(Skip to the 7-minute mark for the finish. Props: carloscub6)

Stepping in for the cancelled James Irvin vs. Houston Alexander co-main event, Tara LaRosa and Carina Damm put on a great show for the fans at Shark Fights 14 in Lubbock, Texas, on Friday, ending in a second-round submission win for the American. After an evenly pitched first round, LaRosa scored right away in the second frame, knocking Damm down with a jab. Damm immediately responded with a heel-hook attempt on the ground, but LaRosa grabbed a heel-hook of her own and was able to finish hers first. The loss was Damm’s third-straight, following a ten-fight win streak.

In the main event, Danillo Villefort dominated Matt Horwich for all three rounds with a varied striking attack and a handful of well-timed takedowns, earning a unanimous 30-27 nod from the judges. Full Shark Fights 14 results are after the jump.

(Wonder if he’ll blame Ken Shamrock for this one too…)

You know, at a certain point you’re just creating your own bad luck. It was reported yesterday that famously cursed MMA fighter James Irvin will not be meeting Houston Alexander in the co-main event of Shark Fights 14, as he was flagged by the California State Athletic Commission for the steroid epitrenbolone following his December 2 loss against Jorge Oliveira. Irvin faces a fine as well as a one-year suspension that would retroactively begin on December 3rd. In 2008, Irvin caught a nine-month suspension for the use of unapproved painkillers following his loss to Anderson Silva.

As it so happens, the Irvin/Alexander rematch wouldn’t have happened anyway, since Alexander has apparently suffered an undisclosed injury in training. Shark Fights is currently booking a replacement for the match, and plans to re-schedule the fight when the Sandman and the Assassin are available again. I guess it’s as good a time as any to update the James Irvin “Why Me?” Timeline…

(“And now *you* are cursed with my bad luck! And now I am free! Hahahahahaaaaaa!!!)

Things were different back in April 2008. Houston Alexander was still a scary up-and-comer in the UFC light-heavyweight division, trying to rebound from a TKO loss to Thiago Silva, and James Irvin was known as only a mildly cursed fighter. The two strikers first met at UFC Fight Night 13, and Irvin stunned the crowd by scoring an eight-second knockout via superman punch. The match represented Irvin’s high-point in the Octagon, as well as the beginning of the end for Alexander as a UFC fighter.

These days, they’re both trying to scrape together a career in smaller promotions. Irvin is coming off his controversial no-contest against Mike Crisman, while Alexander is riding a two-fight win streak, including a TKO victory over Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou at Shark Fights 13. And according to the Assassin via Twitter, the two will meet again in the co-main event of Shark Fights 14 (March 11 at the Fair Park Coliseum in Lubbock, TX).