The Cellar Gym fight team had three Muay Thai and three MMA fighters in action at Ignite Fights 109 on Saturday, August 16th. We had a couple great wins, plus a lot of valuable learning—just as important!

Yekuno Yilma stepped into the ring for his first Muay Thai fight and showed incredible composure and skill. His footwork, head movement, and feints looked like those of a seasoned fighter. He controlled range well and demonstrated sharp timing throughout the fight. Despite a strong performance, Yekuno was caught in the second round and suffered a technical knockout. The fight game is unforgiving—no matter how prepared or technical you are, moments like this can happen. We are proud of Yekuno for the way he represented himself and our team. This is just the beginning of his journey, and we can’t wait to see him grow from this experience.

Michael Franz made his return to the ring and walked away with a unanimous decision victory. It’s been a few years since his last fight, but you would never know it from the way he performed. He showed composure, patience, and technical skill throughout the fight. After being knocked down in the first round, Michael came back stronger in the second—scoring a knockdown of his own and taking control of the pace. His discipline and fight IQ carried him through the third, securing a well-earned win. He also earned Muay Thai fighter of the night!

Cody Johnson returned to the ring after two years away and put on a Muay Thai performance we are proud of. He faced a very skilled opponent and came up a little short. Cody showed power especially in the third round when he pushed the pace and left it all out there. This is only the beginning of his return! We’re proud to have Cody representing our team and can’t wait to see what’s next for him.

Chinemerem Eze-Sika made his MMA debut and showed a lot to be proud of. He had strong exchanges on the feet and displayed impressive submission defense and composure when put into tough positions. The result didn’t go his way this time, but it was a great debut and a valuable first step in his journey. We’re excited to see him build on this experience and come back even stronger. On to the next one.

Sam Bailey won via TKO in the 3rd round of his MMA fight. His opponent was technical and made it a strong back-and-forth battle, but Sam stayed composed and in control. He showed patience and balance throughout the fight, managing the action both on the feet and on the ground. In the third round, Sam turned up the pace—landing a clean punch that opened the door for a finishing flurry, forcing the referee to step in. Way to go Sam!

Hykeem Green came up short in his title defense, losing in the second round by guillotine. It was an off night in the cage, and sometimes that’s just how the fight game goes. Just like in training, there are good days and tough days, and competition is no different. He’ll take the lessons from this experience, make the adjustments, and move forward.

Fighters step into the cage alone, but they never walk in there by themselves. Every sparring round, every pad session, every word of encouragement, and every ticket bought adds up to moments like these.

This weekend showed once again how strong our Cellar family is. To everyone who trained with our fighters, came out to support in person, commented online, or simply cheered from home…you are part of this journey.

Thank you for being in our corner. These fights belong to all of us.