Knockouts and submissions were in abundance as the Mixed Martial Arts of MTSU hosted Tennessee Ultimate Fighting Saturday to give local fighters and other amateurs a chance to show their skills.
Only one fight made it out of the second round, and it was arguably the most important one, as Murfreesboro native Monty Burks defeated Charles Costello via judge's decision. The win gave Burks the Tennessee State championship at 155-pounds as sanctioned by the International Sport Karate Association.
The show opened with another MT student, Billy Tackaberry, senior concrete industry management major, dominating Daniel Lee in a 145-pound bout.
"I've had great coaches and great teammates," Tackaberry said. "We've been bustin' it two times a day and working on my conditioning."
The fight opened with Tackaberry immediately taking down Lee and getting his back with relative ease. Moments later Tackaberry sank in a rear naked choke, and that was it Lee tapped out just 1:07 into the
first round.
"I had to focus on staying strong because I'm a ground fighter," Tackaberry said. "So once it went there I was really comfortable."
It wasn't all good news for Murfreesboro natives on the card, however. In the main event of the evening Chattanooga's Jesse Grun defeated MT graduate Mike Hackney for the 185-pound title.
Grun overwhelmed Hackney from the start, dominating him on the ground with Hackney unable to escape once he was on his back. Brutal ground-and-pound from Grun wasn't able to finish the job in the first round, but when Hackney found himself in the same position in the second round, the referee had no choice but to stop the bout at 1:41.
In the co-main event, a 125-pound championship fight, Justin Pennington, a Lebanon, Tenn., native knocked out David James. Both fighters came out timid at first, feeling each other out in the stand-up game before James connected with a sharp right hand knocking James down. Pennington's ground-and-pound was too much for James, and the referee stepped in at 1:53 in the first round. The win puts Pennington in great position to potentially turn pro later this year.
"It meant a lot to me to come out here," Pennington said. "This will be the first title belt that I've fought for and won."
The evening of action was also highlighted by an appearance from
Ultimate Fighting Championship veteran and MMA pioneer Ken Shamrock. Shamrock met fans and signed autographs for most of the night, as well as hosted a training seminar earlier in the day at Guardian MMA gym in Murfreesboro.
"I think what stood out the most was the eagerness to learn from a lot of the guys that were training," Shamrock said.
A packed Murphy Center was on hand to watch the fights, marking the tremendous growth the sport has seen in recent years. Proceeds from the event went to Vanderbilt Children's Hospital, Disabled American Veterans and Mothers Against Domestic Violence.
"It's amazing to me to see the talent level in one of these small shows, and to see this fan support is amazing," Shamrock said. "It just goes to show you how strong the MMA fan base is."
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