Shawn Jordan couldn’t lose this fight. Not in front of his crowd.The former LSU fullback’s fight against fellow heavyweight Corey Salter (7-13) was the main event at USA-MMA and Beat 2 Sleep’s Louisiana vs. Florida event at the River Center on Friday. Sporting a red Mohawk, Jordan entered the cage to a standing ovation from the crowd at the mixed martial arts event. But he didn’t have the start he was hoping for. Jordan took some shots in the early portion of the opening round — shots hard enough to leave him bloodied. But they didn’t faze him. With his nose, mouth and chin dripping blood, Jordan let Salter know he wasn’t hurt and grinned from ear to ear. Jordan, listed at 6-feet and 245 pounds, took the fight to the ground, picking up and slamming Salter to the mat, much to the crowd’s delight. Jordan delivered blow after blow to Salter’s face after mounting him. Salter couldn’t defend himself against Jordan’s “ground and pound” game. He tapped. The stoppage at 3:18 in the first round enticed a raucous ovation from the crowd. The hometown guy was victorious again, pushing his record to 4-1. He celebrated the win with a back flip. Salter had been a late change on the card. Jordan learned of the notification Tuesday but seemed prepared nonetheless. Salter came into the fight on a six-fight losing streak, while Jordan was coming off his first loss, a first-round knockout against Kenny Garner. Jordan said afterward the early shots didn’t affect him. “He busted me up, but I’ve trained with some rough guys, so I’m used to it,” Jordan said. Jordan has no plans after this fight, although his performance should garner the interest of promoters.
“Wherever I’m going to fight next — I don’t care.” Jordan said.Other local fighters shared the stage with Jordan on Friday with mixed results.Former Tara High School wrestler Ben Kristonis fought challenger Chris Marquez. Kristonis didn’t last long. He took the fight to the ground, trying to utilize his wrestling skills. Bad decision. Marquez locked Kristonis’ right arm in an armbar and forced Kristonis to tap 1:48 into the first round. Former Baton Rouge High wrestler Thomas Webb was likely the second most popular fighter of the night next to Jordan. Webb put on a masterful performance in front of a hometown crowd, easily winning a unanimous decision against Jason Abernathy. Webb toyed with Abernathy. The fight was nearly stopped three times with Webb opening up a severe cut above Abernathy’s left eye. Abernathy stayed on his knees for several minutes after the final bell. Baton Rouge native Matt Brown fought an entertaining fight against undefeated Will “Furious” Florentino in a fight remembered more for the post-fight festivities. Brown and Florentino fought a close bout until Florentino caught Brown in a deadly triangle choke. Brown refused to tap. Brown passed out after several minutes in the choke, ending the fight at 3:57 in the second round. In his post-fight interview, Florentino kneeled on the center of the mat and proposed to his girlfriend in the stands. After she apparently accepted, Florentino sprinted out of the cage and into the stands to greet his new fiancée. —-Contact Chris Branch at [email protected]