The fights at “BTC 24: APEX” in Burlington on Saturday, June 8th were a blend of explosive energy and gruelling struggles, showcasing some of the best fighters from around Canada and the globe. Here’s a recap of the card from start to finish.
1. JORDAN TECSON VS ISAIAH SHARPE: FLYWEIGHT BOUT
Tecson and Sharpe made their pro debuts to kick off the ten-fight card. The flyweight action started early on the feet with a flurry of shots traded between both men. But within the first minute, Tecson started initiating grappling exchanges getting the battle to the ground three times before the end of the round. While Sharpe initially slipped away the first two times and tried to press the action on the feet the relentless pace and grappling of Tecson proved too much. On the third takedown, Tecson secured a rear naked choke ending the fight via submission just before the first bell.
JORDAN TECSON def. ISAIAH SHARPE — Submission (RNC) | Round 1 | 4:50
2. MEL ZEMAN VS BRITTANY BICKHART: WOMEN’S BANTAMWEIGHT BOUT
The Australian transplant Mel Zeman, now living and training in North Vancouver, took 4 years off from competition before signing her return contract to take on the undefeated American Brittany “Sunshine” Bickhart. Zeman did not waste any time cornering Bickhart but ate several hard leg kicks and a straight chasing her down. The Australian-Canadian stayed in the pocket with Bickhart throwing a barrage of calculated strikes before landing a perfect overhand rocking American. With a few follow-up shots, Zeman ended the fight with a shocking knockout victory after only nineteen seconds, setting a new BTC Fight record for the fastest finish.
MEL ZEMAN def. BRITTANY BICKHART — KO (Punch) | Round 1 | 0:19
3. NOAH CROSSWELL VS NATE SMALL: BANTAMWEIGHT BOUT
This bantamweight battle saw a competitive striking battle for the first minute before Crosswell initiated a clinch, landed knees and forced the action to the cage. Nate Small eventually reversed the position and used a high crotch takedown to take the fight to the ground. After a a couple minutes on the ground, Crosswell attempted to scramble back to his feet with a single leg entry but Small found a narrow window to slip in a deep guillotine choke. After Small locked his legs around his opponent the battle was all but over. Nate Small took home the first-round guillotine submission proving his move to Etobicoke’s Xtreme Couture Toronto successful. This is Small’s third victory in the BTC Fight cage; all three have ended inside the distance.
NATE SMALL def. NOAH CROSSWELL — Submission (Guillotine) | Round 1 | 4:16
4. LUKE ROBERTS VS DAVIS RAPAGNA: LIGHTWEIGHT BOUT
Luke “the Duke” Roberts walked into the cage with a score to settle against Davis Rapagna after he defeated his fellow Niagara Top Team member Jarred Dumond at BTC 23 earlier this year. Roberts started with a running kick and successfully forced Rapagna against the cage wall. He secured an early takedown and continually improved his position until he took Rapagna’s back. From there he hunted the rear naked choke relentlessly and eventually locked in the submission to bring home his 2nd first-round submission in the BTC Fight cage. With this victory “The Duke” moves back into the win column and remains undefeated under the BTC Fight banner with 3 victories and 1 draw.
LUKE ROBERTS def. DAVIS RAPAGNA — Submission (RNC) | Round 1 | 3:13
5. MATT SMITH VS NICKY HEINRICHS: WELTERWEIGHT BOUT
Belleville’s Smith caught a strong kick from Heinrichs early and used it to land an early takedown. Smith maintained top control for the rest of the battle landing an unending series of punches, hammer fists and knees to the body. The referee was eventually forced to step in with just under a minute on the clock in the first round giving Smith his third victory inside the BTC Fight cage and his first stoppage since BTC 16 in 2022.
MATT SMITH def. NICKY HEINRICHS — TKO (Strikes) | Round 1 | 4:13
6. BOBBY POULTER VS AVINASH CHOWTEE: SUPER LIGHTWEIGHT BOUT
The three-round bout between Chowtee and Poulter started with Poulter taking Chowtee down early in the first round. Chowtee attempted a guillotine on the takedown but had his guard passed and was attacked with a Von Flue choke from side control by Poulter. Aegis MMA’s Poulter eventually abandoned the submission and was able to secure back control fairly soon after. Chowtee was able to defend Poulter’s submission attempts for the rest of the round but never escaped the position.
The second round had the fighters in the same position, with Poulter taking down Chowtee right off the bat, getting to his back and looking for a variety of submissions. Once again Chowtee defended but was unable to produce much offence.
The third round started with a more aggressive Chowtee throwing heavy shots and attempting his own takedown. He got Poulter to briefly touch the mat before he bounced back to his feet. Soon after breaking off from his opponent Poulter shot his third takedown of the fight using a single leg to bring the match back to the ground again. Poulter had the upper hand throughout most of the battle, and the hometown crowd was at their loudest, chanting Bobby’s name multiple times throughout the battle. The fight ended up going the full fifteen minutes and went to the judge’s scorecards for a decision. Poulter was awarded a unanimous decision victory with scorecards reading 30-27, 30-26 and 30-25.
BOBBY POULTER def. AVINASH CHOWTEE — Unanimous Decision | 30-27, 30-26, 30-25
7. MANDEL NALLO VS DEIVISON RIBEIRO: WELTERWEIGHT BOUT
Mandel “Rat Garbage” Nallo attacked early and often with a wide variety of kicks. The most effective were his calf kicks, quickly causing visible issues for Ribeiro who at times changed stances and tried to get the fight to the ground. With less than a minute remaining in the first round Nallo landed a particularly effective calf kick that caused Ribeiro to tap out while still standing ending the match. After the match ended Ribeiro revealed the kick had broken a bone in his leg. This victory brings “Rat Garbage” his third victory and third finish since parting from Bellator in March 2023.
MANDEL NALLO def. DEIVISON RIBEIRO — Submission (Leg Kick) | Round 1 | 4:19
8. KYLE PREPOLEC VS GUSTAVO WURLITZER: LIGHTWEIGHT BOUT
In the feature bout of the night, former BTC Fight Super Lightweight Champion and UFC veteran Kyle Prepolec made his return to BTC Fight Promotions for the first time since 2019. His opponent was an experienced Brazilian competitor Gustavo Wurlitzer who came into the bout with an impressive 52 professional bouts to his name. The entire fight took place on the feet with both men trading early and often. Prepolec stalked Wurlitzer keeping him backed to the cage for most of the bout. The former BTC champion eventually stunned Wurlitzer with one of his signature head kicks and got the Brazilian to shell up against the cage giving him time to set up a devastating body shot. The blow to the liver immediately dropped Wurlitzer to the ground and the bout ended via technical knockout due to strikes soon after. This is Kyle Prepolec’s third win under the BTC Fight banner and his third consecutive victory dating back to 2022.
KYLE PREPOLEC def. GUSTAVO WURLITZER — TKO (Punches) | Round 1 | 3:04
9. TONY LARAMIE VS JOSH SMITH: FLYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP
The co-main event of the evening pitted Windsor’s Tony Laramie against American Top Team’s Josh “That Guy” Smith for the vacant BTC Fight Promotions Flyweight Championship. The bout started with a leg kick from Smith knocking Laramie briefly to the ground. Laramie threw his own kick soon after but was off-balanced by Smith hitting the canvas again. After scrambling away from a barrage by Smith the Canadian was able to reset and set up a devastating combo. Stepping in and throwing from southpaw Laramie landed an overhand left dropping Smith and followed up with a flurry of strikes ending the fight. Laramie defeated Smith via knockout in a spectacularly fast 25 seconds winning BTC the Flyweight championship. With back-to-back victories inside the BTC Fight cage totalling 58 seconds Tony Laramie has his first professional belt and is firmly seated as Canada’s number one ranked flyweight prospect.
TONY LARAMIE def. JOSH SMITH — KO (Punches) | Round 1 | 0:25
10. ADAM ASSENZA VS THIAGO OLIVEIRA: CATCHWEIGHT BOUT
The main event of the night was only the second match to go all three rounds at BTC 24. The reigning BTC Fight Promotions Lightweight champion, Adam Assenza, moved up in weight to take a short-notice battle against a dangerous Brazilian submission artist Thiago “Siriguela” Oliveira.
During the first round, both men traded hard shots on the feet before Oliveira initiated a grappling exchange and managed to get Assenza down. The Canadian was eventually able to slip out and landed several shots on the feet before the Brazilian shot in for a second takedown. Though Assenza was able to land a barrage of hammer fists Oliveira was able to complete the takedown and end the round on top.
When round two arrived Oliveira sought the takedown again early. Assenza’s ground game and defensive efforts stifled the Brazilian for most of the round. Nearing the end of the round Oliveira was eventually able to reach full mount. He attempted to submit Assenza with an arm triangle submission but the Canadian defended it. Oliveira finished the round with some strikes from mount.
The two fighters were jawing at one another in between rounds, adding fuel to the fire.
Round three saw Assenza take control of the fight. Shooting an early takedown he was able to get Siriguela onto his back briefly. After getting back to his feet Oliveira looked for his own takedown but was sprawled on by the BTC champion. For the remaining three minutes of the final round, Assenza landed an unending barrage of strikes while the Brazilian offered little in the way of defence and remained in a turtle position. With the final bell nearing the Brazilian scrambled with Assenza landing in his guard. Assenza postured up and continued to reign down shots forcing the Brazilian to give up his back again. Assenza attempted a rear naked choke in the dying second but the final horn sounded ending the bout. With the dominant round, Assenza secured a 10-8 round in the eyes of all three judges.
The match ended in a draw at 28-28, only the second draw in BTC history.
ADAM ASSENZA vs THIAGO OLIVEIRA — Unanimous Draw | 28-28, 28-28, 28-28
