Chelsea LaGrasse (left) - Alibeth Milliron (right)
Ohio Combat League 23 results – Chelsea LaGrasse finishes Alibeth Milliron in first round
The first MMA event of the year in Ohio took place on Saturday night at the Hollywood Casino in Columbus, as Ohio Combat League 23 featured a dozen bouts.
In the main event, the women took center stage as Chelsea LaGrasse and Alibeth Milliron squared off in a strawweight bout. Both fighters started out looking to strike, but LaGrasse landed a takedown about a minute into the first round. From there, her grappling took over, as she rained down strikes from side control. Milliron eventually turned her back, and LaGrasse threw strikes as she flattened her out.
The referee eventually stepped in to stop the fight just 2:10 in the first round, as the hometown fighter picked up the first stoppage of her pro career to move to 3-4 overall.
Interview with Chelsea LaGrasse below:
In the co-feature, highly touted prospect Joshua Perreira made his pro debut, as he took on Greg Spearman at a catchweight of 130 pounds. Perreira put on an impressive performance, controlling the striking and seamlessly transitioning to grappling in the second round, where he locked in a rear naked choke to force the tap.
On the amateur side of the card, Kobe Woodall defended his lightweight title for the first time when he faced Jaden Mattox. The fight was back and forth for the first two rounds, but Mattox used his wrestling to put a stamp on his performance in the third round, keeping Woodall at bay and earning the unanimous decision on all three judges’ scorecards. After the bout, the former two-time state champion wrestler hinted at a desire to turn pro in the near future.
Brittany Bickhart and Sarah Flowers threw down for the 140-pound women’s title. In the closest fight of the night, both fighters showed off their well-rounded arsenals. Bickhart opened the action with a takedown in the first round, but nearly got caught in an arm bar right before the bell. Flowers was on her back for most of the second round, but she had a triangle choke attempt locked in for the majority of the round. The third frame saw more standup, with Bickhart just edging out the round. In the end, Bickhart took the title with a close split decision victory.
One of the scariest prospects in the state put on another explosive performance, as Travon Eller pasted Blair Phillips in just 9 seconds to earn his third straight victory in under ten seconds. He landed a big left hand to open the action that dropped Phillips, and he followed up with big shots on the ground to earn the stoppage.
Longtime wrestler Anthony Jagel showed a new addition to his game, as he utilized power punching and well-timed striking to earn a unanimous decision over Mustafa Albairmani in a battle of unbeaten fighters. Jagel moved to 4-0 in what was the first time either fighter had made it to the judges’ scorecards.
Ohio Combat League 23 results
Pro Bouts:
Chelsea LaGrasse (3-4) def. Alibeth Milliron (2-3) via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 2:10
Joshua Perreira (1-0) def. Greg Spearman (0-5) via Submission (rear naked choke) – Round 2, 3:24
Amateur Bouts:
Jaden Mattox (4-1) def. Kobe Woodall (6-1) via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27) – Lightweight Title
Brittany Bickhart (4-1) def. Sarah Flowers (4-1) via Split Decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28) – Featherweight Title
Travon Eller (4-0) def. Blair Phillips (2-3) via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 0:09
Anthony Jagel (4-0) def. Mustafa Albairmani (2-1) via Unanimous Decision (30-27 x3)
Lauren Flynn (1-0) def. Jaime Rucker (0-1) via Unanimous Decision (30-26 x3)
Ahmad Ahmad (1-1) def. Gannon Mathis (0-2) via TKO (corner stoppage) – Round 2, 2:40
Steven Frazier (2-0) def. Austin Johnson (0-10 via Submission (triangle) – Round 1, 1:40
Juan Perez (3-0) def. Kenneth Mathis (1-1) via Submission (rear naked choke) – Round 2, 4:31
Jerad Patterson (4-6) def. Jon Morgan (3-7) via Submission (rear naked choke) – Round 1, 2:19
Brent Burdine (1-0) def. Zihier Bailey (0-1) via TKO (Punches) – Round 1, 2:23
OCL 23 Performance Awards
Performance of the Night: Josh Perreira
Knockout of the Night: Travon Eller
Submission of the Night: Steven Frazier
Fight of the Night: Brittany Bickhart vs. Sarah Flowers
