Dan Severn defeated Ruben Villarreal by Decision (Split) 5:00 2R
Up next was the return of Dan “The Beast” Severn versus the Native American Champion, Ruban Villarreal, a.k.a. “Warpath.” Dan Severn is known as one of the sport’s dinosaurs, and his performance in this outing was leaving people wondering why he doesn’t just hang up the Speedo. Warpath, on the other hand, looked pretty good with his effective striking, and his ring entrance made him look like one cold blooded SOB. Severn spent the whole fight on the defensive. Even when he got a takedown, he couldn’t really do anything with it. Warpath was knocking Severn around pretty good, even opening up a cut in round 1. In the second round, Severn ate a hard jab and slipped to the canvas, where Warpath let him up. After some more strikes, Severn got dropped again, and Warpath thought he had won the fight. His lack of killer instinct would be his downfall, however, as the referee did not stop the fight. Severn was able to get to his feet again, and to his credit proceeded to pull a nice trip takedown out of nowhere. He landed in side control, launching some skyscraper knees, and then moved to mount, where he pounded on Warpath until the bell. That last ditch effort saved Severn, but it should not have been enough to win to the fight. The judges thought differently, and gave Severn the win by Split Decision, making Dan Severn the new Native American Champion (???). This fight should have been a draw at least, but maybe the judges just gave Severn the win as something to retire on. Regardless, Severn gave a nice speech afterwards, concluding, “I represent the past, and Warpath represents the future. What a bright future he has.”
