Gladiators "Battle at the Bleachers" electrified a raucous crowd on Saturday night at Kellys Bleachers II in Wind Lake. The card featured 17 exciting fights, 10 of which ended in the first round. In one of the night's two professional bouts, Gladiators heavyweight champion Reese "Old Man" Shaner sent the crowd home happy after he retained his belt with a huge slam of Demian "The Coroner" Decorah.

Main Events:

Heavyweight Championship Fight

It was obvious from the opening bell that Shaner had the better skill set than Decorah. Shaner held his opponent against the cage, and used his single leg takedowns throughout the first three rounds to keep control of the fight.

As the fourth round began, it was clear that Decorah was exhausted. Reese once again pushed Demian against the cage, but instead of taking him down, lifted him over his and slammed him in the center of the cage. After the slam, Decorah grabbed his ribs and alerted the referee that he was unable to continue.

After the battle, the pro-Shaner crowd erupted and began chanting "Reese" as he raised his championship belt for all to see.

Sam Alvey Vs. Trae Mittnacht

To say that the crowd was in favor of "Smiling" Sam Alvey would be a gross understatement. And the audience's favorite fighter did not disappoint on Saturday night. Alvey's opponent, Trae Mittnacht, took the fight on short notice after Rob Smith had to withdraw because of an injury.

In the opening moments of the battle, Mittnacht connected on a crisp combination of punches that sent Alvey's mouthguard halfway across the ring. Yet, "Smiling Sam" was able to recover and take Mittnacht to the ground. Alvey used his power to capture the full mount position over his opponent. In an attempt to escape the full mount, Mittnacht gave his back to Alvey. From there, the fan favorite proceeded to pelt the sides of Mittnacht's face until the ref called a halt to the fight.

After the fight, Alvey looked every part of his nickname has the thanked his family and friends in the audience, and shook the hand of nearly everyone around the cage.

Light Heavyweight Grappling Championship

In a clash for the vacant 205 pound grappling championship, referee Eric "Red" Schaeffer awarded Scott Huston the belt over Justin "Bacon" Hutter. Huston was able to hold a triangle choke for an extended period of time and bloody the nose of his opponent before Schaeffer was forced to decide the winner.

Fight of the Night

While both of the Shaner and Alvey fights were impressive, the fight of the night went to amateurs Jason "Black Mamba" Norman and John Gunn. The fight was an absolute slugfest that saw both men in danger throughout.

In the beginning of the fight, Gunn connected on a barrage of wild punches to the chin of "Black Mamba." But right as it seemed that Norman was about to lose the fight, he uncorked his own round of overhand lefts and rights.

The fight went back and forth two more times in this manner, until Norman caught Gunn with a right hand flush to the jaw. Gunn fell to the canvas and the fight was stopped three seconds before the first round ended. It was a brutal, spectacular battle.

KO of the Night

There was a multitude of knockouts to choose from on Saturday, but the most impressive came from Luiz Ramirez. When the opening bell sounded, Ramirez charged at his opponent Howard "The Hurricane" Davis and connected with a huge right hand. Davis proceeded to drop to the ground, and Ramirez landed two more shots to his head before the referee could call a stop to the fight.
When Davis awoke, he claimed that he was fine and was only hit once during the fight. But it was clear that he had been knocked out completely, and was unable to intelligently defend himself.

Submission of the Night

Jose Pacheco pulled off a spectacular armbar against Ryan "The Lion" Kruckle early in the night, but the submission of the night has to be awarded to Reese "Old Man" Shaner for his vicious slam of Demian Decorah. The slam was a fantastic finish to a fantastic night of fights.

Full Results
Youth Pankration:
Ian Grice def. Micheal Coyne via Unanimous Decision
John Van Vleet def. Marc Winslow via Split Decision

Light Heavyweight Grappling Championship - 205lbs
Scott Huston def. Justin Hutter via Decision

Amatuer MMA:
Chris Beck def. Victor Millan via Rear Naked Choke 1:38 R1
Jason Norman def. John Gunn via KO 2:57 R1
Kenny Lions def. Dan Brown via Rear Naked Choke 0:57 R1
Randy Henke def. Phokham Dethleuxay via KO 0:22 R2
James Matteson def. Brad Dhien via Guillotine Choke 1:52 R2
Jose Pacheco def. Ryan Kruckle via Arm Bar 1:26 R1
Jake Trippler def. Jason Montez via KO 2:17 R1
Floyd Hodges def. Brian Bagin via KO 1:37 R1
AJ Lowery def. Chris Schatz via Rear Naked Choke 2:01 R1
Luis Ramirez def. Howard Davis via KO 0:05 R1
Ian Peterson def. Shane Alvey via KO 2:15 R1
Scotty Seivewright def. Trevor Konetzke via KO 0:37 R1

Professional MMA:
Sam Alvey def. Tre Mitternacht via ko 4:14 R1

Heayweight Championship
Reese Shaner def. Demian Decorah via Tap Out from Slam 1:54 R4

Comments (1)

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Tonfa said:

Small Observation Just a couple of corrections. I was in Smile'N Sam's corner and at no point did Sam lose his mouthguard. Trae's fell out towards the end however. Also, I just wanted to give some props to Trae. He took the fight just a few hours beforehand after Rob Smith backed out a week before (due to injury) and Ryan Kolodziej backed out the day of the fight(due to injury). I wish Trae the best of luck with his career and commend him for taking a fight on such terms. Congrats to Shaner and all who faught on the card!

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June 22, 2009
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