RFO: Big Guns 16 – The Summit went down in Tallmadge, Ohio on Saturday night, and we were on hand to witness all of the action from the 15-fight card. The crowd inside the Summit County Fairgrounds Arena was hot all night for the organization’s debut in the area.
Some of the night’s highlights featured veteran fighter Aaron Neighbors (11-7) fighting through what appeared to be a dislocated knee in the first round to come back strong in the second round and submit the very tough Ryan Arce (6-4) with a rear naked choke. Aaron Bush (5-1) also returned from an extended layoff to pick up a TKO win over Ray Hollis (4-4).
You can check out full results from Big Guns 16 here.
‘Of the Night’ Awards
Knockout of the Night: Tyler Feller
Submission of the Night: Keith Richardson
Fight of the Night: Adli Edwards vs. Rich Cantolina
The Rockstar taps The Tank
North Carolina’s Keith Richardson (15-6) has been hot over the past year, and he came into the Big Guns 16 headliner with four straight wins under the Fight Lab banner. Saturday night was a chance for him to show that he’s good not only in the South but that he can go on the road and take out a hometown favorite.
He did exactly that, earning his third straight submission when locked in a rear naked choke to force Frank Caraballo (14-8) tap after the fight hit the ground in the first round.
There was some buzz that big-show matchmakers had their eye on this main event, and if that is true, Richardson likely went a long way in punching his ticket to the next level with his impressive win.
Hughes outlasts Lemmon
The heavyweight co-main event featured a pair of fast-rising fighters from the Buckeye State, but it was Jeff Hughes (4-0) who was impressive throughout the three round war of attrition. He actually threw multiple head kicks and even a flying knee early in the first round.
Curt Lemmon (4-2) remained tough and showed that he’s as durable as ever, and although the win goes down as a decision for Hughes, this is the type of fight that will prepare him for tough battles in the future. Hughes at points even seemed a little frustrated as he was unable to put Lemmon away, but he continued to throw shots and stay consistent throughout the fight.
Edwards brings RFO title back to Ohio
The amateur main event was perhaps the most highly anticipated bout of the night, with featherweight champion Rich Cantolina (12-8) putting his title on the line against Adli Edwards (7-1). The story of the fight was Edwards’ takedowns, which he landed early and often throughout the nine-minute bout. Edwards was also able to effectively use his striking to set up his takedowns, and for the most part stayed out of danger against the striking of Cantolina.
The most effective strike of the fight for Cantolina came via a thudding right hand early in the third round, but Edwards was able to eat it. He even smiled and seemed to turn it into another gear, as he landed a yet another takedown just seconds later. Edwards ended the fight with some dominant ground and pound, closing out a clear 30-27 decision on all three judges’ scorecards.
RFO reaches The Summit
Regional MMA is at times a crap shoot, and it’s inevitable at times that there will be a dud or two on every card. That wasn’t the case at Big Guns 16. Each and every fight was competitive, with 13 of the 15 bouts making it out of the first round. That’s a credit to promoter Matt Trukovich and matchmaker Scott Corbin putting together evenly matched fights from the top to the bottom of the card.
The crowd inside the Summit County Fairgrounds Arena was into the action throughout the night, especially during the more entertaining fights.
In kind of an ironic twist, the night’s only two knockouts came from the lightest fighters on the card, as both flyweight contests produced knockouts. Tyler Feller (2-0) had one of the more impressive performances of the night, picking up Paul Freeland (1-1), then resetting him and slamming him down to the mat. Freeland was actually knocked out on the slam, but the referee was out of position and allowed the young fighter to take more damage before halting the bout.
Nic Lute (3-3) showed impressive ground and pound in knocking out George Murphy (2-6) with a right hand on the ground in a fast-paced bout.
Big Guns 17
RFO officials announced during the night that the organization’s next event will take place back at its home base at Fairhaven Hall at the Richland County Faigrounds in Mansfield, Ohio on Oct. 17. No bouts were announced for the event, but we learned during the night that Mansfield native Cody Stevens (12-8-1) is expected to be part of the card.