Our very own John McKiernan contributes to our site from the great state of Alaska and has an unique look inside the MMA scene in the great northern wilderness.
With AFC 43 just a few days away, the fight card underwent drastic changes from top to bottom. The biggest blow dealt was the loss of half of the main event just 48 hours from showtime. Julio Paulino was forced to withdraw due to a detached retina, and Blake Mastin was suddenly left without an opponent.
Not to be outdone, Mastin reportedly missed his plane and consequentially the show in its entirety. Less high profile mishaps dotted the card, but none were as devastating as the absences of Paulino and Mastin. A last minute main event was signed onto the card, a non-title bout featuring Heavyweight champ Bryan Ryan and Josh Ofiu.
Ryan pulled off a win in commanding fashion, and high energy fights rounded out the card nicely. At the end of the night there’s no doubt that the AFC brass breathed a collective sigh of relief after the patchwork card riddled with AFC rookies. Ryan, the first-timers and the AFC itself proved the validity of the old adage ‘better late than never.’
Ryan (13-3) def. Ofiu (2-1)
Bryan Ryan is no secret when it comes to Alaskan fans. The boxing specialist has been knocking out opponents for what seems like decades in the Anchorage area. Entering the fight there was no doubt he was the favorite, and the confidence was evident in the Grace Barra fighter’s body language.
The much younger and less experienced Ofiu should be commended for taking the fight when it was offered to him. Nicknamed the “Silent Monster”, the Anchorage fighter is deaf but you would never be able to tell by his ability to throwdown. Also, let me say that to tackle an opponent the caliber of Ryan on such short notice speaks volumes about his fortitude.
That being said, when the bell rang it was all Ryan. After Ofiu threw a few wild kicks Ryan began stalking his prey around the cage like a seasoned vet, staying calm and methodical. “I was waiting for the kicks, he got me once,” Ryan said. “I wanted to time him, figure him out. I’m too old to get crazy.”
As the fight moved around the cage, the right and left hooks began to accumulate. Ryan landed a snapping body kick, and followed up with a more hooks before Ofiu signaled to the referee he’d had enough. The crowd was shocked at the sudden ending, but Ryan took the mike and explained, “The kick to the body hurt him. He took a couple of shots [afterward], but the kick is what did it. “
The eighth straight AFC win by the champ was impressive, and for the time being it appears the belt will be his as long as he wants. There doesn’t appear to be anyone ready to stand and bang with Ryan.
The rest of the card
David Knight (3-4) def. Brad Nordquist (3-7-1)
The night's co-main event proved to be one of the few that didn’t crumble before the night began. Unfortunately the injury bug waited until the bout began, and bit Nordquist in a big way. Working from the bottom, Nordquist worked put together an armbar attempt on Knight. Knight is a huge welterweight who is physically shredded. He used that strength to pick up “Carbomb” off the ground and slam him to the mat. When the fighters hit the ground, Knight landed on top, wrenching and driving the New Mexico fighter’s neck into the mat.
To his credit, the referee instantly picked up on what had happened and stepped in to stop the fight. After being declared the victor, Knight showed great sportsmanship by checking on his opponent as he was being loaded onto a stretcher. Before he made his exit, Nordquist received applause and delighted the crowd by signaling he was ok, and saying simply, “Ow…I’m alright.”
Gary McElwain (9-10) def. James Gillen (0-2)
The ever present McElwain was initially slated to do war with Dustin Gonzales (3-0), but an injury suffered during training forced Gonzales to pull out. Gillen stepped up and took the fight on two days notice and the Fairbanks native fought the wily McElwain to a virtual tie through the first frame. The first round was fought entirely on the ground with Gillen in top position, peppering the veteran with GnP here and there. McElwain escaped into side control and landed some elbows of his own at the close of the bell to go with a few unsuccessful guillotine attempts.
Round two was typical McElwain. After connecting with a right-hand Gillen lunged for the takedown and fell into another guillotine attempt. G-Mac reversed his position and worked into Gillen’s open guard. Soon after, Gillen gave up his back and McElwain seized the opportunity by flattening out the AFC rookie and securing the rear-naked for the win. It was the lightweight fighter’s fifth AFC win via RNC, and remains relevant in the division.
Ethan Waters (2-0) def. Bryan Stickley (1-3)
For an 18 year old high school kid Waters impressed everyone in attendance with a 43 second win. The AFC newcomer made no bones about the fact he wanted the fight to play out on the floor, and that’s where he won it.
Stickley came out with a huge right that caught Waters but the youngster grabbed Stickley’s legs as he charged in looking for a finish. Waters turned the tables by systematically dragging his foe to the ground, taking has back and flattening him out for the RNC finish Stickley’s face wore disbelief that the fight was over, and Waters savored his first win in Anchorage and the middleweight division.
Jesse Kueber (2-0) def. Mike Palmer (0-2)
The two Bantamweights were making their AFC debuts and looked amped when they hit center stage. Palmer came out and secured a body lock and tried to throw Kueber to the ground. Kueber landed in on top of Palmer and proceeded to take his back with ease. In a nice display of jiu-jitsu he was able to hold on despite rolling around, and after a few rabbit punches notched a RNC win just before one minute had expired. On a side not, intro song of the night goes to Kueber for the selection of “Black Betty” by Ram Jam. Such a sweet tune.
Derek Schallafor (1-0) def. Andrew Sisson (0-2)
Schallafor entered the AFC’s Lightweight division in a noisy way with a TKO victory. The high school student was a veritable Swiss-army knife of strikes throwing punches, knees, high and low kicks; and all effectively. By relentlessly throwing combo after combo he backed Sisson up to the fence, forcing him to simply cover up. A series of jumping knees and high-kicks went without any answer and the referee stepped in spare Sisson any more damage. A nice win for a fighter making his MMA debut, and in Gono-like leopard print to boot.
Marc Massara (2-0) def. Pedro McCall (2-5)
The two met just one month earlier at Peninsula Fight Challenge 15 where Massara beat McCall by triangle choke in the first round. The ending was the same in this 130lb catch-weight rematch. When McCall found himself in familiar territory, he picked up and slammed Massara but was unable to shake free. After the fight, the two sat together and swapped stories of what they did and were thinking during the bout. The friendship and respect was awesome to see, and what the sport is all about.
Leroy McElwain (1-1) def. Chris Cross (0-1)
In case you’re already wondering…yes, Cross entered to “Jump.” I should also note he did have his trunks on correctly, not backwards. The two Heavyweights came out swinging, trading jabs and hooks. After the initial exchanges, it was evident Cross was taking more damage than he was dealing. Cross rushed in and got the body lock but McElwain spun out the side and continued to land bombs. Cross decided he had enough and signaled to the ref he was done.
Justin Trenton (1-1) def. Thayr Watson (0-2)
The first bout of the night and the only to last into the third round was also the first on the night. The first round was relatively even despite Trenton’s mouth being bloodied. The taste must have spurred hi, because Trenton landed five unanswered leg kicks to open the second. Trenton took the second easily by being much, much more active and landing leg kicks at will. With those kicks now being anticipated by Watson, Trenton flipped the script and took the fight to the ground. From full mount he landed ten plus punches and was awarded a TKO win by ref stoppage.