A LOOK BACK: By Barry Laminack (TheCageDoor.net) Mark Garcia vs Alex Morono Mark Garcia took this fight on 24 hours notice. When he heard that Alex didn’t have anyone to fight after David McClung had to go to the emergency room, Mark stepped up and took the fight anyway. The fight started off with both guys looking to work from the outside. Once they engaged, the fight went to the ground and Morono’s superior ground game kicked in and he submitted Garcia via arm bar 41 seconds into the first. A good win for Morono who move to 2-0 as a pro. John Malbrough vs Patrick Greene Patrick Greene made his pro debut and he looked really good going against John Malbrough, a guy riding a 4 fight win streak. Though Greene showed flashes of greatness and will no doubt make some waves on the scene, it was not to be his night. Malbrough settled down in the second round and in typical John Malbrough fashion, he methodically moved the fight to a point where he could end it. Once he got mount on Greene with those heavy hips it wouldn’t take long before the referee would have to step in and stop the fight. Malbrough ups his record to 2-0, but I have a feeling this won’t be the last we hear of Patrick Greene. Jordan Rivas vs Justin Murray I think everyone that knew about these two fighters expected this fight to take place on the ground, as both fighters have a very strong BJJ pedigree. It was a pleasant surprise to see both guys willing to stand and bang a bit. Heck, they even mixed in some solid clinch work to showcase ALL their skills. The final round was back and forth and fought mostly on the ground. Both guys scored well in the round, but in the end the judges would give the split decision victory to Jordan Rivas. Angel Huerta vs Andy Sandoval This was billed as a stand up battle, and for the most part, it lived up to the billing. Huerta opened up with a sidekick to the midsection that seemed to rattle Sandoval, but Andy managed to settle into a nice rhythm after that. Angel would kick it into high gear in rounds 2 and 3 and the man they call “The Chosen One” would finally catch Sandoval with his hands down as he landed a well timed and well placed head kick that KO’d Sandoval. Huerta would end up winning TheCageDoor.net knockout of the night honors. Rey Trujillo vs Justin Reiswerg As far as hype goes, this fight flew under 32 | LEGACY MAGAZINE MARCH-APRIL www.legacyfights.tv
the radar on such a stacked card, but those in the know felt that it had all the making of a barnburner. Trujillo came out in typical Trujillo fashion. He was full of energy and looked good early on. The fight made it’s way to the ground, where Reiswerg would take over and really put on a show. Rey is very tough to submit, but that didn’t stop Reiswerg from trying. Round two was fought on the ground as Trujillo tried to work from the guard some. Round 3 would prove to be the end of the fight as Reiswerg capitalized on a mistake by Trujillo and got him to tap via arm bar at 1:08 in the 3rd. This was a statement fight for Justin Reiswerg, and what a statement he made. Reiswerg’s arm bar would earn him TheCageDoor.net submission of the night award. Ricardo Talavera vs Jeff Rexroad This one was pegged early on as a strong candidate for fight of the night…and that’s exactly what it delivered. Skill wise, both guys are very similar. Both are above average strikers with solid ground games. What we also found out is that both of these guys CAN TAKE A PUNCH! Rexroad dropped Talavera with a great right hook, but Talavera never panicked, kept his cool and was able to slow the pace a bit while he recovered. The same thing would be repeated in round two as Rexraod, the man known as “The Executioner”, was executing some beautiful striking and dropped Talvera a couple more times. Again, Talavera would keep his wits about him and land several clean and well placed strikes of his own that would bloody up Rexroad pretty good. Rexroad would put the exclamation mark on the round as he once again landed some clean strikes that sent Talavera to the mat just before the bell. Round three was just an all out BRAWL! Both guys came out with a lets do this look on their face. After a couple of exchanges, Talavera was able to get off several shots in a row that sent Rexroad reeling. With his back against the cage, Rexroad would return fire and as they separated, both fighters faces were bloodied up. The rest of the round would see both guys going for the KO. They traded and traded and only stopped because of the bell. After the bell, they both stood in the center of the ring and hugged. It was a great fight and really a shame that anyone had to lose, but in the end Jeff Rexroad would earn a unanimous decision victory. The fight would also win TheCageDoor.net fight of the night.
fight analysis on the Jan. 29 fights Brian Melancon vs Derrick Krantz Mid way through round 1, Melancon must have seen something in Krantz’s game because he started peppering his leg with kicks. After kick number three landed, it was obvious Krantz was starting to be hurt by the constant barrage. As the fight went on, Krantz began to gas and his hands dropped lower and lower. At one point he was gasping for air with his mouthpiece hanging out. Both fighters were tired going in to round three but Krantz was running on empty. Melancon would control the round just as he did the other two, even opening up a nasty cut over Krantz’s right eye. Melancon dominated in the fight and won via unanimous decision. Daniel Pineda vs Levi Forrest This was a “meet in the middle” match. Daniel Pineda was coming up from 145 and Levi Forrest was coming down from 170. Pineda is the 145lb Legacy champion. Forrest is the former 170lb Legacy champion who gave up his belts to drop to 155. Going into the fight, Levi looked a lot bigger than Pineda. Pineda threw several lead hooks and a few head kicks (common in a righty vs lefty matchup). After several exchanges, Forrest looked to have the fight in hand as he got Pineda in a TIGHT standing guillotine. Somehow Pineda managed to pop his head out. Shortly after that the fight would end up on the ground where Pineda would grab on to an ankle and QUICKLY force Levi to tap. Pineda won and during his post fight interview in the cage he said that he was gunning for Ray Blodgett (the current 155lb title holder). Joe Christopher vs Mike Bronzoulis Bronzoulis had said privately before the fight that if he didn’t TKO Joe Christopher he would quit MMA. Bottom line, Mike Bronzoulis is still an MMA fighter. In patented Mike B fashion, he opened up with a head kick and then went to work. Using solid stand up and great take-down defense Bronzoulis would control most of the first round, only because Christopher was dead set on getting a single leg take-down, taking a LOT of damage in the process. Rounds 2 and 3 were actually of the rinse and repeat variety as again Christopher would go for a single, get stuffed and not give it up only to have Bronzoulis pepper his face and body with strikes. Early in round 3 Bronzoulis had opened up a deep cut. The Dr. was called in to the ring to have a look and would stop the fight to prevent any further damage or injury.