Camacho Stops Denny for KOTC Crown
HIGHLAND, Calif., Jan. 24 -- One way or another, confidence played
a big role Thursday in Joe
Camacho (Pictures)'s TKO victory over Thomas Denny (Pictures) in front of a packed house at the
San Manuel Indian Bingo & Casino.
It could have been Denny's overconfidence, but more than likely it was Camacho's self-confidence in knowing he had the necessary tools to rise above a fighter who was supposed to be too big and too strong for him.
Weight and size be damned, Camacho made Denny, who usually fights
at 170 pounds to Camacho's 155, his 10th victim. The win also
earned Camacho the King of the Cage 160-pound (lightweight)
title.
Denny had said he would send Camacho back to "145." It was evident from the outset, though, that the aggressor was Camacho, who came out looking to mix it up with "The Wildman."
Denny muscled out of the submission attempts and snuck in a few punches to the sides of his opponent's head. Eventually Camacho gave up on submissions and instead clinched Denny tight in order to avoid any real damage.
"I knew [referee Cecil Peoples] would pick us up," said Camacho about hanging on. "Cecil loves for us to bang."
And get them up Peoples did. Back on the feet, Denny threw a left high kick that partially connected but was also caught by Camacho.
As he held on to Denny's left leg, Camacho kicked the right one out from under his foe and took him down. Camacho then landed a solid hammerfist just before the round ended.
The second round started with Denny backing up Camacho with a flurry of punches, none of which landed, but moments later Camacho landed a solid right just under Denny's left ear that hurt him badly. Camacho followed up with a right kick to the body that sent the Victorville fighter down to the canvas.
Wasting no time, Camacho pounced on the hurt Denny and scored with five straight shots to his unprotected face. Peoples stopped the fight with 37 seconds expired in the second round.
Afterward Denny stated the obvious: "He caught me and he capitalized. He's a veteran. What can I say?"
The victory turned out to be a bittersweet one for Camacho, who found out immediately afterward that his grandfather had passed away before the fight. His family knew that this was a big fight and had held the news from him so that he would not be distracted.
Buddy Clinton (Pictures) used an armlock to submit Gabe Rivas (Pictures) at 2:04 of the first round. Clinton avoided any sort of standup action against Rivas and almost immediately took him to the mat, where he worked for the submission.
Rick Dalton toppled Don Rocco (Pictures) from the ranks of the undefeated via unanimous decision. Dalton methodically controlled the usually aggressive Rocco on the ground, smothering all of his attempts at any sort of offense. Except for a rear-naked choke attempt by Rocco in the second round, Dalton was never in any real danger.
Tony Lopez submitted Team Quest's John Brock at 3:33 of the first round. It was a surprise that Brock, who also entered the cage with an undefeated record, even lasted that long. The fighter wore himself completely out in the first round going for a takedown that Lopez brilliantly defended. Except for a few moments in which Brock mustered enough energy to land a punch, it was all Lopez from that point until he finally sunk in the deciding choke.
Rick Legere Jr. spoiled Fortino Sanchez's pro debut by knocking him out cold with strikes from the top only 56 seconds into the first round. Sanchez attempted a guillotine just seconds into the fight, but Legere picked him up and slammed him. After managing to get his head free from the choke attempt, Legere Jr. began raining down accurate punches to Sanchez's face, putting him away.
William Sriyapai landed a left hook flush to Alex Rickards' chin that sent him reeling backward before finishing him with a kick to the body and a straight right at 3:29 of the first round.
It could have been Denny's overconfidence, but more than likely it was Camacho's self-confidence in knowing he had the necessary tools to rise above a fighter who was supposed to be too big and too strong for him.
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Denny had said he would send Camacho back to "145." It was evident from the outset, though, that the aggressor was Camacho, who came out looking to mix it up with "The Wildman."
However, Denny went to where he would be at an advantage and easily
got the takedown to Camacho's guard. Instead of allowing himself to
be controlled on the ground, Camacho remained on the offensive and
began to set up submissions, almost getting an omoplata and two
triangle chokes.
Denny muscled out of the submission attempts and snuck in a few punches to the sides of his opponent's head. Eventually Camacho gave up on submissions and instead clinched Denny tight in order to avoid any real damage.
"I knew [referee Cecil Peoples] would pick us up," said Camacho about hanging on. "Cecil loves for us to bang."
And get them up Peoples did. Back on the feet, Denny threw a left high kick that partially connected but was also caught by Camacho.
As he held on to Denny's left leg, Camacho kicked the right one out from under his foe and took him down. Camacho then landed a solid hammerfist just before the round ended.
The second round started with Denny backing up Camacho with a flurry of punches, none of which landed, but moments later Camacho landed a solid right just under Denny's left ear that hurt him badly. Camacho followed up with a right kick to the body that sent the Victorville fighter down to the canvas.
Wasting no time, Camacho pounced on the hurt Denny and scored with five straight shots to his unprotected face. Peoples stopped the fight with 37 seconds expired in the second round.
Afterward Denny stated the obvious: "He caught me and he capitalized. He's a veteran. What can I say?"
The victory turned out to be a bittersweet one for Camacho, who found out immediately afterward that his grandfather had passed away before the fight. His family knew that this was a big fight and had held the news from him so that he would not be distracted.
Buddy Clinton (Pictures) used an armlock to submit Gabe Rivas (Pictures) at 2:04 of the first round. Clinton avoided any sort of standup action against Rivas and almost immediately took him to the mat, where he worked for the submission.
Rick Dalton toppled Don Rocco (Pictures) from the ranks of the undefeated via unanimous decision. Dalton methodically controlled the usually aggressive Rocco on the ground, smothering all of his attempts at any sort of offense. Except for a rear-naked choke attempt by Rocco in the second round, Dalton was never in any real danger.
Tony Lopez submitted Team Quest's John Brock at 3:33 of the first round. It was a surprise that Brock, who also entered the cage with an undefeated record, even lasted that long. The fighter wore himself completely out in the first round going for a takedown that Lopez brilliantly defended. Except for a few moments in which Brock mustered enough energy to land a punch, it was all Lopez from that point until he finally sunk in the deciding choke.
Rick Legere Jr. spoiled Fortino Sanchez's pro debut by knocking him out cold with strikes from the top only 56 seconds into the first round. Sanchez attempted a guillotine just seconds into the fight, but Legere picked him up and slammed him. After managing to get his head free from the choke attempt, Legere Jr. began raining down accurate punches to Sanchez's face, putting him away.
William Sriyapai landed a left hook flush to Alex Rickards' chin that sent him reeling backward before finishing him with a kick to the body and a straight right at 3:29 of the first round.
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