News/Event Results 4/16/10-4/18/10

CAMO Event Round Up for 4.16.10 to 4.18.10 By Jay Tan Total Fighting Alliance expands to amateur ranks With the floodgates of amateur MMA in California wide open and flowing freely, it’s ironic that one of California’s most senior officially-licensed promotions, Todd Meacham’s Total Fighting Alliance (TFA), didn’t hold their first amateur MMA event until this past weekend. But TFA 17, which took place at the Hawthorne Athletic Exchange (HAX) at Hawthorne Airport, marked another milestone for the three-year old regional promotion, as it creates a breeding ground from which Meacham can nurture talent for his pro shows. “This was the easiest show I’ve ever done, and I’m gonna do more of them because of that,” beamed TFA matchmaker Todd Meacham, adding “watch what I do with it." The nine-match amateur MMA show was highlighted by furious heavyweight action. The last match of the night, Danish strongman Jens Grau vs. Danny Radovic was a frantic battle of behemoths, but it was Jesse Escobedo and Kipeni Luto who claimed credit as showstealers of the night. Their wild back-and-forth clash, which went halfway into the third before Escobedo caught Luto by submission, was touted by fans as the match of the night. "I thought that roof was going to come down in that building, because of so much excitement,” Meacham lamented. Match results from TFA 17 on 4/17/10 are as follows: 165 lbs. – Joey Guevara def. Justin Rodriguez via decision. 160 lbs. – Jason Gonzales def. Brian Jimenez via TKO, R1, 0:32. 145 lbs. – Craig Cook def. Juan Estrada via TKO, R1, 1:53. 158 lbs. (catch weight) – James Distler def. Edward Chavez via split decision. 170 lbs. – Bradley Crihfield def. Ryan Escobedo via submission, R1, 1:43. 240 lbs. (catch weight) – Jesse Escobedo def. Kipeni Lutu via submission, R3, 0:54. 160 lbs. – Brandon Anderson def. Shane Watts via submission, R3, 0:54. 195 lbs . (catch weight – Rocky Bice def. Michael Morrow via TKO, R1, 0:23. 235 lbs. (catch weight) – Jens Grau def. Danny Radovcic via TKO, R1, 1:09. Although his website lists June 19th as the next TFA date, Meacham also suggested doing a co-promote show with his previous promotion, sometime in July. Regardless, Bice and Grau, dubbed ‘Todd’s Golden Boys of TFA,’ are confirmed to be featured attractions. “They put on a good show, people like to see them, they’re both successful businessmen, and those are the people I like to sell tickets to,” he explained. For more info on upcoming amateur MMA action, visit http://www.camo-mma.org/events.