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  - YAMMA DEBUTS; TAKTAROV & SMITH VICTORIOUS
Saturday, April 12, 2008 - by Logan Novatnack, photos by Len Campbell- special to MMAWeekly.com
To say that the YAMMA PIT itself is a unique sight would be a gross understatement. With it’s canvased mat that ramps three feet up into the cage on a twenty-eight degree angle, and fluorescent lights on the back of every turnbuckle, the “PIT” made it an interesting night for both fighters and fans alike.
YAMMA didn’t just give the sport of MMA a new Thunder Dome, it found time to bring back some of the sport’s most endeared legends. A Russian Bear, a Smashing Machine, the king of the four-round fight, and a man that just goes by the name of Pat Smith. YAMMA also found a way to bring back the grueling eight-man tournament, which included former Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight champion Ricco Rodriguez and UFC veteran Travis Wiuff.
YAMMA’s main event pitted Pat Smith against Eric “Butterbean” Esch. Butterbean’s only moment in the sun during this fight was the walk to the arena as the crowd couldn’t help but scream his name. This was a classic boxer vs. brawler fight in which the boxer (Smith) landed countless rights and lefts, while Butterbean was unable to land a single punch.
Smith resembled the likes of Apollo Creed as he bounced in and out peppering Butterbean with jabs while confusing the big man. He followed with a leg kick that sent Butterbean to the canvas and forced him to tap three minutes and seventeen seconds in the very first round.
In the co-main event Mark Kerr took on Oleg “The Russian Bear” Taktarov. Kerr started the fight stalking Taktarov like a hunter while trying to find his range with jabs. Kerr went for a shot and secured a takedown. Shortly after Oleg was able to get to his feet, but Kerr came right back at him and landed a big right and followed up with another takedown.
Kerr found himself moving towards Taktarov’s back trying for a rear naked choke, but the Russian fighter was able to roll out of it and caught Kerr in a kneebar ending the fight in one minute and fifty seconds of the first round.
YAMMA’s eight-man tournament consisted of one five-minute round for the quarterfinal and semifinal bouts. The final was a more conventional three five-minute rounds bout, where Chris Tuchscherer took on a tough Travis Wiuff.
Tuchscherer found his way to the finals by scoring a decision over Tony Slyvester and another decision victory over Olexey Oleinik. Wiuff paved his way to the finals by beating Marcelo Pereria by decision and an upset victory over highly favored Ricco Rodriguez, again by decision.
The stage was set for the first ever YAMMA tournament final as Wiuff came out and lateral dropped Tuchscherer to the canvas. Wiuff enjoyed side mount for a time, landing a few short elbows before Tuchscherer was able to get back to his feet. He then landed two big rights that left a smirk on Tuchscherer’s face. Wiuff was able to score another big takedown, but the fight was stood up due to inactivity. Just as the fight was stood up, Wiuff landed a huge right that dropped Tuchscherer, who popped right back up only to be knocked down again by another right hand. Wiuff quickly jumped on top to finish the fight, but ran out of time.
The second round started off with Tuchscherer giving a lot of respect to Wiuff’s right hand, as he tried his best to keep his distance, but ended up on his back after Wiuff scored another takedown. Not much action in this round as Wiuff spent most of it Tuchscherer’s guard trying to be offensive, but to no avail.
As the third round started, Wiuff was able to get his third takedown of the fight, but again because of inactivity the fight was stood up. The tables started to turn as Tuchscherer got a takedown of his own, but was short-lived due to Wiuff’s ability to get right back to his feet. Wiuff landed another solid right, which was answered by Tuchscherer own right hand. Neither fighter wanting to leave anything in the pit, they put on a show over the last minute of the bout, as they were going punch-for-punch.
For the first time in the fight, Tuchscherer was getting the better of the exchanges landing big shots that put Wiuff in a daze. But in the final ten seconds, Wiuff secured a takedown and eventually the first ever YAMMA tournament belt.
-Travis Wiuff def. Chris Tuchscherer by Unanimous Decision
-Pat Smith def. Eric “Butterbean” Esch by Submission (Strikes) at 3:17, R1
-Travis Wiuff def. Ricco Rodriguez by Unanimous Decision
-Chris Tuchscherer def. Olexey Oleinik by Unanimous Decision
-Oleg Taktarov def. Mark Kerr by Submission (Kneebar) at 1:50, R1
-Ricco Rodriguez def. George Bush by Unanimous Decision
-Travis Wiuff def. Marcelo Pereria by Unanimous Decision
-Chris Tuchscherer def. Tony Slyvester by Unanimous Decision
-Olexey Oleinik def. Sherman Pendergarst by Submission (Choke) at 4:18, R1
-Brian Vatell def. Antwan Britt by Unanimous Decision
-Lamont Lister def. Oleg Savitsky by TKO (Strikes) at 0:34, R1
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