BANGOR, Maine — It may not have been the ideal outcome, but Ryan Sanders’ nationally televised mixed martial arts victory over Luis Felix on Friday night was productive on multiple fronts.
The second-round victory as part of CES 32 at the Twin River Casino in Lincoln, Rhode Island, was ruled as ending due to a right knee injury suffered by Felix, yet it maintained Sanders’ recent hot streak as he has transitioned from competing in the welterweight (170-pound) division to the lightweight (155-pound) ranks.
“It kind of went the way I envisioned it,” said the 28-year-old Sanders, an Etna native and Bangor resident who trains at Young’s MMA. “If he hadn’t got injured the fight was going to go my way anyway. I felt like I was breaking him down and he was starting to fade and I was starting to pour it on.
I think he underestimated me and I don’t think he was ready for my strength or reach.”
The win — televised live on AXS-TV — was Sanders’ fourth in his last five fights, a run that also includes his split-decision victory over Lucas Cruz last fall to win the Portland-based Toe 2 Toe Fights lightweight belt.
“It’s all about momentum in this sport,” he said, “and fighting and beating all these guys definitely makes me feel like I’m in the right place and headed in the right direction.”
While Friday’s fight was contested at a catchweight of 160 pounds because of Sanders’ status as a late replacement, his victory sets up a potential rematch with the top-ranked lightweight in New England for Felix’s CES championship.
“Everyone [at CES] was really happy, and they want to do it again for the title so hopefully we can make that happen,” said Sanders, “hopefully the sooner the better because I’d like to get it over and then move on to the next one.”
Sanders (10-7) took the Felix fight on 10 days notice after Felix’ original challenger, Waylon Love, pulled out due to injury.
“I already knew going into the fight that I was in his head because the guy he was supposed to fight was literally the most completely different fighter from me,” said Sanders. “That guy was 5-7 and a wrestler and I’m 6-1 and an MMA fighter and he just wasn’t ready for it.”
Sanders and Felix battled through a competitive five-minute first round.
“We were feeling each other out but we had a few exchanges and both of us landed some clean shots,” said Sanders. “The first round was more or less all stand-up, and I felt like I was the more active fighter.
“I knew I had to be there and let him know from right off the bat that I was there to fight. If I didn’t he would have gotten more confident.”
The fighters stepped up the aggression in the second round, leading to an elbow by Sanders to Felix’s face that instantly changed the tone of the bout.
Sanders followed up with a takedown and within seconds the fight was halted by veteran referee Dan Miragilotta at 1:46 of the second round.
“I hit him with a nasty elbow and then did a takedown a few seconds after that, and as he hit the ground he was making some noise but wasn’t really fighting back so I knew something was up,” said Sanders. “I looked at the ref and he asked [Felix] if he could continue and he didn’t say anything so the ref stopped the fight.
“I definitely rocked him. I felt I had rocked him for sure.”
Sanders anticipated the win being announced as a submission rather than due to injury.
“I was happy and excited because I thought I had won because of the elbow,” he said. “After I landed the elbow he went a little limp in my arms and then I got the takedown. But then they called it due to injury and that [stinks] because that’s how people are going to see it on my record, that I won because he got injured when I honestly felt like I was going to win anyway.”
With a rematch against Felix (14-9) for the CES title possible, Sanders has decided not to fight on a scheduled Feb. 5 card in Salem, New Hampshire.
“We’re going to take some time off,” he said. “I want to get back to the gym and just start training and drilling and learning more and getting better, and that fight really doesn’t offer me a lot as far as moving me ahead to where I want to go.”
Sanders was one of two Eastern Maine fighters to compete at CES 32.
Derek Shorey of Dover-Foxcroft made his television debut as a late replacement in a featherweight (145-pound) bout against Kody Nordby of Cumberland, Rhode Island.
Shorey got in the first kick, but the fight soon went to the ground where the combatants rolled to a position where the rugged Nordby locked in a triangle choke and forced the submission 41 seconds into the first round.
Nordby is 6-3 after his third straight victory by first-round submission. Shorey, who fights out of Shatterproof Combat Club in Dexter, falls to 3-4.
Shorey is scheduled to fight again Feb. 6 at NEF 21 in Lewiston against Josh Lange of Sanborn, New York.
