It was a Friday night of home-grown talent at RFA 12, with two belts on the line and the ever-looming UFC contract for those who showed their mettle in the cage.

Let’s look at some key players in tonight’s bouts.

James Moontasri: A lifelong TKD stylist, Moonstasri showed a knack for MMA striking in his fight tonight, sapping Rick Reger in the second round to set up the submission finish. TKD stylists work best against passive opponents, traditionally having trouble with fighters looking to close distance and scrap, yet Moontasri showed he could play it both ways. Fighting as an opportunist, Moontasri launched knees from clinch and stunned his opponent with stiff power punches, showing impeccable timing on his attacks. While we didn’t get to see much of his ground game, he did manage to not only avoid Reger’s mat offense entirely, but hit a takedown of his own and showed incredible speed in his transition to back ride when Reger was hurt. Great showing for a budding fighter and one to look out for on the RFA roster.

Justine Kish: A fairly new fighter to the full-time MMA game, Kish looked invincible in her spirited bout with Randa Markos, pulling out a lopsided decision win. Women’s MMA suffers from too few competitors diffused across too many weight classes, and this fight was a prime example of that. A beast at 115lbs, Kish walked through everything Markos threw at her, easily out powering her in the clinch, taking all her best punches with ease, and brutalizing her in the pocket. The strength disparity even allowed Kish to shrug off a full armbar, despite Markos’ technique being solid throughout. Kish fights like a smaller Cyborg, simple, effective and all pressure, all the time, making her an exciting addition to the Women’s roster.

Brian Ortega vs Keoni Koch: A stellar display from both men, this Bantamweight title went the full twenty-five minutes and had more action than the rest of the card combined. Ortega was on fire early, landing lunging punches, hitting takedowns and going for rapid transitions against the veteran battler, looking like he was on the edge of victory at several places in the early rounds. Koch showed a veteran’s poise however, using enough energy to escape and scramble without burning himself out, and picking his battles on the feet. Koch landed the better strikes throughout the match, but Ortega’s constant grappling offense made the decision a forgone conclusion, minus that clown Gene LeBell throwing in a joke of a scorecard. Wonderful performance by both fighters that showed tenacity and technique in equal measure.

Complete RFA 12 Results:

Main card:

Brian Ortega defeated Keoni Koch by Split Decision (49-46, 46-49, 49-46)

Pedro Munhoz defeated Billy Daniels by 1st rd. Guillotine Choke Submission (0:41)

Kevin Casey defeated Eddie Mendez by 1st rd. Verbal Submission due to Strikes (3:38)

Justine Kish defeated Randa Markos by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)

James Moontasri defeated Rick Reger by 2nd rd. Rear-Naked Choke Submission (0:28)

Boston Salmon defeated Perceu Friza by 1st rd. TKO (3:13)

Preliminary Card:

Terrion Ware defeated Zac Chavez by 2nd rd. Rear-Naked Choke Submission (3:58)

Dmitry Gerasimov defeated Jordan Isorida by 1st rd. Guillotine Submission (4:04)

John Hackleman Jr. defeated Howard LaCroix by 1st rd. TKO (0:11)

Cameron Diffley defeated Jeff Roman by 2nd rd. Rear-Naked Choke Submission (3:13)

RFA 12 Highlights:

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Category: Featured, MMA, Results, Resurrection Fighting Alliance