News from Impact Jiu Jitsu

Impact Jiu Jitsu's fight team made a big splash at Rumble at Roseland 49 on January 16. We were the last four fights of the night; our crowd was loud and proud.

First up for us was Lee Flores. Lee had been out of the cage for a while. He used his time well to raise the level of his game. This fight was a start to finish barn burner. Lee pushed the pace every step of the way; stand up to fence work to top ground and pound. Lee even had to defend an impossibly tight kimura. Lee won round one and round two, but the work took its toll on both fighters. With 20 seconds to go in the final round, Lee was forced to tap to a choke. Tough loss, but great fight.

Next up was Mike Moreno. Last minute fight change had Mike matched with an unknown fighter out of California. It didn't matter who, Mike was ready to fight. This would prove to be a truly Rocky-style slugfest. Both men landed some heavy shots. Early in the first round Mike landed a huge right hand that caused his opponent to wobble at the knees. A lucky clinch allowed the fight to continue. At the end of the first round, Mike landed a few well-placed thigh kicks that took the spirit right out of this opponent. When the third round started, Mike, excited about his leg kick success, swung a little hard and missed. His opponent rushed him to the cage. Both men began a clinch, which ended with Mike working mount ground and pound. Mike's opponent survived only to be forced into the corner of the cage floor where Mike played him some chin music that caused a short nap. Mike Moreno by KO.

Larry Munyon was next to enter the cage. This fight was for the vacant 205 title. Larry already won the 205 title for another promotion (Salem), against his opponent's training partner. Larry's opponent has a strong wrestling game and trains with some talented fighters. Larry was determined to show the depth of his game. This fight bounced off all the walls in the cage. While hard fought, round by round Larry showed dominance in each range. Even during the most active exchanges, Larry maintained a look of relaxation and contentment. Very unnerving if you are trying to fight Larry. This fight ended in a well-earned unanimous decision. Larry Munyon, the new FCFF 205 World Champion.

Our last fight of the night was Shaun Mirjavadi for the heavy weight title. Shaun's last fight at the FCFF was over a year ago. In that fight Shaun was injured, and the road back was a long one. Shaun's opponent was a giant of a man at 6'7"--just barely making the weight limit of 265 pounds. Men at this size have a serious amount of force to hand out in a heavy punch. Shaun was aware that his opponent had solid strikes and a huge reach. Shaun knew his fight plan, but the excitement of such an opponent and the involved crowd took Shaun off his course a little. There was a brief exchange and Shaun was able to drive his opponent into the cage. The opponent's clinch was solid and as they broke apart, Shaun found himself in a tough "long" boxing range. This would prove to be a very bad place to fight from. Shaun's opponent was able to land a huge straight cross that found its mark on our man's jaw. A tough loss but one that Shaun will grow from.

Thank you all for coming to support your team. Special thanks to the warm up staff; Derek Russell, Doug Steinbach, Shaun Ryan, Dewey Nielsen, Jeremy Wijers, Big Bob, and Cut Man Todd Betters.

- Coach Splinter