IFL: Pitbulls vs. Wolfpack
by: DarthMolen 1 year, 5 months, 4 weeks, 2 hours, 58 minutes ago
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International Fight League
Last nights IFL event was tape delayed and broadcast on the same night. There were no edits, the pace was relaxed, and the fights were spectacular. Just what the IFL needed for their 2 hour FSN piece.
I wish I could describe the first bout of Schultz vs. Joe Sampieri but FSN thought that the Stars in the playoffs were more important than my MMA. Needless to say, I have filed a complaint with my Senator. FSN was nice enough to cut in to see the decision and Schultz won over Joe Sampieri by unanimouos decision.
Michael Dolce vs. Delson Heleno
The next match was Michael Dolce vs. Delson Heleno. The last time Dolce fought, the match only lasted 29 seconds so the expectation was for a fast fight. Heleno proved us all wrong. This match was a war. Heleno was a beast on the ground and Dolce was Houdini.
Round one opened up with Dolce swinging for the fences in hopes of ending the match as soon as possible. Heleno disabused him of the thought and immediately wraps up. Dolce defended the takedown by grabbing the rope and was assessed a point deduction by the referee. Heleno finally takes down Dolce and Michael spends the rest of the round defending submissions and trying to get up.
Round two, Dolce comes out gun shy. Heleno is definitely in his head and he doesn’t want to be taken down. Heleno throws a head kick and Dolce blocks it. Delson then shoots in and takes it to the ground. Heleno then passes easily to side control. Heleno then uses the cage to slowly slip to full mount and goes for an americana which Dolce rolls and presents his back to escape. Heleno then throws the leg over the head in an effort to armbar but at this point Dolce is like Houdini and slips the armbar. Heleno keeps his grip and gets another submission but runs out of time and the bell saves Dolce.
Round three is almost a mirror of round two with Heleno securing the takedown after Dolce comes out tentative yet again. Heleno gets impatient about halfway through the last round and resorts to staying on top of Dolce no matter which way he writhes. Heleno keeps up the GNP until the end of the round and the last bell.
Heleno wins by unanimous decision. Although Dolce lost, it was entertaining because you were waiting to see how he was going to get out of the next submission attempt that Heleno was trying.
Gerald Harris vs. Fabio Leopoldo
The next pitted Gerald Harris against Fabio Leopoldo and both Gerald Harris. This is Gerald Harris’ first match in the IFL and you can tell he is excited to be there.
Round one starts and Leopoldo comes out trying to strike. Gerald Harris immediately shoots in and gets the double leg. He then picks up Leopoldo, adjusts his grip in midair to avoid the guillotine, and slams Fabio down hard. They both scramble and Leopoldo gets the triangle but Gerald sticks his hand in and avoids the submission. After struggling for awhile, Gerald stands up and then jumps in and throws some leather against Fabio’s face. Leopoldo responds by kicking straight to the knee while he is on his back. The referee stands them both up and Gerald streaks in and gets an awesome slam! Leopoldo gets a guillotine off the slam but Harris is saved by the bell.
Round two starts and Harris gets the takedown. They scramble and Leopoldo tries for a knee bar but misses. Harris then jumps back into guard and sits there. His corner is screaming at him to just stand up but he is tired. Leopoldo tries to go for a triangle twice but is unsuccessful. Harris is visibly exhausted but he remains elusive to all the submission attempts that Fabio continues to try off his back. They are both eventually stood back up and Harris manages to land a hard body shot to Leopoldo but the bell rings before Leopoldo can respond.
Round three has Harris bulldozing in right after the beginning bell. Leopoldo goes for another armbar off his back and Harris barely slips it due to exhaustion. Harris finally gets side guard and Leopoldo rolls out and up. Fabio then throws a nice uppercut that slightly stuns Harris. Both are tired and running on fumes. Harris then knocks Leopoldo down on the next exchange with a hard left. Leopoldo tries for a triangle and Harris escapes. There is a good flurry at the end of the match with both scrambling before the last bell.
They both come to the center of the ring and Fabio is declared winner by split decision. Harris is incredulous but gracious in his after-fight bout. It really could have gone either way but props to the judges to rate all those submission attempts so highly.
Jamal Patterson vs. Matt Horwich
The next bout figures to be the fight of the night with Jamal Patterson vs. Matt Horwich. There is a big lead up for Jamal in the which we learn that he is a district sales rep during the day and a fighter at night PLUS manages to keep a girlfriend. This is the first rematch in IFL history which is surprising since these teams have to constantly be fighting each other.
Round one starts with Jamal swinging wildly and goes for a guillotine off Matt ducking away. Jamal feels how deep his arm is around Matt’s neck and jumps to guard finishing the choke off. Nobody expected the win so fast but Jamal is incredibly strong. Matt himself is very choked up about the loss.
Jamal Patterson wins by Guillotine choke in the first round and the Pitbull’s win the team match 3-1.
Devin Cole vs. Brian Vettell
Devin Cole and Brian Vettell are next and if the Pitbull’s can take this match, they will be tied for first with the Anaconda’s. Devin has lost his last four matches and broke his nose in the last fight. Vettell is heavier but shorter than Devin Cole.
Round one starts and Devin rushes in and locks up with Vettell. Vettell flips the position and pushes Devin into the corner. Vettell lands a knee to the groin that sends Devin to the mat. Devin is given time to recover and they quickly get back to business. Both swing with roundhouse punches and Vettell pushes Devin into the corner. Brian gets a hook in on the nose of Devin Cole and there is blood everywhere. Vettell then takes down Devin and starts the GNP. Devin looks a little dazed but the bell saves him.
Round two starts and they both rush to the grapple. Devin throws Brian out of the ring and the apron saves Vettell from the ground. Vettell comes back into the ring and Devin lands a nasty Superman punch that causes Brian to bleed over the left eye. Cole then throws down Brian and moves almost effortlessly to side mount. After a couple punches, Cole gets mount and rains down nasty rights straight down the pipe while propped up with his left, knocking out Vettell.
Devin Cole wins in the second round by TKO due to GNP and completes an upset.
A very satisfying night of IFL fights where the Pitbulls advanced their cause for the playoffs and the fighters shone in their respective matches.
I was impressed. If it were up to me, this would be the product delivered on MyNetworkTV and better reflects the quality of product that the IFL has.
These bouts were better than UFC Fight Night Live on April 5th and almost as good as UFC 69. The only thing it was missing on the TV was a superfight to round out the production.
Here are some pictures of the event over at MMAHQ.