Cage Wars 68

Jeremy Fairhurst

A Night of MMA

Cage Wars 68 was held at River’s Casino in Schenectady, NY on November 1st. It featured 16 bouts in total, (with the fight between Josh Kline and Derrick Brown being cancelled mid card due to medical issues backstage) and was headlined by an exciting lightweight matchup between New Jersey’s Stephen Persaud (4-1) and Ethan Laursen (2-1) Who stepped up to replace Stephen’s original opponent on short notice.

The Co-Main event was guaranteed to be fireworks, as Alex Williams (4-1) came off of two back to back wins at previous cage war events to face off against Tristen Carr (5-3) for the Welterweight title. Sticking to their tradition of having only the best for their fighters, Cage Wars had legendary UFC referees Keith Peterson and Dan Miragliotta overseeing the event. Former Cage Wars Champion and current Karate Combat fighter Luis Melendez also joins the commentary team. Alongside Brian Cody from GNA and Will Barry, former fighter and ref.

Fight Card Results

The undercard matches for this event had a different ruleset than the main card. On the undercard, all fighters wore shin guards, and strikes to the head were entirely illegal to a grounded opponent. Once the fight was brought to the ground, fighters were only allowed to strike to the body of their opponent in the interest of fighter safety. This had an interesting effect on the grappling flow of the fights, as you see longer exchanges and greater risks being taken on the ground, with the danger of being struck to the head removed.

UNDERCARD

Fight #1 DongJun Kim (0-0) vs Fabricio Berrun (0-0)

This fight started off fast as Berrun opened up with a flurry of punches against “DJ” Kim, who responded with a takedown, bringing Berrun to the mat, and immediately finding himself in a tight guillotine. However, Kim escaped the submission, and after a brief grappling exchange, he secured the Submission Win via Armbar with 1:59 seconds left in round 1.

Fight #2 Brandyn Ainsworth Vs Tyson Durham

The fight went all 3 rounds, largely filled with wrestling from Ainsworth side against Durham’s slick Jiujitsu defense, though there was a brief stop in the action in round 2 as referee Keith Peterson reset the fighters after an accidental cage grab on the part of Ainsworth. This proved to be the most competitive round as well, as Durhams also attempted an armbar towards the end of the round. In round 3, Durham almost changed the story of the fight, taking Hainsworth’s back in the last moments of round 3 and almost securing a choke. However, Brandon proved dominant over 3 rounds and earned a unanimous decision victory.

Fight #3 Nick Santalucia (0-0) vs Mike Rieken (0-0)
195 Pound Catchweight

This matchup also went to a decision, with a competitive first round for both fighters as they traded kicks right out of the bell. The fight eventually turned to grappling as Santalucia pressured Rieken against the cage, controlling him for the rest of the round. However, Santalucia then went on to soundly control his opponent throughout the second and third round with a dominant wrestling display. Controlling his opponent for over half of the second round, and taking Rieken down twice in the third. Despite this, and to the surprise of the commentators and participants alike, the judges scored the contest as 30-27 Santalucia, 28-29 Rieken, awarding Mike a controversial split decision win.

Fight #4 Jacob Slovak vs Joey Ortiz
Bantamweight

This 135 pound matchup was one of the most explosive of the night, with Slovak’s devastating striking repeatedly pitted against Ortiz’ grappling abilities. Slovak landed heavy shots early into the first, almost knocking his opponent down with his power, before being taken down by his opponent, who held down and landed a multitude of strikes to his opponent’s body before the end of the round.

The second round turned out to be even more exciting, as Ortiz began the round with his own barrage of strikes, before being dropped by one of Slovak’s strike. Despite this, Ortiz took his opponent down yet again, and despite multiple cage grabs from Slovak in an attempt to get up, Ortiz controlled him for the rest of the round.

The third round told a similar tale, as Slovak once more dropped his opponent early into the round, but was controlled once more by his opponent’s grappling ability. In the end, the judges awarded Joey Ortiz the split decision Victory.

Fight #5 Santino Tubia (0-0) vs Anthony Romero (0-0)
Bantamweight

The commentators speculated this matchup would be exciting, as while both fighters held 0-0 records, they also both displayed “cauliflower ear”, damage to the earlobes sustained through training, and normally found in heavily experienced fighters. And they were correct, as his bout had action right out the gate!

Tubia landed a takedown within the first ten seconds of the fight, displaying heavy pressure and control. Romero intelligently used a guillotine in order to stand up from his position, but was unable to secure the sub, and was quickly dropped three times back to back as Tubia established the clinch, delivering devastating blows each time they separated. The fighters then both took eachother down once more in the round, where Santino ended the round on top of his opponent.

Romero threw a dangerous high kick at the beginning of round two, but was taken down off of the attempt, and despite using his great jiujitsu in order to escape Tubia’s head and arm choke, Anthony found himself fully mounted for the remainder of the round.

Round 3 proved to be the most dominant, as Santino Tubia landed a takedown within 15 seconds, and maintained top position for the entirety of the round. The fight went to a decision, and all three judges scored the contest for Santino Tubia, awarding him the unanimous decision victory

Fight #6 Mukhtar Barros vs Nicholas Oyola
Featherweight

Both fighters in this matchup came out for blood, as round 1 began with a heated and vicious striking exchange. Oyola dropped Barros no less than 3 times, and yet despite this, Barros stayed in the fight and continued striking with Oyola until the end of the round.

Round 2 showed a change in pace, as despite being wobbled early, Barros proved to be the fresher fighter. The action came to a brief pause when Oyola accidentally groin struck Mukhtar, and the referee called for injury time, but upon reentering the fray, both fighters traded heavy shots until the end of the round.

Round 3 showed another change of pace, as this time it was Oyola who wobbled Barros early into the round. Barros responded in kind, dropping Oyola with a vicious strike, before being temporarily taken down by Barros. However, Oyola landed another accidental groin strike right as the fight stood back up, and Barros was hurt for a long time. The referee then took away a point from Oyola for the second illegal blow, and after a long period, Barros recovered and reentered the action. The fight continued at a steady pace for the remainder of the round, with no serious damage being dealt by either side. In the end, though one judge scored the fight for Oyola , Barros earned a majority decision win on the scorecards.

Fight #7 Jordan Saenz vs Ayden Robles
Bantamweight

One of the most experienced filled matchups on the under card, Saenz boasted a 1-0 record in both MMA and kickboxing, pitted against Ayden Robles, who had already competed in a MMA bout, a kickboxing match, and 2 grappling matches.

Round One was a highly competitive display of grappling from both sides, with both fighters securing a takedown on the other, and both fighters securing time on top of the other. The commentary had it for Robles via control time going into the second round.

Round 2 proved to be equally as exciting, as Robles pressured early, avoiding a trip attempt by Saenz and keeping pressure on him, even taking his opponents back as he scrambled to his feet, and establishing a rear naked choke. Despite this, Saenz escaped the attempt beautifully, ending the round in top control. At this point, the commentators speculated that the fight may be 1-1 going into the third.

Saenz attempted a takedown early into the 3rd round, but Roblez utilized his wrestling, sprawling on Saenz before cradling his opponent, and establishing side control in the scramble as Saenz tried to escape. Robles maintained top control until the end buzzer. Ayden Robles won via Unanimous decision

Fight #8
Musa Barros vs Esrades Ramos
Featherweight

These two 145ers brought an exciting conclusion to Cage Wars 68’s Undercard, as Musa Barros (brother of mukhtar barros who fought previously) pressured Ramos early, landing several shots, and even striking his way through two separate clinch attempts, winning a standup battle for the majority of the round.

Round two told a different tale, as Ramos landed a devastating leg kick early, before taking down his opponent. Barros quickly stood up, but was taken down once again and controlled for the 2:30 remaining in the round. Ramos once again brought his opponent to the ground 20 seconds into round number 2, dominating the fight for the remainder of the round. Esrades Ramos secured the Unanimous Decision victory.

MAIN CARD
This marks the beginning of Cage Ward 68’s Main card. Sporting a full MMA rule set where strikes to grounded opponents are legal and shin guards are no longer worn by either fighter.

Dan Van Nostrand vs Jeremy Campos
Heavyweight
This fight was highly competitive on the feet but ended quickly in the first round, as Campos was pushed against the cage, but quickly reversed his position, delivering a knee to Nostrand’s own knee against the wall, immediately dropping him and ending the fight via TKO

Rich Cloudhammer vs Nyles Rife
Light Heavy Weight
Announced as local favorite Cloudhammer’s last fight, this bout was as exciting as it was quick, as Cloudhammer immediately pressured Rife on the feet, bloodying his nose and backing him up against the cage. Cloudhammer then initiated a trip on Rife, however, Nyles Rife then reversed the position, gaining side control over his opponent and submitting Cloudhammer with a Head and Arm Choke with 1:25 seconds left in the first round.

Artiz vs Depace
Heavyweight
Coming off of a 3 fight win streak, Depace set the pace early, controlling his opponent with a thai clinch and landing several well placed punches. He continued to press his opponent against the cage, landing several more punches and knees as Artiz covered up. Keith Peterson called a stop to the contest with 26 seconds left in the first round, giving Depace the TKO victory. However, the stoppage left many (including the commentary team) confused, as while Artiz had been covering up, he was actively circling off of the cage as the fight was stopped, and actively defending.

Yanc vs Lopez
Flyweight
Nate Lopez delivered a stunning and lightning quick performance in this fight, taking Yanc down, taking his back, and submitting him via Rear Naked choke 38 seconds into the first round.

Jason Schmeltzer vs Isaiah Torres
125
This match’s first round was fairly evened match for both sides, as Torres (Coming off of 2 submission wins) pressured Schmeltzer in a high paced striking exchange early, before attempting a Judo throw on his opponent, who defended and reversed the attempt, establishing control of his opponent’s back and controlling him for the remaining 1:40 seconds left in the round.
Schmeltzer established back control once again early into the second round before submitting his opponent with 2:02 remaining.

Speckhardt vs Sagendorf
Flyweight

This fight proved to be one of the most competitive of the night as well as one of the most exciting of the night.
Both fighters earned the others’ respect on the feet in a heated exchange early into the first round, with Sagendorf evading Hayden’s punches, and dropping him with a return strike of his own. However, Speckhardt recovered, and initiated a clinch battle against the cage, where he delivered several damaging knees, Sagendorf escaped, and the round continued with both fighters pursuing their perspective paths to victory. Sagendorf winning on the feet once more, darting in and out of his opponent’s range before Speckhardt once again initiated a clinch that lasted til the very end of the round.
At the start of Round 2, the two fighters began another technical striking exchange, exchanging a variety of strikes before Sagendorf partially landed a question mark kick, and when Speckhardt pressured him in response, initated the clinch, and backing him against the cage wall. However, Speckhardt guillotines Sagendorf in response, controlling Sagendorf, reversing the position, and landing damaging knees to his body and thighs, before tripping him to the ground. Sagendorf ultimately stayed on the bottom of the exchange for the rest of the round.
Round three had an explosive start, as Less than 10 seconds into the start of Round 3, Sagendorf visibly wobbled Speckhardt with a question mark kick followed by a powerful lead hook. Speckhardt responded with a hook that wobbled Sagendorf as well, and utilized the opportunity to take his opponent down. The grappling proved to be just as fierce, with Sagendorf trapping Speckhardt in a tight triangle choke and holding it for several seconds before Speckhardt stacked him and took his back, placing him in a crucifix and controlling him for the remainder of the round.
The fight went to the judges scorecards, and Hayden Speckhardt won via Split Decision.

COMAIN EVENT
Alex Williams vs Tristan Carr
170 Welterweight TITLE

This match pitted NYC’s #13 ranked Alex Williams against #15 Tristan Carr for Cage Wars’ Welterweight title.
Round 1 had a quick start as both fighters engaged early, exchanging blows, with Alex attempting to pressure Carr against the cage early on. However, Carr used his footwork to stay off of the wall, defending two takedowns, and keeping it competitive on the feet, landing several good strikes.
Round two was back and forth as well, with Williams using his kicks to gain an edge in the standup, before shooting a takedown on Carr, who defended beautifully before pressuring Williams on the feet in return, wobbling his opponent and landing a vicious teep kick. By the end of the round he had caused major damage to his opponents eye, and turning the tide decisively in his favor.
This damage caused the ref to question Williams in between rounds, having the ringside doctor ask him if he could continue, and calling the doctor in a 2nd time the moment the 3rd round began. The doctor cleared him once again and the fight continued, but the action came to a halt once more when Williams accidentally kicked Carr in the groin, dropping him. Despite this, Carr came back from injury and immediately took control of the fight once more as it resumed, stuffing another takedown attempt from his opponent and decisively winning on the feet.
Tristan Carr won the bout via judges decision, and after being crowned the Welterweight champion, went on to thank his parents and teammates for their support, before stating that he didn’t care who was next, “I just want to defend the belt, this belt is mine.”

MAIN EVENT
Steven Persaud vs Ethan Lawson
Lightweight Title

This bout for Cage Wars’ Lightweight title pitted Steven Persaud against Ethan Lawson, who volunteered to travel from Canada on short notice to face Persaud, after Steven’s original opponent pulled from the fight due to injury.
This bout proved to be an absolutely dominant performance from Persaud, who took down his opponent a mere 6 seconds into the first round. While Lawson used his jiujitsu to attempt an armbar, Persaud landed multiple damaging knees to the body and dealt significant damage while defending his arm, keeping Lawson on his back for the entirety of the round despite the danger.
Persaud continued to dominantly wrestle throughout round 2, taking Lawson down early and sinking in a deep head and arm choke which almost ended the fight. Lawson did escape, however, Persaud instantly reshot, putting his opponent against the wall before taking him down once more.
Round 3 proved no different, as Persaud held Lawson against the cage for the first minute of the round, before taking him down with 1:16 remaining on the clock, and holding him on the mat for the remainder of the fight.
This shut out performance earned Steven Persaud the unanimous 30-27 Victory, and the Lightweight Championship.
Steven addressed the audience after his win, stating that the last minute change in opponent had not affected him much, as he had just tried to focus on his game plan instead of his opponent’s. Persaud also announced that he was willing to defend against his original opponent next, once he recovered..

This brought an end to an exciting night of fights at Cage Wars 68. If you missed out on the action, Cage Wars 69 will be held once more at Rivers Casino on February 7th, 2025.

Watch here

This brought an end to an exciting night of fights at Cage Wars 68. If you missed out on the action, the event was live streamed on Cage War’s page on stimulus.com, as well as live on their Facebook page. And Cage wars will return once more for Cage Wars 69 at Rivers’ Casino on February 7th, 2025!

https://www.stimulus.com/cagewarsmma

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