"Provoked" Successful Despite A Night of Adversity

It was to be a night that would bring one of the biggest main event's to Kentucky. It ended by opening our eyes to some of the up and comers of the local scene. Gruesome MMA 4 was on pace to be one of the largest productions in recent Kentucky history. However it was plagued by multiple problems that was out of Brandon Newsome's control. As you heard many times from us as well as the powers that be at Gruesome MMA the fight was to have been broadcast live on GoFightLive.  This did not happened due to the fact that no one could access the wireless Internet in the gym. There was no cell phone service so we could not use that avenue to keep folks updated either. To top it all off, Jamie Varner was ruled medically ineligible to fight.

I talked with Varner at the venue and he seemed ready to battle. It was a real shame that a professional of his caliber came unprepared. I was disappointed that he wasn't going to fight but I was more worried about the guy who was in a position to make a name for himself. Jeremy Carper is a class act. With a win over Varner he was on the cusp of the spotlight. Carper no doubt will get another chance down the road but he was robbed of a great opportunity Saturday night.

Enough about what could have happened though. We posted the results now lets talk about the superstars of the night. I was so impressed by some of the amateurs in the cage. Local guys with a good following showing what they have been training so hard for. Only 9 amateur fights for the night but they were great.

Submission of the Night- Jonathan Duncan
Jonathan Duncan is a beast. He is the type of athlete who walks around as the favorite no matter who he is facing. He locked in a guillotine choke on Cody Coleman that put Coleman into dream land. Coleman came to shortly after but it was a devastating submission. Watch out of Duncan, he has the size and skill to do big things.

Knockout of the Night - Bo Preece

Bo Preece knocked out Billy Jessup with some brutal knees. Referee Rick Borders had to call an end to the fight when Jessup went limp against the cage after eating several strikes that put him out. Preece is a youngster with a great wrestling background. Looking forward to seeing him again soon.

Fight of the Night - Jerry Burns vs Chancellor Edmonson

Two of Kentucky's professional road warriors battled it out for 14:52 in what ended up being the co-main event of the night. Honestly if Burns would have lasted another 8 seconds until the final horn I believe he would have won the fight on decision. He picked Edmonson up and slammed him at will. This was a very interesting match up though. Burns told me this was the first time in two years he had cut weight for a fight. On the other hand Edmonson gained quite a bit of weight for this contest. Edmonson's conditioning played a factor in this. He looked sharper in the 3rd round. A bit of controversy in the final seconds as Burns says he did verbally submit. He was taking major damage at the time but only had to hold out 8 more seconds. Word is that Burns wants an immediate rematch. We shall see.

My utmost respect goes to Brandon Newsome and Greg Maynard. They fought through massive obstacles and still produced a great show with what they had left. Not one of the problems could they control. Despite all these things the fighters that showed up and saved the day! At this time I do not know what the future holds for Gruesome MMA but whatever direction they go in they have our support.