AFC

Technique took center stage at AFC 81: Title Chase, as technical submissions outnumbered monster punches and fighters, though still bloodied, were tapped out rather than knocked out. Results and Recaps tonight, tomorrow (or Friday), pictures, awards, quotes, and the Final Word!

:::MAIN EVENT:::
MIDDLEWEIGHT
'Naptime' Nic Heron-Webb def. Rolando 'The Apocalypse' Dominique
Rd. 2, Submission (armbar)

RD. 1
The size difference is clear as the two stare down, as Frostbite's Dominique towers over Greatland's Herron-Webb and looking just as, if not more beefy.

Dominique lands two leg kicks, using his long reach to establish range, then he jumps in with ... something. It looked like he thought about throwing a flying knee, but changed his mind and didn't lift his leg. It turned into a flying bellyflop. 'Naptime' lands two uppercuts and clinches against cage. Dominique lands dirty boxing hooks but can't get his back off the fence. 'Naptime' changes up his grip, looking for a takedown, but 'The Apocalypse' pushes off the cage and creates space. Nic suddenly lunges in with huge left! Dominique is stunned. Herron-Webb tries to pounce but slips and is parried to the ground. He throws an up kick to keep Dominique off of him and lunges for a takedown from his knees.He secures it. After a brief scramble 'Naptime' gets half guard. He slows down, landing only a few short elbows. Dominique regains his guard, and quickly improves to a triangle choke. 'Naptime' fights falling asleep, flexing hard and fighting the submission. Dominique lands strikes from bottom and works choke. Herron-Webb rolls to his back, coaxing Dominique to roll with him into a mounted triangle. The dangerous gamble pays off, though, as 'Naptime' is able to slip out the back door during the transition. However, Dominique held onto his arm and is able to regain the triangle. Nic stacks his opponent against cage and pulls his head out, earning side control, and goes for a kimura. It is deep, but 'The Apocalypse' intelligently uses cage to stop his arm, then rolls trough and out of the submission as the bell rings. A very difficult round to call. My very unofficial scorecard makes the round a draw, 10-10.

RD. 2
The two trade huge hooks to start the round. Both look very tired, sweating hard from the effort of the awesome first round. Dominique attempts a superman punch, but Nic closes the distance and grabs a thai plum, landing a knee. They separate and hurl cannonballs at each other, with both fighters finding their mark. They clinch, Dominique goes for guillotine. 'Naptime' easily pops his head out and goes for standing kimura, which he uses to execute a great rolling takedown right out of a hapkido seminar! He takes his opponent's back while still working the kimura. 'Naptime' changes it to an armbar and cranks with all his sleepy heart, but Dominique is hanging tough. Herron-Webb readjusts his legs and cranks again, and this time 'The Apocalypse' taps.

::CO-MAIN EVENT::
LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT
Tommy 'The Pot-Bellied Assassin' Ide def. Justin Trenton
RD. 1, Submission (armbar)

Ide shoots in for single leg, but Trenton fights it off and lands a punch on the break. The squat Ide fights his way inside again with looping strikes, but gets caught in a deep choke. However, 'The Pot-Bellied Assassin' is saved by his uniquely shaped body, and Trenton discovers there is practically no neck there to choke. He lets it go to land thunderous right hand. Ide is backpedaling fast. He lands a winging right, then pushes in and gets stuffed. Trenton sweeps Ide's stumpy leg and takes him down to mount. Ide gives up his back and eats a lot of punches. The referee hovers. Ide bucks and turns over, but Trenton still has his back. He lands some more punches as Ide fights off the rear-naked choke. Ide spins back to guard. Trenton swings for an armbar, but his opponent is just too stocky. Ide pulls his arm back and steps over to back control. He takes Trenton's arm and cranks a deep sitting armbar. Trenton tries to wait it out, and uses the cage to brace his arm and keep it from breaking. Ide moves a few inches from the cage, cranks it a little farther, and gets the tapout.

CATCHWEIGHT 165
Josh 'The Rooster' Luther def. Niko Apostolos
RD. 1, Submission (armbar)

Luther, a purple belt at Red Dog Judo and Jui Jitsu at the Red Dog Mine, flicks a few punches out, and Apostolos returns them equally. Both fighters try kicks that miss. Luther lands a body kick, clinches up, pulls guard and swings for a textbook armbar.

LIGHTWEIGHT
Derek 'D-Wreck' Chalifour def. Lucas Murray
RD 1, Submission (triangle and strikes)

Murray tries a sloppy body kick. Chalifour ignores it, then counters with an insane combo that included a superman punch, a leg kick, four straight punches and a million hooks. Pure poetry. Murray desperately shoots for a takedown, landing in 'D-Wreck''s guard. Murray is bleeding bad. Chalifour sets up a quick triangle. After locking it up he lets go with both hands and lands a few hammerfists. The referee pulls them apart.

Officially, the referee saw Murray tap out. Chalifour believes he tapped as well. Murray, however, denies that he tapped, but did not argue that the fight was halted at the appropriate time. Video footage was inconclusive.

WELTERWEIGHT
Chase 'The Outlaw' Jensen def. Kerby 'Curb-Stomp' Coman
RD. 1, Submission (RNC)

Coman shoots in and secures the takedown to half-guard, then passes to mount. Jensen squeezes his leg back out to half-guard. Coman gets back to mount, then lets loose with the first strikes of the fight. He gets a little too excited, though, and Jensen gets out back door. During the scramble Jensen tries for an inverted reverse triangle, but can't sink it. Jensen gets around his body and goes for a guillotine, but it doesn't sink. 'The Outlaw' picks Coman up and delivers a big slam. Both fighters get back to their feet and jensen goes for standing guillotine, but gets taken down instead. He works back to his feet and lands a knee to the head. Coman goes for a shot, but Jensen sprawls. 'The Outlaw' lands an illegal knee to the head of his downed opponent and the ref calls time. Coman looks dazed, but gamely decides to keep fighting after only a few minutes to shake the cobwebs out. When the fight is restarted Coman wiffs with huge haymaker. Jensen lands solid right. Coman smiles and offers to high five. When Jensen accepts Coman sucker-punches his opponent! Its a dirty fight, but both fighters are still going strong. Coman looks angry, rushing in with haymakers. Jensen catches him coming in with a front kick to the chest, knocking him back. Jensen pounces, pretzels him up, and takes Coman down, securing his back with a single hook. He sinks the rear-naked choke, and Coman goes unconscious rather than tap out.

WELTERWEIGHT
Tyler Higgins def. Brandon 'Juiceboxx' Hanlin
RD. 2, TKO (ref. stoppage, strikes)

Rd. 1
The two trade jabs. Hanlin backs away from a shot, until his back is against the cage. The Greatland product gets underhooks and fights off takedown. Suddenly Higgins, who trains with Frontier Vale Tudo, drops for a fireman's carry and takes 'Juiceboxx' down, landing in his guard. Higgins bunches his opponent up against the cage and lands hammerfists. Hanlin gets wrist control, avoids a slam, and fires back some shots from his back. Higgins passes to half-guard, lands some blows to the ribs, and passes to side control. 'Juiceboxx' gets back to half-guard. Higgins throws some strikes, but Hanlin gets his full guard back. Higgins gets creative and spins for a leg, and Hanlin uses the opportunity to scramble to his feet. However, Higgins stays on him and gets him back down immediately, again in his guard. The referee stops for a loose glove to be retaped. He keeps them in their position. When the action resumes, Hanlin kicks him off, but Higgins throws Hanlin's feet aside and leaps to side control. 'Juiceboxx' holds him close and prevents any more major damage until the bell rings. Round definitely goes to Higgins.

Rd. 2
Both fighters come out throwing jabs. Hanlin lands a few, but Higgins pushes in and gets the takedown to side control. He patiently passes to mount and rains blows. p against the fence, Higgins wraps Hanlin's arm around his own head, making defense impossible, and the referee stops it after only a few more blows.

WELTERWEIGHT
Joe Murphy def. Eli Chapson
RD. 1, Submission (armbar)

The two feel each other out. Murphy (WHO HAS ONLY HAD ONE OTHER MMA BOUT BESIDES THIS ONE) ducks under a hook and gets the double leg takedown to side control. Chapman bridges and pushes Murphy over him, initiating a scramble, but Murphy regains side. Chapman tries to bridge-and-heave again, but this time it fails. Murphy methodically passes to mount. He postures up and starts cracking Chapman with elbows. It get real bloody real quick. Murphy looks for the armbar, but Chapman counters it, so Murphy, a Gracie Barra fighter, softens him with some more elbows. He swings for the armbar again, this time getting the submission.

Murphy's elbows did a number on Chapson's face, which now resembles pulpy tomato juice.

CATCHWEIGHT 150
Nick DeVeny def. Zach Shelly
RD. 1, Submission (triangle)

[[[DISCLAIMER: SAM DUNHAM SERVED AS ZACH SHELLY'S CORNERMAN DURING THIS FIGHT. MAKE OF THAT WHAT YOU WILL]]]

Shelly declines DeVeney's offer to shake hands. DeVeny throws a punching combination. Shelly ducks under and scoops up his opponent's legs, getting the slam to side control. DeVeny thrashes about and is able to regain his guard. Shelly tries to pass, and DeVeny snatches a triangle, eliciting the tap-out.

***AMATEUR BOUT***

HEAVYWEIGHT
Jared 'The Killa Gorilla' Cannonier def. Isaac 'The Iceman' Taylor
RD. 2, TKO (ref stoppage, strikes)

Rd. 1
Both fighters flick out a jab. Cannonier, a product of Gracie Barra, starts to let loose, throwing leather with bad intentions. He lands an uppercut and a knee. Taylor is punching back, but not landing much. Taylor eats a body knee. Cannonier flurries, landing lefts, rights and knees. Taylor pushes into him, but Cannonier steps back and counters well. Taylor manages to push Cannonier down and pounces, but he keeps his composure and gets back to his feet. He pushes Taylor against the cage and lands knees to the leg and right hooks. Taylor is very game, still attacking and moving forward, but he is eating counter-punches like they were the buffet special. Taylor lands a nice counter right hook of his own, knocking Cannonier down. Taylor jumps to side control, but Cannonier uses an underhook to get back to his feet. Taylor tries guillotine, but no luck. Cannonier snatches his opponent's legs and gets him to the ground. He quickly mounts and starts in with the ground'n'pound. Taylor gives his back up. Cannonier tries to keep up the ground'n'pound, but he is tired, and only manages a few blows before the bell. I give the round to Cannonier. Although Taylor is game and keeps firing back, Cannonier has landed some powerful thudding shots.

Rd. 2

Cannonier lands a leg kick. He ducks Taylor's punches with a great show of head movement, and lands several punches punches of his own in the process. He shoots in, picks up Taylor up, and slams him, landing in side control. Cannonier lands some elbows. Taylor tries to escape, but gives his back up. Cannonier has him flattened and pumps the ground'n'pound until ref stops it.