It was a mixed bag for local mixed martial arts fighters and Cape Ann residents Pedro Gonzalez and Christian Rivera at Global Fight League's "Prevail" last Saturday at Nashua South High School.
Rockport resident Pedro Gonzalez dropped a five-round unanimous decision to GFL Bantamweight (135 pound) Champion Matt Smith (7-2). Gonzalez went the distance with the decorated high school and collegiate wrestler but was plagued by two fouls which led to a pair of one-point deductions. It was a close fight according to Gonzalez's brother Christian Rivera and the two points may have been the difference in him winning or losing the fight.
Smith, a New Hampshire resident, held on to his Bantamweight title and made his first successful title defense. In his last two fights, Smith has now defeated both Gonzalez (3-3) and his older brother Rivera. The latter was defeated by Smith in September by first-round technical knockout.
Rivera was also fighting on Saturday's card and came away with a unanimous decision victory over DJ Grimes, who he was slated to fight in September before the opportunity to fight Smith came up. With the win, Rivera snaps a two-fight losing streak and puts himself back in the mix as one of the top 135-pound fighters in GFL.
