Northern Virginia Retains 5 Out of 6 MMA Titles at Operation Octagon

Operation Octagon served up a satisfying helping of local Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) Saturday with another sold-out show and 16 exciting fights. 

Thousands of fans packed into Dulles SportsPlex in Sterling; some sitting at VIP tables served by the , other in the general seats around the cage, or on the balcony overhead. No matter where they were, everyone had a good view of the cage and the big screens above it.

In the late afternoon, camps of fighters from all over the DC area and beyond quietly prepared for combat by grappling, warming up on pads and wrapping their hands for a few rounds that would be anything but quiet. 

Soon the venue echoed with audible action such as the loud slap of a leg kick to a thigh, the screams of instruction from a fighter’s corner, the cheers of the crowd or the occasional crack of a low blow to a fighter’s cup.  Local fans know nothing is quite like a live Mixed Martial Arts event. 

Northern Virginia fighters had a pretty good night, with only one title belt leaving the area.  Camps from Woodbridge and Manassas had stake in five of the six title bouts, and fighters in many of the other 10 matches.

Each bout consists of three rounds of three minutes each, except title bouts where the rounds are five minutes just like professional matches in the UFC or Strikeforce.  The matches are sanctioned, refereed, and judged by the Global Combat Alliance out of Richmond, an agency that uses rules similar to state athletic commission sanctioned professional fights.

Gold Medal Grappling of Woodbridge had a stellar night with three wins out of three fights and two for title belts.  In the event's first match, Gold Medal Grappling’s Steven Adams delivered a bloody beating to his tough, but outclassed opponent forcing the referee to step in and stop the fight in the second round.  In a great showing of class and sportsmanship, the defeated David Weller embraced his opponent after the fight and raised Adams' hand in victory.

In the third fight of the night, relatively new competitor Samir Farid defeated Brandon Wheeler in a clear unanimous decision after dominating his opponent for three solid rounds.  Farid showed excellent wrestling against his opponent and also did a good job listening to the Gold Medal Grappling coaches in his corner as they gave him advice to remain in control of the fight.

Vanguard Gym of Manassas started the night with success in their first title match when Reed Miller showed he’d been working on his wrestling and submissions.   Reed quickly took Cody Carter’s back and sank in a rear naked choke, forcing a tap in the first round.

Willie Floyd proved his resilience and ability to remain calm under fire.  The Gold Medal Grappling Welterweight first had to deal with a surprise change in opponents and quickly found himself defending off his back.  Perrin Carter, coming off a victory over Floyd’s originally scheduled opponent, came on strong and looked to be in control, but Floyd kept his wits, and when Carter tried for a takedown he left his neck exposed.  Floyd slipped in the guillotine choke and cinched it very tight, forcing a tap out without even jumping to guard.

Vanguard’s Mike Pope defended his belt for a second time, showing the same wrestling and top control dominance he used in his last fight.  Spencer Strube seemed to have a slight advantage in the striking when the fight was standing, but Pope kept the match on the ground where he was the most comfortable and won a unanimous decision, keeping his belt in Manassas.

Vanguard’s next trip to the cage was not as successful, but was an exciting fight for the fans. 

Local favorite Duy Le faced Michael Ledman of Southern Maryland Jui-Jitsu for the Featherweight title.The match was back and forth as  Le was in control on the ground for most of the first round, but Ledman defended well.  In the last 30 seconds, Ledman got a sweep and poured on the leather until the bell rung. 

Round two showed Le’s heart as he came out blasting, and took control of the second round as he had the first, but Ledman persevered, and reversed Le again, this time hammering his opponent bloody. 

The referee clearly considered stopping the fight, but gave Le the benefit of the doubt by holding off until the bell.  Round three saw Le again come out swinging, and taking down his opponent.  Le rained down strikes as if he knew he needed a finish to win the match, but again Ledman rallied, this time getting Le’s back and sinking in a rear naked-choke submission.  Le tapped at 2:04 in the third round making Michael Ledman the new 145-pound Operation Octagon champ. 

In the next to last fight of the event, John Attia of Team Rockhand squeaked out a split decision over Ryan Lall of Warpath Inc. in an ugly match punctuated with low blows and eye pokes. Attia, showing very little offense, preferred only to counter his opponent even though the crowd booed disfavor at his tactic. 

Luckily, the evening didn’t end on a sour note as the Operation Octagon Heavyweight title was on the line between current champ Josh “Cobra” Brown from nearby Chantilly’s Complete Fitness Concepts and the challenger, Rich Moore from Contract Combatives. 

The two big men started the bout quickly by exchanging strikes.  Brown got the better of the stand-up and found himself delivering damage to his downed opponent, earning the referee stoppage one minute and 37 seconds into the first round.

In addition to the fights, a couple of local celebrities were in attendance at Operation Octagon.

 Ultimate Fighter finalist Kris McCray supported his teammates and even entered the cage to announce another local martial artist would be on an upcoming season of the Ultimate Fighter on Spike. 

Also in attendance, Corporal Kelsey De Santis, who won a bloody battle in March in Operation Octagon, has recently made the news when she invited Justin Timberlake to Marine Corps Ball in Washington DC. Timberlake accepted according to the LA Times.  After seeing her last fight, Justin had better be a perfect gentleman.

Fans left with their thirst for action sated and will surely line-up to buy tickets for Operation Octagon’s next event, scheduled for Oct. 22  at Dulles SportsPlex in Sterling.  

Quick Results

1) Steven Adams defeats David Weller by Techinical Knock Out at 2:59 of round two.

2) Paul Cavanaugh defeats Tyson Kellerman by split decision.

3) Samir Farid defeats Brandon Wheeler by unanimous decision for the 125-pound title.

4) Lashawn Alcocks defeats Tommy McDonnell by TKO at 21 seconds of round three.

5) Reed Miller defeats Cody Carter by rear naked choke at 3:20 of round one for the 135-pound title.

6) Cameron Smith defeats Alex Coates bu armbar at 1:04 of round one.

7) Jordan Needham defeats Jonathan Vinyard by TKO at 1:14 of round two.

8) Willie Floyd defeats Perrin Carter by guillotine choke at 2:45 or round one for the 170-pound title.

9) Mike Pope defeats Spencer Strube by unanimous decision for the 155-pound title.

10) EJ Mecklenburg defeats Shaun Kama by rear naked choke at 41 seconds of round one.

11) Michael Ledman defeats Duy Le by rear naked choke at 2:04 of round three for the 145-pound title.

12) Orlando Torres defeats Cary Caprio by TKO at 2:43 of round three.

13) Justin Theodore Cooper defeats Greg Lyman by unanimous decision.

14) Nathan Jaime defeats Jarred Ferguson by split decision.

15) John Attia defeats Ryan Lall by split decision.

16) Josh Brown defeats Rich Moore by tko at 1:37 of round one for the 265-pound title.