MOSES LAKE — Jacob ‘Young Gun’ Guertin from Freewind Martial Arts was victorious via submission in the second round Saturday over Brody Case at the Conquest of the Cage MMA event in Spokane. With this win, his record improved to 4-3. Guertin was happy with the result, he said.  

“Pretty good, pretty clean, not hurt too much. Face is a little bruised, but that's about it,” he said.  

Inside the octagon 

Case was aggressive out of the gate as he hit Guertin with a punch combo that stunned him early, which helped set up a takedown.  

“I knew exactly where I was. I knew what I needed to do,” Guertin said. “When he hit me, it stunned me for sure, I felt him get his hooks in and so my main thing was get to my back. When he had my back, I postured up (and) pushed into him (to) fight the choke.”  

Once they were on the ground Case tried to lock in a chokehold, which Guertin successfully fought off before regaining control on the ground.  

“I kept looking at the ref, giving them nods and thumbs up, I had to hold a thumbs up position while I was fighting this choke,” he said.  

In the amateurs, fights get called quickly in those situations, Guertin said. It’s to help fighters not injure themselves when they’re in a position they can’t escape from but are eager to try anyway.  

From there, he controlled Case on the ground, looking for an opportunity to land more strikes. He was looking for an opportunity to attack, and he took a unique route.  

“I was literally sitting on him, and there wasn't really a whole lot for me to do in that instance. I was just looking at the crowd; I was kind of annoyed, so I gave him an elbow in the butt. It was pretty cool, because I didn't really know what to do. I didn't know if anything would hurt, so it's like I'll do this to make the crowd laugh,” he said.  

They remained entangled until time expired for the first round. 

Guertin said he felt great during the break; his mind was clear. He admitted to being frustrated going into the second round because from his perspective, he was underperforming.  

“The fact that he immediately was able to do that to me, it got to me, and I told my corner, ‘I want to tire him out and then I'm going to chase the knockout. I know he's tired.’ I feel great. I'm ready to go into the second round and walking into that second round, I could see visibly that he was so tired,” Guertin said.  

Once the bell rang for the second round, Guertin was on the attack and pursued Case with several strikes that pushed him up against the cage. Repeated uppercuts and a few blows to the body, Guertin took his shot for a takedown of his own.  

However, his situation escalated as Case responded with a triangle chokehold. This maneuver saw Case remain on his back while he used his legs to create a ‘figure-four’ lock around Guertin's neck and left arm.  

“I was almost out,” Guertin said. “I’ve only defended triangles when I have my right arm in. I didn't know which way to toss his legs; you're supposed to post the arm that’s trapped (and) bring it to the same side of the hip, and then just crank slowly (with) heavy pressure, and then you land in a side control. But I kept trying to go the other way, and I got the choke in deeper for him, and I almost went out.” 

After some maneuvering Guertin did a variation of a front roll allowing him to twist himself out of the hold and get into a north-south position. This position allows Guertin to sit on his opponent’s chest, preventing Case from using his legs.  

“North-south is one of my favorite positions, because there's almost nowhere you can go,” he said.  

While trying to roll out of the mount, Case’s arm came free and Guertin seized the opportunity to lock in a Kimura armbar hold which forced Case to concede. The two stood up and embraced, congratulating each other on a competitive battle, Guertin said.  

“He walked out healthier than me, honestly,” Guertin said. “I was really happy about that. I always want my opponents to walk out okay.”  

Fighting with a purpose 

Promoter Rick Little came into the octagon to congratulate each fighter, calling them one of the better fighters in the Pacific Northwest and saying he could see both in the UFC one day.  

“Meant a lot, especially for people from Moses Lake, like he's never really given recognition to fighters like that. He is really trying to get us out there,” Guertin said.  

After the bout, Guertin got to partake in his first post-fight interview, where he credited Freewind Martial Arts and the Moses Lake community. 

“I wouldn’t be anywhere without Freewind, (and) I just really appreciate this community that I've built, all of the people in my circle... they mean a lot to me, from the taekwondo classes, the little kids, the adults and the MMA class, they all do so much for me,” he said.  

He also praised Brandi for her support.  

“It was Mother's Day, so you know that played a big part,” Guertin said. “But I always shout out my mom. She is the only reason I'm here right now. She works three jobs... she goes out of her way every single day to make sure I'm healthy, I'm fed, I get driven around properly, I get my education and well rested for practice, so she deserves that recognition.” 

    Jacob Guertin, right, takes a photo with his mom Brandi Guertin, right, after his victory at Conquest of the Cage in Spokane on Saturday. Jacob said his mom is his biggest supporter.
  

    Jacob Guertin, middle, takes a photo with his opponent Brody Case, right, after their two-round MMA battle Saturday. Seated with them is Gannon Jordan, far left, who was in Guertin’s corner.
  

    Jacob Guertin, left, helps another MMA fighter tape their hands before a fight at Conquest of the Cage in Spokane.