The championship fights belonged to the locals at BFL 65.
With five total belts on the line Saturday night, all were won by fighters from the Vancouver area when the action was all said and done.
In the main event, Jared Revel (now 10-2) successfully defended his BFL middleweight title for the second time, submitting Drayton Angus (now 7-10) in the first round.
After some feeling out on the feet, Revel was successful in getting Angus to the mat. Following some ground and pound to soften Angus up, Revel was able to take the back and sink in a deep rear-naked choke.
“At the end of the day, it was a long night and I wanted to finish it up quick,” said Revel in his post-fight interview.
“I have to be a smart fighter. I could stand there and trade, but his best attribute is going to be throwing that heavy right hand. If I want to execute and get to that next level, I have to finish them quick.”
Due to technical issues at the start of the event, Revel’s fight didn’t begin until shortly after midnight local time.
Revel said he arrived at the venue around 4:30 p.m., which made for a long wait backstage until showtime.
“At the end of the day, this is something I love to do. For me, it’s just another day, so I have no problem waiting.”
In co-main event action, Achilles Estremadura (now 6-0) successfully defended his lightweight championship with a dominant unanimous decision win over Kerry Lattimer (now 14-27).
With this now being his third successful title defence and now still undefeated, Estremadura could very well be poised for a crack on the big stage next.
Jamey-Lyn Horth Wessels (now 4-0) may have also done enough to get her name in the ear of the UFC brass, claiming her first professional title with a body kick knockout of Jade Masson-Wong (now 3-2) in the third round.
Horth Wessels was able to show off the majority of her skills in this contest, from her striking to takedowns and ground work.
“I expected she’d want to stay and stand in the pocket. She has some good hands; boxing’s her thing,” said Horth Wessels in her post-fight interview.
“I’m a striker, and I never get to use that. I was really excited to get to use that tonight.”
Now 4-0 as a professional, all four wins being finishes, Horth Wessels said she’s ready to make the jump to the next level.
And with plenty of room in the UFC’s women’s flyweight division, Horth Wessels has made a strong case for earning a shot.
“I want something fu**ing bigger. I’ve been here for awhile, I’ve been doing this, and I’ve been going around,” said Horth Wessels.
“I’m 4-0 now; I want something bigger.”
In the amateur middleweight title bout, Derrick Laing submitted Jordan Cabrejos in the final round to take home the gold, while Amir Ghassem defeated Efe Califskan by unanimous decision in kickboxing championship action.
Ali Wasuk, Dario Sinagoga, Howie Tan, Damon Marlow, Jonathan Broad, Ivan Hryshchuk, Brandon Owen and Joseph Traynor were also victorious at BFL 65.
