RFA 10 results: Mike Rhodes cruises in title fight, Justin Lawrence victorious

Duke Roufus student Mike Rhodes laid claim to the inaugural RFA welterweight title with a unanimous decision over the tough Alan Jouban.

Rhodes played a smart game in the early rounds to take home scores of 49-46 twice and 50-45 in the headliner of RFA 10, which took place Friday at Hy Vee Hall in Des Moines. The event aired on AXS TV.

From the outset, Rhodes took away Jouban’s striking tools with wrestling. After an early takedown, most of the round passed before Jouban could get off his back. When he did, Rhodes was waiting with crisp counter-strikes.

In the second and third rounds, Rhodes let his hands go from the outset and scored, but he made sure to secure top position and keep busy when he met any resistance from Jouban.

Although noticeably slower from 10 minutes of grappling, Jouban did his best to put together striking combinations. Hard body kicks landed throughout the frame, and Rhodes was unsuccessful on a takedown attempt. But other, more colorful, strikes met air.

The fight’s final push saw both men hurt each other with punches, and Jouban (7-2) pulled out all the tools in his arsenal with a spinning elbow and cartwheel kick. As a cut on his left eyebrow bled, he charged after Rhodes (6-1), who frequently obliged him in going toe-to-toe. It was an exhilarating finish to a tactical bout.

UFC vet Lawrence shows off grappling chops

Although more known for his quick feet and high kicks, UFC vet Justin Lawrence seemed determined to display his ground game in a featherweight bout against Luis Saldana. After trading a few of his signature strikes with his lesser-known opponent, he charged into an easy takedown and scored points with ground and pound.

Saldana had little chance to even the score in the second frame as Lawrence charged across the cage and deposited him to the mat. More strikes followed from the veteran of “The Ultimate Fighter 15.”

It was more of the same in the third, and though Saldana (7-2) managed to briefly threaten Lawrence (5-2) with an armbar, unanimous 30-27 scores came as no surprise.

Case takes controversial decision over Brooks

After taking a few hard inside leg kicks from Johnny Case, lightweight Emanuel Brooks quickly took the fight to the mat. He would keep the fight there for the rest of the round despite Case’s best efforts to free himself.

Case had a better solution for keeping Brooks off him in the second: a nasty groin shot. When Brooks recovered, it didn’t take him long to reassert himself on the ground.

In the third frame, Case nearly shifted the fight’s momentum when he caught Brooks coming in with an uppercut. But Brooks was able to recover and again take dominant position on the mat.

Despite spending the majority of his fight smothered and defensive, two of three judges scored the fight for Case (13-4) by scores of 29-28 and, inexplicably, 30-27. A third judge gave Brooks (7-2) all three rounds, 30-27.

Sanchez gets inside on McBride

Tall and lanky lightweight Michael McBride did his best to pick at Emmanuel Sanchez from distance, but he surprisingly decided to take the fight to the ground to look for a finish. Although he found difficulty early on, Sanchez began to find his way inside McBride’s reach and began to score with punches.

McBride’s attempts to win points on the mat was held off by Sanchez, whose training with Roufus paid off in negating his physical disadvantage.

McBride wasted no time in taking the fight to the mat in the third and final frame. But despite several scrambles for choke submissions, Sanchez was able to escape and hold his ground on the mat.

In the end, Sanchez (5-1) was able to secure a unanimous decision win and hand McBride (4-1) the first loss of his pro career.

Galloway dominates Bates

An entertaining back-and-forth between bantamweights Jeff Bates and Cory Galloway quickly turned into a striking showcase for Galloway, who unloaded heavy striking combinations and forced Bates to look for better fortune on the mat.

A punch early in the second sent Bates’ mouthpiece flying as he dropped to the canvas, but Galloway’s momentum was halted by a restart to reinstall the protective gear. A restart also stymied Bates on the ground, and Galloway was the beneficiary, unloading more stiff punches.

Things just got worse for Bates in the third, as Galloway conducted batting practice before a body shot dropped him. Bates was on his back and took far too many shots before the referee waved off the bout at the 2:27 mark.

Marshall makes quick work of Sanford

Miles Marshall swung big to get the middleweight bout started and quickly took mount. Jordan Sanford struggled to get out of the position and got hit several times as he rolled several times from his back to his stomach. Miraculously, he was able to survive the bad spot for three minutes, but Marshall (2-1) eventually secured a rear-naked choke, and Sanford (1-1) was forced to submit at the 3:01 mark of the first frame.

The full RFA 10 results included:

MAIN CARD

• Mike Rhodes def. Alan Jouban via unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 50-45) – to win inaugural welterweight title
• Justin Lawrence def. Luis Saldana via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• Johnny Case def. Emanuel Brooks via split decision (30-27, 27-30, 29-28)
• Emmanuel Sanchez def. Michael McBride via unanimous decision (scores not announced)
• Cory Galloway def. Jeff Bates via TKO (strikes) – Round 3, 2:27
• Miles Marshall def. Jordan Sanford via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 3:01

PRELIMINARY CARD

• Darrick Minner def. William Osborne via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
• Brent Stepanek def. Josh Christensen via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

For full coverage of RFA 10, stay tuned to the MMA Events section of the site.

(Pictured: Mike Rhodes)