FIGHTING BRIEFS: Ash knocked out at Bellator; Bartlett wins bronze in Germany

BOISE — Straight Blast Gym North head coach Hamilton Ash was knocked out by Vince Morales in the third round of his bout at Bellator 155 Friday afternoon at CenturyLink Arena.

Ash, who had won his previous four professional fights, all by first round knockouts, earned the first takedown of the fight and was controlling the action through the first 10 minutes.

About midway through the third round, however, Morales landed a series of right hands, including several once Ash hit the ground to record the knockout. It came officially at 2:32 of the third round.

With the loss, Ash’s professional record falls to 4-2.

The Texas native worked under his now-coach Travis Davison at Straight Blast Gym in Kalispell before taking over as the head coach at the gym’s Whitefish location when it opened in 2014.

Bartlett claims bronze in Germany

HAMBURG, Germany — Kalispell phenom Adam Bartlett won his first two fights and came home with a bronze medal from the prestigious German Open taekwondo competition late last month.

Fighting in the welterweight division (130-138 pounds), Bartlett won a decision over Norway’s Trym Hejer, 14-1, in his first bout and then outpointed Hungarian Andras Egyhazas, 17-13, in the quartefinals. Bartlett dropped a 5-1 decision in the semifinals to Turkey’s Ferhal Can Kavurat.

The 15-year-old Bartlett was fighting for the first time in a new age division (15-17) after earning a spot on the U.S. National Team in September as a 14-year-old. Bartlett has been training at Big Sky Martial Arts in Kalispell for more than 10 years and is just the third fighter from the gym to earn a spot on the national team.

Bartlett is a freshman at Glacier High School.