LOS ANGELES — Dick Delaware made a successful return to professional mixed martial arts on Sunday night at Soboba Casino in San Jacinto, Calif., defeating Adrian Perez in a heavyweight fight at the Gladiator Challenge via a technical knockout in 23 seconds.
The Huntington Beach, Calif., native whose real name is Aaron Brink, has more than 400 adult movie credits since 2002. He recently started performing again for Lethal Hardcore and Hustler Video, where he played the title character in "This Ain't The Terminator XXX 3D" in a movie released earlier this year.
The win marked the 50th pro fight for the 38-year-old, who improved his record to 26-23-1 in a combat sports career that began more than 14 years ago.
But the matchup took a bizarre turn on the eve of the fight Saturday, when Delaware actually picked up Perez in Whittier after his truck broke down and drove him to the official weigh-in. "It was awkward," Delaware said.
Perez, who is from Whittier, drove to California from his home in Springfield, Ore., where he has been a tattoo artist since retiring from MMA in 2008.
Delaware and Perez also exchanged words in the lockerroom prior to the bout, when Perez sought him out and told him what he planned to do.
"We were talking a lot and then everything fell apart for him once the fight started," Delaware said. "He tensed up and panicked. I got a sweep that I wasn't planning on and took flight on him and got full extension for some ground and pound. I got in five or six really solid shots and had to be pulled off. I was surprised it went that fast."
However, Perez told XBIZ that he thought the referee stopped the fight too soon and he would like the opportunity to fight Delaware again.
"I got slammed to the ground and got three or four hits to the head, but I was still defending myself," Perez said. "That’s what pissed me off. All I got out of there was a black eye. It's going to take more than a black eye for me to stop fighting. I felt like I pretty much got robbed on the whole deal. I want to rematch him again."
Delaware in March completed a 90-day jail term in San Diego after he was picked up for violating his probation stemming from legal woes in 2011 that included a DUI conviction. He said he was not sure when or if he would fight again, but he does plan to continue doing porn.
Perez fell to an unofficial 9-14 in a career than has spanned parts of 10 years, he said.
