SPRING, TX, January 29, 2012 – The Competitive Edge Sports Center was home to professional MMA action in the Houston area this past Saturday night as Jake Latimer’s Immortal Kombat Fighting promotion held their second event overall and first of the new year with IMKF 2.
With only one bout result coming by way of the judges’ scorecards, the event delivered in exciting finishes what it lacked in sheer number of bouts. IMKF 2 was highlighted by a main event light heavyweight clash featuring two of the strongest local fighters at that weight in Submission Boxing’s Justin Ledet and “Hurricane” Ike Villanueva of Paradigm Training Center. Other Houston veterans including Noel Ligon, Sam Mohamad, Rey Trujillo, Randy Hauer, and more also competed on the night. Let’s take a look at the quick results for the card then break down some of the notable finishes in further detail.
IMKF 2 – Quick Results
185 lbs. – Edgar Verdin over Lex Pappas by split decision. (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
205 lbs. – Matt Jones over Carl Perry by submission in the 2nd round.
265 lbs. – Dale Mitchell over Drew Ratichek by KO in the 1st round.
205 lbs. – Yonny Osuna over Kyle Simpson by TKO in the 2nd round.
145 lbs. – Rey Trujillo over Randy Hauer by TKO in the 2nd round.
185 lbs. – Noel Ligon over Sam Mohamad by TKO in the 1st round.
205 lbs. – Justin Ledet over Ike Villanueva by submission (armbar) in the 3rd round.
Justin Ledet pulls out late victory over Villanueva
Justin looked like lighting in a bottle as he sprinted out to the cage prior to the start of the bout. It was in that cage where Ike Villanueva met him with a stifling strategy that including smothering him inside from the clinch as opposed to matching reach with the taller fighter. That strategy worked for the better part of the fight with the two mired in a closely fought battle until the third. It was there when Justin took advantage of a momentary lapse by Ike on the ground that exposed an arm. Ledet wasted no time in grapping in to secure the fight ending submission.
Despite the big win, Ledet seemed extremely disappointed in his performance following the bout, making a single statement pretty much saying as much in his post-fight interview prior to throwing the microphone on the ground and leaving the cage. Nonetheless, it was a hard-fought victory. Time will tell where he goes from here.
Noel Ligon remains undefeated; Shows technical savvy in victory
The two would immediately go at it early with Sam looking to work his way inside while Ligon patiently awaited his own opportunity. After weathering the storm and seeing his opponent slow down just enough, Noel was able to capitalize by utilizing his technical advantage on the ground to wear his opponent down some more. Slowly but surely, Ligon started imposing his will in all facets of the bout until a bevy of shots that led to the referee stoppage towards the end of the very first round.
With this win, Ligon now moved to an undefeated 4-0 since he turned pro in November of 2010. No word yet on what’s next for him but Noel should be in for some bigger tests if his past 2 performances are of any indication. Either way, he is definitely moving up towards the upper echelon of the 185 class in the Houston area.
Rey Trujillo back on the winner track; Stops Hauer in the first
The pace would be set early in this one with Rey launching everything from his trademark spinning back kicks to punch combinations early while Randy looked to set up a takedown. It continued on in the second with more of the same plus more on Trujillo’s side as he succeeded in grabbing a few takedowns of his own in addition to some punishing shots delivered by “Tru the champ” on the feet. Randy was game for awhile in withstanding the onslaught but it was just a matter of time as Rey poured it on for the TKO finish.
With this win, Rey Trujillo now improves his overall record to 9 and 6 as he finally picked up a win after 5 consecutive losses. “2012 is my time,” he said in his post-fight interview.
Best of the Rest at IMKF 2
As for the other 4 bouts of the evening, they all served their own purpose in order to add excitement to the evening.
Yonny Osuna debuted impressively in bloodying Team Unleashed fighter Kyle Simpson en route to a TKO stoppage after a back-and-forth brawl in their bout. Likewise, Dale Mitchell also impressed in a first-round stoppage win over Drew Raticheck in a bout that had Drew not knowing where he was immediately afterwards. Matt Jones and Edgar Verdin would round out the rest of the card with victories over Carl Perry and Lex Pappas respectively.
A planned bout between New Mexico’s Andrew Quintana vs. Agrimar “Cyborguinho” Dos Santos did not materialize after Gold Team’s new Muay Thai coach injured his knee during warm-ups and was rendered unable to compete.
IMKF 2 – Photo Gallery
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