THE CLINCH REPORT

By: Jonathan King The Clinch Report

Photos By: Richard De La Cruz – Raw 35

CXF 14: Boiling Point took place on August 25^th in Studio City CA, and it didn’t take long for temperatures to peak as advertised. Heavy handed Marcus Sims (1-1 MMA) needed only :25 seconds and one hellacious combination to walk away with a victory in his CXF debut. Stalking from the opening bell Sims had his opponent Mackenzie Tucker (0-1) in all sorts of trouble as soon as as he touched him. After Tucker hit the deck early, Sims swarmed with volume on the ground prompting the referee to mercifully step in awarding Sims with the impressive TKO victory.

Winner: Marcus Sims (1-1 MMA) via TKO (:25 Rd 1).

The second bout of the evening featured a hotly contested back and forth welterweight war between Andreu Mendoza (1-0) and Cory Hall (1-2 MMA). Mendoza seemed to have the edge in with regards to the score cards early on in the three round affair but appeared to fade as the Hall began to charge late in the fight. In the end two of the judges saw fight for Mendoza awarding him with the split decision victory.

Winner: Andrew Mendoza (1-0 MMA) via split decision (29-28,28-29,29-28).

 The year-long layoff certainly didn’t leave any oxidation, as Arnold Jimenez (3-2 MMA) showed little rust dominating his opponent Mark Alvidrez (1-4 MMA) from stem to stern in their violent three round tango. Jimenez dominated the standup action, but seemed content to control Alvidrez on the mat as the fight wore on. Alvidrez proved quite swift in defense, avoiding many submission setups, but in the end the judges saw a dominant one-sided affair for Jimenez awarding him with the unanimous decision. .

Winner: Arnold Jimenez (3-2 MMA) via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-26, 30-27).

 Former Ukrainian national wrestler Mykola Aivazian (1-0 MMA) showcased that dominant grinding pedigree as he took Eric Rios (0-5 MMA) to the mat with the very first takedown attempt of the fight. Once on the mat, Aivazian showed a veterans’ patience as he maintained a dominant position without allowing Rios to transition. Rios did his best to keep the lights on, but eventually Aivazian was able to thread the choke in forcing the tap at 3:52 of the very first round.

Winner: Mykola Aivazian (1-0 MMA) via submission (rear naked choke 3:52 Rd 1).

Utilizing a variety of techniques Devon Brock (2-1 MMA) controlled Christian Bizzaretty (2-7 MMA) from the opening bell of their three round lightweight showdown. Utilizing his superior footwork, Brock kept moving in and landing effectively before exiting out of his longer opponents range without paying any rent. Bizzaretty did his best to stay in Brock’s face but his best moments were usually punctuated in counter by Brock who cruised to the unanimous decision victory.

Winner: Devon Brock (2-1 MMA) via unanimous decision (30-26, 29-27, 29-27).

 In just his second bout in five years, grappling ace Cooper Gibson (9-2 MMA) outlasted ‘tough as nails’ nor-cal native Samuel Alvarez (3-3 MMA) in a rather close three round lightweight war. Gibson came out on fire early and controlled Alvarez for most of the first round. The dominant ground attack continued in the second frame as well. However, after getting top position in the late in the frame, Gibson seemed to tire as Alvarez came to life. Working off his back Alvarez peppered Gibson with elbows and back fists. Although the accumulation of punches added up on the scorecards, they did little to capitalize on the tiring Gibson’s disposition. Alvarez had perhaps his best round in the third but it wasn’t enough to sway the judges as Gibson escaped with the close decision victory.

Winner: Cooper Gibson (9-2 MMA) via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

No matter how the yard is, eventually the two biggest dogs are going to find each other and when they do, all hell is going to break loose. Perhaps that is the best way to describe what happened when Richard Leroy (7-1 MMA) and Gabriel Green (8-2 MMA) squared off inside the CXF cage. The entire Sportsmen’s Lodge crowd was on their feet from the opening bell as Green and Leroy went back and forth, toe to toe, in what could only be described in any of your favorite fight clichés. Early on the volume of Green seemed to affect the shorter Leroy’s timing, but when Leroy found his range, his power was evident as Green would immediately retreat from each power shot that landed. After a very close opening round the brawl only intensify in the second. As the round wore on Green started to find success with more frequency as Leroy seemed to tire. With about a minute to go Green uncorked a combination that rocked Leroy up against the cage. As he turned to escape, Green again battered him with vicious right hand dropping Leroy to the canvas. As Leroy covered up, Green continued his assault with heavy punches. Just when it appeared the referee was going to stop the fight, Leroy somehow made it back to his feet. However unfortunately for Leroy, the reward for his courage a nasty combination from Green that once again saw the fight on the mat. Sensing blood in the water Green swarmed, and this time referee Mike Beltran had seen enough, calling a halt to the action in a very memorable fight at  4:52 mark of the second round.

Winner New CXF Champion: Gabriel Green (9-2 MMA) via TKO (4:52 Rd 2).

 Fan favorite, IMSA GT Champion David Roberts (3-0 MMA) continued his undefeated rise through the middleweight rankings this time taking out veteran grappler Daniel McWilliams (18-39 MMA). McWilliams did his best to bring the fight to the mat, but Roberts was able to stuff both of McWilliams attempts before dropping the veteran with a nasty knee to the head. As McWilliams tried to recover, Roberts went to work dropping massive left and right hands to the side of his opponent’s head. With McWilliams clearly rocked and covering up the referee quickly stepped in preventing any further damage awarding Roberts his third victory in as many chances.

Winner: David Roberts via TKO (:45 Rd 1).

In the final bout of the evening The ‘Lil Badger’ Jacob Rosales (8-4 MMA) made quick work of big fight veteran Ivan Castillo (16-10 MMA). Rosales came out aggressive in the opening seconds and seemed to catch Castillo off guard with his speed. Rosales quickly established his striking and it didn’t take long for his punches to pay dividends. He dropped Castillo with nasty combination and immediately jumped on his neck. The choke was so deep and so vicious, the veteran Castillo had no choice but to submit.

Winner: Jacob Rosales (8-4 MMA) via submission (guillotine choke :29 Rd 1).