Titan FC 27 results: Ricci dominates Gurgel, Riddle taps Kuiper

Mike Ricci was looking to make a statement on what he hopes is his way back to the UFC. He did so in dominant fashion.

Ricci landed an early takedown against Jorge Gurgel, then went to work on him with ground-and-pound, ultimately getting a first-round stoppage in the main event of Titan FC 27.

Titan FC 27 took place at Memorial Hall in Kansas City, Kan. It was the promotion’s first event to air on CBS Sports Network.

Gurgel came right out swinging and landed a right hand just seconds into the fight. But Ricci quickly shot in on him for a double-leg takedown. The bigger Ricci stacked Gurgel up against the cage and worked on ground-and-pound. He took his time with it, not letting Gurgel get back to his feet.

Late in the round, Ricci unleashed several elbows that hurt Gurgel badly. He took advantage and piled on until he got the stoppage after some big elbows. The end came for Gurgel at the 3:57 mark of the first.

Ricci (9-4) won for the first time since being released by the UFC with a 1-2 record. Gurgel (14-10), who has 13 combined UFC and Strikeforce fights, lost for the third straight time and fifth time in six fights.

Riddle taps out fellow UFC vet Kuiper in second
In his first fight back after a tumultuous year of, Matthew Riddle got back on track in a major way with a submission win over fellow UFC veteran Michael Kuiper.

Kuiper landed a good takedown with about a minute left in the first round of the middleweight co-main event. Riddle nearly capitalized off his back with an armbar, but couldn’t finish. The takedown from Kuiper no doubt gave him something to think about going to the second.

And in that round, Riddle went to work. On the ground, he took Kuiper’s back and went after a rear-naked choke. He couldn’t quite cinch it up, and when he adjusted it, he worked his way to mount when Kuiper tried to get out. Kuiper worked his way to the fence and managed to get back to his feet.

But when he went after a third takedown, Riddle made him pay. Kuiper shot for a double, but Riddle easily latched on to a guillotine choke on his feet, and torqued it back. It didn’t take long before Kuiper was emphatically tapping Riddle’s right leg. The end came at the 2:29 mark of the second round.

“I wasn’t expecting him to be as strong and as fast as he was,” Riddle said. “I was really surprised he was able to get back to his feet with that scramble, but that led to the guillotine.”

Riddle (8-3) won for the first time in more than a year after being released by the UFC and signing with Bellator MMA, only to not see a fight come to fruition there. Kuiper (12-4) lost for the third straight time and fourth time in five fights. The bout was his first after being cut by the UFC with a 1-3 record.

Holobaugh survives third-round scare to win decision
Kurt Holobaughhad things on cruise control, and nearly gave it away against Eric Marriott. Midway through the first round, Holobaugh rocked Marriott and forced Marriott to try to tie him up. Before the fight, Marriott said he had never been rocked, let alone knocked out. Holobaugh took advantage. He locked up a mounted guillotine choke that he eventually let off of, but he worked ground-and-pound with more than a minute left. He opened Marriott up, but the 30-fight veteran survived the frame.

Holobaugh dominated the second round, and then the first half of the third, much the same way he did the first. But inexplicably, Holobaugh let Marriott back to his feet – and Marriott capitalized. He drilled Holobaugh with a right hand that sent him tumbling to the canvas. Holobaugh gained his composure on the ground, though, got top position back and worked short punches until the bell. He took the decision with a pair of 30-27 scores and a 29-28.

Holobaugh (10-2) won for the first time since back-to-back losses in Strikeforce and the UFC, both of which were his debuts with those promotions. Marriott (22-8) has lost back-to-back fights.

Croom uses wrestling to cruise past Goldsby
Kevin Croomand Bryan Goldsby battled back and forth for 15 minutes in a fight that featured a little bit of everything. But on the ground, Croom seemed to get the better positions in the second and third rounds, and that helped him to a unanimous decision win. He took a pair of 30-27 scores and a 29-28. “The Hard-Hitting Hillbilly” said his wrestling helped get him the win. “I didn’t want to get hit anymore,” Croom told UFC Hall of Famer Stephan Bonnar, who was working commentary for the event. “I was down one round – I lost the first, I felt like. So I had to come out and adjust my plan. That just shows the true level of fighting I have that I can adjust in the middle of the fight.” Croom (14-4) won for the ninth straight time, while Goldsby (17-16) had a four-fight winning streak snapped.

Gutierrez gets quick submission win over DuBray
Anthony Gutierrezgot a big pop from his home Missouri crowd when he was announced, and he didn’t let his fans down. Gutierrez took advantage of Charlie DuBray right away. He led with a low kick that DuBray caught and took him to the canvas. But on his back, Guiterrez quickly went to work looking for a triangle choke. DuBray tried to defend, but Guiterrez had it on tight. Just short of a minute into the fight, he coaxed a single tap from DuBray – who then protested and tried to say he didn’t tap. But Guiterrez (5-0) had a quick victory over DuBray (12-9) to open the main card.

Full Titan FC 27 results:

MAIN CARD

• Mike Ricci def. Jorge Gurgel via TKO (strikes) – Round 1, 3:57
• Matthew Riddle def. Michael Kuiper via submission (guilltine choke) – Round 2, 2:29
• Kurt Holobaugh def. Eric Marriott via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
• Kevin Croom def. Bryan Goldsby via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 30-27)
• Anthony Gutierrez def. Charlie DuBray via submission (triangle choke) – Round 1, 0:59

PRELIMINARY CARD

For complete coverage of Titan FC 27, stay tuned to the MMA Events section of the site.

(Pictured: Mike Ricci)