All-or-nothing Cage of Fire II erupts with fiery, nonstop carnage

It was a merciless bloodbath across all 18 fight cards of boxing, kickboxing, and MMA, as Trench Warz Promotions rolled out a decisive, no-judges, knockout-or-draw format in Cage of Fire II on Saturday at the Garapan Central Park Roundhouse.

With that, Guam and CNMI fighters decked the cage with their blood, sweat, and tears as they brought their firepower and laid it all out in the octagon. The semi-main and main events didn’t disappoint, with technical knockouts scored by both Guam fighters. Every fight was a push to the finish—knock out your opponent or survive to a draw—and it kept fight fans on edge from the opening bell to the final round.

Just before midnight, the bell rang for the final time for the long-awaited main event between Guam’s Dylan Benavente of Benavente Striking and independent fighter Cody Dela Cruz.

Tension filled the arena, and from the opening bell, Benavente looked eager to recreate his six-second knockout from the inaugural Cage of Fire last year.

Benavente connected immediately with a stinging body kick followed by a 1-2 combo before securing a takedown. Dela Cruz attempted to get back to his feet, but it was short-lived as Benavente moved into mount and landed lightning quick 1-2 combos that forced the referee to stop the fight. While it wasn’t another six-second knockout, Benavente still secured the TKO just 34 seconds into the bout.

The 20-year-old fighter said on being the main event for the first time: “It’s a lot of weight, you know, it’s a heavy crown, but I wore that, I showed out and I just did my thing.” He added, “I love my team. I wouldn’t replace them for anyone else, man, it’s only up from here—all gas, no brakes baby.”

As for his opponent, he said, “It takes a lot to step in the cage and to do it for the first time, you know. I respect him for that, but next time, you know, know when not to fight.”

He then gave a shoutout to the people of Saipan and said, “I love this island—beautiful island.

Shoutout to the people of Saipan—very hospitable, and the food’s pretty good too. Shoutout to Cuki Alvarez, and Shirley’s got the best fried rice.”

Before the main-event, another anticipated matchup delivered an exciting fight. Last year’s main event winner, Keith “Khaos” Sablan delivered a TKO to CNMI’s Jadrien “Sniper” Camacho just 38 seconds into Round 1 of the semi-main event, handing another win to Guam’s delegation.

The bloodiest brawl took place just before the semi-main event, as Guam’s Alvin “Sweeps” Ok’s left eyebrow gushed blood that ran down his face and soaked his chest. It was an all-out war between him and CNMI’s Austin Arriola, with Arriola seeming to have the upper hand after landing hard strikes to Ok’s face. But Ok turned things around with a flurry of shots after pinning Arriola to the cage, which forced the referee to stop the fight at 1:48 of Round 1.

The other preliminary rounds also showcased gritty, nonstop action, with eight more fights won either by TKO or submission, while the rest ended in draws.

Guam’s Artaeus “Art of War” Aquinde submitted CNMI’s “Drizzy” Dre Aldan with a triangle-to-armbar at 2:01 of Round 1; CNMI’s Salvatore “The Tiger” Gotti electrified the crowd with a vicious first-round knockout of Fern “Da Konvict” Quitano at 2:16 after countering a body kick with a fight-ending hook.

A stunning come-from-behind win came by way of John Bokuku after he defeated Boom Taitano via TKO at 1:17 of Round 2. Beforehand, Keith “Rowdy Rebel” Aldan submitted Manuelito “MJ” Erediano in just 36 seconds of Round 1, and C.J. “The Rookie” Sablan and Mathew Salas battled to a draw in the fiery MMA opener.

In the kickboxing action, Quintin “Baby Rampage” Duenas stopped Derek San Nicolas via TKO at 1:00 of Round 2 and Adrian Lorenzo earned a TKO over Renz “Da Intense” Reyes at 1:20 of Round 2, while bouts between Ibraham “Jie” Njie and Javen Montenegro, Jonny “Bonez” Lee and Jimmy “Crazy Ray” Polk, and Justin De Leon and Jommy “Hot Tamale” Tubale all ended in draws.

The night opened with boxing contests that set the tone for the rest of the night, but saw both Glaine Cepeda vs. Kody “Cage” Palacios and Ernesto Licop vs. Enoch Pamintuan end in draws.

With this new fighting format—which eliminates judging in favor of knockout, submission, or draw outcomes, Trench Tech president Justis “Cuki” Alvarez said they plan to stick with it for future fights. He explained that the format forces each fighter to compete and win “convincingly and definitively.”

The event sponsors were IT&E, Miller Lite, Monster Energy, Century Hotel, Hafa Adai Rent a Car, Crank Industries, Fökai International, and DC Pro Rentals.