by Rob Francis
Shamrock FC started a busy three week stretch with the latest entry in the Xtreme Fight series. Xtreme 5 featured 12 amateur kickboxing bouts and two professional boxing matches. An unfortunate accident with the ring left it unsafe for the two boxing matches to take place. The organization is working on rescheduling the bouts.
The action started off with Eugene Swartz facing Steven Coleman. Coleman from AOC showed some good striking. His jabs and leg kicks were doing damage. After a knockdown in the earlier round Coleman got the TKO at 1:29 of the first.
Fight two saw Dan Boyer taking on Connor Huck. The first round was action packed. Huck used some good kicking to keep Boyer outside, but when Boyer got inside he was landing powerful shots. Boyer with a kick. Huck swarmed Boyer and was able to get a standing eight count, which gave him a 10-8 round. Boyer made a good recovery in the final round, but in the end Connor Huck won a majority decision 29-27, 28-28, 29-27.
Brad Hagedorn and Cody Leas took the ring for fight three. Leas constantly worked leg kicks. After a brief stoppage for an accidental low blow, both fighters threw a flurry of punches to end the round. The leg kicks proved to be too much, as Hagedorn couldn’t answer the bell for round two. Dan Leas wins by tko.
Olly Cunningham showed great athleticism in his unanimous decision victory over Patrick Keao. Keao showed heart and toughness, but Cunningham’s speed and elusiveness led to a 30-27 decision across the board.
The next fight saw Nazeer Holmes make his kickboxing debut against Tairq King. Nazeer had an impressive first round, scoring with kicks, and using his reach. He rocked King with a good headkick. Round two was another solid round from Holmes. King had more success in the third round, which was fought at a slower pace. When the decision was read nazeer Holes took it 30-27, 29-28, 29-28.
In a fight that was closer than the 30-27, 30-27, 29-28 scores showed Jason Brown defeated Aaron Kuhl. All three rounds were entertaining, with Brown landing the harder shots more frequently.
The first female fight of the evening was next, as Kara Vaninger took on Katelyn Jesse. Jesse was looking good in the first round, successfully getting in close. Vaninger showed her patience, and started to land more as the ten second warning sounded. Vaninger started to pull away once the second round started. She used her size and reach advantage to control the action. A barrage of body kicks led to a standing eight count. Round three was more of the same. Vaninger got another standing eight count, but Jesse showed her determination by finishing the fight. A dominate final two rounds led to a 30-28, 29-26, 30-25 unanimous decision for Kara Vaninger.
Kris Craig didn’t waste any time in his bout against Kevin Harvey. Craig showed speed and accuracy in a first round knockout at the 1:20 mark.
Josh Krejci took on Steve Barbee in the next fight. Krejci landed lots of leg kicks in the first round. Barbee did some good work out of the clinch. Barbee had a much better second round. He avoided the kicks from Krejci better. Barbee was able to stay out side and land some effective blows. The third round was spent more in the clinch. Both fighters were trading strikes, but Krejcis knees were the difference. Josh krejci took a split decision 30-27, 28-29, 29-28.
“Big” Mike Offer took on Eric Williams in the prelims final bout. Offer scored an early knockdown in the first round. Williams got up, but Offer kept the pressure on. Offer had Williams in trouble again in the first, but Williams was able to tie Offer up and survive the first. Williams wouldn’t be so lucky in the second. Offer forced him into the corner, where a heavy body shot dropped Williams. Williams couldn’t recover, giving Mike Offer the tko victory at 59 seconds of the second round.
A highly anticipated match between Matt Ray and Wes Powers kicked off the main card. Powers is a highly ranked mma fighter, who is looking to improve his stand up, before his pro debut. Matt Ray was coming off a very impressive victory in his last appearance at Lumiere Casino. Ray was having a good first round when he caught Powers with an unintentional low blow. Ray continued to impress in the second. He was really working the leg kicks on Powers. Ray came out in the third seemingly in control. Unfortunately Ray threw a kick that Powers checked. Ray immediately went down with an injury to his foot, giving Powers a TKO victory at the start of round three.
In what would end up being the main event of the evening Tara Walker and Kenia Rosas faced each other for the 125 pound title. Rosas came up from Texas with a 5-0 kickboxing record. Walker , one of the top female fighters in St louis, was making her third trip to Lumiere and XFN. Rosas started the fight with good kicks and a couple of nice combinations. Walker showed patience and was gaining momentum as the first ended. The two skilled competitors had another close round in the second. Walker used the clinch to land some well placed knees. With the title hanging in the balance both fighters went all out in the third round. Rosas got the better of the final exchanges leading to a 30-27, 29-28, 30-27 decision and the championship.
Shamrock FC finishes up a busy 2015 with a trip to Kansas City on November 21st. They come back to St. Louis to help with the mma portion of Guns N Hoses on November25th. Then they finish out the year at River City Casino on December 5th. You can purchase tickets for upcoming shows at http://www.ticketmaster.com/Shamrock-FC-Mixed-Martial-Arts-tickets/artist/1743099?brand=none&tm_link=tm_search_rv_viewed1_name#BVRRWidgetID
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