REGINA – Saturday Night Fights Round 7 brought another stellar card of amateur Mixed Martial Arts and Muay Thai bouts to Regina’s Turvey Centre. No less than 13 Saskatchewan fighters put their skills to the test – some for the first time – but fight fans got a world class show full of action with submission and TKO wins, plus one big knockout. The promotion also crowned 2 champions, in the Super Lightweight Muay Thai and Featherweight MMA divisions.
The evening kicked off with a rousing back-and-forth Muay Thai fight, with Joe Alisaukas taking a decision win over Calvin Harle. The second fight saw Evan Isbister out-grapple Wesley Bowman in the first round, working to a back mount and threatening with chokes, but in the second Bowman caught Isbister with a couple of punches. Then the fight went to the ground, and this time it was Bowman on top, where he would grind until the end, coming back to earn a split draw from the judges.
Bout 3 was another Muay Thai contest that saw Jamie Walker stalk Lucas Berg relentlessly, landing punching combos and push kicking through the first round. In the second Walker floored Berg with a push kick to the solar plexus, and Berg took a big gulp of air as he got up. Walker dropped Berg again in the third with a straight right hand en route to a decision victory.
The fourth bout saw Jason Schiffner clinch with James Nelson, trading knees and punches until Schiffner was able to work his opponent to the ground. Nelson almost bucked him off but Schiffner held fast and improved his position to mount, and Nelson almost immediately gave up his back. Schiffner rained down hard shots, and Nelson almost got out the back door at one point, but Schiffner was not to be denied and flattened him out and blasted away with more heavy leather until the ref stopped it giving Schiffner the TKO win.
Bout 5 was the Super Lightweight Muay Thai Championship, pitting Saskatoon’s Rory Nanine against Mathew Lipsius, and it was a barnburner. Nanine was the aggressor, swarming Lipsius with punching flurries and counters off of Lipsius’ leg kicks. But Lipsius scored with a low leg kick – straight left combo repeatedly, and although Nanine appeared to have done more damage overall with his striking, Lipsius’ unending leg kicks would prove to be the difference as he eked out a majority decision to take home the Championship strap.
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The sixth fight was a clash of the titans, as 235 pound Robb Rennebohm took on 220 pound Paul Melanson. Melanson was the much shorter of the two but literally came out swinging, trying to land big overhand rights to close the distance. Rennebohm stood his ground though, making Melanson miss and at one point catching a kick and pitching Melanson to the mat. He let him up, and when Melanson missed with a wild low leg kick, Rennebohm swiftly kicked out his other leg, causing Melanson to hit the mat hard. Before he could recover Rennebohm pounced with a hard right that crumpled Melanson, but he was against the ropes and held there as Rennebohm rained down rights until the ref jumped in to rescue Melanson.
Bout 7 was the last Muay Thai bout of the night, and Adam Brown wasted no time establishing his presence, landing a hard push kick to Wayne Pokornik’s face on their very first contact. Pokornik was far from outclassed and landed his own stinging knees in the clinch, but Brown landed a slick inside leg kick at will, and scored with more push kicks to the face and hard body kicks to take the decision.
The main event saw Sam King and Elijah Richard square off for the Featherweight MMA Championship. An early accidental low blow by Richard was shaken off by King. Richard seemed to be confounding King with his feints but was unable to cleanly land any of the winging shots he threw and was quickly breathing hard. Reverting to his wrestling roots, King clinched and scored a big double leg takedown and moved almost immediately into a mount position. Richard almost bucked him off once, but King moved into a straight armbar, which Richard defended momentarily, but after King adjusted, he secured the tap – and the belt. The crowd erupted as King had the belt fastened around his waist, and continued their thunderous applause as King was hoisted by his coach AJ Scales and carried around the ring.
King acknowledged he had trouble finding his range at first. “I didn’t feel like there was enough action on the feet, so that’s when I decided to put it down, where naturally my strength is.” He also admitted that he was feeling the weight of that belt and competing in front of his friends and kin, but that also really gave him the edge he needed to win. “I have my whole family sitting in the front row, and I wouldn’t bring them here if I thought I’d lose, so it’s nice. It is a lot of pressure for me.”
If Saturday’s event is any indication, Saskatchewan’s talent pool of MMA fighters continues to deepen, even at the amateur level. The provincial government is currently considering implementing a Commission to oversee professional bouts. Having fought their way through the ranks here, these fighters will be ready to join elite athletes competing for careers in what many consider the world’s fastest growing sport.
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