Fresno fighter beat up, yet wins

Evangelista keeps his record perfect at 10-0 by fending off attack.

Published online on Friday, Nov. 06, 2009

Color the MMA Strikeforce Challenge main event Friday at the Save Mart Center bright red -- as in bloody and body bruised.

Fresno's Billy Evangelista and Jorge Gurgel of Cincinnati didn't spare the kicks and punches in the main event.

Evangelista left the cage with a bloodied face but with his unbeaten record intact after beating Gurgel's upper body red in a unanimous three-round decision. Two judges scored it 30-27 and the other 29-28.

"If it had gone two more rounds, he might have won," Evangelista (10-0) said after the 160-pound bout. "I worked more on technique than conditioning for this one."

Evangelista, the more accomplished boxer, made that work for him. After a tame first round, the two picked it up in the second with Evangelista getting a takedown.

The third round was a draw until Gurgel (13-6) tried a leg sweep. Evangelista grabbed the leg, threw his opponent down and threw a series of punches to seal the victory.

"He fought smarter than me," Gurgel said.

"He did a good job of cutting the angles. When I engaged him, he took me down. He confused me with his footwork."

Josh Thompson, MMA Strikeforce Challenge's reigning 160 champion, was at ringside after the match, begging the question whether he and Evangelista would meet soon.

"Whatever is next for me," Evangelista said, "I'll take it as it comes."

Evangelista was one of six local fighters -- five of them winning -- on the nine-bout card that drew a crowd of 4,157 and a Showtime audience for the final five matches.

In a showdown of unbeaten heavyweights, Fresno's Brandon Money was dominating Irvine's Shane Del Rosario with a flurry of punches in the first round.

But after the two tumbled to the mat, Del Rosario quickly got Money in an "Oma Plata" submission hold and the bout was stopped at 2:51 on a tapout.

Money lost for the first time in six bouts, and Del Rosario improved to 9-0.

Fresno's Casey Olson dropped to his knees, rose to his feet and pointed to the heavens to honor his late father after taking Sacramento's Chris Culley by TKO at 2:33 of the first round in their 145-pound bout.

Olson lost his father last November and took almost a year off from fighting. He returned to the cage in May and lost, but rebounded with a strong showing on Friday.

"My dad was in my life every day and I finally accepted that he was gone," said Olson (11-3). "I came out firing tonight."

Fresno's Cole Escovido (14-4), in his third bout back after recovering from a serious staph infection in his back, made quick work of Long Beach's Maurice Eazel (7-11) with a technical knockout at 1:47 of the first round of their 135-pound match.

Clovis High teacher Ben Holscher, the school's assistant wrestling coach, spent most of his 155-pound bout on top riding Johnny Groh of Sacramento and won a 30-27 unanimous decision.

"I disappointed myself, got lazy and it won't happen again," said Holscher (4-0).

"I'll be back in the gym Monday. I can't be satisfied grinding on top."

Other bouts

Madera's Zoila Frausto improved to 4-0 with a 30-27 unanimous decision over Elisha Helsper (0-2) of Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, at 135 pounds; Murrieta's Jesse Taylor (14-4) put San Jose's Luke Rockhold (5-2) to sleep with a choke hold in the first round at 185 pounds; Pleasanton's Merritt Warren (5-2) scored a first-round tapout of San Jose's Thomas Diagne (1-1) at 155 pounds; and Modesto 170-pounder Rico Altamirano (3-2) beat San Jose's Alex Trevino (4-1) 30-27 in a unanimous decision.