HFC made their way to Michigan City, Indiana for the first time on Saturday night, as Hoosier Fight Club 26 was contested in front of a sold out crowd of more than 1,000 fans at the Blue Chip Casino.
In the main event, Indiana native Nick Kraus (10-3) dominated Muhammad Abdullah (5-2), clearly winning the first two rounds before submitting the Ohio native with a rare toe hold in the third round. The win earned Kraus the first-ever HFC professional middleweight title and was his second victory in a row.
Congratulations to our first middleweight champion Nick Kraus @bluechipcasino #hfc26 pic.twitter.com/KoJqWzokiM
— Hoosier Fight Club (@hfcproductions) November 15, 2015
In the night’s co-main event, “Ultimate Fighter 16” veteran Kevin Nowaczyk (12-3) returned from a long layoff to take home a unanimous decision over Illinois native Quartus Stitt (8-8).
Michigan’s Bobby Nash (4-1) continued his hot streak as a pro, picking up his second straight knockout finishing as he stopped Craig Fruth (4-3) via KO in the first round.
After taking the fight on less than a week’s notice, Bobby Emmons (4-6) lost a first round TKO to Cole Wilken (2-0) in their welterweight matchup. Emmons appeared to be unhappy with what he thought was an early stoppage in posting on social media following the fight.
David Oviatt (1-0) was successful in his pro debut near his hometown, as he picked up a first round TKO win. Other pro winners were Oscar Askar (1-0) and Jay Jackson (2-5), both who also picked up first round wins.
It appears that the partnership between HFC and Blue Chip Casino was a successful one, and talks of returning in 2016 are already underway.
“Our first ever year at Blue Chip, great crowd, I call it a success for us here,” Blue Chip Casino Marketing Manager Joel Giannetti told heraldargus.com. “A good partnership with Hoosier Fight Club. It could be a possible thing for 2016.”
HFC promoter Danielle Vale also seemed happy with the outcome.
“We’ve been doing this for seven years, and it was a great experience at Blue Chip, from the staff to the fighters all the way down,” she said.
Official Hoosier Fight Club 26 results
Pro Bouts:
Muhammad Abdullah vs Nick Kraus – for middleweight title
Winner: Nick Kraus (10-3) via submission (toe hold) – Round 3
Quartus Stitt vs Kevin Nowaczyk
Winner: Kevin Nowaczyk (12-3) via unanimous decision
Bobby Nash vs Craig Fruth
Winner: Bobby Nash (4-1) via KO – Round 1
Bobby Emmons, Jr. vs Cole Wilken
Winner: Cole Wilken (2-0) via TKO – Round 1
Mason Shock vs David Oviatt
Winner: David Oviatt (1-0) via TKO – Round 1
Jake Lamb vs Oscar Askar
Winner: Oscar Askar (1-0) via TKO – Round 1
Bouvia Claybon vs Jay Jackson
Winner: Jay Jackson (2-5) via submission (rear naked choke) – Round 1
Amateur Bouts:
Bradley Glover vs Asef Askar
Winner: Asef Askar (4-0) via unanimous decision
Ryan Ishmael vs Brandon White
Winner: Ryan Ishmael (8-1) via unanimous decision
Sinatra Pool vs Mazen Ballout
Winner: Mazen Ballout (4-0) via unanimous decision
Andrew Karsten vs Lenard Wheeler
Winner: Andrew Karsten (4-7) via unanimous decision
Chris Lee vs Corey Jackson
Winner: No Contest (doctor stoppage due to incidental knee) – Round 2