Photo via BTC 13 tapology page
BTC 13: Power event recap (Sarah Kaufman earns first round win)
BTC 13: Power took place November 20th in St Catharines, Ontario. Meridian Centre played host to a packed night of mixed martial arts action as some of Canada’s best showed out.
I was live in attendance for the pugilistic proceedings and this is my event recap.
BTC 13: Power
Nate Ledger vs Binaebi Otoru opened up the card. The big tools of each were evident through the first frame of the bout. Ledger favoring the overhand right and Otoru finding a home for the leg kicks.
Otoru was working a patient, range savvy game with Ledger closing distance at times with the boxing. But also outstretching his arms at other instances to goad a firefight.
This progression largely continued to the last round with Otoru’s leg kicks clearly taking away from Ledger’s base. Despite that, the dogged determination of Nate Ledger shone through. Especially in the fight-ending flurry that saw him drop Otoru to the canvas.
Regardless of the big last round, it still did not supersede the effort of Binaebi Otoru across the first two rounds. Otoru garnered the unanimous decision win in the opening prizefight.
Cody Chovancek vs Josh Martiniuk saw Cody come out with heavy pressure and heavy hands early. He was able to drop Martiniuk and then utilize a nuanced wrestling game throughout the bout. Both in controlling the position with wall work and securing takedowns to the canvas.
Cody Chovancek opened things up for ground and pound in the second round. Slicing elbows halting the thoughtful defense from the guard of Martiniuk. The follow-up flurry of strikes caused the second-round TKO win for Double C in the second stanza at 3:06.
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Albaraa Atmeh vs Seth Connor made a statement in this opening round bout for the $10,000 bantamweight tournament.
Spinning kicks began early for Atmeh who was also finding a home for that right hand to the face. Atmeh stuffed a takedown from Connor and ended up on the mat in side control. Vicious elbows from Atmeh and a torrent of follow-up punches caused the bout to be waved off.
This came at 3:36 via first-round TKO for Albaraa Atmeh.
Alejandro Sosa vs Vinny Dias was another key opening-round bout in this 135 lb tournament field. Sosa was able to get a pair of takedowns in the first frame with some firefighting between the two mixed in during standup exchanges.
Dias landed a good right hand and followed through for a successful single leg takedown. Vinny Dias notched a rear-naked choke victory at 1:19 of the second round. He punches his ticket to the next round of the tournament.
Sosa was writhing on the canvas for a bit following being choked unconscious but thankfully was alright and upright in due time.
The $10,000 bantamweight tournament continued with Harley King vs Ariel Zuniga. A heavy errant groin strike to King caused an early point deduction from the referee to Zuniga.
This point deduction coupled with King clearly winning the first two rounds put Zuniga at a noticeable deficit. King was just so successful at fluidly mixing the martial arts in the first two frames. Seamlessly segueing between greco roman wall work to thoughtful striking in close quarters to fighting at kickboxing range and scoring takedowns.
This made it all the more impressive when Ariel Zuniga dug down deep and came out in the final frame with fervor. A certain hunger a fighter has realizing that they need that finish for any chance of winning.
That finish came in the form of a guillotine choke at 0:36. Ariel Zuniga truly earned his semi-final spot in the tournament with the third round W.
BTC 13
Izzudeen Atmeh vs Nate Small was the final $10,000 bantamweight tournament bout and it also delivered in a big way. Atmeh was able to rock Small with some big right hands and sw an opening for a submission thereafter. After locking in a guillotine, Izzudeen Atmeh notched the win at 1:56.
Now both Atmeh brothers are moving to the latter stages of this ten grand tourney.
Teshay Gouthro and Kristian Bouchard tested skills in a featherweight fight. Gouthro really showed the nuance in his MMA grappling as the Niagara Top Team product showed out for the partisan crowd.
Teshay Gouthro was positionally savvy on the mat and worked in some well-timed ground and pound shots. After two rounds of largely dominating top control time, Gouthro unleashed with a torrent of blows that included punches, knees, elbows, a head kick, etc. Bouchard eventually was felled to the canvas as My House stood victorious in his house at 0:36 of round three.
Gabe Sagman vs Matt Dawson was another bout that showcased a savvy understanding of top control and a lot of time accrued in a dominant position. Dawson looked to be bleeding from the ear in early exchanges where Sagman at times advanced to mount and worked in some shots in the first couple rounds.
The final frame was the biggest for Dawson who was able to knock out Sagman’s mouthpiece and land several solid uppercuts to the jaw.
Still though the grappling could not be ignored and a body lock takedown to end the round punctuated the fight overall for Sagman. Gabe Sagman got the nod via unanimous decision.
Xavier Nash vs Thomas Glot saw both men engage in entertaining boxing exchanges with fluid wresting from Nash being the big difference-maker.
Success with the body lock takedowns was evident throughout. Even in the exchanges where the bodylock takedown attempt was stymied, Nash’s timing with hitting the level change was able to yield the same result of getting Glot to the mat.
A strong finish and a good effort all around for Xavier Nash elicited a large swell of cheers when his name was read aloud from the announcer as all judges thought he won.
In the BTC 13: Power main event, Sarah Kaufman vs Jessy Miele was an electric affair that ended the night off on a high note. Kaufman was heavy with the forward pressure early and secured a body lock pressing Miele onto the fence.
Miele turned the momentum around briefly by pressing Kaufman to the fence but this was relatively short-lived. Kaufman was able to drop the Bellator MMA veteran with punches near the cage’s center.
The former Strikeforce and Invicta FC champion seemed to be looking for a rear-naked choke but Miele defended that well. Kaufman would flatten out her opponent after taking the back and the hellacious punches to the grounded opponent eventually forced the ref’s hand in waving things off.
Sarah Kaufman is your BTC 13: Power main event winner via TKO in the first round at 3:56.
What was your favorite moment from BTC 13: Power overall?
