Unified MMA 33 “Resurgence” certainly lived up to its name Friday night.
After a brief hiatus, Unified MMA returned to the River Cree Resort and Casino in Enoch, Alta. to provide a night of fights those in attendance wouldn’t forget.
In the main event of the evening, local boy Teddy Ash (11-3) secured the light heavyweight title by unanimous after a five-round war with Jacob “Kobe” Ortiz (16-7).
“It was a tough fight. I went for broke early and got kind of tired, but got my composure back and just tried to use my technique,” said Ash in an interview.”
“He was a tough opponent. I worked hard for that one.”
With the victory, Ash now holds two light heavyweight titles, with the other being for Prestige FC.
Prior to making the move to Edmonton this year, Ash hailed from Fort McMurray, now making him a champion in both of his hometowns.
“It’s huge. I’m very happy with how far I’ve come from amateur until now,” said Ash.
“I’m just excited to see what lies ahead.”
In the lightweight championship fight, Shane Campbell (16-6) successfully defended his belt once again, scoring the submission victory by neck crank at 3:31 of the third round in a rematch versus Stephen Beaumont (9-3).
Early in the contest, Campbell said Beaumont caught him with a few solid shots that forced him to alter is original game-plan.
“I really wanted to out-strike him, but I don’t think I made it that clear, and it frustrated me a little bit,” said Campbell in an interview.
“But he definitely brought the war, and we put on a show for the crowd.”
Throughout the majority of the fight, it was a back and forth battle between the pair, both standing and on the mat, with both fighters landing significant shots on the feet, and brutal ground-and-pound in top position.
Campbell said he knew he was the more technical fighter going in, and said Beaumont did the right thing in trying to make it a “dirty fight” to offset his game.
“The dirtiness of the fight made for a very tiring fight, which changed everything,” said Campbell.
“But I got the win in the end, and that’s what I came for.”
In the welterweight division, Pat Pytlik (6-0) continued his impressive run of finishes against Derek Boyle (13-12), scoring his sixth consecutive victory by knockout or TKO with the first round stoppage.
Although Pytlik accepted the fight on just two weeks notice, he said it went exactly how he expected it to go.
“I knew he was going to charge at me and try to take me down, so I was just patient,” said Pytlik in an interview.
“I knew I had to be better as a striker, and that’s what I was.”
After the fight, it was announced Pytlik would be fighting for the welterweight title next time he enters the Unified MMA cage.
The welterweight title is currently vacant, so Pytlik will play the waiting game to see who he will battle for the gold.
In earlier action, Neal Anderson, Garret Nybakken, Chris Larsen, Roger Alves, Tyrell Giselbrecht, Matthew Klute, and Logan Heavyshields were all victories on the evening.
View the full results here.
