The Philippine Online Chronicles

The venue was elegant and tasteful, and the audience even more so. The food was pleasing, and the ambiance intimate and comfortable, all of which belied the night's entertainment—brutal mixed martial arts (MMA) bouts between supremely muscled athletes relying on sheer strength, skill and force of will to neutralize their opponents.

The audience, formally dressed in black suits and evening gowns, swanned to the Grand Ballroom of the New World Hotel in Makati City on October 29 for Rogue Magazine's Black Tie Brawl, anticipating eight intense MMA bouts.

Mod band Juan Pablo Dream set the mood with fierce and frenetic renditions of Otis Redding’s “Hard to Handle” and Led Zeppelin’s “Whole Lot of Love,” rocking the crowd seated at round tables. After a lavish sit-down dinner, dessert was spiced up by photos of Alvin Aguilar’s intrepid Ultimate Reality Combat Championship fighters, which were literally on the menu.

Ornusa Cadness, Mia Ayesa, and Sanya Smith, attired in sleek gowns (no, not skimpy skirts and spandex tops), served as round girls.

Match no. 1: Pinweight, Caliwa vs. Norada

The first fight of the night was the shortest and bloodiest. Noel “Taz” Norada of the Wrestling Association of the Philippines (WAP) paid dearly for an ill-timed grab for Round 1 Gym fighter Leonard Caliwa's legs. Caliwa countered by kneeing Norada’s face, smashing the wrestler’s right cheekbone and sending him plummeting to the mat.

A visibly hurt and flustered Norada struggled upright and tried another double-leg shot, which Caliwa met with another knee to his opponent's face. This time though, Norada took Caliwa down.

Norada tried to ground and pound through his daze inside the guard but was effectively stifled by the still clear-headed Caliwa. Blood oozed profusely from Norada’s nose and mouth, an effect of his battered right cheek, bathing his adversary in crimson.

The referee broke the fight and summoned the ring physician to check on the injured fighter. There was so much blood on Caliwa that the doctor first approached him instead of Norada, who meekly surrendered.

The doctor stopped the fight 0:54 into the first round, and Caliwa was declared winner by technical knockout (TKO).

Later, a downcast Norada, lying on an emergency cot with an ice pack on his cheek, told this writer that after the first knee strike he could not even recall his subsequent successful takedown and futile attempt at a ground and pound.

Match no. 2: Featherweight, Romero vs. Alo

Team S.P.R.A.W.L.'s Miguel Alo, a BS Materials Engineering graduate of the University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman, tried for a majority decision over Reydon “The Filipino Bolo Punch” Romero of Yaw Yan Kampilan, in a fight largely characterized by a see-saw battle on ground positioning.

As the fight opened, Romero assumed the signature Yaw Yan Kampilan fighting stance: crouching low with his right fist covering his right cheek and the other arm cocked with the upper arm raised to almost perpendicular to the body, elbow outwardly pointed at the opponent, and forearm dangling and swinging like a pendulum.

Romero struck Alo with a punch/ kick combo, taking down the wrestler with a double-leg shot. Upon hitting the canvas, Alo wrapped his legs around Romero and secured a jujitsu closed guard position.

Philippine Team B wrestler Alo weathered Romero’s fist attacks until he got hold of the other’s left leg and turned the tables with a takedown. But it didn’t take long before Romero skillfully regained the top position in what would be a 20-minute long tussle of reversals on the ground.

In the second round, Alo capitalized on his superior physical conditioning, and the exhausted Romero abandoned his team’s trademark fighting stance for the more conventional boxing defensive pose.

The final bell rang with Alo going all out for a rear-naked choke after slugging at a prone Romero from a back mount in the dying minute.

Match no. 3: Featherweight, Rubio vs. dela Tonga

Michael Dan Rubio of McLaren MMA was quick to the draw with a complete package of strikes, punching, kicking, and kneeing Dowen “Rampage” dela Tonga of Round 1 Gym right at the opening salvo. Wrestling dela Tonga down, Rubio grappled for a kimura arm lock, almost eliciting surrender.

However, dela Tonga, coming off an intimidating 17–3 win–loss pro boxing record, got back up and proved his superior boxing skills in the latter half of the first round, with Rubio answering mostly with kicks.

The second round further showcased dela Tonga’s advantage in the boxing department, but Rubio’s takedowns and consistent kicks earned the McLaren MMA fighter a split decision victory.

Match no. 4: Flyweight, Espinosa vs. Occena

Lando “The Assassin” Espinosa of Elorde MMA wasted no time in taking down Leo Occena of Yaw Yan Kampilan with his boxing skills, barely allowing Occena the chance to show off his team’s signature limping arm fighting stance.

From the half-mount Espinosa banged away at his adversary with head and body punches, until he secured and tapped Occena with a kimura 4:13 into the first round.

Match no. 5: Featherweight, Benibe vs. Sabeniano

It was only in their respective dug-outs, pre-fight, did they learn that both of them studied at UP Diliman's College of Human Kinetics (Benibe was a sports science major from 1993 to 1996 while Sabeniano graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Physical Education in 2006). In two hours they were at their closest, sharing the spotlight in a boxing ring, tearing each other apart.

Former URCC lightweight champion Carl "The Virus" Sabeniano of Hybrid Yaw Yan dropped and pulled Andrew Benibe of Maic’s Gym/ Benibe MMA into his guard early on in the first round. From closed guard he transitioned to his notorious rubber guard then smoothly applied a triangle choke.

Everything was in place for the submission attempt except for the choke, as Benibe steadfastly defended against a blackout, until Sabeniano let go and the fight resumed with both fighters upright. (Sabeniano later claimed that his nagging knee injury hurt intolerably that he had to release the hold.)

In the stand up striking, Benibe, who was later named “Fighter of the Night,” persisted with body punches, while Sabeniano landed thigh kicks. Twice Sabeniano struck but missed with a spinning back fist, with which he knocked out his previous URCC opponent.

Entering the last 2:00 of the first round, Benibe knocked down Sabeniano with what looked to be a left roundhouse kick. Benibe went in for the kill, pounding on his fallen foe from side mount before the referee stopped the fight with 1:55 remaining in the first canto.

Match no. 6: Bantamweight, de Tomas vs. Cartajena

After Roldan “The Iron Man” Cartajena of Hybrid Yaw Yan provoked his rival with a leg kick, Charles de Tomas of D Elements Gym took over, dominating The Iron Man with his superior wrestling and grappling proficiency until Cartajena tapped out to the night’s second successful kimura, 5:53 into the first stanza.

Match no. 7: Heavyweight, Tubosa vs. Subora

Beginning the lone heavyweight match of the night, all 5'10” and 220 lbs of WAP's Robertson Tubosa lunged with a flurry of punches and tied Ukranian Igor “Sugar Free” Subora of Strikes Unlimited (6'3”, 240 lbs) against the ropes. Then he took Subora down and tried to launch a ground and pound from half mount.

Subora effectively clinched Tubosa, preventing any damage during what would turn out to be their first and last embrace on the floor. With more than two uneventful minutes of jostling on the ground, the referee intervened to facilitate more exciting action.

The night's bulkiest fighter did not disappoint, knocking Tubosa down with a “Superman punch.” He then proceeded to further batter the fallen Philippine Team wrestler before the referee stopped the fight 3:00 into the first round.

Match no. 8: Bantamweight, Morikawa vs. Zarco

The night's final joust was a classic, pitting a karateka against a boxer.

Aden “Tiger” Zarco countered Japanese karateka Hideo “Death from Tokyo” Morikawa of Kyokushin Zendukai Phil's kicks with punches. After sizing the other up with measured strikes, Morikawa took Zarco down.

However, the fighters soon found themselves back upright. Morikawa tried for a successful takedown, but failed. Later, Morikawa went for a kimura attempt and swept Zarco in the process, getting the top position on side mount. From a kimura, he adjusted to a successful arm bar, tapping out Zarco 4:04 in the first round.