IFL veteran Devin Cole (9-7) saw action tonight, fighting in the main event of a fight card held in a standing-room only arena in his hometown of Medford, Oregon. Cole faced previously unbeaten DJ Linderman (4-1), a fighter who defeated Cole via first round submission (rare-naked choke) in January of 2009 in what was Cole's last start.
The opening round began as a feeling-out period, with the two heavyweights mostly circling and throwing jabs. At one point, Linderman unveiled a powerful combination of punches, resulting in a Cole clinch followed by a takedown. Cole, the former captain of the Southern Oregon University 2001 NAIA national champion wrestling squad, proceded to effectively control his grounded opponent through much of the round, battering Linderman with punches to the body and face. At one point, Cole obtained north-south position, and was able to trap Linderman's head between his knees and land several hard punches to Linderman's not-so-trim midsection.
As Linderman scrambled from the position, Cole grabbed the fence while attempting to maintain his position, resulting in a warning to Cole and a referee's stand up. The two proceeded to exchanged for the rest of the round, with Linderman seemingly having the slightly better striking.
The second stanza continued much along the same course, with Cole looking to engage in measured exchanges between takedown attempts. Although Linderman found some success defending Cole's takedowns, overall Cole's wrestling acumen proved too much for the young talent, as Cole largely controlled the round on the ground.
Linderman came out strong in the third, landing several clean punches and successfully snuffing an initial Cole takedown attempt. A second attempt resulted in a Cole takedown, and the fight once again resumed the familiar pattern of Cole controlling the action from the top.
With time winding down, desperation was mounting for Linderman. A scramble ensued after an attempted sweep by Linderman, and the fighters both scrambled to their feet.
In a dramatic ending, the two fighters exchanged blows on their feet, with Linderman landing a right hand that seemed to back Cole up. Cole once again shot in for a takedown, but Linderman snuffed the shot and immediately locked in an Anaconda choke, rolling to his own back to implement the maneuver. Cole escaped the hold, and the fighters scrambled back to their feet again. Shortly after, the buzzer sounded signifying the end of the round, and hence the fight.
The scorecards were unanimous: 30-27 for Devin Cole on all three cards.
After the fight, Cole gave the usual acknowledgments: thanks to friends, family, sponsors and Jesus Christ, his personal lord and savior. He then thanked Linderman for granting him the rematch, offering to return the gesture if Linderman wishes to engage in a third fight. Linderman then spoke, saying that while he trained hard, Cole had apparently trained harder this time, and he looks forward to a third match up.
The opening round began as a feeling-out period, with the two heavyweights mostly circling and throwing jabs. At one point, Linderman unveiled a powerful combination of punches, resulting in a Cole clinch followed by a takedown. Cole, the former captain of the Southern Oregon University 2001 NAIA national champion wrestling squad, proceded to effectively control his grounded opponent through much of the round, battering Linderman with punches to the body and face. At one point, Cole obtained north-south position, and was able to trap Linderman's head between his knees and land several hard punches to Linderman's not-so-trim midsection.
As Linderman scrambled from the position, Cole grabbed the fence while attempting to maintain his position, resulting in a warning to Cole and a referee's stand up. The two proceeded to exchanged for the rest of the round, with Linderman seemingly having the slightly better striking.
The second stanza continued much along the same course, with Cole looking to engage in measured exchanges between takedown attempts. Although Linderman found some success defending Cole's takedowns, overall Cole's wrestling acumen proved too much for the young talent, as Cole largely controlled the round on the ground.
Linderman came out strong in the third, landing several clean punches and successfully snuffing an initial Cole takedown attempt. A second attempt resulted in a Cole takedown, and the fight once again resumed the familiar pattern of Cole controlling the action from the top.
With time winding down, desperation was mounting for Linderman. A scramble ensued after an attempted sweep by Linderman, and the fighters both scrambled to their feet.
In a dramatic ending, the two fighters exchanged blows on their feet, with Linderman landing a right hand that seemed to back Cole up. Cole once again shot in for a takedown, but Linderman snuffed the shot and immediately locked in an Anaconda choke, rolling to his own back to implement the maneuver. Cole escaped the hold, and the fighters scrambled back to their feet again. Shortly after, the buzzer sounded signifying the end of the round, and hence the fight.
The scorecards were unanimous: 30-27 for Devin Cole on all three cards.
After the fight, Cole gave the usual acknowledgments: thanks to friends, family, sponsors and Jesus Christ, his personal lord and savior. He then thanked Linderman for granting him the rematch, offering to return the gesture if Linderman wishes to engage in a third fight. Linderman then spoke, saying that while he trained hard, Cole had apparently trained harder this time, and he looks forward to a third match up.
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