PORTERVILLE, Calif., Dec. 12 -- Gladiator Challenge once again returned to the Eagle Mountain Casino for another night of hand to hand cage combat. The event certainly lived up to the title, Brutal Force, as there were some extremely bloody and brutal battles waged throughout the night.
The Gladiator Challenge light-heavyweight title was up for grabs as contenders Jaime Jara and Anthony Ruiz went to war for the belt. Mixed martial arts celebrity Eric Apple was also there to judge, ensuring that the decisions would be fair and honest. Gladiator Challenge and King of the Cage bantamweight champion Urijah Faber was awarded the prestigious Fighter of the Year award, and Gladiator Challenge and King of the Cage welterweight champion James Fanshier was also in attendance to help present the award.
Sometimes a fighter has too much heart for his own good, and Team Kihon's Anthony Ruiz is an example of this. It isn't exactly a bad thing, but sometimes a fighter's big heart allows him to take more punishment than he deserves. As was the case in this championship bout, where Worsham's Team X star Jaime Jara defeated Ruiz by technical knockout 3:36 of round one.
Ruiz had his moments in this bout, refusing to give up even with the odds stacked against him, but the aggression of Jara proved too much for Ruiz to handle. From the outset, Ruiz was looking for the takedown, quickly grounding the fight and landing in Jara's guard. Jara managed to sweep, quickly moving to side control. From here, he unleashed an onslaught of punches and knees, which Ruiz barely managed to survive.
Cut very badly around the eye, Ruiz managed to sweep Jara, but was in trouble soon after as Jaime secured an armbar from the bottom. Ruiz, again with tons of heart, managed to escape the armbar, and take his opponent's back. Ruiz, however, was quickly reversed, had his back taken, and was then given some breathing room after the fight was temporarily halted due to an illegal strike from Jara.
After some time to recover the fight resumed, with Ruiz once again immediately going for the takedown. Jara managed to stuff the takedown, reversing Ruiz before taking the mount. Getting pounded by punches, Ruiz had no choice but to give his back. From here Jara continually pounded on him until the referee stopped the fight, making Jaime Jara the new Gladiator Challenge light-heavyweight champion.
Ruiz has come a long way from his beginnings in the sport. The illegal blow may have had something to due with the results, so maybe a rematch is in order somewhere down the line. Jara will have some tough competition for the belt, with Tosh Cook and Justin "The Executioner" Levens waiting in the wings for their opportunity at glory.
