The Allen Event Center in Dallas, Texas hosted the Legacy Cage as LFC 33 provided plenty of fight action. The card was filled with solid matches and headlined by a featherweight title tilt as veteran MMA fighter Leonard “Bad Boy” Garcia (18-11-1) faced undefeated wrestler Damon Jackson (8-0). The exploits were televised on the AXS network.
The televised portion of the promotion began with the welterweights, when Andrew Parker (4-0) took on Melvin Jordan (3-1) in a three round match. Both men wasted no time in establishing contact. Parker took the advantage: the undefeated technician quickly took Jordan to the ground and managed to end the scrap via a rear naked choke. It was a solid win for the undefeated Parker.
The show continued with Kory Vialet (5-1) meeting Eli Tamez (7-0) in a three go-round bantamweight bout. Vialet took to striking while Tamez shot in for the takedown early. Vialet made several pre-fight comments about Tamez’s lack of overall quality. Early on, Vialet was the one that seemed over his head as Tamez took a back mount and was working towards a submission via rear naked choke. Vialet was able to avoid various attempts but was not able to get Tamez off of him. Vialet had early success with his boxing in the second round but Tamez was able to get inside and worked the takedown. Tamez managed some strikes and controlled the various mat exchanges. Vialet was not able to get anything going. The final round followed the same pattern of the first two. Vialet had some success during standup but Tamez managed a takedown and controlled the pace and the round. Tamez was awarded a unanimous decision.
Ray “The Judge” Rodriguez (5-2) and Steven “Ocho” Peterson (10-4) battled at a catch weight of 140-pounds in a match slated for three salvos. Rodriguez and Peterson struggled to excite as Peterson sought the takedown while Rodriguez fought to stay on his feet. The majority of the round was spent with the combatants exchanging body locks. Peterson finally managed the takedown and Ocho was able to control the closing minutes of the round. The second was primarily a mat battle as both fought for positioning and control. Ocho was largely in control but the ground-and-pound employed by both fighters lacked sustained action. The third was no different as the second as Rodriguez was just not able to stop the takedown. Peterson took no risks and simply controlled his position and landed whenever possible. The three judges awarded Peterson a unanimous decision.
Middleweights Victor Reyna (4-1) and Evan “The Titan” Thompson (4-0) kept the night going in a scrap set for three stanzas. Reyna and Thompson immediately went right into exchanging blows. With a little over a minute after the start of the fight, Reyna followed-up with a left kick to the body and then an overhand right to the temple which hurt The Titan. Reyna continued the assault which caused the referee to stop the beating. It was good work and some much needed excitement for the live crowd.
The co-main event held welterweights as powerhouse wrestler Kamaru “The Nigerian Nightmare” Usman (4-1) met Marcus “The Wrecking Ball” Hicks (11-3-1) in a three round contest. Usman literal towered over Hicks but the shorter man was game quickly looking to get inside and down to the floor. Usman used his strength to hold Hicks off and took him to the ground. Hicks, a Brazilian Jiu jitsu black belt, simply seemed outgunned as The Nigerian Nightmare laid on him and pounded Hicks with hard right hands. Usman held control throughout the round and mixed in hard elbows which opened up a cut over The Wrecking Ball’s left eye. Usman’s world-class wrestling showed as he quickly took it back to the floor and proceeded to ground-and-pound mercilessly. It was obvious that Hicks was not able to compete but the referee would not stop the massacre. By this time, Hicks’s nose was a bloody mess. Usman continued to pummel Hicks with hammer fists and elbows that finally caused the referee to step in and call it a match.
The main event was a title bout in the featherweight division between defending champion Leonard “Bad Boy” Garcia (18-11-1) facing undefeated wrestler Damon “The Leech” Jackson (8-0). Jackson immediately secured a takedown which demonstrated his wrestling pedigree. The Leech took a full mount and battered the defending champion with elbows and punches. Jackson was able to maneuver Garcia and quickly ended the contest with a nasty arm triangle that caused the Bad Boy to tap out. With the win, Jackson continued his undefeated streak and he has ended all nine bouts within the time limit. The Leech showed that he has legitimate skills that are a definite UFC prospect.
Sergio L. Martinez
www.convictedartist.com
