Cage Brawl II Results

by Tim Loy  photos by Mike Koran

Cage Brawl Fighting Championships returned to the Meadowview Convention Center in Kingsport, TN, for their sophomore effort last night.  The 12 bout card featured several close fights and the emergence of some new prospects.

In the main event, Chris Hall(3-2) won the ISKA State 145 lb. title with a first round submission of previously undefeated Casey Kerr(5-0).  Hall, fighting out of Integrated martial Arts in Lebanon, TN, locked in a shoulderlockafter a good scramble on the ground.  Kerr scored first with a nice takedown, but Hall stayed composed and quickly got the reversal.  The tap came shortly thereafter, at 1:05 of RD 1.

The event also featured three co-main events.  Tyrone "The Beast" Jackson(4-3) of Mountain Empire MMA, captured the CBFC Heavyweight Title with a 13 second KO of Bobby Heck(3-3).  Jesse Grissom upped his record to 10-0, with a guillotine submission of tough Josh Booher(7-2).  This was a war from the start, as both guys traded big blows on their feet, and also showcased several outstanding transitions andsubmission attempts on the ground.  The end came for Booher at 2:05 of RD 2.  The third co-feature saw two undefeated 130 lb. fighters put their unblemished records on the line.  Len Cook and Ned Spears both entered at 5-0, but it was Cook who left the cage with his record unscathed, as he secured a fight ending triangle at 2:16 of RD 1.

Full results are as follows....

ISKA 145 lb. State title

Chris Hall(3-2, IMA, Lebanon, TN) def. Casey Kerr(5-0, ClevelandMMA, Cleveland, TN) SUB Shoulderlock, RD 1 1:05

CBFC Heavyweight Title

Tyrone Jackson(4-3, Mt. Empire MMA, Bristol, VA) def. Bobby Heck(3-3, Highway MMA, Kingsport, TN) KO, RD 1 0:13

155 lbs. Jesse Grissom(9-0, Team Truth, Cleveland, TN) def. Josh Booher(7-2, Mt. Empire MMA, Bristol, VA) SUB RNC, RD 2 2:05

130 Lbs. Len Cook(5-0, Absolute JJ, Bristol, TN) def. Ned Spears(5-0, Iron Lock MMA, Big Stone Gap, VA) SUB Triangle Choke, RD 1 2:16

HVY David Bell(1-0, Independent, Kingsport, TN) def. Alex Brown(Debut, Independent, Charlottesville, VA) SUB Guillotine, RD 1 0:59

HVY John Davis(3-0, Chattanooga Fight Factory, Chattanooga, TN) def. Rob Horton(Debut, Gracie Tampa, Tampa, FL) TKO Ref Stoppage due to choke out, RD 1 0:48

155 lbs. Josh Ryan(Debut, Absolute JJ, Bristol, TN) def. Jordan Alvis(0-1, IMA, Lebanon, TN) UD, Alvis suffered an unintentional low blow in the 2ndround andwas unable to continue after several minutes of rest.  ISKA rep Todd Murray declared that the fight would go to the scorecards for the first completed round.

155 lbs. Jesse Shephard(3-2, Dawsonville, GA) def. Mike Anderson(4-2, Mt. Empire MMA, Bristol, VA) SUB Armbar, RD 1 0:44

170 lbs. Josh Best(1-0, Gracie Tampa, Tampa, FL) def. Thomas Tucker(Debut, World MMA Academy, Charleston, SC) SUB Strikes, RD 1 1:15

HVY Shawn Holston(0-1, Master's Studio, Mt. Pleasant, SC) def. Jesse Thomason(0-1, Mt. Empire MMA, Bristol, VA) TKO Ref Stoppage due to broken finger, RD 1 1:33

185 lbs. Brian Lewis(Debut, Highway MMA, Kingsport, TN) def. Jeremy Tharp(1-0, IMA, Lebanon, TN) KO, RD 1 0:21

155 lbs. Devin Rodriguez(Debut, Gracie Tampa, Tampa, FL) def. Garrison Phillips(0-1, Team Gattlin Gun, Johnson City, TN) SUB Head & Arm Choke, RD 2 2:16

Odds and ends......

The fighters that made the long trip from Gracie Tampa were all pretty impressive.  They all had trainer and UFC vet Matt Arroyo in their corner.  As there is no sanctioned amateur MMA in Florida, these guys have to travel to get experience before going pro.  Josh Best certainly looked the most ready, as he laid a brutal beating on Thomas Tucker.  Look for this guy to be making waves on the pro scene very soon.

Brian Lewis looked very good for it to be his first fight.  He was very intense and showed great accuracy in his striking, as he knocked out a tough IMA fighter in Jeremy Tharp.

Jesse Thomason either broke or severely dislocated his finger, not once, but twice in his fight.  He showed a lot of spirit to come back after having it reset the first time.

John Davis shocked the whole room when he choked Rob Horton unconscious.  Horton is an absolute giant of a man, and most of the crowd thought he would walk through Davis, who is a middleweight.  Davis showed that he was not intimidated, and the form UTC wrestler moved to 4-0.  The guys from Chattanooga Fight Factory have yet to fail to impress me.

Jesse Grissom will now make the move to the pro ranks after going 10-0 as an amateur.  He showed a lot of heart in this fight, escaping from a very deep armbar.  Booher has lost his last two, but they have both been against very tough opponents.

Len Cook has to be one of the best 125/135 fighters in the region.

Cage Brawl will return September 17.

KO of the night- Josh Best

Submission of the night-Len Cook

Fight of the night-Grissom vs. Booher

I actually had the pleasure of doing commentary for this event with UFC vet Brandon Sene.  It was a blast, and I look forward to trying my hand at this a bit more in the future.

 Devin Rodriguez

 Brian Lewis

 Josh Best

 Jesse Shephard

 John Davis

 Len Cook

 Jesse Grissom

 Tyrone Jackson