Weekend Rundown: Ishii Scores First MMA Victory

Satoshi Ishii, a 2008 Olympic gold medalist in judo, submitted Tafa Misipati with a first-round armbar in the X-plosion “New Zealand vs. Japan” main event on Saturday at the Auckland YMCA in Auckland, New Zealand. The victory was Ishii’s first as a mixed martial artist.

Ishii, 23, made his ballyhooed professional debut in December, when he dropped a unanimous decision to Pride Fighting Championships veteran and fellow Olympic gold medalist Hidehiko Yoshida at the annual K-1 “Dynamite” show.

Misipati, a New Zealand kickboxing champion, was no match for Ishii on the ground. The Japanese prospect scored with a throw, landed in side control near the ropes and went to work on his opponent’s arm. After a considerable struggle on the mat, Ishii extended Misipati’s limb and solicited the tapout 2:42 into the opening period.

Rizzo Stops Goodridge in ‘Battle of the Legends’

Pedro Rizzo stopped Gary Goodridge in the Washington Combat “Battle of the Legends” featured attraction on Saturday at the D.C. Armory in Washington, D.C. Goodridge could not answer the bell for the second round.

Rizzo, a 36-year-old Marco Ruas protégé who fought for the UFC heavyweight championship three times, has rattled off back-to-back wins since his brutal knockout loss to Gilbert Yvel in June. The Brazilian has not posted three consecutive victories since he opened his professional career at 9-0. The fading 44-year-old Goodridge has not won a bout in more than three years.

Meanwhile, Marcos Galvao, once one of the world’s top 10 bantamweights, put away David Derby with punches 1:37 into the first round. Spawned by the Nova Uniao camp, the 28-year-old Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt entered the match winless in his last three appearances. His brief encounter with Derby stemmed his negative tide.

Finally, Strikeforce veteran and former University of Tennessee linebacker Ovince St. Preux delivered his second victory in as many tries, as he defeated Claudio Godio by first-round technical knockout. An arm injury took Godio out of the match.

Kyle Takes KOTC Title; Cullum Retains

Mike Kyle dethroned former two-division champion Tony Lopez and took the King of the Cage light heavyweight title at KOTC “Honor” on Friday at the Inn of the Mountain Gods Resort and Casino in Mescalero, N.M. Kyle won a split decision from Lopez, who has surrendered the light heavyweight and heavyweight crowns in the span of two months.

Anchored at the American Kickboxing Academy, Kyle will carry a four-fight winning streak into his next appearance. The 29-year-old had gone the distance only one other time in his career.

Another KOTC champion fared better than Lopez, as Abel Cullum retained his bantamweight belt with a first-round rear-naked submission against Joshua Montoya. The end came 98 seconds into round one. A quarterfinalist in the 2009 Dream featherweight grand prix, Cullum has secured 11 of 18 career wins by submission.

Meanwhile, surging welterweight prospect Quinn Mulhern won for the 12th time in 13 tries, as he coaxed a tapout from Bellator Fighting Championships veteran Joey Gorczynski with a rear-naked choke 53 second into the third round. Gorczynski went the distance with Bellator middleweight champion Hector Lombard in February.

Watson Captures BAMMA Crown; War Machine Victorious

Tom Watson outpointed former International Fight League champion and UFC veteran Matt Horwich in a unanimous decision to capture the British Association of Mixed Martial Arts middleweight crown in the BAMMA 3 headliner on Saturday at the LG Arena in Birmingham, England.

The 27-year-old Watson, who has spent time under the wing of Greg Jackson in Albuquerque, N.M., has rattled off eight consecutive victories since his split decision loss to Mark Epstein in December 2007. A native of Southampton, England, he made his North American debut in February, when he scored a spectacular head kick knockout against Travis Galbraith under the Maximum Fighting Championship banner in Canada.

Pruned from the UFC roster following his April 2009 defeat to Ricardo Almeida, Horwich has lost five of his last six fights. The 31-year-old’s past eight bouts have gone the distance.

Meanwhile, “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 6 veteran War Machine needed just 69 seconds to submit Zach Light with a rear-naked choke. The 29-year-old has won six of his seven fights since his submission loss to Yoshiyuki Yoshida at UFC 84 two years ago. Light, who trains with former UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, has lost five in a row, all of them finishes.

In other action, Seth Petruzelli notched the first submission victory of his career, as he coaxed a tapout from Ryan White with a first-round armbar. The match lasted just 67 seconds. Petruzelli, the first man to defeat Kimbo Slice, has finished his last four opponents inside the first round.

Other winners at BAMMA 3 included Mark Adams (unanimous decision over German prospect Alan Omer), Jeff Lawson (first-round submission over UFC veteran David Lee) and Rob Sinclair (first-round TKO against Daniel Weichel).

Monson Upset in ADFC; Sokoudjou Wins by DQ

Shamil Abdurahimov stunned former UFC heavyweight title contender Jeff Monson by majority decision at Abu Dhabi Fighting Championship “Battle of the Champions” on Friday at Abu Dhabi Hall in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The bout was part of an eight-man open weight grand prix.

Abdurahimov, a once-beaten ProFC mainstay, had never before beaten such a high-profile opponent but entered the matchup on a three-fight winning streak. Monson, who challenged for the UFC heavyweight crown a little more than three years ago, has dropped back-to-back fights for just the second time in his 12-year career.

Meanwhile, UFC and Pride Fighting Championships veteran Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou defeated Dave Herman by second-round disqualification to advance to the next round. Herman sealed his fate with illegal knee strikes, which brought an unfortunate end to his string of three consecutive victories.

Other winners at “Battle of the Champions” included UFC veteran Neil Wain (second-round knockout against Przemyslaw Mysiala) and Brazilian jiu-jitsu standout Marcos Oliveira (first-round knockout against Johan Romming).