On June 5, 2009, John Doyle competed in the M-1 Global Mixed Martial Arts fights in Kansas City.  John made the decision to accept a fight vs. Extreme Challenge middleweight champion Ryan Sturdy on just 24 hours notice.  Sturdy, also a late replacement, had just been added a week before.

John got off to a fast start and appeared to have almost knocked his opponent out within the opening seconds of round 1.  But his resilient opponent showed a strong chin and continued to engage in a back-and-forth fight that went the full two rounds.  While it appeared that both John and his opponent had fought to a draw and that an overtime round would be needed, two of three judges scored the fight in favor of his opponent. 

Although John lost by majority decision, his performance earned him the unofficial “Fight of the Night” honors.