WORLD EXCLUSIVE EVENT REPORT
By Peter Hugh Jones for MMA Universe
Melvin Manhoef threw punches that were simply too fast for the aging radar of Ian Freeman to pick up. As more and more upholstered fists landed on their seek and destroy mission, the bombs began to take their toll on the aged and now unconscious Ian Freeman. It was a scything right hand that sent Freeman to the mat, from where he received yet more blows from Manhoef who now leered over him. Another heavy right hand thudded against Freeman’s head and forced Grant Waterman to conclude the bout.
After coming out of retirement claiming that he was still the best Britain had to offer, Freeman was made to look like a silly old man living off past glory. So many promises had been made about how we were going to see something new and that we would all be surprised by Freeman’s performance - the hype eclipsed the spectacle. After only 17 seconds, Melvin Manhoef was awarded the victory and retained the Light-Heavyweight Championship belt and Freeman was left looking rather Royce-like.
Event promoters, Dave O’Donnell and Andy Greer couldn’t have hoped for a more successful evening than the one they enjoyed. The venue was packed out, all of the fights were gripping and the atmosphere was awesome. Prior to the event the two promoters implored the public to buy tickets if they wanted to see big fights. The public delivered, and now hopefully the two giants of British MMA will continue to put on the best fight cards in Europe.
James Thompson found international acclaim when he was called up to the ranks of the Pride Fighting Championships. Up to this point, Thompson had suffered only one defeat, which came at the hands of Tengiz Tedoradze at Ultimate Combat X in Kidderminster. The original fight card featured a rematch between the two, but when it was discovered that Tengiz had fought during the 28 day “lockout” period prior to the bout, he was stripped of his title and denied the chance to fight Thompson.
Thompson, now fighting for the vacant British Heavyweight Title, looked lackadaisical, gassed and unskilled in his bout with Rob Broughton who entered the bout on short notice and extemporarily.
Round one was dominated by Thompson who landed a stinging uppercut-right cross combination during the initial stand-up exchange, and who then went on to dominate on the ground also. However, Thompson failed to make the most of any of the positions gained. No submission attempts were made, Thompson opting instead to simply pound his way through Broughton. The crowd were becoming restless and impatient at Thompson’s lack of fervour which was causing the fight to become rather stale.
Round two continued in much the same fashion as the first. Thompson’s guard during the initial stand-up exchange was now low and fatigued but a failed takedown attempt from Broughton meant that Thompson found himself on top once again. This angered the crowd further who booed Thompson for his performance. Midway through the round Broughton swept Thompson from inside the guard, reversing the positions and implementing some ground and pound of his own - this was met with a roar of appreciation from the crowd. The tides were turning.
Round three was opened by Broughton with a range-finding front kick to Thompson’s chest. This strike was accompanied by a further three punches, all of which landed on the now unguarded face of James Thompson. Like a felled tree Thompson tumbled to the matt, partly under duress from his own exhaustion. Now in side-mount Broughton found himself with a wealth of support behind him and in a position to finish the fight. A few moments of ground and pound later, Broughton was stopped from administering any more punishment. Cage Rage had found a new British Heavyweight Champion, and it wasn’t James Thompson!
In the current MMA climate, fight promotions are holding onto their top fighters like boys in a playground holding onto their most precious football stickers. The result is that MMA fans aren’t getting to watch those dream bouts that cross the UFC/Pride boundaries. However, Cage Rage have been very successful in matching ex-UFC exponents with ex-Pride fighters. Gilbert Yvel versus Fabiano Scherner was one such bout, and was a dream match-up by UK standards. Unfortunately for those in attendance (and those watching on the new Cage Rage online PPV) the bout only lasted 1:30.
The bout started with some range-finding strikes from Yvel, until they were suspended by a knee from Scherner that landed squarely on Yvel’s groin guard. Yvel shook off the pain and the bout was resumed promptly. Yvel then attempted one of his patented knee strikes to which Scherner was wise, gaining the single leg takedown as a result. In an attempt to finish the bout quickly Scherner fell backwards into an Achilles lock, transitioning to heel-hook and then on to a knee bar. All three of these submission attempts failed, and what’s more, Yvel was pounding on Scherner’s head throughout. Once Yvel had his leg in relative safety he pounded with even more enthusiasm, reverberating a low thud through the entire cage via the head of Scherner. The onslaught was halted by the referee at 1:30 of round one.
Zelg Galesic is an MMA Universe favourite, and we were pleased to see that Cage Rage also had faith in the 26 year old Croatian striker by allowing him to step up and replace Evangelista “Cyborg” Santos in the bout against Curtis “Bang em Out” Stout.
It was Zelg who drew first blood by smashing low kicks into the legs of the American, straight after which Stout gained a double-leg takedown. Galesic is known for his laser guided accuracy and solid technical ability, and he certainly gave Stout something to think about with those low kicks. Whether it was these kicks or a premeditated game-plan that caused Stout to take the fight to the ground is not known, but this proved to be a fatal error.
Stout attempted to open up with some ground and pound but instead found himself clamped by a Galesic armbar attempt. His bid to slam out of danger failed and Stout now found himself tapping to the tune of an armbar at 1:10 of round one.
Zelg was evidently very pleased with his performance and announced that he wished to be considered for a title shot.
Robert “Buzz” Berry stormed through Pride veteran Henry “Sentoryu” Miller in just over a minute. The two leviathans launched at each other with Buzz fairing much better. Although Buzz had no real guard to speak of, he did make effective use of his range advantage. The Englishman’s heavy blows caused Miller to attempt a takedown. However this attempt was resoundingly quashed by Buzz, who then found himself on top. Buzz rained down some impressively heavy shots which appeared to be as powerful as the ones thrown when standing. At 1:06 of round one there was a referee interjection and a roar for the Englishman.
Every punch thrown by Mark “The Beast” Epstein in his bout with Dave “The Enforcer” Legeno was done so with evil intention. Epstein’s barely controlled aggression was painted across his face as he landed as frequently as he threw. Legeno attempted to throw punches with the same gusto which made the chasm between skill levels all the more evident. After having backed Legeno up against the cage, Epstein landed a crippling left-right combination that left Legeno rigid with unconsciousness. Epstein landed a glancing right hand as Legeno tumbled to the mat but the writing was already on the wall. Legeno was left disengaged from his senses after only 45 seconds.
After the bout Epstein revealed his intentions to challenge the winner of the Freeman vs Manhoef bout. He also gave a shout-out to “his boys locked up in Morocco”.
Fight-savvy Daijiro Matsui probably won the opening round by gaining a takedown and coming extremely close to ending the bout with an Achilles hold. The pain suffered by Guillet was written across his face as his hand was hovering in preparation for a tap that never came. Matsui surprised many by standing and trading with Guillet before taking him down and actually landed the better shots.
Guillet had found range by round two and was landing several uppercuts as well as a vicious right elbow - but it was Guillet’s ground and pound that made the difference. A huge cut was opened on Matsui’s left eye that forced referee Grant Waterman to seek a second opinion. It was that opinion that ended the bout - a doctor stoppage at 4:08 of round two.
The win was not the most convincing of the night but the tides did appear to be turning as Guillet landed more and more frequently. All that matters for Guillet is the ‘W’ and hopefully this may lead to more Cage Rage appearances for the UK-based American fighter.
The first round was clearly won by Jean Silva who was far more successful during the stand-up exchanges and had two very close submission attempts. The first was a kimura attempt that looked like it would put an end to the bout, the second was a side choke that Mohammed did very well to weather.
The next two rounds were very close and could have gone either way. But again the takedown debate rears its ugly head. Mohammed did appear to be taking Silva down at will be never really looked like he was going to finish the fight. Silva on the other hand was aggressive in all areas and landed a massive flying knee to Mohammed’s ribs at the end of round three. Mohammed eked out yet another decision (by majority), one with which the crowd did not concur.
Ross Mason, although rocked early on by Paul Daley, convincingly won round one. Almost the entire bout was contested on the feet with a tentative opening few seconds of range finding. The two started by exchanging leg kicks and then working on finding range with the hands. It was a Daley jab that had Mason stunned, but his recovery was quick and his response brutal. Mason landed a powerful right hook that sent Daley to the matt and then followed in with some more heavy strikes to see out the round.
Round two belonged to Daley. ‘Semtex’ had suffered a slow start and, after listening to the guidance of his corner, came out for round two on fire. Daley handed Mason a ground and pound mauling that left the Midlands fighter looking bruised and battered. Daley moved from the guard to side, and then full mount, pounding at every opportunity. The effect of this punishment would become evident in round three in which Daley appeared to be the much fresher fighter of the two.
Round three was by far the closest of the bout but it was Daley who was the deserving winner having taken Mason down and moved through the position handbook once again. Mason is a major scalp for Daley and this win goes a long way to realising Daley’s aspirations to be the best welterweight in the UK.
And in the rest of the night’s action…
Event report by Peter Hugh Jones for MMA Universe
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