CW Press Release
UK Mixed Martial Arts Promoter Dougie Truman, pioneer of The Cage Warriors Fighting Championships was recognized by the BNMAA on Sunday 8 Dec at their annual award ceremony in London when he was presented with an award for his work in the development of British Mixed Martial Arts. With his Cage Warriors event firmly established as one of the UK’s foremost MMA spectacles, Dougie has pushed the barriers further than most bringing some of the most exciting fighters from around the world to the shores of the UK.
Dougie had this to say: " It is truly a great honour to even be considered for an award, let alone win one. To stand up in front of so many distinguished members of the Martial Arts community means a great deal to me personally and of course professionally. It means people are taking notice of the hard work the CWFC team and I are doing. Many people have trodden the road ahead of me and I aim to continue their hard work and effort for a long time to come. I intend to make the Cage Warriors Fighting Championships the biggest event in the UK & Europe and then we’re going to look to contend with the big boys in the States and Japan. I’ve always maintained that I am here for the duration and I will never promise anything that I cant or won’t deliver. I think to be recognized by an organization such as the BNMAA says a lot about who I am and what I bring to the table. It really is a great honour and im extremely proud right now.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A welcome return to Dougie Truemans 'Fist's of Fury' Cage Wars series of shows. This had all the makings of a smooth running event from the outset, a fantastic cage, some top international fighters, a superb laser and light show and some Sunday Sport girls with enormous.....erm...... anyway on with the show.
First off, to make us remember were the MMA style originally came from was a Gracie Jiu Jitsu display by purple belt & Gracie instructor Mark Walder and Shane. Starting with a sequence of self-defence techniques against common attacks such as punches, headlocks and standing holds Mark countered all with hip throws, body slams and an impressive array of locks and chokes. Mark went on to demonstrate some free sparring with Shane showing the effortless transition from a dominant position into an assortment of arm, leg, foot locks and sweeps.
Ross Pettifer Vs Glen Appleby
Appleby's entrance was menacing display of gangster swagger and attitude, unfortunately it didnt seem to have any effect on Pettifer. The young 17 year old from Plymouth looked seriously out of his depth against a much more physically intimidating opponent but this was soon proved inaccurate as Pettifer laid into Appleby with a series of punches and knees followed with a huge roundhouse kick to his body. That seemed to shake Appleby but before he could regain his composure Pettifer presented the tip of his knee to Appleby's forehead dropping him instantly to the canvas. At 20 seconds into the match the referee stopped the fight.
Simon Holmes Vs Lee Spencer
Holmes was a giving some weight away but looked superbly conditioned compared to Spencer. This looked to be an interesting match to start with, Holmes getting the clinch and taking the fight to the floor. Spencer seemed to be happy in this position and looked to be a confident grappler almost reversing his position immediately. Holmes managed to hang on though and take Spencer's back, after securing his position and dispatching some heavy artillery Spencer, bleeding heavily tapped out.
Andy Cooper Vs Steve Cooper
After a bizarre Santa Clause entrance by Steve, a less than impressed Andy Cooper looked on not quite sure what to make of his festive opponent. However, both were looking fit and ready for the fight, if I was a betting man my money would have been on Steve as he looked the more confident and relaxed of the two. Nonetheless Andy started as he meant to go on with a huge leg kick followed by a thundering roundhouse kick to Steve's head. This must have shaken Steve but he did well not to show it, Andy however continued a series of high kicks and sharp punches. After some good exchanges and just when Steve seemed to be getting some confidence back Andy launched a right hook of mass destruction which sparked Steve upon impact sending him to sleepsville, ala Igor Vovchanchin Vs Francisco Beuno, to the floor. To be honest I thought it looked quite serious at first as Steve seemed to be deeply unconscious but the referee soon took control of the situation and was quickly assisted by the medical staff which was good to see. Now you know why I'm not a betting man.
Semmy Schiavo Vs Jean da Silva
For me this was the fight of the night, Shiavo looked a lot more solid than the wiry Da Silva but I assumed would not be able to compete with Da Silva's machine gun submission ventures. After some probing Da Silva went to clinch and made some good attempts to get Shiavo down but the Frenchman narrowly avoided this, frustrated Da Silva jumped to guard and paid the price by taking some punishment early on while he tried various knee bar assaults. At the end of R1 I would have marked Shiavo narrowly ahead as he had landed more shots.
R2 started with Da Silva running a doing a second rate jumping front kick which missed by a mile but then set him up for a sensational jumping knee bar which Shiavo managed to muscle out of. Da Silva although looking tired kept the pressure on and again almost got another knee bar, by some act of God Shiavo again escaped. Although I would mark this round a draw, Da Silva was showing some tremendous fighting spirit and was prepared to take some blows to get the submission, while Shiavo seemed content to simply counter his attempts with blows.
R3 If I was a betting man, which we've established I'm not, my money would have been on Shiavo by now as Da Silva appeared to be gassing. But incredibly he still managed some spinning high kicks. Da Silva went in for a desperate double leg takedown and amazingly got it forcing Shiavo into the fence, from here Da Silva saw his opportunity and quickly got Shiavo's back. After some deft little moves and having got Shiavo completely flattened out he sunk in a rear naked choke and he tapped out. Da Silva is a technical, animated and very courageous fighter whose not afraid to entertain the crowd with his high kicks and demented submission attempts at the cost of getting hit.
Phil Holmes Vs Steve Thomas
R1 Two big guys came to fight here and started off with a huge amount of physical effort in both striking and takedown attempts. Holmes eventually ended up in Thomas' guard and sought the standard 'can opener' technique to break the guard. This failed and so he started a barrage of punches which, fortunately for Thomas, few actually hit the mark. Thomas held his guard and finally towards the end of the round made a stab at triangle then an arm bar, both of which Holmes managed to muscle out of.
R2 Thomas lead straight from his corner with a cracking left jab which landed on Holmes cheek. Some more exchanges and finally Holmes clinched and ended up in Thomas half guard. From here it looked like Holmes would pass and punish Thomas, but instead Thomas managed to get a kimura arm lock and reverse Holmes on to his back. Thomas then applied an enormous amount of pressure on the arm which forced Holmes to tap.
Jez Marchment UK Vs Chris Cummins
Marchment was representing the 'Fred Ettish school of karate' against the quick kicking Chris Cummins in this fight. I don't know what strategy he had planned, if any, but he seemed completely unprepared for this type of event. Cummins on the other hand knew the score and stalked him around the ring repeatedly striking with roundhouse and spinning back kicks. One low kick to Marchments knee sent him down and it looked like the end of the fight, but the referee decided to stand them back up and restart. After a short time Cummins dropped Marchment onto all fours, not hesitating Cummins then started punching ferociously to an undefended Marchment, it looked to me as if Marchment then slapped the canvas twice before the referee pulled Cummins away. For whatever reason Marchment suddenly lost his marbles and started pushing and arguing with the referee, fortunately he quickly found his marbles and acknowledged that he had indeed, actually lost the fight. To his credit, Cummins I thought could have rared up over this incident but decided to do the honourable thing and politley acknowledged his opponents frustrations.
Dave Elliot Vs Laszlo Forro
Gracie Jiu Jitsu's Dave Elliot looked to be outweighed by Forro whose Hungarian team mates all sported some fine examples of what appeared to be false comedy inflatable ears. Nonetheless Elliot went in and started a trade of punches. Forro appeared to land some shots before Elliot decided to take Forro down and ended up in the guard. Elliot started to seek some submissions but Forro launched a horrendous barrage of blows to Elliot's face and head. Undeterred, Elliot worked a triangle then an arm lock, Forro muscled out of both but in the process gave Elliot the opening to take his back. The easy option would have been to get the hooks in and start punching or try for a choke but instead Elliot opted for a much riskier Neil Adams type arm lock from Forro's back. This was an excellent move which forced Forro onto his back with his arm locked out straight, Elliot applied the pressure to Forro's, by now banana shaped arm forcing him to tap out. A good display of Jiu Jitsu from Elliot which even had Ian Freeman commenting in admiration, by far the cleanest and most technical submission of the evening.
Chris Kerr Vs Atilla Kubilay
Atilla walked into the cage as if he had some haemorrhoid trouble but once the fighting started soon showed the anasol had kicked in and displayed some fierce fighting skills. These however amounted to little more than getting Kerr in a horrendous looking headlock which I actually thought might remove Kerrs head from his shoulders. Although Kerr fought bravely he was out muscled by Atilla and with an onslaught of punches and knee attacks had a huge gash open up above his right eye forcing the referee to stop the match.
Terry McDougal Vs Robi Sarkozi
Both big guys and heavy hitters this fight went with a bang from the off. Some fierce exchanges ended with Sarkozi in McDougal's guard. From here Sarkozi landed some big blows while McDougal attempted some submissions. Both were soon back on their feet before some more hefty punches were thrown but then McDougal caught Sarkozi in a guillotine choke and went to his guard. I thought it was only a matter of time before Sarkozi escaped but instead he went unconscious before the referee intervened. A nice victory for McDougal who hung in for the submission against an extremely powerful opponent. As for Sarkozi, much to his teamates envy, I saw him leave with a superb example of just what a flase comedy inflable ear should really look like.
Andy Lagden Vs Jorge Rivera
In this the last match of the evening, was a fight between two big, big guys. Lagden took the fight to Rivera who looked confident but soon ended up with Rivera on his back. From here Lagden struggled to escape as Rivera held the position well, it was only a matter of time before Rivera slowly worked in a rear naked choke and forced Lagden to tap out. A courageous attempt from Lagden but the superior man on the ground won.
Overall this was an excellent nights fight entertainment, top marks to Ian Freeman for his stint as ring announcer, the Elite display team of Alvin Delemico and Thomas Gerlad, Dougie Trueman for putting on such a good show (and my free ticket!) and obviously all the fighters but for me I thought Darrin Richardson deserved a special mention as referee, which is not an easy job, I thought he made some good decisions, controlled the action, stepped in when necessary and reacted quickly when medical assistance was needed.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A night of Mixed Martial Arts action featuring the countries biggest fighting super stars - Press release by Dougie Truman
SUCCESS IN SOUTH LONDON
A rainy night in South London would herald in the first show of a new generation for Dougie Trumanâs Cage Warriors Fighting Championships. The previous shows hosted by Dougie had both been collaborations with other promoters, which due to several bad judgements had unfortunately not received the success that they had deserved. This time round, Dougie & his Cage Warriors crew were flying solo and this decision paid off with what many have quoted as being "the best show to hit the British scene for some time."
The Fusion Leisure Centre provided the venue, the sound system; a whooping 10k of thumping bass and a light show which would throw out lasers and strobes, which bounced off the ceiling and walls! Granda TV & Flame Productions were in attendance to film the event for satellite & terrestrial TV as well as providing the footage for the DVD/Video of the event. ADCC & Grappling Magazine reporter Carl Fisher was also in attendance together with Full Contact Fighter reporter Jim Burman so look out for their reports soon. Master of ceremonies for the night was none other than Ian Freeman. The UFC veteran seemed at home in the cage this time in the capacity of mic controller and head of "whipping the crowd up" which he did with great success. The card was stacked with some of the best talent in the UK right now.
Dougie had taken a lot of time personally selecting the fighters he knew would entertain the crowd and entertain us they did! From the US and headlining the bill on the night we had Jorge Rivera who fought a game Andy Lagden. Both fighters exchanged headshots with Andy forcing Jorge back against the fence with some serious shots to the face. The fight went back and forth for several minutes with both fighters ending up on the ground until Jorge finally finished the match with a well-timed choke! The second American on the bill would be AMC Pankration fighter Chris Munson who took on a very game Terry Dowding. Chris once again proved why he is rated so highly abroad with a convincing win from the mount in the first round.
The event saw the return of Brazilian fighter, Jean De Silva who entered the ring sporting his nations flag neatly dyed into his hair! Standing opposite Jean with a look of serious menace etched on his face was French fighter Sammy Schiavo. This was the fight of the night with Jean taking the victory with a submission in the 3rd! 17 year old, Ross Pettifer again stepped into the cage looking to increase his already impressive 10 and 0 amateur record.
Looking to end his winning run was Elite Fighter Glen Appleby. Anyone not familiar would be forgiven in believing that this was a mismatch. Glen was a solid 90k and Ross looked small at 88. However those in the know knew of Ross’s frightening ability and it came to no shock to those few when after a short trade between the two, Ross launched a thunderous knee which knocked Glen clean out. A stunning victory for the Angry young man from Sheffield.
In only his first pro fight, Chris Kerr literally went to war with Attila The Hun from Hungary. Both men came out firing with Attila eventually getting the better of Chris as the referee stopped the fight due to a nasty cut. Both fighters did extremely well; look to see them again soon!
The Cage Warriors Fighting Championship title was on line with Aussie Steve Thomas defending his heavy weight title against Phil Holmes. Both guys came to the cage looking confident and as the bell rang the atmosphere heated up! With what’s become known as Steve’s trademark, The Australian absorbed a huge amount of punishment until eventually securing the victory with an arm lock. Terry McDougall travelled down from the North East and we’re all glad he did! Sporting a Union Jack dyed into his hair, Terry, a regular training partner of Ian The Machine Freeman set to work against his Hungarian opponent, Robi Sarkozi. Both guys were physically impressive and the leather flew as the bell rang once more. After several minutes and several hundred punches, Terry was declared the victor by ref stoppage.
Steve Cooper of Elite Fighting would come up against Andy Cooper in a cracking match, which would see an exciting K.O! Both fighters stood and traded which got the fans up from their seats until Andy Cooper landed a clean over hand right which knocked Steve clean out. All credit to the ringside doctor and paramedics who acted quickly to make sure Steve was ok. Unfortunately the main event of the night did not take place due some irreversible issues with contracts. These things happen and all you can do is do your best not to let them happen again.
All in all the night was a big success not just for Dougie and his Cage Warriors promotion but also for MMA in general. The venue was good, the lighting and sound were the best seen in the UK to date and the audience got into every fight! The fighters came to fight. We bore witness too some very quick KO’s, some extremely technical ground matches and some top class grappling. It’s always a concern when you spend a lot of money bringing in fighters from abroad but in every instance we were completely satisfied with the performances they gave. Dougie added: Cage Warriors 2 was a good show for us. It gave us a chance to see what we could achieve on our own and where we we’re at. We’re along way from putting on what we feel is a perfect event but with each show that passes, we feel we are getting a little closer.
The Cage Warriors Fighting Championships would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year. SEE YOU IN 2003! With thanks to the following: Chris Munson, Jorge Rivera, Tony DeDolph & their team, Monika & The Hungarian team, Ian Freeman, Marc Walder & team, the Capoeira guys, Dave & the Elite squad, Jenna, Kerri & the Cage Warriors team, Carl Fisher, Jim Burman, Clarky, Darren Richardson and all the fighters, corners and trainers who made the event possible. Respect
t passes, we feel we are getting a little closer.
The Cage Warriors Fighting Championships would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year. SEE YOU IN 2003! With thanks to the following: Chris Munson, Jorge Rivera, Tony DeDolph & their team, Monika & The Hungarian team, Ian Freeman, Marc Walder & team, the Capoeira guys, Dave & the Elite squad, Jenna, Kerri & the Cage Warriors team, Carl Fisher, Jim Burman, Clarky, Darren Richardson and all the fighters, corners and trainers who made the event possible. Respect
CW Press Release
UK Mixed Martial Arts Promoter Dougie Truman, pioneer of The Cage Warriors Fighting Championships was recognized by the BNMAA on Sunday 8 Dec at their annual award ceremony in London when he was presented with an award for his work in the development of British Mixed Martial Arts. With his Cage Warriors event firmly established as one of the UK’s foremost MMA spectacles, Dougie has pushed the barriers further than most bringing some of the most exciting fighters from around the world to the shores of the UK.
Dougie had this to say: " It is truly a great honour to even be considered for an award, let alone win one. To stand up in front of so many distinguished members of the Martial Arts community means a great deal to me personally and of course professionally. It means people are taking notice of the hard work the CWFC team and I are doing. Many people have trodden the road ahead of me and I aim to continue their hard work and effort for a long time to come. I intend to make the Cage Warriors Fighting Championships the biggest event in the UK & Europe and then we’re going to look to contend with the big boys in the States and Japan. I’ve always maintained that I am here for the duration and I will never promise anything that I cant or won’t deliver. I think to be recognized by an organization such as the BNMAA says a lot about who I am and what I bring to the table. It really is a great honour and im extremely proud right now.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A welcome return to Dougie Truemans 'Fist's of Fury' Cage Wars series of shows. This had all the makings of a smooth running event from the outset, a fantastic cage, some top international fighters, a superb laser and light show and some Sunday Sport girls with enormous.....erm...... anyway on with the show.
First off, to make us remember were the MMA style originally came from was a Gracie Jiu Jitsu display by purple belt & Gracie instructor Mark Walder and Shane. Starting with a sequence of self-defence techniques against common attacks such as punches, headlocks and standing holds Mark countered all with hip throws, body slams and an impressive array of locks and chokes. Mark went on to demonstrate some free sparring with Shane showing the effortless transition from a dominant position into an assortment of arm, leg, foot locks and sweeps.
Ross Pettifer Vs Glenn Appleby
Appleby's entrance was menacing display of gangster swagger and attitude, unfortunately it didnt seem to have any effect on Pettifer. The young 17 year old from Plymouth looked seriously out of his depth against a much more physically intimidating opponent but this was soon proved inaccurate as Pettifer laid into Appleby with a series of punches and knees followed with a huge roundhouse kick to his body. That seemed to shake Appleby but before he could regain his composure Pettifer presented the tip of his knee to Appleby's forehead dropping him instantly to the canvas. At 20 seconds into the match the referee stopped the fight.
Simon Holmes Vs Lee Spencer
Holmes was a giving some weight away but looked superbly conditioned compared to Spencer. This looked to be an interesting match to start with, Holmes getting the clinch and taking the fight to the floor. Spencer seemed to be happy in this position and looked to be a confident grappler almost reversing his position immediately. Holmes managed to hang on though and take Spencer's back, after securing his position and dispatching some heavy artillery Spencer, bleeding heavily tapped out.
Andy Cooper Vs Steve Cooper
After a bizarre Santa Clause entrance by Steve, a less than impressed Andy Cooper looked on not quite sure what to make of his festive opponent. However, both were looking fit and ready for the fight, if I was a betting man my money would have been on Steve as he looked the more confident and relaxed of the two. Nonetheless Andy started as he meant to go on with a huge leg kick followed by a thundering roundhouse kick to Steve's head. This must have shaken Steve but he did well not to show it, Andy however continued a series of high kicks and sharp punches. After some good exchanges and just when Steve seemed to be getting some confidence back Andy launched a right hook of mass destruction which sparked Steve upon impact sending him to sleepsville, ala Igor Vovchanchin Vs Francisco Beuno, to the floor. To be honest I thought it looked quite serious at first as Steve seemed to be deeply unconscious but the referee soon took control of the situation and was quickly assisted by the medical staff which was good to see. Now you know why I'm not a betting man.
Sammy Shiavo Vs Jean da Silva
For me this was the fight of the night, Shiavo looked a lot more solid than the wiry Da Silva but I assumed would not be able to compete with Da Silva's machine gun submission ventures. After some probing Da Silva went to clinch and made some good attempts to get Shiavo down but the Frenchman narrowly avoided this, frustrated Da Silva jumped to guard and paid the price by taking some punishment early on while he tried various knee bar assaults. At the end of R1 I would have marked Shiavo narrowly ahead as he had landed more shots.
R2 started with Da Silva running a doing a second rate jumping front kick which missed by a mile but then set him up for a sensational jumping knee bar which Shiavo managed to muscle out of. Da Silva although looking tired kept the pressure on and again almost got another knee bar, by some act of God Shiavo again escaped. Although I would mark this round a draw, Da Silva was showing some tremendous fighting spirit and was prepared to take some blows to get the submission, while Shiavo seemed content to simply counter his attempts with blows.
R3 If I was a betting man, which we've established I'm not, my money would have been on Shiavo by now as Da Silva appeared to be gassing. But incredibly he still managed some spinning high kicks. Da Silva went in for a desperate double leg takedown and amazingly got it forcing Shiavo into the fence, from here Da Silva saw his opportunity and quickly got Shiavo's back. After some deft little moves and having got Shiavo completely flattened out he sunk in a rear naked choke and he tapped out. Da Silva is a technical, animated and very courageous fighter whose not afraid to entertain the crowd with his high kicks and demented submission attempts at the cost of getting hit.
Phil Holmes Vs Steve Thomas
R1 Two big guys came to fight here and started off with a huge amount of physical effort in both striking and takedown attempts. Holmes eventually ended up in Thomas' guard and sought the standard 'can opener' technique to break the guard. This failed and so he started a barrage of punches which, fortunately for Thomas, few actually hit the mark. Thomas held his guard and finally towards the end of the round made a stab at triangle then an arm bar, both of which Holmes managed to muscle out of.
R2 Thomas lead straight from his corner with a cracking left jab which landed on Holmes cheek. Some more exchanges and finally Holmes clinched and ended up in Thomas half guard. From here it looked like Holmes would pass and punish Thomas, but instead Thomas managed to get a kimura arm lock and reverse Holmes on to his back. Thomas then applied an enormous amount of pressure on the arm which forced Holmes to tap.
Jez Marchment UK Vs Chris Cummins
Marchment was representing the 'Fred Ettish school of karate' against the quick kicking Chris Cummins in this fight. I don't know what strategy he had planned, if any, but he seemed completely unprepared for this type of event. Cummins on the other hand knew the score and stalked him around the ring repeatedly striking with roundhouse and spinning back kicks. One low kick to Marchments knee sent him down and it looked like the end of the fight, but the referee decided to stand them back up and restart. After a short time Cummins dropped Marchment onto all fours, not hesitating Cummins then started punching ferociously to an undefended Marchment, it looked to me as if Marchment then slapped the canvas twice before the referee pulled Cummins away. For whatever reason Marchment suddenly lost his marbles and started pushing and arguing with the referee, fortunately he quickly found his marbles and acknowledged that he had indeed, actually lost the fight. To his credit, Cummins I thought could have rared up over this incident but decided to do the honourable thing and politley acknowledged his opponents frustrations.
Dave Elliot Vs Laszlo Forro
Gracie Jiu Jitsu's Dave Elliot looked to be outweighed by Forro whose Hungarian team mates all sported some fine examples of what appeared to be false comedy inflatable ears. Nonetheless Elliot went in and started a trade of punches. Forro appeared to land some shots before Elliot decided to take Forro down and ended up in the guard. Elliot started to seek some submissions but Forro launched a horrendous barrage of blows to Elliot's face and head. Undeterred, Elliot worked a triangle then an arm lock, Forro muscled out of both but in the process gave Elliot the opening to take his back. The easy option would have been to get the hooks in and start punching or try for a choke but instead Elliot opted for a much riskier Neil Adams type arm lock from Forro's back. This was an excellent move which forced Forro onto his back with his arm locked out straight, Elliot applied the pressure to Forro's, by now banana shaped arm forcing him to tap out. A good display of Jiu Jitsu from Elliot which even had Ian Freeman commenting in admiration, by far the cleanest and most technical submission of the evening.
Chris Kerr UK Vs Atilla'The Hun'
Atilla walked into the cage as if he had some haemorrhoid trouble but once the fighting started soon showed the anasol had kicked in and displayed some fierce fighting skills. These however amounted to little more than getting Kerr in a horrendous looking headlock which I actually thought might remove Kerrs head from his shoulders. Although Kerr fought bravely he was out muscled by Atilla and with an onslaught of punches and knee attacks had a huge gash open up above his right eye forcing the referee to stop the match.
Terry McDougal Vs Robi Sarkozi
Both big guys and heavy hitters this fight went with a bang from the off. Some fierce exchanges ended with Sarkozi in McDougal's guard. From here Sarkozi landed some big blows while McDougal attempted some submissions. Both were soon back on their feet before some more hefty punches were thrown but then McDougal caught Sarkozi in a guillotine choke and went to his guard. I thought it was only a matter of time before Sarkozi escaped but instead he went unconscious before the referee intervened. A nice victory for McDougal who hung in for the submission against an extremely powerful opponent. As for Sarkozi, much to his teamates envy, I saw him leave with a superb example of just what a flase comedy inflable ear should really look like.
Andy Lagden Vs Jorge Rivera
In this the last match of the evening, was a fight between two big, big guys. Lagden took the fight to Rivera who looked confident but soon ended up with Rivera on his back. From here Lagden struggled to escape as Rivera held the position well, it was only a matter of time before Rivera slowly worked in a rear naked choke and forced Lagden to tap out. A courageous attempt from Lagden but the superior man on the ground won.
Overall this was an excellent nights fight entertainment, top marks to Ian Freeman for his stint as ring announcer, the Elite display team of Alvin Delemico and Thomas Gerlad, Dougie Trueman for putting on such a good show (and my free ticket!) and obviously all the fighters but for me I thought Darrin Richardson deserved a special mention as referee, which is not an easy job, I thought he made some good decisions, controlled the action, stepped in when necessary and reacted quickly when medical assistance was needed.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A night of Mixed Martial Arts action featuring the countries biggest fighting super stars - Press release by Dougie Truman
SUCCESS IN SOUTH LONDON
A rainy night in South London would herald in the first show of a new generation for Dougie Trumanâs Cage Warriors Fighting Championships. The previous shows hosted by Dougie had both been collaborations with other promoters, which due to several bad judgements had unfortunately not received the success that they had deserved. This time round, Dougie & his Cage Warriors crew were flying solo and this decision paid off with what many have quoted as being "the best show to hit the British scene for some time."
The Fusion Leisure Centre provided the venue, the sound system; a whooping 10k of thumping bass and a light show which would throw out lasers and strobes, which bounced off the ceiling and walls! Granda TV & Flame Productions were in attendance to film the event for satellite & terrestrial TV as well as providing the footage for the DVD/Video of the event. ADCC & Grappling Magazine reporter Carl Fisher was also in attendance together with Full Contact Fighter reporter Jim Burman so look out for their reports soon. Master of ceremonies for the night was none other than Ian Freeman. The UFC veteran seemed at home in the cage this time in the capacity of mic controller and head of "whipping the crowd up" which he did with great success. The card was stacked with some of the best talent in the UK right now.
Dougie had taken a lot of time personally selecting the fighters he knew would entertain the crowd and entertain us they did! From the US and headlining the bill on the night we had Jorge Rivera who fought a game Andy Lagden. Both fighters exchanged headshots with Andy forcing Jorge back against the fence with some serious shots to the face. The fight went back and forth for several minutes with both fighters ending up on the ground until Jorge finally finished the match with a well-timed choke! The second American on the bill would be AMC Pankration fighter Chris Munson who took on a very game Terry Dowding. Chris once again proved why he is rated so highly abroad with a convincing win from the mount in the first round.
The event saw the return of Brazilian fighter, Jean De Silva who entered the ring sporting his nations flag neatly dyed into his hair! Standing opposite Jean with a look of serious menace etched on his face was French fighter Sammy Schiavo. This was the fight of the night with Jean taking the victory with a submission in the 3rd! 17 year old, Ross Pettifer again stepped into the cage looking to increase his already impressive 10 and 0 amateur record.
Looking to end his winning run was Elite Fighter Glen Appleby. Anyone not familiar would be forgiven in believing that this was a mismatch. Glen was a solid 90k and Ross looked small at 88. However those in the know knew of Ross’s frightening ability and it came to no shock to those few when after a short trade between the two, Ross launched a thunderous knee which knocked Glen clean out. A stunning victory for the Angry young man from Sheffield.
In only his first pro fight, Chris Kerr literally went to war with Attila The Hun from Hungary. Both men came out firing with Attila eventually getting the better of Chris as the referee stopped the fight due to a nasty cut. Both fighters did extremely well; look to see them again soon!
The Cage Warriors Fighting Championship title was on line with Aussie Steve Thomas defending his heavy weight title against Phil Holmes. Both guys came to the cage looking confident and as the bell rang the atmosphere heated up! With what’s become known as Steve’s trademark, The Australian absorbed a huge amount of punishment until eventually securing the victory with an arm lock. Terry McDougall travelled down from the North East and we’re all glad he did! Sporting a Union Jack dyed into his hair, Terry, a regular training partner of Ian The Machine Freeman set to work against his Hungarian opponent, Robi Sarkozi. Both guys were physically impressive and the leather flew as the bell rang once more. After several minutes and several hundred punches, Terry was declared the victor by ref stoppage.
Steve Cooper of Elite Fighting would come up against Andy Cooper in a cracking match, which would see an exciting K.O! Both fighters stood and traded which got the fans up from their seats until Andy Cooper landed a clean over hand right which knocked Steve clean out. All credit to the ringside doctor and paramedics who acted quickly to make sure Steve was ok. Unfortunately the main event of the night did not take place due some irreversible issues with contracts. These things happen and all you can do is do your best not to let them happen again.
All in all the night was a big success not just for Dougie and his Cage Warriors promotion but also for MMA in general. The venue was good, the lighting and sound were the best seen in the UK to date and the audience got into every fight! The fighters came to fight. We bore witness too some very quick KO’s, some extremely technical ground matches and some top class grappling. It’s always a concern when you spend a lot of money bringing in fighters from abroad but in every instance we were completely satisfied with the performances they gave. Dougie added: Cage Warriors 2 was a good show for us. It gave us a chance to see what we could achieve on our own and where we we’re at. We’re along way from putting on what we feel is a perfect event but with each show that passes, we feel we are getting a little closer.
The Cage Warriors Fighting Championships would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year. SEE YOU IN 2003! With thanks to the following: Chris Munson, Jorge Rivera, Tony DeDolph & their team, Monika & The Hungarian team, Ian Freeman, Marc Walder & team, the Capoeira guys, Dave & the Elite squad, Jenna, Kerri & the Cage Warriors team, Carl Fisher, Jim Burman, Clarky, Darren Richardson and all the fighters, corners and trainers who made the event possible. Respect
