THE CLINCH REPORT

By: Jonathan King The Clinch Report

Photos By: John Walsh The Clinch Report

Photos By: Bob Fisher Pugilpix.com

Walking out of the Sportsmen’s Lodge in Studio City among the crowd, the same sentiment reverberated multiple times on the way to the car. “Hey man, when are you guys going to do another one?”

Once again the Lights Out Promotions and Bash Boxing team has succeeded in putting together one hell of an entertaining night of fights. ‘Fight Night 2’ featured some of the regions top mixed martial artists, in a wide range of weight classes. The main event featured a mixed of young talent, and hard hitting veterans that left the crowd satisfied and asking for more.

Six fighters on the card in particular had heavier burdens than normal. With the up coming anniversary of the Armenian Genocide at the hands of the Ottoman Empire as the back drop, 6 Armenian fighters took to the cage to fight for not only themselves but for a nation as well. Alfred Khashakyan, Levon Sarsyan, Armen Bakanyan, Tigran Grigoryan, Davit Yeghiazaryan, and Leon Shahbazyan each represented their Armenian roots with hard fought efforts that led to a 5-0-1 record on the evening.

In the co main event of the evening Alfred Khashakyan plowed through Blackhouse MMA fighter Vitor Oristanio (1-3 MMA) with a first round KO that left the young Oristanio unconscious. After trading kicks early on, Khashakyan caught a charging Oristanio on the chin with an uppercut that folded his legs beneath him. Wasting little time, Khashakyan dove in with some vicious right hands that with the mat underneath gave Oristanio’s head no place to go! The last punch removing him completely from his senses. The knockout, his fourth in a row, puts Khashakyan in a prime position to get a call from the UFC. Normally fighting at 135 lbs, Khashakyan’s power and wrestling back-round immediately make him a contender in the bantamweight division.

The second co main event saw local fan favorite Thor Skancke (6-5 MMA) defeat journeyman Daniel McWillams (9-24 MMA) in the first round via submission (Americana). Skancke showcased his heavy hands early in the first round, landing with heavy hooks to the body of McWilliams before the fight found itself on the ground. McWilliams flirted several times with an arm bar/ triangle transition, but eventually Skancke threw his legs to the side and  landed in side control. Once there a few ground strikes softened McWilliams enough to allow Skancke to get a hold of a wrist lock. Which he rotated into the Americana, finishing the fight.

The win for Skancke returned him to the right side of .500. He also didn’t receive any damage, making him eligible for the next card at ‘Fight Night 3’!

Over all the event was extremely entertaining. The fights were a good blend of Knockouts and submissions, with a few leading up to the suspense of a judges decision. We saw a Liz Tracy make a huge splash in her pro debut, with a big upset over Maria Rios. We also will probably being saying goodbye to Alfred Khashakyan who now stands 4-1 in the midst of  a 4 fight KO streak. He should be getting a call from Sean Shelby and Joe Silva at the UFC very soon,

Lights Out Promotions and Bash Boxing put together some pretty amazing events. The dynamic blend of young talent, coupled with well known regional talent makes them a highly desired promotion for fighters. There are no stepping stones at a ‘Fight Night’ event. Like Thor Skancke said following his fight, “If you are not in the UFC, this is where the best competition is!” and like Annie Lennox said, “Who am I to disagree!”