Rival FC Results- Bushido MMA's Title Takeover

Jeremy Fairhurst

There’s nothing quite like the backstage of an MMA event right before the show. Many fighters handle the pre fight nerves in different ways. With some turning to music, sitting silent in the corner, or brooding and waiting for the inevitable call that it is time to enter the ring. Others seem not the slightest bit bothered, bouncing happily from teammate to teammate, just killing time before the action begins. Some take the time to strategize with their cornermen, reiterating last minute details and reaffirming their plan of action. But what’s underneath it all? An electric feeling, found within fighter and fan alike, slowly growing and emanating with the crowd.

Rival FC was no different, as the Commission officials yelled names and orders, ensuring everyone was where they needed to be. Rival FC’s security ushered all non participants out of the back hall, asking everyone to exit the area entirely and re-enter through the main doors, doing their best to ensure everyone had an entry wristband as excited audience members poured through the entrance.

By the time the promoter, Yonah Yisrael, had taken the center of the stage to announce that it was time for the national anthem, the seats were filled entirely by eager spectators, with even more lining the walls and still more in line for their refreshments, both alcoholic and otherwise. The crowd fell silent for the stunning performance, and ten minutes later, longtime Rival FC announcer, Brandon Lasley, entered the ring. Bringing his combined 13 years of experience on the microphone (from CVS to UFC Fight Pass) to Yonah Yisrael’s events for the 5th consecutive year to announce that it was time for the action to begin.

Yonah Yisrael (Top) and Brandon Lasley (Bottom)

PRELIMINARY FIGHTS

Grant Binkley v Caleb Bailey

Grant Binkley and Caleb Bailey opened up the card with a showing of heart and ferocity that left many considering them the Fight of the Night. With Bailey rushing his opponent right out of the gate, only to be rocked by a stiff right hand from Binkley early, bringing the crowd to their feet. Binkley immediately closed in on his opponent, taking the opportunity to pull guard. However, after a brief struggle, Bailey returned to his feet.

A brief pause in the action occurred when Bailey accidentally struck Binkley in the groin shortly after standing up. As the fight resumed, the tide seemed to turn, with Bailey beginning to land his own heavy shots, and even forcing Grant up against the cage. However, Binkley kneed his way back to the center, and stood toe to toe with his much larger opponent (who had weighed in several pounds over the agreed upon 145 weight class in the night prior), receiving devastating shots that left him covered in his own blood, only to return with his own offense, in a war that had the crowd screaming.

Binkley took his opponent down shortly into the second round, and though Bailey was able to stand back up, he fell victim to Binkley’s superior Jiu-Jitsu in his attempt to reshoot. Bailey was forced to tap after falling prey to a standing guillotine, granting Grant Binkley the 2nd round submission victory.

Timothy Murdock vs Johnny Erickson

Rival FC’s second fight of the night was a 205 lb Kickboxing bout between debut fighter Johnny Erickson, out of Bushido MMA, and Timothy Murdock. Murdock himself was no stranger to the octagon, having taken part in a FOTN war representing the same gym a few years prior. The two clashed in a bout that extended for all 3 rounds, with Murdock handily winning the first two with a display of fast and powerful overhands and carefully timed strikes. However, Erickson maintained a cool head against experienced opposition, adapting his approach in the third round and changing the flow of the fight, closing the distance before dropping his opponent with a well timed knee to the chest, the first and only knockdown of the fight, causing all three judges to score the fight as a Draw.

Austin McCoy vs Matthew Blackburn

Next into the cage were Austin McCoy of Quest MMA and Matthew Blackburn of Rough House boxing, who clashed in a 145 lb MMA match.
This fight had an explosive start. as Blackburn hurt his opponent early, landing a lead hook , taking McCoy’s back, and slamming him to the ground. However, McCoy reversed the position, ending up in his opponent’s guard, and escaping a guillotine attempt. What followed was a wild and back and forth grappling exchange, filled with nasty submission attempts from both sides. Blackburn put his opponent on the mat three times, while McCoy stayed aggressive, escaping an armbar attempt and regaining his feet twice, before eventually sinking in a tight guillotine as his opponent slammed him to the ground once more. The submission appeared to be dangerously close to succeeding, however, his attempt was cut short by the buzzer signaling the end of the first round.
Despite the competitive nature of the first round, Matthew Blackburn finished Austin McCoy a mere 12 seconds into the second round. Walking him down and throwing a textbook 3 punch combination, which ended with a powerful right hand, dropping him and following up with ground and pound to end the fight.

Pierce Owen vs Julian Cruz

This 155 Pound MMA bout also ended in the first round, with Owen landing a stiff jab seconds into the fight, only for Cruz to recover, slip around and take control of his back. Owen consistently attempted to regain position, but Cruz maintained control through multiple wrestling scrambles, and eventually pinned him to the mat, raining down punches and forcing the referee to call a stop to the contest early into the 1st round via TKO.

Alexander Wynn vs Jonathan Manea

This 185 pound MMA bout was as exciting as it was quick, pitting independent fighter Jonathan Manea against Quest MMA’s Alexander Wynn. Quickly testing his opponent’s durability, Wynn started the fight off with a powerful rear kick to Manea’s body. However, Manea appeared unfazed, and after a brief pause, Wynn followed up his attack. Throwing an attempted head kick, followed by a brief punching combination, and landing a right hand on Manea. In response, Manea cut an angle to the outside to avoid more damage, causing a couple strikes to miss before rushing in with a combination of his own. However, Wynn quickly ducked under Manea’s attack, taking his back before slamming him over his head onto the canvas and quickly sinking in a rear naked choke and forcing Manea to tap. Moments later, the judges announced that Alexander Wynn had won via submission 26 seconds into the 1st Round.

Wynn vs Manea

Kyle Chabella vs Cameron Sperry

Another skilled display of grappling for Rival FC’s Lightweight division. Chabella rushed forward early, attempting to take his opponent down right out of the gate. However, Sperry defended the attempt with a perfectly executed wrestling sprawl, locking Chabella against the fence and forcing him to carry his weight on his back. Despite this, Kyle survived and maintained constant pressure on his opponent. Patiently waiting for his opportunity until suddenly reversing the position, taking control of Sperry’s back and quickly sinking in a rear naked choke that secured him the 1st round submission victory.

Samuel Sloan vs Michael Blackburn

This heavyweight barn burner was considered by many to be another Fight of the Night contender, pitting Bushido MMA’s Samuel “The Sloan Ranger” Sloan against Rough House Boxing’s Michael Blackburn. Sloan began the bout with a beautiful display of leg kicks and jabs, dictating the range and setting the pace of the fight early. When Blackburn began his own offensive, Sloan tripped his opponent and let forth a devastating combination of punches on his opponent, followed by a hard knee to the body, chasing Blackburn down and shoving him into the cage as he attempted to flee, and hitting him with another combination. However, much to the excitement of the crowd, Blackburn survived the onslaught, circled into the middle of the cage, and after avoiding a spinning kick from Sloan, dropped him with a powerful right hand. Blackburn then attempted to rush Sloan, pushing him into the cage with his left hand while throwing wild overhands with his right, only for Sloan to initiate a clinch and quickly getting his back off of the cage and breaking the exchange with an uppercut. Moments later, Sloan perfectly timed a hook as Blackburn reengaged, then floored him with a follow up uppercut, securing a 1st Round Victory via TKO.

Tony Vincent vs Nick Vandergraph

This bout featured the return of Bushido MMA’s Tony Vincent after a 5 year hiatus from the octagon, facing off against Nick Vandergraph in a 155 pound MMA match. Vincent began attacking his opponent immediately, walking him down with hooks and wobbling him early as he began backing him up against the cage. Vandergraph succesfully circled off of the wall, and caught a kick from his attacker, attempting to take him down. However, Vincent acted first, jumping into a guillotine, forcing his opponent to the ground, rolling backwards and landing in full mount on top of Vandergraph, landing several devastating punches as he turned away attempting to escape.

Some brief confusion ensued, as the referee suddenly interrupted the action, separating both fighters. He stated that during the scramble, Vincent accidentally struck the back of his opponent’s head, but deemed it as accidental. The fight then resumed, and after a brief exchange, Vandergraph was forced against the wall once more before being dragged to the mat. Tony remained on top of Vandergraph for the rest of the round. Tony Vincent won via Submission 46 seconds into Round 2. Taking Vandergraph down early, moving to his back, securing a body triangle, and sinking a rear naked choke that forced his opponent to tap.

TITLE FIGHTS

Cole Glover vs Zach Lozano
135 Bantamweight MMA Title

Kicking off Rival FC’s three-part main event, Cole Glover of Bushido MMA Faced off against Zach Lozano, who represented Team Irvin Jones of Nashville Tennessee for the 135 pound MMA title.

Both fighters immediately met in the center of the ring, probing each other’s distance briefly, with Glover setting the pace with a lead hook, and Lozano responding in kind with a snapping leg kick. Glover soon pressured Lozano against the cage and starting unloading hooks, taking the pressure off, only to back Lozano into the wall once again in response to more leg kick attempts. However, Lozano engaged in a defensive clinch with Glover, slowly working his way to a body lock, pulling him tightly, recovering his energy, and then reversing their position. Now the aggressor, Lozano engaged in a brief struggle with Glover against the cage, successfully taking him down. Glover immediately got back to his feet and unloaded several close range punches, briefly breaking free, but Lozano followed, rushing back in and gripping him in a Thai clinch, before unloading a devastating knee to Glover’s head that brought the crowd to their feet.

Seeing his opponent hurt, Lozano rushed in, body locking Cole once more, taking him down once again, and quickly moving to full mount in an attempt to finish the fight. However, Glover quickly regained his senses, reversing the position and ending up on top of Lozano, albeit in his guard. Glover immediately began raining punches on Lozano as he scrambled to his feet, pushing him against the wall and narrowly missing a knee, refusing to let him stand up. Lozano was forced to cover up, unable to respond, and the referee intervened, calling a stop to the contest and awarding Cole Glover the victory via 1st Round TKO.

Nate Hamblin vs Jerden Hargrove
125lb Featherweight MMA Title

Rival FC’s Co-Main Event pitted Bushido MMA’s “Nasty” Nate Hamblin against Four Seasons Striking Academy’s Jerden “Red Rage” Hargrove, in an MMA battle for the 125 LB Featherweight Title. Both fighters had demonstrated their speed and aggression in previous bouts, and this outing was no different. After briefly touching hands, Hargrove immediately threw a roundhouse kick to Hamblins’ lead leg. And just as quickly, Hamblin replied with his own, which was partially blocked. Red Rage’s response was to rush forward in an attempt to grab Hamblin, however, his hands only briefly touched his opponent’s shoulders before Hamblin landed a “nasty” right overhand, that knocked him completely off of his feet.

Hamblin immediately rushed forward, attempting to pass Hargrove’s flailing legs, but in his excitement, threw a kick that almost connected to his still grounded opponent’s head. Hargrove protested, and the ref moved to step in, but Hamblin had already recognized his mistake. Bowing in acknowledgment and apologizing, he allowed Hargrove to his feet, and the two immediately began exchanging kicks. At first neither fighter landed on the other, but soon, Hamblin began closing the distance, blocking two body kicks and narrowly avoiding a headkick attempt from Hargrove before stepping into boxing range. Fast as a snake, Hamblin became the aggressor once more, darting in and out of range, landing 2 hard strikes on Hargrove while avoiding his attempts to counter.

For a brief moment the tide seemed to turn once more when Nate threw a flashy double kick attempt, only to slip on the canvas, falling backwards and crawling to the cage wall as Hargrove rushed to jump on top of him. However, this proved to be his undoing, as Hamblin began to stand up, he forced Jerden to his back, throwing a torrent of heavy punches. Hargrove attempted to turn away, only for Hamblin to hold him against the ground, elbowing his body, punching his head, turning him to his stomach, and even briefly cranking his face in a guillotine attempt, before resuming the punishment until the referee stepped in.

Moments later, it was announced that Nate Hamblin had defeated Jerden Hargrove in a TKO Victory, and he was awarded the Rival FC Flyweight belt.

MAIN EVENT

Will Pittman vs Gavin Stagner

To top the night off, Kaminari Gym’s own Gavin Stagner travelled to Paducah, KY to duel against hometown fighter Will Pittman of Bushido MMA, in a 3 Round war for Rival FC’s 145 Pound Kickboxing title.

Both fighters displayed their championship skills early into the 1st round. One which soon became a technical war as each combatant traded jab for leg kick, utilizing strikes of all kinds and meeting each other point for point. With only a brief pause in the action due to an accidental groin strike on the part of Stagner, and culminating with Pittman throwing a flip kick in a flashy end to the round.

Round 2 set a different tone, as both Pittman and Stagner put more weight behind their strikes, now devoting to attacks that had previously been more measured than powerful. The loud THUD of shins colliding now filled the air, as both combatants turned to their legs as their weapon of choice. Stagner narrowly avoided a looping hook from Pittman, who had caught one of Stagner’s teep kicks and siezed the opportunity to strike. Stagner did not relent however, going on to land the kick several times throughout the round, and gliding out of range of Pittman’s attacks, albeit constantly on the backfoot. Twice, Pittman backed Stagner against the wall, rocking him with blows to the head and body, though each time, Stagner circled away, snapping his full power into his leg kicks in an attempt to keep the battle at a longer range. It soon became apparent that the fight was now between Stagner’s kicks and Pittman’s punches. And in the last ten seconds of the round, Pittman doubled his pace, walking Stagner down with powerful punches that rocked him once more and had him backpedaling away even as he countered.

Round 3 began with both fighters opening their toolboxes once more, trading strikes and vying for position. Stagner landed several good leg kicks, but remained on the backfoot, and several times Pittman closed the distance to land a flurry of hard punches. Though the round was interrupted by two accidental groin strikes from Pittman, he continued his assault until the end of round 3 with a display of flashy kicks and nonstop aggression.

In the end, their championship bout went to the judges score cards, and Will Pittman was awarded Rival FC’s 145 Pound Kickboxing title via Split Decision.

In Conclusion, after a climactic night full of MMA and Kickboxing wars, featuring fighters from all around the Midwest, Paducah, Kentucky’s own Bushido MMA ended the contest with all three of Rival FC’s Championship belts, much to the appreciation of a roaring crowd. And with newly established champions Will Pittman, Nate Hamblin, and Cole Glover, as well as rising prospects like Matthew Blackburn and Samuel Sloan, the local MMA scene is sure to stay exciting for years to come. Rival FC’s next event is predicted by Yonah Yisrael to be held in April of 2025, and fighters are already scrambling for their next chance at glory in Paducah’s own MMA arena.

Until then, you can recap the action of all 11 fights in the links below:

Grant Binkley vs Caleb Bailey
Timothy Murdock vs Johnny Erickson
Austin Mccoy vs Matthew Blackburn
Pierce Owen vs Julian Cruz
Alexander Wynn vs Jonathan Manea
Kyle Chabella vs Cameron Sperry
Samuel Sloan vs Michael Blackburn
Tony Vincent vs Nick Vandergraph
Cole Glover vs Zach Lozano
Nate Hamblin vs Jerden Hargrove
Will Pittman Vs Gavin Stagner

The pictures featured in this article are the work and property of Professional Photographer Jimmy Palmer, who has played a monumental role in Yonah Yisrael’s shows for several years now, expertly capturing the sport’s greatest moments on camera, to be cherished by fighters and fans alike.
Mr. Palmer’s entire photo album for this event, as well as more of his work, can be found in the links below:

https://jimmypalmer.smugmug.com/
https://jimmypalmer.smugmug.com/RIVALFC

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