Sportfight “Hotzone” lived up to it’s reputation as an explosive display of MMA athletes from all over the country with strong match-making showcasing the fighters vast array of skills. Matt Lindland introduced the bulk of his Wolfpack team participating in the upcoming IFL show in Portland Oregon and the team will consist of Chris Wilson, Ryan Schultz, and Matt Horwich with the remainder of the team is still being decided upon.

The highlights were Team Quest’s Ed Nuno’s ( in his pro debut ) complete destruction of his opponent, Tony Sanza. I know from experience that Nuno has heavy hands and his cardio is unparalleled. Another highly anticipated bout saw Vancouver’s Trevor Burnell take on the always entertaining Ian Loveland. The bad blood between these two was all too apparent at the weigh-in as Loveland taunted Burnell throughout the ceremony. Burnell known for his ground skills, trained with Rickson Gracie to help develop his ground foundation and Loveland is known as a banger with a reputation for giving as good as he gets. Burnell was rocked a few times by Loveland but it was Burnell that caught Loveland with a straight right hand that literally lifted Loveland off his feet in the first round, following up with a barrage of strikes that completely incapacitated the deflated Loveland.

Chris Wilson showed that he is a well rounded athlete in his bout with the veteran Laverne Clark. He showcased his submission skills taking Clark out with a submission triangle choke late in round one. At one point Wilson had extended Clark’s arm in a submission to a point of pending hyper-extension but Clark showed heart and perseverance in weathering the submission. It appears that Chris Wilson has only begun to make an impact in the sport of MMA.

 
Sportfight XVII Results:
Greg Thompson defeats Elli Peterson by unanimous decision
John Krohn defeats Reno Buckstaber by rear naked choke in round 1
Mike Dolce defeats Josh Burnham by unanimous decision
JD Stanley defeats Jon Clift by toe hold in round 1
Thierry Sokoudjou defeats Paul Wermecki by tko in round 1
Ed Nuno defeats Tony Sanza by referee stoppage from strikes in round 1
Trevor Burnell defeats Ian Loveland by KO in round 1
Chris Wilson defeats Laverne Clark by triangle choke in round 1

Josh Haynes of TUF 3 hams it up with the kids