Global Fight League 6: Prevail

By Richard Hubbard

Smith Defends Belt at 135; Homsey Subs Almeida to take 145 Lb. Title

   Saturday, March 13^th, at Nashua High School South, the Global Fight League hosted it’s 6^th event: Prevail. Organized as a fundraising event to support the athletic programs at both the Nashua North and South schools, it marked the first time in New Hampshire’s history that a Mixed Martial Arts event had been held specifically to raise funds for an educational institution. Despite a rocky start due to confusion over the names and corners of the fighters which resulted in the wrong winner being announced in the first match-up, the show went very smoothly. A solid night of fights featuring 14 amateur and professional bouts, the evening offered not only several matches that could be considered as some of the best in the organization’s history, but many that presented a window into the future implications for the divisional rankings and potential title pictures.

Smith Retains Belt Amidst Foul Filled, But Evenly Matched War

                In the night’s headlining match, local wrestling phenom Matt Smith posted his first defense of his 135 pound title against Pedro Gonzalez in a controversial 5 round unanimous decision. Reminiscent of Nate Marquardt vs Thales Leites, the fight was an evenly contested, back and forth affair that saw Gonzalez penalized twice for illegal techniques that cost him the fight. Still, this contest was one of the most exciting and technical fights that the GFL has yet seen. While Smith is one of the most dominant wrestlers that New Hampshire has ever produced, Gonzalez is a massive 135 pounder with a huge reach and versatile, well rounded skills and one of the best, most active guards of any fighter in the GFL. Evenly matched, the point deductions would ultimately play a large role in determining the outcome of the fight. Regardless, it seems to be a foregone conclusion that these two are destined to meet again in what would undoubtedly be a highly anticipated re-match.

In the first round Smith came out aggressive and powerful, taking Gonzalez down at will, pushing him up against the cage, and landing powerful punches from inside of the guard. After a scramble by Gonzalez to escape, Smith sunk a tight guillotine. After a successful defense by Gonzalez, Smith then transitioned to back control, secured a body triangle, and then spent the majority of the round relentlessly searching for a rear naked choke that, although very close to being complete, did not materialize. With two minutes left in the round, Gonzalez managed to reverse the position, gaining top control from within Smith’s guard and landing several hard right hands and a very nice elbow to the face. In response, Smith broke Gonzalez’s posture and immediately transitioned into a textbook armbar which was sunk deep and tight. Defending, Gonzalez stood and slammed Smith to the mat. With the submission still locked in, Gonzalez stood again. As Smith straightened out his body, wrenching the arm to finish the submission, Gonzalez went to slam again and spiked Smith straight on his head. While it did not appear to be malicious, what it did demonstrate was Gonzalez’s carelessness and lack of consideration regarding the defensive position that he had chosen. After 5 minutes, Smith elected to continue and Gonzalez was docked a point for the foul. What would have been a 10-9 round for Smith ended up as a 10-8 instead, and would be critical in determining the outcome of the fight.

                In a razor thin second round that could have gone either way,  a re-invigorated Gonzalez attacked constantly from the bottom full guard position, pressuring Smith with a tight guillotine attempt and full body triangle that lasted or over a minute and appeared at several instances to be very close to finishing the fight. Once Smith escaped, Gonzalez immediately went to work with elbows from the guard, and transitioned into an armbar that forced Smith to scramble to defend. Eventually working to pass the guard, Gonzalez constantly worked to keep Smith at bay. Although Smith managed to finally pass guard towards the final minute and close out the round in scarf hold working for a kimura, Gonzalez showed an excellent, active, and very dangerous closed guard.

Round 3 would see even more technical ground work in a dead even heat that would see the round go to Smith only because of a second foul. Clinching right out of the gate, Gonzalez forced Smith to eat several hard strikes in order to finish his takedown. A scramble ensued and Smith, electing to transition to North/South position, got caught in a reverse triangle that allowed Gonzalez to pound away at his body with fists and elbows. Smith escaped and passed into side control and after an attempt to mount, Pedro scrambled back to full guard. Breaking Smith down into his guard, Gonzalez went straight into using elbows from the bottom again. After landing several hard elbows to the top of Smith’s head, referee Kevin MacDonald warned him to “Be careful” and “keep those clean.” Immediately following, an elbow came down to the back of Smith’s head, and MacDonald was forced to call a second halt to action. After another 5 minute period for Smith to recover, Gonzalez was docked another point and the fighters restarted from the guard position in the center of the ring. A brief, back and forth exchange followed with Smith unable to attack from the top and Gonzalez briefly taking Smith’s back before Smith reversed the position back to full guard to close out the round.

The fourth round would be Gonzalez’s best of the fight, as he forced Smith eat a big right hand and a solid knee while coming in to secure the takedown. Smith would continue to score with his takedowns, only to find himself continually defending against Gonzalez’s submissions and ability to strike with his long arms from strange angles. After a number of scrambles to escape side control, Gonzalez landed huge knees to Smith’s body and defended fully against a kimura by striking effectively from top position.

In the fifth, Smith ate a big right hand and straight kick as he came in for the outside double leg. Securing the takedown and moving to side control, the rest of the round would be Smith’s as he passed to mount, dropping elbows, and then transitioned to take Gonzalez’s back. After spending time unsuccessfully working a rear naked choke, the fighters hit a stale-mate position where Smith could not submit Gonzalez, but Gonzalez could not escape. The round ended with Smith controlling Gonzalez from a hybrid mount/side control and Gonzalez finishing strong by striking to the side of Smith’s head.

A Determined Homsey Perseveres to Finish Almeida

In the co-main event, team Renzo Gracie standout Justin Homsey presented the crowd with a tremendous display of heart, raw physicality, and technical acumen as he outlasted Rodrigo Almeida of Wai Kru to score a submission win with an armbar midway through the 4^th round. Almeida, who had been slated to face Team Sityodtong’s Tateki Matsuda before being sidelined by a shoulder injury, started the fight strong, clearly taking the first and second rounds by pushing the pace and controlling Homsey from the top. However, he began to fall behind the curve in the end of the third round, and by the time the fourth round opened up, Homsey was the fresher and hungrier fighter, driving Almeida to the mat and finishing him with a slick string of submission attempts.

The first round was all Almeida in a technical grappling match that saw Homsey’s active guard pitted against Almeida’s posture and top control technique. Although Homsey stayed fluid and threatened with a guillotine, Almeida pushed the pace and forced Homsey on the defensive for most of the round. In the second round, Almeida started strong, landing a big hook that stunned and dropped Homsey. Following him down into guard, Almeida was unable to capitalize and allowed his opponent to recover. In the third, Almeida was slowing visibly even as Homsey appeared to be gaining confidence and hitting his stride. Taking Almeida down to start the round off, Homsey passed guard but was unable to make anything of the position, allowing Almeida to rise and dig for a takedown of his own. After a big slam that brought Homsey to the mat, Almeida was on the receiving end of a number of hard elbows from the bottom before a lull forced a standup. In the final portion of the round, Almeida pulled guard in a failed guillotine attempt. Once Homsey escaped, a scramble allowed him to briefly take mount, transition to Almeida’s back, and sink a tight rear naked choke that failed only by virtue of the end of the round. From that point, the tide had turned. In the start of the fourth, Homsey pressed the attack again and again, bringing Almeida to the mat and relentlessly attacking with a string of submissions that started with a kimura, switched to a triangle, and then transitioned to the armbar that finished the fight.

Rivera Solid Against Grimes in Unanimous Decision

                In another highly competitive fight, former title contender Christian Rivera rebounded from his stoppage loss to Matt Smith by defeating Team Chaos’ DJ Grimes in a solid, hard-working unanimous decision. Rivera showed improved mat work, good submission defense, and a patient but appropriately aggressive approach. Stuck beneath Rivera for much of the first two rounds, Grimes seemed to improve in the third when he used a failed guillotine attempt by Rivera to escape and take his back, and landed a big right hand in the later part of the final round. Grimes demonstrated a good guard and solid submission attempts, but was behind the curve in dealing with Rivera’s top control and ability to dictate much of the pace of the fight.

Brito Dominates Woodman

                In another exciting professional bout, Team Valor’s Eddie Brito defeated Tony Woodman in the first round. Aggressive beyond his technical capabilities, Woodman came forward right out of the gate, using kicks to set up his takedowns but taking damage as a result. Pressuring Brito to the mat, Woodman could not keep him down, and once back on the feet, immediately gave up the takedown. Once he secured top control, it was a quick transition for Brito to pass guard and take full mount. From there, he set up a beautiful triangle and baited Woodman into the scramble where he fell right into the submission. Trying to defend, Brito rolled Woodman over and took full mount with the triangle locked in from the top, and pounded away with his fists until the fight was stopped mid-way through the first round.

Adams Takes Unanimous Decision Nod In Mistaken Scoring Issue

                The first fight of the night, featuring Josh Adams of Raymond, NH against Team Chaos’ Steven Wolfinger, began the night on a strange note. Apparently, the names of the fighters on the list given to the judges and commission were incorrectly labeled, so that the fighters were introduced incorrectly. This led to the scores being reversed on the scorecards. After three rounds of very high paced action that saw Adams repeatedly take Wolfinger down, control him on the mat, and score with strikes from the top, the judges announced Wolfinger as the winner. The decision was greeted with a chorus of boos and catcalls from the stands, and both the judges and GFL officials understood what had happened. During the course of the next few fights, the error was corrected and Adams was brought back out to the ring after intermission to be announced as the winner of the fight. In a sport where questionable decisions have become commonplace, it was a profoundly good thing to see the commission take immediate action to take responsibility for the error and rectify the situation.

Team Terry Dow Picks Up Two Wins; Fitzgerald Drops Unanimous Decision

                Terry Dow’s Training Station, out of Manchester, New Hampshire, is the newest local gym to bring its fighters to the GFL. In his GFL debut, Pete Bennett overcame a broken nose early in the first round to rally and take a solid decision win over Nate Boyer of Cage Strikers. Pressured early by strikes from an aggressive opponent with a good deal of power, Bennett was bloodied by the first exchange thrown. Looking for the takedown, Bennett stayed calm, closed distance, and continually took Boyer to the mat where he controlled position and peppered him with strikes from the top. After nearly fifteen minutes of Boyer being stuck on the bottom taking damage, unable to escape or mount any real offense, the referee intervened late in the third round to give Bennett the TKO victory.

                In his first amateur MMA outing, Brandon Cyr of Team Terry Dow showed solid takedowns and good ground work to submit Keegan Hornstra of Team Cobra by armbar midway through the second round. Hornstra, who was clearly the more confident striker, could not stop the takedown, and had no answer for Cyr’s Jiu-Jitsu as Cyr passed guard, took mount, back control, and finally spun for the fight ending armbar.

                Lorenzo Fitzgerald, one of New Hampshire’s 170 pound rising stars, was handed his first loss in 4 amateur fights as he dropped a unanimous decision to Jay Bakanowski of Wai Kru. Bakanowski came out aggressive and strong, peppering Fitzgerald with shots on the feet, and mixing in a string of good takedowns an solid knees in the clinch that kept Fitzgerald off balance and unable to find his rhythm. Although he appeared visibly winded in the start of the second round, Fitzgerald was able to stuff all of Bakanowski’s takedown attempts and land some good knees to the legs and body. However, he spent much of the round defending and being pushed against the fence by Bakanowski. The third round as all Fitzgerald, as Bakanowski appeared to be limping and favoring his lead leg, and Fitzgerald chased him down, looking for the knockout. However, it was too little, too late as Bakanowski took the unanimous nod for his excellent effort in the first two rounds.

O’Keefe Earns Knockout of the Night in Twenty Second Stunner

                The GFL’s own Myles O’Keefe, making his MMA debut, shocked the crowd as he demolished Justin Marcotte in short order. At the bell, Marcotte threw caution to the wind and blindly rushed across the cage, swinging wildly in an effort to overwhelm O’Keefe. O’Keefe simply stepped aside and countered with a right hand that sent Marcotte down to the canvas and flat on his face. Thinking that he had won, O’Keefe stood back, expecting referee Steve Rita to stop the action. However, Rita felt that the fight should continue and so, even as Marcotte was struggling to rise to his knees, O’Keefe rushed in, took his back, put the hooks in, and landed another 20 unanswered punches to the side of the head before Rita called the fight. A sterling MMA debut in a great fight by O’Keefe.

England, Campbell, Smith, LaFlex, and Grant Take Home Wins

                Heath England of Lakes Region Vale Tudo showed a strong effort agsint Josh Bourque of Cage Strikers. Despite being at a big disadvantage on the feet and being rocked early in the first round, England used his superior wrestling to repeatedly take Bourque down and control him in order to earn a solid victory in his GFL debut.

                On the other side of the coin for the GFL veteran Cage Strikers team, John Campbell showed outstanding takedown defense against Thad Barbour of Team Chaos for two rounds before gaining a well-earned TKO victory. While game, Barbour was outmatched on the feet and could not bring the fight to the ground. Repeatedly working for the single and double leg, Campbell stuffed Barbour’s attempts over and over again, striking to the body and head. In the second, a right hand landed in the clinch as Barbour worked a double leg wobbled him, and the follow up was short as the referee intervened to save Barbour.

                Aaron Smith of Seacoast MMA looked great as he completely dominated Justin Clough of Team Unlimited Fitness. Although Clough landed a few good shots on the feet, Smith was clearly more experienced striker and hit him with the bigger, harder shots, pressuring him against the cage before taking him down. Once on the mat, Clough had no answer for Smith. Smith passed guard at will, taking mount and pounding away. Clough did a good job of defending from a very bad position, and was saved by the bell in the first. In the second, Smith took Clough to the ground right away, passed into mount, and began the punishment again. It was only a few moments from there before Steve Rita stepped in to give Smith a deserving TKO second round stoppage.

                Team Chaos’ John LaFlex waded into a hurricane of a fight as he and fellow Tazmanian devil Rob West came out of their corners swinging for the fences. After a whirlwind of a fight on the feet that swung back and forth, the fight went to the floor and LaFlex cinched up a rear naked choke that caused West to tap out with only 6 seconds left in the round.

                In a very even fight ruled as a split decision, James Grant of Team Renzo Gracie defeated Devin Powell of Seacoast MMA. Although the bigger and more physically powerful fighter, Grant was the less proficient striker. Once on the mat, Powell showed a great guard and multiple triangle attempts in addition to a rear naked choke. However, Grant showed excellent control from the top and forced Powell in bad spots as a result of his failed submission attempts. In trouble from triangles at various points in the fight, Grant upped his intensity and simply outworked Powell in order to score a hard fought split decision.