PITTSBURGH – Fans piled inside of Stage AE in the Steel City to witness the most anticipated mixed martial arts bout to ever hit the city, as Cody “No Love” Garbrandt (3-0) remained unbeaten with a second round TKO victory over Dominic “The Honeybadger” Mazzotta (3-1) at Gladiators of the Cage: The North Shore’s Rise to Power IV.
Garbrandt’s gameplan involved using his wrestling to score points early on against Mazzotta, and countering kicks with straight punches while on his feet. Multiple times in the fight Garbrandt caught a kick from Mazzotta and landed a takedown, and early in the second round he countered that kick with a straight right hand that landed flush and dropped his foe. Garbrandt followed up with a few shots on the ground before the referee pulled him off to halt the bout.
Despite all of the trash talk and tension leading up to the fight, the two young stars embraced after the fight, burying any remaining hostility. Fans in the crowd weren’t so quick to let things go however, as a fight erupted following the conclusion of the bout. Security quickly intervened.
In the night’s co-main event, former All American wrestler Chris Dempsey (9-1) weathered an early storm from Muhammad Abdullah (3-1) to eventually earn a submission via guillotine choke in the second round to successfully defend his GOTC middleweight title. Abdullah opened up aggressive with strikes in the first frame, but Dempsey took the shots and was even dropped at one point. With his nose bloodied, he continued to come forward and was eventually able to use his wrestling to chain submission attempts together. A rear naked choke appeared to be cinched at the end of the first round, but Abdullah hung tough to make it to the bell. Dempsey turned up the grappling in the second round, eventually tapping Abdullah with a guillotine from guard.
Maryland product Myron Baker (3-3) evened his pro record with a triangle submission victory over hometown favorite Jason Willett (4-4), tapping him in the first round.
And in the night’s first pro bout, Sharif Jones (1-0) put on an entertaining performance in his victory over Mitch Killeen (1-2). Jones was aggressive from the onset, earning a slam just seconds into the fight. Killeen made it to his feet and the two fighters scrambled, with Killeen eventually attempting an omoplata submission from his back. Jones showed his strength from the position, picking Killeen up and slamming him for a flash knockout. The referee jumped in to stop the action just seconds later. After the bout, Jones donned an “I beat Mitch Killeen” t-shirt, as he was apparently confident in his chances to win the bout.
Complete results from Gladiators of the Cage:
Amateur Bouts:
135 lbs – Daniel O’Neill (2-1) def. Donald Bard (1-3) via submission (guillotine) – Round 2, 1:21
155 lbs – Shockeem Hull (1-0) def. John Daley (0-1) via tech. submission (guillotine) – Round 1, 2:00
155 lbs – Matthew Patterson (1-0) def. Ryan McClure (0-1) via TKO (doctor stoppage) – Round 1, 1:59
185 lbs – Joshua Fremd (1-0) def. Thomas Gormley (0-1) via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
185 lbs – Brandon Lux (3-0) def. Mark Leibach (1-1) via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 1:38
135 lbs – Jaime Chesney (1-2) def. Christina Moore (0-1) via submission (RNC) – Round 1, 1:28
185 lbs – Dann Cucuta (3-0) def. Jeremy Sakuta (1-2) via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 1:25
185 lbs – Tony Dipiero (8-7) def. Garrett Dush (3-4) via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
145 lbs – Tobiaus Taylor (4-1) def. Cody Karlheim (3-2) via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Pro Bouts:
155 lbs – Sharif Jones (1-0) def. Mitch Killeen (1-2) via TKO (slam/punches) – Round 1, 1:21
145 lbs – Myron Baker (3-3) def. Jason Willett (4-4) via submission (triangle) – Round 1, 1:39
185 lbs – Champ Chris Dempsey (9-1) def. Muhammad Abdullah (3-1) via submission (guillotine) – Round 2, 0:56
135 lbs – Cody Garbrandt (3-0) def. Dominic Mazzotta (3-1) via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 0:32