Saturday night, Nov. 7th, at the Legacy Fighting Championships, the Pro Houston MMA scene took a giant leap forward. Houston has had pro fights before, a packed Houston Arena Theatre was treated to what many where calling the best night of local fights in the history of this city. “I’ve been coming to fights for the last 9 years here in Houston, and this is by far the best card and most exciting fights I’ve ever watched locally†said Shannon Kelly of Hockley. Every fight had potential to be the fight of the night, and every fight lived up to its potential. The night was filled with excitement and controversy, the two key elements that not only make for a great night of fights but also create a buzz that helps to spark (and maintain) interest within the MMA community.
The great thing about the fighters on this card was that all of them wanted to put on a good show and make the fans feel like they got their money’s worth. Even Chad “Robo†Robichaux, the eventual winner of the main event and the new 135lb Legacy FC champ, showed interest. “How is it going out there? Are the fights good? Are the fans enjoying it?†he asked as I passed him in the fighter dressing room midway through the card.
Photos courtesy of FighterPortraits.com
The excitement happened early and often, and it seemed like there were moments in each fight that had the crowd cheering. The opening fight set the tone with Humberto Deleon squaring off against Andy Sandoval. Midway through the first round, Deleon managed to get Sandoval in an arm bar. The crowd gasped as a close-up on the overhead screen showed Sandoval’s arm looking like it could break at any moment. Somehow, he managed to escape and finish the round, but found himself in the same position early in the second and had to tap. The night was punctuated with a swift victory for Robo, taking just 1:46 to finish Lewis McKenzie in the first round via a rear naked choke. With the win, Robo joins the short list of Pro Houston MMA fighter ready to take the leap to the national stage.
The controversy came during the Ken Battle vs. Jason Carter fight. The fight lasted just 33 seconds with Battle getting the victory via referee stoppage due to strikes.  Battle refused to stop punching Carter and the referee had physically restrain him in the center of the ring to get him off of Carter. To his credit, Carter bounced to his feet and had a confused look on his face as if he felt like the fight should not have been stopped. The crowd booed at the end of the fight, but it is hard to tell if they booed Battle for not stopping or the decision by the referee to stop the fight.
It’s hard to pick a fight of the night. Our own poll has it as a two way race between the Jace Pitre vs. Jesus Rivera match and the McKenzie vs. Robo main event. The Pitre/Rivera fight was an all out slug fest, going the distance and ending in a split decision victory for Rivera. Both fighters showed great chins and displayed outstanding kickboxing and striking skills. The McKenzie/Robo fight was a main event the lived up to the hype, with Robo making short work of McKenzie on his way to an 8-0 record. McKenzie looked game as the fight started, but proved to be no match for Robo on the ground.
The folks at Legacy (Mick Maynard and Ragan McDaniel) have set the bar extremely high for themselves. “I’m very happy with last night’s event and am very excited about the future of Legacy Fighting Championship. We want to provide the premier MMA experience for all fans†said Ragan McDaniel, Production Director for Legacy Fighting Championship and President of B3 Sports Management. It’s going to be interesting to see if they can keep this momentum going on their next pro card.
There were 9 fights on the card, but a total of 10 winners. The first 9 winners were the fighters who had their hand raised by the referee, and the 10th winner was the MMA fight scene (and its fans) here in Houston.
Photos courtesy of FighterPortraits.com
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You can catch Legacy FC on the web at http://www.legacyfightingchampionship.com/
Battle vs. Carter: The crowd was booing due to the ref’s decision to call the fight.
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Battle vs. Carter the entire crowd was chanting “BULLSHIT” for the BULLSHIT call by the ref!
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That was a BULLSHIT call by the ref. a few weeks earlier that same ref let a guy stay on mount an elbow a guy for 1:30sec while the guy never defended him self. and still didnt call the fight. we need some better refs.
the other ref wasn’t to great either. wtf… the ref stopped the fight due to someones are being dislocated by an armbar and then let the doctor take a look at it. doc says its ok it popped back in place. and let the fight continue. and start the fight standing. if the fight is over it’s over. i’m calling BS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Yep, I second the other comments on the Battle vs. Carter fight. The crowd chanted “Bullshit!” because the ref stopped it way too freakin’ early.
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I was standing at the cage and was looking at the ref’s face and he knew he f-ked up. You could see it in his eyes that he knew he called it to early. The commission was worried they were about to have a riot on their hands and they were telling the door guy, “open the fking cage door NOW!” Total fu-bar. The REF needs to go back reffing children’s point sparring karate tournaments!!!
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I don’t know what the other commentes are talking about but from what I saw Carter was getting his head pounded in from mount. Seemed like a clean stop to me, I would of done the same, Carter was taking numerous shots to the head and the ref made the correct decision.
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Someone told me it was 14 shots from the mount. I havent been able to verify. Great job on the coverage guys!
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Any video of the carter/ battle fight?
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