Big Night for Columbia's Ryan Mackin, Ground Control, at Shogun Fights IV

For all of its action, submissions and knockouts, Saturday night's Shogun Fights IV at Baltimore's 1st Mariner Arena was a bloody success.

Literally. 

Fighters from Baltimore-based Ground Control, whose owner, John Rallo, was the event's promoter and organizer, won four of their five bouts on the night, all by stoppages. Overall, the 11 contests were comprised of six submissions, four knockouts and one unanimous decision victory. 

Ground Control's pair of 145-pounders, Binky Jones of White Marsh, and Columbia native Ryan Mackin of Federal Hill, as well as their 180-pound stablemate, Dan Root of Abingdon were all triumphant after having submitted their opponents with rear-naked choke holds.

In addition, their 195-pound training mate, Dave Daniecki, of Perry Hall, out-boxed and bludgeoned Adrian Belcarris of Oxon Hill for two rounds, after which Belcarris retired in his corner prior to the third round. 

But the night's final bout was also the most exciting, if not, the goriest, as South Carolina super heavyweight Steven Banks hammered Pasadena's Ryan McGowan, whose blood spattered both fighters as a result of a severely broken nose which led to the fight's stoppage with 11 second left in the second round. 

"The official ruling was that of a referee's stoppage because of unanswered strikes," said Henry Smith, McGowan's trainer and corner man. "Ryan got his nose broken in the first round with that head kick. It was a bad break. Ryan couldn't breath. Blood was going down his throat, and he was spitting big clumps of it up. It was just one of those situations where the referee made the right choice." 

"Granted, there was only 11 seconds left in the round, Ryan's the hometown guy, and you just want to see him ride it out. But it was definitely a bad break, and he couldn't breath," said Smith. "A guy that size, unable to breath, I don't care how good of shape he's in, let alone, being 300 pounds, I mean, Ryan was just done, gassed and stretched on the ground."

At the time of the fight's stoppage, the 6-foot-5, 270-pound Banks had reversed McGowan to his back and was in the midst of raining down elbows upon the face of the 6-foot-3, 290-pound McGowan, whose blood spilled into his own eyes and washed over both fighters. 

"At that point in the fight, I was smashing him with elbows more than punches because elbows do more damage. Ryan was trying to say something, and I think that he was saying, 'The blood's in my eyes, and I can barely see,'" Banks said. 

"That's when the referee stepped in. I thought that the referee was stepping in because the round was over, but then, I looked into my corner, and I saw my guys jumping around, and that's when I knew that the fight was over," Banks said. "It was the right thing to do at that point, because every time that he would tried to post and get up, he was slipping. It was very slippery, so, you know, he was in trouble."

McGowan was taken from the ring to the hospital to receive medical attention and was unavailable for comment. 

Banks fought McGowan despite discovering that his wife, Alex, had been rushed to a hospital near their home in Myrtle Beach, S.C. with an undisclosed health issue. 

"I was here when she called me at about 5 p.m. and told me that she was going into the emergency room. She said that she was having back pains," Banks said. "She didn't know exactly what it was, so I was ready to pack up my stuff and go home. But she told me stay. She said 'I'll be fine, you stay there and do what you're supposed to do.'"

145 pounds: Binky Jones, White Marsh, MD., submits Jay Haas, Alexandria, Va., 3:32, first round (Rear-naked choke)

The 41-year-old Dundalk native, Jones appears to have found his weight class, having dropped from 155 pounds. Jones ended a five-bout winning streak by Haas.

"Now, at 145 pounds, I'm 3-1-1. I'm trying to make my mark at 145," Jones said. "At 155, I had some bumps and came up short a couple of times, but John Rallo and I have talked about it, and I'm going to stay at this weight class."

A former two-time MSA champion at Mount St. Joseph, Jones said that he wants to return to the ring in June. 

"A guy like Binky Jones can dominate anyone on the ground. He's so well-rounded and he's got such an arsenal of attacks from the ground that that's where he wants to be," matchmaker Bryan Hamper said.

"It was a real contrast in styles. Jay's more of a standup fighter, and Binky was able to take him down," said Hamper. "Stylistically, it was an interesting fight and Binky simply implemented his style better. Binky defies his age every time that he's out there."

145 pounds: Ryan Mackin, Columbia, MD., submits Dean Lavin, Fredericksburg, Va., 1:37, second round (Rear-naked choke)

After scoring an early takedown, Mackin had to fight off Lavin's tough submission attempt. A kickboxing champion, the 6-foot-1 Lavin also whipped home a right leg to Mackin's head that appeared to shake Mackin just prior to the bell ending the first round. 

"Initially, he got a guilliotine choke," Mackin said. "It was uncomfortable. At the end of the first round, he landed a nice head kick. I tried to cover, but he kind of caught me on the back of the neck. It didn't rock me, but it got my 
attention." 

"His footwork was unorthodox and kind of threw my timing off a little bit to start the second round, but I recovered, because he had a long leg that I was able to grab on to and take him down," Mackin said. "Once I got the legs in, he fought off the rear-naked choke once, but I didn't think he would fight off a second one. So I was able to flatten him back out and that's when I got the tap out."

Rallo was pleased with Mackin's effort. 

"I thought Ryan looked good. Ryan almost always needs a round to clear his head. But he did well," Rallo said. "Ryan was prepared. He got his bell rung a couple of times but he showed heart. As soon as he was in position, Ryan did what he was supposed to do and put it on the guy with the rear-naked choke."

Rallo said that he was concerned about Mackin's psyche in the wake of the death of his father, Steven Mackin, 60, in February. 

"This kid was dangerous because he was well-rounded I never question Ryan's ability, but I was concerned about his mental state given everything that's gone on," Rallo said. "I was like, 'Is Ryan 100 percent focused on the task at hand?' But I knew that if he was focused on the task at hand, he would be fine. Ryan's going to fight tougher guys as he moves up."

Lavin also praised Mackin's abilities.

"Ryan's strong and has really good control. I'm not a good wrestler, but I've got a pretty decent ground game from the bottom. He was able to hold me and I couldn't really do anything. I usually have good elbows from the bottom, so I can set up some good stuff, but his control was top-notch control," said Lavin. 

"The one kick that I landed at the end of the first round, I really didn't land it that well at all, but I did catch him off guard. But if that first round bell hadn't have rung, I was going to throw the left leg after that," said  Lavin. "But I pulled it back. That one would have been nice. That one would have done some damage, because I'm a lefty, and I've got a lot of knockouts with that left leg. I was looking to crush him with that one."

180 pounds: Dan Root, Abingdon, MD., submits Rich Langley, Owings Mills, MD., 3:40, first round (Rear-naked choke)

The 30-year-old New York native, former high school wrestler and former Overlea physical education instructor took down his opponent twice, the second time, for good. 

"I didn't want to stand with him because I knew that he was a boxer, so I wanted to get him to the mat as quickly as I could," Root said. "Once I got him there, in my mind, he wasn't going to get back up. I made sure of that, got the rear-naked choke, and I came out victorious, and I love it."

Root won his second consecutive fight, and the Owings Mills-based Langley lost for the first time in three bouts. 

"The other guy was a boxer, so Dan did exactly what he was supposed to do - punch and set up his takedown," Smith said. "You don't want to bang with a boxer. That rear-naked was beautiful. I'm very proud of him."

195 pounds: Dave Daniecki, Perry Hall, MD., TKO Adrian Belcarris, Oxon Hill, MD., 5:00, second round (Belcarris retires in corner)

A former two-time MSA champion at Loyola, Daniecki battered Belcarris over the course of two rounds with his fists, a surprising development since Belcarris is a former state wrestling champion, and many expected their battle to be contested on the ground. 

"I got the 'W,' but I think that my coaches are going to give it to me. I hear them telling me what to do, but it's a little tough when you got a 200-pound guy going against you. I'm trying to do what they say, but I know that I'll catch some stuff," said Daniecki, who is 3-1, with one submission.

"I felt like I had him. Felt comfortable toward the end of the first round. Second round, maybe I should have put it on him a little bit more, but I kind of laid back, played it safe and did what it took to win," Daniecki said. "I took a shot at a takedown, but he stopped it. He's a good scrambler. I didn't want to do anything stupid, but maybe I should have turned it on a little bit and thrown more combinations."

Although fatigue and frustration appeared to have gotten the best of Belcarris - one official claimed that Belcarris was unresponsive in his corner - the loser contended that Daniecki's final punch of the second round was the difference. 

"I could have sworn that I heard the bell ring, so I put my hands down," Belcarris said. "Then, he threw a punch that kind of rocked me. But I lost. I can't blame it on anyone but myself."

Daniecki's father, Ted, returned to the fights after having watched Daniecki's lone defeat and skipped his previous victory. 

"Halfway through the first round, I felt that Dave was wearing him out," said Ted Daniecki. "I'm glad that it's over."

Super heavyweight: Steven Banks, Myrtle Beach, S.C., TKO Ryan McGowan, Pasadena, MD., 4:49 second round (Referee stops contest)

"It was great to see two heavyweights go at it the way that they did," said Hamper. "They maintained a fast pace and they were both fantastic on their feet. Hats off to both of them. It was a great fight for the fans."

McGowan ventured beyond the first round for the first time in three professional bouts, his initial charge being thwarted by at least four punches and a kick from Banks that may have foiled McGowan's strategy of attempting to score a knockout from his feet. 

"I was expecting for him to stand and to trade with me, but I had a feeling that after I started landing and hitting early in the first, that he would probably go for a takedown, and he did," said Banks. 

"I think that I broke his nose and raised a welt under his left eye in the first round with elbows, which is why he went for the takedown," said Banks, who is 8-5. "I would have preferred to have won it standing up, but I adjusted."

McGowan left the arena for medical attention immediately after the fight.

"Ryan's an evolving fighter. He comes from boxing and he comes from a stand-up background. That's where he's lacking and this is a learning experience. It bruises the home boy's ego. Confidence-wise, you give your boy a break and you give him some time," said Smith. 

"You let him get his head right. But basically, it's on your fighter. Is this going to shake him and break you, or is this going to make you want to get better? That's something that a coach or a team can't help you with," said Smith. "That's something that he's got to find in his heart. Is this something that I want to do now, or is this not for me? But knowing Ryan, the kind of athlete that he is, he's going to come back and want to get better."


135 pounds: Steven Baker, Wilmington, Del., submits Jafari Vanier, Augsberg, Minn., 3:37, first round (Arm-bar)

Although Vanier was making his professional debut, he was considered the favorite based on his pedigree as a three-time NCAA Division III All-American who was twice an NCAA runner-up. 

In addition, Baker had twice been submitted via arm-bar during his two, prior appearances in Shogun Fights. 

But after twice being taken down by Vanier, Baker reversed the trend, trapping Vanier's right arm and bending it at grotesquely severe angle before Vanier tapped out. 

"At first, I heard his arm pop, but the referee wasn't coming in. And then, I heard a crack. At that point, they had to pry me off of him. Otherwise, I was going to take his arm home with me and bronze that mother and hang it on my wall," said Baker.
 
"I mean, hey, if somebody's going to give me the side control, I can hit the arm-bar a lot from that position," said Baker. "But you know, after being arm-barred twice here, I wanted to return the favor to somebody. It feels good to be on the other side of this."


135 pounds: Siyam Yousefi, Alexanderia, Va., submits Ryan Harder, Harrisburg, Pa., 1:45, first round (Arm-bar)

Harder's initial charge was weathered by Yousefi, who isolated and constricted his rival's arm for the tap out. 

145 pounds: Marshall Thompson, Gaithersburg, MD., submits Kenyon Williams, Alexandria, Va., 1:06, first round (Ankle lock)

The slender, 5-10 Thompson wrapped up the 5-7 Williams' leg and stretched it for the victory. 

155 pounds: Jason Morris, Gaithersburg, MD., UD Cole Presley, Frederick, MD., (Scores: 29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Knee kicks, punches, and a near-submission by Presley summed up the first round. But Morris battled through to land the cleaner blows in the third and final round of a close fight whose verdict was roundly booed by fans. 

173 pounds: Diego Peclat, Brazil, TKO Dave Monteith, Richmond, Va., 0:21, first round (Strikes)

Seven consecutive punches, starting with a left-right-left, and, ending with a hard right spelled Monteith's demise

205 pounds: Don Crawford, Alexandria, Va., TKO James Kearns, Chambersburg, Pa., 2:22, first round (Strikes)

The closing sequence featured Crawford firing 15 unanswered punches, the last of which was a crushing right hand that dropped Kearns flat on his back. 

There was also a right-legged knee delivered to the face of Kearns, as Crawford improved to 4-0, with his third knockout.