by Ken Yates
BJ Penn Presents Just Scrap put on another MMA event last night right here in Hilo, Hi in front of 3,000 plus fans. In the main event it was (5-2) Chad “Da Brahma Bull” Thomas taking on (7-1) Joey Palemia for the Just Scrap heavy weight amateur title. Here in Hawaii when you hear the name Chad Thomas you think, all out slug fest but after last night he proved to be a methodical and patient fighter as well as showcasing his excellent defense. In the opening round it seemed that Palemias game plan was to work for the take down, but Thomas who was training with Team Hawaii Internation MMA for this fight kept sprawling and avoiding Palemias take down attempts. In the second round Palemia had some success taking Thomas down twice but every time he would work for a dominant position Thomas showed his power and technique never staying down for long. Then in the final round as the pace started to slow down Thomas looked to be a little quicker on his feet avoiding all of Palemias take down attempts. In the end it was Thomas who got the win via Decision, not to say that there was some confusion in the end when the Judges scored the cards wrong, mistakenly giving Paleima the win. After a closer look the decision was over turned. After the fight I had a chance to talk with Thomas after the fight, “I heard the verdict. It was disappointing but I really believed I won that fight so it all worked out.”
In the first of two Co-Main events,it was (7-3) Toby “To Quick” Misech from BJ Penn’s Academy taking on (3-2) Dillon Fillies from Average Joes in Kona. In this match both combatants preferred to stand and bang even though it was a mma match making it a exciting and action packed fight. Both Misech and Fillies showed tremendous heart and determination but in the end it was Misech who came away with the win via unanimous decision. One thing is for sure both of these young fighters look to have a bright future ahead of them and I for one am looking forward to seeing whats in store.
The second co-Main Event was (3-1) Patrick Abiley from BJ Penn’s Academy taking on (3-3) Reed Akashi from Spirit Of The White Robe for the 135lbs Just Scrap amateur title in this rematch fight. Both Abiley and Akashi looked good but it was Akashi coming away with the win via KO, 1:33 in the first round. Abiley got Akashi to the ground but Akashi push kicked Abiley away to stand back up and as soon as he did caught Abiley flush with a right upper cut that stopped Abiley in his tracks.
Akashi who is a muay thai fighter said his win was due on part to hard work and his training partners from the Spirit of the White Robe. When asked how he felt Akashi replied “This is a dream come true, it is what I’ve always worked for. It’s time to go back to the gym to train, now that I have the belt everyone will be coming for it so I want to be ready”.
In other fights Ashton Castro was given a decision win over Dennis Vasquez. Shelton Guerro also got the decision over Kawika “Tips” Martin; Kaahu Alo won his match with Clayton “Kazu Boy” Nohara; and in a heavy weight slug fest it was Puka Bell stopping Laimana Mauga 1:39 in the second round due to ref stoppage. Preliminary fights featured Levi “The Lion” Agalon choking out Tyler Iopa 1:22 in the first round; Donald Gonzalves triangle choking Terrance Ah-Puck 1:01 in the first round; Joey Gomez got a first round ref stoppage over Eric Liftee; Kaikala Kaopua got the decision win over Kimo Luis; Zach Ching beat out Justin Estabilio by arm triangle in the first round; Jeff Thome won by rear naked choke in the first round over Brent Sanbei and Sam Sniffen beat Mike Soares by first round ref stoppage.
The next Just Scrap event looks to be in early March.
