The Martlet

UVic alum Brian Chou (4-1) came up short in his first shot at the ISKA Welterweight Canadian championship, losing a close split decision to reigning champion Myles Lohman (11-1) on Saturday, April 6.

Headlining Quest for the title’s sixth show, Lohman came out strong in the first round, pushing Chou around and bullying him against the ropes and in the corners. Chou weathered the early storm, coming back to punish Lohman with knees from the clinch.

Knees were a big part of Chou’s game plan, and something he worked on specifically in training for Lohman.

“I knew he moved forward a lot, and he really opens up his guard as he comes in, so Gabe [Varga — Chou’s cornerman] though it would be a good idea to come up the middle with some knees,” said Chou.

Most of Chou’s offence came from knees in close, as well as leg and body kicks from distance. When the fighters found themselves trading punches, however, Lohman got the better of Chou.

After a razor-close first round, Chou dominated the second frame, countering effectively as the hyper-aggressive Lohman came forward with punches. After eating a gut-munching knee, Lohman looked to be nearly finished late in the round, purely covering up his damaged mid-section. Chou poured it on, but Lohman survived the round. The final two rounds of the four-round title fight were all Lohman, as Chou faded in the latter half of the fight.

“That kid has cardio for days,” said Chou of Lohman. “I really tried to train my conditioning for this fight, because I knew that, but unfortunately I twisted my ankle, so I didn’t really get to do any running for this fight. But no excuses. I knew what I had to do and I wasn’t able to do it.”

Chou was apologetic after the fight, apologizing to fans on the way out of the venue, and telling promoter Keith Varga that he was sorry about the let down.

“Nobody wants to lose, but to be pushed like that, that’s probably the best fight Brian could have had right now. Myles Lohman is an incredible fighter, I have a lot of respect for him,” said Varga.

In the co-main event of the evening, former amateur junior World Champion Chase Ingalls (9-0) snagged his first adult title belt with a unanimous decision victory over Bruce Khademi (3-4). In just his second fight since turning 18, the Campbell River native Ingalls won every round, blending punches, kicks and like Chou, knees from the clinch, with ease as he coasted to victory.

“This is no longer a hobby for me, it’s become a lifestyle, and it’s great to be this young and be a champion,” said Ingalls after the win, describing how his training has changed since he turned 18.

Ingalls controlled the pace of the fight from the get go, working from a distance with kicks and straight punches. At the start of the final round, Ingalls was already well on his way to victory when he landed a head kick that buckled Khademi, but the Vancouver-based fighter managed to recover and finish the fight with his consciousness still intact.

“It’s wonderful to see guys fighting for titles here, and it was just a great fight for Chase, it was a good test for him,” said Varga.

In other results, Victoria’s Leigh Mueller (9-3-2) fought Surrey’s Tom Mattu (5-2-2) to a draw, while Liz Williams defeated Liz Lampard (both of Victoria) by unanimous decision in a fight that featured two debut fighters. Scott Judson (4-2) defeated Nate Gray (5-2) by unanimous decision, while Kieran Mueller did the same to John Panke.

Two big announcements were made during and after the card. Hurricane Fighting Championships, Victoria’s first fully sanctioned amateur Mixed Martial Arts organization, announced its formation, while Varga told media about his plans to host an under-12 martial arts tournament, the first of its kind in Victoria. It will feature fighters from martial arts schools all over the Island.

For the headliner Chou, his first career loss will motivate him, not discourage him.

“The first fight I was at, it was [Lohman] fighting one of my good friends and, honestly, if I hadn’t seen him and Aaron [Varga] fight, I probably wouldn’t be doing this today,” said Chou. “I’ll definitely be back.”