Despite Saturday night’s card being their first, Chopshop Xtreme Cagefighting put on, arguably, one of the best MMA shows, amateur or professional, to take place in North Texas in 2011. A twelve fight card was filed to the brim with some of the region’s most talented young amateur fighters. The large crowd of fight fans who gathered at the Mesquite Convention Center were treated to a night that I doubt they soon will forget.
CXC Welterweight Main Event
Cody Vidal (Mohler MMA) (3-2) RD 1 SUB (Guillotine) Sean Holden (Second Chance Gym)(6-4)
Time of Submission: 1:05
You have to hand it to Mohler MMA product Cody Vidal for putting on a hell of a show. After eating some vicious leg kicks thrown by the hard-charging Sean Holden, Vidal rallied back in spectacular fashion. After dropping Holden with a concussive left hook, Vidal pounced on his opponent who was working to get up, catching him in a vice-like standing guillotine. The choke would spell the end for Holden who was forced to tap.
CXC Welterweight Co-Main Event
Armando Servin (Alvarez BJJ) (4-0) RD 1 KO Abel Salinas (Chop Shop MMA) (2-1)
Time of the Knockout: 2:11 RD 1
As the bell rang to signal the start of the fight Servin was on the hunt. However, Salinas was able to shoot in and secure a takedown where tried to secure a guillotine. However, Servin would battle back and secure a takedown of his own here he softened up Salinas head with some thudding hammer fists. Eventually, the accumulation of the punches proved too much and Salinas’ was effectively knocked out. The gathered crowd grew worries as Salinas was sprawled out motionless on the mat for a couple of minutes after the knockout. Eventually, Salinas regained consciousness and was able to leave the cage on his own accord.
CXC Welterweight Fight
Marshall Gorham (Agoge MMA) (3-0) UD 3 Donnie Bell (Arlington MMA) (0-2)
Scores: Not Announced
Throughout most of the fight between Bell and Gorham the action was nip and tuck. With both fighters enjoying varying levels of success throughout the fight, the third round would serve as a crucial climax for the fight. Battered and winded both fighters fought gamely. Bell tried to establish dominance in the round early on, whipping hard leg kicks that sporadically hit their mark. Gorham would rally back with a brief flurry and some dirty boxing along the cage. In the end, it was Gorham’s boxing was able to carry the day and secure the win.
CXC Featherweight Fight
Klayton Mia (Octagon MMA) (1-0) Chris Gutierrez (Chop Shop MMA) (2-3-1)
Scores: Not Announced
It was clear early on that Chris Gutierrez was going to be a formable fighter on his feet. Using a counter-punching style, Gutierrez was able to pepper the hard charging Mia with flush leg kicks and counter hooks. However, Mia showed tremendous poise in turning the tide early on with his successful takedown attempts and punishing ground attack. Gutierrez fought gamely off his back but Mia seemed to be the more comfortable fighter on the ground and was able to control position in in route to complete domination in the second round. While Gutierrez was able to survive the round, it was evident that Mia was just beginning to shift into high gear. However, Gutierrez surprised many observers by coming out aggressive in the third round stuffing Mia takedown attempts, and even out wrestling Mia over stretches in the round. However, in the end it was Mia who walked away with a hard-fought victory.
CXC Welterweight Fight
Justin Healey (Rise MMA) (1-1)1 RD SUB (Rear Naked Choke) Ronnie Pace (Travis Lutter MMA) (1-3)
Time of Submission: 1:32 RD 1
Justin Healey would not be denied in his quest for victory as he used a grinding assault to wear down and eventually submit the game Ronnie Pace.
CXC Lightweight Fight
Philip Patterson (SFS MMA) (3-0) 1 RD SUB (Arm Bar) Justin Calhoun (ChopShop MMA) (0-1)
Time of Submission: 0:42 RD 1
Philip Patterson put forth a virtuoso performance in front of his hometown fans as he quickly utilized a deft takedown to secure a fight-ending arm bar seconds into the fight.
CXC Featherweight Fight
Stephen Banaszak (Chop Shop MMA) (2-0) 1 RD SUB (Arm Bar) Azariah Pattee (Ironside MMA) (0-1)
Time of Submission: 1:40 RD 1
While Pattee may have enjoined a considerable height and reach advantage, it ended up costing him the fight as Banaszak was able to fight deftly from the ground. While Pattee tried to win via ground and pound, Banaszak was able to secure and arm bar that ended the fight.
CXC Lightweight Fight
David Cashion (Last Man Standing MMA) (2-1) 1 RD SUB (Kimora) Jose Quinonez (Chop Shop MMA) (1-1)
Time of Submission: 2:05 RD 1
There was a look of determination in the eyes of Cashion from the minute the opening bell rang and it wasn’t long before the crowd in Mesquite realized it too. After weathering some early success by Quinonez, Cashion was able to get the fight to the ground and sunk in a picture-perfect kimora to end the night.
CXC Middleweight Fight
David Colletti (1-0) (Octagon MMA) TKO RD 2 (Strikes) Derrick Mills (0-1) (Second Chance Gym)
Time of Stoppage: 2:39 RD 2
Dave Colletti displayed a dominating game of cling and ground control in smothering and controlling a game but out-gunned Derrick Mills. Colletti would not give Mills even a second of reprieve as Colletti used a stifling wrestling attack and healthy dose of ground and pound repeatedly punish Mills in the opening round. Things continued to fall in Colletti’s favor in the second as he continued his dominance on the ground while repeatedly connecting with punches and hammer fists while in the mount. With Mills unable to stave off the continued assault, the referee waived a halt to the contest midway through the second round.
CXC Featherweight Fight
Joe Calhoun (Chop Shop MMA) (1-0) UD 3 JD Ferguson (Reyes BJJ) (0-2)
Scores: 30-27, 29-27, 29-27
In what turned out to be a grueling war of attrition both fighters fought hard to attain even an inch over each other. It was a hard-fought technical battle that featured plenty of ground fighting and jockeying for position. In the end, it was a dominant, workmanlike performance by the game Calhoun that seized the victory.
CXC Bantamweight Fight
Preston Duncan (Chop Shop MMA)(0-0-1) MD Zack McKay (Fly Combat) (0-0-1)
Scores: 28-28, 29-27 (Duncan) (29-26 (McKray)
In a fight filled with dynamic explosion of athletic ability McKray and Duncan waged a war that had the crowd on their feet. Between Duncan’s textbook submission linking and McKay’s high flying kicks, the bout was inarguably one of the more entertaining scraps one could hope to see. Things were fiercely contested throughout and the third round same Duncan lose a point for holding on to the cage. It was a close fight as evident by the fact that the fight ended in a majority draw.
CXC Catchweight (200 lbs) Fight
Derek Perkins (Arlington MMA)(1-0) TKO RD 2 (Strikes) Brant Shalek (Rollers Lair Austin) (0-1)
Time of Stoppage: 2:31
The first fight of the night set the tone in terms of action as Perkins and Shalek waged a brutal stand up battle trading powerful haymaker right hands with each other. Shalek showed great heart but Perkins took the fight up a notch in the second round and after shrugging of a couple takedowns by Shalek, Perkins was able to assume full mount and after a relentless flurry of vicious ground and pound, the fight was mercifully stopped.
Photo credit: CXCFights.com
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