FURY Professional Grappling 13 results: Patrick Sabatini, Junny Ocasio, Taylor Hishaw claim first three belts in promotional history
Sabatini, Ocasio crowned inaugural champs, while Hishaw takes tournament crown at Friday's event, which streamed live on UFC FIGHT PASS.
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. – On a night filled with firsts for FURY Professional Grappling, Patrick Sabatini, Junny Ocasio and Taylor Hishaw all walked away with hardware.
The three title-winning performances highlighted an incredible night of action from start to finish at FURY Professional Grappling 13, which streamed live on UFC FIGHT PASS and OnlyFans from the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City.
In the night's main event, it was Sabatini who edged out a very dangerous opponent in fellow UFC and CFFC vet Joe Solecki. The two grappling standouts proved a very competitive pairing, with Sabatini's top game on full display as Solecki utilized impressive guard work. With an eight-minute regulation period not enough to determine a winner, the two went to overtime and a golden score challenge.
It was Solecki who impressed in much of the four-minute period, nearly executing a few slick sweep attempts, but ultimately it was Sabatini who secured a pass just at the bell, falling short of the golden score but doing enough to take home the decision win and inaugural welterweight belt.
"His guard was just on another level," Sabatini said of his opponent after the match. "It presented so many problems, as we expected it to, but it was even better than we expected."
A former two-time CFFC MMA champion and rising UFC contender, Sabatini is out to prove he's the best grappler in the UFC's 145-pound division, and he believes the result helped add credence to that claim.
"It's definitely a step in the right direction," Sabatini said. "I always thought that he was one of the best grapplers in the lightweight division in the UFC, so this is definitely a step in the right direction to prove that."
Meanwhile, the night's co-main event saw multiple-time IBJJF World Champion Ocasio claim the inaugural FURY Professional Grappling bantamweight title with a thrilling and clearly painful submission win over Kevin Dantzler.
The two talented black belts kept a high pace throughout the entirety of their matchup, each having moments of offense but forced to battle through continual transitions to escape their opponent's threats, as well. Then, with time winding down and the action taking place perilously close to the platform edge, Ocasio isolated the right leg and cranked a heel hook that left Dantzler wincing and clutching his knee, ending the match at the 6:29 mark of the contest.
"It feels right and well-deserved," Ocasio said of his title win. “It was really hard to get where I'm at in my career, so I'm super happy to be here at FURY Grappling and super happy to compete on UFC FIGHT PASS."
The third belt of the night was awarded to the first single-night tournament winner in FURY Professional Grappling history, as 18-year-old phenom Hishaw earned an armbar submission win over last-minute replacement Jocelyn Letscher in the night's semifinals, and a hard-fought decision over Trinity Pun in the finals to take home the belt and the $5,000 prize.
The Oklahoma native and B-Team member admitted she wasn't entirely happy with settling for a decision in the final but certainly appears to be a star on the rise in the submission grappling world – and as a teenager, it probably worked out well for her that she couldn't immediately walk outside the venue and spend her winnings.
"If I was any older, I'd be out here playing blackjack, I'm not going to lie," Hishaw said with a smile. "But I'm not, so I'm going to invest it like a smart kid."
Complete FURY Professional Grappling 13 weigh-in results include:
MAIN CARD (UFC FIGHT PASS)
Patrick Sabatini def. Joe Solecki via unanimous decision – to claim inaugural welterweight title
Junny Ocasio def. Kevin Dantzler via submission (heel hook) – Round 1, 6:29 – to claim inaugural bantamweight title
Pat Downey def. Chris Weidman via golden score (takedown) – Overtime, 0:27
Taylor Hishaw def. Trinity Pun via unanimous decision – flyweight tournament final
Lucas Seibert def. Lucas Byrd via submission (triangle choke) – Round 1, 1:52
Devhonte Johnson def. Daishi Goto via golden score (takedown) – Overtime, 1:59
Taylor Clarke def. Amanda Mazza via golden score (takedown) – Overtime, 1:12
Zach Maslany vs. Pete Shoemaker declared a draw
Andrew Kochel def. Cody Jones via submission (straight ankle lock) – Round 1, 0:26
Taylor Hishaw def. Jocelyn Letscher via submission (armbar) – Round 1, 5:51 – flyweight tournament semifinal
Trinity Pun def. Cindy Ung via golden score (takedown) – Overtime, 1:00 – flyweight tournament semifinal
PRELIMINARY CARD (ONLYFANS)
Max Livingston def. Joshua James via submission (D'Arce choke) – Round 1, 2:55
Nick Willey def. Dietrich Trumbauer via golden score (takedown) – Overtime, 0:49
Tyler Carroll def. Cole Kelley via submission (heel hook) – Round 1, 2:16
Mike Salgado def. Matt Pontano via submission (heel hook) – Round 1, 0:47
Jordan Juliano def. Christian Hannigan via golden score (takedown) – Overtime, 0:07
Cameron Scalio vs. Bobby Riordan declared a draw
Guy Loggi def. Nick Mancini via submission (triangle armbar) – Round 1, 4:06
Robby Bloom def. Matt Ferraiolo via golden score (takedown) – Overtime, 0:35
Skyler Munson def. Emily Keck via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 2:11
Aaron Kurzer def. Nick Digiacomo via golden score (pass) – Overtime, 0:58
Angelina Hernandez def. Ina Alivio via golden score (takedown) – Overtime, 1:00
Nieko Malone def. Nick Gebhard via submission (D'Arce choke) – Round 1, 2:36