On Sunday, April 13, 2008, famed boxing promoter Roy Englebrecht presented his second installment of the 2008 Fist Series inside the Irvine Marriott Grand Ballroom.
The "Battle In The Battleroom" promoter put together seven (7) solid fights for the Fist Series: SpringFist 2008 fight card; unfortunately, John Sassone of Huntington Beach failed pre-fight testing leaving Irvine’s Fernando Serratos without a debut fight. The remainder of the fights were presented without a hitch.
Fight 1
(185 lbs)
Round 1:
Lang opens with a front kick; Doty answers with a left hook dropping Lang flat on his back. Doty tries to finish the fight immediately delivering five more body shots. He circles around delivering another hard overhand right. Lang spins to recover and grabs Doty’s left leg from underneath. Lang rolls in an attempt to secure the heel hook; Doty escapes after punching Lang in the back of the ribs several times.Back on their feet, Lang attempts a takedown pushing Doty against the ropes; Lang knees Doty several times in the body and continues to fight for the takedown. Doty defends well, kneeing Lang, landing a right, and backing him up. Lang shoots again pinning Doty to the ropes, but Doty escapes this time landing a hard left that drops Lang for the second time. Doty moves in, continuing his assault on Lang and eventually knocks him out.
Fight 2
(106 lbs)
Round 1:
Basquil and Rodriguez exchanged punches as Basquil drops for the takedown. Rodriguez steps over transitioning to Basquil’s back. Basquil tries to escape, but Rodriguez holds on submitting Basquil via rear naked choke.
Wendy Rodriguez defeats Heather Basquil by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 0:38 of Round 1
Fight 3
(145 lbs)
Round 1:
Weathers and Moreno open the round with an exchange of punches. Moreno attempts a guillotine as Weathers slams Moreno to the mat. Weathers loosens Moreno’s grip as he climbs to half-guard and begins to drop elbows on Moreno’s body. Moreno replaces guard and attempts a triangle as Weathers gets to his feet and drops back into half-guard. Weathers maintains top position as the two continue the exchange of punches and elbows. Moreno turns to get out, but Weathers takes his back. Moreno defends successfully against the choke and the fighters return to their feet just before the end of the round.
Round 2:
After an exchange of punches, Moreno shoots; Weathers sprawls and presses Moreno into the ropes. Weathers works Moreno to the ground and maintains top position as Moreno tries to control his opponent. With no progress made, the referee restarts the action bringing both fighters to their feet again. Moreno misses a wild shot; Weathers takes him to the ground and gains the mount. As Weathers continuously punches Moreno from top position, Moreno turns his back, and then turns again looking for a chance to escape. Weathers drops to one side and tries to secure a head and arm triangle, but eventually gives it up to regain the mount. Moreno consistently moves and turns again to escape but Weathers takes his back and tries for the rear naked choke. Moreno defends until the horn sounds ending the round.
Round 3:
Moreno opens the round with a high right kick and shoots for a double-leg takedown. Weathers sprawls and pushes Moreno back, gaining the mount. He spins to side control and hammers away as Moreno tries to escape. Weathers continues the ground and pound moving from side control to half-guard to full mount. As Moreno turns his back again, Weathers sinks in the rear naked choke forcing Moreno to tap.
Fight 4
(145 lbs)
Round 1:
Jewett and McRoberts traded punches for more than a minute into the first round with McRoberts landing more than a couple hard left hooks. McRoberts tries for the takedown as Jewett sprawls against the ropes working to defend; McRoberts picks Jewett up over one shoulder and slams him to the canvas. Jewett immediately bounces back to his feet and takes McRoberts down landing in his guard. Jewett delivers a few elbows as McRoberts tries to control him. McRoberts works to get the fight to its feet again, but takes three hard knees to the body before regaining the dominant position in the clench. The fighters exchange punches again as the 10 second warning is signaled and as the horn sounds ending the round, McRoberts collapses to the canvas. Although, many in the audience thought McRoberts had been knocked out, the referee confirmed that he collapsed from mere exhaustion after hearing the horn. (There was no opposition from either corner on the call.)
Round 2:
McRoberts and Jewett return to the canvas exchanging strikes and low leg kicks; Jewett secures a double-leg takedown landing in McRoberts guard, but he is unable to deliver effective strikes as McRoberts keeps him close in control. Jewett is able to drop an elbow as McRoberts rolls to his knees inside; Jewett takes McRoberts back, but McRoberts quickly turns out, turning into Jewett’s guard. McRoberts postures and begins to deliver blow after blow as Jewett tries to regain control. McRoberts lands several punches and elbows from the guard; Jewett attempts to secure an armbar, but McRoberts escapes and takes Jewett’s back to end the round.
Round 3:
A little less bounce but no less heart, both fighters trade punches and Jewett throws intermittent kicks. At one point, McRoberts lands a solid left dropping Jewett to his knees, but Jewett recovers as they lock up. The fight continues as they return to their feet and try to match each other blow for blow. McRoberts landed more effective strikes and even threw a roundhouse kick that flew over Jewett’s head, but Jewett wouldn’t go down without a fight. After 2:00 minutes on their feet, McRoberts secures a takedown and works his punches and elbows from inside the guard. Jewett rolls back giving McRoberts an opening for a guillotine just as the round ends. The judges decide unanimously in favor of McRoberts and the fight is awarded “FIGHT OF THE NIGHT”.
Fight 5
(170 lbs)
Round 1:
Clifford and Kwity land simultaneously right hooks; Clifford grabs for Kwity’s leg as Kwity quickly pulls guard and attempts a guillotine. Clifford gets his head out but Kwity keeps a closed guard maintaining control; Clifford still manages to land several shots to the body. As the referee stands them up to restart the action, the two exchange kicks and Kwity goes for a takedown. Clifford fights back to his feet quickly with Kwity holding on to his waist; Clifford delivers two solid rear elbows and spins out in effort to escape. Kwity picks him up, carrying him several feet across the canvas, and slams Clifford down. Clifford quickly recovers and scrambles to face his opponent again. Kwity lands a knee and attempts a high kick before the round ends.
Round 2:
In the opening seconds, the fighters exchange low leg kicks; Kwity shoots in, but Clifford sprawls. Kwity redirects the takedown as Clifford attempts to spin onto his back and both fighters tumble to the canvas landing in half-guard. From the top position, Clifford continuously throws punches and knees to Kwity’s body, even as Kwity replaces guard. Kwity responds by punching his opponent in the head and then closing his guard to control him. The referee restarts the action; Clifford shoots for a single-leg just as Kwity throws a left kick. Kwity defends hammering Clifford in the head. They exchange strikes and lock up against the ropes. Kwity tries to back his opponent with elbows and Clifford looks for another takedown as the round ends.
Round 3:
Kwity and Clifford trade punches; Clifford shoots and lands with Kwity in guard. Clifford controls Kwity and scrambles to get out. Kwity catches his back and both fighters lay into the ropes. Kwity knees Clifford in the back of the thigh several times and elbows his ribs, but Clifford blocks and sets up grabbing Kwity’s leg. Clifford reverses slamming Kwity to the canvas and works Kwity from the guard with elbows and punches. Kwity makes a last attempt at a triangle but Clifford escapes back into the guard and continues to throw punches until the horn sounds ending the fight.
Fight 6
(205 lbs)
Round 1:
Flores opens with two low kicks; Griggs uses the second kick to secure a single-leg takedown. From the guard, Flores takes several shots to the ribs and Griggs postures landing an overhand left before both fighters get back on their feet. After trading kicks and punches, Griggs gets a second takedown landing in side control and transitions to full mount, but Flores turns and escapes throwing punches and knees. Griggs drives Flores back into a corner and prepares to pick him up; Flores grabs the top rope, preventing the slam. The referee immediately signals a one-point deduction on Flores for the violation. Griggs still gets the takedown and works his punches from half-guard. Flores gets to his feet and locks up with Griggs again. As Griggs works him into the corner, Flores tries to knee him in the ribs. Griggs grabs hold of Flores and throws him to the canvas in the center of the ring. With Griggs in Flores’ guard, both fighters end the round exchanging punches on the ground.
Round 2:
Flores uses low kicks to start the action again. They lock up against the ropes exchanging knees. Griggs attempts another throw and Flores lands a front kick. Griggs shoots again while Flores attempts a guillotine. The two land under the ropes and are forced to move toward the center. As the action continues, Griggs throws punches at Flores’ head from the half-guard and continually tries to trap Flores’ right hand under his knee. Flores turns to get out and manages to get back to his feet. An injury timeout is called when Flores’ accidentally knees Griggs in the groin. Griggs recovers and there is a short exchange of punches as the round ends.
Round 3:
Griggs opens the round this time with a low kick and a high left kick to the side of Flores’ head. He follows up with another takedown attempt, but Flores’ fights back with a few short punch combinations. Griggs backs out of range until he can lock up Flores and press him into the corner. Securing another takedown, Griggs lands in side control and the two must be moved to the center of the ring again to restart the action. With Griggs in half-guard, both fighters work continuously on the ground to find an opening. Flores uses mostly punches, while Griggs uses punches and knees to keep Flores on the ground. Flores replaces guard but Griggs lands several overhand shots before the horn signaling the end of the fight.
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