After three years out of the fight game, ProElite re-debuted last weekend with their inaugural show, ProElite: Arlovski vs. Lopez. The event -- held at the Neal S. Blaisdell Center in Honolulu, Hawaii -- featured ten bouts, and a startling nine finishes, to firmly reestablish the promotion as a viable outlet for mixed martial arts excitement.
Despite the show's namesake, the night was headlined by a middleweight rematch between UFC veterans Kendall Grove and Joe Riggs. The two fought once before in the very same arena at 2004's "Rumble on the Rock 5," with Riggs emerging victorious via first-round knockout.
However, Grove would not fall victim to the same trick twice. The 28-year-old ‘The Ultimate Fighter 3' champion submitted "Diesel" in just 59 seconds with a standing guillotine in the show's main event to avenge the loss and break a two-fight losing streak.
In the co-main event, former UFC heavyweight champion Andre Arlovski pounded out an overmatched Ray Lopez midway through the third round for the TKO victory. Despite the finish, it was an utterly bizarre performance by both men as the Belarusian threw a number of erratic strikes throughout the bout, in addition to an illegal stomp that received a warning from the referee. Nonetheless, the win was met with an ecstatic reception from the 32-year-old, as it snapped an extended four-fight losing streak that stretched back to 2009.
In the night's other featured bout, welterweight prospect Reagan Penn defeated Paul Gardiner early in the first stanza, capturing the Tennessee-native's back before locking in rear-naked choke to coax the tap. The performance served as the professional debut of Penn -- the younger brother of former UFC champion B.J. Penn -- who was fighting in front of a supportive hometown Honolulu crowd.
‘ProElite: Arlovski vs. Lopez' official results:
Kendall Grove def. Joe Riggs via Submission (guillotine choke) at :59 of Round 1.
Andrei Arlovski def. Ray Lopez via TKO (punches) at 2:43 of Round 3.
Reagan Penn def. Paul Gardiner via Submission (rear-naked choke) at 1:10 of Round 1.
Mark Ellis def. Jake Heun via Submission (rear-naked choke) at 2:29 of Round 2.
Sarah McMann def. Raquel Ra'aluhi via Submission (keylock) at 2:53 of Round 3.
Drew McFedries def. Garrett Olson via TKO (punches) at 4:04 of Round 2.
Kaleo Gambill def. Eldon Sproat via TKO (punches) at 1:31 of Round 1.
Dustin Barca def. Reno Remigio via TKO (doctor stoppage) at 5:00 of Round 2.
Brent Schermerhorn def. Jesse Lundgren via KO (punch) at 1:38 of Round 1.
Joey Palemia def. Chad Thomas via Decision (unanimous).