Vigilant MMA Strikes Again At The Dallas Bull

By on March 24, 2022

20MAR2022

Dallas Bull Tampa, FL

Time to Get The Strap Part II

Photo-Jordan Raiff

Sundays are filled with lots of great activities here in Tampa, FL. A last BBQ before the work week resumes, a quick trip down I-4 to Disney, maybe hit up the beach and catch some rays. However, if you like watching the best in amateur MMA, Kick Boxing, Combat BJJ, and NOGI BJJ you found yourself visiting Dallas Bull just off 301 in Tampa. Vigilant MMA has been bringing some of the best competitors from around the country in to compete, and Combat Quest 18 was no exception!! With multiple titles on the line, this was a jam-packed card from the opening bell.

Up first on the preliminary card was the return of Jacob Kabay taking on Alec Garza in 155lb kickboxing. Kabay suffered a rough loss in his last appearance for Vigilant and looked to make his mark this time. Meanwhile, Garza was a 2-1 veteran of the cage. With Garza taking an extra 5 minutes to reach the cage, Kabay found himself with ample time in the spotlight with no dance partner. With people calling for a forfeit to be called, Garza made it to the cage surrounded by a surprising level of cheers just in the nick of time. The first round featured a lot of both fighters finding their rhythm and Garza was able to sneak in a few shots that clearly stunned Kabay.

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Round two brought out more power shots from each fighter. Kabay unfortunately was spending too much time swinging for the fences and was telegraphing his shots plain as day. Garza was finding holes and setting up his shots until the ref stopped the first for Kabay’s corner to fix the tape on his glove. With a quick tape job put into place, Garza took the opportunity to rethink his attack. Finishing off the round with more decisive strikes, Garza was taking clear control as the bell sounded.

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The final round found Kabay coming out like a man possessed. With a stronger offensive attack, he was beginning to wear on Garza until a back kick to the head sent him reeling. With his bell clearly rung, Kabay did his best to get that offensive fire burning once again. Unfortunately for him, Garza was able to keep him largely contained, and the sloppy shots he was firing not only often missed their mark but also gave Garza some false confidence. Unleashing another back kick towards the head, Garza completely missed the mark and fell to the canvas just before the round ended. Much to the surprise of Kabay and Kabay alone, Garza took the victory by unanimous decision.  Winner: Alec Garza by Unanimous Decision

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The second prelim-bout of the afternoon found Jorge Betancourt taking on Blake Torchon in 150lb kickboxing. Both fighters came out swinging as Betancourt looked to even out his record of a previous loss, while Torchon was making his debut. Usually, this kind of attack favors the fighter with experience, but Torchon was able to ensure the fight stayed relatively even for the opening round. As they circled Torchon was able to pin Betancourt against the cage, but it wasn’t long until the ref pulled them apart.

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Round two showcased how much the cornermen stoked the fire for Betancourt. He came out like a man possessed, targeting the head of Torchon with incredible precision. It only took a few until Torchon was firing back with his own flurry of shots, and they were finding their mark like guided missiles. Surprisingly this continued until Torchon was struck by an inadvertent shot below the belt. While unintentional, he needed a few to compose himself and get back in the fight. With a vengeful attack after that, Torchon unleashed hell until the round ended. 

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A fight like this always promises a brutal final round as it’s not completely clear who the winner will be yet. Coming out and looking to take the win, Betancourt chose to stroke with a flying knee to Torchon’s abs. This immediately caused the two fighters to get into the clinch, and the ref was forced to separate them yet again. As a result, Torchon used the cage to keep Betancourt circling awkwardly, as if he was needing this for some protection and to keep himself in the fight. Betancourt took all of his energy to deliver a vicious shot just before the bell rang. Ultimately this was not enough to sway the judges as Torchon took a Unanimous Decision. Winner: Blake Torchon by Unanimous Decision

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The third fight of the prelims featured two youths going at it in 107lb kickboxing, as Johnny Bonura took on Saidalo Gaziev. These two young fighters came out full of energy and took many chances early on. Bonura set out to throw kicks consistently, and they were finding their target consistently. With a pep in his step, Gaziev took the shots with pride and kept pushing forward. His defense kept him safe, and he found openings here and there to land solid shots.

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Round two was still full of energy from both fighters. They opened up the cage and moved around trading shots with neither landing much very significantly. Bonura found a great opportunity to ger Gaziev against the cage and was able to keep him against the fence for a large part of the fight. He was smart enough to keep from pinning him to the cage, so the ref wasn’t having to keep separating them. 

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Inside round three there was little change from round two. Bonura kept finding ways to keep Gaziev trapped, and no matter what he tried he just could not escape the strikes. This trap kept Gaziev from building on any of his strikes, and he was stuck with only being able to counter the attacks from Bonura. Ultimately this aggression allowed Bonura to win by unanimous decision. Winner: Johnny Bonura by Unanimous Decision

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The fourth fight of the prelims pitted Tucker Eastwood against Blake Menard in 155lb MMA. Fighting for dominance from the opening tie-up Eastwood was able to grab a solid hold on Maynard and slam him to the mat. This seemed to steal a lot of his energy, as both looked to find submission positioning from here. Making quick work of his opponent, Maynard quickly found a terrific rear mound and was able to secure a rear-naked choke for the victory. Winner: Blake Menard by Rear Naked Choke in Round 1

Photo-Jordan Raiff
Photo-Jordan Raiff

Sameer Abedrabbo took on Moises Buenano in 125lb kickboxing for the fifth fight of the prelims. Right out of the gate you could see how well they have prepared for this fight. Their defense and attack posturing was relatively evenly matched up, and Buenano was finding some pinpoint strikes to sprinkle in amongst the onslaught of strikes from each fighter. Abedrabbo looked to wear quickly when these strikes would hit properly, yet he was able to remain on his feet and answer back enough to recover fully each time.

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Coming out for round two it seemed as if neither fighter had tired. While the shots came out with the same rate as the first round, they had both relaxed a bit and were squarely in the pocket and hitting the mark more frequently. Buenano landed a solid jab right up the pipe, and Abedrabbo’s nose started to shows signs of reddening. This gave Buenano a brilliant target to aim for and did he ever aim for his nose. Before the end of the round blood was leaking down and hitting him on the chest. 

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Round three saw a massive change in the dynamics of Abedrabbo’s method of attack. Gone was the reserved and targeted striking, and it was replaced with a vicious new attack pattern that found him launching himself into Buenano multiple times. One of his flying kicks opened the door for Buenano to send him crashing to the ground with a solid right hand. Getting back to his feet at three, Abedrabbo seemed to treat the fall as if it was a slip, and did not matter to him. As the round came to a close both fighters emptied their fuel tanks, but Buenano did more than enough to earn the win by unanimous decision. Winner: Moises Buenano by Unanimous Decision

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Returning to youth kickboxing Jovanni Owen took on Jayden Rivero in the 142lb division. Owen looked to take the lead in the fight as he came out with a very aggressive demeanor. It was not immediately clear how much these two may have interacted in the past, as this was Rivero’s debut in MMA, but Owen had an aggression level going that said that this was personal. As anyone with martial arts experience will tell you, over-aggression is often a poor cover for being undertrained or underprepared. All this jumping around and fighting erratically led to an inadvertent shot below the belt from Rivero. After a check from his coach and the doc, Owen was able to continue. This stoppage did nothing to dissuade Rivero from punishing him for his mistakes and knocking him around the cage.

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The second round started with Owen much more settled down, but Rivero was able to get him pinned against the cage with ease. In a sign of desperation to get something going, Owen landed a swift kick, throwing him off him and down to the mat. After recovering quickly, the bout resumed with both fighters showing clear signs of exhaustion. The earlier tactics of going wide open throttle had drained the energy of both fighters as the round ended.

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The final round opened as if the second round had never ended. With Owen pushed against the cage, Rivero did everything he could to build offense, but Own was finally able to get him in a clinch, flipping him down to the mat. After regaining his breath quickly, the fight went on. Both fighters were going just off instinct at this point, but they kept going at one another. Despite the late advances by Owen it just wasn’t enough as Rivero took the unanimous decision. Winner: Jayden Rivero by Unanimous Decision

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Opening the main card was the return of the undefeated Dinel Chery as he squared up with Rory Schwass who was after his first win in 185lb kickboxing. Coming out with the swagger and confidence only an undefeated record can give a fighter, Chery had a solid game plan in mind, and the first shot set the tone. Nailing Schwass with solid strikes to the head and midsection, Chery was able to corner and drop his opponent rather quickly. After being an opportunity to recover a touch Schwass went after Chery differently and got a drop of his own. Recovering Chery seemed a bit surprised as the round ended.

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Round two began with calf kicks from both opponents as Chery slammed Schwass over twice. He was wearing Schwass down significantly with these attacks, but he just kept coming. Trading blows back and forth throughout the round, neither fighter stood out as a clear favorite except for the two Chery slams.

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Final rounds can be tricky for fighters. You don’t want to leave things in the hands of the judges, but sometimes taking the third is just enough for the judges. As the two came out from their corners you could see some swelling on the faces and bodies of both opponents. The midsection shots from Schwass had begun to find their marks, and Chery seemed to be protecting his ribs a bit more than in rounds past. Yet he kept finding glimpses of light to land some offense for himself. Ultimately the effort across the three rounds and the slams seemed to make the difference as Chery took the win by unanimous decision. Winner: Dinel Chery by Unanimous Decision

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The first belt on the main card was now up for grabs as Brody Blanton and Luis Mourdoch stepped up to put their undefeated records on the line for the 145lb MMA title. With both fighters making very relaxed entrances to the cage, you could see just how natural the prospect of fighting was for both fighters. As you would expect they started off figuring out the range on one another and looking for options. Murdoch quickly found that opening and got Blanton slammed to the canvas quickly.

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Once on the mat, Blanton tried his best to escape, but the angle and maneuvers of Mourdoch were proving too much for him very quickly. With a side mount crucifix position, Murdoch was going back and forth between raining down blows and looking for the submission attempt. Ultimately he just kept firing fists and the ref was forced to call a stop to the contest as Blanton was giving minimal defense at best. Before the ref could get the belt and get the winner announced Blanton stormed out of the cage. This lack of professionalism was in stark contrast to the respect he showed at the start of the fight. I don’t know if he’ll find himself fighting here again. Winner: Luis Mourdoch by Ref Stoppage in Round 1

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Sticking with the title theme of the main card, Job Hamilton and Samuel Martin climbed in the cage for the 145 Muai Tai Kick Boxing title. Martin took to the legs, and Hamilton did his best to perry off to the side and counter. With a brutal front kick, Hamilton found himself getting knocked back and sent to the mat. Unfortunately, after he recovered, he found himself getting knocked back down again almost immediately.

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This time he remained down a bit longer but still recovered. Trying to build some offense he took to trying to find a new offense, but Martin just kept moving forward with his original game plan. As the two exchanged blows in a more even rhythm, an uppercut from Martin made Hamilton fold like a cheap suit. As he struggled to find his head the ref waived off the fight. Despite his protests, the ref reminded him that this was his third knockdown in a round. Despite taking the early loss, Hamilton took the loss with respect and dignity; unlike the last loser. Winner: Samuel Martin by TKO in Rd 1

Photo-Jordan Raiff
Photo-Jordan Raiff

After a very quick pause, the NOGI BJJ title became up for grabs between Jordan More and Jose Laguer. Whenever you get two undefeated NOGI veterans back to mix it up, it’s certain to have some fireworks. As these two battled for a good clinch and toss, Laguer found himself getting his world turned upside down as he landed on his head. With both getting back to their feet almost instantaneously, they went back to battling for position. More got him back down to the ground and despite Laguer’s best efforts, he just couldn’t get himself out. More found an opportunity and won by submission from side control. Winner: Jordan More by Submission

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The co-main event was for the 155lb MMA Interim title, pitting Kayde Burton against Dakota Trice. The 4-0 experience of Trice was showing as he seemed to control the pace out of the gate. Despite being 2-1 though, Burton was doing his best to take control of the tempo away as quickly as possible. No matter how hard Burton speared Trice or tried to throw him, Trice just would not be taken down. These two stood and traded shots back and forth, with enough punches thrown to make it seem more like a boxing match than anything. As the round ended you could see frustration and respect on both of their faces.

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Round two opened up with both fighters coming back right where they were as the round ended. This time Burton was able to quickly find an angle and get Trice knocked down, but he would not remain there long. As they circled to the right with Trice against the cage Burton landed a vicious overhand right that sent Trice crashing to the canvas while still trying to move on the way down. 

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While Trice was headed down to the mat the ref was rushing in. Burton got over Trice but showed the respect not to rain down more shots on the young man. After what seemed like an eternity the doctors finally got in the cage to check on Trice. Thankfully shortly after the doc got in the cage Trice showed signs of being back with it and having his faculties. As Burton and his team celebrated a bit, the ref reminded them of Trice’s situation and they quickly remembered how to act. A small slip, but quickly made right. Standing up for the announcement Trice showed excellent professionalism despite getting caught like fighters do every day across the globe. With proper respect shown to each corner, Burton and his crew got their title, and get on their way out of there. Winner: Kayde Burton by KO in Round 2

Photo-Jordan Raiff
Photo-Jordan Raiff

The main event of the evening was the one every fight fan loves to watch; the heavyweights!! With the 265lb MMA title on the line, 5-2 Roy Simmons stepped into the cage to face 4-2 DJ Tice. These big boys took their sweet time trying to paw at one another looking to exploit a weakness or an opportunity. Tice finally found his opening and took a shot to move in, and scored a nasty slam takedown. Scoring this slam seemed to ignite a fire under Tice as he stopped looking for openings, instead, he went in to make his own way.

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The second round saw Tice coming out of the corner with the swagger of a champion. Ready and assured of his efforts, Tice looked for ways to lock up and slam Tice, as well as toss him across the cage. While Simmons did his best to keep his feet under him, Tice had a level of strength that Simmons just could not match up with. With another scoop slam, Tice was starting to make the takedowns look easy. Simmons found a great way to get some rest though, as Tice kept him pinned and delivered blows that Simmons could only try to defend.

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Round three opened up with Tice looking to ensure he sealed the deal by opening the round with yet another takedown. While Simmons looked for a way to get back to his feet, Tice kept him pinned there and proceeded to bring the fists flying in. As he looked for more openings they seemed to close right in front of his eyes. No matter where Simmons moved to avoid damage or to land a shot Tice was able to find it and close it faster. His defense was still intelligent, but it was not doing anything for him. 

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As the 10-second mark clacked, Simmons looked for anything he could get, but Tice was just too strong and too quick. The moves Simmons seemed to think were clean had some telegraphing to them, and instead of surprising Tice he swatted them off and kept him pinned down. The only thing left to do now was listen for the bell. With little surprise, Tice was joined in the cage by his family as he got his new title and it was time to begin the celebrations!! Winner: DJ Tice by Unanimous Decision

Photo-Jordan Raiff
Photo-Jordan Raiff
Photo-Jordan Raiff

Vigilant MMA is back Sunday, 1 May and on the road in Naples FL!!! Just like their Tampa shows you can guarantee an action-packed card. 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 and their website www.vigilantmma.com

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