Another sumptuous MMA serving from Rogue’s Black Tie Brawl

MAKATI, Philippines - The third annual offering of what is considered to be the country’s classiest and sexiest professional mixed martial arts (MMA) event began to the tune of “Lupang Hinirang” wafting through the hall courtesy of Juan Pablo Dream’s tenor saxophone, as the audience formally dressed in black suits and evening gowns stood in rapt attention and anticipation for the eight bouts of Rogue Magazine’s Black Tie Brawl last evening of Oct. 29 at the Grand Ballroom, New World Hotel, Makati.

Immediately after playing the national anthem, the Mod band set the fighting mood with their fierce and frenetic renditions of Otis Redding’s “Hard to Handle” and Led Zeppelin’s “Whole Lot of Love,” rocking the crowd seated ‘round round tables. Fresh from consumption of their chef prepared sit-down dinner, the high society patrons eagerly awaited their dessert of Alvin Aguilar’s intrepid Ultimate Reality Combat Championship fighters, whose photos of bare upper bodies and brief write-ups were on the menu, literally.

And now for the fights, which were graced by Ornusa Cadness,
Mia Ayesa, and Sanya Smith as round girls in gowns (no, not skimpy skirts and body fitting midrib tops).

Match no. 1: Pinweight, Leonard Caliwa vs. Noel “Taz” Norada

The first fight of the night was the shortest and bloodiest. Norada of the Wrestling Association of the Philippines (WAP) took off for an ill-timed and telegraphed grab for the legs of Round 1 Gym fighter Caliwa and paid dearly for it. Caliwa quickly countered with a thunderous knee into Norada’s face, smashing the wrestler’s right cheekbone and sending him plummeting on his butt.

A visibly hurt and flustered Norada tried to get back on his feet and dove for another double-leg shot, which was met with another knee to his face from his alert opponent. This time though, the second knee strike notwithstanding, Norada got a firm grasp of Caliwa’s legs and took him down.

Norada tried to ground and pound through his daze inside the guard but was effectively stifled by the still clear-headed Caliwa. Blood oozed profusely from Norada’s nose and mouth, an effect of his battered right cheek, and bathed his supine adversary with crimson.

The referee broke the fight and summoned the ring physician to check on the injured fighter (Norada splattered so much blood on his rival that the doctor first approached Caliwa, mistakenly thinking that the latter was the one bleeding from injury). Barely breathing through the blood stuffed in his nostrils, a devastated Norada meekly surrendered. 

Leonard Caliwa was declared winner by technical knockout (TKO) with the doctor stoppage 0:54 into the first round.

(Later a downcast Norada, lying on the emergency cot with an ice pack on his cheek, told this writer that after the first knee strike he could not even recall his subsequent successful takedown and futile attempt at a ground and pound.)

Match no. 2: featherweight, Reydon “The Filipino Bolo Punch” Romero vs. Miguel Alo

Alo of Team S.P.R.A.W.L. and a BS MatEng graduate of UP Diliman, engineered a majority decision over Romero of Yaw Yan Kampilan, in a fight largely characterized by a see-saw battle on ground positioning.

The second fight commenced with Romero assuming the signature Yaw Yan Kampilan fighting stance: crouching low with his right fist covering his right cheek and the other arm cocked with the upper arm raised to almost perpendicular to the body, elbow outwardly pointed at the opponent, and forearm dangling and swinging like a pendulum.

Romero struck Alo with a punch and kick combo and surprisingly took down the wrestler with a double-leg shot. Alo, upon hitting the canvass wrapped his legs around Romero and secured a jujitsu closed guard position.

On his back Alo, a Philippine Team B wrestler, weathered Romero’s fistic attacks until he got hold of the other protagonist’s left leg and changed their positions with a takedown. But it didn’t take long before Romero skillfully regained the top position in what would be a 20 minute long tussle of reversals on the ground.

The latter half of the first round saw Alo trying to sink in a triangle choke, against which Romero initially responded with an illegal knee to the head, making referee Joey Lepiten momentarily halt the action and warn the erring party. Alo then transitioned into an arm bar attempt which Romero defended stubbornly in spite of his arm almost reaching hyper-extension.

Alo finally gave up on the arm bar and full mounted Romero, and true to the manifesting pattern, the mounted fighter regained the neutral position by sneaking back a full guard around his opponent.

The second round started with Alo capitalizing on his superior physical conditioning, and the more exhausted Romero abandoning his team’s unique fighting stance for the more conventional boxing defensive pose.

This time, it was Alo who initiated the fireworks with a left cross and took off with a flying knee to the head, before taking his opponent down and pounding on him from the full mount.

For the nth time Romero reversed and re assumed the top position then stood away from the supine Alo’s guard. On his feet he delivered kicks to the legs of his grounded opponent, who cautiously inched towards him on his back, waiting for the opportune time to stand up without receiving a major hit.

 The chance came for Alo when Romero launched another leg kick, and with what seemed to be a leg block from below, the Yaw Yan Kampilan athlete tripped and stumbled to the canvass. Immediately Alo arose and dashed towards his downed adversary, tied him up, and struck at him.

Romero struggled back to his feet but Alo countered with a successful head throw, eventually leading to a full mount and ground and pound. When the fighters found themselves back to standing again, Alo took to flight anew and piloted an airborne knee to Romero. 

The final bell rang with Alo going all out for a rear-naked choke after slugging at a prone Romero from a back mount in the dying minute.

Match no. 3: featherweight, Michael Dan Rubio vs. Dowen “Rampage” Dela Tonga

Rubio of McLaren MMA was quick to the draw with a complete package of strikes; punching, kicking, and kneeing Dela Tonga of Round 1 Gym right at the opening salvo. Wrestling Dela Tonga down, Rubio grappled for a kimura arm lock which appeared to be on the verge of eliciting a submission.

Dela Tonga, coming off an intimidating 17–3 win–loss record in his erstwhile pro boxing career, frustrated Rubio and struggled his way back on his feet. Hence he proved his superior boxing skills for the latter half of the first round, with Rubio answering mostly with leg kicks.

The second round further showcased Dela Tonga’s advantage in the boxing department, but Rubio’s takedowns and consistent leg kicks must have been the difference that earned for the McLaren MMA fighter the hard fought split decision victory.

Match no. 4: flyweight, Lando “The Assassin” Espinosa vs. Leo Occena

Espinosa of Elorde MMA did not have to prove his specialty in boxing as he wasted no time in taking down Occena of Yaw Yan Kampilan, barely allowing Occena the chance to show off his team’s signature limping arm fighting stance.

From the half-mount Espinosa banged away at his adversary with head and body punches, until he secured and tapped Occena with a kimura 4:13 into the first round.

Match no. 5: featherweight, Andrew Benibe vs. Carl “The Virus” Sabeniano

It was only in their respective dug-outs, pre-fight, did they learn that both of them studied in UP Diliman and took courses in the same College of Human Kinetics (Benibe was a sports science major from 1993 – ’96 while Sabeniano graduated with a bachelor’s degree in physical education in 2006).

In two hours they were at their closest, sharing the spotlight atop one boxing ring, tearing each other apart.

Sabeniano of Hybrid Yaw Yan, a former URCC lightweight champion, dropped and pulled Benibe of Maic’s Gym/ Benibe MMA into his guard early on in the first round. From closed guard he transitioned to his notorious rubber guard then smoothly applied a triangle choke.

Everything was in place for the submission attempt except for the choke, as Benibe steadfastly defended against a blackout, until Sabeniano let go and the fight was resumed back to standing. (Sabeniano later claimed that his nagging knee injury hurt intolerably that he had to release the hold.)

In the stand up striking, Benibe was pronouncedly accurate and persistent with body punches, while Sabeniano landed with thigh kicks. Twice Sabeniano struck but missed with the weapon he resorted to in knocking out his previous opponent in URCC: the spinning back fist.

Entering the last 2:00 of the first round, Benibe unloaded what looked to be a left roundhouse that smacked Sabeniano’s cranium, knocking the ex-champ down. Benibe closed in for the kill and pounded on his fallen foe from side mount before the referee stopped the rainfall of knuckles with 1:55 remaining in the first canto.

Match no. 6: bantamweight, Charles De Tomas vs. Roldan “The Iron
Man” Cartajena

After Cartajena of Hybrid Yaw Yan provoked his rival with a leg kick, it was De Tomas of D Elements Gym all the way, ironing out and dominating The Iron Man with his superior wrestling and grappling proficiency until Cartajena tapped out to the night’s second successful kimura, 5:53 into the first stanza.

Match no. 7: Heavyweight, Robertson Tubosa vs. Igor “Sugar Free” Subora

Beginning the lone heavyweight match of the night, Tubosa of WAP, all of 5’ 10’’ and 220 lbs, lunged and furiously attacked with a flurry of punches until he tied up the bigger Ukrainian Subora of Strikes Unlimited, at 6’ 3” and 240 lbs, against the ropes. Then he took Subora down and tried to launch a ground and pound from half mount.

Subora effectively clinched the wrestler on top of him, preventing Tubosa from inflicting any damage during what would turn out to be their first and last embrace on the floor. With more than two uneventful minutes of jostling on the ground, the referee brought back the fighters on their soles to facilitate more exciting action.

The heaviest and tallest fighter of the night did not disappoint by knocking down Tubosa right away with a superman punch (a flying right straight). He punished the fallen Philippine Team wrestler with some more battery before the referee stopped the fight at 3:00 into the first round, and Sugar Free had his game opponent leave the ring on a sour note.

  

Match no. 8: bantamweight, Hideo “Death from Tokyo” Morikawa vs. Aden “Tiger” Zarco

The final joust for Black Tie Brawl III was a classic between karate and boxing, and it was plain to see in the fighting stances of Japanese karateka Morikawa representing Kyokushin Zendukai Phil and boxer Zarco of Maic’s Gym/ Benibe MMA.

Morikawa lobbed leg kicks which were countered by Zarco with a straight to the face. After circling and sizing each other up with measured strikes, Morikawa tangled and took Zarco down and found himself inside the boxer’s guard.

The fighters soon found themselves back to standing again but Morikawa would have none of it and shot for a successful takedown. Zarco found a way to top position, with one leg entwined inside Morikawa’s half guard.

Morikawa went for a kimura attempt and swept Zarco in the process, getting the top position on side mount. From a kimura, he adjusted to a successful arm bar, tapping out Zarco in 4:04 of the first round.

Andrew Benibe scored a double whammy as he also bagged the “Fighter of the Night” award which went along with a free VRP Medical Center executive check up package.

As in all combative sports contests, half of the warriors enjoyed their victories while the other half went home with more hurt to handle and a less lot of love.

Black Tie Brawl III was a presentation of Rogue Magazine, in cooperation with New World
Hotel, Makati City-Manila, Cole Haan, Mini, PLDT MyDSL, Chivas, Absolut Vodka, Martell Cognac, Jacob’s Creek, Michelis, U-Boat, SEAIR, VRP Medical Center, Lifeline, Yoshinoya, Tapa King, ETC Entertainment Central, Jack TV, Manila Bulletin, 106.7 Dream FM, Martin Bautista, Chris Diaz Designs, and Joel Escober.