Vigilant MMA

May 5, 2022

The Luminary Hotel Ft. Meyers, FL

CQ 19: Road Trip III

Hitting the road on Sundays is an American pastime. From switching lanes down I-75 to dropping the top to cruise along the Gulf of Mexico, there is nothing more Florida than a road trip. Vigilant MMA brought Combat Quest on the road for the third time as CQ19 came to The Luminary Hotel in Ft. Meyers, FL. With tickets sold out, the only other way you were seeing this was on the Vigilant MMA Roku channel!!

Opening the prelim-card Ethan Ward took on Antonio Justiano in 165lb kickboxing. From the opening bell Justiano and Ward, both came out swinging. Justiano brought a serious attack that combined both fists and kicks, while Ward added in more targeted kicks. Going into the second round Ward was showing signs of exhaustion and quickly became a counter striker. This forced him into being relatively out on his feet end of the fight. When they went to the cards Ward was announced the winner by split decision. 

This left many in the crowd and even Ward confused as Justiano visibly led the whole bout. As a debate went on between the judges it was quickly discovered that the judges found themselves confused about who was the corners. Thankfully the judges who were not paying attention to the corners were quickly replaced. Later in the night Justiano was brought back out and announced as the proper winner. Hopefully, they will not be scoring for Vigilant or any other promotion in the future, and hats off to Vigilant for making it right so quickly! Winner: Justiano by Split Decision

Next up in the prelims were Josh Pierre and Will Soto in 135lb kickboxing. While Pierre looked to be more muscular, the height and reach advantage for Soto was too much to ignore. Pierre came out looking to close the gap and use brute force to get Soto knocked around. Soto’s response with counter punching and kicks to the midsection slowed Pierre down a good bit. The second and third rounds featured Soto using his strengths to his advantage and keeping Pierre pushed back and unable to use his size on the inside. The aggression by Soto was too much for the judges and he was the split decision victor. Winner: Soto by Split Decision

The third prelim bout brought Hunter Ketcher and Seth Galvin into the cage for 145lb youth kickboxing. No matter the age, the youth division always brings out some of the best in the fighters, and from the opening second Galvin put on a display of how aggressive and ready to win he was. Attacking with crisp body shots and kicks, he had Katcher on the mat with somewhat ease in the first. 

The second round found Galvin dealing with a solid groin shot he was able to recover from. His response with solid knees to the ribs as counter strikes. Seeing how they landed seemed to fire him up before the third. While both fighters were visibly exhausted, that energy from trying to fire back off the groin shot gave Galvin a huge burst at the end. However, the judges were obviously impressed with the striking from Ketcher as well, as they declared this match a draw. Winner: Draw

Sticking with the kickboxing in the ss 125 lb division this time, Nathan Aranzamendi and Jomar Perez squared off in devastating competition. Watching these two fight you can easily see how dedicated they each are to the sport, and throughout the first round they squared off with brutal kicks, and any time Perez could find an opening for it he was scoring takedowns. Whenever Aranzamendi would miss a shot Perez was finding a hole to get in there. Round two features more takedowns and slips, with both corners getting their work in.

Round three saw both fighters coming out like they were losing the fight. Precise and hard-hitting strikes were being landed back and forth but quickly faded to jello armed shots. That’s not to say they weren’t effective, but you could see that both fighters were running on fumes. As the clacks for the last 10 seconds rang out, the pace picked back up. In the final moments, Aranzamendi tried landing a spinning back elbow, but it didn’t have quite the damage he was hoping for. With both fighters hyping each other up, we headed back to the scorecards where Perez took the victory by unanimous decision. Winner: Perez by Unanimous Decision

The main event of the preliminary card found Jovani Owen and Jaydan Rivero facing off in 142lb youth kickboxing. Owen came out as the early aggressor, but Rivero stuck it out and started quickly exposing holes in his offense. As he started picking him apart all Owen could do was look for a moment to breathe, and circle away as much as possible. As the round ended Rivero unloaded trying to end the fight to no avail.

The second round opened up with Rivero scoring a nasty twisting takedown. After a moment to recover, Owen was back on his feet and found ways to answer Rivero’s offense. Relying more on the fists than legs at this point, Owen wasn’t landing as efficiently as he was in the first. Rivero used solid head movement to keep his stikes from landing while countering with kicks. The third round saw a lot more aggression from Rivero as he came out throwing everything but the kitchen sink out there. The volume of strikes made it nearly impossible for Owen to build much offense, and he did find himself down for the count, and unable to continue despite getting up. Rivero’s TKO was celebrated with a terrific fence climb the ref quickly squashed. Winner: Rivero TKO in the 3rd Round

Opening the main event is never easy, but Chrisanthony Daley and Alec Garza made it look that way. Daley and Garza opened the contest trading stiff shots and attempts to tie one another up. The duo started shooting big combinations that landed with neither opponent showing much damage from the shots. The avoidance of damage was something both fighters can be proud of here, as this was a very even opening round. 

The second round opened up with Daley coming out more aggressively. His shots were precise, but the defense from Garza blocked a lot of the kicks from being more devastating than they were launched. The return shots from Garza found their targets with ease. With a few tie-ups, the two battled back and forth valiantly. Daley looked to take control for a moment towards the end, but Garza was able to turn the tide and finish the round strong.

Round three brought out a whole new game plan for Garza. While deflecting shots he hunted more decisively for places to land solid jabs and kicks to the midsection. This seemed to alarm Daley as he couldn’t block these shots so easily, and in turn, he found himself on a quickly turning tide. Answering back with jumping knees into the ribs as well as thigh kicks, he started to look to gas Garza out. Unfortunately for him, these shots were absorbed very well. The overall composure of Garza ultimately gave him a decisive win in the round and ultimately the win by unanimous decision. Winner: Garza by Unanimous Decision

Jonathan Kenny and Michael Faulkner introduced MMA for the first time of the evening in 145lb action. Kenny quickly came in with rampant calf kicks and started to work on his legs before being taken down by Faulkner. This gave Kenny positions for a guillotine choke but despite his best-efforts Faulkner was able to fight his way out. When back to their feet these two traded shots in succession that you usually only see in movies. As the two battled for position Faulkner found himself in the mount and raining down fists as the round ended. 

Round two opened with Faulkner taking Kenny back to the mat nearly immediately. The round was a big grappling fest with some solid rib punches mixed in for good measure. As hard as the two battled, neither would submit, and nobody could get enough of an edge to force their opponent out of the battle. 

The final round opened up with the duo jockeying for dominance on their feet until Kenny was able to take Faulkner back and slam him to the canvas from behind. Quickly finding he was on all fours, Faulkner brought himself back to his feet with Kenny trying to take back control. Getting in a front tie-up, Faulkner scooped up Kenny and delivered a slam of his own. This slam seemed to drain the energy from Kenny, as he found himself fighting off submission attempts for much of the remainder of the round. While he got a few attempts in himself, they were much shorter-lived than Faulkner’s. Going to the cards yet again, Faulkner’s decisive ground game and striking advantage gave him enough to take the unanimous decision. Winner: Faulkner by Unanimous Decision

Returning to kickboxing in the 170lb division, Kade Hudgins and Bryant Peschel climbed into the cage. While opening with some almost synchronized calf kicks, a shot Peschel landed split Hudgins open a bit towards the left eye on the forehead. This cut immediately started leaking and Peschel went after it heavily. Hudgins did a great job of protecting it via further aggression, forcing Peschel to resort to different strikes, and at times counter punching.

Round two saw Peschel continuing his dominance. With terrific kicks and fast fists, Peschel established a dominance that would remain the rest of the round. While Hudgins did his best to work the distance and keep things in his range, Peschel kept adjusting fire for everything he did. This forced Hudgins to spend a good amount of time on his back foot as he couldn’t advance as easily as before. 

Round three opened up with a brilliant crake kick from Hudgins. The precise angle he got Peschel in the chest with would have dropped many men. Shockingly Peschel was able to absorb the blow and turn the tide yet again. Controlling the rest of the fight, Peschel fought back valiantly and forced Hudgins into a defensive posture for about the last 75 seconds. That’s not to say Hudgins didn’t land some shots, just nowhere near the volume he would need to steal the round or the fight. Peschel took the unanimous decision. Winner: Peschel by Unanimous Decision

For the featured fight of the night, Austin Tanner welcomed Malcolm Wallace to 170lb MMA action. The younger brother of Vigilant MMA star Marcellus Wallace, Malcolm has some big shoes to fill. Needless to say, he proved very quickly that he can more than fill those shoes. Scoring an almost instant front kick that left Tanner incredibly weakened, Wallace proceeded to take Tanner’s back and small him to the ground. With minimal grappling Wallace was able to get to his feet and deliver a devastating right that dropped Tanner. Visibly out, Wallace showed the sportsmanship of a seasoned veteran by holding off and having the ref come over to end the fight in just 53 seconds. Winner: Wallace TKO:53 in the 1st Round

Having to follow an incredibly fast TKO is never an easy feat, but the Co-Main event was more than happy to do so. Austin Tadlock and Ethan Goff returned to the cage for a shot at the 135lb Interim MMA title. Opening the fight feeling each other out, Goff quickly found a spot for an overhand right that dropped Tadlock in short order. Recovering quickly, he was able to battle back successfully on the mat and keep himself alive to finish the round soundly.

The second round brought out both fighters’ strengths on their feet and once again down on the ground. At one point Tadlock seemed to have the win if he could solidify the triangle choke, but Goff postured up and prevented him from getting his other leg out and around. While back on their feet Goff landed some devastating left-and-rights, that would have easily stopped most fighters, but Tadlock survived. This gave him another shot on the ground eventually, and with Goff in his guard, Tadlock seemed comfortably at home as the round ended.

Round three brought out a different Goff. He didn’t abandon the submission attempts, but they certainly seemed to be much less of a focus. Instead, his concentration on striking was working brilliantly as he clearly controlled the round. With a picture-perfect front kick, he sent Tadlock stumbling back and rushed in for more ground and pound. Balling him up it seemed like Tadlock was done for, but he survived the round. As the judges tallied their scores, Tadlock looked worried, and unfortunately for him, Goff did more than enough and took the unanimous decision and the title. During his post-fight interview, he thanked his opponent for taking the fight on short notice and acknowledged breaking his right hand in the first round. He then called out the champ for pulling out on him yet again. Tossing the title down, he expressed his displeasure at only getting an interim status as he has shown up to fight this man, and he’s tired of being ducked. Winner: Goff by Unanimous Decision

The final fight of the night was for the 155lb kickboxing title between Blake Torchon and Aldo Dominguez. Anyone who has followed Vigilant for some time was already familiar with these fighters, and the fans were jam-packed in there for Aldo’s fight. Coming out with significant three and four strike combos, Dominguez seemed to surprise Torchon with his striking abilities, and sent him reeling quickly. After a moment to get collected Torchon was back on his feet and closed out the round.

In the second round, there were significantly more head kicks from Dominguez and a much stronger game. While Torchon was able to match this rise in intensity, Dominguez continues to control the round simply from the targeting of his attacks. Torchon caught Dominguez with a couple of fast punch combinations, but they didn’t have enough on them to inflict significant damage. This left him visibly gassed as the round came to a close.

Round three saw Dominguez get a bit cocky and away from his game. This gave Torchon a bit of an advantage as he was able to capitalize on some of the stronger but less accurate shots. Unfortunately, this did not last very long, as Dominguez changed up his game plan and resumed what had been working for him so far. This kept him not only in the fight but in continued control. 

Going into the fourth round you never know what to expect from a fighter. Given how exhausting the opening three rounds were, you have to wonder how much was left in the tank. Both of these warriors showed that they could do a lot to recharge in the corner, as they came out swinging full force. This time Dominguez had harnessed his power to add it in with his precision and was a much more well-rounded fighter. Torchon did his best to answer, but spend most of the round just trying to make it.

The final round showcased just how tough Torchon is. Dominguez came out hot, throwing devastating head kicks, and bringing about a boxing style that was far beyond the previous rounds. It’s rare to see a fighter get better in the fifth round, but yet here he was doing it before our very eyes. Try as Torchon might, he just couldn’t reasonably answer these attacks. His responses just weren’t strong enough to get him any favor with the judges, as Dominguez won the title by unanimous decision. You could see the respect but disappointment on Torchon’s face as his opponent saw his hand raised in victory. Winner: Dominguez by Unanimous Decision

Vigilant MMA is back Sunday, 15 May back at the Dallas Bull just off 301 in Tampa!!! With CQ Jitsu starting the day at 11 am, and CQ20 to follow at 2 pm, it’s guaranteed to be an exciting, action-filled, and violent Sunday. You will not regret coming to see the future stars of combat sports today!! 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!!!