SALEM, N.H. ¬— Calvin Kattar stepped out of the cage and into a sea of humanity; most screaming and some even crying.
''Kattarmania'' was running wild.
The slogan made famous by Hulk Hogan in the 1980s is plastered across yellow and red shirts of Kattar's supporters, who turned out in incredible numbers for last night's victory.
With the win, the Methuen prospect's improved to 8-1 and earned his first MMA championship, the NABC East Coast Lightweight title.
"Unbelievable," Kattar said of the support. "I couldn't hear myself think."
Kattar downed Andrew Montanez (8-11-1) in the main event of American Steel Cage Fighting 2 before about 1,200 fans at the Icenter in Salem.
He won by unanimous decision in the longest fight of his career.
The 21-year-old never went to his corner in eight previous fights, picking up seven wins (5 by knockout) and losing just a single match to Binky Jones.
Kattar tried vehemently to end the fight early, landing some heavy punches in the first round and connecting on two flurries against the cage, but Montanez survived the onslaught.
"He did what he said he was going to do," Kattar said. "He needed to survive my early punches and he did. I would even say he took it to me in the first round, which hasn't happened before. It was definitely one of the most difficult fights I've had. It's the most difficult win I've had."
After Montanez took the first round on all three judges' scorecards, Kattar took over, stalking his opponent like a shark. At one point in the second round, Kattar had knocked Montanez to the mat with a lunging right hand and Montanez kept backing away on the ground, sliding on his elbows to avoid further punishment.
"He wasn't running away but he was protecting himself," Kattar said. "He had a strategy and was sticking to it. I knew I was going to have to fight a different style of fight to get the win."
With the win, Kattar proved he wasn't one-dimensional — he's finished off seven opponents within the first three minutes — and that he could win on the ground.
Kattar went to the mat numerous times, nearly locking in choke holds through the middle rounds. While Montanez was turtled, Kattar inflicted punishing blows to the kidneys and ribs with both his knees and fists.
"I love this sport," Kattar said. "I love the fans, I love being in the cage. To me, there isn't anything better than this."
Kattar says he isn't sure when he'll fight next. Not only is he considered one of the best MMA prospects on the East Coast, but he's also a full-time student at Middlesex Community College.
Akl submits with a second left
The much anticipated debut of Tyson "Psycho" Akl ended when Colin Schrader forced his heavily-tattooed opponent to verbally submit in an arm bar with just one second to go in the first round.
Akl, a Salem resident originally from Methuen, controlled the stand-up portion of the fight, but Schrader took control on the ground and snapped on an arm bar just as the ringside official clapped the 10-second warning.
There was some confusion when Akl didn't tap, but verbally submitted according to the referee. The especially pro-Akl crowd booed heavily, but the 185-pound striker raised the hand of his opponent, and bowed out of respect to the opposing corner.
American Steel Cage 2 Results
Calvin Kattar (8-1-0) def. Andrew Montanez (7-11-1) via unanimous decision
Colin Schrader (2-0-0) def. Tyson Akl (0-1-0) via SUB (2:59, 1st round)
Eric Henry (9-6-0) def. Doug Gordon (10-8-0) via TKO (2:49, 3rd round)
Kenny Foster (3-1-0) def. Travis Lerchen (4-6-0) via SUB (0:20, 2nd round)
Neil Woodworth (2-0-0) def. Eric Sunday (1-1-0) via TKO (0:49, 3rd round)
Jason Earl (1-1-0) def. John Fiore (0-1-0) via TKO (1:15, 1st round)
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