Your typical MMA shows occur mostly on the weekends, but this... this is NOT your typical MMA show. This is Mid Week MMA at Club Zoo and about as close as you can get to the Wild West in this Vancouver bar! A 21 and over Wednesday night fight card filled with street fighters with some training, backyard brawlers with some traditional martial arts, and new MMA team guys with little to no experience, willing to duke it out in the cage to cross it off their bucket list. Call it crazy... we call it entertaining!

Mid Week MMA at Club Zoo provides a venue for those amateurs wanting to gather some ring time before their big show debuts... a chance to shake off the first fight anxieties, to find out if they're really up for being a 'cage fighter', and to introduce their family and friends to a sport that is uniquely showcased in its rawest format. Yes, there are refs, and judges, and ring girls oh my... but there is also the fun loving, beer drinking, rowdy crowd that wants to see the bloodshed and two evenly matched guys go for it! And that is what makes the show. This last Wednesday, June 16th, kicked off a 3 month long Grand Prix at Club Zoo and might just go down as one of the best shows. 

While only featuring a card of 8 fights, including a submission match, there was something for everyone with a lot of the well matched fights going to decision or ending by ref stoppage. AliveMMA has a tradition of having a 'Tap Out' challenge during their shows where you can get in the cage yourself and submission wrestle a Guest of Honor. Brazilian Top Team Jiu-Jitsu Black belt Diego Gamonal took the submission tap out challenges from anyone in the crowd on hand. Local fighters Olin Howlett, David Quinton, and Nick Braker were all unable to best the black belt, and only Nick Breaker survived the very long 5 minutes. The main event fight featuring Julian Aguon of AliveMMA and Gustavo Bessa of 503 West Coast Jiu-Jitsu will be talked about by many and is easily the most amazing Fight of the Night in the history of Mid Week MMA at Club Zoo. An incredibly even matched fight, Aguon and Bessa power struggled through the typical 3 rounds ending with a draw. Both fighters wanting to 'seal the deal', and due to it being a tournament format, the fight went to a 4th round with the result determining Bessa as the winner. 

A potential runner up to the Fight of the Night was first fight Tyree Freshner of AliveMMA squaring off with Jay Sabin, both making their debut. This went into the 3rd round with it being mostly a standup, knockdown, drag out slugfest. Jay Sabin kept an insane amount of pressure and pushed the pace on Freshner wearing him down and out in the 3rd, allowing him to launch a final attack that resulted in Referee Chris Cope calling an end to the fight. 

Heavyweight Ricardo Martinez of 503 West Coast Jiu-Jitsu stayed undefeated by a very decisive victory over Damien Strength. This fight was going to end fast one way or the other with both of these fighters having previous knockouts and very heavy hands. Martinez came right out, backed Strength up to the fence with a flurry of punches and kept him there pounding Strength with body shots and then going upstairs to the head. Strength was forced to verbally tap after Martinez had delivered enough body shots to result in a broken rib. 

Mid Week MMA at Club Zoo is going on throughout the summer months but will be converting to Saturday night shows for June, July and August. The next Grand Prix show is scheduled for Saturday, June 26th. Tickets are a standard $25 admission and can be purchased online at brownpaperticket.com or at the door. Find more information about Mid Week MMA at Club Zoo at alivemma.com/html/zoo_pdx.html

RESULTS & PLAY BY PLAY
Bout 1 - Upper Weight Bracket 

Jay Sabin (Ind) vs Tyree Freshner (AliveMMA)
Rd1: Touch up and we are on! Jay takes a double leg and get the takedown, goes north south and to full mount. Freshner fighting well for posture keeping Jay down and tying up the arms. Jay postures and lands a couple hard shots but costs him position as Tyree sweeps him to full mount. Tyree landing some leather on the fence full mounted. Jay turns to his knees and faces Tyree. Tyree working bully choke and slams Jay down, Jay backs up and out as Tyree lands a quick right hand on the break up and stand up. Jay pressing and they are exchanging BIG shots, big right left from Jay answered by a left right from Tyree and Jay knocks Tyree down towards his own corner on the cage! Jay follows and Tyree recovers well and starts to stand as Jay postures back up and Tyree gains guard. Tyree is tying Jay up well and Referee Cope is looking to stand up the fighters. Jay postures and lands a big shot as time expires!

Rd2: Jay out aggressive and Tyree makes him pay with a right hand as Jay is trying to close for the clinch. Jay presses on, trying to trap Tyree on the fence but Tyree circles out well and lands again. Jay presses on and lands a big right left right to Tyree and backs him up to the cage as Tyree lands a fast right hand and Jay drops to his knees!! Tyree turns the corner and slaps on a guillotine but Jay passes guard and is in side. Tyree lets go of the guillotine and gets back to guard. Tyree is doing well to control posture but Jay breaks free for moments and lands some hard strikes from top. Jay walks Tyree to the fence and Tyree kicks Jay off and they are on their feet again! Jay presses in and gets a right hand from Tyree. Jay comes back in again and connects with a hard left that rocks Tyree and bounces him back against the cage. Jay follows and gets the clinch in a neutral corner. Jay fires off a knee that is blocked, Tyree circles off the fence and action comes back out to center cage. Tyree leg kick as Jay comes around with a left hook/right uppercut combo that sends Tyree back to the fence, Jay follows with a big right hand and an uppercut that just misses and Tyree lands a big right hand off the fence that turns Jay. Jay turns back in and it's a slugfest on the cage, both fighters landing hard left and right hands! Jay gets rocked a bit steps back and gets his composure and Tyree is showing signs of fatigue and doesn't press on. Jay comes back in with a left hand but Tyree lands on the button again to Jays jaw with a big right hand. Tyree circles off the fence and Jay is following. Jay closes the distance again with a bit of a rush as Tyree lands a hard right hand. Jay still looking for a clinch as Tyree lands big knee to Jays mid section and a right hand to get separation. Jay comes back in with big swings that don't connect and Tyree fires back, landing well on Jays head. Jay steps back to center cage as Tyree circles off the cage. Jay presses in again and Tyree lands. Jay returns fire with a left right and Tyree lands a left right, Tyree circles off the cage and turns the corner on Jay and puts him on the cage as the round ends!!

Rd3: Touch in center cage. Crowd is going crazy!! Jay in hard, Tyree circling on the outside. Jay rushes but Tyree fires a right hand and circles out well. Jay presses again and Tyree lands but his back is on the fence. Tyree circles off and lands again. Jay in again, he just keeps coming forward! Tyree waits for him on the fence and both fighters exchange 4 to 5 big shots again!!! Jay looks rocked, steps back but comes back in without pause throwing a big left right left that lands as he pins Tyree on the fence! Jay lands another big shot as Tyree sneaks his left hand to a collar-tie and BLASTS a right hook that knocks Jay across the cage!! How is Jay still on his feet?! Crowd is nuts!! Both circling now center cage. Jay in to a body clinch, Tyree tries to circle but Jay gets the suck-in takedown. Jay in mount in Tyree's corner postured up landing big shots. Referee Cope looking in. Jay landing more big shots and Referee Cope jumps in and stops the fight! WOW!
Winner: Jay Sabin in Rd3 @ 1:55 by TKO (Ref Stoppage)

Jay Sabin advances to face the winner of Daniel Perkins and Dustin Wilson

Bout 2 - Upper Weight Bracket: John Cheney (Ind) vs Kevin Smith (Ind)
Rd1: Touch in center cage. John steps in and lands a left and steps out. Kevin steps in to land a left but John sticks him with a left jab. Kevin steps in to throw again as John fires a big right hand that lands flush on Kevin's head, Kevin returns with a right hand that just misses John! Kevin presses in and John has found the jab and sticks two hard jabs in Kevin's face. John wings a right hand and steps into the clinch but Kevin digs under hooks and circles out. John tries a hip toss but Kevin bases out well and they separate. Back to center cage. John steps in with a left and loads big time on the right hand that Kevin slips to the left out of presses in and John is moving well out of range and fires a right hook that just misses. Kevin steps in to jab and John loads with a big right and lands BIG!! It knocks Kevin ALL the way across the cage and puts him on his butt!! John is in no hurry, he wants to keep this on his feet it seems and walks towards Kevin. Kevin back on his feet but looks like his legs are not under him totally yet. Kevin is bouncing trying to get his legs to work as John steps in and fires a left jab then a straight right that looks to knock Kevin out!!! Down to the mat Kevin drops as John casually walks over and hits him in the face as Kevin is gathering his marbles. Kevin tries to stand up and it's a bad idea as John lets his hands fly again!! Left hand, right, right, right, all landing on Kevin against the cage. John fires another left hook right hook that land flush and drops Kevin for the last time as Referee Cope has seen enough and puts a stop to the fight!!
Winner: John Cheney over Kevin Smith in Rd1 @ 0:56 by KO

John Cheney advances to face the winner of Jason Lambert and Alternate 1 winner

Bout 3 - Lower Weight Bracket: Brent Messinio (Team Quest) vs Shane Riley (Ind)
Rd1: Brent comes out hard. Shane steps into range to fire off a right hook as Brent ducks under it and pushes in for a shot. Brent has the hips as he sucks Shane down and goes almost directly to full mount. Landing shots from the top, Brent has good posture. Shane turns to his back trying to get up but Brent flattens him out. Brent landing more shots now but it's not phasing Shane. Shane turns to give Brent full mount from back control and Brent again gets posture and is landing shots. Brent taking his time moving well, Shane is bucking and moving trying to get guard back. Brent posturing up again to land shots, Shane is starting to slow down on the bottom with his movement. Referee Cope looking in close as Brent is landing more shots that are getting through Shane's defenses. Brent turns on the heat lands about 4 punches solid to Shane's head and Referee Cope has seen enough!!
Winner: Brent Messinio over Shane Riley in Rd1 @ 1:55 by TKO (Ref Stoppage)

Brent Messinio advances to face the winner of Michael Kobasa and Jesse Meeks

Bout 4 - 190 lb Submission Match: Zach Hector vs Joshua DeParric
Zach comes out hard but Joshua is defending well vs the takedown. Zach moves in and Joshua goes to guard. Zach lifts Joshua and power bombs him!! Big slam.. Joshua recovers and keeps guard well. Zach postures up again and power bombs him!! This is NOT a friendly roll! Joshua looking for an armbar and nearly secures it as Zach pulls out. Zach dives back in and postures up. Zach being a seasoned MMA Veteran looked to want to start throwing bombs. Joshua secures Zach's arm again and starts to suck in for an armbar. Zach postures out and dives down for Joshua's ankle. Zach has the ankle deep, Joshua is trying to gator-roll out of it. Zach secures the ankle, cranking on a foot lock that's deep! Josh tries to turn out of it but Zach isn't going with it, and gets the tap!!
Winner: Zach Hector by Tap to Foot Lock

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Bout 5 - Heavyweight: Damien Strength (Ind) vs Ricardo Martinez (503WCJJ)
Rd1: Damien out hard, almost running across the cage to engage! Ricardo is wise to it and lands a fast left and a right hand that lands. Damien's head drops as Ricardo comes with a left hook and another right straight that lands and sends Damien backwards trying to get separation!! Ricardo presses on throwing right hand left hand. Ricardo's left hand goes to a neck tie as his right hand is landing heavy on Damien's body!! More body shots with Ricardo's right hand. Ricardo fires a knee to the leg then another knee to the leg. Right hand to head and lets go of the head with his left hand and a short left hook that lands. Damien is on the fence and is looking to minimize the amount of damage that Ricardo is bringing. Ricardo steps back a bit and fires a down the middle left right left right that partially land on Damien who is still on the fence. Damien goes to tie and Ricardo goes over the top and lands three fast right hands to Damien's head. Ricardo drops to a leg but Damien defends well and Ricardo comes back up. Ricardo comes with a right hand uppercut that gets separation and a hard down the middle left and a follow up down the middle right hand that land to Damien's head. Damien still trying to tie up the neck but Ricardo is landing at will now over the top of the tie. Ricardo lands a hard left and Damien's head drops to escape the punishment and Ricardo answers with 13 right handed uppercuts that are landing on Damien's face!! Damien now half turned on the fence and Ricardo starts to fire off his left hand. 3 thundering body shots to Damien and he looks hurt. Ricardo comes with the right hand again and then the left. Damien really covering up rips on his right side now. Ricardo comes with his left hand to the body and Damien has had enough and verbally taps to strikes on his feet! Ricardo looks promising in his last two fights. 
Winner: Ricardo Martinez in Rd1 @ 1:10 by Verbal Tap

Bout 6 - Upper Weight Bracket - Alternate 1 Position

Jermaine Hankins (Ind) vs Daniel Coffin (AliveMMA)
Rd1: Dan wastes no time, comes right out after the touch and fires off a left right and goes to the clinch. Jermaine rolls off the fence and back to center cage still clinched. Dan goes down to the body then legs desperate to get Jermaine to the mat. Jermaine is moving well and half steps out of it as Dan settles in for guard pulling Jermaine down. Jermaine postures and lands a right as Dan is moving. Dan catches his left arm and turns for an armbar! Its deep!! Dan now tri-podded out on Jermaine's left arm pulling hard. Rolls to his back and Jermaine comes around. His arm is in DEEP. Dan fighting hard for the arm but Jermaine is fresh and very strong. Jermaine spins around and Dan is still digging the arm. Jermaine on his back now Daniel still going for arm then to the shoulder lock as Jermaine spins in and gets top again in Dan's guard. Dan moving well and AGAIN digs the arm!! Jermaine is trying to defend by grabbing his arm but Dan is really postured out digging it out!! Jermaine gets to his feet and pulls out, Dan goes to Jermaine's legs to pull him back down. Jermaine lands a big left hand that rocks Dan's head back. Dan still trying to get Jermaine down who is now standing over the top of him. Dan secures the legs and Jermaine gets in sprawl position. Dan working hard for a takedown and Jermaine starts to get a bully choke as the bell sounds!

Rd2: Dan closes fast, Jermaine steps back and fires a right uppercut that lands. Dan is unfazed and presses Jermaine against the fence. Dan starts to drop for the takedown but Jermaine is doing well to keep his under hooks in and is making it hard. Jermaine circles off the fence and puts Dan's but in the cage and gets some separation and lands a left hook and right hand and Dan drops to his butt on the cage with Jermaine standing up in front of him. Jermaine does not want to go back to the ground and is waiting for Dan to try to stand up for a free shot. Referee Cope steps in and Dan stands up. Action back in center cage. Jermaine fires off a BIG leg kick and Dan steps in for the body lock. Jermaine is spinning out of it and lands a hard right hand!! Dan covers and Jermaine steps back and comes back in with a knee to the body. Dan again wraps him and this time gets the takedown!! Dan in Jermaine's guard. Jermaine holding on well and is postured out for a armbar. Jermaine sweeps to top and is landing right hands to Dan's head. Jermaine finds the angle and fires a straight shot down the middle that knocks Dan out on the ground!!
Winner: Jermaine Hankins over Daniel Coffin in Rd 2 @ 1:18 by KO

Wins the alternate bracket 1- Gets first choice of fighting Jason Lambert

or opting for first substitute in bracket.

Bout 7 - Heavyweight

BJ Garman (NW Warriors) vs JR Anderson (Ind)
Rd1: Touch up and they step back. BJ comes with a big right hook that JR steps under for the takedown! JR to full mount only 4 seconds into the fight! JR landing left hands to the body. BJ rolls to doggie and JR lands shots to the back of the head. Referee Cope separates the fighters and warns JR of the violation. BJ only takes 10 second recovery time and they come out again with the touch up. BJ with a big left hook that JR steps under again and gets tight to BJs body. BJ with a bully choke but JR is moving well. JR breaks free and comes into BJ for the tie, but BJ sidesteps and JR goes down with BJ on his back!! BJ landing big shots to JRs head, 7, 8, 9 huge right hands but JR is moving well and defending most of them. BJ is still slinging as JR starts to stand. BJ jumps to back and locks up the RNC, JR postures up well and BJ goes over the top of him. BJ recovers and is fighting for the RNC. JR fighting the hands well. BJ on his back now and flattens JR out! JR gets back to his knees and BJ is riding too high again. JR shakes him off to the side and goes to top side!! JR landing big shots with the left hand to BJs head. BJ turns and JR goes to full mount now landing right hands and lefts. BJ is covering as Referee Cope is telling him to defend himself. JR still landing hard and lands a very clean very hard shot and BJ stops moving! Referee Cope has seen enough and puts a stop to the fight!
Winner: JR Anderson over BJ Garman in Rd1 @ 1:41 by KO

Main Event - Lower Weight Bracket Round 1:
Gustavo Bessa vs Julian Aguon
Rd1: No touch, Gus fires a leg kick but Julian steps back out of range. Gus steps back in range and Julian cracks him with a very hard left jab right straight that was solid!! Gus steps in and body locks and puts Julian in his corner on the fence. Julian fighting the takedown well but Gus turns the corner and puts Julian down against the fence on his back in Julian's corner. Gus to 1/2 and Julian is moving well on the bottom. Gus is now in side and Julian is holding him down controlling posture to not take any damage. Julian starts to stand and Gus delivers two knees to the face and Referee Cope stops the action! Referee Cope does not take a point. Back to action. Gus steps in and pushes Julian against the fence. Julian is working right hands but not a whole lot of damage. Julian moves off the fence and Gus puts him back on the cage and Julian takes down Gus and has posture. 4 seconds later Gus sweeps and is in his own corner trying to posture up. Julian pulling him down, no damage being done. Gus jumps to full mount but Julian recovers and gets out for a second only to have Gus retake the mount as the bell sounds!!

Rd2: Fighters come out. Action in center cage. Julian lands right left and Gus steps in for body again and they go to the cage. Julian working well off the cage landing shots but Gus gets the takedown. Julian working well off his back. Julian sweeps and is on top of Gus firing shots. Gus working well off the bottom getting posture and eliminating the space. Gus working to sweep but Julian is building a base. Gus works his way up and its back to the middle of the cage. Action resumes and Julian steps in again for a loaded up combo as Gus ducks under and puts Julian on the cage.. Julian fighting well off the cage and Gus drags him down. Julian starts to get back up again and Gus fires off a knee to Julian's head!! Referee Cope separates the two and this is Gus's second offence, a point is taken. Julian recovering and says he is ready. Action starts again mid cage. Loads up and Gus steps in for another takedown, Julian takes top and starts to throw heavy leather as the bell rings!!

Rd3: Center cage and Gus shoots in and takes Julian down in his own corner. Julian working well off the bottom trying to stand up. Gus is too much just smothering Julian. Julian starts to stand up again but Gus sucks him down and is working from guard. Julian starts to sweep with the head and lands a couple shots but Gus retakes guard and jumps to full mount. Julian is holding well and not taking too much damage but Gus has a very good base on top of him. Smothering Julian and Julian can't get out Gus in full mount and Julian is trying desperately to get out. Gus keeps position as the bell rings.

After three rounds the fight is called a Majority Draw.

Due to this being a tournament it goes to another round!!

Rd4: Gus comes out as Julian loads up and scores another takedown. Gus moves to full mount on Julian but is postured down and Julian is taking no damage. Gus working some light strikes as Julian is trying to get out from the bottom. Gus is just smothering Julian on the ground, Julian can just launch no offense. Gus staying on top and Julian is still holding down posture now landing some shots of his own. Ten second clicker goes off and Julian is bucking wildly trying to shake Gus but Gus is dug in deep and will not dismount! Round ends with Gus in full mount.
Winner: Gustavo Bessa over Julian Aguon by Unanimous Decision after 4 rounds.

Gustavo Bessa advances to Round 2 finals