It was a landmark card for Unified MMA this Friday with Unified 50 on UFC Fight Pass.
With only one decision on the card, it was a Unified 50 was a night full of action. Tony Rojas and Jake Craig both grabbed TKO wins in their MMA debuts while Ramil Kamilov kept his undefeated record intact with a dominant finish in his fight. Then, in the co-main, former UFC fighter KB Bhullar fell to the multi-promotional veteran Curtis Millender. Finally, Fay Bursell was able to sneak in a submission win over the legend, Ryan Ford, to grab the super welterweight title.
All the fights, along with the BLÜ BONUSES for Unified 50 are described below.
Fight #1
Tony Rojas def. Nico Kambasis by TKO in the 2nd Round
Despite their 0-0 and 1-1 records, both men were showing some crisp striking skills early. Everything was pretty even early, the only real difference was that Kambasis was the one pressuring forward. As the round went on and Rojas got more confidence, he started to land heavier shots, possibly winning in back on the cards. Kambasis started pressuring hard at the start of the second, but it was Rojas that quickly grabbed the first takedown of the fight.
After they got back up, it was then Rojas who was leading the exchanges on the feet. Then, out of nowhere, Rojas exploded with some flashy moves and dropped Kambasis on his back. From there it was just a matter of landing some ground and pound to earn his first pro win.
Fight #2
Jake Craig def. Josh Heinz by TKO in the 1st Round
There was a pretty clear difference in physique in this heavyweight bout, but they were both landing some quick shots early on. Then, just as Craig started to figure out the body shots, Heinz crumpled down to the canvas. With a little ground and pound, the ref called it off, giving another debuting fighter, their first win.
Fight #3
Ramil Kamilov def. Lee Hagel by TKO in the 2nd Round
Kamilov came in there like a bullet, running straight at Hagel and landing a HUGE combo. From there he easily pushed Hagel into the fence and dragged him down. Ramil was dominant from there, controlling his every move and just smothering him. After a few more minutes of punishment, a finish seemed imminent, but it was a very clear 10-8 round for Kamilov instead. Kamilov kept that dominance going into the 2nd Round, getting Hagel down to the ground in less than 30 seconds. After a couple more brutal minutes for Hagel of getting ripped apart in the ground, the ref finally called the fight to an end.
Co-Main Event
Curtis Millender def. KB Bhullar by Unanimous Decision
Millender was walking forward early, but it seemed to be Bhullar that was landing the cleaner shots. Bhullar was slipping all of his shots and landing some pretty slick body kicks. With all those kicks, it looked as though Bhullar took the round on the cards. The second round went at a much slower pace. Bhullar was throwing a lot less while Millender continued to walk forward, trying to get him against the cage. Eventually, Millender finally made a move, taking Bhullar’s back and holding him against the fence. With that being the only real moment of the round, it was a pretty clear round for Millender.
Bhullar really brought a heavier pace in the final round, going back to his kicks from the first round. It was pretty even from there, but the judges were likely getting swayed by Millender’s forward movement and occasional clinches. The judges agreed, all giving the win to Curtis Millender.
Main Event (Super Welterweight Title Fight)
Fay Bursell def. Ryan Ford by Submission in the 3rd Round
Ford was looking like the champ early, landing a couple of HEAVY shots along the fence and a brutal leg kick. Bursell was doing well to avoid any real damage, but was then thrown down to the canvas by Ford. From there, Ford was all over him and ended up taking his back. Amazingly, Bursell got back up, then got a takedown of his own. Eventually, Ford got out of it, possibly edging ahead on the cards.
Bursell turned up the pace this round, but Ford was definitely the one landing harder, stumbling Fay a couple times. Bursell landed a great combo, sadly for him, Ford responded with another easy takedown. For was in complete control here, landing some ground and pound and eventually grabbing a second takedown. Possibly down two rounds now, Bursell came in heavy, getting a quick takedown and peppering Ford with shots on the ground. Ford eventually got back up and nabbed a takedown himself. This time though, Bursell reversed him quickly and was running away with the round. It looked like he was just going to cruise into the next round, then Bursell locked in the choke. With that, Bursell grabbed the win, the belt and a potential future appearance on the Contender Series.
BLÜ BONUSES
KO of the Night: Jake Craig
Sub. of the Night: Fay Bursell
Brawl of the Night: Ryan Ford vs. Fay Bursell
Most Valuable Fighter
Fay Bursell
Ryan Ford is one the best Canadian combat sports athletes of all time and Bursell was able to grab the win by a finish. With the kind of win we saw at Unified 50, it seems likely that we’ll see him on the Contender Series or on another big stage soon enough.