Tuck stops Arenal in X-treme 28

MANILA, Philippines - Guam’s Jon Tuck used his grappling skills to the hilt to set up a pair of knockout punches as he stopped Fil-Am Tristan Arenal in the first round of their non-titled lightweight bout in the Pacific X-Treme Combat 28 at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig City Saturday night.

After getting rocked with power punches early in the round, Tuck turned it into a ground-and-pound game then completed a TKO with a pair of right hand bombs that broke Arenal’s nose bridge with a minute, 13 seconds left.

The quick win was Tuck’s sixth straight as the Dubai grappling champion who fought out of Spike 22 and a native of Chalan, Pago in Guam hoped for a possible shot at the lightweight title fight against another Fil-Am Harris Sarmiento.

“Standup, wrestling, ground, everything, bring it to me,” said Tuck right after the match of the event sponsored by San Mig Strong Ice and aired by AKTV on IBC 13.

“I know they’re trying to set me up with Harris (Sarmiento), but he’s my elder brother from another mother,” said Tuck on his potential title match with Sarmiento, who won the crown in PXC 26.

“I’m the champion. Whoever wants to fight me, just bring it,” said Sarmiento.

The Milpitas, California-based Arenal, who trained under Unlimited MMA, appeared to have seized control early with his superb striking, even sending Tuck backpedalling with crisp punches to the face.

Sensing trouble, Tuck, a Brazilian jiu-jitsu blue-belter, went to the ground, mounted Arenal, who defended excellently.

Tuck then stood up and then after some missed punches, he finally landed two haymakers that knocked the senses out of Arenal, whose bloody nose had to be treated after the game before he got to stand up for the on-arena interview.

“I like pain,” said Tuck referring to the Arenal punches that stung him.

The night, however, belonged to Davao City pride Ali Cali, who wowed the crowd with his swagger, on-court antics and lightning quick punches to carve out a unanimous decision win over previously unbeaten Dylan Pablo of Guam.

A former boxer, Cali, who won his debut fight on PXC 24 last August, used his excellent footwork, superb timing and quick hands to outbox Pablo and improve to 3-1.

Pablo, who had a chance to snatch the win when he got a full mount on Cali with 1.30 minutes remaining in the second round, fell to his first loss after winning his first four MMA fights.

“This one’s for you all my countrymen,” said Cali in Filipino.

Baguio-based Team Lakay, which took recently crowned Southeast Asian Games wushu gold medalist Mark Eddiva in its stable, as its fighters, Orlimer Celeste and Crisanto Pitpitunge bested Davao’s Denver Labrador (first round knockout) and Jerry Cimeni (first round submission via choke).

The only Team Lakay fighter that lost was Geje Eustaquio, who fell to Korean David Cho via a split decision.

In the other fights, Alvin Dacdac bested Josh Albarez, Moses Baca won over Jerry Legaspi, Jon Reyes defeated Virgil Ortigas and Elliot Untalan downed Rolando Dy.

PXC notes: UFC’s Fil-Am Brandon “The Truth” Vera was in the crowd as the PXC’s special guest and was amiable enough to grant photo ops and sign autographs...Vera was not the only star in the house as basketball hotshots Danny Siegle, Eric Menk, Tony Dela Cruz and Mick Pennisi watched the fights...Also in attendance were showbiz personalities Dennis Trillo and Gwen Garci among others.