THE LEAD-UP: The thundering crowd inside the Nationwide Arena could probably be registered on the Richter scale on this night. Boss Fight XXVII marks two years and a day since Union Grand Prix last visited the venue, when it hosted Boss Fight XI. Similar to that event in 2019 where Roscoe Robinson defended his Cruiserweight Championship for the very first time, the 225 pound division was the marquee bout for the night. To kick off the night, we open up with a Middleweight bout between Aston Page and Josiah Euphrates, two fighters who are desperately trying to climb out of the division’s basement. With young prospects being developed in Everest, the leash has been tightened on struggling competitors in Union, which adds to the importance of this fight.
ROUND ONE: Aston Page and Josiah Euphrates touched gloves to kick things off, and immediately Page fired off a body kick that wrenched Euphrates. The Egpytian native clinched with Page to regain his wits and threw some piercing knees to the thigh in the process. Page answered with some dirty boxing that hammered the, what already appeared, injured ribs of Euphrates. After a stalemate in the clinch, the referee separated the two and both fighters circled back toward the center of the octagon. Page setup a nice double leg takedown to bring the fight to the mat and the two jockeyed for position from there. From the bottom, Euphrates postured up and tried going for a triangle, but Page narrowly escaped. Euphrates then quickly switched gears and went for an armbar, but Page again managed to free himself and got back to his feet. With both fighters standing after the tense chain of submissions, the pace slowed down a bit as both fighters looked for some openings. Page connected with another kick to the ribs and could sense Euphrates was hurting pretty badly. Page finished strong at the end, connecting with a series of big strikes. A looping right hand, an uppercut, and a hook from Page had Euphrates on the brink of being finished, but he managed to survive the round despite getting a deep cut on the cheek. Page controlled the tempo this entire round, and despite nearly getting caught in a couple submissions when he took the fight to the ground, he took this round.
Isaac Cohen’s Scorecard (Unofficial): 10-9 Page
ROUND TWO: When the second round opened up, you could clearly see Euphrates was gassed. His heavy breathing could be cardio related, or the apparent rib injury could just make it that much harder for him to breathe, but in either case, Page could read it and his body language displayed a much looser and confident fighter. Page attacked first with a stinging calf kick and followed it up with a spinning back fist that continued to batter Euphrates’ bloodied face. Josiah tried to circle away, but Page landed a quick one-two combo and continued to close the distance and work behind the jab. Euphrates was obviously trying to keep distance, so Page decided to switch targets and began chopping at the legs with some brutal kicks. At one point Euphrates ate a kick that looked like it hyperextended his knee, and he continued fighting with a recognizable limp. This further slowed Euphrates down, and Page began picking him apart, mixing up a barrage of punches and leg kicks. Euphrates threw a desperation head kick that missed, and Page countered with a big right hook. Before the end of the round, Page scored another takedown to give him another clear-cut round on the scorecards.
Isaac Cohen’s Scorecard (Unofficial): 10-8 Page (20-17 Page)
ROUND THREE: With just five minutes left in this fight, this is clearly Aston Page’s fight to lose. The pace was slowed starting off, as Page seemed to give Euphrates the opportunity to try and build some offense. However, Page grew impatient with the timidity of Euphrates, so he connected with some jabs and then a big right hook that dropped Euphrates to the mat. Euphrates threw some upkicks to create some distance, and eventually Page stepped back and motioned for Euphrates to stand back up. Once Euphrates got back to his feet, he threw a lazy kick with no setup, which Page easily dodged and countered with another hook that nearly separated Josiah from his senses. Euphrates was on Dream Street and dove at Page’s legs to desperately attempt some sort of an ankle lock, but Page was able to kick his leg out. Euphrates decided to stay on the ground, and ate several leg kicks from Page before Page once again stepped back and motioned for him to stand back up. At this point Page looked like an apex predator playing with his food as Euphrates struggled to get back to his feet, only to get floored once more from a straight right and hook combo from Page. Instead of going for the finish and jumping to mount, Page stepped back and allowed Euphrates to get back to his feet. By this point, the crowd was screaming for a finish, and once Euphrates begrudgingly got back up, Page picked him apart. A front kick pushed Euphrates into the fence and Page began targeting the injured leg with some nasty kicks. Euphrates was a bloody mess by this point but showed a ton of grit as he continued to eat shots from every angle. Page was firing at will and mixed it up with kicks to the leg and body, and punches to the face. There was no way Euphrates was able to see clearly with blood covering his entire face, so he tried to shoot in for a takedown, but Page easily sprawled back at the buzzer. This fight progressively got worse for Josiah Euphrates, and in all honesty, probably should have been stopped a lot earlier. But the man survived the fifteen minutes, but even he knew, based on the look on his face, this was a one-sided fight in favor of Aston Page.
Isaac Cohen’s Scorecard (Unofficial): 10-8 Page (30-25 Page)
JUDGES’ SCORECARDS
Aston Page 10 10 10: 30
Josiah Euphrates 8 8 8: 24
Aston Page 10 10 10: 30
Josiah Euphrates 8 8 8: 24
Aston Page 10 10 10: 30
Josiah Euphrates 8 8 8: 24
Winner: Aston Page by Unanimous Decision
Statistics: Aston Page
Punches 32/36 (89%)
Kicks 19/19 (100%)
Clinch strikes 3/5 (60%)
Takedowns 2/2 (100%)
GnP strikes 0/0 (0%)
Submissions 0/0 (0%)
Clinch Attempts 0/0 (0%)
Time on the ground 73 s
Statistics: Josiah Euphrates
Punches 0/7 (0%)
Kicks 0/0 (0%)
Clinch strikes 2/5 (40%)
Takedowns 0/1 (0%)
GnP strikes 0/0 (0%)
Submissions 3/3 (100%)
Clinch Attempts 0/1 (0%)
Time on the ground 179 s
THE LEAD-UP: Up next we have our lone Bantamweight bout scheduled as Syn Saetang takes on Unais Cox. Syn is a young prospect out of the world renowned Throne MMA camp and has shown potential in her seven pro fights. Her Union debut didn’t produce the results she would have liked against the veteran Megan Reed, but many of her coaches have said this latest camp has been one of her best yet. Unais Cox is a rookie out of the Paroxysm camp who has struggled to get things going. At just nineteen years of age, she still has her entire career ahead of her, but if she continues to struggle like she has, it may be time to look at making a move to Everest and hone her skill set against similar level competition. In this striker versus grappler matchup, both fighters are looking to score their first victory in Union GP and veer in the right direction.
ROUND ONE: The fight began with Saetang and Cox cautiously feeling each other out. Saetang opened up with a leg kick that got checked, and Unais countered a leg kick of her own. The two would then step in and trade blows where Saetang got the upper hand in the exchange. Saetang went for another leg kick and then an uppercut, but Cox showed off some great footwork by not getting hit. Saetang would work behind the jab with mixed results, but found her range and landed a kick that wrecked Cox’s knee. Despite that, Unais continued to show some great movement by dodging and blocking most of the strikes thrown her way, but Saetang kept a fast pace on her and when she did connect, they were massive momentum shifters. By the end of the first five minutes, it felt like Saetang delivered the more significant damage, and thus, narrowly took the round on the scorecards.
Isaac Cohen’s Scorecard (Unofficial): 10-9 Saetang
ROUND TWO: Back from the break, Syn Saetang continued to keep the tempo going and targeted the legs of Unais Cox. After a few stinging kicks, Saetang connected with a bruising hook to the body that really slowed Cox down. Saetang went to capitalize on the incapacitated opponent with a looping right hand, but Cox caught her with a powerful left jab that staggered her. Cox then rushed her with a series of jabs and crosses and looked to swing the fight in her favor. The two traded punches in a wild exchange and Unais was starting to find her rhythm. Saetang circled out to regain her composure, but Cox wanted to keep pressing her. Cox tried cutting her off but Saetang trapped her and delivered a shattering straight right that quickly put the fight back in her control. Saetang went back to attacking the legs before landing another straight right and Unais Cox was in big trouble. Saetang secured a single collar clinch and landed the final knockout uppercut before her opponent even knew what had happened.
Winner: Syn Saetang by KO (Uppercut) at 2:34 Round 2
Statistics: Syn Saetang
Punches 20/34 (59%)
Kicks 8/16 (50%)
Clinch strikes 1/2 (50%)
Takedowns 0/0 (0%)
GnP strikes 0/0 (0%)
Submissions 0/0 (0%)
Clinch Attempts 0/0 (0%)
Time on the ground 0 s
Statistics: Unais Cox
Punches 10/21 (48%)
Kicks 2/3 (67%)
Clinch strikes 0/0 (0%)
Takedowns 0/0 (0%)
GnP strikes 0/0 (0%)
Submissions 0/0 (0%)
Clinch Attempts 0/0 (0%)
Time on the ground 0 s
THE LEAD-UP: In the second and final Middleweight Bout scheduled for the night, Lars Levy looks to continue to prove that age is just a number as he takes on the young prospect Nigel Musgrove. Levy has accumulated an impressive unbeaten streak since debuting in Union GP and wants to continue the trend en route to an eventual title shot. Nigel Musgrove fired out of the gates in similar fashion, beating big names like Travis Decker and Brendon McCarthy in his first two professional fights, but lost a rematch to Decker and then to former Middleweight Champ Asher Jrue. His rebound win over Ricardo Sandoval brings him back to the edge of title contention, but both fighters may still be a win or two away from being in serious contention. Both of these guys have the experience in deep waters, so we can expect this to be a knockdown, drag-out fight.
ROUND ONE: The fight began with Lars Levy wasting little time in executing a textbook single leg takedown. The two jockeyed for position for a while before Nigel Musgrove tried locking in a kimura from the bottom. Levy was able to escape, but Musgrove kept busy and managed to roll to get to full mount. Levy was able to halt any sort of offense and as a result the referee stood them up due to a lack of activity. On the feet, Levy worked behind the jab with mixed results then got surprised with a big left hand from Musgrove that wobbled him. The crowd was riled up as Musgrove closed in, but Levy changed levels and took him down with a eel-time double leg. Again the two jockeyed for position and eventually Musgrove slid his legs high and tried to secure a triangle choke. Levy quickly cut him off and jumped to side mount. After a stalemate, the official stood them back up. On the feet, Levy went back to working behind the jab, but Musgrove answered back and cut Levy on the cheek with some stinging combos. Levy threw a leg kick that Musgrove dodged and countered with a hook. Musgrove finished the round strong, raining down punches to give him a huge confidence boost heading into the second round.
Isaac Cohen’s Scorecard (Unofficial): 10-9 Musgrove
ROUND TWO: Things picked up right where they left off, as Levy’s leg kick got checked and Musgrove continued to pour it on him. Levy’s corner was looking worried at this point as Musgrove began developing a flawless counter game. Levy circled out and Musgrove tried cutting him off with punches, but Levy managed to avoid getting cornered. Levy tried taking the fight to the mat with a single leg takedown, but Musgrove was ready for it and sprawled back to stay upright. Both fighters traded shots but neither landed anything significant until Musgrove connected with a clean counter hook to the chin that rocked Levy. Musgrove pushed the pace and Levy couldn’t answer after eating a series of big flurries. Levy pushed back and the two engaged in a wild exchange but again neither one landed anything significant until Musgrove landed a big combo at the buzzer that nearly put a stop to this fight.
Isaac Cohen’s Scorecard (Unofficial): 10-9 Musgrove (20-18 Musgrove)
ROUND THREE: Five minutes remain in this fight and Lars Levy knows he’s behind on the cards. He shoots a single leg takedown to bring the fight to his realm. As the two were jockeying for position, Musgrove nearly caught Levy in an unorthodox shoulder lock but Levy scrambled out. Musgrove kept the pressure on and managed to roll out and get to full mount. Levy tried to roll out from the bottom but Musgrove took his back and worked to get a hook in. Musgrove got one hook in but Levy did enough to keep himself out of trouble, eventually causing the referee to stand them back up after another stalemate. Back on the feet, it was Nigel Musgrove’s time to shine as he looked to finish this fight. He delivered a brilliant combination that put Levy on his bike and pushed him back into the fence. Levy tried circling out, but Musgrove cut him off with more punches, forcing Levy to shoot in for a double leg takedown. The two hit the mat and Musgrove was quick to roll with the momentum and get to half guard. Musgrove transitioned to full mount and Levy tried rolling out, but like earlier, Musgrove took his back and got a hook in. Unfortunately for Musgrove, time ran out but he knew he won this round and the fight as a whole.
Isaac Cohen’s Scorecard (Unofficial): 10-9 Musgrove (30-27 Musgrove)
JUDGES’ SCORECARDS
Lars Levy 9 9 9: 27
Nigel Musgrove 10 10 10: 30
Lars Levy 9 9 10: 28
Nigel Musgrove 10 10 9: 29
Lars Levy 9 9 9: 27
Nigel Musgrove 10 10 10: 30
Winner: Nigel Musgrove by Unanimous Decision
Statistics: Lars Levy
Punches 0/7 (0%)
Kicks 0/3 (0%)
Clinch strikes 0/0 (0%)
Takedowns 4/5 (80%)
GnP strikes 2/3 (67%)
Submissions 0/0 (0%)
Clinch Attempts 0/0 (0%)
Time on the ground 346 s
Statistics: Nigel Musgrove
Punches 40/53 (75%)
Kicks 1/6 (17%)
Clinch strikes 0/0 (0%)
Takedowns 0/0 (0%)
GnP strikes 0/0 (0%)
Submissions 4/4 (100%)
Clinch Attempts 0/0 (0%)
Time on the ground 346 s
THE LEAD-UP: Up next is the Co-Main Event of the evening. It’s a crime that this fight hasn’t been talked about nearly enough. This bout has the makeup to be the dark horse Fight of the Night, pitting two very well rounded Muay Thai Kickboxers who are striving to reach title contention. Yasmine Vermeulen is coming off a tough loss against Natalie King for the interim Lightweight Title while Abbie Peterson is looking to add on a second consecutive win in her young Union GP tenure against a top tier competitor. Whoever wins this fight will be in the running for a title shot.
ROUND ONE: The Co-Headliner opens with both fighters touching gloves. The two shift back and forth before deciding to just close in and engage in a heated exchange. Yasmine Vermeulen got the upper hand, landing a few more significant blows to her opponent then tried to finish off the exchange with a head kick that just glanced off of Abbie Peterson. The two stepped back then Peterson launched a kick down the middle that didn't land. She circled in and connected with some exploratory punches before circling back out. Both women are showing each other a ton of respect as they search for any opening. Vermeulen stepped in and missed with a low kick, and Peterson rang her bell with a counter head kick. Vermeulen got wobbled and Peterson rushed in to capitalize. The two exchanged punches but Peterson was controlling the pace. Vermeulen whiffed another low kick, but pushed Peterson back into the fence with a powerful front kick and wrapped her up in double overhooks. As the two pummeled inside the clinch for control, Vermeulen landed a vicious knee to the thigh. Peterson shrugged her way free from the clinch and in the break off, Vermeulen missed with a leg kick and Peterson countered back with a stiff hook. Vermeulen stumbles back but launched a head kick that hit nothing but air, then Peterson rushed in with a bunch of jabs and crosses that had her rocked. In the final moments of the round, Peterson really started finding her rhythm as she showed off some great footwork dodging attacks and countering with a couple head kicks while also starting to work the body. This round started off pretty evenly, but AP really started to take over toward the end and will look to carry that momentum over into the next round.
Isaac Cohen’s Scorecard (Unofficial): 10-9 Peterson
ROUND TWO: The pace had slowed down quite at the start of the second frame. AP made the first move, tagging Vermeulen with several jabs and crosses then locking her in double underhooks against the fence. As the two pummeled in the clinch, Peterson saw a window and delivered a flying knee to the chest and nearly folded Vermeulen over. Peterson didn’t let off as she rained down punches in bunches then launched another flying knee that collided with Vermeulen’s chin. The crowd grew louder, sensing the end could be near as Peterson laid in another flying knee to the sternum and dropped Vermeulen. Yasmine popped right back up but had that thousand yard stare deep in her eyes. AP closed back in behind the jab and secured a double collar Thai clinch. Vermeulen looked like she was hanging onto Peterson to just stay on her feet while Peterson unloaded a series of punches. AP connected with another flying knee to the chin and the referee had seen enough and called this fight off. This signature win for the Everest alum against a title challenger will no doubt solidify her name in the short list of title contenders.
Winner: Abbie Peterson by TKO (Knees) at 2:34 Round 2
Statistics: Yasmine Vermeulen
Punches 7/19 (37%)
Kicks 3/9 (33%)
Clinch strikes 1/4 (25%)
Takedowns 0/0 (0%)
GnP strikes 0/0 (0%)
Submissions 0/0 (0%)
Clinch Attempts 0/0 (0%)
Time on the ground 8 s
Statistics: Abbie Peterson
Punches 18/32 (56%)
Kicks 3/4 (75%)
Clinch strikes 11/19 (58%)
Takedowns 0/0 (0%)
GnP strikes 0/0 (0%)
Submissions 0/0 (0%)
Clinch Attempts 0/0 (0%)
Time on the ground 0 s
THE LEAD-UP: It’s time for the Main Event and the culmination of the Triple C Grand Prix. Reggie James and Gauge Lattimore face-off after building an extraordinary route to reach the finals. Whoever walks out of this bout victorious earns the next crack at Cruiserweight Champion Roscoe Robinson, plus pocketing a cool $5 million. To say the stakes are high is an understatement, given this being the biggest purse in Union GP history. This is a matchup that gives us the classic clash of styles, a grappler versus striker. Reggie James has built an unbeaten record against some high level strikers, wrestlers, and everything in between. His world class grappling and arsenal of submissions has suffocated any offense thrown his way. Many predict this will be Gauge Lattimore’s toughest challenge to date, given the fact his only two losses have come by submission. We will find out if Reggie James will be the kryptonite that finally derails the surging G2 Grand Champion, or will Gauge Lattimore’s high octane striking be too much for James to overcome.
ROUND ONE: The fight began with both fighters showing respect toward one another and touched gloves. The two circled about for just a few seconds before Gauge Lattimore torpedoed himself at Reggie James with a barrage of jabs and crosses. James got rocked early but quickly changed levels and hit a double leg takedown. The two jockeyed for position on the ground, and somehow Lattimore managed to roll to full mount. It was obvious he didn’t look comfortable here and opted to stall out and allow the referee to stand them back up. Once they got upright, James shot in for a sweep single, but Lattimore read the takedown this time and sprawled back to stay in his feet. As soon as James got back to his feet, Lattimore began targeting his body with big hooks. James tried to cover up but left himself wide open for Lattimore to deliver a soul-snatching Superman punch. James stumbled back on his heels then dove at the feet as Lattimore rushed in. James tried securing some sort of ankle lock and nearly had it secured, but Lattimore kicked free and circled away. James stayed on the ground and tried luring Lattimore in and land some upkicks, but the referee ended up stepping in and instructed him to stand back up. With both fighters back on their feet, Lattimore landed a big looping left hand, then a straight right that caused James’ eyes to start swelling up. James circled out to try and cool the fight down, but Lattimore catapulted himself in with another Superman punch. James bounced off the fence and the two engaged in a chaotic exchange to the buzzer. The two headed back to their corners with Lattimore looking very confident in his performance.
Isaac Cohen’s Scorecard (Unofficial): 10-9 Lattimore
ROUND TWO: The second round opened up with James looking quite battered while Lattimore still looked fresh. A looping left hand by Lattimore connected once again and then the two followed up with another heated back and forth. Lattimore checked a lazy kick from James and threw a counter hook that snapped James’ head back. By this point it’s a wonder how much Reggie James can see and the referee took notice as he watched very intently. Lattimore connected with another violent looping left hand, followed by a right and the referee had finally seen enough to call this one off. A monumental victory for the G2 Grand Champion, but he stayed humble and kept his celebration to a minimum. He checked to make sure his opponent was okay and the two hugged it out while exchanging words of encouragement to one another after the official call from Mike Dempsey was announced.
Winner: Gauge Lattimore by TKO (Punch) at 1:04 Round 2
Statistics: Reggie James
Punches 0/4 (0%)
Kicks 0/0 (0%)
Clinch strikes 0/1 (0%)
Takedowns 1/2 (50%)
GnP strikes 0/0 (0%)
Submissions 1/1 (100%)
Clinch Attempts 0/0 (0%)
Time on the ground 140 s
Statistics: Gauge Lattimore
Punches 25/30 (83%)
Kicks 0/1 (0%)
Clinch strikes 0/0 (0%)
Takedowns 0/0 (0%)
GnP strikes 0/0 (0%)
Submissions 0/0 (0%)
Clinch Attempts 0/0 (0%)
Time on the ground 78 s
Venue: Nationwide Arena
Location: Columbus, Ohio
Attendance: 19,500
Date: July 21, 2021
Fighter Payouts: $6,010,000
Gate: $1,462,500
FIGHT OF THE NIGHT
N/A
PERFORMANCE OF THE NIGHT
Aston Page, Syn Saetang, Nigel Musgrove, Abbie Peterson, Gauge Lattimore
TOP EARNERS
Gauge Lattimore ($5,165,000)
Yasmine Vermeulen ($275,000)
Syn Saetang ($145,000)
Abbie Peterson ($115,000)
Nigel Musgrove/Aston Page ($85,000)
RECAP
Aston Page def. Josiah Euphrates by Unanimous Decision (30-24 x3)
Syn Saetang def. Unais Cox by KO (Uppercut) at 2:34 Round 2
Nigel Musgrove by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 30-27 x2)
Abbie Peterson def. Yasmine Vermeulen by TKO (Knees) at 2:34 Round 2
Gauge Lattimore def. Reggie James by TKO (Punch) at 1:04 Round 2