Nick Mamalis (blue gloves) and Adrian Wooley (red gloves) opened up the main card with a back-and-forth bantamweight brawl that ended in a controversial Split Decision. (Photo courtesy of The Score and Glenn Dextras)
June 10 has come and gone and Mississauga, Ontario, Canada has experienced its first professional MMA card which also served as the inaugural MMA event for The Score Fighting Series. The evening was comprised of the full gamut of fighters, with varying skill levels and a multitude of skills sets. All but two of the event’s ten fights made it to the judges’ score cards, and though to some this may imply that the event was filled with uneventful fights, that assumption could not be further from the truth.
“Garfield” Nick Mamalis (12-7) vs. “The Bully” Adrian Wooley (5-2): Starting off the main card, Bellator veteran Nick Mamalis took on current W-1 Bantamweight Champion Adrian Wooley. “The Bully” lived up to his nickname and dominated the first round using his wrestling and striking while trying to stay out of Mamalis’ reach. Wooley had two huge slams but also got hit with a jumping knee while trying to attempt a single-leg takedown. Even early on the fight looked to have the makings of “Fight of the Night”, and Round 2 only continued the trend. Mamalis showed his great striking by throwing some resonating kicks to the body and legs and even attempting a front kick to the face a la “The Spider” Anderson Silva (28-4) and “The Dragon” Lyoto Machida (17-2). Mamalis threw a misplaced kick that connected with his opponent’s groin; after some recovery time, Wooley came back ready to fight. He secured a takedown and worked “Garfield” with his ground-and-pound. Mamalis connected with a head kick that bloodied Wooley, who then evidently was determined to not absorb any further damage and to finish the fight. The third round begins and Wooley comes out with another big slam. After a couple of exchanges on the feet the fight went back to the ground where Wooley once again worked his ground-and-pound. Another back-and-forth round ended and the fate of the two men was in the judges’ hands. The score cards rendered a controversial result being Nick Mamalis being awarded the Split Decision. “The Bully” showed immense class as he discouraged the boos echoing from the stands. He said that ultimately it as his own fault, not the judges’, that he lost. Mamalis via Split Decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28), Round 3, 5:00
Antonio Carvalho (black trunks) was able to dictate the pace and control opponent Doug Evans (green trunks) with leg kicks en route to a Unanimous Decision victory. (Photo courtesy of The Score and Glenn Dextras)
“Pato” Antonio Carvalho (13-4) vs. Douglas Evans (12-7): The first round was a close one though neither of the two fighters accomplished much. At one point Carvalho was a in bit of trouble when he got caught in a standing Guillotine Choke from his opponent, but nonetheless, Carvalho controlled the majority of the round with his repeated leg kicks. The second stanza was very much a repeat of the first with Carvalho dictating the pace with his striking, particularly leg kicks. Evans looked for the Guillotine and some takedown attempts, but had no real success. Starting off the third, Evans again went for a takedown but was stuffed by Carvalho who fired back with another leg kick. Evans shot the double again and was finally rewarded for his repeated efforts but the victory was short lived. Carvalho got back to his feet and forced the fight back into the conservative kickboxing match it had been since the first bell before stuffing a final takedown to close the round. All three judges scored the entirety of the bout for Antonio Carvalho. Carvalho via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
“The African Assassin” Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou (10-8) vs. Roy Boughton (5-2): UFC veteran Sokoudjou came out in the first and went to work showcasing his Judo background with two side trips. He took his opponent to the mat and softened him up with ground-and-pound. The opening frame also saw Boughton attempt several takedowns of his own but they were in vain as Sokoudjou stuffed them with relative ease. “The African Assassin” showed marked improvement in his takedown defense. Round 2 was primarily a kickboxing match with Boughton attempting side kicks and Sokoudjou picking him apart with leg kicks. As the round drew to a close one of Sokoudjou’s glaring downfalls reared its ugly head once again as his cardio began to fail him. The third frame showed Sokoudjou mainly just trying to not get hurt. It also saw Boughton secure one of his two attempted takedowns about halfway through the round, though he was not able to do much with it. The two light heavyweights did just enough to make it to the final bell, and the judges had the final say: Sokoudjou via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
“El Dirte” Joe Doerksen (19-5) vs. “The Italian Tank” Luigi Fioravanti (21-9): Doerksen started off the first round with some good strikes, hitting Fioravanti with a couple of punches and a hard kick to the body as he switched stances. Doerksen attempted a head kick that was blocked and “The Italian Tank” threw a pair of hooks of his own. Fioravanti threw a knee but was taken down for his troubles. He got back to his feet and a split second later was taken down again by Doerksen, landing in half guard. Doerksen tried to get Fioravanti’s back but Luigi escaped just as the round ended. Doerksen opened round two looking for a home for his punches but couldn’t seem to find one. Fioravanti responded but was unable to land anything until Doerksen failed an attempt to clinch and left an opening for a couple of hooks. “El Dirte” began to flounder a bit as Fioravanti found his rhythm and landed several blows and a takedown, but Doerksen dropped Fioravanti with an up kick that failed to end the fight but allowed him to regain the momentum with a wild exchange. Fioravanti tried to end the round strong with an inside hip toss but instead gave Doerksen top position to close out the second stanza. In the third, Doerksen maintained control of the striking with a series of jabs and leg kicks. Fioravanti managed a good counter-right hand but was unable to stop the ensuing double-leg from “El Dirte”. The referee was eventually forced to stand the pair up for inactivity, but only moments remained in the fight which ended with a failed shoot from “The Italian Tank”. The strong showing from Doerksen earned him a nod from each of the three judges. Doerksen via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Jordan Mein (left) took on a huge challenge in facing Marius Zaromskis (right) in the main event, but Mein's bet paid off: he beat Zaromskis in an exciting three-round battle that is sure to turn a few heads his way. (Photo courtesy of Glenn Dextras and The Score)
“Young Guns” Jordan Mein (19-5) vs. “The Whitemare” Marius Zaromskis (13-5): In the main event, Jordan Mein once again stepped up when faced with a challenge. This time the challenge came in the form of overcoming the dangerous and sometimes creative striking of current DREAM welterweight champion Marius Zaromskis. Mein’s performance wasn’t one that would warrant a signing with Zuffa or Bellator, but it was one that will turn a few heads in those organizations. Zaromskis started the bout with a somersault kick that almost landed, however, the sum of his offense for the rest of the bout amounted to repeated attempts to end the fight with a single devastating head kick. The first two rounds saw Mein do well in avoiding any significant damage while countering smartly to rack up points with the judges. The tactic forced Zaromskis into panic mode in the third where he turned up the heat and even took Mein down to the mat, but he was unable to finish the fight and found himself down two rounds to one on even the most favorable scorecards. Mein fought smart and managed to squeeze past a very dangerous opponent with experience on the world stage by taking home the decision. Mein via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Quick Results
—MAIN CARD—
Jordan Mein defeated Marius Zaromskis via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28), Round 3, 5:00
Joe Doerksen defeated Luigi Fioravanti via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28), Round 3, 5:00
Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou defeated Roy Boughton via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28), Round 3, 5:00
Antonio Carvalho defeated Douglas Evans via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27), Round 3, 5:00
Nick Mamalis defeated Adrian Wooley via Split Decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28), Round 3, 5:00
—PRELIMS—
Josh Hill (6-0) defeated Darin Cooley (2-1) via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28, 30-27), Round 3, 5:00
Kurt Southern (10-3) defeated Jorge Britto (12-8-1) via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 30-26, 29-28), Round 3, 5:00
Tristan Johnson (6-2) defeated “El Leon” William Romero (4-3) via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28), Round 3, 5:00
Alex Ricci (2-0) defeated Mike Sledzion (1-1) via KO (Punch), Round 2, 1:24
Mike Reilly (2-0) defeated “Hollywood” Tyler Hardcastle (1-1) via KO (Slam), Round 2, 2:02
