Weekend Rundown: Horn Submits Salmon; Miller Triumphant

Jeremy Horn submitted Sean Salmon with a first-round rear-naked choke to retain his International Fighting Championship middleweight title at IFC “Extreme Challenge” on Saturday at the Soaring Eagle Casino in Mt. Pleasant, Mich. It was Horn’s first appearance under the IFC banner in nearly five years.

Horn dropped Salmon with an uppercut, softened him with follow-up strikes on the ground and cinched the choke for the tapout. The 34-year-old has rattled off five consecutive victories, all of them first-round finishes, since his unanimous decision defeat to Rousimar Palhares at UFC 93 in January 2009.

In the co-headliner, Mike Whitehead stopped Chase Gormley on fourth-round strikes to capture the IFC heavyweight crown. The 29-year-old Whitehead has won 16 of his last 18 fights, losing only to Renato "Babalu" Sobral and current Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal.

Other winners at IFC “Extreme Challenge” were EliteXC veteran Anthony Lapsley (second-round rear-naked choke submission against Ray Willmington), Kelly Warren (unanimous decision over Amanda LaVoy), Tim Ruberg (second-round rear-naked choke submission against Chad Herrick) and Armondo Pardo (unanimous decision over Adam Wray).

Miller KOs Connors; Couture Falls

American Top Team standout Micah Miller knocked out Bruce Connors with a first-round punch in the Xtreme Fighting Championships 11 “The Next Generation” main event on Friday at the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa, Fla. The end came 2:01 into round one.

Miller clinched inside the first minute, absorbed a kick below the belt from Connors and kept Florida-based featherweight on the end of his punches. He later attacked with a series of knees from the clinch, wobbled Connors with a right hand and finished him with a left. Miller, a 23-year-old World Extreme Cagefighting veteran, has delivered four wins in his last five fights.

In the co-feature, Marianna Kheyfets dazzled in her professional debut, as she submitted Kim Couture with a first-round triangle choke. Couture, the ex-wife of UFC hall of famer Randy Couture, met her demise 3:06 into round one.

Quick Hits
D.J. Linderman defeated Team Quest’s Daniel Stewart to capture the Sportfight heavyweight championship at Sporfight 28 “Boling Point” on Saturday at the Theater of the Clouds in Portland, Ore. The 6-foot-2, 250-pound Linderman has posted three consecutive victories since losing a unanimous decision to International Fight League veteran Devin Cole in May 2009 … Gerald Meerschaert submitted UFC veteran Ron Faircloth with a second-round rear-naked choke in the Madtown Throwdown “Worlds Collide” headliner on Saturday at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison, Wis. The 22-year-old Meerschaert will carry a five-fight winning streak into his next appearance … Unbeaten light heavyweight Ethan Garrison submitted Sammy Collingwood with a second-round armbar in the SportFight X 3 “Undefeated” main event on Saturday at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta. The end came 3:00 into round two. Based in Marietta, Ga., Garrison has burned through his first eight professional opponents, seven of them by knockout, technical knockout or submission.