Palomino Upsets Gonzalez Via KO In 1st For WSOF12 Headliner From The Hard Rock In Vegas

As the main attraction for the 12th World Series of Fighting event that took place inside the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino from Las Vegas, Nevada, seasoned fighter Luis Palomino (22-9) took on then unbeaten Lewis Gonzalez (9-0). Allot of fans wondered which fighter would rise to the occasion given this main event slot as well as a possible chance to fight for the coveted 155lbs WSOF title off of a win tonight later this year if not early 2015.

Both men came to bang and let it all hang out right out of the gate. The two lightweights traded heavy leather making the raucous crowd at The Joint completely involved as they stood and clapped for the modified brawl taking place as left hooks and overhand rights flew courtesy of both men. It was only a matter of time before a flow changing strike landed and it did from the Florida-based fighter as he clipped his man leaving him temporarily stunned. The Peruvian saw the opening and took it by charging forward on Gonzalez who was still in the fight but moving forward on instinct and heart. Unfortunately, he attempted a takedown Palomino who was in the middle of throwing a left leg kick that landed flush. Part of his knee connected unto the California’s head and the MMA Gold Fight Team representative crumbled to the mat. Two more sniper-like shots from the hands of Palomino and referee Herb Dean jumped in promptly to save the fallen warrior from any further damage.
The official time of the brutal TKO came at (4:42) of round 1 improving Luis Palomino’s record to (23-9) and landing him right in the company of the other top contenders of the division. The TKO defeats gave Lewis Gonzalez his first pro loss as his record drops to (9-1).

Ronny Markes (14-3) vs. Cully Butterfield (13-3)

(Light Heavyweight Bout – 3 Rounds)

For the co-main event of the evening former Brazil’s Markes took on Eau, Claire Wisconsin’s Butterfield. The Brazilian and former Octagon contender wasted little time in imposing himself on his fellow 205er. The Power MMA And Fitness teammate found little resistance to his takedowns as he drove his foe to the ground and kept him there for the bulk of the round. The Brazilian landed plenty of ground and pound from inside his man’s guard and when the opportunity presented itself he looked for a finish in the form of a rear naked choke or triangle choke style submission attempts.

For the 2nd round Markes followed the same successful recipe from the previous round. Take Butterfield down and make him work, expanding his cardio to unnecessary heights thus leaving openings for more ground attacks. Working endlessly was Markes and it paid off as he cemented The Grind Fitness representative on the ground and kept him there for the bulk of the stanza. With only seconds left in the round Markes had mounted his foe, then Butterfield gave up his back only to take some brutal punches from Markes who let the pain rain down all the way until the bell rang.

Going into the 3rd the Brazilian’s excruciating hard work took a toll on his own conditioning so Butterfield made this his chance to rally back. He was able to get his Brazilian adversary into defensive mode thus letting him steal the round. Still, the Wisconsin fighter could not get the finish that he so desperately needed in order to take the win which was well within his grasp. To his credit, Markes stayed composed fighting off of his back or while defending a choke or two. He Never broke under the pressure of a game fighter searching to take the win before the final round came to a close.

Result: Ronny Markes makes a successful WSOF debut defeating Cully Butterfield via unanimous decision with scores of (29-28) x 3.

Elvis Mutapcic (13-3) vs. Kelvin Tiller (6-0)

(195 lbs Catchweight Bout – 3 Rounds)

The third match on the main card saw Round Kick Gym representative Mutapcic take on the unbeaten Tiller. Mutapcic traded shots with his foe before attempting to take the action to the ground where he could apply his craft. Following a takedown the Iowa-based combatant was able to do so displaying his superiority on the ground as he worked to pass Tiller’s guard while landing some crackling ground and pound along the way. The Kansas fighter managed to get the fight back upright avoiding any more of Mutapcic’s assault but during an exchange a Tiller leg kick strayed low causing time to be called by the referee due to a low blow. Once the action restarted following the short break while Mutapcic recovered, it was more of the same with him looking to ground Tiller who wanted to avoid going to the mat as much as possible but found himself constantly on the defensive.

Going into the 2nd stanza the Round Kick Gym
team member aimed to out work Mutapcic on the feet. He obtained moderate success as he used his range to set up leg kicks. However, as soon as Mutapcic closed the gap between them he found a way to get the fight to the mat and work from there via the clinch or a body lock. Once the action made its way back upright, he was still able to land the cleaner strikes to close the round out.

Heading into the 3rd round the United Martial Sciences representative threw caution to the wind and walked right towards Mutapcic with his hands at his waist. Tiller knew he was likely behind on the scorecards therefore probably hoping to land a game changer with less than 5 minutes to go. The plan didn’t go accordingly as Mutapcic used his feet to stick and move on the oncoming target eventually getting the battle to the ground again. The Iowa-based fighter timed a takedown off of a strike then went to work looking for some more submissions and ground and pound as he cruised to the finish line.

Result: Elvis “The King” Mutapcic defeats Kelvin Tiller via unanimous decision with scores 30-27 and (29-28) x 2.

Alexis Vila (14-4) vs. Brandon Hempleman (9-2)

(Bantamweight Bout – 3 Rounds)

Another pair of 135 lbs stars took the stage for the second match of the main card as American Top Team’s Vila collided with Combat Fitness Mitch Coats Jiu Jitsu’s Hempleman. Vila walked out to Cuban music and took to the middle of the cage swinging mightily like a Cuban-caliber baseball player. He loaded up on big right hands or even bigger left hooks that partially found their mark but due to the technique, left a wide enough gap for their target to slip out of the way. To his credit, Hempleman was game for the challenge standing in the pocket throwing bombs of his own for the 1st round.

Going into the 2nd round the Idaho native tightened up his defense and fought smart. He avoided any unnecessary or wild engaging moving side to side and using his jab to set up shots. As soon as he touched his man with the jab, Vila would undoubtedly swing wildly giving an alert Hempleman plenty of time to slip the attack as the round came to a close.

For the 3rd round the Florida native made no adjustments willingly continuing the home run hit-approach. But, the clear difference now was that the punches were not as powerful nor carried the same velocity. The heavy diet of attempting big shots had taken their toll on the. Cuban warrior and time was not on his side as the round flew by without any significant punch landing on his behalf. Hempleman stuck to his strategy of patiently attacking while instinctively avoiding getting caught with something reckless as he cruised to the end of the round.

Result: Brandon Hempleman defeats Alexis Vila by unanimous decision with scores of (29-28) and (30-27) x 2.

Bryson Hansen (7-1) vs. Matt Sayles (2-0)

(Bantamweight Bout – 3 Rounds)

For the main card that aired live on the NBC Sports Network, 135ers Hansen and Sayles went to battle kicking off the televised portion of the show. Hansen displayed some superior hands as he landed a short but deadly, straight left hand shot with ease. The shot found its mark time and time again, so much so that one of them landed on his man’s face sending him crashing to the canvas on his seat. Hansen rushed in for the finish landing almost 15 unanswered left hands as he pressed Sayles along the cage with one arm and let loose with the lefts. Amazingly, the San Diego-based fighter weathered the storm managing to break the clinch and posture away from the cage. Hansen kept his distance only stepping in to land that beautiful left hand punch again but Sayles showed tremendous heart making it out of the round.

Going into the 2nd round the tide completely changed in the Alliance MMA fighter’s favor. Not only was Sayles the fresher fighter but he started to pick Hansen apart little by little. The devastatingly accurate left hand was no longer there from the Xtreme Couture representative and in its place was some upper body movement with the occasional launch of a right hook or straight. In the mean time, Sayles put together a masterful game plan behind some swift footwork, angles, 2-punch combinations and uppercuts. He found his rhythm keeping the fight where he wanted it to be.

This same pattern materialized even more so for the 3rd round. Sayles replicated his teammate and former WEC & UFC champion, Dominick Cruz’ movement gliding in and out of the pocket then coming in to land a left uppercut-over hand right. Sayles even mixed in some short knees and low leg kicks putting Hansen in a box with absolutely nowhere to go. The Las Vegas-based fighter seemed confused from the attack and dumbfounded as to which way he could offset his foe’s rhythm but Sayles was on and there was no way to stop him. A quick takedown from Hansen came almost at the 10-second mark but it was too little too late.

Result: Matt Sayles upsets 2-1 favorite Bryson Hansen via unanimous decision. All 3 judges see it (29-28).

By: armando romo jr
Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile