KICK DOWN 48: FIGHT ON

March 1, 2008 / Red Lion Hotel; Denver, Co

Steve Alley, Promoter

Steve Alley has magic when it comes to drawing a crowd.  Nearly every seat was filled before the opening bell in spite of a date conflict with an exciting UFC pay-per-view card.   This audience wanted to see real action – not televised or projected on a screen in a bar.  As always, the pre-fight audio consisted of great music that seemed to be just the right volume and just the right mix for the audience.    Ring Physician Alex Constantinedes was in attendance as I believe he has been for every fight I have covered.    Although he is at nearly every event, tonight he would see much for demand for his services than usual.  

The event was presided over by Colorado Boxing Commissioner, Josef Mason.  Ringside was J. R. Gordon of Martial Arts Radio, Mike Ruman of MMA Buzz, Rob Schmid, representing ColoradoFightEvents as well as non-ringside media from MMA Station, KHOW Radio and MMA Mountain, a new print publication about to make it’s debut in the Spring of 2008.

There was a short delay as we waited for the EMTs to arrive – no Promoter would think of pushing the opening bell without that support.  Not only is it a requirement by the Commission, the promoters take this business very seriously and I’ve known Steve Alley for some time, his primary concern is the safety of his fighters.  The multiple injuries that were to unfold throughout the evening punctuated the prudence of having an overseeing Boxing Commission that insists on such precautions.

Anthony “Prays a Lot” Werner vs. Matt “The Little Titan” Vigil – 145 lbs.

This first bout of the evening pitted 22 year old Matt Vigil against the veteran 34 year old Anthony Werner. 

In the prerecorded video of Werner that was projected on the auditorium big screen, Werner thanked Dr. Alex Constantinedes for having previously fixed his arm so that now he was “locked and loaded”.

As the fight began, Vigil immediately crowded Werner against the ropes until he was able to pull him to the ground with an arm around his neck that turned into the beginning of the end – the result being a rear naked choke tap-out 46 seconds into Round 1.  In the victory interview with Steve Alley, Matt Vigil told Steve that he thought he was ready now for a title fight with his current record of 3-0.  Steve acknowledged that he would work on setting that up!

Dan “The Anvil” Aberle vs. Matt Walshe – 175 lbs.

This contest set two debut fighters against one another:  The 28 years old Matt Walshe entered the auditorium to Johnny Cash’s Ring of Fire that was nearly drowned out with the boisterous crowd greeting.  His opponent was 26 year old Dan “The Anvil” Aberle who had some very colorful ink including starburst tattoos on his left bicep and right shoulder.

The first take-down was by Aberle but Walshe reversed him quickly to take the advantage.  Aberle took a pounding until he went limp as Walshe was awarded a TKO when the referee stopped the action due to strikes 1:45 into first Round.  From where I was sitting, it appeared that Aberle had been knocked momentarily unconscious that would have qualified as a Knock Out but I’m sure the perspective from inside the ring must have looked different.  The huge crowd of Walshe fans cheered loudly in acknowledgement of their fighter’s win in his ring debut. 

Joshua Gillespie vs. Mark “Ground” Niro – 145 lbs.

This next bout ran high with emotions as the trainers of each fighter were well known and highly respected.  Mark “Ground” Niro, 28 years of age, was making his fight debut and came from the camp of Augie Lopez at Art of War.  His opponent, 25 year old Joshua Gillespie had received his training from local legend, Tom Johnson of Innovative Martial Arts.

As the bell rang, Niro hit the ground first (and second) but when he got his bearings he connected with powerful strong straight punches drawing blood from the bridge of Gillespie’s nose .  This was to be the first fight of the evening to make it through a full first Round.  Between Rounds, it appeared that Gillespie needed and received some strategic advice from his Corner in how to handle the aggressive Niro.  As the whistle sounded the beginning of Round 2, the Niro fans were chanting Ni-ro  Ni-ro  Ni-ro.  The action began with Niro inflicting some powerfully stinging kicks to the outer calf and thighs of Gillespie.   As Niro took Gillespie to the ground, it was clear from where I was sitting that Gillespie’s leg was stung and swollen from the earlier barrage of kicks.  At the end of Round 2, I gave the points to Niro but the stamina to Gillespie.

In Round 3, Niro continued to pound away with his ferocious kicks but suddenly Gillespie was ready for him, catching Niro’s leg, dropping him to the mat and proceeding to at least return some of the licks he had been taking for the first 2+ rounds.  Victory was not to be his however, as Niro took control and caught Gillespie in a side arm bar, causing him to tap-out 2:05 into the third Round.  As Niro left the ring, the crowd was still chanting his name and his wife grabbed him in a victory hug.  In the post-fight interview, Steve asked him if he would fight again and he announced that decision would be made by his wife; who responded by blowing him kisses from where she waited outside of the ring.  Later, in the hallway, an exchange was observed between the two of them where she said to him:  “Baby you were powerful, I was so proud of you, you were so wonderful . . . NEVER AGAIN”!  I guess we’ll just have to wait and see what happens once they discuss this in the privacy of their own home . . .

Matt Ledford vs. Josh Childress

The next event pitted two fighters in the 165 weight class against one another:  The 21 year old Matt Ledford was making his Kick Down and MMA debut against the 26 year old Josh Childress.  Ledford entered the auditorium first to a huge ovation from his supportive fans.  When Josh Childress entered the auditorium, these same fans boo-ed him in spite of Ledford and his corner turning to the offenders while making the hand signal of a swipe across the throat for them to be silent. 

By the end of the first round, Ledford had a heavily bleeding cut over his left eye but that didn’t arrest his determination to try to catch Childress in a submission with whatever limb he could grab.  The referee stopped the fight in the second Round so the doctor and the Commissioner could check out the source of extreme blood flow from the left side of Ledford’s scalp.  The match was not re-started and a TKO win was awarded to Josh Childress 43 seconds into Round 2.  The two contestants hugged each other and both of them walked away from the exchange with streaks of blood commemorating their match-up. 

Cody Combee vs. Nick Olson – 170 lbs.

We were next treated to a bout between a pair of fighters in the 170 lb. weight class.  I’m told that Nick Olson is a lefty which makes him a more unpredictable opponent.

Cody Combee had a very loud cheering section who shouted encouragement to him even during the  first two Rounds when it seemed he was taking the brunt of the blows.  He appeared to be buoyed by the positive fan vibes so that when the clacker sounded the approach of the final 10 seconds of Round 2, Combee had maneuvered Olsen into the first stages of a strong rear naked choke.  Time ran out before we would know if Combee could hold on or if Olson would escape.  As the whistle announced the start of Round 3, both men were perspiring heavily and exhaustion was takings its toll.  Combee proceeded to quickly take Olson to the mat where he held side mount dominance until the referee moved them from the ropes to the middle of the ring.  Combee proceeded to take a full mount and pounded down on Olson while attempting to restrain his arms.  Olson gave up his back which ultimately lead to him also give up his neck to a rear naked choke that caused him to tap-out 2:38 of 3^rd Round.  The win and new record of 1-1 was given to Cody Combee as his fans brought down the house!

Ed Campbell vs. Dan Politica – 170 lbs.

In the opening seconds of the first Round, Politica lifted Campbell who wrapped his legs around Politica in an attempt to minimize the damage as he prepared to be slammed to the mat.  Campbell nearly managed to wrap up Politica in an arm bar but Politica escaped.  The process was then reversed as Campbell took down Politica with the fighters ending up in a twist of mutual guillotines that neither of them could sustain.  Although Campbell had power and accuracy behind his strikes, Politica had the greatest quantity of them causing the referee to call an end to the bout due to blows.  Politica came away with what appeared to be a broken nose but a huge grin under the blood as he was awarded the win 2:45 seconds into Round 2. 

Joe Lake at 240 lbs vs. “The Predator” Louis Lloyd – 290 lbs.

At 50 lbs heavier and two inches taller, Louis Lloyd looked as though he would not be able to keep up with the sleeker smaller Joe Lake.  However, Louis Lloyd was remarkably agile in his movements and either incredibly accurate with his punches or lucky as Lake repeated stepped right into the path of those powerful arms.  One of the early blows launched Lake onto the mat with what appeared to be a broken nose that caused a time-out while it was determined by Dr. Alex and the Commissioner if the bout was to be resumed – which it was.  Although Lake put on a good fight, he was no match against the strength and weight of his opponent.   The Doctor and Commissioner Mason re-examined Lake between the 1^st and 2^nd Rounds and then consulted with Steve Alley who ultimately announced that the fight had been stopped due to strikes and that the TKO win was being awarded to “Big Lou” Lloyd.

Yep – Dr. Alex was a popular guy tonight!

Adam Johnsen vs. Joe Kaderli – 155 lbs.

At the onset, it appeared that these fighters are very well matched.  Johnsen made the first move to pull Kaderli to the mat and although he was ultimately successful, it was not without a great deal of effort as Kaderli had a tenacious sprawl.  Once on the ground, Kaderli reversed the dominance and brought the action back to a standing position.  Even on their feet, Kaderli did not allow enough distance between the fighters for Johnsen to get in a significant blow.  This back-and-forth exchange existed for the first two rounds but as the second round was rung to a close, something significant happened in the ring that I could not see as my vision was obstructed by someone standing in my way.  I say this was significant because Johnsen stumbled back to his corner, collapsed on the mat and started shaking his head in an indication that he could not continue.  Indeed, as the whistle called for the start of the 3^rd Round, Johnsen threw his towel into the center of the ring.  The TKO was awarded to Kaderli who dedicated the win to his daughter who was two weeks and two days old that evening. 

After the evening was over, I was told from someone sitting closer to the ring that their perception was that Johnsen had received a blow to the back of the head which caused him to lose clear vision from his left eye and thus prevented him from being able to continue.

Adam “El Guapo” Martinez vs. “Dangerous” Danny Simpson – 155 lbs.

From the moment that interaction between the fighters could be observed inside the ring, it was clear that Martinez was a scrapper.  He wouldn’t exchange the traditional fist-to-fist greeting that is common at the start of a match and from the moment of the opening bell he was all over Simpson with determination.  It was only 50 seconds into Round 1 when Martinez took the victory when Simpson tapped-out after being submitted in a rear naked choke. 

One of the aspects of this sport that I have found so rewarding is the nearly universal respect fighters have for each other in the way only opponents in contests of strength and agility can experience.  The exchange between these fighters is one of the first times I have witnessed a breach in this respectful code of sportsmanship.  There was no recognition from Martinez regarding the strength of his opponent or even a gracious handshake.  I suppose it says something that this is the first time I have witnessed such a snub which is a positive testimony to the usual courtesies encouraged by the coaches and promoters that bring us these events.  The fight name of Adam Martinez is “El Guapo” – translated as:  the handsome one.  Too bad his behavior is not an illustration of his name.

The bout between Brian Cristina and Brett Shafer was cancelled due to Cristina having the flu – it is currently scheduled to be part of a Kick Down slated for May 10.

MAIN EVENT:   Louise Johnson vs. Shallie Shannon

This is the first time in Colorado state history that two women were the competitors in a Main Event.  Both women had fought as amateurs prior to this evening with Shallie Shannon as a kick-boxer and Louise Johnson in other amateur MMA events.  Although both women weighed in for a bout in the 135 weight class, the 35 year old Louise Johnson appeared the far fitter contestant than the 20 year old Shallie Shannon

Both fighters come with strong coaching credentials.  Shannon is coached by the boxing coach and Longmont promoter, Cory Williams.  Louise Johnson is coached by MMA Sensei, Tom Johnson (no relation that I know of).

Before the opening bell, Louise jogged around the ring and fist-tapped her opponent.  This fight won the “don’t blink” award of the night as Louise Johnson won her first professional MMA fight when referee Tim Mills stopped the action due to strikes and awarded her the win by TKO 56 seconds into Round 1.  The Innovative Martial Arts fan section that had not moved from their seats all night in preparation for this bout erupted in such a wild eruption of cheers that it was hard to hear Steve Alley’s congratulations to the victor.

Although it was now 11 p.m., I felt no exhaustion – just elation after watching 10 excellently matched bouts in an environment that was energy-charged and welcoming.  It is no wonder that Steve Alley fans chose “Kick Down 48:  Fight On” over pay-per-view hype.  This was the real world where fans could approach their favorite fighters, collect autographs or just gape at these brave athletes that seem to bury their fears as they illustrate the skills for which they have trained so diligently. 

Way to go Steve!

Kick Down 48: "Fight On" Results