Civil war broke out in Bend this weekend at DesertBrawl 22 where a star studded show case of up and coming amateurs gave the crowd an unbelievable show of submission talent and knockouts galore. The main event was scheduled for Hopi "Ninja" Jenkins (3-1) to challenge Derek "Iron Man" Jones (3-1) the current 185lb Amateur DesertBrawl titleholder. Just weeks before the fight Jones pulled out due to a bicep tear that would have required surgery if Jones didn't stop fighting for awhile to let it heal. Reluctant to his wishes Jones had to pull out of the fight so he could heal and defend his title at 100%. Fighter Robert Henry (2-2) stepped in for Jones and the main event was on, round one opened with Jenkins attempting a leg kick and was taken down quickly. Shortly after some ground scrambling Henry went for an ankle and soon both fighters were attempting to tighten an ankle submission. Jenkins started to turn the tides by sitting up and landing some hard hammer fists to the face of Henry which lead to a mount position that Jenkins gave up to transition to a side position and started landing some huge knees while Henry was trapped against the cage. This fight was very exciting and back and forth, because right when you thought Jenkins was turning the tides Henry reverses Jenkins and the round ended with Henry in Jenkins half guard.

Round two started with Jenkins taking a shot that put him to the canvas and Henry immediately attempting to choke Jenkins; but Jenkins put a stop to that with a mean hammer fist that started building momentum for the Ninja. Jenkins almost finished a Kimura, but gave it up to mount and then went back to side mount to throw more knees. Jenkins dominated the fight and was able to stuff every attempt to turn the tides that Henry could muster. The fight ended in a unanimous decision victory for the Ninja. Great fight for Jenkins who was returning to action after a short period away from the sport, and should be a great prelude to the title shot fight that is coming to Jenkins very soon.

A new champ emerged in the 170lb division, Braveheart fighter Mike Pierce (4-0) defeated Independent fighter Chris "Bad News" Branch (4-2) to bring the first belt home to the new fight team, Braveheart Gym, out of Gresham Oregon. Pierce worked a mean ground and pound game in the first round to soften Branch up by keeping Branch on his back and landing hammer fists from top position. Round two Pierce came out with a slick takedown that turned into a very hard slam that put Pierce right into side mount. Shortly after that Pierce sunk a tight Kimura, and Branch was caught. Branch didn't want to tap and some say Pierce was saying "tap dude, tap!" After a little pressure from the straining ligaments and snapping joints Branch was forced to tap at 45 seconds of the second round.

Emerging lightweight talent Justin Fratto (3-0) from the Desert Dog fight team put on a stand up showcase for the crowd and ended his fight with Matt Connent in serious fashion. Fratto landed a devastating leg kick to the face of Connent that put him to sleep, and I mean snoring sleep. Fratto spent round one dominating Connent with great grappling, and some superman punches that kept the crowd screaming for more. The final clock said 13 seconds of the second round and Fratto was awarded KO of the night.

Another DD fighter stirring up the cage is Ryan "Mad Dog" Fulton (2-0) a flyweight who is absolutely dominating his competition. From the start Fulton was way too much for opponent David Mccmantis (0-1) who was doing everything he could to keep Fulton from finishing him. Fulton did everything from mounting Mccmantis to shoulder slamming him and even attempting a twister trying to finish the fight. Fulton was having way too much fun and will have to step up his competition level to test his talent. Flyweight isn't a very big division, but is building and soon Fulton should be able to find some tougher competition.

Another light fighter that throws heavy leather is fighter Chris Harnden (2-0) who took out fighter Shane Getner (0-1) in 32 seconds by tap due to hard strikes. Chris is a tough independent fighter who is getting great training from Fighter Tomi (Last Minute) Massey and Lance Wipf. Harnden would be a great fight for Ryan Fulton if weight could be arranged, but who knows the lighter guys are tearing the cage apart right now and should flood the division with great fights in the future.

Team Saga had an impressive night with 2 huge KO's, one from lightweight fighter Kevin Reeves (2-1) at 2:52 of the first round against Drew Mayfield (0-1): and the other from heavyweight fighter Nick Braker (4-2-1) who defeated Jarod Mathews (5-6) in 48 seconds of the first round. Last but not least independent fighter Robert Lacey (1-1) settled the score against Desert Dog fighter Harley Slocum (2-2) by knock Slocum out with a huge right that sent Slocum down and went in for the kill to finish the fight at 2:11 of the first round and even the score 1 to 1 in the Slocum Vs Lacey saga. Fights were great and show went smoothly.

 Don't miss Desert Brawl XXII, April 12 for Thursday Night Fights! at the Midtown in Bend, Oregon. 12 full contact fights, including the return of the wreccing Machine , "Wrecc" Horic Spensor who takes on Retired NFL Superstar Whisper Goodman in a Pro "Superfight" Championship MMA Bout! Visit www.desertbrawl.com for ticket info and more details. DesertBrawl is a JT Taylor and Chris Fought Production.