World Series of Fighting 29 Results: Play-by-Play & Round-by-Round Scoring

Danny Mainus vs. Brandon Royval

Round 1

From the opening bell, the southpaw Royval connects with his early strikes on Mainus, marking his opponent up and forcing him to step backward toward the fence. Royval continues to push the action and comes bouncing forward straight at Mainus, who shoots awkwardly and winds up lowering his head directly into Royval’s knee. Mainus is unconscious before he hits the ground, and Royval’s follow-up head kick mercifully misses the target. The referee intervenes before Royval can add any further damage.

The Official Result

Brandon Royval def. Danny Mainus via KO (Knee) R1 2:48

Josh Huber vs. Clay Wimer

Round 1

Huber lands a low blow with an early leg kick, but Wimer only needs a few seconds to recover from the accidental foul. When they resume, Wimer presses forward with kicks but gets socked with a straight left hand and nearly takes a seat on the mat. Another left hand down the center connects for Huber, then another, but Wimer won’t stop walking forward. The longer Wimer begins to find his range with jabs and body kicks late in the round, but Huber halts the momentum with a series of clinch knees. A few more left hands from Huber have Wimer reaching for his fallen mouthguard. Huber keeps up his attack in the final minute, flooring Wimer with yet another left and finishing the round on top. 10-9 Huber.

Round 2

Wimer attacks with leg kicks at the onset of round two, then ducks under a left hand to wrap up and drag Huber to the ground. Turning Huber away from the fence, Wimer first looks to pass guard and then grabs a guillotine as Huber sits up. Wimer drops to guard and tries to finish the choke, but Huber gets his head free and now takes top position. Huber stands to try and improve position, but he comes back to the floor in Wimer’s guard. “Hellboy” stands again and this time crashes back to the ground with a huge left hand to the face which has Wimer covering up. Huber tries to pound him out, but Wimer gets wrist control on the bottom and slows the assault. With 30 seconds left, Huber sits up to drop more punches, but Wimer once again thwarts the offense by threatening with a triangle or armbar. 10-9 Huber.

Round 3

The featherweights stand toe-to-toe in the center of the cage as the final round begins, but Wimer is soon forced back to the outside by Huber’s left hand. Wimer fights back to the middle with leg kicks and a hard shot to the body.

He dives for a takedown but Huber sprawls all over it and then forces Wimer to his back with just over three minutes remaining in the bout. Huber sets up in Wimer’s open guard and drops punches on the Dakotan’s swollen face. Wimer is spraying blood from his nose now, but it’s not preventing him from fishing for a triangle or rubber guard as Huber grinds away on top. Huber stays out of trouble in the final minute as Wimer shifts underneath, hunting for a last-ditch submission attempt. 10-9 Huber (30-27 Huber).

The Official Result

Josh Huber def. Clay Wimer via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) R3 5:00

Ian Heinisch vs. Tyler Vogel

Round 1

Heinisch walks straight across the cage to swing punches at Vogel, who circles left to evade the early offense. Heinisch keeps coming, gets Vogel near the fence and floors him with an easy takedown. Just as easily, however, Vogel gets back on his feet and peels away Heinisch’s hands from his waist. Heinisch connects with a couple quick punches on the break, steps inside and gets clipped with a right hook as he shoots for another takedown. Heinisch keeps pushing and brings Vogel back to the ground at the base of the fence, but again Vogel is able to post, stand and separate. Heinisch continues to push the pace in the latter half of the round, though his wild power punches pull up short more often than not. A late push from Heinisch yields one last takedown before the horn, though he’s unable to do much with the position. 10-9 Heinisch.

Round 2

The middleweights are off to another measured start in the second stanza, though it’s still Heinisch pushing forward. Vogel begins to pick up the pace from his back foot, checking Heinisch with leg kicks and jabs from the southpaw stance. Heinisch ducks inside with a good left hook but as he steps forward again, Vogel resumes his leg-kicking and jabbing. Things slow down further in the latter half of the round, but with one minute on the clock, Heinisch shoots and completes a takedown at the fence. Heinisch is getting a little busier now, grinding Vogel’s face with short elbows and mashing punches. Vogel tries to escape but spends the final minute of the round on his back. 10-9 Heinisch.

Round 3

Heinisch comes shooting for a takedown but gets an arm underhooked by Vogel, who tries to spin his opponent to the ground. Heinisch keeps driving forward and Vogel sprawls on the shot, then lands an illegal knee to the head while Heinisch’s knee is still on the ground. Referee Tim Johnson calls time and takes one point away from Vogel, while Heinisch goes to a neutral corner to clear the cobwebs. Heinisch seems alright after a miinute or so, and he comes back looking for another takedown. Vogel stuffs it and feeds Heinisch a few punches in the process. Heinisch’s next shot is a successful one, and now Vogel finds himself on his back with 3:30 left in the fight.

Vogel closes his guard around Heinisch and peppers him with short punches, while Heinisch drops short shots from the top as well. Neither man is doing much damage, and Heinisch seems more focused on keeping Vogel grounded than hurting him. The middleweights scoot away from the fence, Heinisch still putting punches on Vogel’s rib cage as they enter the final minute. Vogel tries to create space or get something going from the bottom, but there’s little he can do. Heinisch avoids a last-second armbar attempt and finishes the fight on top, throwing hammerfists. 10-8 Heinisch (30-26 Heinisch).

The Official Result

Ian Heinisch def. Tyler Vogel via Unanimous Decision (30-26, 30-26, 29-27) R3 5:00

Josh Cavan vs. Kris Hocum

Round 1

Hocum steps forward with a few inside leg kicks but is soon hustled against the cage by Cavan with an underhook. Hocum reverses and steps out to the center of the cage, where he throws a kick that’s caught. As Cavan holds his leg, Hocum swipes a right hand across his opponent’s face. A few more punches follow, but the next time Hocum throws a kick, it’s snatches up by Cavan for another clinch. Cavan breaks off with a punch after a few seconds, and now it’s Hocum walking forward to land a leg kick-right hook combo. Cavan tries to clinch on the fence again and has his head pulled down by Hocum with the Thai plum. Hocum scores with a pair of knees before Cavan breaks the grip and shoves him against the wall. Referee Tim Mills is fast to separate the welterweights, but soon enough it’s Cavan clinching up again. Hocum gets through with a knee to the body as he’s hugged against the cage, then he pushes Cavan away. Cavan charges in just before the bell, clipping Hocum with a few wild punches but eating an uppercut in return.

Sherdog Scores

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Hocum
Tristen Critchfield scores the round 10-9 Hocum
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Hocum

Round 2

Cavan tries to step inside with a reaching punch and gets caught with a left hook around the outside. Hocum touches Cavan’s chin with a high knee in the Thai clinch, and now Cavan wants to bring the fight back to the fence. Keeping tight to Hocum on the fence, Cavan may still be shaking off the effects of that knee, which also opened a cut on his nose. Hocum creates some separation but soon finds himself held on the wall again. He launches another knee at Cavan’s head, and though it doesn’t seem to land with the same force, it causes Cavan to release the clinch. Cavan eats a couple punches as he dives back inside to shoot on his opponent’s legs. Hocum goes down to one knee, and Cavan tries to whip around the corner for the back-take. Hocum scrambles away, back to his feet and clear of danger with just about one minute on the clock. Cavan just keeps pressing forward, trying to close the gap. Hocum turns the tables in the final seconds by going for a takedown of his own, though Cavan is able to defend.

Sherdog Scores

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Hocum
Tristen Critchfield scores the round 10-9 Hocum
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Hocum

Round 3

Cavan goes shooting for another takedown early in round three and is denied by Hocum, who sprawls and stands to circle away. Cavan may be the fresher of the welterweights here, as Hocum steps backward and draws a few deep breaths.

Ninety seconds in, Cavan shoots for a double-leg at the fence and succeeds in bringing Hocum to the mat. Hocum gets to his knees and is greeted by several right hands from Cavan, who finally loses control and allows Cavan to stand inside the two-minute mark. They’re not apart for long when Cavan goes back to the clinch, then drops levels to complete another takedown. Hocum continues to eat short punches as he struggles to stand. Cavan leaps onto Hocum’s back with 30 seconds remaining and looks to soften him up for a choke with punches from back-mount. Hocum keeps his chin tucked, however, and survives to hear the final horn.

Sherdog Scores

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Cavan (29-28 Hocum)
Tristen Critchfield scores the round 10-9 Cavan (29-28 Hocum)
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Cavan (29-28 Hocum)

The Official Result

Kris Hocum def. Josh Cavan via Split Decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29) R3 5:00

Cory Devela vs. Louis Taylor

Round 1

Devela whiffs on a leg kick, then shoots on his opponent’s lead leg when Taylor steps into the pocket. Taylor not only defends the takedown, but wraps up Devela’s neck in a nasty standing guillotine. The choke looks tight, and it only gets tighter as Taylor backs Devela up to the fence and wrenches the neck. Devela struggles to escape or get an angle to free his his, but he’s caught and soon his arm goes limp. Devela is still propped up against the cage when referee Tom Johnson realizes the fighter is out and stops the contest.

The Official Result

Louis Taylor def. Cory Devela via Technical Submission (Guillotine Choke) R1 0:29

Josh Copeland vs. Mike Hayes

Round 1

Both heavyweights paw with punches in the opening minute, with Hayes throwing out a few leg kicks, too. Copeland lands the first solid punches of the contest and then hustles Hayes against the wall, where the big men trade short knees inside. Hayes gets an overhook and looks to spin Copeland’s back to the fence, but “Cuddly Bear” stays on the outside and grinds away with short punches to the body. Hayes finally breaks loose after pulling down Copeland’s head and drilling him with a pair of knees. Hayes is jawing at Copeland now, trying to bait him into an exchange, but Copeland is still throwing mostly single punches from range and landing little down the stretch.

Sherdog Scores

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Copeland
Tristen Critchfield scores the round 10-9 Copeland
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Copeland

Round 2

Copeland continues to step forward on Hayes in the second frame, though the ex-UFC fighter has certainly lost some of the bounce in his step. Nonetheless, Copeland is finding a home for solid hooks on the chin of Hayes, who continues to talk to Copeland in between exchanges. A pair of straight punches score for Copeland, knocking Hayes back a few steps. Hayes returns to knock out Copeland’s mouthguard with a jab, but there’s no follow-up and Copeland is allowed to recover it. Two minutes left in the middle round, now the heavyweights exchange simultaneous jabs. Hayes keeps winding up to throw big right hands, but he’s being picked off by Copeland’s counter hooks almost every time. Hayes is wearing the worse of the damage with a bloody nose and mouth. It’s hard to tell which fighter is more tired as they plod around the cage, lobbing single strikes. Hayes gets through with a left to the body, tries to go up top but has a head kick blocked.

Sherdog Scores

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Copeland
Tristen Critchfield scores the round 10-9 Copeland
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Copeland

Round 3

Copeland shoves Hayes against the cage but can’t hold him there, as Hayes pushes “Cuddly Bear” out to the center to continue striking. A right hand comes over the top and decks Hayes, who keeps walking forward on Copeland despite being tagged with jabs and counters. Tired as he is, Copeland still has the more precise punches, and his accuracy is topping Hayes’ volume and aggression here.

Copeland is backed up to the fence, standing flat-footed and still countering Hayes with hard left hands. The fighters clash punches and Copeland tries to use the opportunity to clinch or work for a takedown, but Hayes slips away. Down to the final minute now, Copeland is standing with his hands by his waist but continues to connect with counters to Hayes’ flailing strikes. The heavyweights clinch briefly, then Copeland separates with an uppercut and a nice left hook. Copeland misses with a clinch knee but gets the final word by sticking a jab on Hayes’ face.

Sherdog Scores

Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Copeland (30-27 Copeland)
Tristen Critchfield scores the round 10-9 Copeland (30-27 Copeland)
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Copeland (30-27 Copeland)

The Official Result

Josh Copeland def. Mike Hayes via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) R3 5:00

WSOF Lightweight Title Fight:
Justin Gaethje vs. Brian Foster

Round 1

Referee Tom Johnson is the third man in the cage for tonight’s 155-pound championship affair. Foster gets busy right away, slugging Gaethje with a left hand down the center and then placing a spinning back kick on the champ’s body. Gaethje eats them and returns fire with leg kicks, then knocks Foster to his posterior with a hard right hand.

Foster recovers quickly and fends off Gaethje with hard upkicks, allowing him to scramble back up. Gaethje continues to score with hard leg kicks, and they’re clearly hurting Foster, although the veteran is still swinging heavy leather in return. Gaethje puts another big chop on Foster’s left leg, then another, and this time Foster hits the deck. He’s in agony, clutching at his leg, and referee Johnson waves off the fight. Justin Gaethje retains his WSOF lightweight title with a quick and nasty dismantling of Brian Foster.

The Official Result

Justin Gaethje def. Brian Foster via TKO (Leg Kicks) R1 1:43