Ciesnolevics wins main event at Extreme Challenge 100

Font Size:

By Shannon Heaton | Sunday, June 29, 2008 7:27 PM CDT | () comments

Mike Ciesnolevicz has had worse weekends than this past one.

In two nights of fighting — Decatur, Ill., on Friday night and Saturday night at the Bubble on Brady Street — Ciesnolevicz won two regional main event mixed-martial arts matches, including a submission by strikes Saturday night to close out Extreme Challenge 100.

In so doing, Ciesnolevicz — who fought for Pat Miletich’s Quad-City Silverbacks International Fight League team last year — denied EC1 fighter Matt Anderson a victory in one of the biggest events put on by EC promoter Monte Cox.

Ciesnolevicz also erased the memory of his past two bouts, which ended in a loss by knockout in the IFL team championships last September and a no-contest match in April of this year.

“I’ve fought all around the world, and my friends and family can’t make it most of the time,” Ciesnolevicz said of fighting in Davenport. “It was really exciting, getting them all here. I wasn’t nervous (headlining) at all. It made me more comfortable. My family has to make sacrifices (for his career), so this was a chance to show people what I do.”

With both fighters bringing a significant amount of experience to the cage, there was a significant amount of jockeying for position between Ciesnolevicz and Anderson, but when a double-leg takedown opportunity brought the fight to the ground, Ciesnolevicz didn’t waste time with several big strikes thrown at Anderson’s head.

“I wanted to see what his gameplan was, see if he wants to take me down or stand. I played it safe, I didn’t want to do anything crazy,” Ciesnolevicz said. “As soon as it (the ground battle) set up, I hit him with a couple of good elbows and he started tapping. I was surprised he tapped so quick.”

Though he couldn’t elaborate, Ciesnolevicz is hoping for another big fight opportunity soon, and he’s still under IFL contract.

“Being in the main event for the 100th show here is something I’ll always remember,” he said.

Pearson bags No. 30

Twenty-five of Joe Pearson’s 29 prior MMA victories had come via submission, leading to the nickname “Triangular Strangler.”

If more fights go the way Pearson’s did Saturday night, he’ll need another one.

Pearson, a Bettendorf resident, didn’t even break a hint of a sweat against Timmy Morris, as a right-knee shot landed flush against Morris’ chin, ending the match via knockout in just nine seconds. That got him his 30th professional victory.

“I knew when I got him (in the head) I hit him hard and it was clean. I watched how he fell, and I knew it was done,” Pearson said of the match. “I feel great. When I first started in this game, I never thought about reaching this pinnacle or having that many wins, so I’m just going to go with it.

“I work full-time as a union plasterer, so it’s tough to find time to work out six hours a day like some of these guys can. I wanted to walk out tonight and share this with my daughter, have her be a part of this.”

Bowling for the future?

Right now, Davenport’s Jason Bowling goes to college full-time, but he might have to broaden his horizons soon. The former Pleasant Valley footballer and wrestler is becoming a local MMA fan favorite.

On Saturday, in front of a sizable crowd that included several MMA bigwigs from around the region and the country, Bowling forced Kyle Turek to submit via rear naked choke in just 48 seconds.

“I figured (at first) this might be a side thing, but maybe I can make a career out of it,” Bowling said of his burgeoning career, which includes a 10-3 professional record. “I’ve worked on my stands, and I feel more comfortable standing up, but if you take me down, I’m ready to go. It’s just my nature.”

That nature has gotten him some significant crowds on his side.

“I think they like how I do it, that I like getting it done right away,” Bowling said. “I’ve had a couple barnburners go 14 or 15 minutes, but most of the time I’m getting it done pretty quick.”

A surprise from Cincinnati

Most in attendance Saturday night figured that Davenporter Jason Louck would dominate his way to another victory, but instead it was Cincinnati’s Josh Rafferty that did the dominating. Rafferty’s early flurry of strikes and kicks first made Louck stumble, then made the referee step in to declare a technical knockout just 40 seconds in.

Louck was briefly knocked unconscious, prompting several event personnel and the fight doctor to minister to him for a couple of minutes before he got to his feet.

“Honestly, the beginning didn’t really surprise me, I usually start out that fast,” Rafferty said. “Dropping him that fast did surprise me, though. This (EC100) was a big deal to me; I wanted to be on this card, and I used that as fuel for the fire.”

Contact the sports desk at (563) 383-2285 or sports@qctimes.com.