NHB fighters give show in ‘Trench Warz: Caged In’

It’s already been five days since “Trench Warz: Caged In” hit Saipan by storm, and the fights are still among the popular topics discussed on the streets.

Aside from the two main events won by Jason Tarkong and Frank Camacho of Trench Tech-Purebred Saipan, another reason for the event’s success were the no-holds barred fights leading up to the main events as fighters from different schools and the streets put their skills to the test in front of hundreds of screaming fans.

Continuing to make a name for himself is Trench Tech’s Slade “The Palauan Phenom” Adelbai, who improved his record to 2-0 with another impressive performance in the cage, also known as The Trench.

Facing street fighter Paul Iginoef, who entered the cage at 350 lbs, Adelbai showed no signs of being intimidated as he came out strong, was quick to get Iginoef on the mat, and unleashed a flurry of punches that resulted in the referee stepping in and stopping the fight.

There were a lot of fights that preceded the Adelbai victory that also satisfied the crowd’s hunger for action.

Trench Tech’s Ray Alvarez III represented his school well against street fighter Ferdinand Fitial, with Alvarez improving to 2-0 after winning by referee stoppage.

Trench Tech’s J.D. Reyes also improved his amateur record, as he was able to defeat a determined Anthony Duenas. Reyes was able to grab the early advantage as he mounted Duenas and tried to connect on several punches. Duenas, however, was far from done as he countered and was able to get on top of Reyes.

The Trench Tech fighter, however, showed he was ready for anything as he electrified the jam-packed gym by working himself back to his feet and slamming Duenas to the mat before executing a rear-naked choke for the win.

Trench Tech’s Joe Blas was also successful as he defeated street fighter Julian Fitial. The two were evenly matched as both fighters gave each other a good run before Blas was able to get Fitial to tap out just before the end of the first round.

Street fighter Jess Ruben also made a return to The Trench against John Babauta and got off to a good start as he landed a strong right hand that stunned his opponent. Babauta was not rattled though and held his ground before winning via submission.

Another electrifying action followed as “Fury III: Fighting Islands” veteran Roland Kapileo made a return against Trench Tech’s Giovanni Sablan. Kapileo was able to get Sablan in a headlock and kept a firm grip on the hold until Sablan countered and got Kapileo to tap out via rear-naked choke.

Also improving to 2-0 in amateur fights was Trench Tech’s Jay Santos, who had his way against John Maliti to win via referee stoppage. Santos was able to slam Maliti to the mat before mounting his opponent and working some tough blows to the head.

Street fighters Pete Ruben and Mabel Ngirngemelas then took the intensity to another level as both came out slugging at each other. Ruben was able to land strong shots as he worked his opponent to the corner. Mabel prevented Ruben by taking full control of the fight by landing body shots of his own and managed to cut Ruben below his right eye.

While many fighters might have submitted, Ruben held his ground and refused to stop. He continued to fight despite the referee recommending a couple of doctor’s checks. Ruben was able to finish the round and showed his disappointment when the fight was called off in favor of Mabel right before the start of the second round. Ruben still wanted to go on, however, the fight was stopped after the referee once again consulted with the ringside doctor.

Trench Tech’s Cliff Masga then battled Jack Crisostimo of Graccie Barra and both put on a show with Crisostimo landing strong shots in the early goings. Masga was able to slam Crisostimo to the mat, but was not able to put on a quick attack as Crisostimo applied a headlock. Masga was still able to get the advantage as he mounted Crisostimo and began to throw some punches before the referee stopped the fight.

Inaugural Trench Warz main event fighter Bernie Neth was also in action and fought Trench Tech’s James Blas. Neth seemed to have control of the fight, but Blas was able to lift Neth and slam him to the mat before winning.

Bill Saures of Dragon’s Pride then showcased his patience as he remained calm despite being locked up with strong holds by Trench Tech’s Herman Villagomez in the first round. Saures had a better second round and was on the attack several times before winning by submission.

As reported earlier, Trench Tech’s Jason Tarkong defeated Dave Kapileo in the main event while Frank Camacho beat Mike Camacho in the semi main event.