Driller Promotions' Mecca at Myth Results: Kyle Todd Wins Title in Maplewood, MN

Driller Promotions and Sterling Entertainment Group were back at it again on Saturday night when they made their debut at the Myth in Maplewood for Mecca at Myth. 

The 16-bout fight card included three amateur title fights and a card full of some of the midwest's top up-and-coming talents across all weights and genders. 

Admittedly, the event got off to a slow start, but once things picked up, they never seemed to slow down. Fans were treated to an entertaining show, topped off by the main event between Driller Promotions' undefeated amateur welterweight champion Gary Granholm and challenger Kyle Todd. 

Here are the results from the Saturday, August 10 fight card: Driller Promotions Mecca at Myth. 

Thanks to Jesse Kelley of MinnesotaBoxing.com for the photos. 

Round 1

Murphy shot in and secured a double leg takedown seconds into the fight. Khom attempted a D’Arce choke but Murphy fought through it and worked his way into side control and then mount. Murphy pounded away at Khom who quickly gave up his back. Murphy nearly locked in to a rear-naked choke but Khom was able to escape and get out of the round. 

Bleacher Report Unofficial Score: 10-9 Murphy

Round 2

Murphy quickly brought to the fight to the ground again this round and into side control. Khom got to his feet momentarily but was dragged right back to the ground. Khom actually ended up on top and threw a couple punches, but Murphy didn’t let that last long before he swept him and achieved full mount. Murphy looked for a kimura to finish the fight but the round ended.

Bleacher Report Unofficial Score: 10-9 Murphy (20-18 Murphy overall)

Round 3

Khom worked his leg kicks early but looked very nervous about being taken down for a third straight round. Murphy ate a couple of the kicks but that didn’t stop him from working his way in and dragging Khom back to the mat. Murphy moved to side control and wrapped up an arm triangle. Khom went to sleep in the choke.

Official Result

Dustin Murphy defeated Sam Khom by submission (arm-triangle choke) at 0:56 in Round 3.

Round 1

Hamilton threw wildly early and landed a few stiff shots, but Lindau slipped the punches enough to get in close, quickly securing a takedown in the process. Lindau wasted no time, taking Hamilton’s back and raining down with some solid shots from behind with a full body-triangle locked in. Hamilton finally slipped out the bottom and landed some powerful shots from the top with only a few seconds left in the round, but it wasn't close to enough to steal the round.

Bleacher Report Unofficial Score: 10-9 Lindau

Round 2

A strong power-double from Lindau brought Hamilton to the mat again early in this round. The body triangle was locked in again seconds later. Lindau worked hard and was able to get very close on the rear-naked choke. It looked close to being over but Hamilton escaped. Lindau looked for an armbar from the bottom but Hamilton lifted and slammed him to the mat before hitting him with a big overhand right. Hamilton looked to have plenty of energy left despite spending most of the first two rounds defending submissions from a body triangle, and was even able to defend another one by slamming his way out of a triangle as the round ended.

Bleacher Report Unofficial Score: 10-9 Lindau (20-18 Lindau overall)

Round 3

Lindau looked for another takedown, but a beautiful sweep by Hamilton ended with him on top. Hamilton needed to finish the fight in this round if he wanted to win and was really looking to find an opening to land his big overhand right from within Lindau’s guard. Lindau looked for a knee bar and then a heel hook from the bottom but Hamilton again escaped and rained down on him with big punches. Lindau looked for an armbar with only about 10 seconds remaining and couldn’t get it, but was able to avoid being finished by the punches and likely secured himself the fight. Round 3 really could have gone either way depending on how highly you score the active guard by Lindau.

Bleacher Report Unofficial Score: 10-9 Hamilton (29-28 Lindau overall)

Official Result

Ben Lindau defeated Otis Hamilton by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).

Round 1

Leg kick after leg kick came early from Sowman as he tried to point-fight to win the round on the judges' scorecards. Finally Majek had enough and landed a huge spinning back kick to the ribs. Majek looked to be getting more comfortable in the cage and made things close toward the end, but probably not enough to make up the difference of the number of leg kicks that Sowman landed. 

Bleacher Report Unofficial Score: 10-9 Sowman

Round 2

Sowman got a single-leg takedown almost immediately and moved right into side control, then North-South. Majek tried to escape but left himself open to be mounted. Sowman threw down from the top, but Majek surprised him with two solid punches from the bottom. With about 30 seconds left in the round, Sowman left mount to work on an armbar, but Majek defended it and rolled over onto his belly. Sowman took his back and threw punches before looking for the armbar again in the final seconds of the round.

Bleacher Report Unofficial Score: 10-9 Sowman (20-18 Sowman overall)

Round 3

Majek clipped Sowman early this round and Sowman appeared to be rocked by it momentarily. He eventually recovered and brought the fight to the ground. He looked for chokes from the top but really couldn’t do much. Majek turned him over and was on top momentarily, but Sowman swept him and finished the fight from Majek’s guard.

Bleacher Report Unofficial Score: 10-9 Sowman (30-27 Sowman overall)

Official Result

Garett Sowman defeated Ash Majek by unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27).

Round 1

Quinones missed a superman punch and Zinda looked for the double. Quinones pushed him away, but was taken down seconds after. Quinones looked for a triangle from his back but Zinda avoided it and answered with a solid combination of punches. Quinones got to his feet with Zinda staying right on him. Zinda threw him against the cage and back down to the mat.

Bleacher Report Unofficial Score: 10-9 Zinda

Round 2

A spinning roundhouse kick from Quinones grazed Zinda on the chin but he kept moving forward. Quinones pulled for a guillotine choke but was unable to finish it and ended on his back. Quinones worked for an armbar from his back, then transitioned to a triangle choke. It wasn’t very tight, however, and Zinda made it out of the round.

Bleacher Report Unofficial Score: 10-9 Quinones (19-19 overall)

Round 3

A punishing spinning body kick from Quinones staggered Zinda, but Quinones was unable to capitalize and Zinda brought him to the mat again. Zinda didn’t do much with the positioning, though, and Quinones landed a few punches from his back to end the fight. This could be a close fight as the judges may choose to give this round to Zinda based on the fact that he held the top position on the ground for almost the entire round. I personally gave the round (and subsequently the fight) to Quinones due to his activity on the ground and the kick he landed early.

Bleacher Report Unofficial Score: 10-9 Quinones (20-19 Quinones overall)

Official Result

Dave Zinda defeated Michael Quinones by split decision (30-27 Zinda, 29-28 Zinda, 29-28 Quinones).

Round 1

Great takedown defense from Treseler was required early, as Willson looked to bring him to the mat with a double leg. Treseler gained solid footing and finally pulled Willson down with a headlock throw against the cage. He hammered down on his face over and over again before the round came to an end.

Bleacher Report Unofficial Score: 10-9 Treseler

Round 2

Treseler looked tired to start the round and it showed as Willson was able to bring him to the mat with a nice inside trip. Treseler locked up an arm with his legs, though, and was able to secure a very odd, painful looking arm submission that forced Willson to submit. 

Official Result

Josh Treseler defeated Joe Willson by submission (“Upside down scarf-lock”) at 0:43 in Round 2.

Round 1

Gray came across the cage quickly and looked to strike, but Ramos slipped right under it and brought her to the ground, taking her back in the process. With almost the entire round still to go, Gray was in serious trouble. Ramos nearly locked in a rear-naked choke but Gray broke free and rolled onto her back. Ramos kept up the pressure, smashing her with hammerfists from mount. Gray was in big, big trouble on the bottom. When she heard the clap signifying the final 10 seconds of the round, Ramos immediately pulled for an armbar. She didn’t quite finish with it, but the position only furthered what was a one-sided domination in Round 1.

Bleacher Report Unofficial Score: 10-8 Ramos

Round 2

Despite being beaten up in the first round, Gray appeared to be the stronger of the two fighters in the second round as she pushed Ramos around the cage. It wasn't enough to take control of the fight, though, as Ramos saw an opening and brought her back to the mat and right into mount again. Ramos worked for the mounted triangle, throwing down punches the entire time. She controlled the rest of the round from this position, landing over and over again in what could have been another 10-8 round.

Bleacher Report Unofficial Score: 10-9 Ramos (20-17 Ramos official)

Round 3

Gray looked a little more nervous about being taken down this round and tried to use her length to land on Ramos without putting herself in harm’s way. The two women finally clinched and stayed in that position with neither fighter landing much for about a minute before Ramos finally tripped Gray and landed in side control again. With 10 seconds left in the round, Ramos took mount for the third time this fight and finished the bout from that dominant position.

Bleacher Report Unofficial Score: 10-9 Ramos (30-26 Ramos overall)

Official Result

Diorelle Ramos defeated Berta Gray by unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-27).

Round 1

A quick takedown from Bowling started the bout as he brought Womack to the mat with ease. Womack was in trouble as Bowling moved into side control and immediately looked for an Americana. Womack fought hard but was completely overmatched in terms of strength and was forced to submit.

Official Result

Ty Bowling defeated Justin Womack by submission (Americana) at :58 in Round 1.

Round 1

Curtis came out throwing wildly and missed almost everything. Crisler caught him with a stiff left head kick to the face, which knocked Curtis down. Curtis recovered, lifted Crisler up and slammed him to the mat, but it didn’t stay there long before they got back to their feet. Curtis was throwing quite a few haymakers while not really protecting the counter-strikes. Curtis got the fight to the ground and Crisler worked his way back to his feet, only to be lifted and violently slammed down again. Curtis landed a couple knees to the body before they went back to the feet. Another slam from Curtis, but Crisler countered with a very tight guillotine choke in the process that put Curtis to sleep.

Official Result

Eugene Crisler defeated DeAngelo Curtis by submission (guillotine choke) at 2:48 in Round 1.

Round 1

They clinched early, with both men exchanging knees while seemingly looking for an opportunity to bring the fight to the mat. The referee finally broke them up. Midas landed a big overhand right, then shot in for a double, but couldn’t seem to get Hugh to the mat. Hugh caught Midas with a big knee to the forehead. Midas immediately fell to the mat and turned away, covering up. Hugh moved in to follow up but the referee stepped in and called a stop to the bout with just seconds remaining in the round.

Midas looked surprised at the stoppage, but it’s hard to blame the referee for making the call.

Official Result

Chris Hugh defeated Jesse Midas by TKO (strikes) at 4:57 in Round 1.

Round 1

The lack of glove touch from Magdaleno drew some "ooh" and "ahhs" from the crowd, but her fight skills were what Minnesota fans have been waiting to see.

Magdaleno moved past Bacon’s reach and clinched with her. With a beautiful headlock judo throw, Magdaleno took the fight to the mat and immediately secured mount. Bacon was in trouble and she rolled onto her stomach. Magdaleno secured a rear-naked choke and got the submission.

Bacon appeared very upset, immediately saying that she didn’t tap, but the decision had already been made by the referee to stop the bout. Although she probably had reason to complain, the truth is that Magdaleno was in an extremely dominant position with almost the entire round left. The fight wasn't likely to last much longer based on what we saw in the first minute.

Official Result

Raquel Magdaleno defeated Rachelle Bacon by submission (rear-naked choke) at 1:05 in Round 1 to become the Driller Promotions' Amateur Women's Strawweight Champion.

Hawes weighed in at just 205 lbs for this amateur "heavyweight" title bout. That didn't stop him from putting on an impressive performance, however. 

Round 1

Good jabs early from Hawes. Krenzel moved past the jabs but immediately ate a huge, clubbing right hand from Hawes. Krenzel dropped to the mat and Hawes followed it up with a flurry of punches before the referee stepped in and stopped the bout.

Official Result

Phil Hawes defeated Tom Krenzel by TKO (punches) at :15 in Round 1 to become the Driller Promotions' Amateur Heavyweight Champion.

The highly anticipated return of Nate Howe, who hadn't fought since 2011, brought a ton of fans to the Myth. 

Round 1

Howe immediately shot in for a double and brought the fight to the mat. He looked for an armbar but couldn’t secure it, giving up positioning in the process. Tarrh landed some thunderous punches from the top but fell into a triangle choke and couldn’t escape. He was forced to tap.

Official Result

Nate Howe defeated Jon Tarrhby submission (triangle choke) at 0:54 in Round 1.

Round 1

Nice leg kick from Jordan early. Finn answered with a straight left hand. Each man landed a solid body kick. Finn shocked Jordan with a huge spinning roundhouse kick that caught him on the chin, but he didn’t go down and Finn was unable to follow up. Jordan’s right eye was bothering him and Finn landed with a strong right hook. Jordan recovered and put Finn against the cage, landing a knee to the body before backing away. A left hook clipped Jordan again and Finn continued to stalk him down on the feet. Jordan was in serious trouble and Finn was unloading on his bloodied face. Finn finally landed a massive right uppercut that caught Jordan right on the money and put him down for good.

Official Result

Bill Finn defeated Clarence Jordan by knockout (punch) at 4:32 in Round 1.

 This had to be the biggest upset of the night as Jordan, a prized prospect from The Academy, was completely out-classed on the feet by the veteran, Finn. Jordan just didn't look like himself in this one and you have to wonder if he had a tough weight cut or something that might have affected his energy in the cage. 

Round 1

Karam shot in for a takedown after a short feeling out process. Karam lifted him up with a single leg and slammed him right to the mat. From side control, Karam looked for a choke and got the submission. A very clean, professional win for Karam in his pro debut.

Official Result

Ehsan Karam defeated Alex Figueroa by submission (Japanese necktie) at 1:30 in Round 1.

Karam continued his undefeated streak from the amateur ranks right into the pros. It'll be interesting to see where he goes from here as he has quickly established himself as one of the true elite submission artists in the state. 

Round 1

Nice body kick from Deaton early. A big right hand from Hernandez caught Deaton and knocked him down. Deaton got back up but still looked a bit rocked. Hernandez began looking for the big punch after that. Good left hook from Deaton. Grazing head kick from Deaton just missed its mark. Hernandez landed a big right hand that dropped Deaton again, this time he was able to finish it and get the knockout.

Hernandez celebrated in the ring after the win and gave a heart-felt speech about why he fights. 

Official Result

Mike Hernandez defeated Carl Deaton III by knockout at 3:53 in Round 1.

The weight cut clearly affected Deaton in this fight as he did not look like himself. Still, you have to give a lot of credit to Hernandez who made the trip out to fight a very talented opponent and took care of business in impressive fashion.

Round 1

Good combination from Granholm seemed to catch Todd a bit, but he quickly moved to his comfort zone and brought the champion, Granholm, to the mat. Todd worked for better positioning and finally pulled for an armbar. Granholm wriggled free and got back to his feet but Todd stayed on him and got him back to the ground again shortly thereafter. Todd landed a solid right hand before the round ended. 

Bleacher Report Unofficial Score: 10-9 Todd

Round 2

Todd slipped a punch from Granholm and moved in for a single leg. He didn’t get the takedown right away, though, and ate four or five solid punches before slamming Granholm to the ground. Todd looked to move to mount from side control but Granholm fought it off well. Granholm got to his feet and looked for a takedown of his own, but Todd sprawled away and applied a very tight standing guillotine choke. Granholm battled but couldn’t get out. He finally tapped and Kyle Todd became the Driller Promotions' amateur welterweight champion.

Official Result

Kyle Todd defeated Gary Granholm by submission (guillotine choke) at 2:53 in Round 2 to become the Driller Promotions' Amateur Welterweight Champion.