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SCRAPP! FIGHT MAGAZINE
December - 2014
13
Later, two female warriors
marched into battle. The heavy-
handed Arianne Christiansen
of Sicarius MMA took on the
undefeated Tracy Cortez of
Fight Ready. It was a fight that
opened with intense striking
exchanges, but it was the su-
perior grappling of Cortez that
became the story in the first.
Using very technical grappling
prowess, Cortez seized the
momentum forcing Christian-
sen to the mat and quickly tak-
ing her back. It was just a mat-
ter of time before Cortez sunk
her hooks in and attacked the
neck of her opponent, ending
the fight by rear naked choke
in the first. It will be interesting
to see what is next for this ris-
ing fighter.
Another dominant perfor-
mance was on display when
Drakkar Klose of The MMA Lab
met Jeff Fletcher of The UFC
Gym at lightweight. It was a
fast paced and violent affair
that favored Klose from open
to close. Fletcher showed tre-
mendous heart, enduring re-
peated barrages from Klose.
In the second round though,
Klose slammed the door shut
overwhelming his opponent
and forcing the third man in
the cage to call a stop to the
action.
As the evening went on, Arizo-
na fight fans were treated to a
true fingerprint of a battle. In a
fight of the night performance,
Andres Alcantar of The MMA
Lab marched into all out open
war with Edward Hyman of
Team Quest. This was a battle
of legendary camps and two
incredible athletes at middle-
weight.
This was a striking affair from
open to close. It was the kind
of bout fans can only hope to
witness live. For Hyman, there
was a distinct reach advantage
and he showcased slightly more
technical striking. For Alcantar,
his heart and aggression were
clearly advantages he was able
to count on when the waters
got deep.
What really stood out in this
back and forth bout was the
call and response between Al-
cantar and his coaches. While
the more precise striking of Hy-
man was the story early, even
seeing him rock his opponent
more than once, it was the leg
kicks of Alcantar that tipped
the scales.
Seeing his fighter taking too
much damage early in the
bout, Coach John Crouch told
his fighter to attack the legs.
Alcantar responded viciously
and did not stop until the final
bell rung. While Hyman was
able to find moments of op-
portunity, the ruthless attack
of Alcantar was just enough to
earn the favor of the judges.
It was a grueling and exhaust-
ing split decision victory be-
tween two warriors represent-
ing world class camps. It was a
fight which fans will not soon
forget.
In the main event of the eve-
ning, the vacant bantam-
weight WFF strap was on the
line as Jose Carbajal of Yuma
United MMA met Randy Stein-
ke of The MMA Lab. This was a
one-sided title fight which saw
Steinke destroy his opponent
in quick and decisive fashion.
The new champion wasted no
time dragging his opponent to
the ground, dominating him
with vicious strikes that cut
him early, and then he sealed
the deal with a lethal triangle
choke. It was a performance
that earned him the submis-
sion of the night award, but
more importantly it earned him
the WFF bantamweight title.
This is a title in a division which
has sent more than one fighter
straight to the top of the sport.
Anyone who has seen Steinke
compete has to imagine noth-
ing will be different for him
once the top promotions catch
wind of his talent and progres-
sion.
It was a solid finish to a solid
year for both the athletes and
the organization. The hard
work of the WFF and their staff
continues to improve upon
what was already a solid prod-
uct. As they continue to elevate
their promotion, the athletes
and camps behind them con-
tinue to rise as well.
This is a year which saw titles
repeatedly vacated in the WFF
as their top warriors graduated
to the pinnacle of the sport.
Now, as a new year is upon
us, it is fascinating to imag-
ine what 2015 will bring for
both the WFF and their fight-
ers looking to follow in the
footsteps of former champions
who now make their homes
under the banners of Bellator
and the UFC.
To learn more about the WFF
visit their website wffmma.com