By James Sablan
james@mvariety.com
Variety News Staff
CAGE of Fire II lived up to its name, delivering a night of raw, decisive action at the Garapan Central Park Round House on Saturday night. The main event saw Guam’s Dylan Benavente score a blistering knockout against Saipan’s Cody Dela Cruz.
The event, held under Trench Tech’s new no-judge, one-fall-to-a-finish format, pushed fighters to seek definitive results — a goal Benavente achieved in spectacular fashion.
Already known for his historic six-second knockout last year, Benavente went for his signature head kick after touching gloves. Dela Cruz defended himself and fired back with quick exchanges, but the stand-and-bang was short-lived. Benavente took the fight to the ground, secured side control, and delivered a series of ground-and-pound blows, forcing the referee to stop the fight via TKO just 34 seconds into the first round.
Following the fight, the 20-year-old knockout artist said he was grateful for his first main event appearance. “I just did my thing,” he said, adding, “My strategy was just to get in there and do what I do best, which is kill. So, I’m a monster — recognize me! Let’s go!”
Benavente, also known as Dylan “The Monster” Benavente, praised the event as “beautiful” and gave a shoutout to Saipan, calling the island “very hospitable” with “pretty good” food.
Flyweight thriller
The semi-main event was equally explosive, with Keith “Khaos” Sablan earning a quick TKO victory over Saipan’s Jadrien “Sniper” Camacho, adding another win for Benavente Striking Academy. Both fighters opened aggressively, landing leg kicks and trading jabs. Camacho’s attempt to close the distance and clinch allowed Sablan to reverse positions, gain a takedown, and move into full mount. A flurry of punches forced the referee to stop the fight just 38 seconds into the first round.
Cage of Fire II marked the debut of Trench Tech’s bold new fight format, which eliminates judging in favor of knockout, submission, or draw outcomes. Trench Tech President Cuki Alvarez explained that the format is designed to deliver “outcomes that are crystal clear and driven entirely by the fighters” and to teach competitors “to not leave it in the hands of the judges” and to win “convincingly and definitively.”
Results for the rest of the fight card will be released in the next issue of Variety.
The event sponsors were IT&E, Miller Lite, Monster Energy, Century Hotel, Hafa Adai Rent a Car, Crank Industries, Fökai International and DC Pro Rentals.
James Sablan has been a sports reporter for Variety since 2013. He was a liberal arts student of Northern Marianas College and covers all local sports.
