K-4 was an amazing experience to call and be a part of. Now that the pictures have been released, I feel a renewed sense of gratitude to Keith for putting the show on and the fighters for making the show. It was a long show, but every fight had a story and so many fighters had the opportunity to put it on the line in front of a sellout audience. Here is the breakdown of the card.
It was a mixed card of MMA and Muay thai the opening fights were Muay Thai in the first bout we had Dan Manolesco and Garret Hughes at 170 pounds. Action picked up right off the bat and both guys came to fight. Manolesco had some good sweeps and really got going in the second and third. Hughes had a very good first outing but lost his mouthpiece a couple times and the end and really looked like with a little more conditioning he could be a good fighter in the future. Dan Manolesco won dec.
Next fight up was the culmination of the 765 v Buma rivalry. The 765 gym Josh Riechardt and Ray Aries sold this rivalry hard but, in the end, it fizzled out to just this one fight. Josh Riechardt took on Dorian Gordan in a 135-pound scrap. I thought this was a mismatch when signed. Riechardt came out sharp landing repeatedly with no head movement. Dorian didn’t take a step backward impressing me with his toughness and unwillingness to take a step back. Dorian didn’t have the firepower to keep up with Josh and was stopped by TKO. I have been asked about the stoppage a lot and I thought it was good one keeping Gordan’s brain intact. An aside stepping away from roll working for K-4 I think the 765 guys need to chill out on backstage stuff, insulting family members of fighters, and concentrate on the sport. You guys are all tough and will be exploited by promoters with less morals than Keith Forant. Fight guys at your level, grow your level than call everyone out. Josh Riechardt win tko.
Next up was Jake Szymanski vs Dennis Opolentisima at 155 pounds. This match has a great story Dennis was on Caveman’s corner to talk about it, but he went from a life of crime to Jesus and found his way into the cage. He took on Jake Szymanski, a guy whose muscles had muscles. Dennis gave up height reach and the first round but did enough to take home a very close decision win. Dennis Opolentisima won dec.
Paige McCarthy took on Rychele Carpenter in the first ladies fight of the night at 135 pounds. This fight was a little slower than the rest of the fights on the card with Paige controlling the distance and landing leg kick after leg kick. The Lombard fighters all come ready to fight, even their debut fighters fight like they have 5 fights. Good solid performance by Paige and I bet Rychele will learn a lot from this fight and be much better for it. Paige McCarthy won dec.
Tanner Swagler took on Dyami Santiago at 145 next. It was a grueling fight, lots of work in the clinch. These guys were both tired by the end. Swagler spit out his mouthpiece, got it knocked out and dropped it out of his mouth. Brandon Medina already has a lot to do in the cage so if we could get a sponsor to get Tanner a mouthpiece, we could take a lot of load off Mr. Medina. Back to the drawing board for Santiago, his skill level definitely exceeds his record. I am sure I will be writing about him getting a win very soon. Tanner Swagler dec. win
Delvin Speed and Brandon Phan were up next at 125 lbs. The fight started at an incredible pace. Delvin was in and out attacking like he was on fast forward. Phan stayed calm and tried to wear Delvin down with his strikes. By the middle of the second round Phan’s strategy paid off and he started hitting Delvin with every volley of strikes slowed him down more and more. Phan took the third and Delvin showed me a lot of heart just by standing at the final bell. This was an amazing display of Muay Thai make sure you watch this one. Brandon Phan by dec.
One of the KO kings of K-4 was up next. Gabe Vega took on Nick Walker at 155 pounds. Gabe started out fast and tried to talk off Walker’s head. Walker was much taller and used his range really well. Gabe is a very impressive fighter and is a student of the game. He will go back to the drawing board and have a better strategy to fight taller opponents in the future. Taking nothing away from Walker he went to the body repeatedly and was able to stop one of the best knockout artists in K-4. That says volume for his future and must put him in the title hunt. Nick Walker by TKO.
The mma portion of the card was started out by Craig Howard vs. Steven Bell. The fight was the complete opposite of the last fight. Instead of art and speed we had two guys go at it that looked like they were fighting over a girl at the bar. The great thing about this card is no matter what you want in the show you got it. This was a true slobber knocker with the Wild Man Steven Bell won by Ko.
2nd Ladies fight and a rematch between Joan Nelson and Cherrelle Warren at 140 pounds was next. Leading up to the fight I thought that Cherelle’s best chance at winning was to keep the fight on the feet. She surprised everyone in the building by attacking a jumping guillotine early in the first round. Nelson navigated the submission attempt and was able to escape. In round two Cherrelle ended up on the floor again this time in Nelson’s crucifix and was ground and pounded out. Lots of ground improvement shown by Warren and Nelson got back to her winning ways in the K-4 circle. Joan Nelson win by tko/ref stoppage
Cedric Ortiz and Jarrett McBride went to battle next at 185 pounds. McBride coming off a layoff showed a lot of ring rust and Cedric cruised to a clear-cut win in the ultra-competitive 185lb division of K-4. Sexual Chocolate is sharpening his wrestling and control games important for his career but doesn’t leave a lot to write about. That in itself is impressive. Cedric Ortiz won by dec.
The fight every promotion wanted, and K-4 landed was next. Nat Kabba took on Elshaddi Vanhoeson fought for the K-4 title and the number ranking in the state of NY. As much hype as there was on the fight it overdelivered. It gave us K-4’s first “Usman” moment, it gave us K-4s Knockout of the night and is the best knockout in K-4 history. Elshaddi came out and won both 1st and 2nd rounds. There were a few moments when I thought the fight may be stopped. I felt the energy changing in the middle of the third I could see Elshaddi tiring and Kabba looking for the finish. A little over halfway through the round Kabba landed a huge head kick and stopped Vanhoeson. I think this was the most exciting fight I have called so far. Thank you to both men for such a great fight. Nat Kabba wins by KO. Knockout of the night Nat Kabba. New k-4 heavyweight champion.
Next up we had Muay thai title fights starting with Michael Stevens taking on Malik Mannon. This was a slow fight with Mannon looking to land when Stevens made a misstep. Stevens never did and it rendered Mannon almost ineffective. Styles make fights and this matchup ended up heavily favoring Stevens. Very impressive performance by Stevens. Michael Stevens by dec. New 160lb Muay Thai champ.
Isaiah Ket and Luis Gonzalez were next and a much-needed change of pace. These guys went to war. Luis first leg kick was so hard I thought Isaiah’s leg might be broke. Luis took over the first and dropped Isaiah in the second. After that a fire was lit in Isaiah. He battled through adversity and took the third round than the fourth. When the exhaustion of the fight took over both guys continued on with solid technique and battled back and forth and Isaiah took the 5th. On my scorecard I had it as a draw going into the cage to interview the winner. Commentating is different than watching I watch the fights differently, so I need to watch the whole fight again but with the knock down I scored it 47-47. The judges saw it for Isaiah Ket and who am I to argue who won that fight. Isaiah Ket win by dec. Isaiah Ket new 145 Muay Thai Champ. Isaiah Ket v Luis Gonzalez fight of the night.
Joe Clark took on Oliver Genao for the 125lb strap next. This was another great fight. It was back and forth but Genao had an advantage every round. Joe Clark must have seen something in film study I missed he tried a spinning back elbow over and over and over again. It might have set a record for spinning back elbows. Genao stayed focused and didn’t get hit by it until the third round. In between rounds Elise Pone and Ryan Gruhn didn’t let Joe come out for the next round. As a commentator I want to say they did such a good job protecting their fighter here. Both fight with Elise being in line for an Invicta title shot. It is so important to have a corner that knows what’s going on and will look out for your best interest. Oliver Genao wins by retirement/tko Oliver Genao new 125lb Muay Thai champ.
The pro portion of the card started with Anthony Bubba Norton vs. Cruz Johnson. Both came back to the ring after a long absence. Bubba started the fight with a push before we got the card underway. The match started out very competitively. In the early rounds both guys were landing and doing damage. As the fight wore on Bubba got progressively more fatigued round by round. Cruz was to gassed himself to really take advantage of Bubba’s fatigue, but he was able to put out enough volume to win. Cruz Johnson wins by dec.
The main event was a contrast to the last fight Dr. Kellie Marin and Charlsey Maner showed nothing but respect. They performed the Wai Khru Ram Muay before the fight. The Wai Kru Ram Muay is a Muay Thai ritual in which students show respect and gratitude to their teachers, parents, and ancestors. Both women showed the respect aspect of the sport. Then the real dance started in the cage. These girls put on a true display of technique and heart. Both girls were accurate, but I felt Charlsey was putting rounds in the bag. Her sweep game was on point. Dr. Marin was very accurate and game landing roughly the same amount as Charlsey, but Charlsey had a little more horsepower behind the strikes. Dr. Marin also through a lot of spinning elbows like her teammate Joe Clark. When the fifth round started, I felt like Dr. Marin needed to go after it and to her credit she did. For her pro debut to come out and take the first round after the high pace the fight was so impressive. Charlsey Maner is a legit savage. I hope we get her back in the K-4 cage fighting for a title someday soon. Charlsey Maner won dec.
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