MIXED MARTIAL ARTS
Trigg takes ‘Mayhem’ in 2 rounds
Apparently the journey toward winning a title is easier than defending it.
In his first title defense after eight straight victories in Hawaii, Jason "Mayhem" Miller was stopped by Frank "Twinkle Toes" Trigg by TKO due to strikes at 2:53 of the second round as Trigg became the new world middleweight champion in the main event of last night's Icon Sport: Unstoppable event at Blaisdell Arena.
A crowd of about 5,500 was shocked into silence as Trigg mauled the reigning champion for a round and a half, before stopping him after multiple kicks and punches to the head.
Trigg improved to 14-5 for his career, while Miller dropped to 17-5. It was Miller's first loss in nine fights in Hawaii and just the second in his last 12 fights overall.
"Whoa, cuz, I took a licking," Miller said. "If he's gentlemen enough to give me a rematch I'd appreciate it."
Trigg scored the first big hit of the night with a counter right hand midway through the first round. He nearly gave up his back as Miller seemed to take control, but Trigg managed to power his way back on top and kicked Miller repeatedly in the head before the round ended.
"If I had 10 or 15 more seconds, I would have finished it then," Trigg said.
A sluggish Miller tried to stand with Trigg to open the second round, but Trigg immediately peppered him with right hands that eventually put "Mayhem" to the ground. Trigg continued his onslaught and the referee finally stopped the fight after Miller was unable to defend himself.
"I didn't see it going like that," Trigg said. "I'm usually bigger and stronger, but Mayhem is so tall and skinny, I knew if I had the position I would get him."
Former UFC veteran Charuto "Renato" Verissimo was in attendance and could be Trigg's opponent in the the first defense of his title in February. Trigg was signed by Icon for this fight only but is already focused on defending the belt in three months.
"Oahu is a great island to come to," Trigg said. "If it weren't for the cost of living here, this would be the hot spot of mixed martial arts."
In the much anticipated Hawaii flyweight state title fight, Mark Oshiro (8-1) made quick work of Tyson Nam (3-1), defeating him by TKO via strikes midway through the first round after dropping Nam with a vicious right cross that essentially ended the fight. Oshiro jumped on the fallen Nam and rained down blows before it was stopped by the referee.
"I had a bad back, fractured wrist, and sprained knuckle, but it's all good," said a soft-spoken Oshiro after the fight.
In other fights last night:
205: Jeremy Williams def. Ron Fields by TKO (strikes) 37 seconds into the second round
160: Marshall Harvest def. Kyle Miyahana by unanimous decision
160: Chris Cisneros def. David Padilla by tapout (armbar) at 1:16 of the second round.
135: Paul Gorman def. Ikaika Silva via submission (armbar) at 2:10 of round 1.
195: Ron Verdadero def. Kekoa Baker by TKO at 1:36 of round 1.
210: Maui Wolfgram def. Ben Fonoti by tapout (armbar) at 2:43 of round 1.
145: Sadhu Bott def. Lorenzo Moreno via unanimous decision
145: Bronson Piper def. Vinny Delos Santos by TKO at 2:00 of round 1.
HW (kickboxing rules): Chavis Victoria def. Jacob Cook by split decision
165 (kickboxing rules): Todd Young def. Ben Santiago by split decision.
185: Sidney Silva def. Jay Jack by tap out (triangle choke) at 2:30 of the first round.
