THE CLINCH REPORT

By: Jonathan M King The Clinch Report

Photos By: John Walsh The Clinch Report

Once again Spar Star MMA invaded the historic Hollywood Park Casino for another night of mixed martial arts action. The bout was chock full of fights as over 100 applicants applied to fight on the card, yielding a historic 20 bout fight card. According to C.A.M.O officials on hand the card was the largest card ever under the sanctioning body, and thanks to them the event went off without a hitch.

The colossal fight card was headlined by a three headed monster of a main event, that held three titles at stake. First Oneida Diaz won a hard fought bout over a very tough Jasmine Pouncey, in a scrap that featured some very entertaining exchanges on the feet however, in the end it was Diaz’s grappling that secured her the title. Once on the ground, Diaz was quickly able to score points with her positional transitions, taking Pouncey’s back on several occasions. Although the finish eluded her, Diaz won the fight on all of the score cards and is now the reigning Spar Star MMA Champion.

The second of the headlining bouts featured Emilias Jimenez vs Joseph Williams. Both fighters came out of the shoot swinging for the fences, but quickly Williams took control and established a clear advantage. Once the fight found the mat, Williams began pounding his opponent, prompting referee Larry Landless to call a halt to the bout only 2:01 seconds into the opening round. An emotional Joseph Williams was then crowned the top dog, in the Spar Star 155 lbs division.

The last of the main event bouts featured two fighters that have appeared a combined 11 times inside the Spar Star cage. Undefeated champion Leo Imai took on a surging contender Victor Rivera. Predictably both fighters came out looking for the quick knockout, throwing leather heavy, and often. However quickly into the exchange, Imai landed a vicious body quick that immediately found Rivera on his bicycle. Imai kept the pressure on, backing Rivera up before finishing the fight via TKO less than 2 minutes into the foray. With the win, Imai earns his second Spar Star title, and hinted during his post fight interview to the possibility of maybe adding a third. Only time will tell.

Some other young fighters also showed promise on this stacked card include:

Rick Zelada: Zelada down two rounds to zero on all cards, was able to catch his opponent from the bottom and secured an arm-bar finish out of nowhere. The slick maneuver had the crowd going crazy, as many were not aware of what they had just witnessed. Zelada not only show cased his jiujitsu pedigree he snatched victory from almost certain defeat, utilizing a fortitude most coaches search for in a fighter.

Sean Crenshaw: Crenshaw needed only :57 seconds to secure a TKO win over a very tough Craig Plaskett. Both fighters came out aggressive and met immediately in the center of the cage. Crenshaw moving forward landed a nasty right hand that folded Plaskett’s legs beneath him. The swarm that followed came quick and heavy, prompting the referee to stop the fight, to Plaskett’s dismay. Crenshaw who started his career without a win in 3 fights, now finds himself in the middle of 5 fight win streak (MMA and Kickboxing). Although normally a lightweight, Crenshaw fought this bout at 170 lbs, with the win up in weight, Crenshaw now finds himself on a short list of fighters in line for the 155 lbs title.

Edgar Marroquin: Making his debut in the sport of mixed martial arts, Marroquin needed only :26 seconds of fight time before securing his first win. Catching his opponent in the first exchange to end the fight, Marroquin actually spent more time walking out then he did actually fighting. Undamaged hopefully we can get another look at this promising 205 lbs fighter in the near future.

Tyler Daulley and Kris Calmes also impressed, winning their fights in the first round. Daulley was able to secure a first round rear-naked choke in only :34 seconds utilizing his superior jiujitsu to inspire the tap, while Calmes was able to send his opponent packing with strikes after only :23 seconds of work.

Once again the folks over at Spar Star MMA raised the bar. Before the record setting evening began, plans for the next event were already underway. The April show is rapidly filling up with applicants as the word is definitely out, the Spar Star Cage is quickly becoming one of LA’s hottest stages.

Make sure you stay tuned for the next Spar Star MMA Event! More photos will be added later, and make sure you check out our friends at www.pugilpix.com for their excellent coverage as well.

Title Fight Gallery Below: