Pinnacle Fighting Championships returned to the Iceoplex in the Pittsburgh suburbs on Saturday night, as Pinnacle FC 11 featured seven bouts with some of the best up-and-coming fighters in the Ohio Valley.
Pinnacle FC continues to stand out for its ability to put on top-notch shows with great fights and they have been putting butts in seats since debuting in 2012.
Former Pinnacle FC champ and current UFC star Cody “No Love” Garbrandt was on hand to hand over the bantamweight title that he once held to the evening’s main event winner, which happened to be his former foe Dominic Mazzotta (8-1). The two uber-talented fighters embraced after “The Honey Badger” picked up his fifth consecutive victory after stopping Varon Webb (7-3) in just over a minute.
Check out some reactions to the night’s event below:
‘Of the Night’ Awards
Fight of the Night: Brian Hauser vs. Justin Patton
Knockout of the Night: Nick Browne
Submission of the Night: Dominic Mazzotta
Check out full results from Pinnacle FC 11 here.
Yes, Mazzotta is that good
If you were one of the very few who may have been doubting Mazzotta leading into his sophomore Pinnacle FC appearance, then I’m pretty sure you were probably convinced that he is the real deal after completely dominating yet another game opponent on Saturday night. Mazzotta beautifully set up a left head kick that dropped Webb, and when he wasn’t completely out after that, “The Honey Badger” jumped on his back and sealed the deal with a picture perfect rear naked choke that forced the tap just over a minute into the fight.
Mazzotta is nearing the top 100 rankings in the world at bantamweight and he should be there with another solid win. There are already whispers that he could be on his way to the UFC after the performance he put on against Webb, but that remains to be seen. For now, he’s the new Pinnacle FC bantamweight champ and the sky is the limit.
You can watch Mazzotta’s dominant victory over Varon Webb here.
Yes, Nick Browne is also that good
I don’t care who you are, fighting an opponent on less than a week’s notice is no easy task. I had to put that disclaimer in there because Nick Browne (5-0) sure did make it look easy with his first round TKO over Caleb McAllister (3-2).
McAllister was hell bent on submitting Browne, but “Nyquil” was having none of it, continually escaping out of submission attempts and keeping heavy top pressure. McAllister even went for a couple of heel hooks, but Browne lived up to his sleep-inducing nickname by rewarding him with a couple of nasty hammer fists as he left his head open to go for an X guard attempt.
Browne has the dubious distinction of producing the fastest knockout in World Series of Fighting history, and he has now produced stoppages in four of his five career victories. The Uniontown Fight Club product is slowly putting his name on the map as one of the top prospects in the Ohio Valley.
Mitchell keeps getting better
I’ve seen every one of Chris Mitchell’s (1-0) fights live, and he just keeps getting better. He was able to keep Tobiaus Taylor (0-1) at bay for the better part of three rounds simply by judging distance better than the Ohio native, and he used adept footwork and some well-timed takedowns to pick up the first victory of his pro career. The transition to five-minute rounds seemed to weigh on both young fighters late in the fight, and Taylor even landed a head kick that stumbled Mitchell in the third round. But it was a pretty clear victory for Mitchell, despite one head-scratching 29-28 scorecard turned in with Taylor as the victor.
The ammys
It’s no secret that this Pinnacle FC card was riddled by injuries and fighters pulling out and pretty much everything going bad that could possibly go bad, but the fights themselves delivered and showed that sometimes quality trumps quantity when it comes to MMA events.
Brian Hauser (2-0) and Justin Patton (1-2) set the tone for the evening in the very first fight, trading blows and proving that even the debut-type fighters on Pinnacle FC cards typically deliver.
Later on in the evening, Tom Gormley (1-1) produced a highlight reel knockout, and Kyle Holt (3-1) showed a confident swagger in stopping his opponent in the third round.
But the story of the amateur card was the comeback of Dave Gabig (7-3), who made his first appearance in four years after battling all kinds of demons to take home a unanimous decision over a very game Sean Felton (4-3).
Pinnacle FC 12
For the third year in a row, Pinnacle FC will host an event on Thanksgiving Eve, as Pinnacle FC 12 will take place on November 25 at the Iceoplex. No bouts have been announced for the card, but some of the biggest names in the area are expected to be in action.
All photos courtesy Christopher Nolan/MetCon Photos