Gold Coast based fighter Michael Tobin improved his record to an impressive 9-0 with a first-round submission over Johnny Mendez Walker last night and in the process defending his Eternal MMA featherweight title for the second time.
The two headlined the Eternal MMA 7 card which was held at the Coolangatta Hotel in Queensland, Australia.
Training out of the Potential Unlimited MMA (PUMMA) gym on the Gold Coast, Tobin wasted no time in getting the fight to the floor where he straight away went on the offensive with a kimura submission attempt. Walker scrambled out and back to his feet where he was looking more comfortable and light on this feet. Tobin though got another takedown and this time went for a toe-hold submission. Walker again escaped but was met with a stiff jab from Tobin, followed by another takedown. Tobin locked up the crucifix and shortly after Walker wriggled free, Tobin turtled up and locked up the another toe-hold, this time forcing Walker to tap.
The official end came 4:18 into the fight in what was Tobin’s eighth submission victory in nine professional bouts. Tobin is next scheduled to face Japanese fighter Yojiro Uchimura on Rebel FC 3 later this year, while Walker will look to rebound when he faces Shantaram Maharaj on Fightworld Cup in November.
After a heated exchange at the weigh-ins, David Butt captured the vacant Eternal MMA lightweight belt, submitting veteran fighter Jason Preece in the opening round.
As soon as the bell went, Butt pressured the action landing an early body-body-head combination before stuffing a takedown attempt from Preece. The two exchanged some heavy shots on their feet before Butt secured a takedown. He immediately went for an armbar which Preece escaped, only for Butt to lock up another one armbar off his back shortly after. This time, there was no escaping, as Preece was forced to tap. The end came 2:55 into the fight.
Youngster Garrett Gross impressed with a submission victory over Brett Jacobsen. The fight hit the canvas early after Gross secured a big takedown. The Shindo New Breed fighter attempted a heel-hook submission from which Jacobsen looked to counter with a foot-lock of his own, before he abandoned to focus on escaping. In the second-round Gross again got the takedown, but Jacobsen used the momentum to sweep and get the top position. Gross was able to sweep his opponent and landed some solid punches from the top. Jacobsen attempted to bridge, however Gross countered with a guillotine, before transitioning to a triangle choke to get the submission. The win came 3:08 into the second-round.
The Eternal Grapplers Cup returned for a second consecutive event, however if you blinked you would have missed it as Southside MMA black-belt Paul Stolyar submitted Chris Helback with a heel-hook submission only 25-seconds into the match-up. Stoylar pressed the action when the bout started and immediately grabbed the lead-leg of Helback as he secured the takedown. Stoylar pounced on the opportunity dropping back to secure the heel-hook submission for the quick tap.
Impressive outing by Stoylar who is considered one of the best no-gi grapplers in the country and another nice step forward for grappler’s looking to get some exposure outside the normal grappling competitions. Eternal MMA will be looking at expanding the grappling match-ups for future events with more no-gi submission only bouts expected on their cards.
Earlier in the night in B-Class MMA bouts, Zach Hansford took home the unanimous decision win over Peter Smith in what was the fight of the night, while Josh Karst was forced to quit due to a rib-injury suffered in the bout against Kyle Griffiths. Mathew Moore started the night off with a guillotine choke submission over Troy Pilcher.
*Photo courtesy Ben Bartlett/Eternal MMA
MMA Fights (A-Class):
- Michael Tobin (c) def Johnny Mendez Walker via Submission (Toe-Hold), Rd 1, 4:18 – Eternal MMA featherweight title
- David Butt def Jason Preece via Submission (Armbar), Rd 1, 2:55 – Eternal MMA lightweight title
- Garrett Gross def Brett Jacobsen via Submission (Triangle Choke), Rd 2, 3:08
Eternal Grapplers Cup:
- Paul Stoylar def Chris Helback via Submission (Heel-Hook), Rd 1, 0:25
MMA Fights (B-Class):
- Zach Hansford def Peter Smith via Decision (Unanimous)
- Kyle Griffiths def Josh Karst via Verbal Submission (Injury), Rd 1, 1:50
- Mathew Moore def Troy Pilcher via Submission (Guillotine Choke), Rd 2, 2:05
