Official results from VALOR Fights 23: All-Pro III live June 6th from Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. Big thanks to Bluegrass MMA and Full Frontal MMA for their coverage of the event live. Quick Results at bottom of page.
Fisher Looks Great Early, Gallegos Gets Finish in Second
Justin Fisher was on many people's shortlist to be the next east Tennessee fighter to join the UFC, especially considering the upcoming UFC show in Nashville as well as being a close teammate to UFC Light Heavyweight O'Vince Saint Preux. In the VALOR 23 main event, Fisher took on XFC veteran Julio Gallegos in a highly anticipated bout. Fisher looked great early showing outstanding foot work and head movement all while landing some crisp punches of his own. More of the same in round two up until Fisher was rocked by a vicious punch and was finished shortly after by a guillotine late in the second. Fisher will likely look to go on a winning streak similar to the one he went on following his first pro loss, while Gallegos will now be looking to get yet another big fight with VALOR Fights or possibly, a call to the UFC himself.
KMAA has Up and Down night at VALOR 23
Besides Justin Fisher, KMAA had an up and down at VALOR 23. With five fighters on the card, KMAA pulled out a final record of 2-3. Alan Stewart picked up a big second round TKO over fellow Knoxville fighter Menden McKeehan pushing his professional MMA record to 3-0. In one of the most exciting fights of the night, Michael Lenos came up just short from picking up his first pro win as he was submitted by Virginia's Miles Williams with a great Kimura in the third round from the bottom. James Adcock suffered his first pro loss as he was submitted by Alabama's Kyle Causey in the second round with a Rear-Naked Choke. One of KMAA's top prospects though did walk away with a big win as Nick Gehrts picked up his fourth pro win as he picked up a decision victory over Adam Hyde. Gehrts' full arsenal was on display as he landed a flying knee, picked up many takedowns, and showed great ground and pound to close the fight. KMAA Head Coach Eric Turner said after the fights, "Win or lose they left everything they had in the cage and if they won they celebrated but did not disparage and if they lost, they mourned but were dignified."
Morgan and Kennedy Upset Close to Home
In the night's co-main and featured bout at the top of the card, two local favorites looked to pick up big wins, but were both defeated by top notch opponents. Anthony Morgan out of Fit Factory in Sevierville, TN looked knock off one of the state's top prospects in Jonathan Pearce, but was defeated by decision. Morgan looked good in round one doing a great job keeping his back off the cage and was extremely close to locking in a Triangle Choke, but Pearce survived. Morgan began to fade in rounds two and three as Pearce landed multiple takedowns and landed a few good shots on his feet. Pearce moves his pro record to 2-0 as Morgan's record now draws even at 5-5. In the co-main event, Knoxville's Drew Kennedy looked to snap a two-fight losing streak against undefeated Taylor Callens, but Callens showed no signs of ring rust as he picked up his fifth win off a two-year layoff. Callens was rocked early and fell victim to a nasty hip throw, but in the end, he locked in a nasty armbar towards the end of round two.
VALOR Fights 23 Quick Results
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Julio Gallegos def. Justin Fisher via Submission (guillotine choke) - Round 2, 3:44
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Taylor Callens def. Drew Kennedy via Submission (armbar) - Round 2, 4:42
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Jonathan Pearce def. Anthony Morgan via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
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Nick Gehrts def. Adam Hyde via Unanimous Decision (30-26, 29-27, 30-27)
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Frank Tate def. Terrance Hodges via Knockout (punch) - Round 1, :44
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Kyle Causey def. James Adcock via Submission (rear-naked choke) - Round 2, 1:35
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Miles Williams def. Michael Lenos via Submission (kimura) - Round 3, 1:28
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Alan Stewart def. Menden McKeehan via TKO (punches) - Round 2, 1:15
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Randy Stamey def. Tim Boyle via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
