
It’s been awhile since we last saw “The Karate Man” Jeremy Morris step into the cage this past February at IXFA. Despite the split decision loss to Pat Bierschwale that night, Jeremy showed everybody he’s a well-rounded fighter who’s got a more well-rounded game than his name indicates. Training out of 646 MMA, Jeremy looks comfortable anywhere the fight goes.
Likewise, his opponent Justin Murray is also becoming increasingly more well-rounded. Rebounding from his first loss as a pro to BJJ black belt Jordan Rivas this past January, Justin was able to score a unanimous decision over Rashon “Sho-Nuff” Lewis at IXFA in Winnie this past April. Now he’ll look to continue that streak against an opponent looking to notch his own rebound win. Look for a very technical affair in this one.
145 – Jeremy Mahon (4OZ Fight Club) versus David Armas (Silverback Fight Club)
This is an interesting matchup at 145. Jeremy Mahon, a 4OZ Fight Club coach and David Armas, an outspoken young fighter out of the Silverback camp, have sparred verbally through online forums and social media on occasion for quite some time. Admittedly, this may be a bit of conjecture on my part but this bout could be as close to a “grudge match” as could possibly be scheduled for this event and should be no less than an entertaining crowd-pleaser if it’s to be the opening fight of the night.
Aside from their outspoken nature, the two has a penchant for wanting to bang it out on their feet during their fights – even without bad-blood, so to speak. In the words of noted announcer and barbecue sauce connoisseur Jim Ross, “This one’s gonna be a slobberknocker!”
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