Aiken beats Fitial in Predator or Prey main event

Charlz “The Predator” Aiken out-pointed Kelvin Fitial to win his second straight bout against “The Big Hit” even as Slade “The Rage” Adelbai and Syl “The Deal” Teregeyo fought to a draw as Predator or Prey didn’t disappoint fight fans last Saturday with the two main events going the distance.

The capacity crowd that filled Saipan World Resort’s Taga Hall also got an extra treat when local boy, Luka “Bad News” Iakopo Tapua’ialupe, upset mainland-based fighter Johnny Mercurio in one of nine preliminary bouts that also included the CNMI’s first-ever women’s boxing match.

Coming off a loss against Roque Martinez last week in Guam, Aiken came out the aggressor in the match between the two 232-lb. heavyweights.

Aiken, fighting out of Predator Combat Team, stood toe-to-toe against Fitial with neither fighter flinching as both of them bombed away and absorbed each other’s best punches and kicks the majority of the first two rounds.

The match went to the ground—or more specifically the mat—in the final three minutes of the contest with Aiken taking the initiative and hitting the Marianas Elite fighter with an assortment of head and body shots.

Blood and sweat spilled freely on the ring as both crimsoned fighters grappled like there was no tomorrow with referee James Ravilla trying his best to keep them away from the ropes.

In the end, it was only fitting that the Aiken and Fitial match was decided by the judges— Jesse Palacios, Greg Calvo, and Ray Alvarez. The latter only judged the Aiken-Fitial match after Ed Arriola Jr. begged off due to his close friendship with the two fighters.

Aiken won the fight via split decision after two of the judges scored the bout in his favor, 29-29 and 29-28. The third judge, meanwhile, scored the fight 29-28 for Fitial.

The win improved Aiken’s record to 7-2, while the loss dropped Fitial to 13 wins, seven losses, and one draw.

In the semi main event, Adelbai dominated the first two rounds but lost steam in the final three minutes of the contest, which was just the opening Teregeyo was looking for.

Adelbai forced the action to the ground in the first two rounds where he tried to force a submission out of the Marianas Elite fighter.

Teregeyo, however, was able to wiggle free from the Trench Tech stalwart’s vice grip-like clutches in many occasions and even tried to change the tempo of the fight by taking on Adelbai standing up, where he clearly had the advantage.

Early in the third, Teregeyo surprised Adelbai with a take-down of his own and dictated the tempo until the final bell. His comeback obviously left an impression on the judges, who scored the bout 27-26, 27-2 9, and 29-28 for the draw.

It was the first draw in the fighting careers of both Adelbai and Teregeyo, who came into the fight with 7-3 and 3-2 records, respectively.

While the two main events trilled the crowd, the excitement was most palpable in the Tapua’ialupe-Mercurio middleweight bout.

Fighting out of UTC, Huntington Beach, Mercurio showed some fascinating moves early but Tapua’ialupe, looking slimmer and faster than his previous matches, was bent in giving the mainlander his first loss in six bouts.

Both tall and strong, the match produced non-stop action on the ground and while the two MMA fighters were standing up.

At one point in the match, Mercurio had Tapua’ialupe trapped on the latter’s own corner only to have things reversed moments later. Tapua’ialupe would then force the action to the ground where he trapped Mercurio on a complicated leg-lock and proceeded to bang away on the mainlander’s face, leaving him bleeding from the nose.

Mercurio, who had UFC legend Kimo Leopoldo on his corner, would later tap out after Tapua’ialupe skillfully applied a rear-naked choke on him.

Throughout all three rounds, the crowd intermittently chanted “Luka, Luka, Luka,” which obviously gave Tapua’ialupe the extra push to take the fight to Mercurio.

While the loss left Mercurio with a 5-1 record, the win was the sixth in 11 outings for Tapua’ialupe, who fought out of D.A.T. Gym.

Details of the other eight preliminary MMA fights and one women’s boxing match will be published in the Saipan Tribune in the coming days.

Predator or Prey is the first foray into the local MMA scene by Gorilla Warfare Productions, Inc.