SMASH Global VII Recap & Official Results
SMASH Global continues to blur the lines between beauty and brutality. The cutting edge mixed martial arts organization held its biggest event thus far on Wednesday, February 28th with Smash Global VII. Every Smash Global event not only holds high level MMA competition but it also honors a figure that has played an important role in the growth of martial arts around the world. On this night, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu pioneer Rigan Machado received a lifetime achievement award for his contributions as an athlete and teacher.
Machado’s accomplishments as a jiu-jitsu competitor are stuff of legend but his impact as an instructor has far surpassed those accomplishments. He has become a world-renowned jiu-jitsu instructor who has a celebrity client list that would make most talent agencies blush. Through his school, Beverly Hills Jiu-Jitsu, Machado as taught Hollywood A-Lister’s like Mel Gibson, Charlie Hunnam, and Michael J. White, all who were in attendance to see their instructor receive the prestigious Lifetime Achievement award from Smash Global.
SMASH Global CEO Steve Orosco stated that the goal of the organization is to cater the “Formula 1” racing type crowd and bring glamour to mixed martial arts. He is well on his way as Smash Global VII was filled with the most celebrity involvement to date.
Prior to his acceptance speech, Machado and the crowd on hand were treated to a small video retrospective of his career as well as congratulations from many of fellow martial artists and his celebrity friends. MMA royalty like Georges St. Pierre, Lyoto Machida, Shogun Rua, Fabricio dawned the big screen as their video recordings of personal messages to Machado were shown. What followed was a plethora of celebrity congratulations. Mickey Rouke, Wesley Snipes, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Dave Bautista, Ashton Kutcher, were just some of the few people who expressed their admiration for Machado via video recordings that were shown on the big screen.
The humble Machado stated in his acceptance speech that when he was approached about being honored he was afraid that no one would actually show up. The complete opposite happened as the admiration for Machado was felt all night. From the red carpet to the grand ballroom, Smash Global showcased its evolution on Wednesday night. Orosco promised that this was only the beginning and that the organization will continue to grow and have even more celebrity influence for future events.
Along with the pageantry, Smash Global VII had four highly competitive bouts. In the first bout Flavio Carvalho and Soslan Abanokov fought to draw. It was gritty bout that Abanokov was in control of for the first two rounds. A point deduction and a comeback flurry from Carvalho cost Abanokov the victory but both men left it all in the cage and got the crowd going.
The second fight saw Hawaiian Kanaan Kawaihae make quick work of Eugene Correa. Both men opened the fight with strikes but Kawaihae landed a big takedown and quickly moved his way into the full mount. From the mount he was able to put Correa in type of neck crack that turned into a guillotine choke. The grip was too tight and Correa was forced to tap.
The night’s co-main event was between Lamar Reed and Eric Steans. Reed started the fight by getting a huge takedown. Reed remained on top for the majority of the round until Steans reversed him and attempted a guillotine choke. Reed escaped and regained control of the fight but pressing Steans up against the cage. The second round saw more of the same from Reed until Steans landed a takedown. Steans’ killer instinct took over as once he had Reed on the ground he landed hard blows before locking in a rear naked choke for the win.
The night’s main event was a featherweight bout between Rudy Morales and Dennis Fisher. Morales and Fisher wasted no time and engaged right away. Morales landed first and landed hard. Morales strikes had Fisher moving back towards the fence. Morales followed him and landed a hard knee and strikes to finish the fight.
Here are the full results from Smash Global VII:
- Flavio Carvalho and Soslan Abanokov ruled a majority draw (28-28, 28-28, 28-28)
- Canaan Kawaihae def. Eugene Correa via submission in Round 1.
- Eric Steans def. Lamar Reed via submission in Round 2.
- Rudy Morales def. Dennis Fisher via TKO in Round 1.
Article By: Alex Ramirez
FiveRoundMMA- Head Writer and On-Air Talent
Correspondent for FightBookMMA
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