In a frenetic first round, both Ramirez and Roufus attempted to land big shots with punches and kicks, with the 41-year-old Roufus connecting with the cleaner blows. The complexion of the fight changed dramatically in the second, when Ramirez took the fight to the ground and nearly ended it with an arm bar. Roufus was able to slip free from two attempts.
"I knew Rick is a standup fighter," Ramirez said. "I remember watching him in kickboxing when I was in junior high. I knew I had to be worried about the head kick, and he got me a couple of times. I had two losses in the UFC, and I came back and fought Rob MacDonald in Canada.
That was a big win for me and so is this one."
The fight was the eighth for Roufus this year, following his transition from kickboxing to MMA. Despite a .500 record, he has no plans to abandon his goal of trying to win an MMA title.
"Age is just a number to me," he said. "I know every guy is going to try to get me to the ground. I'm working on it every day. I won’t quit."
A partisan Las Vegas crowd (attendance was not announced) turned out for a nine-bout fight card assembled to showcase a host of Xtreme Couture fighters, and they didn't disappoint the hometown fans. Xtreme Couture posted seven wins in eight bouts.
Jay Hieron overwhelmed Chris Kennedy with takedowns and relentless, smothering ground-and-pound for three rounds on his way to a unanimous-decision win. An elbow from Hieron opened up a gash on the top of Kennedy's head in the first round, and Kennedy was increasingly bloodied up as the fight wore on.
"It was a long layoff," Hieron said following his first bout since fighting for the IFL on April 4. "For six months, I've been playing cheerleader. I was happy to get back in here. It's been a long time since I've been able to use my elbows. That's one of my best weapons. It wasn't my best performance. Next time, I promise, I’ll give a better one."
Hieron, welterweight champion of the defunct IFL, has won four in a row.
Kennedy survived the fight, but was left with a baseball-size hematoma on the left side of his head as a reminder of the thorough beating.
Mike Pyle posted his fourth straight submission victory with a first-round stoppage of Brian Gassaway. After an initial exchange on their feet, the 170-pounders went to the ground, but the action was halted to issue a warning to Pyle for kicks on the ground. On the restart, Pyle was successful with a takedown, mounted Gassaway and started blasting away. Pyle then transitioned to a fight-ending arm bar.
"It's no big secret that he's weak on the ground," said Pyle, landing a verbal jab after the win. "I decided to mix it up, so I thought I'd strike with him to make sure I could get a clean takedown. I’ll take the submission any day. That's what's it all about."
The punch of the night came courtesy of John Alessio, who needed just 45 seconds to turns the lights out on Gideon Ray. Alessio connected cleanly with a wicked left hook and appeared to have Ray out cold. Alessio pounced for more and landed a couple of hammer fists, which were academic at that point, to end the bout.
"This training camp was phenomenal," said Alessio. "I had three months with my whole team – the best training camp in the world. It's great to be able to fight in front of the fans in Vegas. I just want to get back in the ring as soon as possible. It doesn't matter what show I fight for."
The win was the fifth in six fights for Alessio, who expects to fight again early next year for EliteXC. Ray took exception to some ringside Alessio fans continuing to celebrate the victory following the bout and had to be restrained by his corner before he could introduce himself.
Josh Haynes posted his fourth victory in six matches since joining Xtreme Couture by submitting Sean Salmon in the second round. Both fighters came out very aggressive, with Haynes clipping Salmon with several shots in the first, including one that dropped the former Ohio State wrestler. However, Salmon gamely fought back, scored a takedown late in the first and landed a knee that backed up Haynes.
The pair continued to trade in the second, with Haynes knocking Salmon down again, this time with a left. With both fighters on their backs, they each grabbed single legs and rolled, before Haynes advanced his position to apply an Achilles lock, which forced Salmon to tap.
"The kid's got no quit in him," said Haynes. "He's a heavy wrestler, and he started to go for that straight leg on me. I can't tell you how many times I’ve been in that position and lost."
In a stirring back-and-forth lightweight battle, J J Mix upset veteran John Halverson by TKO in round one. Mix landed the more effective shots early in the bout, but Halverson changed the flow of the action with a right hook that dropped Mix.
Halverson worked for a follow-up guillotine choke, but Mix postured up to break free and launched some nasty ground-and-pound that prompted the referee to step in to stop the fight.
Halverson thought the stoppage was premature.
