Event Title: Cage Rage 19: Fearless
Event Date: 09 December 2006
Event Venue: Earls Court
Event Location: London
Date submitted: 12 December 2006
Submitted by: Peter Hugh Jones
In recent times the promoters of Cage Rage have elected to reduce the number of bouts on each card from what at one time was as many as eighteen, to a more manageable twelve. On this occasion that number was reduced even further when it was announced that Wesley "Cabbage" Correira would be unable to participate.
The reason for Cabbage’s reluctant withdrawal was a head injury suffered at the hands of what may have been several assailants who attacked him in the hotel foyer that morning. The incident robbed not only Cabbage, but also the Cage Rage fans of seeing his UK debut.
What was left of the fight card was a mix of internationally recognised fighters and hungry British talent- of which the headlining bout is a prime example.
The heavyweight bout between Eric "Butterbean" Esch and Rob Broughton was more of a spectacle than a sporting event but proved to be entertaining nonetheless. Esch entered the cage at a huge 180kg and was sluggish and plodding in his attempts to get within punching range of the now rather slimmed down Broughton. Broughton deftly attacked and retreated with speed enough to avoid the wild swings of his America foe. Implementing a well constructed game-plan, Broughton successfully landed a single-leg takedown that left Butterbean resembling a turtle on its back. It was only Esch’s size and awkwardness that enabled him to survive to the second round.
In the second round the action continued in much the same fashion as it had unfolded in the first- with the exception that Butterbean had gotten even slower. Broughton’s superior cardiovascular enabled him to avoid the now desperate swings of Butterbean and land another textbook takedown. From side mount Broughton unleashed a barrage of punches with what energy he had left, forcing Butterbean to verbally submit.
Zelg Galesic is a rather new name to most, but to those who have been following his progress in recent Cage Rage events his destruction of Mark Weir came as little surprise. The Croatian-born, UK-based fighter has been desperate for his chance to prove that he is of the highest calibre- he didn’t waste it. The bout started with fireworks with both men launching a whirlwind of punches until eventually one fell. Mark Weir, now on his back, found himself underneath his upstart rival and amid a ground and pound battering. The beating that ensued was so destructive that it lacerated Weir’s face, left his semi-conscious and forced the interjection of the referee. Galesic was crowned as the new British middleweight champion after having fought for only fifty seconds. Finally the modest but confident Croatian is starting to realise his potential. It seems only a matter of time before Galesic graces the world stage of Pride or the UFC.
The light-heavyweight bout between Elvis "The King of Rock n Rumble" Sinosic and Mark "The Beast" Epstein was a clash of styles with a predictable ending. Whilst the bout was on its feet Epstein was successful in landing several noteworthy punches, punctuated with meaningful leg kicks. However, it seemed only a matter of time before Sinosic would get the bout to the mat. Sinosic’s first attempt to fell Epstein was squandered by the Londoner who used a ring savvy takedown defence, sparking thoughts that he may just pull off the upset. However, after a brief spell of clinchwork the fight found its way to the mat via a tidy outside leg trip from Sinosic. Almost as soon as their bodies hit the ground the Australian had set his sights on one of the Beast’s limbs. An armbar was landed with great aplomb at 2:47 of round one; quashing any thoughts of a win for the hometown favourite.
Vitor "Shaolin" Ribeiro continued his string of submission victories with an impressive performance against Deep veteran Daisuke Nakamura. Ribeiro grounded his Japanese counterpart within the first few moments of the bout and instantly began transitioning between positions in search of that elusive submission. After having taken Nakamura’s back and failing to land a rear naked choke, the adaptable champion attempted an array of techniques, culminating in an armbar from the back mount. The submission appeared to be set on hard and true, yet Nakamura refused to tap. Referee Leon Roberts remained poised over the action ready to stop the bout when the tap came; however it was not Nakamura’s submission that forced the referee to stop the bout, it was his now broken arm. The replays revealed the Roberts had been spot on- Ribeiro was awarded the victory after 3:55 of round one.
Paul Daley had long been one of the rising stars of UK MMA and was given his opportunity to show his true worth in his bout with world famous Chute Boxe fighter Luiz Azeredo. The bout was an all out war and both men showed true class throughout the entire duration of the fight.
The first round was initially dominated by the wiley and aggressive Brazilian, who planted Daley on his back with a textbook double-leg takedown. From there, Azeredo moved throught the position handbook in search of a way to end the fight. However, Daley used moments of opportunity to get himself back to his feet and begin striking. Daley’s striking and crisp and accurate and looked sharper than it ever has before. After being forced to imbibe yet another takedown, Daley struggled to his feet once more and finished off the round in dominating fashion.
It was evident moving into the second stanza that Azeredo had received logical advice from his corner men. It was clear the Daley had intentions of winning by KO, so in order to obviate any such outcome Azeredo implemented a far more conservative gameplan. Azeredo landed another solid takedown and moved through his vast array of ground techniques, pounding at every opportunity. Daley did manage to get to his feet midway through the round and was successful in landing some heavy shots. Yet Azeredo showed his class in the face of adversity and landed another takedown amid a torrid period of abuse.
By the third round Azeredo’s gameplan was in full swing and working beautifully. However, Daley’s grit and skill level forced Azeredo work hard for every position, a situation which was exacerbated by some peculiar refereeing that saw Azeredo prevented from utilising the full mount as both men were told to stand. Any lapse in Azeredo’s concentration was punished with hard punch combinations and aggressive counter attacks. Yet despite Daley’s impassioned attempts to win the bout, Azeredo’s class and composure won out. He was awarded a unanimous judges decision after three hard fought rounds.
Although Daley lost he demonstrated that he has what it takes to make the step up to world level. Daley has not only youth and determination but a willingness to learn- he will have a lot to take away with him after this bout.
Jean Silva is not the man he once was. It seems as though someone has stolen his mojo because there was none of the acrobatic unpredictable style that made him so famous. Yet Silva’s lacklustre performance should take nothing away from Danilo Cherman who demonstrated some great skills. Throughout the duration of the bout Silva seemed to be on the back foot, always losing out to Cherman’s takedowns and superior positional skills. The only moment of his former sparkle showed by Silva was at the beginning of round three where he transitioned from a kimura to armbar that eventually broke Cherman’s arm- but even this wasn’t enough. Cherman fought on and was garnered with a unanimous judges’ decision. Silva’s future has been left uncertain.
In the rest of the night’s action….
Dave Legeno got redemption for the loss he suffered at the hands of Alan Murdoch in his Cage Rage debut. The now rather experienced actor turned fighter showed a much greater level of skill and discipline on route to a victory scored via rear naked choke at 4:10 of round one.
Alex Reid suffered an accidental thumb to the eye in his bout against “Professor X” Xavier Foupa Pokham which resulted in a judges decision being rendered after only 54 seconds of round two. Unfortunately for Reid, the decision went in favour of Professor X.
Jess Liaudin handed Ross Mason yet another loss, silencing the many doubters that thought that Liaudin was a finished fighter. Liaudin ensnared Mason’s leg after suffering a stamp to the head and landed a technically exquisite heel hook at 2:55 of round one.
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