Of the 13 matches on the card, 10 ended via finish, giving the judges a much-needed rest at Rumble in the Cage 59.
Held at Lethbridge's Servus Sports Centre in Alberta, the card opened with seven amateur fights before moving into six professional matchups.
The headlining bout saw Sheldon Doll (now 7-3) extend his streak of first-round finishes, tapping Marcus Hicks (now 21-25) at just the 2:00 mark of round one.
"I was pushing for the TKO; I was landing clean shots behind the ear," Doll told reporters after the fight.
"I could tell he was right on the edge, so instead of burning more gas, I adjusted my approach and locked in the choke."
The win extends Doll's current run to five consecutive victories, each one ending inside the opening round.
Currently wrapping up his final year at the University of Lethbridge, Doll trains on a part-time schedule alongside his studies. He's eager to shift to full-time training once graduation arrives and see where his career might take him.
"I'm already cracking the top ten rankings despite these other fighters dedicating their entire lives to training," said Doll.
"Just imagine what happens when I finally get the chance to commit fully."
Basra Makes it Five Straight
The co-main event featured Justin Basra (now 5-0) prevailing in a hard-fought three-round contest against Joaquin Calderon (now 8-5), earning a unanimous decision call and adding another solid result to his growing record.
Basra admitted he was disappointed that his finishing run finally stopped, but emphasized how proud he felt about handling adversity for the first time in his career—especially after absorbing a brutal elbow to the nose in the opening stanza.
"He's a gritty competitor," Basra told reporters. "He's got experience in these kinds of scenarios, and I expected him to be a real challenge to put away."
"I'm pleased my winning streak is still going strong. I think I showed serious heart in that bout—I know plenty of fighters would've folded under pressure."
During the last minute of action, Basra had secured full mount and was raining down ground strikes when Calderon started calling out to him, urging him to get back on his feet and put on a better spectacle for the crowd.
Basra explained he recognized he had complete command of the match at that moment, and refused to risk a sure decision win for a slim shot at a finish.
"I'm a cerebral fighter," Basra noted. "I'm not handing him an opportunity to come back."
"By then, I'd already won. The fight was decided. His only hope was some desperate gamble, and I didn't let him have it."
Hammo Takes a Wild One
In what many considered the standout matchup of the evening, Maged Hammo (now 9-5-1) endured a grueling opening two rounds against Fred Stonehouse (now 3-2) before securing a tight guillotine choke from his back and earning the late-second-round submission.
Hammo described Stonehouse as one of the most difficult challenges he's faced so far, but said he relished every moment of the battle.
AI CONTENT END 1
