KOTC Settlement - Mt Pleasant MI

Friday June 13^th. Time for the King Of The Cage to once again make its presence felt in Mt. Pleasant Michigan at the Soaring Eagle Resort with 16 great fights. The atmosphere in the event center was pretty electric with a packed crowd. The KOTC has been having several events here a year now so their getting quite a fan base here.

Fight #1 135 lb Amateur tournament. Richard Blair Vs Nick Boucher.

Rd. 1

After a short feeling out process Nick goes for a head kick which is grabbed by Rich starting to take Nick down. Amazingly Nick almost turns it into a triangle on the way down but ends up just pulling a closed guard. Rich manages to work his way loose to stand up, just barely avoiding a knee to the face on the way up. The two jostle for position against the cage for the remainder of the round.

Rd.2

The fight turns into a ground war almost immediately with Nick getting a takedown then getting side control. Nick starts throwing some serous hammer fists but Rich is defending well. Rich manages to pull guard with some good hip movement and begis to stand up. On the way up Nick gets a tighr guillotine with 20 seconds left in the round. Rich toughs it out till the round ends

Rd. 3

More of the same however Rich manages to get Nicks back but Nick sneaked out the back door reversing it. Nick sinks in a RNC at 2:02 of the third round, advancing to the finals of the 135lb tourney.

Fight #2 135 lb Amateur Tournament Tony Huff vs Brandon Bandlow

Basically Brandon goes for a take down and get caught in a Guillotine in 36 seconds. Huff advances to tournament final.

Fight #3 135 lb Amateur Tournament (Alternate bout) Steve Becker vs Adam Cunningham

Steve and Adam immediately exchange blows, Adam lands a good right so Steve ties it up, spins Adam forcing him into the cage. After some jockeying for position Adam gets underhoooks allowing him to lift Steve off his feet and get a hard take down. Adam gets full mount and starts the GNP. Steve does a good job of Almost bucking Adam off but Adam grabs Steve's left wrist securing a Kimura. Adam Cunningham via Kimura at 1:58 of round 1

Fight #4 John Lloyd vs Damon Dyer 170 lb Amateur Tournament

They feel each other out for a bit, Damon gets John over to the cage and pulls off a great slam. He goes right to side control and secures Johns wrist behind his back. John is able to defend it for a while however once Damon is able to position for better leverage John is forced to tap at the 1:57 mark. Dyer advances to tournament final

Fight #5 Justin Edwards vs Daron Qruickshank 170 lb Amateur Tournament

Daron goes for quick take down, gets caught in a guillotine and taps out in 19 seconds. Edwards advances to tournament final

Fight #6 Jake Himes vs Kyle Morasky 170 lb Amateur Tournament Alternate bout

Kyle gets taken down but pulls rubber guard almost immediately trying for a triangle. Jake is able to stand picking Kyle up and slamming him hard ala Rampage style. Wow! After a couple blows herb Dean quickly steps in and calls the fight.
Winner: Jake Himes via KO (Slam) at 1:44 of round 1.

Fight #7 Brandon Hance vs Dave Wright (Amateur bout)

This was the first fight to go the distance but it basically went like this. They would make some short exchanges, Dave would take Brandon down and maintain a dominant position. Keeping busy enough to keep it from being stood back up too many times. Brandon did have a tight triangle with 20 seconds left in the 2^nd but Dave toughed it out till the bell rang. More dominance by Dave in the 3^rd. Dave Wright via Unanimous Decision after 3 three rounds.

Fight #8 Steve Cotterman vs Ed Kramer (Amateur bout)

Sorry I blinked during this one. Ed gets taken down, pushed into the fence and GNP’d in 20 seconds. Steve Cotterman via TKO.

Fight #9 Justin Jaynes vs Jorge Sarat (Amateur bout)

Jorge gets taken down but quickly pulls guard. He almost secures a triangle but when he realizes it’s not working he uses some great hip movement to work loose and stand it back up. Jorge lands a hard left, knocking Justin down. He uses some quick strikes to help get full mount and gets the TKO at the 2:07 mark

Fight #10 Rodney Sleepers vs Charles Cosens

Rd. 1

Great fight! Sleepers gets a quick take down but Charles does a great job nullifying any offense Rod can come up with and it is stood up in about a minute. They spend the rest of the round basically going toe to toe in the striking dept. The bell sounds to end round 1

Rd. 2

Charlie opens quick with a good right and gets a take down in side control. Sleepers manages to escape and stand it up. Charlie goes for another take down but this time gets caught in a guillotine that he can’t escape from. Charlie taps out at 2:46 of the 2^nd round.

The intermission came next for about 20 minutes where I got a shot of myself with Herb Dean. What a cool guy! He spent most of the time talking with the fans, even jumping over the VIP gate to let folks get some shots with him. I couldn't resist!

Fight #11 Josh Taibl vs Miles Jury (Professional bout)

Josh and Miles clinch up and trade knee’s in the middle of the cage for a while. Miles is able to get under hooks, lifts him up and takes him to the mat. GNP ensues and Miles gets a TKO victory at 1:20 of round 1

Fight #12 Angelo Popofski vs Brad Burrick (Professional bout)

Rd.1

Right off the bat Angelo and Brad start trading off, jockeying for position and throwing knees. Brad gets a cut in the process but it doesn’t seem to be bothering him. They continue at this pace till the round ends.