It’s didn’t take long for the Pechanga Casino, in Temecula, California, audience at Lion Fight 21 to see Kevin Ross’s (31-9) blood. Japanese fighter Tetsuya Yamato (34-11-1) once again used his devastating elbows to carve up Ross and win the super lightweight championship. Tiffany Van Soest (11-2)  put on an emotional gritty battle in way to a victory in a truly special night for the Lion Fight Promotion.

The main event of the evening was a rematch between Tetsuya Yamato and Kevin Ross. In regards to damage, once again Tetsuya carved up the face of Ross with elbows but it was a body shot to the liver that set it all up. Once Kevin hands dropped Yamato found the first elbow which caused a standing ten count. Why the commentators are wanting to see the two for a third time we are unsure. The fight didn’t last much into the first round and Tetsuya looked dominant before the elbows. The ease of which the cut appeared on Ross is a huge cause for concern. It will be hard to face the likes of the competition he is used to if they know a fight can be stopped immediately by targeting the scar tissue of that area.

While we don't feel as if the fight was the best of the evening it had it’s moments of highlights between Tiffany Van Soest and Chajma Bellekhal (44-11). It quickly became a street fight as Bellekhal threw wild punches but a poised Van Soest had no problem engaging. There were a few moments that we could tell what frustrated her as Bellekhal quickly understood she was out matched. This was her type of fight in regards to the technical side but Chajma really wanted to make this a brawl. She landed a spinning back elbow at the end of the third round that found the referee instead of Van Soest luckily. The referee gave Chajma a warning in the fourth as she constantly held on to Bellekhal and even received a sharp blow to the mouth that sent her mouth piece flying. The fight was a dominant victory for Tiffany with a woman who didn’t seem to be on the same caliber. We will see the Timebomb return back on May 22 for a shot at the soon to be vacant title.

Interesting contest between Malaipet Sasiprapa and Ben Yelle and the legend put on and early clinic at Lion Fight 21. The first two rounds played into his favor as Yelle constantly circled to the the more powerful side. The final round deprived a spark for Yelle which was his best of the affair but it was too little too late. Malaipet competes in his 146 victory winning by a judge's score of 50-46, 49-46, 49-46.

The first non stoppage on the main card was a hell of a battle between Victorio Savaria (3-0) and Sam Poulton (2-2). Both fighters gave it their all even though round by round the advantage went to Savaria. His boxing and leg kicks was the difference and he made the fight his but Poulton never backed down. Soon the damage was becoming too much for Poulton as he was scored an 8 round to end the fight. Savaria moves on and we are excited to see who he is matched with next.

The second fight for Lion Fight 21 didn’t take to manifest itself as Josh Shepard quickly finished Jose Lopez. Shepard now also (4-1) found the liver of Lopez as the two fighters welcomed the clinch early. A knee to the liver dropped Lopez and after the 10 count it was all over. Shepard is a very impressive fighter and guys like he and Chasteen could really help build the company.

The initial fight in Lion Fight 21’s main card was a great technical onslaught by Nick Chasteen. He picked apart his opponent Tony Fausto with ease. His legs were on fire as he chopped down Fausto with a vicious outside leg kicks that turned Tony’s thighs a kaleidoscope of colors . He won each round easily and you have to give it up for Tony who ate everything while pressing forward. The corner of Fausto threw the towel into the fourth round as Tony became target practice for high leg kicks of Chasteen found their mark. The exciting Chasteen improves to 4-1 and Tony Fausto has his first professional loss

Up Next for Lion Fight is Lion Fight 22 on May 22nd from Las Vegas, Nevada.

VAVEL Logo
About the author
Travis Brown
Travis has been covering the sport of mixed martial arts for the past three years. He has been a fan of combat sports all of his life and looks to bring his bettors perspective to the Vavel family. Mixed Martial Arts is a global sports and there is no better place for it than Vavel.