SBG Idaho’s Freddy Arteaga posted his sixth T(KO) in seven pro victories, and his third in under 10 seconds, when he flattened Utah’s Nick Burgos with a right cross in the opening moments of their flyweight (125 lb) encounter. From the opening bell, Arteaga moved around the perimeter, as Burgos stalked forward. Dipping to his left, Arteaga uncorked a perfectly timed right cross as the southpaw Burgos stepped forward with a right handed jab. The official time of the KO was nine seconds!!!
Earlier in the evening, SBG amateur bantamweight (135 lb), Stephen Stirewalt came up short in a very entertaining, back and forth bout against Daniel Benavente of Idaho Falls. Stirewalt was in control of the bout early, gaining a takedown after an initial striking exchange. From there he moved to side control, then the back, and finally mount, where he looked to be on the verge of winning via strikes. Near the end of the round, Stirewalt changed gears and moved to an armbar, which Benavente defended, gaining top position. Stirewalt immediately threw up another armbar from the closed guard, which he nearly finished as time expired.
In the second round, Stirewalt again earned a takedown with a quick double leg against the fence, but Benavente was able to quickly stand and gain a takedown of his own. This takedown was immediately reversed by Stirewalt, however, who quickly found his arm caught in a Benavente omoplata, and then a triangle. Unable to get the choke, Benavente instead used the hold to land strikes to the face of the trapped Stirewalt until the referee was forced to intervene.
Overall, it was a great fight with fantastic skill and heart displayed by both men!
A huge thank you once again to all the trainers and training partners for their efforts in preparing our athletes for competition!
