Over the weekend, TITAN Fighting Championships made their debut on UFC Fight Pass. With four scheduled title fights, TITAN FC 34 was the weekend’s must see fight card. On Friday the fighters weighed in and all fighters made weight with one notable exception, bantamweight champion Brett Johns. Johns missed the 135-pound mark and was stripped of his title. A rare mishap for a champion from a well respected promotion like TITAN.
In the night’s main event, Pacific Northwest legend Pat “Bam Bam” Healy took to the cage to make the first title defense of his TITIAN FC lightweight strap. Healy’s original opponent, Mike Ricci, withdrew from the contest just four days prior to the event leaving Healy to square off with powerful striker Marcus Edwards on short notice. Early on in the bout, Healy had some trouble finding his range against the quicker, longer Edwards. After a rough first round, Healy found his comfort zone once the fight went to the mat and scored a TKO victory in the second round to retain his title. This marks the third straight win for Healy following his release from the UFC and it appears that he is headed in the right direction if he hopes to earn a third stint with the promotion.
The featherweight title fight between champion Kurt Holobaugh and Andre Harrison played out in just the way many anticipated. Holobaugh, a jiu jitsu fighter, was unable to find control against the powerful wrestling skills of undefeated challenger Andre Harrison. Harrison wrestled his way to a decision and the first major title of his MMA career. Harrison won this fight handily and will be a legitimate threat to anyone in the division. At 10-0, Harrison is likely on the radar of either the UFC or Bellator MMA. If he hopes to make any more waves, he will need to start finishing fights in spectacular fashion. To this point, he has become known for decision victories.
In the most controversial matchup of the night, former bantamweight champion Brett Johns made his scheduled fight against Anthony Gutierrez. Gutierrez came into this bout on weight and it was announced that if victorious in the matchup, he would still be awarded the bantamweight title. In the case of Johns if he were victorious, he would still need to earn back the title at a to be determined date. The fight itself was a back and forth affair that went the full five rounds. Johns proved he had a bit more in the tank in the latter rounds, which was likely, the big difference. Now with a record of 12-0, it would seem that Johns is another fighter who is ripe for the picking but it will be interesting to see how this weight cutting mishap plays against him.
And finally in the flyweight division, Tim Elliot took on Iliarde Santos to determine who would become TITAN FC’s first ever 125-pound champion. Both Elliot and Santos came to TITAN FC with UFC experience so many had high hopes for this matchup. This fight played out a little weirdly as Elliot spent much of the fight showboating. While he did seem to be in firm control throughout most of the fight, his antics were rather unsportsmanlike and didn’t do much to help his chances in the fight itself. From the first bell, it was clear that Elliot had the skills to win the fight and if he had focused his attention on the finish instead of the showboating, he might have put Santos away early. As it turned out, this one went the full five rounds with Elliot securing the decision and the title.
Full Results:
- Pat Healy def. Marcus Edwards via TKO – Round 2, 3:17
- Andre Harrison def. Kurt Holobaugh via unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 48-47)
- Brett Johns def. Anthony Gutierrez via split decision (47-48, 48-47, 49-46)
- Tim Elliott def. Iliarde Santos via unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-45)
- Freddy Assuncao def. Cody Bollinger via submission – Round 2, 2:51
- Tyler Stinson def. Jose Landi-Jons via TKO – Round 2, 0:47
- Jason Witt def. Isaac Vallie-Flagg via disqualification – Round 3, 1:54
- Gerald Meerschaert def. Lucas Rodolfo Bresolin Rota via TKO – Round 3, 0:50
- Desmond Green def. Vince Eazelle via KO – Round 1, 0:32
- Andrew Whitney def. William Joplin via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Dakota Cochrane def. Mike Bruno via TKO – Round 3, 0:51
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