IFL 4 - Recap

IFL4 has officially come to an end, and what an event it was. The IFL4: Holiday edition event went well beyond expectation. We had four fights, eight fighters, and incredibly diverse match ups. As Famecast Studio filled to capacity, we began our event with the beautiful, light as air vocals of Swedish pop singer, Manda Malina.

(Photo by iCaptureviolence)

She filled the room with holiday spirit as she sang her new single, Bow On Top. Then opening our card, we had the “frenemies”, KC Fantastic LA and Julio Lopez. Following was the “Fighter’s Fight”, Danny “Dansteezy” Astorga and Raul “RCG53” Garcia, which had the crowd on their feet. Next, our “Super Heavyweight Challenge”, where Ruben Zapata, standing 5’6 at 218lbs, took on Slap For Cash, standing 6’2 at 400lbs, in a seemingly David and Goliath match up. Lastly, our main event, the highly anticipated “Influencer Throwdown” where social media star BDave went up against social rival, Zack Bernardez. All of these incredible displays of athleticism, guts, and entertainment; that isn’t even the best part though. We practically filled our stage with unwrapped toys for the Boys and Girls Club and are currently calculating the donations raised.

Our first fight, the “Frenemies Rematch”, was an explosive display between fighters "Fantastic LA" and Lopez.

(Left- Fantastic LA , Right- Lopez)

Photos by: iCaptureviolence

The friendship and camaraderie of the two fighters did not translate into the ring, as neither held back from delivering devastating blows and truly giving it their all.

Having sparred countless times at their mutually attended training gym, their friendly rivalry is one of skill and precision.

Ultimately though, Fantastic LA walked away victorious in a split decision.

(Left- Astorga, Right- Garcia)

Photos by: iCaptureviolence

Our second fight was definitely a crowd pleaser as Astorga and Garcia came in fast and came in hard, sending a back and forth flurry of blows as soon as the bell rang.

Both fighters are trained in a background of MMA, with Astorga being a grappler and Garcia being a striker. When asked how they felt being limited to just fists, both were clear that it was “for the other man’s safety” that they were sticking to boxing.

In a close fight that came down to counting blows, both proved to be dangerous opponents in the ring. Garcia ended up walking away the winner in a unanimous decision.

Our third fight and co-main event, the “Super Heavyweight Challenge”, saw a valiant effort from Zapata.

(Left- Slap, Right- Ruben)

Photos by: iCaptureviolence

At a 182lbs and 8in disadvantage, Zapata showed immense courage stepping into the ring against the 6’2, 400lbs man himself, Slap For Cash.

Slap is well known for being one of the best, if not the best, slap fighters on the planet. So it is safe to say that Slap is no stranger to hand-to-hand combat sports.

Both came in with extremely opposing skills. Zapata had speed and agility where Slap had brute strength and reach.

That being said, the evidently inevitable outcome of Slap’s victory rang true with the fight stopping well before the final round in a TKO.

Our fourth fight, our main event, our “Influencer Throwdown”; it gave everything that was promised.

(Left- BDave, Right- Zack)

Photos by: iCaptureviolence

Social media stars and rivals, BDave and Zack Bernardez, were practically made for each other. Stepping up to the fight with a relative short time to prepare, Zack showed a lot of heart in the ring.

With the ref requesting the fight to end, Zack pushed for one more round, earning him both the crowd’s and his opponent’s respect.

BDave remained composed the entire fight with a clear progression having been made since his last IFL showcase.

BDave was the winner by TKO, seemingly without breaking a sweat. Both fighters left the ring holding their heads high, and even posting on social media in solidarity afterwards.

All in all, this was an unbelievable IFL event that won’t soon be forgotten. The entertainment from our incredible musical performance by Manda Malina. The spectacular show of athleticism we saw in the ring by our fighters. The immense generosity from our guests in the toys they donated. We are so grateful to everyone who participated in this amazing event, and cannot wait for IFL5. In the meantime, Happy Holidays, everyone. We’ll see you next year.

Written by Nikki Hru