Dauda Keita (top) fights for position against Moose Jaw's Rodney McNabb.

Mosaic Place was transformed on Friday night for XCW Figthing Championship 50 “Redemption” as fans were treated to some exciting mixed martial arts action.

There was nine fights on the card with four of them featuring local fighters and the hometown fighters didn’t disappoint.

Moose Jaw native Rodney McNabb took on Dauda Keita -- who moved to Saskatoon from Moose Jaw -- in the main event bout for the XCWFC Lightweight Championship.  Keita was able to defend his title with a submission in late in the first round after a hard fight from both sides.

“I did not put on the greatest fight or show, but I tried my best,” said Keita as he celebrated the win with family and friends afterwards.

McNabb says he was disappointed with his performance, “I had to deal with a couple of minor injuries in training and if this fight was a month ago, we probably would have had a different outcome.

“I tried to work something in for the fans.  I tried.”

Both fighters came out swinging and the bout was faced paced right from the start.  Keita eventually got McNabb down to the ground after a missed throw attempt by the Moose Jaw fighter, and once that happened Keita was able to take control and get the submission with about 40 seconds left in the fight.

“I knew I had one good round in me, I was hoping to get it done in the first, I missed my throw and I ended up on the bottom,” explained McNabb after the bout.

The win improves Keita’s record to 5-0 in his MMA career.  He says he just wants to keep improving, “Every fight I see myself getting better and doing some corrections, but that doesn’t mean I have to back down or stop training.

“I’m going to keep training until UFC opens their eyes to help me.  That’s my goal, to make it to UFC and I’m not going to stop until I make it there.”

The crowd was split between the two fighters with local connections and Keita says it was extra special to get to perform in front of his mother.

“I never, ever competed in front of her,” said Keita.  “She was about to cry, but I said, ‘don’t cry, I did it for you.'”

Julio Colquhoun was the first local fighter to get into the cage and he wasn’t in there long as he forced his opponent, Lloyd Valley from Geraldton, Ontario, to tap just 59 seconds into the fight.

Next up on the local card was 19-year-old Dustyn Malinowski as he squared off with 34-year-old Jeremy Bruins.  Their Welterweight bout went to the second round, but was stopped due to a cut over Malinowski’s eye.

Moose Jaw’s Steven Arens won his Heavyweight bout against Damon Steadman from Saskatoon.  Arens was on the run at the start of the fight, but picked up his second career win by strikes at the 4:20 mark of the first round.

In other fights on the night, Medicine Hat’s Gauge Beck submitted Mitch Stewart 30 seconds into the first fight of the night with a rear naked choke hold.

Ryan Moore and Kevin Peyachew battled for two rounds to an unanimous draw in the second fight of the night.

Chad Sutherland knocked out Alfred Swindler-Horse in their Light Heavyweight.  It was the first KO of the night.  Sutherland caught Swindler-Horse with a series of shots that sent him falling to the mat.

Stacy Obchansky picked up a second round TKO over Chrystal Thornton in the Middleweight Boxing Title bout that kicked off the second half of the night.  Obchansky took some early blows and then chased down Thornton for the rest of the fight.

18-year-old Ashton Ledoux used a standing guillotine to win the XCW Featherweight Title bout against 41-year-old Roddy Busler.  The fight was stopped at 1:36 mark of the second round.