After a disappointing non-title loss to Robert McDaniel (Pictures) in June, Hose, the Icon Sport middleweight champion, needed to get back on track and prove his win over UFC and Pride Fighting Championships veteran Phil Baroni (Pictures) earlier this year was no fluke.
The relatively unknown Dominique was not going to make it easy for him, however, even though Hose’s middleweight belt was not at stake.
The Alaskan came out with guns blazing and showed no hesitation when it came to trading blows with the heavy-handed Hose. Both fighters landed, but Dominique got the best of the exchanges and connected with a left hand that rocked his Hawaiian counterpart.
Though he appeared to be in trouble early, Hose regained his composure, found his rhythm and started to land more shots. Dominique felt the pressure, shot in for a takedown and then quickly took mount. But the Hawaiian powered his way out, as he shoved off the bigger Dominique. Hose gained top control and landed punches until time expired in round one.
In the second frame, Hose built on the momentum he had picked up at the end of the first and dropped his opponent with a right hook. From there, he finished.
“I caught him,” Hose said. “I didn’t know that he was going to go down that quick. It kind of shocked me, so I just tried stay on top of him. I caught an up-kick, but I got the finish.”
The man Hose defeated for the Icon Sport middleweight crown also came through with a solid performance.
After a number of disappointing losses, Baroni earned his second victory in three weeks, as he dispatched Hawaiian workhorse Ron Verdadero (Pictures) in less than a minute.
The two fighters engaged in a slugfest, and while both connected, it was Baroni who landed the first meaningful blows. The 32-year-old New Yorker delivered an uppercut and right hook that put Verdadero on the mat. Baroni followed him to the floor, as referee Yuji Shimada called a stop to the bout just 51 seconds into the first frame.
The crowd, questioning the stoppage, erupted with a chorus of boos, as Verdadero quickly returned to his feet.
“It was a flash knockdown, man,” Verdadero told Sherdog.com. “I hit the mat, and I got right back up. I didn’t even realize myself that the fight was over.”
A winner in back-to-back fights for the first time in more than three years, Baroni took the opportunity to campaign for a rematch with Hose.
“I wanted to go out there and do my thing,” Baroni said. “I’ll show it to you guys next time when I knock out Kala Kolohe. I’ll fight him anytime, any place, anywhere -- for free.”
Meanwhile, Bao Quach (Pictures) and Mark Oshiro (Pictures) left the crowd begging for two more rounds after the two fought an extraordinary battle at 140 pounds that saw Quach take a hard-earned decision after 15 minutes of non-stop action.
Quach showed no interest in trading with the hard-hitting Hawaiian, as he countered an early low kick with a well-timed takedown.
“Mark’s a tough guy,” Quach said. “He has good stand-up. I just felt like I have better wrestling; I have better submissions and better control on the ground.”
The Colin Oyama-trained fighter landed knees to his opponent’s body from side control, then trapped Oshiro’s arm in a crucifix. From there, Quach transitioned into what appeared to be a tight armbar, but Oshiro endured and waited out the clock.
The second round started much the same as the first, as Quach scored the early takedown and worked for the submission. The Huntington Beach, Calif., fighter secured another armbar, but the flexible Oshiro escaped, rolled on top of Quach and fired away with heavy shots that had his opponent stunned.
“I honestly thought I had him,” Oshiro said. “I saw him; his eyes were dazed, he went to his back, I tried to finish. And somehow, some way [Quach] came right back, took me down and put me on my back.”
With Quach back on top, the two fighters exchanged knees from side position. As time ran down, Quach secured another armbar, but he did not have the time to finish it.
The opening seconds of the round three played out like an instant replay of the first two. Oshiro threw a low kick, and Quach got the takedown.
Bloody and battered, Quach looked content to ride out the round from top position, but that plan was interrupted when the referee stood up the fighters over lack of action. Back on his feet, Quach landed a big right hand, but Oshiro fired back with a right of his own and followed with a knee that put Quach on his back.
“It was a hard hit,” Quach said, “but it didn’t really faze me.”
The young Hawaiian attempted to finish, but the submission-savvy Quach seized his leg and twisted a heel hook. Oshiro winced in pain, as Quach cranked the submission.
“Ninety nine point nine percent pf my body was telling me to quit,” Oshiro said. “My mind was telling me just tap, but my heart was saying no way. I like to fight. I don’t like to lose. I don’t ever plan on tapping, you know … no matter what.”
Oshiro finally escaped but was stuck underneath his opponent. The tired warriors again traded knees from the ground, as time ticked away. Both men turned in gutsy performances, but Quach did enough to earn the decision and with it the Icon Sport 140-pound North American championship.
In other action, Sidney Silva (Pictures) made quick work of Hideto Konda, as he coaxed a tapout with a first-round armbar.
Their showdown started the day before at the official weigh-in when Silva -- who was dropping from 170 to 160 pounds -- mistakenly thought he had made weight and began to rehydrate. Before the miscommunication was realized, the Brazilian fighter had gulped down enough water to put him over the 161-pound limit by two pounds.
Faced with a second weight cut, Silva pleaded with Kondo and his trainer, Hayato “Mach” Sakurai. However, his pleas fell on deaf ears, as the Japanese fighter and his trainer seemed to enjoy watching Silva struggle.
“After the episode at the weigh-ins, it frustrated me a lot,” Silva said. “I just got a little angry. I tried to hurt him as hard as I could.”
Silva came out strong, as he landed a head kick and a series of low kicks that seemed to take their toll on Kondo. After landing a knee, Silva took the fight to the floor and secured back control. He then transitioned nicely into the fight-ending armbar 3:40 into the first round.
“To be honest, I don’t really know how it happened; it was kind of fast,” Silva said. “I just go for the arm, you know, whatever. He gave it to me. I just tried to stretch his arm and make him tap.”
Elsewhere, Matt Hume (Pictures) protégé Mario Miranda kept his undefeated record intact, as he needed only 1:27 to pound out Jose Diaz (Pictures).
Miranda landed a high kick, took the fight to the floor and latched onto Diaz’s back. With both hooks in, he flattened out Diaz and pounded away at his defenseless opponent until the referee stopped the bout. Diaz looked disappointed but did not offer much of a protest.
At lightweight, Maui-based Eddie Rincon (Pictures) earned his first professional victory, as he was awarded a unanimous decision against the tough Dean Lista (Pictures). Though he scored with takedowns, Lista could not capitalize on the position. Rincon, meanwhile, landed heavy leather throughout the fight and swayed the judges with his striking.
Maui Wolfgram, Brad Taveras and Alan Lima (Pictures) were also victorious, along with Ed Newalu (Pictures) and Kyle Miyahana. A 140-pound bout between rookies Keola Silva and Ian Dela Cuesta ended in a no contest after Silva landed an accidental low blow 22 seconds into the fight.
Finally, the scheduled 140-pound match between Kurrent Cockett and Sadhu Bott (Pictures) was cancelled when Bott failed to make weight. Their bout will be rescheduled for the next Icon Sport show.
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