The perfect homecoming: Cape native Nathan Stearns’ knockout highlights epic Cage of Honor 92

Sunday, December 8, 2024

Cape Girardeau native and professional middleweight fighter Nathan Stearns acknowledges the Show Me Center crowd after earning a knockout victory over Tavae Lewis on Saturday, Dec. 7.

Kaiden Karper ~ kkarper@semoball.com

Cage of Honor 92 saw a jam-packed crowd file into the Show Me Center for an absolute spectacle of an event that featured some of the top mixed martial artists in the Midwest region on Saturday night, Dec. 7.

Twelve fights took center stage, including a Fight of the Night nominee in Cape Girardeau native and middleweight Nathan Stearns’ knockout victory on the main card.

Stearns, who is nicknamed “The Saiyan Samurai,” improved to 3-2 in his professional fighting career after knocking out Tavae Lewis five seconds into the second round.

“Honestly, I am very grateful for Tavae taking me to the ground,” said Stearns, who fights out of Peak Performance Training Center located in Cape Girardeau. “I did a great job avoiding the mount and he’s an amazing grappler… I’m very grateful for the challenge.”

Two minutes in, Lewis locked up with Stearns, and struck with a toss to the mat. Stearns defended well on the mat as Lewis looked for dominant positions, but Lewis was able to ride out the majority of the round on top.

The second round immediately saw Stearns toss aside Lewis’ early rush with a perfect counter-leg kick to the head, dropping Lewis and laying a few extra punches in before the referee ended the fight at :05 of the frame.

Stearns’ thrilling result sent a shockwave through the Show Me Center crowd. The 28-year-old also gave a special shout out to his mother, who finally attended one of her son’s fights after he competed in 25 prior.

“I don’t know where she is in the crowd, but I love you mom,” Stearns said in the post-fight interview. “Thank you so much for everything.”

Here is a rundown of several other marquee fights at COH92:

Garrett Gross def. Gavilan Bland by unanimous decision (Main event)

Veteran Garrett Gross left no doubt in the final fight of his 14-year MMA career as he outpointed COH Middleweight champion Gavilan Bland over three rounds.

The scores were 29-28 across the board in a unanimous decision for Gross. Bland – a Sikeston native who wrestled at Missouri Baptist University – was riding a three-fight win streak entering the night.

Both fighters had their moments in a competitive first round, Gross showing himself to be the stronger battler in the clinch, while Bland’s huge slam on a double-leg reversal paid dividends to close out the round.

Gross picked up the pace in the second round, capitalizing off a poor shot from Bland and controlling guard on top for the vast majority of the frame.

With Bland’s gas tank running low, “Glory to God” put the heat on in the final round, breaking open a close fight to seal the victory on the scorecards with over four minutes of ground control and a surge of strikes in the closing seconds.

“I’m just so blessed to be here,” said Gross, a Du Quoin, Illinois native. “This is my last fight and this is the way I wanted to go out. Thank you to Gavilan for just accepting this fight. A lot of guys would not take this fight. This guy is my brother in Christ, so win or lose, we did it all for his glory.”

Fourteen-year MMA fighter Garrett Gross caps off his lengthy career with a victory over Gavilan Bland for the COH Middleweight title on Saturday, Dec. 7. (Kaiden Karper ~ kkarper@semoball.com)

Tristan Overvig def. Jaquis Williams by unanimous decision (Co-main Event)

COH Light Heavyweight champion Tristan Overvig continued to evolve as a prospect, as he retained his belt with a decisive win over Jaquis Williams.

The scores were 30-27, 30-27, 29-28 for Overvig, now 7-3 at the professional level after defeating Williams (7-16) for the second straight time.

The opening round was rather conservative, as neither fighter got too close or went for any significant strikes. With under two minutes left, Overvig began to weather the storm and had a slick takedown to win the round.

Round 2 saw Williams’ pace start to drop, as Overvig secured a takedown against the cage and nearly hit a rear naked choke before Williams broke the lock.

Overvig then essentially put the bout on ice in the final round after securing a pair of takedowns, while continuing to batter Williams and pile up the points en route to a lopsided victory.

COH Light Heavyweight champion Tristan Overvig with a leg kick against Jaquis Williams on Saturday, Dec. 7, at the Show Me Center. (Kaiden Karper ~ kkarper@semoball.com)

Ethan Rea def. Jordan Carson by KO, Round 2, 5:59 (Prelims Main Event)

In the Amateur Featherweight Championship bout, Jackson native Ethan Rea and undefeated Jordan Carson got to throw hands and it was worth the wait, with the two up-and-comers battling tooth and nail until Rea scored a second-round knockout.

After a long standup sequence with both fighters exchanging some blows and feeling each other’s styles out, Rea caught Carson with a leg sweep as the two went to strike simultaneously and rode out the remainder of the round.

Carson came out fast for round two, but Rea was patient, using quick strikes to build momentum, and after a takedown and Carson escape, the Jackson product tagged Carson with a clean hook and followed up with a barrage of ground strikes, bringing in the referee to stop the fight with exactly one second remaining in the round.

With the win, Rea moves to 9-1 at the amateur level. Carson falls to 3-1.

“I just want to thank everyone for coming here and supporting me,” said Rea, who now has eight wins via knockout. “I knew I had to put him away because he was trying to kill me.

“I want to also thank all of the War Eagles (Fight Club)... there’s too many to name. My beautiful girlfriend and my beautiful family. I’m just excited for everyone here, man.”

New COH Amateur Featherweight champion and Jackson native Ethan Rea holds his title belt after an emphatic knockout victory over Jordan Carson on Saturday, Dec. 7. (Kaiden Karper ~ kkarper@semoball.com)

Giovanni Hidalgo def. Andrew Labbe by TKO, Round 3

In a clash of amateur flyweight contenders, Jackson product Giovanni Hidalgo made a statement to the fighters across the division as he stopped Andrew Labbe in the third round to claim the COH Vacant Flyweight Championship. Hidalgo, nicknamed “El Fuego,” meaning “fire,” got the best of his opponent for the second straight time after defeating Labbe by unanimous decision back at COH90 in 2023.

Hidalgo got to work as soon as the fight began and pieced together a disciplined, technical attack in the opening frame, with his grappling his main weapon. The former high school wrestler earned a takedown before riding Labbe out for the rest of the frame.

Hidalgo’s pace picked up in the second round, collecting two more takedowns, including a beautiful double leg followed by a few big ground strikes with 10 seconds remaining to lock up the round.

Hidalgo didn’t stop going in the final round, peppering Labbe with punches upstairs before securing yet another takedown. The vicious ground game ultimately took a toll on Labbe, who, after being dropped to the mat, yielded a few heavy shots from Hidalgo before the referee halted the bout a minute into the frame.

Hidalgo is now 4-3 in his amateur career. Labbe drops to 3-10.

Giovanni Hidalgo walks out prior to his COH Amateur Flyweight title fight against Andrew Labbe on Saturday, Dec. 7. (Kaiden Karper ~ kkarper@semoball.com)

Kyle Fitzgerald def. Trevor Hatton by TKO, Round 1 (Kickboxing)

Just two fights into the night, Kelly native Kyle Fitzgerald brought some early fireworks to his 175-pound amateur kickboxing match against Trevor Hatton, earning a quick TKO win in what was just his second-career fight.

Fitzgerald came out the gate hammering strikes, landing heavy leg kicks and "oohing and aahing" the Show Me Center crowd. The 26-year-old continued to put an insurmountable amount of pressure on Hatton, pinning him against the cage and unleashing more strikes before the victory bell rang.

With the win, Fitzgerald moves to 2-0 in his young amateur career.

“The difference between the first fight and this fight is honestly experience,” Fitzgerald said. “I had great coaches in my corner and Josh Caputo helped me tremendously with my boxing. Working with DeRay Ivie is always a boost. Just really coming into myself and not trying to be somebody I'm not.”