Combat Fitness/SBG Idaho’s undefeated bantamweight prospect, Ricky Steele (5-0) kept his perfect professional record intact this past Friday night at Resurrection Fighting Alliance 35, in Orem, Utah.
Showing an increasingly well-rounded skillset, Steele pitched a shutout on all judges scorecards (30-27) over a tough LJ Schulz (5-3). Steele started the fight strong, using his long jab and diverse kicking arsenal to maintain distance while punishing Schulz’s legs, body, and head, When Schulz attempted to step inside the kicks, he was greeted my strong punching combinations. Schulz hung tough though, landing several hard right hands as he moved quickly to the clinch. From here, Steele showed his grappling prowess, taking Schulz down at the base of the cage and securing back control as he turned to his knees. Alternating between choke attempts and ground strikes, Steele remained in control until a brief scare near the end of the round when Schulz was able to scramble to an ankle lock/kneebar combination. The threat was brief however and Steele quickly returned to his feet where he landed hard punches to finish the round. The final two rounds followed the same pattern, clean, precise striking at range from Steele, and takedowns to ground and pound when Schulz was able to maneuver to the clinch. Though he had Schulz hurt several times throughout the fight, he was never quite able to put his durable opponent away.
Overall it was a fantastic performance by Steele on his national television debut! Special thanks to all the coaches and training partners that help Ricky prepare for this very important fight!!!
For complete RFA 35 results, go to http://www.sherdog.com/news/news/Thiago-Moises-Submits-David-Castillo-With-Armbar-to-Capture-Vacant-RFA-Lightweight-Title-100537.
