Cain Carrizosa Edges Danny Navarro in Tachi Palace Fights 30 Main Event

Sergio Quinones vs. Castle Williams #TPF30 Ref's trying to kill people out there pic.twitter.com/SnVrInjhQS

— Zombie Prophet (@ZPGIFs) February 3, 2017

If only Cain Carrizosa had been able to make weight on Wednesday. If he had, with the way he fought in the main event of Tachi Palace Fights 30 on Thursday night, he likely would have snatched Danny Navarro’s lightweight title away from him. Carrizosa was the aggressor throughout their duel and out-struck the defending champion the majority of the time and was constantly a step ahead of “Ironman.”

While rounds one and two were close, Carrizosa poured on the attrition in the third, easily winning the frame. Navarro tried to rally late but “The Insane” was in such a rhythm that it was fruitless. In the end, because Carrizosa, an Ultimate Fighting Championship and Bellator MMA veteran, had missed weight so badly, the battle was reduced from five rounds to three, which benefitted him. All three judges favored Carrizosa with scores of 29-28, allowing him to exact vengeance on the last man to beat him. Since it was a non-title affair, Navarro was able to keep his title even in defeat.

Casey Kenney didn’t care about the deep laceration on his left eyebrow; he had a title to win in the evening’s co-feature. The Tucson fighter battled Bellator veteran Alvin Cacdac for the vacant Tachi Palace Fights flyweight title and wound up securing a submission in the waning moments of the first to win the belt. The two went right after each other from the get-go, but “Cookie” seized his foe’s back during a scramble, locked in a slick rear-naked choke and forced the tap at the 4:09 mark of the frame.

In what was a thrilling grappling affair that saw both men twist and turn into and out of myriad submission attempts, it was Sergio Quinones who reigned supreme on the canvas over Castle Williams. With both men fishing for guillotines, omaplatas, heel hooks and more, it was a textbook brabo choke from Quinones that sealed the deal. He latched it on from side control and never relented until Williams went to sleep. Referee Jason McCoy had to lift and drop Williams’ left arm before he realized the fighter had been choked unconscious. The end came officially at 4:37 of the first.

Salvador Becerra was too much for fellow lightweight Nick Bustamante to handle as he tore him up with vicious striking to the head and body from the start. Becerra nearly knocked “The Brick” out with a wicked right cross to the jaw, but Bustamante was too tough for his own good. Battered and bloodied, Bustamante continued to try and turn the tides, but a volley of punches near the end of the second was too severe, forcing the ringside doctor to intervene and halt the mugging as soon as the frame ended.

In preliminary action, former TPF flyweight champ Alex Perez dominated Salvador Becerra and submitted him via brabo choke at 2:27 of the first; a heavyweight duel between Van Palacio and Josh Powell was ruled a “No Contest” 2:30 into the second after Palacio was accidentally poked in the eye and couldn’t continue; Jesus Vargas Aguilar submitted Lion Fight muay Thai veteran Anthony Castrejon with a rear-naked choke at 3:16 of the first; and Holt Felkins crushed Victor Gallegos with a knee to the head and finished him off with punches and elbows on the ground, forcing a ref stoppage 4:55 into the fight.