Though Trevor Prangley (Pictures) (12-4-0) might have eventually finished Anthony Ruiz (Pictures) (14-10-0), he received some help towards that end from referee Marcos Rosales. Standing over the two fighters during the middle of a Prangley armbar attempt, the large referee stepped in to stop the contest even though it appeared from cage-side that Ruiz was clearly in defense mode.
On the floor Prangley moved nicely from half-guard to mount, where he hastily went after an armbar. It would be a second attempt at the submission later in the round that produced the controversy.
In control of Ruiz’ back, Prangley transitioned into the armbar and extended the limb to the point that it seemed like a tapout was inevitable. But Ruiz did not capitulate and showed signs of being closer to safety than danger. Rosales, however, saw it differently and called a halt to the contest with 18 seconds remaining in the first period.
Ruiz, his corner and the crowd protested. Even Prangley acknowledged afterwards that he did not enjoy winning in such fashion.
“I thought it was deep,” Prangley said. “It was tight. You could feel the pressure and I’ve been around long enough to know when a guy is done or not. But on the flipside it was horrible for him to lose that way. I’d be mad too. I wouldn’t want to have the fight stopped. We’re all professionals. We’re all full-grown men in here and I think everyone deserves a chance to either tap or … get it broken or choked out. It doesn’t matter. I won and I feel I would have won anyways. He would have tapped eventually or it would have [broke]. It still takes a little bit away from it.”
Following losses in his previous two contests welterweight Jason Von Flue (Pictures) got back on the winning track, submitting a scrappy Eric Wray via arm-triangle choke at 2:22 of the second period.
Wray (5-1-0) held is own in the first, controlling Von Flue, 12-6-1, with a body triangle while looking for chokes. However Von Flue pushed through and began to assert himself when action moved to the second period.
Standing and slugging, Von Flue connected more than his opponent and Wray’s good start soon seemed a distant memory. On the floor Von Flue continued his strong effort, twice attempting arm-triangles, the second being the fight-ender.
A proud product of the new defunct Fresno State wrestling program, Casey Olson (Pictures) was undoubtedly the star of tonight’s under card. The powerful lightweight upped his record to 4-0, submitting an overmatched Bobby Sanchez (0-2) with a modified guillotine choke at 1:58 of the first.
Though Olson had wrestled in front of far larger crowds during his time as a FSU Bulldog, the pressure if fighting in front of friends and family had to match anything the 26 year old experienced during the 2004 season, the final go around for the Central California’s university’s wrestling program cut due to budgetary constraints.
Olson came out fast, putting the kickboxer on the canvas. The two grappled briefly before Olson, with his back to the cage fencing, locked in a guillotine choke. He repositioned the choke, locking his arms as if he was employing a rear-naked choke. The subsequent pressure was enough to make Sanchez tap.
Philip Perez (Pictures) made the hometown fans happy, submitting Brandon Shuey (Pictures) via triangle choke just 88 seconds after the opening bell. Perez came out strong, but the Fresno lightweight appeared to be caught in a deep guillotine after a strong takedown.
After some anxious moments, Perez, now 6-3-0, pulled his head free and unloaded a salvo of mean punchers. The fighters transitioned and Perez nicely cleared his left leg underneath Shuey’s right arm to set up the fight-ending submission. Shuey (5-4-0) tried to circle out of it, but Perez had secured the triangle tight enough to induce a tap.
The first contest to see the second round, Carlton Jones (Pictures) (1-3-0) and Mike Cook fought a sloppy bout for seven minutes before Fresno’s Jones tapped out due to exhaustion.
The heavyweights exchanged haymakers and takedowns in the first. Cook seemed to have the fight’s initial advantage as he pummeled Jones along the cage, but referee Marcos Rosales separated the combatants and admonished Cook for striking to the back of Jones’ head.
Clearly fatigued as action moved to the second period, the two men stood in front of each other until Jones attempted a weak double-leg. Cook countered with an equally inefficient guillotine choke. Jones passed guard and moved to side, but Cook (3-0-0) smartly countered and swept Jones to his back. Moments later Jones tapped and Cook was declared the winner at 2:03 of round two.
From the opening bell, Frank Magallon move forward against Sam Spengler (Pictures). When the fight hit the floor, however, he was in trouble. Off a powerful tackle, Spengler moved from side-control to mount with ease. The required strikes followed and referee Jon Schorle stepped in at 2:38 of the first.
When asked who from his camp was a fighter people should watch out for, Josh “The Punk” Thomson couldn’t say it fast enough: Cain Velasquez.
The 2005 Pac-10 Wrestler of the Year for Arizona State University, Velasquez made his mixed martial arts debut tonight — and Thomson appears to know what he was talking about.
At the outset Velasquez (1-0-0) showed his wrestling pedigree, easily putting fellow heavyweight Jesse Fujarczyk (Pictures), 3-2-0, on the floor. Velasquez, an athletic 230-plus pounder, trapped Fujarczyk’s right arm from side-control and wailed away.
The fight momentarily returned to the feet, just long enough for Velasquez to bodylock and slam Fujarczyk to side-control. Referee Marcos Rosales had seen enough, and called a stop at 1:58 after the opening bell.
Luke Stewart (Pictures) (2-0-0) played patiently from his guard before sweeping Jeremiah Metcalf (Pictures) (2-2-0) into the mount. The middleweight Stewart secured Metcalf’s back before powering his way into a rear-naked choke, which after several moments rendered his foe unconscious.
Thankfully, Stewart released the hold and stood, for it seemed referee Jon Schorle had not identified the fighter as unconscious. Officially, it was called at 2:29 of the first period.