UWC Man O’ War
Fight #1 Chris “Savage” McCray (Gold Metal Grappling/Team Lloyd Irvin) vs. Manny “Postura” Okorle (Team Yamasaki)
Chris got the takedown early on Manny against the cage after trading light jabs. Christ pinned Manny’s arm down with his knee and began to tee off, giving him the obvious advantage in round number one. Manny is able to keep Chris from attaining the rear naked choke, but was really just allowing himself to be dragged around the ring. Manny almost used the cage to push himself over Chris’ back, but was unable to finish this move. This was a total domination for Chris. He was being very effective at keeping Manny on the ground. Chris got the full mount and Manny moved around and exposed his back. Manny did a decent job of avoiding another rear naked choke. Chris was looking a little gassed and his attempts at submission did not come to fruition. Manny stood himself back up and the two started swinging. He looked completely exhausted. Chris was finally able to get his rear naked choke after taking Manny down one last time. Winner at 4:51 by submission, Chris McCray.
Fight #2 Levon “The Main Man” Maynard (Global Martial Arts Academy) vs. Kyle “The Alleycat” Baker (MMA Institute)
Kyle started using obvious Muay Thai clinching. Maynard threw the first knee in the clinch. Kyle landed a huge right knee as the two remained in the clinch, bouncing off the cage walls. Mynard’s knees were looking a little weak as the round progressed, neither man wanting to exit the clinch. Maynard apparently had enough and separated himself from the Muay Thai specialist. Kyle showed nice form in his Muay Thai, slipping some quick elbows and good body shots. At the same time they both just seemed to put their hands down away from each other. It became a striking match where Maynard landed a strong right cross. Maynard’s form got a little sloppy once he started getting confident, and Kyle made sure he paid for it. Round ended after a few well placed shots from Maynard. Maynard was showing good timing at the beginning of round two before Kyle took him down. After a few ground and pound shots Maynard was able to stand it back up, but not without taking a hard jab. Kyle half landed an overhand right before clinching up and landing another big knee. Inside the clinch Kyle was able to land combo after combo, finally wearing Maynard out and nearly knocking him out where he stood. Mario Yamasaki called the fight at 2:57 of the second round, winner by TKO, Kyle Baker.
Fight #3 Iman “Mannie” Achhal (Capital BJJ) vs. Felice “Lil’ Bulldog” Herrig (H.I.T. Squad)
Iman got the bear hug in deep right from the start. It looked as if she’s going for a body slam of some kind, but to no avail. Iman began to work the leg with her knees. Felice could not seem to get out of that bear hug. Iman got the takedown, although sloppily, and was able to almost get a nasty looking guillotine choke on Felice. Iman was like a tick, not letting go once she got those hooks in. Felice began to start showing some striking prowess before getting locked up in the clinch again. A bit of a weak start to the match. Felice began round two with a flurry of fists and legs, able to catch Iman a bit off her guard. Once again they ended up back in the clinch, Felice trying to swing some kind of offense through Iman’s hooks, and Iman unwilling to engage in a striking game. Finally Iman was able to secure a huge takedown, but was unable to capitalize, allowing Felice to right herself on her feet. Felice reared back and landed a huge front kick into Iman’s stomach. The following combination was enough to swell Iman’s eye nearly shut. While back in the clinch, both fighters were looking spent and ended round two by trading knees. Within the first few seconds of round three, Felice landed a gorgeous left hook, giving her the clear advantage, and making Iman clinch her up for protection. Iman, after a lengthy clinch, was able to take Felice to the ground, and after a bit of work, was able to take full mount. A failed rear naked choke later, Felice stood herself back up as the audience went nuts. Iman scored another takedown, smothering her on the ground before the ref stood them back up. Felice wasted no time, and fired off a well placed combination that staggered Iman in her step just before the round ended. Winner by judges decision, Iman Achal. The crowd was a roaring mix of boos and cheers, to the point where I couldn’t hear her after fight interview with the announcer.
Fight #4 John Doyle (LionHeart MMA) vs. Cody “Donnybrook” Donovan (High Altitude Martial Arts).
Their nerves seemed to explode when they finally clinched. Cody was able to take John down quickly, causing blood to pour out of his mouth and nose. After attaining full mount, Cody was in complete control of John, whose strategy seemed to be to clinch Cody’s body as close as possible to him. Cody rained down blows on him, until finally the official had to call the match. Winner by TKO, Cody Donovan.
Fight #5 Herbert “Whisper/Gorilla” Goodman (H.I.T. Squad) vs. Ron “The Choir Boy” Stallings (Team Lloyd Irvin)
Whisper’s very first punch was a hard right that landed right on Ron’s face. He then picked Ron up and slammed him into the cage, not much for damage, but a nice aesthetic move for sure. Not a whole lot happened while Whisper was on top. In Whisper’s corner, Matt Hughes remained relatively quiet. Finally, Mario Yamasaki stood them up to continue their fight. Whisper did a well timed counter, taking Ron onto the canvas once again. And once again, not a whole lot happened from this position. Whisper was unable to land any really devastating punches, and Ron was unable to do anything to really help his situation. With 20 seconds left, Mario stood them up for the last time that round. Ron landed once of the hardest knees I’ve ever personally seen, right into the face of Whisper, knocking him out cold. Winner by KO, Ron Stallings.
Fight #6 Richie “The Dirty Samurai” Hightower (Genesis MMA) vs. Marcus Foran (Team Greg Jackson)
Both fighters were wary of each others’ prowess. Their nerves were causing big swings and over-movement when it came to clinching and knees. You could just tell these guys’ adrenal glands were working overtime. After an extended clinch Hightower made a beautiful sweep that slammed Foran hard into the mat. Foran, however, did a very impressive move where he twisted and spun into Hightower’s guard. From on top he continued to work the body of Hightower. Hightower was able to stand it back up again. Blood smeared on both men in the clinch. The two kept trading for position on clinch right before the round ended. Foran started by using his legs to soften Hightower up a bit. But instead of acting on it Foran appeared to be waiting for a counter attempt. After another extended very extended clinch, without either fighter really making any productive moves, the two were separated after an accidental groin shot by Hightower. The two ended up back in the clinch, and with Foran’s head lowered Hightower brought his elbow down into what looked to be the back of Foran’s head. Clearly something was up, as the judges went inside the cage to talk to the official about the placement of Hightower’s blows. Decision is made to “No Contest” for reasons of illegal strikes by Ritchie Hightower. “Dirty Samurai” indeed.
Fight # 7 Jose “This Pistol” Villarisco (team Lloyd Irvin) vs. John “The Magician” Dodson (Hybrid Academy/MMA Institute
I have to say, Team Irvin really brought the numbers to show support for their figthers. The speed on these guys made it that much more fun. Dodson started the round by landed a big right you could see phased Jose a little. After a good fist/knee combination from Jose, John dragged that same leg and slammed him into the canvas. These fighters were trading blows fairly evenly. Jose was showing a little more control in the cage, but Dodson is known as a very elusive fighter. Dodson really enjoyed using those jumping Superman punches, but Jose answered back and let him know that he was still paying attention. Dodson picked Jose up again for a slam, not as hard as the first, but still demoralizing I’m sure. At the start of round two, Dodson landed an impressive jumping roundhouse into Jose’s guarding elbow. After a good combo by Dodson he snarls after Jose, taking a knee for his over-excited furor. He is able to take Jose down, however, but these quick fighters never seem to stay down for long. A good knee from Jose seemed to begin the turn towards Jose’s favor. Dodson was a hard opponent to catch, only engaging when he deemed fit. Blood started to trickle down Dodson’s head as his takedown attempt was stuffed. The second time worked, as the entire ring shook with Jose’s impact just as the round came to an end. Jose was beginning to each punches, still having to chase Dodson around the ring. Dodson landed a huge combo, the right and left landing square on Jose’s jaw. Gun shy, was the best word to describe Jose’s changed fighting style. Another slam from Dodson started to take the hope away from Jose, that is until “The Pistol” almost snagged a well placed arm bar. With the entire crowd cheering his name, Jose made one last attempt to knock out Dodson. John was able to take Jose to the ground, putting a stop to any last ditch effort Jose had to try and claim the round. Winner by split decision, John Dodson.
Fight # 8 Jamal “The Suit” Patterson (Gracie Academy Virginia) vs. Antwain “The Juggernaut” Britt (Hybrid Academy/MMA Institute)
Jamal took a hit right at the start that if Britt pushed probably could have ended. Through the sprawling Jamal was able to get a quick guillotine placement on Britt, and seconds later Antwain tapped out. Winner by submission, Jamal Patterson.
Fight # 9 Justin Robbins (H.I.T. Squad) vs. Mike “The Hulk” Easton (Team Lloyd Irvin)
Both men respected the other’s abilities. This was noticeable by how much distance they gave each other in between scuffles. They danced around each other a lot, shooting a strike here and there in a match considered to have a significant impact on the lightweight MMA world. After round one, I wasn’t so sure. Justin’s form looked sloppy, as round two was a near carbon copy of round one halfway through. His leg kicks lacked any hip rotation, and he was bouncing off the walls anytime Easton pressed. Perhaps this was due to the extremely short notice they put this fight together; Easton’s original opponent (Chase Beebe) having not shown up for weigh-ins the previous day. Round two ended in boos. Easton looked much more aggressive in round three, a sweeping right hook enabling him to take Justin to the ground. Robbins ate some big knees while in Easton’s side mount. He was able to pull Easton into his guard, but this didn’t do anything great for either fighter. I kept wondering when this amazing fighter was going to pop out of Easton with two minutes left in the round. Justin seemed to have had enough, easily letting his neck slip into a guillotine choke. Winner by submission, Mike Easton.
- Eric ![]()





