Fight Club OC returned to the Hangar at the OC Fair & Events Center in picturesque Costa Mesa, CA on April 17th. Once again mixing boxing and MMA, the atmosphere was electric and the show lived up to every bit of its “Fights Guaranteed” moniker.
Opening the show were super middleweights Michael Monroe (0-2) from Valencia vs. Long Beach’s Carjon Roberts (1-0) making his pro debut. Scheduled for 4 rounds these fighters fought a very tactical bout. One thing that made the difference is that Robert’s kept cracking Monroe with left hands. However, Monroe was durable and those lefts only came one shot at a time. As a result the bout featured contained action with Robert’s winning his pro debut in style.
Jumping into MMA we saw bantamweights Jesse Velasquez (1-0), debuting from Los Angeles, against Victor Sydnor (0-3) from Huntington Beach in a 3 round contest. These two warriors met in ring center and immediately grabbed the crowd’s attention by exchanging blows. However, one thing became clear as this MMA contest went on… Jesse Velasquez did not want to lose his pro-debut. He did stand up, ground and pound, and other numerous moves, but Sydnor would not go gently into that good night. Ultimately, this was will over skill and Velasquez took a decision.
Returning to boxing, Banning’s Jesse Zuniga (2-1) took on Camarillo’s Julian Baez (2-1) in a 4 round, super lightweight bout. These guys wanted to put on a great show and they sure did. It started in the first round with Zuniga trying to put the hurt on Baez. However, Baez was there every step of the way and these guys went toe-to-toe for pretty much the whole bout. It was a tightly contested affair with Zuniga doing just a little more than Baez and that is how he earned the decision.
Returning for our final MMA bout, was a 3 round, featherweight affair in which Costa Mesa’s Quest Truxton (0-1) fought Adryen Spinks from Fontana, who was also debuting. For as long as this lasted, Truxton and Spinks were both going for a brutal victory. In the end, Truxton got submitted by a rear naked choke in round number one that he just couldn’t get out of.
Our co-main event saw super welterweight Eridanni Leon (8-4 3KOs) of Inglewood, take on Ventura’s Noel Cavazos (2-4) in a 4 round bout. Wanting to show that they should’ve been headlining, these two fighters put on a brutal show. Unfortunately for Cavazos, despite being quite tough and game, he was just too overmatched. For his trouble, Leon dropped him in the first round and then twice in the second. Having seen enough this bout was quickly waved off in round number 2.
Closing the festivities was a 6 round, Tequila Mandala Young Champions bout in the featherweight division! Asa Stevens (7-0-1 2KOs) of Hawaii, battled Mexico’s Luis Alvarado Morales (9-4-1 1KO). It was a fast paced affair with a lot of back and forth action. For the first 3-4 rounds it seemed like Stevens pulled a Pernell Whitaker on Alvarado. However, much like Jose Luis Ramirez did when he fought Whitaker, he accelerated down the stretch and that made it close enough for the bout to be called a draw.
The second Fight Club OC show from the The Hangar at the OC Fair & Event Center in Costa Mesa was all time! We return to Orange County on June 19th for the second show of the year. Grab your tickets NOW as everyone knows this is where fights are guaranteed!
And… if you love Muay Thai (and who doesn’t?) you’ve got to attend Fight Club LA at The Garden’s Casino in Hawaiian Gardens on June 14th! Visit FightClubOC.com for your combat sports fix this summer!