Ring of Combat 36 Results - June 17, 2011

It was a perfect night for the Serra-Longo Fight Team at Ring of Combat 36 Friday. The usual Tropicana stomping grounds in Atlantic City saw host to four fighters from the powerhouse Long Island fight camp, all of them picking up big wins.

In the evening's main event, Pete "Drago" Sell's return to ROC seemed like a lost cause initially, as defending Welterweight Champion Eliah Harshbarger threw him around relentlessly and gave him an ugly mouse under his left eye. But Drago came charging back in the second round, securing top position then passing for an incredible reverse triangle straight armbar combo submission to claim the belt as the partisan crowd erupted in jubilation.

10th Ranked Lightweight in the 2011 World MMA Scouting Report Al Iaquinta dueled with Brazilian prospect Gabriel Miglioli in one of the most intense ROC fights ever, both showing amazing technical ability and heart for prospects with a combined seven pro fights worth of experience. The rangier Miglioli controlled the first round, dropping Iaquinta with punches for a near-KO and applying a couple close submission attempts. Round two turned into a complete brawl, with Migloli trading short punches to the head and body for Iaquinta's jabs and high right roundhouse kicks. In the final round, Iaquinta seemed in complete control with a damaging ground and pound attack, but a fading Miglioli somehow escaped, landed a hard knee to the body and then managed his own takedown. Iaquinta, who never stopped attacking despite taking hard shots in every round, scored a reversal in the dying seconds and ended the fight taking Miglioli's back. In the end, the judges rewarded Iaquinta's tenacity with a close split decision victory.

Three round bantamweight and flyweight title bouts were featured as the night's two co-main events. In 135lb action, Team Bombsquad product Aljamain Sterling captured the belt in just his third pro fight, taking a convincing split decision over Claudio Ledesma. And in the 125 title affair, Sean Santella was awarded a unanimous decision despite being exhausted for the final two rounds and having his takedown game completely shut down in the second half of the fight by former Strikeforce featherweight Tito Jones. Jones was visibly displeased upon hearing that he had failed to win a single round on any of the judge's scorecards.

Quick Results:

Pete Sell def. Eliah Harshbarger via R2 Submission (Reverse Triangle Straight Armbar)
Aljamain Sterling def. Claudio Ledesma via R3 Decision (Split)
Sean Santella def. Tito Jones via R3 Decision (Unanimous)
Al Iaquinta def. Gabriel Miglioli via R3 Decision (Split)

Casey Manrique def. Brandon Saling via R2 Submission (Rear Naked Choke)
James Jenkins def. Jason McLean via R3 Decision (Unanimous)
Eddie Gordon def. J.A. Dudley via R3 Decision (Unanimous)
Mike Prokop def. Brian Smiley via R1 Technical Submission (Guillotine Choke)
Frankie Perez def. Andre Shuler via R1 Submission (Rear Naked Choke)