Huntington Beach, Calif., journeyman Thomas Denny defeated former Muay Thai world champion Monkhon "Malaipet" WiWasuk by disqualification after being struck by a succession of illegal blows at the Chumash Hotel and Casino in Santa Ynez, Calif.
Denny started the bout with a bang, as he took down "Malaipet" with relative ease in the first round. The King of the Cage veteran quickly secured back control and cinched a rear naked choke. "Malaipet", however, was able to wiggle free from the hold but rolled right into a full mount. Not wasting the opportunity, Denny put "Malaipet" against the cage and battered his opponent with elbows and punches. On his back, the Muay Thai stylist was a fish out of water.
With just less than 30 seconds remaining in the round, "Malaipet" scrambled to his feet against the fence and, after striking Denny with a questionable knee, delivered a series of downward elbows to the back of his head. Referee Herb Dean intervened, but the damage had been done. Denny writhed in pain and complained he could not see. With Denny unable to continue, "Malaipet" was disqualified.
Denny had established clear control of the fight to that point. In a post-fight interview, he said rules were put in place for a reason and must be followed. "Malaipet", meanwhile, called for a rematch with Denny at 150 pounds and said he would never compete in Muay Thai again should he lose.
In the co-main event, Conor Huen outlasted the Chute Boxe Academy's Marlon Matias en route to a unanimous decision victory.
Mathias exploded at the opening bell and forced Heun to back pedal as he absorbed several short punches and knees. The two men traded fists and feet, but Mathias landed the more damaging shots. Heun eventually brought the fight to the ground and dropped a few elbows before being swept; he finished the round in rubber guard.
Huen took down Mathias early in the second round, only to be swept again by his wily opponent. Inactivity forced the referee to step in and bring both fighters to their feet. Heun soon scored with another takedown, quickly passed guard and attempted a choke from the top. Bleeding profusely from his mouth, Heun retained mount as Mathias attempted to sweep; Heun finished the round in side control.
After a failed takedown attempt, Heun found himself on his back in round three. Weathering shots from the top, Heun regained his feet. He took down Mathias twice more and worked to submit the Brazilian from the mount. All three judges scored the bout 30-27 in Heun's favor; the victor paid a heavy price for the win, however, as he suffered a broken jaw.
In light heavyweight action, Jamie Fletcher sprang the upset, as he defeated San Antonio's Aaron Rosas by unanimous decision. Fletcher kept Rosa at bay early, as he landed leg kicks at will and negated his opponent's reach advantage.
Fletcher dropped Rosa with an overhand right in the third round but failed to finish the Texan, settling into Rosa's guard. The fighters ended the match standing and left their fate to the judges. Fletcher snapped a three-fight losing streak with the win.
Elsewhere, heavyweight Shane Delrosario chopped down Analu Brash and finished him with strikes on the ground. A Muay Thai specialist, Del Rosario swept the Hawaiian off his feet with a crisp leg kick and then connected with strikes from multiple angles from inside Brash's guard. The blows picked up in intensity as the fight wore on, and, with Brash failing to intelligently defend himself, the referee stepped in to call a halt to the action. The end came 3:18 into round one.
Meanwhile, Mark Oshiro handed Chris Cariaso the first loss of his professional career in a featherweight match that opened the televised portion of the card.
After the two clinched for the better part of the first minute, Cariaso tripped Oshiro to the mat and secured back control. The fighters ultimately stood. As Cariaso attempted a short elbow strike, he was met with a right hook from Oshiro that knocked him off his feet. It was the beginning of the end, as Oshiro followed with a handful of shots on the ground, earning the technical knockout victory.
