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TRAVIS BROWNE CLAIMS THE BELT AT GC'S "VISION QUEST"
 Gladiator
Challenge returned to San Jacinto, California's Soboba Casino on
Sunday, showcasing nearly 50 fighters in all, including women and
children. Featured attractions included 3 title bouts, a women's
bout, and a children's Pankration bout between two of the world's
top youth amateur Pankration competitors.
The threat of rain only brought a collective sigh of relief from
promoters and fight fans alike as the outdoor Soboba Arena hosted a
mostly dry, if slightly cold event. When all was said and done, the
four and a half hour show provided every aspect of an MMA spec tacle
one could hope for, including some inspirational words from the
founder of UFC, Art Davies, during intermission.
Most of the bouts ended in dominating and quick fashion and only
three decisions occurred in all. Perhaps due to his skills being put
on display for longer than the vast majority of the other
competitors, John Mercurio (2-2) stood out as a potential future
star. He was awarded a split-decision victory over Gabriel Goodly
(0-2). Mercurio exhibited good hands, regularly countering when the
fight was on the feet and when things hit the ground, he was able to
work to top position nearly exclusively. The Ultimate Training
Center product is one to keep an eye on.
Kenny McCorkell (6-2) returned to action coming off a spectacular
triangle-choke victory over Ben Lagman at an event last December. He
continued to prove his worth as an under the radar prospect, taking
out Daryl Smith (1-1) by way of a TKO via verbal submission due to
punches. Exercising a formidable striking attack, he was able to
bring Smith down and overwhelm him with powerful and carefully
placed punches.
In a surprising turn of events, two very young children strapped on
headgear and took to the cage for an Amateur Pankration bout just
prior to intermission. Billed as the “#1 and #3 ranked Pankration
fighters in the world” the sub-100 pound future stars exhibited some
prolific MMA skills before Harley Stokes forced a referee stoppage
due to an armbar he executed on Zander Dumas just a minute into the
opening round. The kids got one of the most audible rounds of
applause of any one fight of the night.
Millennia MMA's gym boasted two of the most eye-opening performances
of the night. Darrel Montague (6-1) earned a dominating unanimous
decision victory over previous GC flyweight titleholder Chino
Nicolas (2-2), dominating all facets of the fight including a moment
where he dropped his hands and allowed himself to be hit repeatedly
with clean sh ots before firing back with some stiff counters of his
own. Montague appeared to be on his way to becoming a factor in the
125 lb. ranks.
For an entire round, UFC veteran Wes Combs (15-4) stormed Archie
Thompson (1-2) and left him little chance to mount any offense of
his own. Thompson's chin was the only thing that carried him to the
first bell, and it wouldn't hold up as the assault continued in the
second frame, eventually forcing a stoppage after six minutes of
brutality.
Sean Loeffler (18-4) extended his winning streak to six in a row
after taking out Sam Salas for the GC Superfight belt. The bout was
contested at 185 pounds. Later, Travis Browne (9-0) rounded out the
title fights, overwhelming Aaron Brink (22-18), who looked to be in
great shape. Brink survived the initial onslaught but Browne was
able to knock him down and achieve a dominant side mount position
where he pressed him against the cage and finished the job in just
35 seconds. Browne is a leg itimate threat in the heavyweight
division, and he will be matching up with Angel De Anda to unify the
belts soon.
Head to GladiatorChallenge.com for the full “Vision Quest” results.
For more information on Gladiator Challenge and all its events,
please visit http://www.gladiatorchallenge.com
For additional information please contact:
Phil Lanides, Publicist - (408) 439-3245, phil@fightofyourlife.com
Tedd Williams, Owner/Promoter – info@gladiatorchallenge.com
Gladiator Challenge is a world-class mixed martial arts (MMA)
promotion established in 1999 by Tedd Williams. A former UFC
fighter, Williams is a former national AAU Sambo Champion (1997), a
former California State Judo Champion (4th Degree Black Belt under
“Judo” Gene Lebell) and a former college All-American wrestler
(Cerritos Jr. College, 1988-89). Gladiator Challenge runs 12-18 MMA
events per year, and has featured MMA superstars Uriah “The
California Kid” Faber, Quinton “Ramp age” Jackson, James Irvin,
Tyson Griffin, Dan “The Beast” Severn, “Sugar” Rashad Evans, Scott
“Hands of Stone” Smith, “The Maine-iac” Tim Sylvia, Joe “Daddy”
Stevenson, Mac Danzig, Jerry Bohlander, “Krazy Horse” Charles
Bennett, Chris Leben, Chael Sonnen, Jake Shields, “The Secret
Weapon” Pete Spratt, Nate “The Rock” Quarry, Jason “The Punisher”
Lambert, Bobby “The Bad Seed” Hoffman, and Cal Worsham, among many
others. Gladiator Challenge can be found online at http://www.gladiatorchallenge.com
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