The Civic Centre has housed its fair share of fights over the years. Most of them came as opponents wore skates and squared off on the ice.

Friday that changed, as Xtreme Cage Wars Fighting Championship 49 was in the Battlefords and seven mixed martial arts fights were held in a cage in North Battleford.

Of the seven fights on the night, two featured local fighters. The first fighter from the Battlefords was Kevin Peyachew, who stepped in the ring for his first official fight against Biggar’s Ryan Moore. Each won one of the two five-minute rounds and the fight ended in a draw in the 165-pound weight class.

The only other fight of the evening to go to a judges’ decision featured North Battleford’s Bobby “the Bully” Flamond against Saskatoon’s Tommy Wuttunee. This fight also ended in a draw, which upset some of the hometown supporters.

The other five fights at the Civic Centre ended in the first round including the main event between Dauda Keita and Caleb Ermine. Keita won his third title belt after forcing Ermine to tap out due to strikes 2:36 into the fight.

In the co-main event, Manuel Dufresne defeated Mike Flett 2:58 into the first round by submission.

In the 175-pound division, Brandon Peterson won his first XCW fight in convincing fashion over Wes Bowman. Peterson won with a triangle choke 3:34 into the first round.

Ashton Ledoux earned a title fight after beating Dakota Iron in the 145-pound featherweight division. Ledoux won 1:25 into the first round via an arm bar and is now set to take on Roddy Busler, who was a rings judge and the referee for the main event Friday in North Battleford.

In the first fight of the night, Peter Natomagan defeated Josh Tait 2:20 into the first round with an arm bar.

The crowd likely wasn’t what promoter and CEO of Xtreme Cage Wars Fighting Championship Dave Lochert had anticipated, but those who were in attendance were enthusiastic and seemed willing to watch more fights and support the event if it were ever to comeback to the Battlefords.

XCW 50 is set for Sept. 7 in Moose Jaw. Keita is set to defend his lightweight title and three other title fights are temporarily on the fight card.