RFA 8 results and Recap
Wisconsin isn’t exactly a hot bed of MMA, but the fighters they do have always come to fight with a vengeance. That’s what we got tonight at RFA 8, with alumni from Roufusport and other Wisconsin training centers coming to show the world that they’re a force to be dealt with. If you happened to miss the action, don’t sweat it, as we’ve always got your back. Check out how the night went below.
175 lbs.: Matt Gauthier vs Zak Ottow: Our opening fight of the night showed two gritty grapplers going to work in a short affair. The fight was slow to start with both men gauging range, but Ottow broke the ice with a takedown right into a guillotine. While Ottow was in half guard and safe on paper, Gauthier had a serious squeeze that saw Ottow fighting to escape with a bit of urgency. Finally slipping his head out, it was all Ottow as he moved through position inch by inch and working an arm-triangle from mount, getting the tap.
Zak Ottow wins via 1st Round Submission (arm-triangle)
145 lbs.: Dan Moret vs Jose Pacheco: A battle of unique styles unfolded under the bright cage lights, as explosive striker Dan Moret fought judo and capoeira stylist Jose Pacheco. The fight kicked off with a lot of flash on both sides, with Moret throwing high-energy kicks and flying knees, which Pacheco fired off a spinning heel kick and looked for some murderous throws. While Pacheco did find a trip takedown in the opening stanza, Moret had the superior strike accuracy and looked sharp moving into the second.
The second round would play out oddly, as Moret seemed to let off the gas for the most part, while Pacheco couldn’t find a technique to land well, throwing unorthodox strikes and spending plenty of energy in the process. A reversal on a takedown saw Moret take top position, but a sweep put Pacheco in control at the end, making it a nightmare to score.
The third round saw both men come in sweating and gasping for breath, but still winning to throw their hands in a close fight. This was Moret’s round as he walked Pacheco down a fair bit, hitting a takedown and pulling guard on a guillotine when Pacheco tried one of his flashy escapes. Fighting to the bell, both men made it a show for the fans with Moret taking a clear victory.
Dan Moret wins via Unanimous Decision (30-27×3)
170 lbs.: Ben Smith vs Mike Rhodes: An old lion fought a young lion in Milwaukee, as Wisconsin-based wrestler Ben Smith fought rising Roufusport prospect Mike Rhodes. Smith came out aggressive, firing off long shots and lunging hooks, while Rhodes faded and floated around the cage. When the time was right, Smith came in hard with a long right hand, but caught a counter right from Rhodes that dropped him hard. A follow-up punch was enough or the referee, who stopped the fight and gave Smith time to pick up his broken tooth in the post-fight.
Mike Rhodes wins via 1st Round KO (right hook)
135 lbs.: Pedro Munhoz vs Mitch Jackson: A tale of two different grapplers, as the BJJ stylist Munhoz took on submission wrestler Jackson. While both fighters are geared as grapplers, every fight starts on the feet however, and this is something Munhoz took full advantage of. Tagging Jackson relentlessly from all ranges, leg kicks and viper-like punches found the mark repeatedly, putting the local man on his heels. Munhoz left his compassion at the cage door, cutting Jackson wide open with an elbow before dumping him with a knee and sinking a guillotine off of a failed shot. Outstanding performance by Munhoz in all aspects of the game.
Pedro Munhoz wins via 1st Round Submission (guillotine)
145 lbs. Title Fight: Jared Downing vs Lance Palmer: The first of two titles on this card, Jared Downing came in to defend his Featherweight strap, taking on hot prospect Lance Palmer. Palmer came into this wanting to get some ring time with Downing, but found himself eating a few more punches than he would have liked; Downing finding counters and stopping every takedown Palmer attempted. While it was a close round, Downing took it on my card due to the superior power punches landed.
The second saw Palmer looking to take over on the feet and doing a fair job of landing some real heaters on Downing, stunning him with a stiff left early in the round. However, Palmer still failed to find takedowns when needed, and even found himself taken down by the unheralded double leg of Downing. Back on the feet, Palmer found two left hands and hit his first takedown of the night, though the mat work was short-lived, with Downing taking yet another round.
In the third, Downing seemed to be looking for counters and working a leg kick, but it was Palmer’s simple left and right hands that kept finding the mark. While nothing staggered Downing, the shots were certainly landing and allowing him to dictate much of the round. This changed in the last-minute when Downing hit a massive double leg, but a scrappy Palmer scrambled and caught a guillotine that forced Downing to defend. With no offense landing on the mat, Palmer stood up and narrowly took the round on my scorecard, keeping the fight alive.
With the fight possibly slipping away from him, Palmer came out throwing fire early, rocking Downing’s head back with left hands before finding a takedowns. The takedowns and ground scrapping yielded no fruit, but allowed Palmer to dictate the majority of the round and tied up the score card leading into the final round.
The fifth and final round of this grueling battle played out similar to the previous two, with Palmer finding a home for his left continuously and hitting small takedowns that kept Downing on the defensive. While the champion did have some offensive moments, they were too few and too far between to make a legitimate case for the round….and then disaster struck. Palmer landed a kick to the groin with eight seconds remaining in the final round, forcing the referee to take a point due to a previous warning in the fight. This tied the fight up on my scorecard, but as luck would have it, I’m not a judge.
Lance Palmer wins via Split Decision (48-46×2, 46-48)
125 lbs. Title Fight: Sergio Pettis vs Dillard Pegg: The main event wasn’t the Flyweight title match we were planning on, but Pegg and Pettis were determined to make the best of it. We were treated to a short put potent striking match, with Pegg walking down Pettis and unleashing the best of his TKD arsenal. Pettis was on his heels early, but with impeccable timing was able to plunk away at Pegg as he moved forward. In a flash, Pettis crushed Pegg with a right hand, and with a handful of follow-up shots, earned his first major title.
Sergio Pettis wins via 1st Round KO (right straight)
Category: MMA, News, Results, Resurrection Fighting Alliance
About the Author (Author Profile)
I'm a 20+ year veteran of martial arts and a fan of MMA since UFC 1, when my world was thrown on its head by the budding sport. I'm obsessive in the pursuit of martial abilities and have competed across the country in everything from Vale Tudo to archery to Scottish broadsword. Once my body broke down, I picked up a pen and went in the direction of writing. I specialize in betting advice, predictions, and I'm a walking encyclopedia of MMA trivia. I own a cafe in Exeter, NH called Hammersmith Sandwich Company and write out of my office between customers.Subscribe
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