‘Trench Warz IV’ under cards intense

While the main event featuring Slade “Rage” Adelbai and Tony “Xcalibur Nekaifes, as well as the semi main event with Frank “The Crank” Camacho and Troy “Destroy” Munoz were entertaining, the 16 under card fights were just as intense.

The over 1,000 in attendance were satisfied with the fights leading up to the main events of “Trench Warz IV: Enter the Octagon” on Saturday at the Royal Taga Hall of the Saipan World Resort.

The most even fight of the evening came right before Camacho and Munoz took center stage as Saipan’s Giovanni Sablan of Trench Tech Purebred Saipan and Chris Lorenzo of Guam showcased their striking and ground skills.

The fight quickly went to the ground, with Sablan taking top position and landing a couple of punches. After referee Terence Aflague ordered the fighters to stand up, Lorenzo attacked Sablan, who quickly worked the fight back to the mat. The two tested each other’s grappling skills on the ground before the first round came to an end.

Intensity picked up in the second round as Lorenzo managed to execute a triangle choke on Sablan. The maneuver, which was used when Sablan lost in “Trench Warz III,” was not going to bring the Saipan fighter down again as he remained patient and worked out of the jam.

Sablan was not out of trouble, though, as Lorenzo had a firm lock on his arm, but again, Sablan was able to break loose and managed to land a couple of left punches before the round went into the books.

The crowd then went wild as coordinator Cuki Alvarez went to the judges and came back with Ray Alvarez, Roman Dela Cruz, and Steve Shimizu all forcing a sudden death third round with even scores between the two fighters.

Sablan then controlled the third round, and won via unanimous decision.

Prior to the fight was a battle of San Nicolases as Rick and Mariano squared off in the octagon. After testing each other, Mariano was able to get the top position on the ground and began to throw a barrage of punches for the first round victory.

Another big fight was held as Manny “The Enforcer” Chong returned to Saipan and defeated Ben Kosam in the first round. Chong was able to land a strong punch at the start of the fight, but Kosam countered by getting a hold of his opponent and muscling him to the fence. Being the experienced veteran that he is, Chong was able to apply a headlock on his opponent, and soon won via choke 1:11 into the fight.

Choke Chain’s Syl Teregeyo was also victorious as he traded his football cleats for action in the octagon and defeated J.D. “Out” Reyes 2:46 into the first round. Both fighters were patient to start-off, with both waiting for the other to do something. During their stare off, Teregeyo managed to strike with three kicks to Reyes’ left leg. Reyes tried to take Teregeyo to the ground, but his opponent kept the dominant position. Teregeyo managed to put on a strong headlock on Reyes, and soon after, won via choke as his opponent submitted.

The evening also featured a boxing bout between Aguinaldo Tesado and Yasu Tsutumi. After a good punching exchange from both fighters, Tsutumi began to taunt Tesado, and even put himself against the fence, inviting Tesado to try to take advantage. Tesado was also on the receiving end of a low blow, resulting in Alvarez, who refereed the bout, warning Tsutumi before the end of the round.

In the second round, Tesado was able to connect on strong punches, and Tsutumi was called for an illegal hold, getting a second warning from Alvarez. It served as a big boost for Tesado, who earned cheers from the crowd, which also booed his opponent for the move. The fight resumed, and Tesado unleashed strong combinations before the fight ended.

Tesado then won via judges decision as two of three judges favored the Filipino fighter.

Meanwhile, John Borja improved to 1-1 after defeating Chris Sablan. Borja was able to mount his opponent, but Sablan was not rattled and quickly reversed the move. After the two were back on their feet, Borja was able to land a strong kick on Sablan’s body. He then mounted his opponent and landed some punches before the referee stopped the fight.

Also winning was veteran James Blas, of Trench Tech, as he defeated Martin Castro in the first round. After Castro landed a left jab, Blas was able to take his opponent to the ground before positioning his position on Castro’s back. Blas then executed a rear-naked choke for the win via submission.

The evening featured nine other fights, which will be featured in tomorrow’s issue.

“Trench Warz IV” was sponsored by Budweiser, Pacific Telecoms Inc., Jonny’s Bar & Grill, Furusato Restaurant, The Rock 97.9 FM, and Power 99.