STFC 35 Results

Sam Guardiola getting his hand raised.

Quick Results:

Flyweight: Sam Guardiola defeated Andoni Sorando Rodriguez via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28).

Featherweight: Ricardo “Ricky” Palacios defeated Ricardo Diaz via TKO (body punches) at 3:14 of the second round.

Lightweight: Guilherme Farias Da Costa defeated John Nuncio via TKO (bodykicks) at :38 of the first round.

Catchweight of 180 lbs: Julio Viramontes defeated Tim Lashley via TKO (ground and pound strikes) at 2:15 of the first round.

Lightweight: Roman Hernandez defeated Roldan “Flaco” Abundis via disqualification (axe kick to the head of a grounded opponent) at 2:13 of the first round.

Featherweight: Gerardo “Jerry” Rodriguez defeated David Salazar via submission (rear naked choke) at 2:42 of the first round.

The Gotch Special Awards:

TGS Fight of the Night: Ricky Palacios vs Ricardo Diaz
TGS KO of the Night: Ricky Palacios’ Body Punches Finish
TGS Submission of the Night: Jerry Rodriguez’s Rear Naked Choke

Play-By-Play

The main event of the evening showcased rising star Sam Guardiola, of Pharr, TX, taking a step up in competition when he faced Andoni Sorando Rodriguez, of Barcelona, Spain. Rodriguez lands a legkick after missing a few punches. Guardiola with a frontkick that didn’t truly connect. Rodriguez hits a combination, including a legkick, and Guardiola slips down. Rodriguez is now on top of him, but Guardiola is defending well from the bottom. Guardiola gets up but Rodriguez took his back. Guardiola is standing up with Rodriguez on his back. Rodriguez is working for a rear-naked choke but Guardiola is defending well. Guardiola slams him down hard and is now on top of Rodriguez. Guardiola gets side control and takes Rodriguez’s back. But Rodriguez gets up, but Guardiola doesn’t let go of him. Guardiola takes him down hard, Caol Uno-style. Rodriguez gets back up, and Guardiola takes him down again, in that manner. Guardiola is in side control, then in half-guard. Rodriguez gets back up and takes Guardiola down. Rodriguez tries to takes Guardiola’s back but both get up, and clinch against the cage. Rodriguez is going for a single leg take down and gets it as the round closes.

Second round starts with a headkick and legkick by Rodriguez. Guardiola hits a knee to the body, but Rodriguez takes him down. He is in Guardiola’s guard, but then they both get up. Guardiola gets another one of those takedowns that Uno used against BJ Penn in their second fight. Guardiola is briefly in side control, but is now back in half-guard. Guardiola trying to land strikes, but Rodriguez is kicking from the bottom. Guardiola is trying to take Rodriguez’s back against the cage. They both get up, and Guardiola slips off. Guardiola takes him down but Guardiola pops right back up. Rodriguez and Guardiola clinch against the cage. Guardiola lands several knees to the body from the clinch position. Rodriguez takes him down but Guardiola has a good guard and defends good. Rodriguez attempting to sneak in several strikes in there. Rodriguez considers a toe hold but decides not to. Rodriguez takes Guardiola’s back but quickly slips off. Guardiola clinches with Rodriguez against the cage. Guardiola takes him down and is in half-guard. Rodriguez reverses, and goes for a last second heel hook as the round ends.

In the final frame of the evening, Guardiola opens by attempting to land a knee to the body. They clinch against the cage, and Guardiola gets the takedown. Guardiola is trying to land some ground and pound but Rodriguez is doing a good job defending, as Guardiola did earlier. Guardiola gets in a bizzare position, and is trying to go for a leglock, but Rodriguez gets behind him. Rodriguez gets a waist lock, drags him down, takes his back before slipping off again. They get up and clinch up against the cage, landing a few strikes here and there. Rodriguez goes for a single leg and gets it. Rodriguez passes to side control, and gets Guardiola’s back again. Guardiola escapes, gets back up, and Rodriguez takes him down again. Rodriguez lands a few ground and pound strikes, but then Guardiola gets back up. Rodriguez trips Guardiola and gets him back down again. Rodriguez is in half-guard, then passes, and looks to consider an inverted triangle before abandoning that idea. Guardiola gets back on top, briefly, but Rodriguez gets out of that, and pushes him against the cage. Rodriguez is trying to go for a single leg, but Guardiola starts landing several hard elbows. The fight concludes with Guardiola landing those elbows. The judges award the fight to Guardiola, via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28).

In the STFC featherweight division, Ricardo “Ricky” Palacios defeated Ricardo Diaz via TKO (body punches) at 3:14 of the second round. Both fighters start to feel each other out when the fight starts. Palacios lands his first body punch of the evening. Diaz answers back with a few jabs. Palacios lands an overhand right and hard bodykick. Diaz hits a headkick that catches Palacios in the left eye. Palacios starts blinking a lot after that. Big counter right hand by Palacios drops Diaz. Diaz gets back up, and Palacios hits him with a body punch. Then a bodykick. Palacios opens up with a combination on Diaz. Diaz hits a legkick. Palacios hits a legkick and several good punches, and it looks like Diaz was rocked again. Diaz clinches up, but when freed again, Palacios lands some solid punches. Diaz hits a good kick. Palacios comes back with a jab, body punch, and a big haymaker. The round closes with a couple of legkicks by Diaz.

Round two begins with Palacios trying to catch him with something big early on. Palacios is throwing some wild punches. Palacios hits a bodykick and catches Diaz as he is coming in with a hard punch. Diaz is hurt and tries to take Palacios down, but can’t. Palacios throws a knee, and the referee stops the fight because he saw Diaz as a downed opponent. Fight resumes, and Palacios with another bodykick. Diaz hits a nice left, but Palacios fights back with wild punches while against the cage. Palacios throws out a combination. Palacios hits a body punch that hurts Diaz, then continues with another body punch. And another. Diaz is overwhelmed with body punches and goes down at 3:14 in the second round.

In the STFC lightweight division, Guilherme Farias Da Costa of Manaus, Brasil, continued on his hot streak when he went through John Nuncio of Monterrey, Nuevo Leon. Nuncio was trying to be aggressive when the fight started, but Farias began unleashing some brutal kicks. He started with a legkick, before going for one bodykick after another. It appeared to be at least four, possibly more, bodykicks, when Nuncio just crumpled near the cage, ending the fight at 38 seconds in the first round.

Tim Lashley of Trinity, TX, and Julio Viramontes of McAllen, met at a catchweight of 180 lbs. Viramontes got the quick takedown, landing in half-guard. He worked his way to side control, where he landed more strikes, including knees to Lashley’s body. Viramontes got the mount, and started landing strike after strike until the referee stepped in for the TKO stoppage at 2:15 of the first round.

In lightweight competition, Brownsville’s Roldan “Flaco” Abundis stepped into the cage to take on Edinburg’s Roman Hernandez. Abundis landed some hard legkicks early, and Hernandez quickly went for a takedown. They are briefly against the cage, but then separate. Abundis lands a solid legkick and straight right hand. Hernandez goes for a takedown, gets it, but Abundis quickly bounces back up. Hernandez tries to take Abundis’ back but a scramble ensues. Abundis ends up on top, lands some good ground and pound. He then does an axe kick that connects with Hernandez’s head, which is illegal. Hernandez can’t continue, thus he defeats Abundis via disqualification at 2:13 of the first round.

In the opening bout of the evening, STFC featherweight Gerardo “Jerry” Rodriguez of McAllen made quick work out of David Salazar of Mission. First significant shot landed was a legkick by Salazar. After a second legkick by Salazar, Rodriguez gets a double leg takedown, and passes guard to mount. Rodriguez quickly takes Salazar’s back, and eventually gets the rear naked choke for the submission win at 2:42 in the first round.