World Series of Fighting 31 Results: Play-by-Play & Round-by-Round Scoring

Marcus Surin vs. Christian Torres

Round 1

Surin dives in for a takedown but he misses badly. Back up on their feet, they circle and paw with jabs. Torres misses a loopy overhand right upstairs and is tagged a by a short right in return. Torres misses a left hook and is quickly taken down. Surin is all over him, pressing him into the cage. Torres rolls over to escape but he gives up his back. Torres rolls back over and now he’s fully mounted and Surin is keeping his weight down heavily into his foe’s chest. Again, Torres rolls over and then turtles up but Surin is on him, putting the grapevines in tightly. Surin peppers him with a series of punches from the back and then scoots out to the front, pressing down on Torres’ head. Torres is doing nothing from turtle, allowing Suring to batter him with punches and elbows. Suring flattens him out with about a minute left but can’t sink in the rear-naked choke. Torres rides out the round in a purely defensive position. It’s all Surin in a lopsided round. 10-8 Surin.

Round 2

After missing several punches, Surin shoots in and clinches with Torres, looking to drag him down. Torres backs into the cage but Surin is there to drill him with knees to the body. Torres drops to his knees, but Surin is all over him and takes his back. The hooks are in and Surin lands several punches to the head after flattening him before Torres turtles up again. Torres explodes to his feet but Surin had his control of his neck and thinks guillotine. They split up again, but Surin ties him up and delivers a series of knees to the sternum. Surin slams a few knees to the head and body and with Torres not able to properly defend himself or escape, referee Kevin MacDonald has no choice but to stop it.

The Official Result

Marcus Surin def. Christian Torres via TKO (Knees to Head and Body) R2, 2:51

Tom Marcellino vs. Devin Powell

Round 1

Marcellino is dropped with a kick to the shoulder as he misses a head kick of his own. He quickly springs to his feet and resets, but Powell tosses out a handful of front kicks. Marcellino tags him with a sizzling low kick and then buries his left shin into his foe’s ribs. Powell storms right back with a flurry of punches but Marcellino lands another nasty low kick. Powell stumbles backward before being dumped onto his back from another kick knocks him off-balance. Marcellino dives into Powell’s guard and slams a few punches to the head, but Powell traps the arm, looking for the kimura off his back. Marcellino shakes the sub attempt off and slams a few more punches to the noggin. Marcellino stands up over his opponent and delivers a few kicks to the legs and body. Referee Kevin Mulhall allows Powell to stand up and they reset in the center of the cage. Immediately, Marcellino shoots in and lands the takedown but he quickly stands back up and peppers him with kicks to the legs before Mulhall stands Powell up again. They slug it out for the final 10 seconds of the round. 10-9 Marcellino.

Round 2

They trade kicks to the body early before Marcellino tags him with a few punches upstairs. Marcellino shoots in and scores the takedown but he’s trapped in a guillotine. Powell rolls him over and mounts him but he can’t land the choke before Marcellino escapes out and lands in Powell’s guard. Powell is fishing for an arm lock off his back, but Marcellino fends it off. They trade some punches in the guard but nothing is too serious. Marcellino Stands up and tears up his foe’s legs with kicks. Marcellino misses a diving right hand but is sucked into guard again with two minutes left. Marcellino is slamming punches down from all angles but Powell is blocking most of them. Powell is able to pull full guard again but can’t get anything going whatsoever. Marcellino stands up after being pushed off and Muhall forces Powell to stand up near the end of the round. 10-9 Marcellino

Round 3

They swing for the fences before Powell tags him with a kick to the chest. Marcellino slips and falls to his back, allowing Powell to dive onto him but Marcellino Tom is able to immediately switch positions. Powell pulls guard and then spins, looking to escape, but Marcellino is all over him. Marcellino stands back up and attacks his foe’s legs with kicks for a short time before Muhall again stands Powell back up. Powell shoots in and lands an easy takedown, landing in mount but he can’t keep the position. Marcellino scrambles out and gives up his back, where Powell latches on a tight body triangle and nearly gets the rear-naked choke. It’s tight but Powell can’t hang onto it before Marcellino spins out to safety and eventually gets back to his feet. Marcellino attacks Powell’s legs with kicks again before Muhall stands Powell up with about 75 seconds left. Two overhand rights connect cleanly for Marcellino, but Powell takes them both well. With 50 seconds left, Marcellino lands another takedown, which should be the final nail in Powell’s coffin. Marcellino is in half guard, trying to pass to his left. Powell is able to pull to full guard. 10-9 Marcellino

The Official Result

Devin Powell def. Tom Marcellino via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 27-30, 29-28)

Phil Hawes vs. Joshua Key

Round 1

Hawes lands a low kick right off the bat and then tags Key with a straight right. Key changes levels and looks for a single leg and misses it. Hawes forces him to the canvas, mounts him and begins raining down a tempest of right elbows. Key is able to hang on and cover up, but it’s all Hawes early. Key explodes out of a sloppy armbar attempt and spring sup to his feet, but Hawes wastes no times in dragging his foe to the canvas again. Key is mounted again and Hawes unloads a torrent of elbows and punches, though almost every one of them is blocked. Key rolls over, giving up his back and Hawes continues to slams down punches.

Key can’t escape and while most of the strikes are being blocked, referee Kevin MacDonald has no choice but to pull the Jackson-Wink MMA fighter off.

The Official Result

Phil Hawes def. Joshua Key via TKO (Punches) R1, 2:52

Luis Palomino vs. Sheymon da Silva Moraes

Round 1

After 45 seconds of sizing each other up, Palomino lands a quick burst of punches upstairs. They rotate back to the center of the decagon, neither letting his hands go. Palomino tags him with two hard punches to the head, snapping Moraes’ head back. Palomino backs off and has a head kick graze off his melon. A terse explosion of punches breaks out, but neither mad lands anything clean at the midway point. Moraes narrowly dodges a powerful overhand right from the Peruvian and counters him with a sharp low kick. Moraes drills his foe with a short right to the jaw immediately after he swallows a left. Moraes bombs his adversary with another nasty low kick to the thigh with about a minute left. Palomino shoots in but he’s easily stuffed late. A hard left hook to the jaw rocks Moraes with 15 seconds left but Moraes counters with a left of his own, which backs Palomino off. Good round. 10-9 Moraes

Round 2

Moraes unloads two powerful body kicks but the Peruvian blocks them both. Palomino brushes off a head kick but doesn’t counter the strike with anything. A vicious low kick from Moraes, followed by a left hook, but Palomino shrugs them off. Moraes misses a sweeping right head kick and then whiffs on a massive left hook. Palomino, again, doesn’t pull the trigger to counter. Palomino is backing way almost exclusively at the midway point, allowing his foe to control the pace. Moraes is warned for the second time for an accidental eye poke and Miragliotta says if he does it again, he’ll lose a point.

Moraes digs a straight right to the gut but his follow-up left head kick catches air. Palomino defends a series of kicks to the legs and body with a minute left but can’t get off any return fire. At the 10-second mark, Palomino turns into “Sugar” Ray Leonard and flurries with a burst of punches, trying to steal the round but it doesn’t work. 10-9 Moraes.

Round 3

Moraes stalks the continuously-retreating Palomino, landing scattered kicks to the arms and legs. Palomino keeps circling to his right and left, but he’s not letting his hands go at all, continuing to grind the action to a halt. Moraes stalks his foe relentlessly, but Palomino is staying away at a safe distance. At the midway point, the crowd is showering the men with boos. Palomino is bleeding from his forehead now but he’s able to touch the Brazilian’s jaw with a right hand. Palomino shoots in and score a takedown, but Moraes quickly explodes back to his feet. Moraes breaks the clinch with an arcing right elbow and then a left hook. Moraes is covered in his foe’s blood now and with 30 seconds left, Palomino needs a knockout in order to win this. Moraes misses with a right cross and eats a left hook, but he takes it well. They swing wildly at the bell and Palomino’s rally falls short. 10-9 Moraes

The Official Result

Sheymon Moraes de. Luis Palomino via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) R3, 5:00

John Howard vs. Michael Arrant

Round 1

They trade punches almost immediately, with Arrant getting the better of the two. Howard backs away to reset but Arrant tags him with a few low kicks, a pair of jabs and then two nice straight lefts to the face. “Doomsday” shakes them off and goes with a head kick, but Arrant catches it and tosses him onto his back. Arrant stands over him and allows Howard to stand up, where he’s tagged by a series of punches to the cantaloupe. Arrant misses a telegraphed spinning head kick but Howard doesn’t counter him with anything. Arrant is picking his shorter foe apart with pestering jabs and low kicks, keeping Howard at bay. Howard slams a right hook to the body and then a left up top, but his ensuing takedown attempt is thwarted. They trade low kicks at the bell. 10-9 Arrant.

Round 2

Howard comes out aggressively at the start and tries to bully the Xtreme Couture fighter, but Arrant stays away. Howard shoots in but his takedown is stuffed, though he’s able to press Arrant into the cage. “Doomsday” nearly takes him down but Arrant grabs onto the fence, eliciting a warning from referee Kevin Mulhall. They trade blows in the center of the cage but nothing clean lands from either man. A hard right finds a home on Arrant’s jaw, but Michael takes it well.

Arrant continues to paw with several pesky jabs but Howard finally has enough and unloads a barrage of punches of his own. Arrant blocks most of them and then circles out to reset. Howard lands a pair of snapping inside leg kicks late. 10-9 Howard.

Round 3

After the two trade sporadic punches and kicks for a short while, Howard shoots in and scores a takedown. Arrant, however, immediately battles his way back to his feet and forces Howard to reset at the center of the decagon. “Doomsday” peppers him with a series of low kicks but Arrant returns to his mosquito-like swarm of jabs and arm punches to the face. Arrant shoots in but his takedown is stuffed rather easily. Howard digs a right hook to the body with two minutes left. A nice, stiff jab from Howard lands clean on Arrant’s head but he is inadvertently pegged by an errant kick to the groin. After a reprieve of a few seconds, the fight continues and Howard drops his foe with a right to the melon. Arrant pops back up but Howard scoops him up and slams him down hard onto his back. “Doomsday” lands in side control, likely winning him the fight with a minute left. Arrant tries to scramble out to his left but Howard takes his back and pounds away until time runs out. 10-9 Howard.

The Official Result

John Howard def. Michael Arrant via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) R3, 5:00

Jason High vs. Mike Ricci

Round 1

High wastes no time in shooting for a single and then scooping Ricci up high over his head ad slamming him down. Ricci scrambles and is able to get to half guard before scrambling to his feet, but High is all over him, pressing him into the cage. High is able to drag his foe to the canvas again but once he tries to latch on a guillotine, Ricci pops out an springs up to his feet. High continues to press that taller man into the fence but Ricci is able to escape out. Another nice takedown and High quickly goes for the armbar but after a terse positional battle, Ricci is safely out and back up to his feet. As expected, Jason forces Ricci into the cage, takes his back and then scores another takedown. High fishes for a rear-naked choke but Ricci sees it coming a mile away and defends it. High is able to drag him all the way down and fully seizes his back now, but Ricci is fending off High’s choke attempts easily. It’s all High 10-9

Round 2

The two swing for the fences right away but nothing lands. High pops him with a sneaky left uppercut before clinching, but now it’s Ricci who presses his foe into the fence. High is bleeding from his nose. Ricci lands an inadvertent knee to the groin and referee Kevin MacDonald allows High a breather. When they restart, they measure each other up before Ricci drills him with a sizzling overhand left, snapping High’s head back. Ricci then shoots in and scores a takedown, forcing High to pull to full guard. High pops up to his feet and resets, but Ricci lands a pair of punches to the dome.

A nice right-left to the mask by Ricci and High is on wobbly legs. High tries to shoot in but he is badly dazed and misses the shot. Ricci rolls him over and unfurls a couple of hard punches before High pulls guard. With 90 seconds left, High explodes up to his feet and torches Ricci with a huge left hook. Ricci is hurt badly and stumbles down. High smells blood and pounces, slamming punches into his fallen foe until MacDonald dives in and halts the attack.

The Official Result

Jason High def. Mike Ricci via TKO (Punches) R2, 4:08

WSOF Heavyweight Title Fight:
Blagoy Ivanov vs. Josh Copeland

Round 1

Copeland comes out aggressively but Ivanov backs away, looking to set up a counter. They two size each other up with pawing jabs for the first 90 seconds, making the crowd restless already. They trade some powerful punches in the center of the cage, with the champ getting the better of the two. A hard left to the head from Ivanonv, forcing Copeland to back off. There is a nasty gash on the left side of the Bulgarian’s forehead at the midway point. A hard right to the head from Copeland is followed by a counter overhand left from Ivanov. The champ is covered in blood with a minute left as the two heavyweights swing wildly for the fences. Copeland blocks a head kick at the bell, ending a very close round. 10-9 Ivanov

Round 2

At the start of the second, Copeland has a pretty nasty laceration under his right eye. They opt to box early but nothing lands from either just yet. Ivanov lands a pair of punches to the face and charges in, but as soon as the American’s back touches the cage, he sprints to his right to safely regroup. The Bulgarian thumps his foe with a right to the ribs. Copeland backs off again and then swallows a pair of sweeping left. The Denver-based wrestler takes them both well but doesn’t retaliate in time. There is a break in the action as Miragliotta has Ivanov’s gash inspected by the ringside doctor. The doctor calls Miragliotta over and this fight might be stopped on the cut. After some debate, the veteran third man allows it continue. Ivanov sprints across the cage and swarms the challenger and goes after him with guns ablaze. Copeland covers up and flees the onslaught. The action subsides just before Copeland drills him with a right. They go toe-to-toe in the center of the decagon, each giving as good as he takes. Ivanov has a waterfall of blood pouring down his face as he slugs another powerful set of punches into his foe’s body. Copeland is drenched in blood as well. Good action at the bell from both men. 10-9 Ivanov

Round 3

Both heavyweights have their cuts caked in Vaseline to start the frame. The champ drills Copeland with a powerful left to the jaw. Another and the American staggers back into the cage. Ivanov’s cut re-opens and here comes the blood again, dripping down his face. Copeland tags him with a right hook and then a jab two minutes in. Copeland pops him with a lead left and then a pair of jabs, but the champ counters with a right to the jaw. Ivanov is appearing to slow down at the two-minute mark, possibly opening the door for “Cuddly Bear” to take over. A hard leg kick takes Copeland’s feet out from underneath him, but he pops right back up to his feet. They both miss whoppers of rights and lefts to the head as their stamina is slowly leaving their bodies late. 10-9 Copeland

Round 4

Copeland lands a decent overhand right to the head to start the stanza. The American tags the champ with a left and right up top, re-opening the cut again. A hard right hook to the jaw from Copeland a minute in but Ivanov shakes it off. Ivanov backs away as Copeland drills him with another sharp right to the noggin. Ivanov is gassing out badly now but Copeland might not notice it just yet as he continues to load up on single punches. Again, the blood is streaming down Ivanov’s face and chest as Copeland lands a few punches here and there. The Bulgarian misses a left hook and stumbles backward due to fatigue. A hard right to the mouth from the champ forces Copeland to back himself into the cage. They briefly clinch and Ivanov lands a hard knee to the body. Copeland swallows a left hand with 75 seconds left and now he’s exhausted. Ivanov charges in but Copeland turns his back and runs away. Both men are gassed out by round’s end. Another very close round. 10-9 Copeland.

Round 5

It’s plausible that the winner of this round will win the fight. Ivanov backs away once they touch gloves. Blagoy has a head kick blocked after eating a straight left. Ivanov goes with a flurry of punches, forcing Copeland to run away in retreat. Ivanov is a bloody mess again as Copeland ties him up and presses the champ into the fence. Copeland fires away a series of rights to the body from within the clinch. A right hook from “Cuddly Bear” just misses his foe as Ivanov backs away, barely able to stand due to exhaustion. Copeland isn’t that much fresher himself, but he’s coming forward at the midway point. Ivanov pops the challenger with an overhand right in response to a left hook he partially blocks. Ivanov lands a leg kick but Copeland comes right after him with a flurry of punches, though they are almost all blocked. They tie up against the cage but Ivanov scores a huge judo throw and lands in side control. The Bulgarian peppers him with left punches as Copeland can only cove rup. Ivanov ties Copeland up as he tries to stand back to his feet. The blood is pouring all over the canvas as Blagoy dishes out several punches. Ivanov inexplicably lets him back up and they swing for the fences in an exhausted frenzy as time expires. 10-9 Ivanov

The Official Result

Blagoy Ivanov def. Joseph Copeland via Unanimous Decision (49-46, 49-46, 48-47) R5, 5:00 to retain his heavyweight title