WSOF12 : Palomino vs. Gonzalez Prelims Results Recap

Jimmy Spicuzza (5-1) vs. Lucas Montoya (6-3)

(Lightweight Bout – 3 Rounds)

For the last match of the preliminaries
Spicuzza and Montoya got into a striking war for the better half of the opening round. The match moved fast with both men finding their rhythm and range but neither willing to give up any ground coming forward. Spicuzza landed solid hooks as Montoya rocked him with a stiff jab. They kept the pace but stepped on the gas and before long an all out fire fight ensued. During a heated exchange the Blackout MMA teammate made good on his gym’s name by clipping Spicuzza with a devastating right hand-left hook combination that send Spicuzza on his seat near the cage wall. The Drysdale BJJ representative was not there for long as he rallied back throwing bombs at his foe as they stood along the cage wall exchanging some vicious shots. The furious action took on a life of its own resembling a prime Wanderlei Silva bout who was coincidentally in attendance tonight cheering on the action. In the end Montoya’s cleaner 1-2 combinations at close range took their toll on Spicuzza who crashed down on the mat as the referee stepped in to call a halt to the match.

Result: Lucas Montoya makes a spectacular WSOF debut defeating Jimmy Spicuzza via TKO at (4:11) of the 1st round.

Danny Davis Jr. (9-8-1) vs. Jorge Lopez (11-4)

(Welterweight Bout – 3 rounds)

Talented 170-pound technicians & Las Vegas-based fighters, Davis and Lopez took to the center of the cage aiming to land big but after an exchange of leather, Lopez got Davis to the ground off of a clinch, pushing him up along the cage. He worked out of Davis’ guard for about 2 minutes but could not land anything significant or fish for a fast submission finish giving his man the opportunity to work back to his feet. From there, the Xtreme Couture MMA representative pressed the action making sure to find his range, he finally did with a little less than a minute left landing a mean 3-punch combination that drove Lopez back putting him on the defensive. Davis smelled blood in the water launching some more hard strikes but his foe avoided any more punishment by slipping and ducking the shots as the round ended.

Heading into the 2nd stanza the Syndicate MMA fighter must have still had Davis’ attack fresh on his mind thus Lopez took the action to the ground as soon as the round began hitting a take down. However, he didn’t keep his man there for long as Davis was able to replicate the success of the last round by getting back to his feet. This time, Davis he didn’t find the same rate of success with his strikes but moved forward determined to land, pressing forward winging punches at his man or looking for a take down to possibly apply some of his ground game. Lopez alertly moved laterally or worked angles and stayed just outside of his man’s range but his offense was not as evident. Lopez did have moderate success in landing some right hooks or low leg kicks before the round finished.

A visibly tired Davis came out for the 3rd round hoping to land big even if his punches were now coming in a bit wide. Lopez pumped the jab setting up his 2-punch combinations but he was clearly backing up allot more now than in the rounds before. He looked for a few take downs that Davis stopped with ease regardless of his visible fatigue. Determination was personified by Davis as he continued to march forward hit or miss and wanted the victory badly throwing a variety of leg strikes, jabs and overhand rights to close the show.

Result: Danny Davis Jr. defeats Jorge Lopez via unanimous decision. All 3 judges saw it (29-28)

Adam Acquaviva (1-1) vs. Cody Maltais (2-0)

(Bantamweight Bout – 3 Rounds)

Acquaviva started out calm while Maltais quickly stole the round as well as the crowd showcasing a healthy diet of wild spinning elbows and back fists or flying knees and front kicks. Maltais’ pace was tremendous as he unleashed unorthodox fire time and time again. Some landed just as much as some of them missed but the Las Vegan was clearly here to put on a show. With a minute remaining Maltais finally hit one of his unorthodox strikes in the form of a spinning back fist, the spectacular move would be offset with just a few seconds left as in the clinch Acquaviva hit a beautiful Judo throw that flung his man halfway across the Decagon before the round came to a close.

For the second round Maltais attempted his spinning back fist strikes again as well as attempting to out strike his man on the feet before looking for a take down that was stuffed by the Syndicate MMA team mate. He went for the same spinning move a few more times throughout the round but by now Acquaviva had timed it and stepped out of harm’s way or ducked the shot with relative ease. He tried something fancy of his own and faked a loopy upper cut before hitting a leg kick that landed flush to his man’s body. Using a mix of leg kicks and overhand rights Acquaviva kept his man at bay and cruised the remaining portion of the round controlling the fight in the middle of the cage and at his range.

The 3rd round followed the rhythm of its predecessor, Maltais a Drysdale BJJ stable mate looking to keep that action upright as he searched for an wild, impressive strike coming up short while Acquaviva used his footwork to glide in and out of the pocket using nice 1-2 combos. Maltais gave it a go on a take down attempt that was stuffed by his opponent before accepting a purely striking match for the rest of the round. Nonetheless, Maltais didn’t leave the fans unhappy as he pursued a few more flying knees and spinning strike attacks before the bout finished prompting cheers from his hometown crowd.

Result: Adam Acquaviva defeats Cody Maltais via split decision with scores of (29-28) x 2. One judge had it 29-28 for Cody Maltais.

Bryson Gutches (2-0) vs. Soslan Abanokov (4-1)

(Featherweight Bout – 3 Rounds)

Featherweights Gutches and Abanakov kicked things of at The Joint inside the beautiful Hard Rock Hotel & Casino from Las Vegas. Gutches displayed some solid leg kick attacks prompting Abanokok to close the distance and take the fight to the ground. This backfired as Gutches put on a grappling clinic immediately taking side control and working for a can opener or shoulder lock before passing his man’s guard taking full mount. At about the halfway point of the round Gutches locked up a pretty tight armbar still working for the finish. It wasn’t there but it kept Abanokov on the defensive for the rest of the round even when the Muay Thai Center product finally reversed the tide and found himself in Gutches’ guard for the last minute.

Going into the 2nd round Abanokov looked to hit something big in the form of a take down . He closed the distance instantly after the bell rang wanting to get his offense working but the 3-time state wrestling champion wasn’t having any part of it avoiding the attack. Not only did Gutches stay poised and composed but at close range he took the fight to the ground on his own merit dumping his man over his head, sliding to his foe’s back, then locking up a firm rear naked choke giving his opponent no choice but to tap.

Result: Bryson “Copycat” Gutches remains unbeaten defeating Soslan Abanokov via submission at (1:07) of the 2nd round with a rear naked choke.

By : armando romo jr.
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