Moses Lake's own Jacob "Young Gun" Guertin added another highlight to his growing MMA career this past Saturday, securing a second-round submission victory over Brody Case at the Conquest of the Cage event in Spokane. The win, which improved his record to 4-3, showcased both the grit and cleverness that have made him a fan favorite at Freewind Martial Arts.
"Pretty good, pretty clean, not hurt too much. Face is a little bruised, but that's about it," Guertin said with a smile after the fight.
The bout didn't start according to plan for the young fighter. Case came out aggressively, landing a quick punch combo that stunned Guertin early and set up a takedown. But Guertin's composure never wavered. "I knew exactly where I was. I knew what I needed to do," he explained. "When he hit me, it stunned me for sure, I felt him get his hooks in and so my main thing was get to my back."
Once on the ground, Case attempted to lock in a chokehold, but Guertin fought it off with impressive technique and awareness. In a moment that highlighted both his experience and presence of mind, he kept signaling to the referee that he was still in the fight. "I kept looking at the ref, giving them nods and thumbs up, I had to hold a thumbs up position while I was fighting this choke," he noted—a smart move in amateur MMA, where officials are quick to stop fights to prevent injury when a fighter is caught in a submission.
From there, Guertin seized control, dominating Case on the ground and looking for openings to land strikes. In a moment of pure showmanship, he delivered an unconventional blow that had the crowd laughing. "I was literally sitting on him, and there wasn't really a whole lot for me to do in that instance. I was just looking at the crowd; I was kind of annoyed, so I gave him an elbow in the butt. It was pretty cool, because I didn't really know what to do. I didn't know if anything would hurt, so it's like I'll do this to make the crowd laugh."
The first round ended with both fighters still entangled, but Guertin entered the break feeling mentally sharp and physically fresh. He admitted to some frustration, feeling he had underperformed early. "The fact that he immediately was able to do that to me, it got to me, and I told my corner, 'I want to tire him out and then I'm going to chase the knockout. I know he's tired.' I feel great."
That confidence proved prophetic. When the bell rang for round two, Guertin came out on the attack, landing a series of strikes that pushed Case against the cage. A flurry of uppercuts and body shots set up the takedown that would lead to the fight-ending submission, capping off a night that proved once again why they call him "Young Gun."