Hardrock MMA 29: 2 Year Anniversary Show Pro/Am

Hardrock MMA 29

CageCraze.com was live at the Paroquet Springs Conference Center in Shepherdsville, Kentucky, for “Hardrock MMA 29: 2 Year Anniversary Show Pro/Am.” The card was headlined by a professional light heavyweight bout between John Troyer and Roger Minton. Also on the card was the professional debut of Justin Gamble as he took on Josh “Pitbull” Blanchard. There were also four amateur titles on the line at Hardrock MMA 29. A total of 17 fights made up this fantastic local MMA Pro/Am event.

Amateur Fights

Chris Hansford vs. Paul Jones

Team Animal’s Chris Hansford submitted Paul Jones of Georgetown MMA with a guillotine choke in the first round to move to 2-0 in his amateur Mixed Martial Arts career. Hansford slammed Jones to the mat early in the fight and looked like he could finish Jones with an arm triangle but Jones got out of it. Jones was able to do some damage from Hansford’s guard later in the round but Hansford caught Jones in the guillotine choke and forced the tap at 2:43 in the round

Montez Jordan vs. Robert Nguyen

Montez Jordan took the victory over Robert Nguyen in a very close fight via split decision. The fight went back and forth through all three rounds. Nguyen got the better of Jordan in the standup during the fight but Jordan was able to put in enough work on the ground with punches from Nguyen’s guard to sway two of the judges.

Bryce Petoskey vs. Phillip Runsvold

Bryce Petoskey represented the Louisville MMA Fight Team well by dispatching Phillip Runsvold via armbar in the first round of their 130-lbs catch weight bout. Petoskey took Runsvold down immediately at the start of the fight and worked for a guillotine choke. Runsvold forced Petoskey to give up on the choke but Bryce Petoskey readjusted and locked in the armbar 1:03 into the first round to remain undefeated.

Cothern fights the armbar

Brandon Cothern vs. David Ward

Brandon Cothern defeated David Ward via submission due to strikes to move into title contention in the Hardrock MMA 125-lbs division. Cothern landed a hard body kick in the second round that dropped Ward to his knees. Cothern followed Ward to the ground and landed several left hands to Ward’s body from the north-south position. David Ward tapped due to strikes at 2:53 in the second round. Brandon Cothern is set to meet Bryce Petoskey at Hardrock MMA 32 in Lawrenceburg for the Hardrock MMA Flyweight Title.

Santiago works a choke in Rd. 1

Genaro Santiago vs. Quinton Parks

Genaro Santiago overcame a huge reach disadvantage to defeat Georgetown MMA’s Quinton Parks via a unanimous decision. At 6’3″, Quinton Parks towered over the 5’7″ Genaro Santiago and that made it very hard for Santiago to take him down. However, Santiago managed to close the distance and land effective strikes, including a head kick in the first round. Quinton Parks was always active and went for several submission attempts but he never could close out Santiago. Genaro Santiago was able to get the fight to the ground and used a solid wrestling base to control the fight. All three judges scored the fight in Santiago’s favor, 30-27.

Day hoists Eggleton into the air

Bradley Day vs. Drew Eggleton

Reaction MMA’s Bradley Day was able to outpoint Drew Eggleton to secure a unanimous decision victory and to move to 5-1 in his career. Most of this fight was spent on the feet, with Bradley Day pinning Drew Eggleton against the cage for the majority of the time. Day controlled Eggleton in the clinch and landed several knees and uppercuts throughout the fight to score points with the judges. His striking plus his ability to neutralize Eggleton’s offense sealed the victory on the scorecards. Drew Eggleton dropped to 4-2 with this loss.

Burgess wins via armbar

Andy Burgess vs. Jeremy Townsend

Andy Burgess submitted Georgetown MMA’s Jeremy Townsend via armbar in the second round of their Middleweight clash. Jeremy Townsend showed a lot of heart in this fight by withstanding almost two full rounds of punishment at the hands of Andy Burgess. Burgess utilized solid ground and pound technique to control Townsend but lost that top control in the second round after being swept by Townsend. Burgess quickly adjusted and pull Townsend into the armbar, bring on the tap at 2:26 in the second round.

Tyler Crow vs. Cliff Hicks

Tyler Crow (Brandenburg MMA) won his debut fight via KO against a very tough Cliff Hicks. The fighters seemed to be well matched in size, speed, and strength, but the more experienced Cliff Hicks (Combat Inc.) took control early and landed knees from the clinch. The turning point came around the 2:20 mark when Tyler Crow broke free and landed a right hand that back Cliff Hicks off of him. Crow then followed up with a barrage of punches and chased Hicks across the cage. The fight ended when Crow dropped an already dazed Cliff Hicks with a short right hand at 2:52 in the first round.

Rich loads up his right hand

Sawyer Rich vs. Dusty Stengel

Sawyer Rich won the second and third rounds against Dusty Stengel (Baddog MMA) to claim a unanimous decision victory. Stengel was able to get Rich on the ground early in the fight and he controlled Rich throughout the first round, landing knees and punches on the ground in the process. Sawyer Rich then came out in the second round and let his hands go. Rich was able to keep the fight standing and caught Stengel with a right-left combo that forced Stengel to retreat across the cage. Rich followed up with knees and uppercuts as Stengel covered up. Rich was able to mount Stengel but the round ended before he could make any serious attempts at finishing the fight from that position. The third round went to the ground but Rich did much better than he did in the first round. Stengel secured dominant positions but Rich managed to work out of them and finished the round with an armbar attempt. All judges scored the bout 29-28 in favor of Sawyer Rich.

Michael Ricketts vs. Terry Coulter

Michael Ricketts came out on top in this battle of unbeaten lightweights, defeating Terry Coulter via split decision. This was just one of many incredibly close fights that went to a split decision at Hardrock MMA 29. The fighters were evenly matched in their standup, with the longer Coulter using his reach to stay outside of Michael Ricketts, and Ricketts bobbing in and throwing overhand punches. Ricketts started out hot and landed a couple of strong takedowns in the first round. The momentum shifted from Ricketts to Coulter over the course of the fight though. Coulter spent the better part of the first two rounds on his back, but almost came away with a heel hook submission in the second round. Ricketts escaped and put Coulter on his back, a move that probably swayed two of the judges to give the round to him. Round three was all Coulter on the feet and on the ground. Coulter was able to take Ricketts’ back in the waning moments of the fight but time ran out before he could set anything up from the position. Two judges scored the fight 29-28 for Ricketts, while the other judge saw the fight 29-28 for Coulter.

Dudley Hall after the stoppage

Charles Dove vs. Dudley Hall

Dudley Hall had no answer for the takedowns and ground-and-pound of Charles Dove, losing via TKO at 2:23 in the third round. Charles Dove took Dudley Hall down at will throughout the fight and punished Hall on the ground. Hall was able to work back to his feet several times but could only prevent the takedowns of Charles Dove by grabbing the fence, a move which cost Dudley Hall a point in the third round. The fight came to an end late in the third round when Charles Dove mounted Hall and unleashed a surge of punches that forced Hall to buck and roll desperately. Once Hall rolled over, Dove continued pounding away. A large cut was opened up on the head of Hall during the fracas and the referee was forced to step in and stop the fight.

Seals throws a right hand

Michael Seals vs. AJ Jenkins

4 Seasons’ Michael Seals became the new Hardrock MMA Welterweight Champion by cruising to a unanimous decision victory against AJ Jenkins of the Louisville MMA Fight Team. Jenkins was able to score with leg kicks and punches throughout the fight but he never could link anything together to slow down Michael Seals. Everything that Jenkins did in the fight, Seals did better. The Kentucky Boxing and Wrestling Authority would not sign off on this fight for the standard five rounds because Seals had only had two fights. Michael Seals went on to win all three rounds of the shortened bout and took the belt home to 4 Seasons in Lexington, Kentucky.

Gibbs lands a kick

Dusty Gibbs vs. Jon Voth

Dusty Gibbs won the Hardrock MMA Bantamweight Title via a split decision against Reaction MMA’s Jon Voth. This fight was as close as we saw all night and Gibbs probably won the fight based on his performance in the fifth and final round. One could easily argue that both fighters had won two rounds a piece heading into the last stanza, although some in the crowd, and apparently one judge, saw the fight 3-1 Voth heading into the last round. Gibbs took Voth down 0:30 into the final round and maintained top position for the next two minutes. Voth was able to work to his feet momentarily but Gibbs brought the fight back to the ground and worked for an armbar as the round came to a close. The judges scored the fight 48-47 twice for Gibbs, and 48-47 once for Voth.

Maiani leans back for a kick

Joe Maiani vs. Phil White

Current Hardrock MMA Featherweight Champ, Joe Maiani, had several scary moments against former champ, Phil White, but managed to retain his title via unanimous decision in front of a crowd full of his supporters. Phil White was constantly working for submissions from the bottom in this fight, and easily could have won two rounds based on his attempts to finish the fight. Joe Maiani was just too slick and was able to get out of every hold that White threw at him. Maiani looked to be a much larger Featherweight than Phil White and used his strength advantage to keep White on his back. Maiani landed strikes effectively but White never seemed in danger of being stopped. All three judges scored the fight in Maiani’s favor (50-45, 49-46, 48-47), although the 50-45 score turned in seems highly unlikely, given the aggressiveness displayed by Phil White in seeking submissions.

Deener looks for the RNC

Chad Deener vs. Richard Tunstill

Chad Deener became the new Hardrock MMA Light Heavyweight Champion by beating the previously undefeated Richard Tunstill via, wait for it, split decision. Deener was a crowd favorite and using the “eye test,” he would seem to be the favorite in the fight. Tunstill is built a bit smaller than Deener, and carries more extra weight, but having seen Tunstill fight several times in the past year we knew better than to count him out. Tunstill survived a brutal first round that saw him almost finished via punches and then he survived a rear naked choke and a heel hook attempt from Deener. Tunstill stood with Deener and scored the most damage on the feet throughout the next four rounds. It looked as if Deener was hurt a couple of times but the new champ showed great resiliency and scored takedowns when he needed to get out of bad situations on the feet. This is the type of fight that gives judges nightmares because they have to weigh damage against how many dominant positions a person controls. Many people thought that Tunstill did enough with his striking to win the fight on the scorecards but the majority decision was that Deener’s takedowns and groundwork won the day. The official scores were 48-47 & 49-46 Deener, and 48-47 for Tunstill.

Pro Fights

Blanchard upends Gamble

Josh Blanchard vs. Justin Gamble

Josh Blanchard (Louisville MMA / Baddog MMA) notched his second win as a professional via an impressive KO victory against Justin Gamble. Gamble threw a kick to open the fight but Blanchard caught it and took Gamble down. Blanchard quickly moved to mount and then pinned Gamble’s right arm to the mat and started landing elbows and punches to Gamble’s uncovered face. Blanchard repositioned himself in the mount and then dropped a series of crushing elbows that knocked Gamble out at 3:15 in the first round.

The beginning of the end for Minton

John Troyer vs. Roger Minton

John Troyer handled Roger Minton in just 0:24 by submitting Minton with a rear naked choke. Troyer opened the fight with a flying knee but Minton ducked under it. Troyer transitioned to the back of Minton and applied a modified rear naked choke, forcing Minton to tap at 0:24 in the first round. This was Troyer’s first fight since defeating Josh Clark at Bellator 30 in Louisville.

Quick Results

Amateur Fights

Chris Hansford def Paul Jones via Tapout due to guillotine choke at 2:43 in Rd. 1

Montez Jordan def Robert Nguyen via Split Decision

Bryce Petoskey def Phillip Runsvold via Tapout due to armbar at 1:28 in Rd. 1

Brandon Cothern def David Ward via Tapout due to strikes at 2:53 in Rd. 2

Genaro Santiago def Quinton Parks via Unanimous Decision (30-27 x 3)

Bradley Day def Drew Eggleton via Unanimous Decision (30-27 x 2, 29-28)

Andy Burgess def Jeremy Townsend via Tapout due to armbar at 2:23 in Rd. 2

Tyler Crow def Cliff Hicks via KO (punch) at 2:52 in Rd. 1

Sawyer Rich def Dusty Stengel via Unanimous Decision

Michael Ricketts def Terry Coulter via Split Decision

Charles Dove def Dudley Hall via TKO/RSC at 2:23 in Rd. 3

Michael Seals def AJ Jenkins via Unanimous Decision to win the Hardrock MMA Welterweight Title

Dusty Gibbs def Jon Voth via Split Decision to win Hardrock MMA Bantamweight Title

Joe Maiani  def Phil White via Unanimous Decision to retain the Hardrock MMA Featherweight Title

Chad Deener def Richard Tunstill via Decision to win the Hardrock MMA Light Heavyweight Title

Pro Fights

Josh Blanchard def Justin Gamble via KO (elbows) at 3:15 in Rd. 1

John Troyer def Roger Minton via Tapout due to RNC at 0:24 in Rd. 1

UFC 126 at S&SC

CageCraze.com’s coverage of “Hardrock MMA 29: 2 Year Anniversary Show Pro/Am” is brought to you by The Sports & Social Club at the 4th Street Live! Entertainment District in downtown Louisville. The Sports & Social Club is the best place in town to watch your favorite sporting event. Come for the game, stay for the party! The Sports & Social Club will be hosting the Hardrock MMA 29 after-party and will be showing UFC 126 live on pay-per-view. Join us at S&SC after Hardrock MMA 29!

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