In a card plagued by last-minute adjustments, ill-advised production and questionable judging, MMA legends Ken Shamrock (27-13-2) and David "Tank" Abbott (10-14) each snapped extended losing streaks in emphatic fashion.
The two elder statesmen of the sport were each in featured bouts of Friday night's "Wargods: Valentine's Eve Massacre" held at the Selland Arena in Fresno, Calif.
Shamrock ended a five-fight skid that dated back to 2004, while Abbott snapped a four-fight losing streak of his own that dated back to 2005.
Fighting in the evening's main event, Shamrock faced the massive Ross Clifton (6-9). While Clifton certainly brought a less accomplished track record to the cage, his 350-pound frame -- coupled with Shamrock's five-straight first-round losses -- certainly allowed for observers to imagine a potential positive result for "Grizzly."
Then the bell rang.
"The World's Most Dangerous Man" dropped Clifton with a right hand early in the first round. The immobile giant looked helpless on the ground as Shamrock worked a bit of ground-and-pound before locking in a fight-ending arm bar.
Following the win -- Shamrock's first submission win since 2001 -- the 15-plus-year veteran officially challenged Abbott to a previously rumored April bout. Shamrock said the contest would be the final fight of his storied career.
Abbott earned his place into the proposed matchup with Shamrock with an earlier win over Mike Bourke (8-12-1). The bout was scrapped as of Thursday's official weigh-ins, but a last-ditch effort by the promotion saw the bout reinstated just hours before the start of Friday's event.
Bourke may wish he had remained a healthy scratch.
With both fighters appearing quickly winded, the pair wound up in a clinch. Abbott seized the opportunity and threw two punches that appeared to land squarely to the back of Bourke's head. Bourke was dropped, no fouls were called, and "The Rhino" was stopped before he ever had a chance to start.
Abbott is now 2-8 in his past 10 bouts, while Bourke has lost eight of his past nine contests.
Wesley "Cabbage" Correira, Tonya Evinger and Kyacey Uscola were among the fighters scheduled in four contests that were late scratches from the event. When the card-shuffling had ended, "Valentine's Eve Massacre" was left with just eight of its 12 originally announced bouts.
OFFICIAL RESULTS
Ken Shamrock def. Ross Clifton via submission (arm bar) -- Round 1
Mike Moreno def. Gary Padilla via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
David "Tank" Abbott def. Mike Bourke via knockout (punches) -- Round 1
Rick Reeves def. Nathan James via submission (rear-naked choke) -- Round 3
Isaac De Jesus def. Ashe Bowman via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Josh Haynes def. Refael Del Real via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 30-27)
Zolia Frausto def. Karina Hallinan via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
Ron Kessler def. Darren Freeman via split decision (27-30, 30-27, 29-28)
The two elder statesmen of the sport were each in featured bouts of Friday night's "Wargods: Valentine's Eve Massacre" held at the Selland Arena in Fresno, Calif.
Shamrock ended a five-fight skid that dated back to 2004, while Abbott snapped a four-fight losing streak of his own that dated back to 2005.
Fighting in the evening's main event, Shamrock faced the massive Ross Clifton (6-9). While Clifton certainly brought a less accomplished track record to the cage, his 350-pound frame -- coupled with Shamrock's five-straight first-round losses -- certainly allowed for observers to imagine a potential positive result for "Grizzly."
Then the bell rang.
"The World's Most Dangerous Man" dropped Clifton with a right hand early in the first round. The immobile giant looked helpless on the ground as Shamrock worked a bit of ground-and-pound before locking in a fight-ending arm bar.
Following the win -- Shamrock's first submission win since 2001 -- the 15-plus-year veteran officially challenged Abbott to a previously rumored April bout. Shamrock said the contest would be the final fight of his storied career.
Abbott earned his place into the proposed matchup with Shamrock with an earlier win over Mike Bourke (8-12-1). The bout was scrapped as of Thursday's official weigh-ins, but a last-ditch effort by the promotion saw the bout reinstated just hours before the start of Friday's event.
Bourke may wish he had remained a healthy scratch.
With both fighters appearing quickly winded, the pair wound up in a clinch. Abbott seized the opportunity and threw two punches that appeared to land squarely to the back of Bourke's head. Bourke was dropped, no fouls were called, and "The Rhino" was stopped before he ever had a chance to start.
Abbott is now 2-8 in his past 10 bouts, while Bourke has lost eight of his past nine contests.
Wesley "Cabbage" Correira, Tonya Evinger and Kyacey Uscola were among the fighters scheduled in four contests that were late scratches from the event. When the card-shuffling had ended, "Valentine's Eve Massacre" was left with just eight of its 12 originally announced bouts.
OFFICIAL RESULTS
Ken Shamrock def. Ross Clifton via submission (arm bar) -- Round 1
Mike Moreno def. Gary Padilla via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
David "Tank" Abbott def. Mike Bourke via knockout (punches) -- Round 1
Rick Reeves def. Nathan James via submission (rear-naked choke) -- Round 3
Isaac De Jesus def. Ashe Bowman via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Josh Haynes def. Refael Del Real via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 30-27)
Zolia Frausto def. Karina Hallinan via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
Ron Kessler def. Darren Freeman via split decision (27-30, 30-27, 29-28)
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