This is a special report from MMAmania.com contributor Drew Hall.
Last night the International Fight League (IFL) staged an event live from the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., which featured three title bouts.
IFL Heavyweight Champion Roy “Big Country” Nelson took on former The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 2 heavyweight runner-up, Brad “Hillbilly Heartthrob” Imes in the main event of the evening.
It didn’t last long.
The shorter, pudgier and heavier-handed Nelson dominated the entire fight (all three minutes of it), which was spent upright the entire time. Imes — who has demonstrated some effective jiu-jitsu in his last few fights — seemed content on standing with Nelson.
It was a big mistake — he was outclassed and eventually felled midway through the first stanza via technical knockout.
Also on tap was perhaps the fight of the night between IFL Lightweight Champion Ryan Shultz and super tough challenger, Deividas Taurosevicus.
It was a real treat to watch.
Schultz showed everyone the reason he is the atop the division, roaring back from a 20-18 judges scorecard heading into the third round to take the final three frames en route to a thrilling five-round unanimous decision.
It’s worth noting that Taurosevicus ended up breaking his foot with two minutes left in the first round … talk about a gamer.
Ryan McGivern was the only champion to lose his belt last night, succumbing to a submission (kneebar) at the hands of the new middleweight title holder, Dan Miller.
McGivern looked great on the feet in the opening minute of the round, but the fight changed when the action was stopped and moved to the middle of the ring after it spilled out underneath the ropes. McGivern landed an upkick, and got trapped underneath the ropes as Miller beautifully hit the kneebar, forcing the champion tap out at 3:36 in round one.
Speaking about middleweight champions, former IFL 185-pound kingpin Matt Horwich got back on his winning ways and on the road to regaining his belt with a win over Joey Gruel. It was a rather dull fight that was won via unanimous decision (see Josh Koscheck vs. Diego Sanchez II).
Here are the complete quick results from the IFL event:
IFL Heavyweight Champion Roy Nelson defeats Brad Imes via technical knockout (strikes) in round one
IFL Lightweight Champion Ryan Schultz defeated Deividas Taurosevicus via unanimous decision
Dan Miller defeated Ryan McGivern via submission (kneebar) to win the IFL middleweight championship
Danillo Villefort def Mike Massenzio (Round 1 Submission Kneebar)
Josh Souder defeated Zach George via technical knockout (strikes) in round one
Matt Horwich defeated Joey Gruel via unanimous decision
John Howard defeated Nick Caludrino via technical knockout (striked) in round three
Aaron Stark defeated Lamont Lister via unanimous decision
John Franchi defeated Frank Latina via submission (rear naked choke) in round one
It was a definitely solid night of mixed martial arts action for a promotion that seems to get little to no respect. There were some top-notch fights, including the 155-pound championship match between Shultz and Taurosevicus — it was very enjoyable.
Without question the the IFL has some very talented fighters who could make impacts elsewhere if it ever came down to that.
That’s a wrap for this recap — see you all soon to go over the next IFL event!
May 17th, 2008
9 Comments »
i watched it last nite, vey impressed w/ ryan the lion shultz.. seems to be a very well-rounded fighter.
What channel did it come on? I’m dissapointed that I missed it cause i want the to have decent ratings and not go under.
who?
HDnet aired it.
That honestly has to be the home of MMA now, the sport is the only reason I have the channel.
u dont kno who ryan schultz is ?
i have heard of schultz actually. i was just referring to the IFL in general. ryan looks like he could make it in the wec and thats not a knock. maybee in the ufc but ther’s so many good lws there.
and yes i am aware that he fights out of team quest and loved how he pasted hordecki
Thank you to the 5 guys who actually read this.
Ryan Schultz is a hidden gem in MMA.
I just hate hdnet fights … i like the fact that they show alot of mma events that would go un aired but i dont have a hd telivision.. and neither do alot of other mma fans…so screw you mark cuben.. make it avail to everybody!!!