Warrior FC held its most recent event over the weekend in Harlan, Kentucky, as Return of the Warriors featured a nine-bout lineup including one professional contest.
In the main event, Taylor Ruscin (6-1) won for the sixth time in a row, as the Ohio native submitted Brandon Bell (3-4) with a guillotine choke just 89 seconds into the first round. The victory earned Ruscin the organization’s welterweight title, and it was his first apperance in the cage since December 2013. The loss snapped a two-fight winning streak for Bell, who is set to return to action in July at USFFC 23 in Kingsport, Tennessee.
The night’s other two title fights were in the amateur ranks, as Timothy Engle (4-3) stopped Michael Taylor (4-7) in the fourth round with strikes to claim the 170-pound belt and Jeremy Philpott (26-31) submitted Stephen Francis (2-4) in the third round to win the featherweight title.
Official Warrior FC: Return of the Warriors results
Amateur Fights
Fight 1 –
Richard Bruner vs. Justin Collett
Winner: Richard Bruner (3-2) def. Justin Collett (11-26) via submission (strikes) – Round 3, 2:08
Fight 2 –
Colby Wilson vs. Derek Harrell
Winner: Colby Wilson (4-0) def. Derek Harrell (1-2) via submission (triangle) – Round 1, 2:56
Fight 3 –
Michael Douglas vs. Michael Dyess
Winner: Michael Dyess (1-0) def. Michael Douglas (0-2) via TKO – Round 1, 2:59
Fight 4 –
Momodo J Butler vs. Dakota Partin
Winner: Momodo J Butler (1-0) def. Dakota Partin (2-2) via KO – Round 2, 0:13
Fight 5 –
Genia Goodin vs. Kimberly West
Winner: Genia Goodin (2-0) def. Kimberly West (0-1) via submission (rear naked choke) – Round 1, 0:45
Fight 6 –
George Campbell vs. Michael Earls
Winner: George Campbell (5-2) def. Michael Earls (3-2) via submission (triangle) – Round 3, 1:39
Fight 7 – Featherweight Title
Jeremy Philpott vs. Stephen Francis
Winner: Jeremy Philpott (26-31) def. Stephen Francis (2-4) via submission (guillotine) – Round 3, 2:19
Fight 8 – Welterweight Title
Timothy Engle vs. Michael Taylor
Winner: Timothy Engle (4-3) def. Michael Taylor (4-7) via TKO (strikes) – Round 4, 0:34
Pro Fight
Fight 9 – Welterweight Title
Brandon Bell vs. Taylor Ruscin
Winner: Taylor Ruscin (6-1) def. Brandon Bell (3-4) via submission (guillotine) – Round 1, 1:29