The cringing of several audience members was enough to make the security guards turn around to watch what was happening. Sean “The Destroyer” Loeffler was escorted out of the arena in obvious pain, his broken arm being cradled by the other Saturday night.
Returning to the Walter Pyramid for the second time in three months, “TFA 12: Brawl at the Beach” presented by Todd Meacham and Richard Rasmussen showcased the phenomenon of the growing sport of mixed martial arts (MMA) inside the steel cage, also known as the octagon, in front of 2,500 fans.
Possibly one of the most memorable fights of the night, Loeffler faced off against “Tall” Paul Karsky in a fight that was tied for the quickest of the night, lasting only 35 seconds before an injury TKO.
The two fighters had been trash-talking from the time they entered the ring together, but were unable to finish what they started.
“It was a really big fight, I was really pumped up,” Karsky said. “I felt bad for Sean, but I’ll take it and it’s a win.”
“I know Sean is gonna want to do it again, but we’ll see. Get better, Sean.”
After some strikes to the head of Karsky and a tussle on the ground, the fighters released and got back up before the two grappled each other again. Loeffler appeared to go for the take down but it ended up with Karsky falling onto Loeffler, who fell backwards onto his arm.
Loeffler’s elbow appeared to snap as his arm, which was positioned in a right-angle, was facing completely backwards.
In the main event of the night, one couldn’t help but notice the smile on Jeff “Main Event” Martin’s face as he forced Ray Cox to submit with a rear naked choke. The fight ended 26 seconds into the second round and was the second longest of the night.
“I knew he was a heavy swinger — a lot of power, a lot of weight,” Martin said. “My plan was to pick him up and drop him. I think I did that”
“I knew he took this fight last minute. I wanted to work his cardio. I did exactly what I wanted. Take him down, ground and pound.”
The fight opened up with vicious right blows to Martin’s left cheek before he countered and got Cox’s left arm into a submission hold. This only lasted seconds, as Cox picked his opponent up and slammed him forcefully to the ground.
The two got up and the fight resumed in the middle of the ring with the crowd roaring in the background. The two became tangled up before the referee delayed the fight after Martin was incidentally poked in the eye. About 15 seconds later, the crowd got louder as the fight resumed with fiery jabs and takedowns, only to end the first round with Cox punching Martin.
As the second round began, the fight immediately went to the ground as Martin fought strongly for position. Cox fought back but Martin ended the fight quickly and jumped to his feet to celebrate.
Six of the 10 fights did not make it past the first round — five of which ended by submission.
Joe “Stitch em’ up” Schilling was the one who almost needed the stitches after his bout with Anthony Ferguson. Ferguson pinned Schilling and hammered on him about 40 times before round one ended. At 2:12 into the second round, the fight ended as Ferguson got Schilling in a rear naked choke.
“You know, I got him on the ground and I knew he would be kicking,” Ferguson said after the match. “I had to keep him on the bottom though because not a lot of guys know how to handle me when they are on the bottom. I just kept striking.”
The other fight of the night that lasted only 35 seconds — tied for the quickest brawl — involved Jose Morales and Jason Carvajal and a triangle choke that ended Morales’ night.
“I felt a little nervous” Carvajal said. “I knew coming in to this fight he was tough. I didn’t expect him to shoot, but he shot and I brought him to the ground.”
In the welterweight fight between Savak Magakian and John Lopez, the crowd favorite Magakian delivered a forceful right hand to Lopez, dropping him to the ground. The brawlers fought for position while on the ground, but Magakian slithered his way into an armbar that forced Lopez to end the fight 44 seconds into the first round.
“Take him down, put submission, that’s it,” said Magakian after the fight who clearly knew what his game plan was.
Also on the fight card, John Carleston made Jacob Wood’s debut less than ideal as he ended the fight in the first round with the triangle choke hold. Sterling Trotter faced off against another TFA debut fighter in Eric Rogers. Rogers delivered a strike to the face of his opponent before Trotter reversed the position and locked in a guillotine 2:52 into the first round. Long Beach-native Daniel Grey squared off against Eddie Mendez before Mendez punched Grey repeatedly while on the ground in the first round. Mendez kept up the strategy in the second round and the referee ruled a TKO of Grey due to strikes. Dominic Verduco replaced Zack Brennan in the fight against Cordero and defeated him via TKO in the second round after a series of vicious blows to the left calf. Undefeated Jared Papaziah fought Karen Darabedyan before tapping out 1:36 into the first round.