EliteXC's Challenger Series is proving to be exactly what it's been marketed as... a proving ground for up-and-coming fighters to test their skills against able competition in hopes of making their mark big enough to get a shot at the big show. ShoXC's event card on Friday evening provided us with a glimpse at some of those talented fighters. Malapeit and Thomas “Wildman” Denny were featured in the main event that unfortunately ended in controversy, but the other main card battles made up for fizzled anticipation.
Chute Box phenom Marlon Mathias and Conor Heun went to war in a matchup that tested both fighters' cardio. Jaime Fletcher's aggressiveness won over the judges in a three round decision win over former Team Punishment member Aaron Rosa, and Shane Del Rosario pounded out Gabriel Gonzaga look-a-like Analu Brash. In the lone featherweight bout of the evening, Hawaiian Mark Oshiro crushed undefeated Chris Cariaso with a right hook from hell that ended the fight instantly.
The event had some rather boring fights mixed in, but it successfully provided some great looks at some up-and-coming talent on the main card. Although the main event was tainted by Malapeit's devastating elbows to the back of Thomas Denny's head which disqualified him in the fight, ShoXC was a decent event to fill the mixed martial arts void in an otherwise weak weekend for MMA fans.
Malapeit's ground game will ruin his MMA career
The classic matchup between the striker and the grappler took place in the main event on Friday night and ended in controversy over the use of illegal elbows to the back of the head by Malapeit. In the minutes before the strikes occurred, Thomas Denny was earning his moniker as the 'Wildman” by absolutely dominating Malapeit in every facet of the ground game. Passing guard, landing strikes, and pounding Malapeit's face with elbows had the look of a massacre that many fans had predicted would happen to the strictly standup fighter in Malapeit. Unfortunately, the fight ended in a disqualification instead of a dominating win for Denny.
After some ground and pound from Denny and a subsequent back mount, Malapeit's neck was locked in a tight rear naked choke that Malapeit escaped. Once he escaped and took some more blows on the ground, Malapeit was able to get back to his feet. Denny attempted another takedown, but Malapeit suddenly took exception to hitting the floor again and savagely reigned elbows down on the back of Denny's head. Malapeit was eventually disqualified for the strikes, but his post-fight interview was baffling to say the least.
After being asked if he knew whether or not he could land those types of strikes, Malapeit answered Stephen “The Fight Professor” Quadros with a heavily accented “I don't know”. Clearly, those rules are gone over before the fight began, and maybe we could speculate whether it was just a “heat of the moment” situation. We could also speculate that Malapeit was looking for an advantage by hurting Denny, but obviously those strikes are devastating to any fighter's ability to continue. Is this a case in which the language barrier was a problem? Again, we'll never know, but what we do know is that Malapeit was given a dose of exactly the type of gameplan that will annihilate his striking skills in the future.
Malapeit is being touted by EliteXC's brass, but he apparently missed the news that MMA heavily depends on the ground game as well as the striking game. Successful strikers in the sport have excellent takedown defense by using the sprawl, or have a base in wrestling to counter being taken down. Malapeit has neither, and it was proven on Friday night. The rematch will likely be much of the same.
Up-and-comers at ShoXC
One of the best back and forth battles of the evening featured one-time IFL fighter Conor Heun against touted Chute Box fighter Marlon Mathias. Mathias had the heavy hands to give him the advantage in the striking, but it was evident that Heun had the cardio and the ground advantage as the fight went on. Heun had some crushing flurries on the ground, but his standup only consisted of some weak kicks that weren't quick enough to catch Mathias. The exchanges on the feet nearly ended Heun's night, but his determination clearly put him through till the third round when Mathias gassed out and was unable to effectively put up much of a fight. A solid win for Conor Heun over Chute Box's future.
Shane Del Rosario's battle against Analu Brash was short-lived, but it did prove he could take on larger opponents and still be successful in a ground and pound fashion. It didn't help that Brash had no answer while he had Rosario in guard, and it's clear that Brash needs to learn how to transition while on his back. Rosario, on the other hand, showed some promise, but he did telegraph his combinations. A better opponent may take advantage of that, but Rosario's overall performance was dominating.
Mark Oshiro has been a fighter that I've kept my eye on since a few of his Icon Sport battles. His powerful standup abilities coupled with some decent ground skills could potentially make him dangerous in the worldwide outlook on the division. Oshiro improved his already stellar record to 10-1 by blasting undefeated Chris Cariaso with a heavy right hand. Before the quick knockout, Oshiro showed some great escape skills after being caught in full mount by Cariaso. Oshiro not only showed that he can get out of a tight situation, but he also proved that his standup is something to fear.
Overall impressions
ShoXC provided a look into the upcoming talent that ProElite has invested in, and the outlook doesn't look too bad. I'm definitely interested in seeing Mark Oshiro, Shane Del Rosario, and Conor Heun again in the cage against some able competition. Marlon Mathias's losing performance still showed some promise for exciting fights in ShoXC. Look for him to also be on the roster for a few more events.
The next ShoXC event will air on Showtime on April 5th and will feature Jared Hamman vs. Poai Suganuma. It should be a great battle for those hardcore fans looking for the next generation of MMA fighters.