Cam fought before Steve did. He was up against Steven Siler for the featherweight title. Steven is said the be the top Featherweight in the state. Cam was a really good match for him. The pace was furious from the start. They both just unloaded some good combinations on each other. It happened so fast that I can't remember all the details of it. I think Steven got the takedown, ended up in Cam's guard and while Cam was trying to lock him down Steve got some really good throws in. The fight ended within two minutes with Steve taking the win by rear naked choke.
Steve "Razor" Sharp fought Rad Martinez for the Lightweight title. This fight went for five five minute rounds. Talk out brutal! You've got to be beyond human to go that long fighting. The fight took a definite pattern that started with a few seconds of good standup, then Rad shooting in for the single leg takedown up against the cage, Rad ending up in Steve's guard and then Steve locking him down. Steve, in my opinion, is a WAY better fighter than Rad is. Rad is a very accomplished wrestler, but the only thing he could do was take Steve down and muscle his way around. Steve was excruciatingly close to getting an submission by armbar a few times, but Rad defended well against it. Rad won by unanimous decision.
As soon as I saw Cam tap out my heart was literally hurting. The loss sucked some of the life right out of me. It was a surprise to me to feel that way. My body felt achy and I wanted to cry. I kept asking myself why I was taking it so hard. I couldn't figure it out. It just hurt really bad. I felt quite a bit better when Cam was interviewed a few minutes later and he had this huge smile on his face while told us how fun these events are and how he enjoys fighting. I felt hopeful again and when Steve got in the cage I was banking on his win to erase the disappointment that I felt after Cam's fight. When he didn't win I was crushed. The achy feeling came back and little tears starting forming in the bottom of my ocular cavity again. But then I saw Steve run and slide across the cage aided by the sweat that him and Rad left on the mat during their fight. When Steve was interviewed he was not upset at all. He took the defeat like a rock star. My heart recovered once again after seeing that.
On the drive home I started really thinking about why I was so affected by the losses and came to the conclusion that I only identify those guys with fighting. That's what our relationship is based on. Plus, I had never seen them lose before. They were invincible to me. I had unrealistic expectations of them. As I started thinking about them as people first and fighters second, all those feelings of disappointment totally left. All weekend I started thinking about other people and what I identify them with and how it has affected me and my outlook of them. Can you believe that the fights have helped me realize this? Awesome.
Here's a picture of some of us at the show. I guess only the girls and Cam are allowed to smile. I love our team.
Throwdown ETC puts on a pretty great show. The energy is high and the match-ups are good.The night started out with Johnny "The Mechanic" Miller against Travis "Hatred" Robison, two Bantamweights. The fight was interesting and had a good pace. Johnny looked close to getting a submission a couple of times. The fight got a little screwy when Johnny had Travis in a triangle choke and the ref had them disengage and restart in that position in the middle of the ring. What us spectators could gather from that is that the ref thought he heard the bell and stopped the fight and when he realized his mistake he put them back as they were to resume the fight. When the ref was putting them back down on the ground it looked as if Johnny wanted to stand up and start even though he had an advantageous position. But the ref put them on the ground where Johnny could get an even better lockdown on the triangle and Travis tapped within a few seconds after the restart of the fight. Actually, I don't remember if the submission was by triangle or armbar. While the triangle was on you could see Johnny have a good hold on an extended arm and his hips came up high. Anyway, both corners looked pissed about the situation.
Craig "The Boss" Ross vs. Eddie Pelczynski was the next fight. Eddie won by TKO in the first round. All but two of the fights ended in the first round. The other two were decsions. Eddie came out from California to take this fight.
The next fight between Simon "Sticks" Ioane and Jacob "The Triangle" South was kind of crazy. Simon knocked Jacob down with a few good strikes within a few seconds of the start. Simon followed him to the ground and landed alot of shots to the head and body while Jacob was facedown on the mat. The ref got in to stop the fight and ended up dislocating Simon's shoulder while pushing him off. The fight only lasted 9 seconds.
Ben Fuimaono fought Jordan Smith for the Light-Heavyweight title. Ben should have had this fight but he lost. It was a submission but I can't remember which one it was.
Dayne "Daynegerous" Aristizabal was up against a guy named Pooky "First Blood" Hoots. The fight lasted less than 30 seconds and went to Dayne by rear naked choke. He must have slapped that choke on good because Pooky (I'd change my name if that were me) tapped fast.
I really liked the next fight between DeMarques "Darkness" Johnson and Brandon "The Animal" Olsen. I haven't seen DeMarques lose yet and he has fought in most of the shows that I've attended. I think this fight actually went two rounds. I like watching DeMarques use his long legs to attack. He's got some good ground game. He defended against a guillotine choke a few times. He was really working to get the submission. It finally came by way of a triangle choke.
The fight between Chilo Gonzalez and Court "The Crusher" McGee lasted all three rounds. It was a tad bit boring. Court was in Chilo's guard quite a bit and stayed really close to his chest most of the time. He'd throw a few punches and then huddle down to avoid any strikes from Chilo. Chilo even had his guard open frequently and he could have passed it. But I'm sure it's hard to remember that stuff when your being punched in the face and liver.
Dan "DJ" Gardner and David "Pretty Dangerous" Allred fought between Cam and Steve's fights, so I don't remember too much of it because I was wrapped up in disappointment and anticipation at that time. I do remember that Dan Gardner knocked his opponent out in the last Throwdown show and it was a huge display of power. He also apparently has quite a following as the McKay Events Center erupted when he came out. He ended up losing in the first round by rear naked choke.
So there is a recap of the fights. I can write what I thought but honestly, I have no idea what a real fight is like and can pretty much bet on the fact that it is nothing like the training that I do. So I take my hat off to all those that have nads big enough to enter that cage. Bravo! And once again I want to tell Cam and Steve how much I adore them as friends AND as fighters!
3 comments:
Wow, that sounds like such an amazing experience and team to be a part of! I never thought that fighting could be so inspiring.
Not really sure what fight you were watching if you think Ben should have beaten Jordan. Ben never landed a single clean blow (all the close ones landed on Jordan's shoulder). The submission was a rear naked after an overhand left landed clean on Ben's chin and dropped him to all fours.
Thanks for explaining the submission. I totally remember it now.
Overall I think that Ben is a better fighter. Jordan had a good fight and he obviously capitalized on the errors that Ben made, but if they were to go up agaist each other again I would put my money on Ben. I know that Ben has alot on his plate regarding his personal life and I think it may be affecting his focus. A focused Ben, combined with his knowledge and experience is definitely an exceptional fighter. But regarding that specific night that they fought, Jordan was the better fighter. He brought his best and got the title. So good for him. And he so far has had an impressive career. But for right now I still think Ben is the better fighter when he can pull his game together. It's his fault that he didn't do it that night.
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