Weekend Rundown: ‘Hurricane’ Harris Upset in Post-UFC Debut
Chris Nelson Feb 28, 2011
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Former UFC middleweight Gerald Harris came up short in his first outing since being released by the promotion, as the “Hurricane” dropped a unanimous decision to lesser-known James Head on Friday. The bout was the main event of Xtreme Fight Night 2 at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Tulsa, Okla.
A pupil of Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Rafael Lovato, Jr., Head reportedly used both effective guard work and kickboxing to earn scores of 29-28 and 30-27 (twice), upping his professional record to 7-1.
Harris, a Tulsa native, was suddenly and surprisingly dismissed by Zuffa last November following a lackluster decision loss to Maiquel Falcao at UFC 123. Prior to that defeat, the 31-year-old had won 10 straight fights and earned “Knockout of the Night” bonuses in two of his three Octagon appearances.
In the card’s only other pro MMA bout, 10-time X-Games competitor and World Extreme Cagefighting veteran Mike Budnik submitted Skrap Pack representative Jonny Carson with a rear-naked choke 75 seconds into the third round of their lightweight contest. The former aggressive inline skater has won four of his last five.
Lopez Tops Schoonover, Franca Halts Skid
Tony “Kryptonite” Lopez forced “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 10 contestant Darrill Schoonover to verbally submit 1:27 into the third round of their bout at G-Force Fights “Bad Blood 5” in Grand Rapids, Mich., on Saturday. The win brings the former King of the Cage heavyweight and light heavyweight champion’s current streak to four straight, all by way of stoppage.
The show’s co-main event saw five-time Bellator vet Luis Palomino flatten “Ninja” Daron Cruickshank to take the ISKA MMA lightweight title. The knockout punch came 3:52 into the opening round.
On the undercard, onetime WEC lightweight champ Hermes Franca put a stop to the worst losing streak of his 10-year career. After suffering four losses and one no-contest in his last five bouts, Franca submitted Jorge Sarat via first-round armbar, the Brazilian’s 12th submission win.
Quick Hits: Jared Rosholt, three-time NCAA Div. I All-American wrestler at Oklahoma State, made a successful MMA debut against Dee Burchfield on Friday’s Art of War Cage Fights at the Hutchins Memorial Auditorium in Ponca City, Okla. The heavyweight’s older brother, Jake Rosholt, wrote on Twitter that the “Big Show” won via submission due to punches ... WEC veteran Mike Campbell earned a second first-round TKO over Mike Medrano in the main event of CES MMA’s “Rhode Rage” Friday in Lincoln, R.I. On the undercard, Massachusetts-based lightweight prospect Saul Almeida got back on track after the first loss of his career, earning a unanimous decision against Illinois’ Bobby Reardanz ... Scotland’s Paul Reed upset hometown favorite Hamid Corassani at Saturday’s Zone FC “Inferno” in Gothenburg, Sweden. Reed snapped Corassani’s seven-fight unbeaten streak with punches from mount at 3:28 of the second round.
More Weekend Event Coverage »
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