Nearly 300 fans crammed into the Doherty Hotel for this great night of fights. We’d like to thank Spyder Submissions for putting on a great show and keeping the caliber of the fighters high.
Cosens MMA Fighters Larry Beak, James Basher, Pat Zippler, and Crystal Starkey all participated in the event last Friday. (April 8, 2011).
The first Cosens MMA fighter to step in the cage was Larry Beak. He has been training with Cosens MMA for nearly two years and was hungry for a win after losing his first two fights. Both fighters came out swinging and Larry got pushed up against the cage. Both of the fighters were feeling each other out. It was a fairly even fight standing up. Larry took his opponent to the ground about half way through the first round. He was working on a Keymora (arm lock) and had it set in deep but his opponent would not tap. Larry decided to start raining down elbows and punches and finished the fight near the end of the first round. Congratulations on your first win Larry!
The second Cosens MMA fighter to step in the cage and battle was James Basher. He was stepping into the cage with an impressive 3-0 record. This was definitely one of the most exciting fights of the night. It was a war. Both of the fighters seemed to be quite experienced. It turned into a grappling match and James took control with his wrestling skills wearing down his opponent. James won the fight by unanimous decision and moved to 4-0! Excellent job, James!
The third Cosens MMA fighter to fight was Patrick Zippler. Pat was also stepping into the cage with an experienced record of 5-1. Pat is one of Cosens MMA’s most experienced, dedicated students. He trained his heart out for this fight. Pat landed a huge right about 10 seconds in, dazing his opponent. The entire crowd screamed “OOOOOOOHHHHH”. It was evident Pat had been working on his striking game. His opponent came back with a few strikes of his own, but decided to take the fight to the ground. His opponent was a very talented wrestler and controlled most of the second half of the fight on the ground. It was a very even fight, but Pat lost due to decision. It was an exciting fight and both fighters deserve all the credit in the world. Great job, Pat. Keep your head up! There’s a lot to learn from a long fight like that.
The fourth Cosens MMA fighter to step in the cage was Cosens MMA veteran, Crystal Starkey. Crystal has been with Cosens MMA for nearly 2 years and has one of the most dedicated work ethics in our gym. She trains as hard as she possibly can. Crystal recently won the Blackout Cage Fighting 125lb Belt in February increasing her record to 3-0. She was putting her perfect record on the line for the SSFL 130lb title against Theresa Sass.
In the first round both fighters came out striking and feeling each other out. Crystal landed some heavy punches and Theresa threw some excellent inside leg kicks. Crystal took Theresa down and got stuck in a deep triangle choke about halfway through the first round. Crystal postured up to avoid being tapped out and was able to hold on until the end of the round.
Round 2 was more of a striking match. Crystal landed some heavy punches and kicks and dazed her opponent several times. Theresa and Crystal got into a flurry throwing rights and lefts as hard as they possibly could. The crowd was expecting a knockout..it could have gone either way.
Round 3 was ground and pound 101 from Crystal Starkey. She was able to get her opponent on the ground and in her guard. She shoved her opponent up against the cage and carefully took her shots with elbows and punches. Theresa tried her best to land a submission but was unable to do so in this round.
Crystal Starkey won the fight by unanimous decision improving her record to 4-0 and becoming the new SSFL 130lb Champion! Congratulations, Crystal, you deserve it! Congrats to Theresa Sass as well, she is by far the toughest opponent Crystal has ever fought.
