Pat Healy, Andre Harrison, Tim Elliott Reign at Titan Fighting Championship 34
Pat
Healy likes his view from the top.
The well-traveled Ultimate Fighting Championship, Strikeforce and World Extreme Cagefighting veteran took care of Marcus Edwards with second-round punches to retain the Titan Fighting Championships lightweight title in the Titan 34 headliner on Saturday at the Scottish Rite Temple in Kansas City, Mo. A short-notice replacement for the injured Mike Ricci, Edwards (10-4) wilted 3:17 into round two.
A notorious slow starter, Healy (32-20) plodded through the first
five minutes. Edwards was the aggressor, as he rattled the champion
with a left uppercut, delivered a Superman punch and connected on a
head kick. It was not enough. Edwards struck for a takedown early
in the second round and threatened with a rear-naked choke, only to
have “Bam Bam” scramble into top position. From there, Healy
chipped away with punches and hammerfists until Edwards was face
down and defenseless, forcing referee Jason Herzog to act.
In the co-main event, undefeated Ring of Combat veteran Andre Harrison claimed the Titan featherweight championship with a unanimous verdict against Kurt Holobaugh. All three cageside judges saw it for Harrison (10-0): 49-46, 49-46 and 48-47.
Holobaugh did his best work in rounds two and three. In the second, he trapped Harrison in a triangle, held him in place and peppered him with elbows and punches from his back. In the third, Holobaugh buckled the challenger with a searing right hand. The finish he needed did not materialize in either round.
Meanwhile, unbeaten Welsh prospect Brett Johns kept his perfect professional record intact with a split decision over Anthony Gutierrez in a five-round battle at 135 pounds. Two of the three cageside judges scored it for Johns (12-0) with 48-47 and 49-46 marks; a third cast a dissenting 48-47 nod for Gutierrez (6-2). Johns was stripped of the Titan bantamweight title prior to the bout after he failed to make weight.
Repeated takedowns, an active top game and elbow-laced ground-and-pound drove Johns to his 12th straight win. He appeared to aggravate a pre-existing knee injury in the third round -- the 23-year-old was barely able to stand at one point -- but forged ahead nonetheless. Johns punched his way into the clinch in the fourth and executed another takedown before weathering a burst of jumping knees from Gutierrez in the fifth.
Elsewhere, Tim Elliott captured the vacant Titan flyweight championship with a five-round unanimous decision over American Top Team’s Iliarde Santos. Elliott pitched a shutout on the scorecards, as all three judges awarded him 50-45 marks.
Elliott (11-6-1) blended clinches with a mixture of strikes, from standing elbows and jumping knees to more traditional punches and kicks. Santos (28-10-1) struggled to keep up and saw his best chance at a comeback vanish late in round five, when Elliott escaped from bottom position and freed himself from potential danger.
The victory snapped a three-fight losing streak for Elliott.
In other action, Freddy Assuncao (9-1) submitted Cody Bollinger (17-5) with an arm-triangle choke 2:51 into the second round of their tussle at 145 pounds; Zak Bucia (14-6) knocked out Jose Landi-Jons (29-16) with punches 47 seconds into round two of their welterweight matchup; Jackson-Wink MMA export Isaac Vallie-Flagg (15-7-1) was disqualified for delivering an illegal knee to the grounded Jason Witt (7-2) 1:54 into the third round of their catchweight encounter at 160 pounds; Desmond Green (15-4) knocked out Vincent Eazelle (9-2) a mere 32 seconds into round one of their 150-pound catchweight tilt; Roufusport’s Gerald Meerschaert (22-8) forced a doctor stoppage against Lucas Rodolfo Bresolin Rota (10-6) just 50 seconds into the third round of their middleweight pairing; Andrew Whitney (12-3) took a unanimous decision from William Joplin (11-11) in a three-round battle at 135 pounds; Dakota Cochrane (19-9) put away Mike Bruno (12-8) with punches 51 seconds into round three of their catchweight clash; and Cody Peterson (4-1) submitted Joseph Fulk (3-3) with a triangle armbar 4:21 into round one of their scrap at 135 pounds.
The well-traveled Ultimate Fighting Championship, Strikeforce and World Extreme Cagefighting veteran took care of Marcus Edwards with second-round punches to retain the Titan Fighting Championships lightweight title in the Titan 34 headliner on Saturday at the Scottish Rite Temple in Kansas City, Mo. A short-notice replacement for the injured Mike Ricci, Edwards (10-4) wilted 3:17 into round two.
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In the co-main event, undefeated Ring of Combat veteran Andre Harrison claimed the Titan featherweight championship with a unanimous verdict against Kurt Holobaugh. All three cageside judges saw it for Harrison (10-0): 49-46, 49-46 and 48-47.
Entering his first title defense on a five-fight winning streak,
Holobaugh (14-3) could not stay upright. Harrison utilized
rinse-and-repeat takedowns and some stout ground-and-pound
throughout the 25-minute match. The 28-year-old New York native
secured multiple takedowns in four of the five rounds and opened a
nasty gash on Holobaugh’s forehead with an early elbow strike.
Holobaugh did his best work in rounds two and three. In the second, he trapped Harrison in a triangle, held him in place and peppered him with elbows and punches from his back. In the third, Holobaugh buckled the challenger with a searing right hand. The finish he needed did not materialize in either round.
Meanwhile, unbeaten Welsh prospect Brett Johns kept his perfect professional record intact with a split decision over Anthony Gutierrez in a five-round battle at 135 pounds. Two of the three cageside judges scored it for Johns (12-0) with 48-47 and 49-46 marks; a third cast a dissenting 48-47 nod for Gutierrez (6-2). Johns was stripped of the Titan bantamweight title prior to the bout after he failed to make weight.
Repeated takedowns, an active top game and elbow-laced ground-and-pound drove Johns to his 12th straight win. He appeared to aggravate a pre-existing knee injury in the third round -- the 23-year-old was barely able to stand at one point -- but forged ahead nonetheless. Johns punched his way into the clinch in the fourth and executed another takedown before weathering a burst of jumping knees from Gutierrez in the fifth.
Elsewhere, Tim Elliott captured the vacant Titan flyweight championship with a five-round unanimous decision over American Top Team’s Iliarde Santos. Elliott pitched a shutout on the scorecards, as all three judges awarded him 50-45 marks.
Elliott (11-6-1) blended clinches with a mixture of strikes, from standing elbows and jumping knees to more traditional punches and kicks. Santos (28-10-1) struggled to keep up and saw his best chance at a comeback vanish late in round five, when Elliott escaped from bottom position and freed himself from potential danger.
The victory snapped a three-fight losing streak for Elliott.
In other action, Freddy Assuncao (9-1) submitted Cody Bollinger (17-5) with an arm-triangle choke 2:51 into the second round of their tussle at 145 pounds; Zak Bucia (14-6) knocked out Jose Landi-Jons (29-16) with punches 47 seconds into round two of their welterweight matchup; Jackson-Wink MMA export Isaac Vallie-Flagg (15-7-1) was disqualified for delivering an illegal knee to the grounded Jason Witt (7-2) 1:54 into the third round of their catchweight encounter at 160 pounds; Desmond Green (15-4) knocked out Vincent Eazelle (9-2) a mere 32 seconds into round one of their 150-pound catchweight tilt; Roufusport’s Gerald Meerschaert (22-8) forced a doctor stoppage against Lucas Rodolfo Bresolin Rota (10-6) just 50 seconds into the third round of their middleweight pairing; Andrew Whitney (12-3) took a unanimous decision from William Joplin (11-11) in a three-round battle at 135 pounds; Dakota Cochrane (19-9) put away Mike Bruno (12-8) with punches 51 seconds into round three of their catchweight clash; and Cody Peterson (4-1) submitted Joseph Fulk (3-3) with a triangle armbar 4:21 into round one of their scrap at 135 pounds.
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