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Report by Loretta Hunt - Photography by Daisy Rosas ONTARIO, Calif., June 17 -- It hasn't been a broached subject, but three-minute rounds have been instituted by the California State Athletic Commission in the Golden State for its lesser experienced mixed martial artists (FCF has been told this applies to fighters five pro fights and under, but still awaits an interview with the CSAC to confirm). While the CSAC's interpretation of how long they believe pro newcomers should be allowed to test their mettle in the cage has gone unchallenged (at least publicly), Saturday's Invincible 1 "Fist of Fury," held at the Ontario Convention Center with a card especially heavy on inexperienced fighters, could stand as an argument for resuming the standard five-minute periods currently recognized throughout the country. On three separate occasions in three separate fights, a submission-trapped fighter was saved by the bell and was free to walk back to his corner to replenish for the next round. Now, there is no way of telling if those extra 120 seconds would have brought on the demise of the bout, but watching the scenario play out over and over again does give one pause as to if these greener fighters simply need more time to get their ground games going altogether. One submission which needed no extra perks was debuter Giva Nascimento's 2:00 bicep-tearing armbar of Mavrick Harvey, billed as the star of the event who entered the arena via Hummer from the parking lot with his toddler son and a posse in tow. Announced as a "Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu champion," it took Nascimento little time to wrestle the 10-1-1 Harvey to the mat. From there, the only hurdle the Brazilian faced was lining up enough room against the fence to lay out Mavrick's arm for the tapout.
Wearing his Newcastle shorts, Englishman Peter Irving had a "spot on" performance against the 7-4-2 Reggie Cardiel, catching the American's kicks with his hands multiple times throughout their nine minute clash. Even when Cardiel slipped on a kick, Irving chose to keep it on its feet, but later executed the takedown and latched on the standing guillotine when Cardiel rose. Stunning Cardiel with a punch at the top of the third, Irving later achieved mount but couldn't force the finish. Still, Irving controlled enough of the play to get the deserved unanimous decision. Red-mohawked, last-minute replacement Aric Nelson seemed a bit out of his league with the 7-4-1 Shad Smith (who fought the 3-minute rounds because of his opponent), but to his credit made it to the third round after surviving two tight arm-triangle chokes and the errant guillotine or armbar throughout their first six minutes.
In fact, back in his corner between the second and third round, Nelson turned to cageside commentator Kit Cope and asked how to get out of "that choke." Cope chuckled, but had no advice, and Nelson was sent back out into the third round under his devices. After latching on the guillotine and jumping guard, Smith ended it with a triangle choke 1:06 in. In the night's opener, Dominic Verdugo got quite a lesson in his professional debut against the 0-1 Mark Moldenhauer. Opening each round with a sharp low kick, Muay Thai fighter Verdugo seemed unsure what to do once it hit the clinch, and Moldenhauer made him pay, nailing Verdugo with gratuitous uppercuts and knees. Verdugo took Moldenhauer down to the mat and the bottom fighter went to work with armbar attempts, one which Verdugo was able to walk away from at the end of the second due the notorious three-minute bell. Fading in his corner, it almost looked as if Verdugo might not make it out for the final round, but he collected himself and moved forward, knowing he'd have to finish it here to win the bout. Luckily, he found the standing guillotine and coaxed the tapout out of Moldenhauer 22 seconds in. A purebred wrestler with little knowledge of submissions, local boy Robert Sanchez crossfaced his way to victory over a frustrated Jason Childers, who attempted submission after submission from his back, but couldn't get the closer. Sanchez had no striking to offer standing or on the ground, and benefited by the shorter three-minute rounds when he beat out what should have been the fight-ending triangle choke. Sanchez earned his decision on takedowns, but needs to add to his arsenal if he's to go progress on. A clueless Randal Limond went to 1-6 tonight, charging local Rancho Cucumonga favorite Jaime Fletcher, but then failed to land anything once he reached him. The two awkwardly separated and reset in the middle where they exchanged sloppy attempts at what looked like kicks, then Limond charged at Fletcher again. This time, Fletcher was ready with the standing guillotine, the 32-second tapout, and his first-ever pro victory in MMA.
In a light heavyweight showdown, Donald "Rocco" Augustus grappled his way to a split decision over Lion's Den rep Dan Molina. Both seemed willing to go for it standing an on the ground, but need more time to hone their skills before they're ready for a brighter stage. Invincible 1 "Fists of Fury" Results
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