Matt Leo over Bryce Gladdish
The first action of the night saw Matt Leo of Evolution Fight Club take on local PG fight club member Bryce Gladdish in an entertaining bout that kicked off the action nicely to start the third installment of the XFC. Matt Leo controlled the fight from the outset getting swift takedowns and working his submissions almost immediately. He had Gladdish in what appeared to be a very tight triangle choke for much of the first round but Gladdish showed the typical Prince George heart and fought his way through the first round despite being stuck in the submission, but in the end it was not to be. Leo attacked to start the second and after securing the mount took the arm and finished the fight with an armbar from the mount to force the tapout. Matt Leo over Bryce Gladdish via armbar Round 1.

Kenny Butterfield over Daniel White

In a back and forth affair Kenny Butterfield defeated Daniel White via triangle choke to finish the second fight in a row via submission. Butterfield started off the fight with a big lift and almost slammed White to the mat Quinton Jackson style but White held on to the ropes and stifled the big slam early in the first round. When it went to the mat Butterfield found himself on the bottom and used the position to attack with triangle and armbar attempts while White worked a methodical ground and pound effort. In the end Butterfield found his mark and finished the fight with a tight triangle choke to end the bout and take the victory at of the first round. Butterfield over White via Triangle Choke Round 1.

Tim Tamaki over Tyler Burrowman

In the third consecutive submission of the night Tim Tamaki fought in typical Tamaki style, fighting out of multiple close submission attempts in an entertaining back and forth contest that saw both fighters trade the advantage several times over. Borrowman was aggressive from the feet attacking from the outset and seemed to catch the normally strong stand up of his opponent off guard but Tamaki stayed composed when he had to, working hard to stay out of harms way. At one point Tamaki had what appeared to be a very tight standing “Sakuraba” Kimura but both fighter fell out of the ring and almost found themselves on the judges table outside the ring before the ref stepped in and moved them back into the ring. Tamaki worked his way out of a couple very sticky situations getting out of a rear naked choke attempt, as well as getting caught in the corner and getting kneed by the vibrant Borrowman but in the end it was not enough and Tamaki eventually found his way to the top position and pulled off a slick armbar to finish impressively. Tamaki wins via armbar at of round 1.

Josh Tomik over Todd Steen

Keeping in the tradition of his team Tomik came into the ring and offered one of his team shirts to Steen who looked focused coming out to hear the referee’s instructions before the fight was to start, instead of accepting the shirt like every other fighter did, he glared at Tomik and never took his eyes off his opponent. None of Tomik’s previous four fights have left the first round and this fight was no different as Tomik moved in, threw a head kick to get Steen off balance and finished the fight with a right flush to the face that dropped Steen to the mat and ended the fight in impressive fashion. Referee Jason Darrah had no choice but to step in and halt the contest early in the first round. In a post fight interview Tomik told MMARR that he felt he was disrespected by the refusal to accept the shirt and it motivated him to win even more then he did before. Tomik wins via KO early in round 1.

Chris Ade over Zach Pruden

Chris Ade showed off some impressive Judo Skills taking Zach Pruden to the ground twice in the first round with slick arm throws and worked a methodical ground and pound game on Ade for much of the first two rounds. In the third round it appeared as if something snapped in Ade and he came out very aggressively on the feet, he rushed Pruden with effective punches from both hands and landed strong shots until Purden could take no more and fell to the mat where Refereee Jason Darrah had no choice but to step in and stop the bout. Ade wins via KO round 1.

Jesse Bongfeldt over Garrett Davis

In a classic striker vs. grappler fight the striker Jesse Bongfeldt of Lee Mein’s academy took on Garrett Davis, who came out with rising star Denis Kang in his corner. Davis rushed for the takedowns and eventually got what he came for and worked well from the top position with a workmanlike ground assault in the first. Bongsfeldt would not be denied however and in the second round had the answers to Davis’s takedown attempts and seemed to get stronger as the fight progressed. Bongfeldt was unsurprisingly strong from his feet landing effective leg kicks on Davis and occasionally going high with the feet, mixing it up and keeping Davis off balance. Davis seemed to slow down in the third round but showed heart by getting the elusive takedown with only a few minutes to go in the fight. He saw his opportunity and tried to drive elbows and punches down but Bongfeldt was defensively sound and when he saw his opportunity late in the fight he swung around and finished the fight with a sneaky armbar that Davis could not defend in time. After the fight it appeared as if Davis was nursing his arm and Referee Jason Darrah confirmed that he had popped his elbow in the fight ending submission hold. Bongfeldt takes the fight in a grueling battle by armbar late in the third round.

Jason Zazelenchuck over Mike Ridlan

Prince George fighter Mike Ridlan could not get off as “Judo” Jason Zazalenchuck systematically dismantled Ridlan in the first round taking the fight to the ground, taking the mount, and pounding Ridlan from the top position for what seemed like an eternity until Ridlan had no choice but to tap out with his feet. Zazalenchuck wins in impressive fashion fighting and on a side note is the first person in recent memory to fight with a full Gi in an MMA bout in Canada. Zazalenchuck wins via Tap Out in round 1.

Kajan Johnson over Roger Alves

In the first of only two decisions on the night striker Kajan Johnson and Greco roman wrestling standout Roger Alves engaged in a spirited contest that polarized the fans. Local Boy Kajun Johnson was strong in the first round controlling the striking and much of the ground game, getting the full mount on two occasions in the early goings and going for submissions on a consistent basis, Alves was spirited from the bottom reversing position, only to get re-reversed by Johnson. Alves seemed to refocus in the second round and worked a tighter smarter control game in the second and third rounds. Much or round two and three were the same with Alves getting the takedowns when he needed them and Johnson working his submission game and going for triangles and armbar’s at every opportunity. The second and third rounds looked somewhat like the second and third rounds of the Ricco Rodriguez vs. Rodrigo Noguiera fight with Alves playing the part of Rodriguez and Johnson the part of Nogueira, and much like that fight polarized the MMA community this fight polarized the crowd in attendance. The judges saw the fight going Johnson’s way based on the strength of his numerous active submission attempts but many fans didn’t see it that way, booing the decision when it was handed down. Alves makes a good account of himself in his first MMA bout, against workhorse Kajan Johnson who is rumored to have had over 20 fights. MMARR scored the fight a draw at 29-29 but Johnson takes the controversial decision over Alves via Split Decision after three hard fought rounds. On a side note, Chris Ade who cornered Alves, later went to the commission to protest the decision, the outcome of the protest is unknown at this time.

Matt Horwich def Jason MacDonald

In one of the featured bouts of the evening Team Quest standout Matt Horwich found himself taking on Epic MMA fighter Jason “The Athlete” MacDonald. Horwich closed the distance quickly to start the bout protecting his head while looking to get the lock up early, MacDonald had other idea’s however and worked to capitalize from the feet with punches. He fired off sharp jabs to keep his opponent at bay but Horwich eventually came in and took the clinch where he went to work looking for the upper-body takedown. Horwich would not get what he was looking for however and had trouble maneuvering himself into a position to get the takedown with Macdonald defending well and driving solid knee’s to the lower body of Horwitch. The tie up in the corner lasted several minutes until finally MacDonald took the takedown for himself and fell into the half-guard. It was here that Horwitch does his best work and after r-guarding he worked in a tight triangle choke that looked to have the fight finished. MacDonald stayed patient however and slowly and methodically worked his way out of the triangle that appeared to be sunk for over a minute, but in the end it was all for naught as Horwitch smoothly transitioned into an armbar from which there was no escape and MacDonald verbally tapped out to end the bout. Matt Horwicth wins via Armbar at in the first round and in doing so wins the MMA Ring Report fighter of the night award.

Buck Greer over Chris Fontaine

In the main event of the evening, Chris Fontaine took on tough Next Generation product Buck Greer in a grueling three round fight that was considered by many to be the fight of the night. In the early goings both fighters looked to work from the clinch, Fontaine was more then ready to oblige and worked some strong knee’s to the body until Greer executed a beautiful upper body takedown that took the fight to the mat quickly. From there Greer looked to work for a strong ground and pound but Fontaine struck first with a quick triangle choke attempt that had Buck working hard to stay out of the submission for what seemed to be over a minute. Greer eventually found his way out of the tight choke and went to work dominating with a deadly ground and pound assault that saw the ref take a very close look at possibly stopping the fight. Fontaine was able to reverse however and worked for a footlock but Greer was able to scramble and steer clear of danger and re-engage in his pounding of Fontaine. The second round saw the most dominant round for either fighter as Greer was able to secure the takedown and tee off from the top position with very accurate attacks that found their mark scoring early and often form most of the second stanza. The third round was different however and although the action slowed somewhat, Fontaine was the one who was able to get the takedown and while his ground and pound attack was less effective then that of Greer he was able to stay moderately busy and take the final round. In a close decision that saw the most action of the night, Buck Greer won the fight 29-28 on most of the judges cards and defeats Chris Fontaine via judges decision after three rounds.

Matt Horwitch wins the MMA Ring Report fighter of the night award

The XFC put on its third successful show and proved that the small town of Prince George with a population of less then 90,000 people could support an MMA event as the show reportedly drew over 1700 people. Bill Mahood and Bruno Saligari of the PG fightclub donated all the proceeds of the event to the re furnishing of the PG fight club that club burnt down earlier in the year. The blaze claimed all the fighter’s uninsured equipment and mats but it appears the gym will reappear due to the good work of the XFC. Bill Mahood who considers himself a fighter first and promoter second told MMARR he built the event “With the fighters in mind” and it showed with everything from Vaseline, fruit, and ice in the dressing rooms to the fully catered group dinner for all the fighters and corners after the event was over. It looks like the XFC is building a solid MMA foundation in Prince George and a bright future seems to be in the cards. –MMARR-

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