One went the distance and the other finished in less than half a minute, but both local fighters put on a great show at Xcessive Force Fighting Championship’s Battle of the West Friday night in Grande Prairie.
Spencer “The Jedi” Jebb earned his seventh win in a row t, but it wasn’t as convincing as he wanted.
He pulled off a split-decision against Dejan Kajic, but admits it could have easily gone the other way.
“I tried to shoot for the takedown like the game plan was. I didn’t end up getting him down and I think it might have messed with my confidence a little bit and threw me off… I think was put me over the top was I had the cage control and was always pushing forward. I think I won quite a few of the exchanges.”
There was talk before the event about wanting a title shot, but Jebb says he’s got a lot to work on before considering what’s next.
Earlier in the night, it only took 25 seconds for local MMA fighter William “The Bezerker” Carriere to get his second professional win.
When his opponent Pat Gionette went for an early takedown, Carriere caught him in a guillotine choke.
“He kind of came awake a bit and the ref didn’t see that he had been tapping, so the ref told him to keep going. I just had lots of strength and power left; at this time it was probably like 15 or 20 seconds, so I just lifted him back up in the air and he went to sleep. I meant to set him down, but I might have dropped him.”
Now that he has three professional fights under his belt, promoter Darren Cliffe will likely be looking to get him on the Ultimate Fighter.
Grande Prairie’s Jessica Maruszczak was supposed to be making her debut Friday night as the
first professional female fight in the Alberta Peace, but her opponent Diana Atkin of Edmonton pulled out due to an injury.
Maruszczak says having a cancellation last minute is especially hard on MMA fighters.
“I’m already a tiny woman and I’m already physically fit, and I was starving myself and dehydrating myself in saunas and sweatsuits. I cut 18 pounds, so it was a lot, and in the end I trained so hard and just to find that out it was heartbreaking.”
Maruszczak has been offered another fight in Edmonton in December, but after spending so much time away from her family training, she might say decline.