OK, so I went to my very first Fury FC event. So I can say I’ve been to the big three Texas MMA promotions. Fury, XKO, and LFA. – If you want to count LFA. LFA is kinda like a national promotion right now. Anyway it was a cool experience, a very intimate venue on a rainy night in Duncanville, Texas
So I jumped in my truck, I didn’t even bother to take my DSLR to the venue. I just couldn’t bother with the hassle of trying to get it in. I navigated through all the Christmas traffic and went into the Fieldhouse parking lot, paid the $10 for parking and made my way to the venue – the Duncanville Fieldhouse – A high school basketball gym. The high school kids has a little canteen set up, and they were slinging hot-dogs left and right and even running out of food. I think they were competing with the food vendors inside the actual gym. Anyway, I bought my tickets for $50 and went inside. It was a little on the expensive side if you ask me. Come on guys, give me a code or something, so I can re-watch the fights on Fite.TV, if you’re gonna be charging that type of money.
So this event (Fury FC 41) is the very first Fury FC Featherweight Championship fight. So bigger girls need to get Fury FC on their radar. There were all finishes here tonight, and in my opinion, a lot of mismatches. The crowd was very calm, very polite and very respectful, and I think the fans that were present were Super-MMA fans, and people that knew nothing of MMA, there was not a lot of in between
Main Event
Courtney King vs Audrey Wolfe – Featherweight
Round 1
They strike. Wolfe is a little stagnant in the striking game. King holds on to a standing head and arm choke and Wolfe tries to punch her way out of it it. The fight goes to the floor and King ends up on bottom.
Round 2
Wolfe lands some big strikes and delivers some hard knees in the clinch. King comes back and gets a big takedown and takes the back. Wolfe turtles and King whoops ass. King locks in the RNC and Wolfe is lucky to survive the round.
Round 3
They start throwing some pitty-pat strikes, and both their gas tanks look bad. King drags Wolfe down and beats her up on the ground.
Round 4
Stale, tired striking on the feet, until King gets the takedown. King takes the back and locks up the RNC to win the title after some fantastic ground control.🚩 King wins by submission.
Courtney King is a very tough girl, she has a heavy ground game, and a relatively undeveloped striking game, but she is very durable, and very strong. She just doesn’t bend to her opponent’s will and she keeps on fighting. I’ve seen all of Wolfe’s professional fights, most of them live, and in most of her fights she is the bigger girl and she just uses her power and weight smash her smaller opponent. – Courtney King was having none of that tonight. Wolfe had a lot of support, being the home town girl, but King had grit and showed a lot of character. Both girls need to go a little harder in Muay Thai class though.
Clint Williams vs Julius Holmes – Middleweight
Round 1
Williams looks very big in person. He looks nothing like 185 lbs, he looks well over 200 lbs. Williams also looks slow, and Holmes clinches for some reason. I dont know why Holmes clinched, because he definitely has the speed advantage. Holmes gets the takedown and lays and prays until the round ends.
Round 2
Williams looks tired and is just counter-punching. Holmes gets another takedown, he makes some mistakes, and Williams is able to get to his feet. Holmes puts Williams down again and locks up an arm-triangle very quickly. 🚩 Julius Holmes wins by submission.
Both guys look very slow, but Williams looks absolutely glacial. He gassed out in the second round and looked out of ideas on the ground. Holmes has something to build on from this fight
Brandon Pate vs Levi Mowles – Bantamweight
Round 1
Mowles feels out Pate for a few seconds, and the fight already seems like a formality, Pate curls up at some hard feints and looks defeated. Evan Cutts is right behind me yelling “Easy work Levi”. Mowles lands a head-kick, that Pate gave to him, with the feint, hits some knees from the clinch and finishes him on the ground. 🚩 Levi Mowles wins by TKO
Mowles is UFC caliber, Brandon Pate is not.
Tony Nguyen vs Randy Villarreal – 130
Round 1
They feel each other out on the feet and Villarreal gets the takedown and takes the back. 🚩 Villarreal wins by submission
There is a little bit of controversy here. Nguyen is saying that he did not tap, and this referee puts both fighters gloves together when he’s announcing the winner, Nguyen is very mad. I didn’t see it personally. I’d actually want to see a replay. This is why I want a fite.tv coupon code. I hate when referees make both fighters touch gloves, and I hate not know what really happened. What can I say…
Mitchell Cupp vs Ricky Romo – Welterweight
Round 1
Romo rushes in, takes Cupp down, slaps on an arm triangle and that’s all she wrote. 🚩 Romo wins by submission
I’ve seen Ricky Romo in Combate Americas, and his stand up looked a little shaky there. He chose not to address those deficiencies in this fight. Cupp was just ripe for the picking. All in all, this fight seemed a little too easy for the Fortis product.
Kelena Waiolama vs Nation Gibrick – 160
Round 1
I’m guessing there was some weight discrepancy here. Waiolama rocks Gibrick a few times, and puts him in grappling mode. Gibrick gets Waiolama down and beats him down on the floor. Waiolama taps to strikes. 🚩 Gibrick wins by submission
I’ve seen Gibrick in LFA and he got totally dismantled by Brant Moore on the ground. He showed a better ground game here, but before that he was getting lit up by the Hawaiian on the feet. Its early days for him.
Victor Gonzalez vs Rashad Robinson – Flyweight
Round 1
Robinson beats ass on the feet and whoops ass on the ground. Gonzalez takes a ton of damage. There is a lull in the action and Robinson tees off on Gonzalez on the ground with strikes. 🚩 Robinson wins by TKO
This is one of those fights where you hope that the fighter will go unconscious so that the fight gets stopped, but instead they just stay conscious and get their ass beat. Robinson was just faster.
Mario Mendez vs Zumar Archer – Middleweight
Round 1
Archer evades the takedown and just lands strikes as Mendez holds on to a single leg. Archer wins by TKO
So many guys sacrifice their brain for the takedown, at times- I dont get it. Anyway, I really did not get to see a lot from Archer here. I know he’s big and powerful and a Fortis product, but that’s about it. Mendez just got ended going for a single leg, so I didn’t see a lot from him either
Paul Randazzo vs Josh Brunson – 160
Round 1
Randazzo is trying to strike, and Brunson is trying to wrestle. Brunson gets Randazzo down, uses some heavy hips and slaps on the RNC. 🚩 Brunson wins by submission
Early days for both these guys
Drayke Lopez vs Colton Loud – Flyweight
Round 1
They grapple, with Loud having the better of the positions.
Round 2
More grappling against the fence, with Loud having the better of the positions
Round 3
Loud is winning on the feet and throws some illegal reinforced knees. He gets penalized, then throws a head-kick. He gets on top and does some work, and eventually wins with a RNC. 🚩 Loud wins by submission
After the fight Loud proceeded to lose his lunch in the ring. It was a good fight. Early days for both these guys.
Tony Tran vs Ricardo Lee – Flyweight
They clinch. Tran is able to work, and get on top in a mounted triangle and rain down strikes. 🚩 Tran wins by TKO
Great win by Tony Tran. He needs a nickname. There are so many damn Tony Trans around. Anyway early days for these two.
Courtney King was unbroken, for just saying No. And for coming in, in hostile territory and showing heart. She needs work on her striking game though