To explain how much former Marine and MMA fighter Matt Leyva is beloved by family, friends and fans is to explain how deafening the silence seemed after Leyva was dispatched by Anthony Birchak in the main event of Jackson's MMA Series X.

After a minute and a half of frenetic exchanges on the feet and the canvas, Leyva was caught by a well-placed straight from Birchak at 1:22 of the first round. While disappointing, the loss for Leyva should serve as lesson and happens to the best on their way up.

Big ups to Nick Urso in the co-main that should've been but wasn't, his opponent came in 15-pounds over. Did he forget what weight he was fighting at? I was looking forward to seeing Nick "The Juggernaut" Urso fight; we'll all just have to weight (sic wait) – perhaps the next Jacksons card – to see Nick bang.

The co-main event "that was" excited from first to last bell. Conrad "The Razor" Padilla met Rolando Cespedes, one of two Cuban twin brothers on the main card. Both fighters came out aggressive from the opening gate as the fight took place everywhere: middle, fence, standing, ground. Every facet of MMA was on display with both fighters shining in all positions. In the end Padilla's conditioning, skill, and heart were too much, earning him the unanimous nod.

The other Cespedes brother, Manuel, faced Mike "The Rasta Zombie" Justus, using Justus' chin as a landing pad for his over hand left missile over and over again. Justus shook off each bomb thrown by the thickly muscled Cuban and fired back elbows and knees with precision.

After the first round Cespedes went flat, whether due to elevation, or the realization that he hit Justus with everything he had – and some things he didn't – and Justus was unfazed. In perhaps the strangest thing I've seen in an MMA fight, Cespedes late in the second and again in the third, tried playing possum for minutes on end, looking for places to rest his head and take a nap while eating elbows. The strange part wasn't using sleep as a tactic but the reaction by his corner after referee Zellner called a TKO. Suddenly Cespedes was wide awake and demanding justice.  Trust me, he had enough Justus!

The amateur side of the card was riveting; all the fights but one – a smooth triangle by Jon Sparks – went the distance, two were splits. The full results are as follows:

Professional MMA
Anthony Birchak, 9-1 def Matt Leyva, 9-3, by TKO 1:22 Rd 1
Conrad Padilla, 4-0, def Rolando Cespedes, 2-2, by Unanimous Decision
Mike Justus, 2-1 def Manuel Cespedes, 1-2, by TKO 4:28 Rd 3

Amateur MMA
Eric Dodson, 2-0, def Scott Ingram by Unanimous Decision
Jon Sparks, 5-3, def Allen Washington, 3-4, by Triangle 1:08 Rd 1
George Clynes, 4-1, def Randy Ray Sanchez, 1-4, by Unanimous Decision
Ricky Esquibel, 3-0, def Nick De Fiore, 4-2, by Split Decision
Matt Johnson, 3-0, def Michael Asmar, 2-1, by Split Decision