· World Extreme Fighting Results From July 10
World Extreme Fighting’s event this Saturday evening, from the Silver Spurs Arena in Kissimmee, Florida, was full of ground and pound, guillotine chokes and vicious knockouts. Rising stars, cagey veterans, and some of the sport’s elite were in the cage and in the building for another great night of fights put on by Jamie Levine and his WEF promotion.
Eric Koverik and Josh Bacallao got the event started with a back-and-forth fight, setting the tone for the evening. Bacallao dominated most of the fight by taking Koveric to the mat and punishing him from side control. Koverik either could not hear his corner, or just refused to listen to them, as they repeatedly called for him to turn into Bacallao. From side control Bacallao attempted a kimura and an arm bar, but was unable to finish either submission attempt. In the end, Bacallao was able to finish the fight after mounting Koverik, opening up with thundering ground and pound. The pressure left the referee no choice but to stop the match with less than a minute remaining in the third, leaving Koverik with both a large mouse underneath his eye and a loss on his record.
The second bout of the evening featured Jason Carapelluci (4-2) and Ron Jacobs (2-2). Carapelluci dominated the entire fight with his superior wrestling ability. Whenever Jacobs seemed to gain the slightest advantage, Carapellucci was there to drag him back down to the ground. Although there were several lulls in the action and boos from the crowd, Carapellucci, with UFC's Ben Saunders in his corner, left no doubt in the judges’ minds en route to an unanimous decision victory.
Following the one-sided bout prior, Brian “Vicious” van Hoven and Vinnie Samero, was short and to the point. The short being a devastating left hand and the point being Samero's chin. So devastating was the punch, that from cage-side, it appeared that van Hoven caught Samero with the top of his head and not a punch. However, the video review showed it was indeed a beautiful punch that sent Samero crashing to the canvas.
The fourth fight of the evening, between light heavyweights Robert "C.T." Turner (7-6) and David Baggett (5-5) also went quickly. Baggett was able to take the fight to the ground at the start, getting Turner's back. However, Turner fought back, not allowing Baggett to sink in the rear-naked choke that he was fighting hard for. Turner would next prove that he is no “Little Kimbo,” as the fight commentators referred to him at the beginning of the night. Turner was able to get Baggett off his back and in to half guard. Baggett, with his family loudly encouraging him, tried to stand up. As he stood up, he left his neck exposed and that was all the opening Turner needed. Turner slapped on a guillotine and jumped into full guard, to which Baggett had no chance of escape. For his efforts, C.T. Turner picked up a $250 “Move of the Night” bonus and a first round submission victory.
The next fight, between local hero Mark Serkez (8-3) and Mitch Whitesel (12-15), was a back-and-forth battle until the final bell. The first round was won by Serkez who got the better of the striking by switching up his stance and landing clean strikes that Whitesel did not seem to have an answer for. The crowd, already clearly behind Serkez, needed no additional reason to root against Whitesel. However, his frequent showboating, including wagging his finger at Sekerz during the first round, forced the crowd’s volume even higher.
The second round was won by Whitesel who unlocked the mystery of Serkez's stance by landing some devastating leg kicks, that clearly hurt Serkez. Serkez just could not seem to find an answer to Whitesel's leg kicks. The final round appeared close and could have gone to anyone. Continuing his antics Whitelsel decided to raise his hands in victory with about ten seconds left in the round. The showboating had to have had many of the fans in attendance hoping for a slugfest finish, but it was not to be, as Whitesel won a razor thin decision that could have easily been a draw. Whitesel went so far with his antics that he even enraged Serkez’s cornerman, Seth Petruzelli to yell at him, "We can fight right now!" after the final bell rang. Petruzelli had to be restrained by officials, as well as his teammates.
The next fight featured Brian van Hoven's lead trainer, Elijah Harshbarger (4-1) taking on BJJ black belt James Brasco (6-3). The fight quickly went up against the cage and the two competitors exchanged body shots. Brasco eventually forced it to the ground and controlled a good portion of the first round. The next round was all Harshbarger as he was able to get the fight to the ground and land powerful ground strikes. So vicious, in fact, that the referee almost stopped the fight, but Brasco was able to survive by covering up and constantly moving.
The third round started with two head kicks by Harshbarger that partially landed. Brasco was able to get a hold of Harshbarger and pull guard, but that proved to be a mistake. Harshbarger was able to land devastating ground and pound, the punches were so loud that you could hear Harshbarger’s fists land on Brasco's face. Brasco escaped and landed a nice uppercut that caused Harshbarger to shoot. Brasco stuffed it and slapped on a guillotine choke but Harshbarger was able to slip out and rain down hammer fists. The failed guillotine and hammer fists seemed to break what was left of Brasco's spirit, forcing the grappling ace to verbally submit under the heavy-handed strikes.
The co-main event was between the always entertaining Charles "Kid Khaos" Bennett (22-17-2) and Harris Norwood (6-13-1). In the first, Bennett and Norwood exchanged strikes in which Norwood was getting the better of Bennett, even staggering Bennett with a few hard shots that sent him stumbling. However, Bennett maintained his composure and took Norwood down and was able to work some ground and pound. Norwood was able to eventually get it back to the feet and land a solid right to the jaw of Bennett just before the end of the round. In the second round, Bennett secured another takedown and was able to control Norwood but not do much more, which led to the ref standing them both up. Norwood then caught Bennett with a solid knee and Bennett played possum as he has been known to do. But Norwood did not fall for it which earned the respect of Bennett as they smiled at each other and high-fived. Bennett then landed a hard leg kick that caused Norwood to shoot in for a take down but Bennett stuffed it and locked on a guillotine that ended the fight with less than ten seconds left in the round. Bennett then celebrated his victory by climbing to the top of the fence and doing a full back flip into the cage, almost hitting the ref and Norwood in the process.
The main event featured local favorite Mike Lee against Justin Moore. The fight did not last long, but it will be a fight Mike Lee will never forget, as he scored what is likely candidate for “Knockout of the Year.” Less than a minute into the round Lee caught Moore charging in with a right head kick that sent Moore crashing to the mat. Lee followed up with two more punches on the ground before the referee could step in. The fight lasted just fifty-two seconds.
All in all, World Extreme Fighting put on a solid card that had some very memorable moments. The only downside of the event was cancellation of the originally scheduled main event between UFC veteran Din Thomas and Harris Norwood. According to Thomas, the athletic commission pulled the fight due to the difference in his and his opponent’s experience and record. It was the third time in two years that Thomas has had a fight canceled at the last minute, to which the beloved veteran tried to laugh off, even if to keep from screaming.
