Bleed Blue Brawl 1 Live Blog (August 23, 2009)

I'm here at Champs Skate Center in Lexington, KY, getting ready for Bleed Blue Brawl 1 to start. The newest MMA promotion to enter the Kentucky market, Bleed Blue is drawing on some great local fighters for tonight's show. Although two fights were cancelled at the last minute when two fighters failed to show, there are still six fights on tonight's card and one under-18 grappling match.

UFC fighter and Kentucky native Junie Browning is the special guest referee.

I'll be back when the action starts.

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Robert Traylor vs. Matt Franklin

Traylor fights out of Team Unleashed. Franklin fights out of Reaction MMA.

Round 1
Traylor opens the action with a two punch combo. Franklin answers with a head shots and they clinch up. Traylor scores a takedown and tries to take Franklin's back but Franklin rolls and Traylor pulls guard. Traylor briefly throws his legs up for a triangle, but Franklin stands and lands two hard shots from the top. Traylor moves for an ankle lock but Franklin grabs the cage for leverage. Franklin gets out and they stand. Traylor lands a body kick and they clinch up. Franklin throws a knee to the body and then hip tosses Traylor for the takedown, landing in top position. Traylor scrambles, trying to take Franklin's back from the bottom and Franklin looks for a modified arm triangle choke but can't finish. Traylor manages to land a few shots from the bottom as the round ends.

A tough round to score. I think Traylor's initial flurry was good, but Franklin seemed to control the majority of the round and was more aggressive.

Furby sees it 10-9 Franklin.

Round 2
Traylor opens with a right hook and Franklin misses with one of his own. Traylor attempts to take Franklin's back standing, looking for a suplex. Traylor manages to pull Franklin down but Franklin transitions to top position and Traylor pulls guard after an initial attempt at an armlock fails. Franklin steps over one of Traylor's legs and Traylor throws a knee to the body from the bottom. Franklin briefly looks for an armlock of his own, but then the two are stood up as the action slows. Franklin misses with a big right hook and Traylor clinches up but Franklin lands a knee to the body. Franklin pulls Traylor back to the ground, but Franklin lands in the top position again and lands some hard shots from the top. Franklin lands some more hard shots and Traylor taps to the strikes.

Matt Franklin wins via submission (strikes) in Round 2.

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Bobby Cummins vs. Joe Kidd

Cummins fights out of Reaction MMA. Kidd fights out of Team Unleashed.

Round 1
Kidd fakes a leg kick and then comes in with a right hook but misses. He clinches up and Cummins tries to sweep but is unable and Kidd lands some knees to teh body and head. They separate and Cummins misses with a body kick. Cummins lands a Superman punch and Kidd takes him down. Cummins moves for a triangle and Kidd tries to land shots from the top. Cummins continues to work for the triangle, pulling Kidd's head down, but Kidd keeps landing shots from the top. Kidd gets free of the submission attempt and Cummins pulls guard. Kidd is warned for throwing an elbow (which aren't allowed in KY amateur MMA). Cummins briefly tries for another triangle and Kidd tries to land more shots from the top. Cummins reverses the position and stands with Kidd following and Cummins manages to score a suplex as the round expires.

A good effort by Cummins at the close of the round, but I don't think it would be enough to win the round due to Kidd's control for the majority of the round and the hard shots landed.

Furby sees it 10-9 Kidd.

Round 2
Cummins lands a lazy jab to start and Kidd answers with a leg kick. Cummins tries a superman punch but it falls short and the two trade jabs. They exchange two punch combos and jabs by both fall short but Kidd lands a right hook then a leg kick. Kidd slips and Cummins pounces landing a couple punches but then Kidd regains his balance and lands a leg kick. Cummins steps in with a left hook but then backs off and a right by Kidd falls short. Cummins misses with a big overhand right and Kidd lands a right hook. They clinch up and Kidd lands a knee to the body and a right hook as they searate, followed by a left hook. Cummins sneaks in a couple short body shots and Kidd lands an accidental groin kick but Cummins waves it off and they both miss with head shots as the round expires.

A better round Cummins this time - he was the aggressor more and landed more quality shots.

Furby sees it 10-9 Cummins.

Round 3
Kidd opens with a leg kick, then another. Cummins steps in and pushes Kidd against the cage and both guys miss with haymakers as they separate. A left hook by Cummins falls short, as does a second and Kidd lands a leg kick followed by a short right hook, then another leg kick. Cummins steps in with a body kick and right, and then Kidd swings and Cummins falls, but it appears that there was an unintentional poke to the eye, and Cummins's eyelid is bleeding, and the doctor comes in to stop the fight.

Because it was an unintentional injury in the third round, they will go to the Judges' scorecards. I would've scored that round 10-9 Kidd at the time it ended.

Bobby Cummins wins via Split Decision (29-28, 29-28, and one judge scored it 30-27 for Kidd).

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David Suter vs. Nolan Bailey

Suter fights out of 4 Seasons MMA. Bailey fights on Bushido Fight Team.

Round 1
Bailey opens with a jab and Suter answers with a three punch combo. Bailey clinches up and Suter scores a takedown, landing in the top position. Suter works in some body and head shots and transitions to side control and then takes Bailey's back as Bailey rolls. Suter gets one of his legs between Bailey's, who is crouching, and then Suter transitions to side control, but then stands and lets Bailey up. Bailey comes in and Suter goes down for a double leg takedown, but Bailey locks him up in a guillotine and Suter doesn't finish the takedown. Suter gets his head out and they go down with Suter in side control. He lands a knee to the body and a head shot and then stands and waits for Bailey to get up but Bailey stays down and the fight is stopped.

David Suter wins via TKO (strikes) in Round 1.

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Walker Keaton vs. Josh Collins - Under-18 Grappling

Walker Keaton scores first submission with an armbar. (They decided to continue grappling for the rest of the five minutes, but there are no more submissions.)
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Grady Self vs. Carl Thornsberry

Self fights out of Team Blackout. Thornsberry fights out of 4 Seasons MMA.

Round 1
Thornsberry opens with a left hook and they trade punches in the center of the mat. Thornsberry works for a takedown but Self defends. They separate and Self sneaks in two punches to the head. They trade head shots at the edge of the cage and then clinch up. Self scores a takedown but Thornsberry looks for a guillotine. Self gets his head out and postures up and lands some shots from the top. Thornsberry kicks him off and the two roll and Thornsberry takes the mount position but Self kicks him off and then pushes forward, grabbing Thornsberry's head for a guillotine and rolls and cranks, forcing the tap.

Grady Self wins via submission (guillotine) in Round 1.

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Adam Disney vs. Brian Tipton

Disney fights out of Reaction MMA. No team affiliation is announced for Tipton.

Round 1
Tipton opens with an initial flurry and then quickly pulls Disney down, landing some shots from the mount position. Disney lands a hard shot from the bottom, but Tipton controls one of Disney's wrists and lands more head shots from the mount. Disney lands a hammer fist from the bottom and then is able to roll Tipton back and take the top position. Tipton is preventing Disney from posturing up, but Disney is still sneaking in some head shots. Disney transitions to full mount and lands some hard body shots but then Tipton sweeps him to take top position. Disney manages to land a head shot from the bottom, but Tip is controlling one of his wrists and uses that to get full mount and work in some ground and pound. Disney tries to shake Tipton off but is unable to before the round ends.

Furby sees it 10-9 Tipton.

Round 2
Tipton opens with a right hook but Disney scoops him up and pushes him into the cage. Tipton gets an underhook and uses it to land a knee to the head and right hook. Disney swings and missess but Tipton lands a combo. Disney lands multiple leg kicks but Tipton scores another takedown and Disney pulls guard. The ref stands them up as the action slows. Tipton lands two more head shots and Disney answers with a leg kick and two body kicks, and two more leg kicks. Disney shoots in and Tipton grazes him with a knee to the head and both swing for the fences as the round ends, neither hitting their marks.

Furby sees it 10-9 Tipton.

Round 3
Both guys are clearly tired starting this final round. Tipton makes first contact with a right hook but Disney scores with an uppercut followed by a straight right that lays Tipton out, immediately KO'ing him..

Adam Disney wins via KO in Round 3.

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Matt Green vs. Christopher Johnson

Green fights out of Reaction MMA. Johnson fights out of Team Unleashed.

Round 1
Green steps in with an overhand right that misses, but he scoops Johnson up for a slam and immediately starts raining down shots to the head from side control. Green then transitions to full mount and starts landing more shots until ref Junie Brown steps in to stop them.

Matt Green wins via TKO (strikes) in Round 1.

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All in all, a good first show for Bleed Blue. It's not hard to see the crowd wanted more. Plans for their second show are for a pro/am event, and with the success of this first one, I'm interested to see what they can do in their sophomore show.