Fighters Only

Issue 020

December 2006

September 29th 2006

Bell Center, Montreal, Canada

Written and photographed by Derrek Verschuren

On September 29th 2006 the TKO MMA Group took a tremendous step forward in securing its position as one of the premiere Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) organisations in North America. Riding the success of the Ultimate Fighting Championship in the United States and around the world, TKO chose this event to unveil its brand new Octagon, much to the delight of the fans in attendance. Also, this was the first time that a TKO event had been held in the Bell Center in Montreal, Quebec’s premiere sports facility and home to the National Hockey League’s Montreal Canadians.

The overall production of the event was second to none and set a new standard for MMA events in Canada. There was however one glaring disappointment in regards to this event, and that was the collapse of what could have been the most exciting fight in Canadian MMA history. The original main event for this card was to be a 155lb battle between Canada’s best lightweights and two rising international stars.

For years Canadian MMA fans had begged to see Ivan Menjivar and Mark Hominick battle it out to see who was the top dog of the lightweights. As each made names for themselves in different parts of the world, it would only be a matter of time before they would meet. This event would not be the time or place as Menjivar pulled out of the fight with little over a week to go. Although no official explanation was given by Menjivar or his camp, the speculation is that his commitment to K-1 HERO’s and his position in the finals of their tournament was the reason for the cancellation. In Menjivar’s place Hominick would face Samuel Guillet, who with a record of 4-2 was a serious underdog against the 11-5 former super lightweight champ. The co-main event of the evening was a rematch between UFC veteran and TKO lightweight champion Sam Stout and the first person to beat him, Jay ‘El Terrible’ Estrada.

Main Event

Although he already had a win over Sam Stout, veteran Jay Estrada was the underdog in the battle for the lightweight title. Since their original meeting (Stout’s first fight) the gap in terms of skills and experience between the two had narrowed considerably. Stout has had fights in both the UFC and K-1 while Estrada has remained a staple of the grassroots MMA scene in the United States.

When the opening bell rang Estrada went for the take down, choosing not to trade strikes with the Muay Thai expert Stout. He drove Stout into the cage and began to throw elbows and punches but Stout was able to tie him up and the referee brought the two warriors to their feet. Once standing Stout did his best to land effective strikes, but found himself spending most of his time trying to keep Estrada from taking him down.

The second round began much like the first as Estrada quickly scored a takedown and began working within Stout’s guard. This time however Stout was able to reverse his position and end up on top in full mount, punishing Estrada with vicious elbows. Estrada did his best to defend but in doing so extended his arms. Stout took full advantage and swung his legs around while clasping Estrada’s outstretched arm, securing the submission at 1:21 of the second round.

Mark Hominick versus Samuel Guillet

With his original opponent pulling out at the last minute, and with a far less experienced opponent to face, one would think that former TKO super lightweight champion Mark Hominick would lose some of his motivation to push the pace in his match with Samuel Guillet. Unfortunately for Guillet that would not be the case, as the elite striker Hominick came out fired up and punished his opponent in a Muay Thai clinic.

At the start of the first round it was obvious that Guillet had nothing to offer Hominick standing, and he did whatever he could to take the fight to the ground. While he was successful in this task towards the end of the round it was Hominick who was able to control the fight punishing Guillet with brutal leg kicks.

The second round looked much like the first. Hominick continued his assault on Guillets legs. At one point Guillet dropped to the ground clutching his leg but the ref let the fight continue and Hominick peppered his leg with more kicks from the standing position. Guillet secured a takedown at the closing minutes of the round but Hominick was able to tie him up and limit the damage he received.

The final round was either one of the best displays of heart in recent memory, as Guillet took kick after kick to his legs while looking for a take down, or one of the best examples of how effective leg kicks can be in MMA. Hominick was not able to end the fight before the final bell but the fact that Guillet was barely able to stand, let alone walk, was a testament to Hominick’s ferocity and his ability to pick his opponent apart with his superb striking.

Round Up

Heavyweight champion Icho Larenas battled veteran Krzysztof Soszynski in his first title defence. The sloppy affair saw these two behemoths stand toe to toe and sling looping punches only going to the ground briefly.

By the end of the second round Larenas was battered and bloody suffering two cuts above his eyes. He was unable to answer the third round bell and Soszynski was declared the winner and new TKO heavyweight champion.

Tyler Jackson took the fastest fight of the night over former lightweight champion Donald Ouimet. The action began with Jackson landing a heavy left hand, which could be heard throughout the area, setting up a clinch and taking Ouimet down. Ouimet landed inside Jackson’s guard but found himself locked in a tight armbar causing his elbow to dislocate. Jackson took the victory 37 seconds into the first.

Steve Claveau returned to action after a brief retirement to face John ‘Haggis Basher’ Fraser. Claveau’s ground skill proved to be the deciding factor as he quickly took the fight to the mat. He mounted Frazer who tried desperately to escape. Although Fraser was able to reverse his position he found himself caught in a tight triangle. The ref was unable to see Fraser tap out and he went to sleep at 3:17 of the first round.