Adams fills in quite nicely for Fight Club OC’s main event
COSTA MESA — Most men Brandon Adams’ age check Facebook for updates on what their friends are up to, or where’s the next party.
When the 22-year-old logged onto Facebook on Wednesday, he found out he was going to be in the main event of Thursday’s Fight Club OC card.
Before he weighed in, Adams already felt the weight of being the headline boxer on his shoulders.
“I’m not going to even lie and say it didn’t intimidate me. It kind of did,” Adams said. “It was in the back of my mind as I was walking down and I had seen the crowd was full.”
Many of the 1,372 fans that packed the Hangar at the OC Fair & Event Center didn’t come to see Adams on Thursday night. Don’t blame Adams, who filled in for Ramon Valadez, a super featherweight.
Adams said he didn’t even get a raise in pay after Fight Club OC bumped him up to the main attraction. He definitely raised his game in his debut in a main event, earning a unanimous decision against Cleven Ishe.
Adams entered the ring wearing black and silver, the shiny part covered his hood. The Los Angeles middleweight left the four-round bout with his record golden, perfect through his first six professional fights.
“He was a tough one because he was wild. He was everywhere,” Adams said of Ishe, who’s from Long Beach. “It was hard trying to maintain focus.”
Ishe said he was just trying to survive. After going the distance, he didn’t have much to say after dropping to 3-7-1.
The opening fight of the six-bout boxing and mixed martial arts card featured mostly Roberto Crespo. Yes, the Puerto Rican prince dominated his welterweight fight, earning a majority decision against Andre Ewell.
Crespo (4-1), who’s from Riverside, outclassed Ewell. Heading into the fourth and final round, Ewell’s corner told the Moreno Valley fighter, “This is where your stamina comes in.”
Ewell went the distance, but there was no way he was going to earn his first career victory.
Marlon Ortez never stood a chance in prevailing in his debut.
Isaac Tadeo took care of the Los Angeles fighter right away. The referee stopped the super welterweight bout in the opening round at the 2:33 mark because Ortez couldn’t defend himself.
Tadeo, out of La Habra, improved to 2-0.
The first bout in MMA action lasted longer.
Willie Gates of Rancho Cucamonga tried his best to hand Jason Carbajal his first loss rather quickly. He took him down near the corner, trying to get Carbajal to tap out in the first round. The bell saved Carbajal, though.
Gates stayed in control of the 125-pound fight, unleashing a right-handed shot that floored Carbajal in the third round. The Long Beach fighter rose back to his feet, only to see Gates (4-2) go on and record a unanimous decision, and become the first fighter to beat Carbajal (5-1).
The next boxing bout was the second that ended in the first round.
San Diego’s Giovanni Santillan remained undefeated through two welterweight fights. The ref stopped his latest at the 1:31 mark after Santillan knocked out Los Angeles’ Ronald Rodriguez (1-4).
The last MMA fight saw Lake Forest’s Josh Smith (8-5) beat Riverside’s Mike Sandez (7-8) by submission in a 160-pound bout.
Fight Club OC returns to the Hangar Aug. 16.
Twitter: @DCPenaloza