MMA in Texas is back! At 50% capacity, but that’s better than no capacity. I tuned in to Fury 43 broadcasting from Humble, TX. We got to hear the crowds scream at an event for the first time in a long time. And I think the UFC should think about coming to Texas. 50% ain’t too shabby. The fights… I didn’t think the pro fights were very good. The amateur fights showcased some upcoming talent. Anyway in the main event featured Nico Echeverry beating Edmilson Freitas for the Fury FC Lightweight title
Main Event
Edmilson Freitas vs Nico Echeverry – Lightweight
Round 1
Echeverry lands a hook and clinches, Freitas reverses position and Echeverry reverses position and punches Freitas up against the cage and gets a takedown at the end
Round 2
Echeverry throws fake hooks and pushes against the cage. Echeverry gets in more dominant positions and Freitas looks out of shape
Round 3
Echeverry lands some low-kicks, goes for a heel hook and takes Freitas’ back and beats him up to end the round
Round 4
Echeverry lands some low kicks, and Echeverry gets a takedown and stays on top
Round 5
Echeverry on top. 🚩Nico Echeverry wins by unanimous decision.
This was not a contest. For the last two rounds Freitas was a sitting duck, its like somebody forced the Brazilian to fight as a punishment. I cant even talk about Freitas in this review, because he wasn’t there. Echeverry was good, he was very clinch-heavy, but he had a good pace, I wasn’t blown away though.
Shawn Solis vs Jonathan Davis – Flyweight
Round 1
Davis gets a takedown and Solis gets back up, both guys are poor strikers, it goes to the ground and gets a little scrappy
Round 2
Solis is applying more pressure and gets some good takedowns and does well on top.
Round 3
Solis applying pressure, Davis goes for a guillotine but Solis finishes on top.🚩 Solis wins by unanimous decision
What happened to striking? I sound like a casual, but, so many of these guys want to hug. The grappling isn’t even very good.
Justin Vargas vs Shane Sobnosky – Middleweight
Round 1
Sobnosky bounces around and throws single strikes. Sobnosky is able to get a big takedown, but Vargas is able to stand
Round 2
Sobnosky dances around and shoots a double leg and controls the action from top position
Round 3
Sobnosky bounces around and gets a takedown.🚩 Sobnosky wins by unanimous decision
Vargas was out of shape, the man was slow and stayed in one place. It was like shooting fish in a barrel for Sobnosky, who played a weird game as well…
Jonathan Enriquez vs Paris Moran – Flyweight
Round 1
Enriquez is just trying to shoot and Moran is just sprawling and beating Enriquez up.
Round 2
Moran continues to touch Enriquez
Round 3
Moran controls the entire round on the feet. Enriquez’s back is just against the cage.🚩 Moran wins by unanimous decision
Moran is just light-years better in the striking department. Moran is real talent, but what I have a problem with, is the fact that he didn’t want to go to the ground at all. He didn’t want to dip his toes into those waters even a little bit. I kinda get it, he wants secure the win, but having freedom while fighting is so important. Enriquez? He’s still an amateur in my eyes, he has a very long way to go.
Carlos Calderon vs Eduardo Anaya – Featherweight
Round 1
Calderon gets the takedown and goes to mount, takes the back but gives it up to go for an armbar. Anaya gets caught in a triangle and gets elbowed from bottom, Anaya is able to wiggle out and get on top
Round 2
Calderon gets a takedown, Anaya reverses and gets on top. they wrestle around. Calderon is in the more dominant positions
Round 3
Calderon throws a fake hook and shoots, Calderon gets on top and Anaya reverses.🚩 Calderon wins by unanimous decision
The striking was NON-EXISTENT from both of them. Neither guy has trained to strike, and the Jiu-Jitsu from both of them was Average to below-Average.
Ammys
Jake Lira vs Michael Aswell – Featherweight
Round 1
Aswell rocks Lira hard and drops him. Aswell is able to clinch with Lira and beat him down. 🚩Aswell wins by TKO
Lira was not ready. If I were to rate these Ammys Lira would be a 2/10 and Aswell would be a 4/10
Zach Lowery vs Taylor Hickman
Round 1
Lowery shoots and Hickman sprawls. Hickman goes for a guillotine and Lowery muscles out. A low blow stops the action, and they move around to end the round
Round 2
Hickman clinches and Lowery goes down and Hickman hits him with an illegal knee. the grapple around with Lowery throwing some sidekicks
Round 3
The move around. Hickman lands a right and Lowery shoots. they grapple around and Hickman takes the back until the round ends
Round 4
Lowery starts out with haymakers and they clinch
Round 5
Sloppy swinging and grappling. Hickman gets the mouth and throws some ground and pound as the round ends.🚩 The fight ends in a Split Draw
I dont know how the judges got a 10-8 in there and I dont really care. it should be a draw. I think that there should definitely be more 10-10s in fights. So I guess I’m saying I agree that it should be a draw, but I dont really agree with the method that the draw was implemented. Hickman seems to be a little more talented in wrestling and Lowery is a little more Savvy, Lots of grappling here.
Kristin Kotinek vs Madison Wood – Flyweight Title
Round 1
Kotinek gets Wood down and Wood fights well off her back, throwing up armbars, but Wood gets caught with a few punches. They stand, and Kotinek stays glued to Wood against the cage
Round 2
Wood tries to clinch with Kotinek and gets reversed. The two girls start to swing, and Wood drops Kotinek with a spinning backfist, and hits her with some shots on the ground
Round 3
Kotinek glues herself to Wood and hits her with short shots. Wood is able to peel Kotinek off her and take her back. 🚩Kotinek wins by majority decision
Both these ladies have great potential. Kotinek is scrappy, but she needs to work on her clinch game some more, and Wood is very talented, but she is very raw and unpolished. Wood needs to be quicker in making decision, and she needs to work on her striking. I hope both ladies go pro soon
Tony Toro vs Cameron Smotherman – Bantamweight Title
Round 1
They move around well, Smotherman is in boxing mode and is doing well, but gets knocked down in the middle of the round. Smotherman gets back up and does some work on the feet.
Round 2
A lot of patience from Smotherman. Smotherman goes through the gears a little bit and drops Toro with a right hand and then follows up with a knee.🚩 Smotherman wins by TKO
This was the best fight of the night. These guys did not look like amateurs and they should both move up to pro. Toro needs to be a little quicker with his hands, and I’d actually like to see Toro grapple more with the build that he has. Smotherman is talent, he fought this fight like he’s been fighting his whole life. The man was patient and knew when to turn up the pressure….Smotherman has no business staying amateur. I think its time for this man to travel and seek out some fights.
Jareth Sanchez vs Lalo Balderas – Featherweight
Round 1
Sanchez rushes in and gets nailed with a left hook, they clinch and Balderas takes down his opponent. Sanchez taps to pressure. This was not an arm-triangle. This was pressure.🚩 Balderas wins by submission
Sanchez is a true amateur. Sanchez has nothing right now. Balderas looks like he has a few skills, he got a little cocky in this fight, I’ll be looking to see more
Joshua Thawng vs Luke Guillen – Flyweight
Round 1
Thawng gets the trip and as Guillen tries to get back to his feet, Thawng hits him with a highkick and finishes him with strikes.
These guys looked good. Sure they’re not developed, but they looked very good for amateurs, I hope they take some more fights and improve. Thawng looked to have some technique