Once Again, It’s Time to Light ’Em Up!!!

Vigilant MMA

May 16, 2022 – The Dallas Bull Tampa, Florida

CQ 20: Light ‘Em Up II

With the start of summer kicking in here in Tampa, nothing beats powerful ac, ice-cold beer, and some great caged combat sports!! With a return to the legendary Dallas Bull on May 16th, Vigilant MMA brought some of the best in amateur boxing, kickboxing, BJJ, and CJJ under one roof. Their second event for May opened with a massive CJJ card, with Combat Quest 20 following. This was one hard-hitting day, so let’s jump right into it. 

The opening match for CQ 20 was in the 164lb boxing division, with Anthony Grubbs taking on Keith Hart. With spirited entrances to the cage, both fighters took advantage of the already warm crowd to get them hyped up for this fight. Showing an obvious height and size advantage, Hart looked ready to work Grubbs over from the opening bell, but Grubbs flipped the table and worked strongly on the inside. When Hart would get the offense going, Grubbs would rush him into the cage and force the break.

The second round had both fighters slowing down the pace a bit and firing off more precise punches. These headshots would usually send an opponent reeling, but these two have very solid chins. As the shots rang in, both fighters adapted their style to the conditions in the cage. For Hart, this meant using his reach and circling to prevent Grubs from bulldogging him into the cage or typing him up as easily.

The third round showcased just how gassed these two fighters were from the opening bell. They had each poured everything they have into their training camps, and into making this a great fight as well. With this kind of exhaustion, you’re fighting on heart alone, so their punches were not quite as crisp as in round two. Grubbs tried using the clinch to work on the inside, and it worked incredibly well. He would consistently score some shots before the ref would break it up. Ultimately Grubbs’ effort earned him the majority decision. Winner: Grubbs by Majority Decision

Up second on the card were Daemar Harleston and Sean Jarret in 155lb Muay Tai kickboxing. Harleston seemed to take his sweet time getting to and inside the cage. While waiting for the perfect moment to enter is not abnormal, this was a bit much, and Jarret made him pay a bit for taking his sweet time. Comin out firing on all cylinders, Jarret found himself losing his height advantage as Harleston consistently kept him backing up into the cage. Ending the round with a slam after their legs entangled, Jarret was doing his best to keep control.

Round two brought Jarret out throwing more leg kicks and looking to go with a more aggressive approach than he had used in round one. With the lack of proper counterstriking and reading of his opponent, it simply seemed to be a byproduct of inexperience on his end. Harleston was able to capitalize on this, and counterpunch to a clearly exposed chest and chin area. While the punches were not being delivered with full force, they were finding their mark reliably and wearing down Jarret.

The final round opened with Jarret looking to kick Harleston into the afterlife, but Harleston was able to time the kick and catch it. Jarret gave a great effort to force him down, but Harleston knew exactly how to turn him and send him crashing to the mat. Both strikers started hunting for the knock-down scores, but Harleston ultimately had better balance and more experience working through the exhaustion. This allowed him to retain the edge and pick up the unanimous decision. Winner: Harleston by Unanimous Decision

The third bout kept us in kickboxing but this time it was the big boys’ turn to play in the 265lb division, as Anthony Guarascio and Robert Reynolds stepped into the cage. Unlike the lighter-weight fighters, these bigger guys often waste no time testing the waters, and this was no exception. Guarascio was charging so hard he slipped and crashed down. He quickly recovered and was ready to go. With both fighters clashing and throwing fierce strikes, it was only a matter of time until one of them went down. With a stiff shot, Reynolds crashed to the mat and could not recover. Winner: Guarascio by TKO in Round 1

Returning to CJJ, Adam Amado and Luis Mourdoch faced off in the 150-155lb division. Starting on their feet both fighters pawed at one another looking for an opportunity to reach in and grab their opponent. Mourdoch found an excellent opportunity and got Amado to the mat. While Amado attempted to get himself out, it took a good bit. He ended up locked back on the mat after getting slammed and ultimately lost the match. Winner: Mourdoch as declared by Ref

Closing out kickboxing for the featured bout of the evening, we went to the 125lb class, with Sameer Abedrabbo and David Pierluissi coming out headhunting. With solid kicks and precision punching, both fighters really had to look to find an opening for their hands to land. Pierluissi was ultimately more successful in finding his mark, as some of the headshots he threw landed solidly, and seemed to confuse Abedrabbo at times.

The second round brought out more kicks to open the round, with both looking to land vicious strikes to the ribs. Somehow each fighter was able to adjust enough to avoid taking a direct liver or kidney shot, thus keeping them easily in the fight. Pierluissi took the opportunity in the last minute to start timing his opponent’s kicks as they adjusted back to punches, and his counter strikes and minor clinching began to weak on Abedrabbo as the round ended.

The final round in kickboxing is never easy. Abedrabbo turned up the aggressiveness of his attacks, but Pierluissi was able to not only counter this energy but surpassed it with ease. This allowed him to get Abedrabbo against the cage, where he just unloaded on him. Despite this level of attack, Abedrabbo was able to slip out and deliver some offense of his own, but it was not enough to fully recover or show the judges enough to get the win as Pierluissi took the unanimous decision. Winner: Pierluissi by Unanimous Decision

Closing out CJJ for the evening, Mauricio Loyo took on Keiter Hart in the 160-165 weight class, and this is not an easy feat for any fighter. While Hart was unsuccessful in his opening boxing bout, he was looking to change things up here. Unfortunately, Loyo was able to take him to the floor rather quickly and kept him there easily. While his chokes were deep, Hart was able to keep his wits about him and battled out. Given the effort put in, this was a misuse of energy as Loyo positioned himself to deliver open-handed slaps to Hart’s ribs and face so rapidly that all Hart could do was defend himself. Eventually, it became too much and Hart just tapped out. Winner: Loyo by tap out

The co-main event of the evening found Malcolm Wallace making his return to the cage just two weeks after his victorious debut as he took on Mateo Estrada in 170lb MMA. Both fighters came out looking to knock the head off the other as they came out of their corners. Wallace used this speed and aggression to flip Estrada against the cage, as the duo used this as a moment to both look for the takedowns, but they weren’t there for either fighter. These two were grappling for control and surprising the other with their level of expertise.

As soon as the bell rang they resumed their lockup, almost as if the break between rounds never happened. From the standing position, these two battled for control with neither giving an inch. Wallace backed off for a moment as if he was confused by Estrada’s game plan and lunched himself on him, sending both falling to the floor. This looked like it could cost Wallace dearly, yet he was able to find his control and he was able to get a rear mount on Estrada. As the time ran short, it looked like Wallace was going to take the submission, but the bell provided freedom for Estrada.

The final round brought out the best in both fighters. Despite their exhaustion, they didn’t deviate from their game plans, and they grappled for control again. This wasn’t something the fans wanted to see the end of, as both looked to gain dominance, just for the other to reverse the hold. This back and forth led to Wallace scoring an awkward takedown, with Estrada being dropped like a ragdoll. This knocked him for a loop it seemed, and Wallace maximized this opportunity to take control thoroughly. Estrada tried to escape or take control, but Wallace’s ground game kept him in control to end the round, and ultimately the unanimous decision. Winner: Wallace by Unanimous Decision

In the main event Kayde Burton and Vik Dixit in a 150lb MMA title elimination bout. While Burton came out confident, the crowd was packed in there for Dixit and with CJJ winner VaShawn Pope getting the crowd hyped up and loud as he took the cage. From the opening bell, Burton trapped Dixit into the cage and worked him down to the mat. As Dixit tried to escape, Burton used his weight to try and keep him down. With the addition of elbow strikes in this contest, Burton used this to his advantage and delivered some amazing strikes. 

Round number two saw Dixit grabbing the advantage from the start. He got him slammed against the cage where Burton had little to answer back with. While they took it back down to the ground, Dixit found himself in a knee lock that was in deep. As the fans were screaming, Dixit was able to get released by delivering fierce strikes to the head and ribs of Burton to finally get released. Returning to their feet both fighters unloaded upper body strikes as the round ended, with Dixit producing a bit more volume. 

The final round saw Dixit emerging from his corner with some serious swelling under his right eye. Dixit took Burton down immediately, but within seconds Burton had this reversed and the hip lock again in place, with his hand firmly planting his neck into the mat. Dixit was able to once again fight out. With faster head and rib strikes, Dixit was wearing him down, and as they took to their feet Dixit rolled up Burton to rain down elbows and fists that Burton could do little to stop until the final bell. While he intelligently defended himself, it wasn’t enough to take the round, giving Dixit the win by split decision. Winner: Dixit by Split Decision

Vigilant MMA is back Saturday, June 18^th back in Tampa!!! CQ 21 promises to bring another action-filled, and violent event. You will not regret coming to see the future stars of combat sports today!! With the rumored return of several big names from past Vigilant cards, and the introduction of some new fighters, this will be a card like you have never seen. You can find tickets and PPV information on social media @vigilant_mma, their website at www.vigilantmma.com, and don’t forget to check out their channel on Roku!!!