· “Caged Fury 9” Results And Recap

The highly anticipated card "Caged Fury 9," held by the North American Allied Fight Series (NAAFS) on February 20, saw two new champions crowned in the Pro Series. The mixed amateur and professional MMA event took place at the Gray’s Armory in Cleveland, Ohio.

In the co-main event, Daniel Straus notched a fifth round technical knockout victory over Bellator veteran Frank Caraballo to capture the interim lightweight championship belt and earn a match-up with four-time UFC veteran Jason "Dynamite" Dent at "Fight Night In The Flats VI" in June. In the main event, “Big” John Hawk edged out defending Champion Joe McCall of Matt Hughes’ H.I.T. Squad to become the NAAFS heavyweight champion. The fight was decided by a controversial split decision that upset the former champion.

Other bouts on the main card included two featherweight circuit semi-final fights that set up the championship at "Fight Night In The Flats VI" in June. Mike Nesto Defeated Nick Sorg by TKO to earn himself a title fight, and in the "Fight of the Night" Donny Walker defeated Dustin Kempf by a second round TKO.

In the lightweight title fight, Daniel Straus showed the clearly pro-Caraballo crowd that he meant business and was not going to mess around. Straus took Caraballo down at will and did not give the champion a chance to get to his feet. He kept his opponent constantly pressed up against the cage and had no problem passing guard and laying down a series of lethal elbows, which eventually ended the fight in the fifth and final round. Less than a month ago, Straus defeated UFC veteran Gideon Ray by decision, and still had the stamina to go five rounds with Caraballo. Set to face Dent next, Straus will need to utilize his ability to neutralize the dangerous guard and jiu-jitsu of the former UFC fighter in in order to claim the undisputed NAAFS lightweight championship title.

In the headlining bout, John Hawk took a beating but survived the fight and walked away with the belt. In the fifth round, Hawk took four consecutive knees to the head from McCall, but managed to stay up and survived to take the split decision. The crowd was split between the two, which lead to a chorus of mixed cheers and boos after the decision was read. In another bout, the professional debut of promising young star Stipe Miocic was concluded by a seventeen second knockout over Corey Mullis; as a result, Miocic may be a future match-up for McCall. At the moment, there is no apparent title contender for Hawk.

In the second featherweight semifinal fight, a match between Donny "Eagle Eye" Walker and Dustin "The Reaper" Kempf, the first round opened up with a big flurry of kicks from Kempf, which lead to a knockdown with a leg kick, but Walker retaliated with some kicks of his own. Late in the round, Kempf stunned Walker with several knees and punches while he was pressed against the cage, which could have stopped the fight, but Walker got up and asked for more ending the round strong.

As the second round began, Walker came out and immediately went for the Muay Thai plum and scored countless strikes to the head and body stunning Kempf. When they broke from the clinch, Kempf threw a flying knee that staggered Walker, which lead to a take down attempt against the fence enabling him to regain his wits. Walker then pressed with a big right that took Kempf to his knee, and Walker charged, dropping unanswered knees and elbows in an attack that lasted close to a minute before referee Richard Fike called a stop to the contest with less than ten seconds left in the round. Walker explained after the fight that he wanted another round for the fans, but he was happy with a shot at the title. He will be matching up with Mike Nesto at "Fight Night In The Flats VI" in June to see who will hold the 145 pound belt.

On hand to corner Walker, Dent shot down rumors of a contract with the WEC for himself, but indicated that he is trying to help Walker get into the organization. As for his own future, Dent will be returning to the NAAFS for a few fights, and anticipates being contacted by Strikeforce for a contract after that.

MMA journeyman Dan Bobish was also in attendance and expects to return to the cage after two years off from fighting. In a match that recalls the early days of MMA, he has agreed to a fight in Thailand with Eric “Butterbean” Esch in a "No Holds Barred" affair. Both fighters will be given a modest check of thirty thousand dollars for the fight.

Bobish also stated that he is trying to convince Strong Style Fight Team teammate Forrest Petz to go over with him to compete, but a prior obligation with Adrenaline MMA has most likely eliminated that possibility.

Full results:

National Amateur Series Bouts

185 lbs – Cory Bresson def. Jesus Santiago via Unanimous Decision
145 lbs - RJ Buck def. Mike Ludwig via Split Decision
155 lbs - Kenny “The Black Spartan” Jackson def. Marcus Daniels via Unanimous Decision
155 lbs - Bryon McCroskey def. Zach Sutek via TKO at 0:35 of Round 1
170 lbs – Reggie Parks def. Travis Soto via Unanimous Decision

Featured Pro Series Bouts

170 lbs - Chuck Ellison def. Greg Caryer via TKO at 1:24 of Round 1
265 lbs - Stipe Miocic def. Corey Mullis via TKO at 0:17 of Round 1
145 lbs - Mike Nesto def. Nick Sorg via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 1:56 of Round 1
145 lbs - Donny "Eagle Eye" Walker def. Dustin "The Reaper" Kempf via TKO at 4:55 of Round 2
155 lbs TITLE - Daniel Straus def. Frank "The Tank" Caraballo via Submission (Strikes) at 3:57 of Round 5
265 lbs TITLE - "Big" John Hawk def. "Cujo" Joe McCall via Split Decision