HCL 12

HCL 12: Chuck Norris Reference was the twelfth mixed martial arts event held by the Human Cockfighting League. The event took place on December 30, 2012 from the Mount Carmel Center in Waco, Texas. This was the first HCL event taking place in the state of Texas.

Event
This event featured eight sanctioned mixed martial arts bouts. It was the first HCL show to feature five main card bouts and three preliminary bouts. All fights consisted of three five-minute rounds, except for the main event championship fight, which consisted of five five-minute rounds.

The opening fight saw much anticipated clown-for-hire Stanley Barcliffe debut with a knockout win late in the third round over Christian Sundance. The fight was not very close, and Sundance mostly survived a ground-and-pound onslaught from Barcliffe. However, this proved too much for the former child star, who was knocked out from the mounted position with vicious punches.

The second fight saw a returning Gabriel Holliday face Jackson Outcast. Outcast dominated the first two rounds, shrugging off an early triangle choke attempt from Holliday. The struggling musician put on a show in the third round, but it was not enough, and Outcast scored the decision. The third fight saw Salvador Topanopoulos continue to shoot up the heavyweight rankings with a big submission victory over Rodolfo "Bad News" Cruz. Cruz had started to dominate with his ground-and-pound game, but was caught overreaching with a punch and "Big Top" was able to lock in the triangle choke.

Preliminary action saw impressive debuts from three new HCL fighters. Welterweight ostrich jockey Tracy Rhea took DeAndre Combs to the third round in a difficult contest, cutting him late in the second with an elbow, and punching out Combs after downing him with two uppercuts early in the third. Heavyweights Henri Toussaint and Enzo Antonioni both showed strong striking abilities, taking out winless fighters Xavier Zima and Artemis Kroop, respectively.

The co-main event pitted top light heavyweights Ralph Marshall and Derby Mutton battle with a future title shot on the line. The two started careful but begin to loosen up and swing heavy punches in the first round. Mutton tagged Marshall late in the round, but was stunted by a trip, as Ralph Marshall went to ground. Mutton began to dominate the fight, throwing a few hooks that hurt Marshall, who was looking to clinch to neutralize the reach of the Brit. Round 3 saw a slugfest that Mutton ultimately won with a brutal knee to the body followed up by an overhand right, dropping Marshall and getting the TKO stoppage.

The main event saw the first ever title defense in HCL history, as Leo Serengeti put his Heavyweight Championship on the line against Englishman Curtis Prancer. Both men were expected to take the fight to the ground immediately, known for their wrestling and submissions. However, as Prancer went for an early shoot, Serengeti met him with a knee, knocking the challenger down. From there, Serengeti sunk in a deep guillotine choke to tap out Prancer in just over a minute, retaining his title in emphatic fashion.

Fight Card

 * Note 1: This fight is for the HCL Heavyweight Championship.

Bonus awards

 * Fight of the Night: 🇺🇸 Ralph Marshall vs. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Derby Mutton
 * Knockout of the Night: 🇺🇸 Stanley Barcliffe
 * Submission of the Night: Leo Serengeti