"What separates the EVT from most of the other European events, is the match making. There are several big events in Europe, but few or none, match the fighters as well and as hard, as EVT does."

On the 26th of September, the 4th edition of European Vale Tudo was held before an almost sold-out Solnahallen, in Stockholm, Sweden. Going in, what could go wrong, seemed to go wrong, for the only cagefight event in Scandinavia. Yet, it turned out to be another successful event, for the people behind EVT.

Before the first EVT event in Sweden, EVT 2, there were a lot of negative articles in the Swedish media, which hyped the event. When it comes to selling tickets, nothing hypes an event as much as ignorant reporters who write about “the bloodsport, where several have been killed.” This time, though, the media left the event more or less alone, prior to the show (there were several terrible articles after the event, written by incompetent reporters), but there were few seats left, come fight time.

As everything went as smoothly as it did last time, the crew seemed more relaxed and the event unfolded accordingly. There were minor setbacks, like the missing sound of the interviews yours truly performed immediately after the fights, but all in all, everything went very well, as the show unfolded very fluidly. The crowd seemed just short of 1000, and once again turned out to be a very educated, positive gathering of MMA fans. For example, guard passes were applauded and so were all the winners, although some of the local favourites lost. The Swedish crowd is not the sometimes seen (mostly in Europe and America) redneck-ish mob in search of brutal stand-up wars. These are educated fans, who appreciate full contact athletes at their very best.

What separates the EVT from most of the other European events, is the match making. There are several big events in Europe, but few or none, match the fighters as well and as hard, as EVT does. The local fighters all face the toughest possible opposition, and therefore they lose from time to time. For the fans, this is the ultimate event, as all the fights are matched very closely, and you won´t see the typical mismatches. The original fight card was stacked with exciting fights, but in the weeks leading up to EVT 4 “Gladiators,” several fighters withdrew. Matchmaker (and referee), Marko Ervasti, still put together a tremendous fight card.

Of course, Guy Mezger, who was scheduled to headline the show against Pierre Guillet, had pulled out earlier (due to his offer from the UFC), and Ervasti managed to find yet another big name, as a substitute: Allan Goes. Two days prior to the event, everything seemed good to go, when the bad news came in from Brazil. Allan Goes had been held back at the airport in Brazil, by the local police, due to legal issues, and would therefore not be able to fight at the event. With 48 hours to go, it was simply impossible for Ervasti to find a suitable opponent for the disappointed Guillet, so the main event had to be cancelled. A very unexpected and amateurish mistake of Goes and Brazilian Top Team (Murilo Bustamante was present and held a speech, apologising on behalf of BTT)! Guillet showed class and dignity as he spoke to the crowd about the incident: “I´m sure Goes would be here if he could, but of course I’m greatly disappointed, as I`ve trained several months for this. First Guy, and now Goes. But we´ll have to do it another time and I hope to be back. I love Sweden and have been enjoying myself here. The food is great and the people very friendly.”

None the less, the show went ahead, with the 9 fights. With or without the Goes vs Guillet fight, this was probably the strongest fight card so far, in the short history of EVT. And the 18 remaining fighters did not disappoint, as they put on a wicked display of skill, heart and power. Several fighters impressed but especially David Baron made a big impression, with his incredibly strong ground game. Also, Orebro MMA Center impressed a great deal, with 3 decisive wins. It’s clear that the gyms which cross-train with other gyms, outside their own organization (like Ookami and OBJJA), hold an edge, compared to the other Scandinavian gyms. At Orebro MMA Center, both SBJJA and Shooters MMA reside, and as they train together, they share knowledge and therefore evolve rapidly.

Sebastian Korschilgen vs Robbie Olivier

In a surprisingly quick fight, Korschilgen (2-3-0) seemed very stiff and tense going in, so Olivier (9-5-1) took advantage by shooting in, from the distance, for an immediate takedown. On the ground, the tough Brit simply controlled the action from the top. He got to sidemount and looked for the opposite arm, for the armbar, but the talented German defended well. Olivier mounted, for a short while, before Korschilgen got guard. The Tsunami Gym representative stood up inside his opponent´s guard and landed some good shots, before he passed to sidemount and then mount. Once there, his Judo background once again came in handy, as Korschilgen couldn´t get him off. Soon, the blows started to rain down, on the Outsider Club member. Referee Ervasti let Korschilgen know that he would stop the fight if he didn´t defend himself intelligently. Olivier smelled the scent of victory and poured on the punches, for the stoppage.

“I had the opportunity to go for the arm early on, but he pushed my hips to get away,” the satisfied winner stated afterwards. “I decided to go for the mount and pound him.” Which he did very effectively, as he shut down an otherwise skilled opponent. Olivier never let Korschilgen into the fight. Although a rather easi win for the Brit, it was an opportunity to showcase his skills in front of the Scandinavian crowd, and he will surely be back. For Korschilgen, this was a tremendous learning experience. He was clearly very nervous, fighting in the cage for the first time. “I don´t know why I was so nervous. I´m usually much better,” the German fighter stated afterwards. He´s young and will be back.

Winner: Robbie Olivier by TKO
Time: 1,44 R1

Tim Vinther vs Diego Gonzales

Gonzales (2-2-0) gave a tremendous performance in his grappling domination of Vinther (1-1-0), after eating some precise blows early on. This was clearly not the same fighter, who looked sloppy and out of shape against Kenneth Rosfort, in May. None the less, the Dane started out very confidently, but taking the fight to the local hero. Gonzales, too, looked confident, and seemed unimpressed, until a big right and two stinging lefts caught his attention. Already marked and a bit rocked, he smiled, but the message had gone through loud and clear, from Vinther. He´s dangerous standing, with his freakish reach and good power. The Swede feinted a punch and shot in, lifted Vinther up and slammed him down for a big takedown. The crowd loved it and cheered Omar Bouiche´s pupil on.

On the ground, Gonzales showed to be a class above the Danish Shootfighting champion, in skill, as he absolutely dominated. He mounted, back mounted and controlled every aspect of the game, there. He kept looking for the RNC and used a body triangle to control Vinther, from the Dane´s back. Vinther showed grit and heart as he hung on. The loud supporters of Gonzales, was clearly anticipating and early night, for their hero, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn´t find the path to put Vinther away. For the biggest part of the 1st round, Gonzales looked for submissions and pounded on the defensive Vinther and therefore won the round.

Coming out to round 2, Gonzales oozed of confidence, as he tackled Vinther to the fence, and got another takedown. Once again, Vinther was in desperate trouble, as Gonzales was having a feast. He mounted and back mounted again, and landed heavy punches from the back mount. Referee Ervasti seemed on the verge of stopping it at times, but Vinther continued to improve his positioning. Whenever he seemed close to being finished off, he managed to get half-guard or guard. He even tried for an armbar, but Gonzales seemed almost nonchalant as he easily defended the submission attempt and used it to pass his guard. Vinther tried for several sweeps, but he was being controlled by the superior grappler. Gonzales also won the 2nd round.

As the bell rang to start the 3rd and final round, Vinther knew he had to win the round big or stop his opponent for the win. The Pancrase Gym representative caught him with a good right standing, which forced Vinther to back off and then Gonzales got yet another takedown near the fence. Vinther got guard and looke dto work for reversals, as Gonzales pounded away. He got to sidemount and worked for the kimura at Vinther´s left arm, but Vinther kept fighting on and never quit. It looked locked in, for a while, but as Vinther escaped it, Gonzales rolled over and tried for the armbar, at the same arm. Vinther stacked Gonzales, but seemed in big trouble, as Gonzales had a good grip on his arm. Vinther used his head to separate Gonzales´ legs, bore in and therefore managed to escape the lock. With 1 minute to go and for the first time in the fight, Vinther was on top. Instead of standing up, going for the KO, he chose to go for a desperate achilles lock. Gonzales didn´t seemed too worried about it, and once again defended rather easily, before he got on top, on the now exhausted Vinther. As the bell rang, the crowd exploded with cheers for the Swede. The 3rd round also went to Gonzales, who won a clear decision.

After the fight, Gonzales said: “I would like to thank the crowd for coming out, and supporting us. I would also like to thank my family and friends, and all the people at Pancrase Gym. I´m very happy about this win. I knew he had a long reach, but he still surprised me a lot in the 1st round. His arms are incredibly long and I had problems getting past them.” Indeed an impressive outing by the young fighter, who disappointed last time out. This time, though, he showed what he´s capable of, as he exhibited total control of the strong Dane. Gonzales is young and the future seems prosperous, for the young Pancrase Gym fighter. Vinther gave his all and put up a tremendous effort. He showed heart and never quit. Vinther fights out of love for the sport. “I do this for fun. I love the adrenalin rush. The day I don´t find it fun, I won´t fight,” the Dane stated. “I´m headed into a busy time, with exams and all, but I think I can fit in another fight at the next EVT.”

Winner: Diego Gonzales by judges decision (3-0)

Marcus Karallus vs Johan Antonsson

The debuting Antonsson put on a display in power and intensity, as he absolutely manhandled Karallus (2-2-0, reportedly). He came in all fired up, pumping his arms into the air as he entered the catwalk leading down to the cage. The pro-Antonsson crowd went into a frenzy and yelled and hollered. Some had even made a big banner with his nickname, “Rocco,” but Karallus seemed calm, before the bell rang.

The two fighters circled each other, before Antonsson rushed in. The German tried to get a solid necktie and knee Antonsson, but the powerful local was much too strong and easily took Karallus down near the fence. He mounted and unleashed a fury of heavy blows, as the crowd screamed his name. “Antonsson-Antonsson-Antonsson.” Karallus turned over to avoid the blows but Antonsson just kept on punching him, at a frenetic pace. He seemed to lower the pace a bit, as he looked for an RNC. Karallus escaped, and rolled over, as Antonsson got sidemount, stood up and punched away at the defensive German, who just laid there. It wasn´t pretty and not very technical, but it was highly entertaining and effective against Karallus.

Karallus seemed lost on the ground, as Antonsson mounted and looked for a submission. He tried for a sloppy triangle from mount, but Karallus escaped and got full guard. Antonsson powered past the guard to mount, once again, and secured a solid base as he pounded away. Karallus once again turned over and gave up his back, to get away from the heavy leather. Antonsson took his back and sunk in the RNC as Karallus got up to his knees. In as dramatic an ending you´ll ever see, Karallus held on to the fence, on his knees, as Antonsson was choking him out from the back, to the joy of the fans. He finally tapped, and Antonsson celebrated with great enthusiasm, as he jumped on top of the fence and roared to the frenzied crowd.

The adrenalin pumped Antonsson stated afterwards that he was “happy with the win and that he felt great out there.” He has put himself on the map, as one of Scandinavia´s most exciting fighters, with his all-out aggressive debut, but there´s much to work on. Karallus took the loss rather well: “I´m a striker, you know. I gave my best, but he was simply too strong. It´s not a big deal for me to lose. I just tapped. Nothing dramatic. He was better.”

Winner: Johan Antonsson by submission (rear naked choke)
Time: 3,04 R1

Dennis Siver vs Kenneth Rosfort

Siver (3-0-0) turned out to be much too strong, for the brave Rosfort (2-1-0), as he battered him standing and on the ground, as well. Rosfort started off well, as he caught the German in a Muay Thai clinch right off the bell, caught him with a good knee, turned him into the fence and took him down. Instead of capitalizing on having the strong kickboxer on his back, the Dane opted to let Siver stand up, which turned out to be a big mistake. Siver immediately tagged Rosfort with a hard right over the top, followed up with a fast, precise combination and took the Dane to the fence, before he took him down. On the ground, Rosfort tried his very best to keep Siver away, but the former Russian was simply too strong as he controlled the action, with short punches. Blood starting pouring and referee Ervasti called a halt to the action, to get the doctor the check out the cut. It wasn´t deep and not bleeding too much.

Ervasti restarted them in the same position, but Siver uppered the pace and battered the Dane. Rosfort´s cut looked pretty severe at this point, and as Siver started to really hammer the Dane near the fence, the cut turned into a nasty mouse, which bled quite a lot. The doctor inspected Rosfort again, but decided he could continue.

Siver is good at punching on the ground. He punches hard and precise, and is able to hurt his opponents from within the guard. And that´s how he punished his opponent. Rosfort took a beating but managed to survive, hung on and soon got to his feet. Just as he was about to put a hurting on Siver, he was tagged by big punches from the very powerful German and Rosfort wobbled. He was clearly hurt, and Siver followed up with more punches and a high kick, before they stumbled to the mat again. Rosfort had cleared his brain at this point, but he was bleeding pretty badly and the swelling continued to grow. Siver seemed encouraged by the blood and landed solid punches on the ground, as he put Rosfort up against the fence. Rosfort defended himself, but he was taking a beating and he seemed to be saved by the bell, as the 1st round ended. He looked hurt, confused and had blood all over his face. The doctor inspected him in the corner and he decided that he could not continue.

Without a doubt, Siver was clearly the better man and was on his way to a decisive victory, but Rosfort did not quit and kept fighting. This was a big win for Siver, though, and he will be very interesting to follow. “I had prepared well and felt good. I´m glad to fight here at EVT,” said the talented winner. He will probably be seen at EVT and other big European events in the future. Rosfort took the defeat very well. “I lost to the better man,” he said. The Danish warrior will be back in action, as soon as his wounds heal up.

Winner: Dennis Siver by TKO (cut)
Time: 5,00 R1

Emmanuel Fernandez vs Christian Dellevag

Again, a representative from Orebro MMA Center was greeted with tremendous appreciation, from the crowd, as Dellevåg entered the arena. What seemed like a big mouthful for the local hero (1-1-0) going in, turned out to be an easy win, as Emmanuel (0-1-0) was controlled completely. Dellevåg shot in immediately, got the takedown (near his “corner”) and landed in sidemount. Showing poise beyond his supposedly experience, he laid in sidemount waiting for the right opportunity, for about 2 minutes, without doing much. He was cornered by Scandinavian BJJ pioneer, Richard Bohlenius, and former Shooto champion, Joachim Hansen, and listened well to their advise. He kept controlling his French opponent, without doing any type of damage, until his corner yelled “Now!” On cue, he mounted Emmanuel, who tried to buck him off, but to no avail. Dellevåg once again took his time, and got a great base, before he started unloading big bombs. He landed eye catching left hand bombs and Emmanuel could not escape, even he kept bridging. Once again, referee Ervasti told the threatened fighter to defend himself or he would stop it. Dellevåg kept landing big bombs and Ervasti wisely stopped the fight, as Emmanuel couldn´t get out of there.

The Swede is very, very big for his weight and has solid stand-up skills, as well a strong ground game. “It was my game plan to take him down, get the mount and pound away. So, everything worked out like I hoped it would. It feels great to get a victory,” He has a bright future in MMA, and will be most interesting to follow. For Emmanuel, this was a learning experience. He was simply dominated by the better man.

Winner: Christian Dellevag by TKO (strikes from mount)
Time: 3,00 R1

Mario Stapel vs Mattias Awad

Once again, Awad upset the odds, by beating the big favourite, and is now 2-0 vs Shoot Boxen. Stapel (7-6-0) came in, trying to avenge his pupil´s (Daniel Weichel) defeat to Awad, but admittedly underestimated the Swedish powerhouse and paid a dear price. The charismatic and very popular German seemed unfocused and not sharp, at all. The 3rd member of Örebro MMA Center, Awad, was also getting a lot of support from the crowd, as they cheered him on, throughout the fight.

Awad came in, as expected, and rushed Stapel to the fence, before he easily took him down. Stapel got guard and seemed content to stay on his back, pushed up against the fence, for the entire 1st round, besides one single kimura attempt. Awad tried passing a few times, stood up and threw some big bombs, but all in all it was a very quiet, almost subdued round, as Awad landed some short punches. Stapel complained a couple of times to the referee, as Awad landed several shots with his forearm, as he tried to hammerfist the German (ala Randleman vs Cro Cop), but nothing dramatic happened, until 15 seconds remained. Awad stood up and punched a few times on the downed Stapel, before he suddenly exploded and jumped over Stapel´s guard (ala Nakamura vs Bustamante), falling down with a huge right hand. Stapel was clearly hurt, as he was caught completely off-guard, by the unorthodox punch, and Awad mounted him. Stapel turned to the side, as the local hero unleashed big punches. Stapel took a battering, as the crowd went absolutely ballistic, and he was clearly saved by the bell. Hurt and bleeding from a cut on the forehead, Stapel stayed on his knees and crawled over to his corner. A big round to Awad, due to the final 10-15 seconds.

Due to Awad´s onslaught, Stapel seemed to wake up and came out completely different for the 2nd round. As the fans roared him on, Awad tried to rush in again, but Stapel now showed his refined striking skills, and the crowd calmed down. He easily sidestepped and countered beautifully with punches and kicks. A big left hurt Awad and as he stumbled a bit, the Shoot Boxen leader attacked. He almost got an RNC in a standing scramble, but hurt him big time with two huge knees, and he fell down to all fours as Stapel went in for the kill. Standing up, Stapel landed two big punches on the downed Swede, who was on all four. Awad complained to Ervasti, as he thought he was hit by a knee and being a gentleman, Stapel let him off for a second, before Ervasti waved him on. Two more punches ensued, and the Awad rolled to his back. Stapel followed him there, but the momentum and the victory were gone, for the German. In fact, he had broken both his hands in his attack, due to the fact that he hadn´t taped his hands at all! “I don´t know why I didn´t do it. I usually do,” he said afterwards. Awad managed to neutralize him on the ground and get him on his back, but he was clearly still wobbly and seemed exhausted. Stapel got to his feet and landed a few kicks on the downed Swede, before the bell rang to end a big 2nd round for Stapel.

The pro-audience screamed for Awad, but many seemed to think the end was near, for their favourite. Coming out for the 3rd and final round, Awad sucked it up and attacked again. Stapel tried to fend him off with punches, but he couldn´t punch with either hand and was taken to the fence again. He couldn´t really come up with anything and decided to slap Awad´s behind a few times, as Awad went for the single leg, in a humourous element. The crowd enjoyed the showboating, but he was taken down again, by Awad. Surprisingly, Awad attacked fiercely and managed to sidemount and mount Stapel several times, as he ground and pounded on the injured and defensive Stapel. Stapel was dominated on the ground and didn´t show any of his skills on the ground, as Awad controlled him. Awad showed tremendous balance and power, as well as great positioning and good punching on the ground, as he dominated the German star. Awad won the 3rd round as well as the fight, and showed that he is a forced to be reckoned with.

“I did it again and I don´t think it´s a coincidence,” the proud winner stated. “He wasn´t as good standing as I thought, but I was hurt in the 2nd round.” Awad has clearly shown his ability and is a force to be reckoned with, in European MMA. Stapel on the other hand was very disappointed in his own performance: “I don´t know why I fought the way I did. I didn´t do anything. I never attacked. That´s not like me. I took him lightly, but when I had him going and wanted to finish him off, I broke my hands and couldn´t knock him out. I`m very disappointed and now I`m out for 6-7 months. But I will be back.”

Winner: Mattias Awad by judges decision (3-0)

David Baron vs Stale Nyang

In a battle of two previously undefeated warriors, Baron (5-0-0) proved much too strong for the popular Nyang (2-1-0), as the fight wore on. Both has proven their abilities in tough fights going in, but Nyang was viewed as a favourite by many, as few knew what to expect of the French Judoka.

As the fight started, the two fighters circled each other. Nyang fights out of a traditonal boxing stance, but Baron looked most awkward with his unorthodox approach to the stand-up game, and some laughs were heard from the crowd. Hands held by his waist, chin up in the air, terrible footwork. “I didn´t kow what to make of it,” Nyang stated afterwards. “I thought he looked silly and he looked like a sure KO victory. I tried to hard to knock him out, as my strikes became to wild.” And that´s exactly what happened. Instead of calming down, setting his punches, kicks and knees up, Nyang tried to land single big bombs. A few high kicks barely missed Baron´s chin, and so did a flying knee. Baron swung wildly with a few punches and tried some very unorthodox kicks. The crowd didn´t know what to think. Nyang couldn´t figure his opponent out, and shot in. He got the takedown without much difficulty and started to control on the ground. He landed some good punches, but soon found himself in a tight guillotine attempt, from his opponent. Nyang escaped, mounted and landed some good punches, before Baron turned over. Nyang looked for the RNC, as Baron reversed and found himself inside the Norwegian´s guard. He was neutralized by Nyang´s strong defence, but managed to land some hard knees to the bottocks of Nyang. The Ookami fighter looked calm under the pressue and sound found an opening with a triangle attempt. Baron´s strength and experience came in handy, as he managed to stack Nyang and keep both shoulders in, to prevent the choke from ending the fight. Both worked frenetically for 30 seconds or so, as Nyang tried to secure the choke and Baron tried to get out of it. Baron worked himself out of the dangerous situation, as the round ended. A round in favour of Nyang.

Baron turned up the pace quite a bit, in the 2nd round, as he lunged in with wild punches. Nyang tried to land big punches as well, but found himself on his back, after a Baron takedown. Nyang´s guard was passed and he ate some punches and knees from the sidemounted Baron. Baron mounted, took Nyang´s back and went for an armbar. Nyang defended rather easily and got top position, before Baron switched to a heelhook- and a kneebar attempt. Once again, Nyang defended, but he was getting worked over on the ground, so he stood up as he escaped the leglock attempts. Baron clinched fast, and reversed a takedown attempt by Nyang. He took Nyang´s back and started pounding away with effective punches, before Nyang escaped, got guard and tried to reverse Baron, in the fast paced action. Baron proved too strong and took seriously control of the fight, as he pressured Nyang and pounded away at his body. Nyang rolled to turtle position, and looked to attack Baron, but Baron´s sprawl was much too good and he easily manouevered to the side, of the turtled Nyang, as 1 minuted remained. He trapped Nyang up against the fence, and started landing very heavy knees to Nyang´s body, and punches to the head. It was clear that Nyang´s ribs broken or at least bruised from the damaging strikes, and he simply covered up. Baron didn´t have the striking ability on the ground to finish off Nyang, as the round came to an end. A big, big round in favour of Baron.

It seemed uncertain whether or not Nyang would come out to the 3rd and final round, but as always with the Ookami fighters, heart and courage were not missing. He came out swinging but fell to the floor, after a clinch situation and Baron jumped right on top of him. He passed his guard, but every time he seemed about to mount, Nyang turned to the turtle position. Baron locked in a tight reverse triangle, but Nyang found the energy to escape, and once again found himself turtled up, as Baron hammered away at his body. He rolled to guard, but kept taking a beating. He was fatigued and one the brink of exhaustion, as Baron kept pressuring him. It was clear that Baron suffered from the effects of the high pace, but kept on dominating his brave opponent. Nyang just held on, trying to survive. “At times, I was almost hoping Marko (the referee) would stop the fight, but I´m way too stuborn to quit, myself.” Indeed, Ervasti looked like he might stop it, in certain situations, when Nyang was under particular heavy fire, but every time, he managed to better his position, a little bit, and slow Baron´s attack down. As the round came to an end, Baron stood up but Nyang tried to shoot in, as Baron landed a heavy knee to the downed Norwegian´s face. A big foul, but unintention foul. Nyang got a short break, and made no big fuss about it. Ervasti deducted a point from Baron, none the less, but he seemed content to just coast to victory. A very clear and dominating victory, for the undefeated French Konnection representative.

“I´m in very good shape, but Nyang as very tough. I couldn´t finish him off,” the happy winner stated afterwards. This was a very big win for him, and he impressed a great deal, with his superior grappling. He didn´t just take the safe route, but took chances and fought an exciting fight. He has without a doubt a bright future and he is one to keep an eye on. Nyang, on the other hand, took quite a beating. “He was very strong, but I made so many mistakes in there. I didn´t know how to handle his stand-up and tried too hard to knock him out. I do much better at training and it´s not like I´m scared of him. I would actually like to fight him again,” the hurt Nyang said after the fight. He learned a lot and will surely be back better, after this rough learning experience.

Winner: David Baron by judges decision (3-0)

Daniel Weichel  vs Joakim Engberg

Many fans considered this to be the most intriguing match-up of the evening, as Weichel (7-1-0) and Engberg (1-2-0) clashed in a battle of two technical and very exciting, young fighters. Weichel is without a doubt one of the most talented fighters in Europe, and at the tender age of 19 he evolves rapidly, although he already has fought and won at such events as Shooto Japan, EVT and Pride&Glory. Engberg on the other hand, is one of Shooters MMA´s best fighters, and has gotten a lot of attention abroad. Engberg was the local hero and got great support from the crowd, throughout the fight. Surprisingly, he took the fight to Weichel standing, and landed two high kicks, some precise punches and a few knees, but also had to eat some precise knees and kicks from the German, in the furious 1st round. Weichel wasn´t getting the better of the exchanges, but Engberg took Weichel down and the strategic and very technical battle began. Weichel managed to neutralize Engberg´s ground offence, with a rubber guard. He tried setting up triangles, but Engberg knew what was going on and used punches to defend well, as well as getting to half-guard and sidemount. He never managed to settle there, as Weichel got guard on the talented Swede, immediately, each time. Weichel also looked for a kimura, but Engberg was simply too good on this exciting 1st round.

The Shoot Boxen prodigy clearly changed strategy coming into the 2nd and 3rd round, and took Engberg to the fence, opened up with explosive punches, before he took him down. In a beautiful, yet very strategic, display of wills and skills, Weichel showed Engberg, the crowd and the judges that he was the stronger and better grappler, as he controlled the Swede from top, in Engberg´s guard and half guard throughout the 2 final and deciding rounds. Engberg tried desperately to get up or sweep his dominant foe, but to no avail. Weichel didn´t do much damage or tried hard to submit Engberg, but the fact of the matter is, that he simply dominated. He never let Engberg get a chance to attack, as he constantly had him under pressure and working to defend his guard passes. There weren´t any real dramatic moments, in the two final rounds, but it was a clear who was the better man: Weichel. “Junior” won these two rounds, as well the fight.

“This was a very technical fight. I´m happy I prevailed and won, after my showing last time (the loss to Awad). I´m also very happy to fight for the EVT and hope I may come back,” Weichel said afterwards. Weichel continues to evolve and at 19 he has time on his side, but he is headed on one direction: to the top of the MMA scene. He already has a big win over J-Taro Takita, but as his body matures, he will become stronger and more dangerous. Engberg seemed to take the loss rather hard, losing in front of his home crowd, but he lost to the better man, in a very close fight. You win some, you lose some. That´s the name of the game.

Winner: Daniel Weichel by judges decision (3-0)

Petr Cajnak vs Thomas Hytten

Cajnak (18-12-0) came into the arena, dressed up as the devil, to the appreciation of the crowd. “The Devil Chihuahua” danced his way down the catwalk, really taking his time, giving the audience a show. Hytten (4-3-1) came in looking all business, as usual, to the cheers of the fans. Hytten´s a very popular fighter and is on the brink of craking the big scene. He really needed the win, though, after his setback loss against Dennis Davis last time out, as he keeps on seeking the big events.

Cajnak wasn´t impressed at all, and charged directly at Hytten, after the initial circling. He faked a big right and went for the double leg. Hytten defended well at first, as the two clinched, but an inner thigh throw left him on his back, stacked up against the fence. Cajnak attacked furiously with punches, and the pro-Hytten crowd was silenced as the charismatic and very likeable Norwegian was put under serious pressure. He kept his calm, though, and secured a triangle, in between the Czech´s big punches. He locked it in tight, for the tap out, barely 1 minute in.

Hytten had this to say after his comeback win: “I actually thought he was trying to punch me, as he came in. He surprised me and put me on my back. I felt safe, though, as I´ve worked a lot on the mental part of the game. But he was strong, no doubt about it!“ Hytten has clearly established himself as one of the top dogs in Europe, and without a doubt has the ability to compete at the highest level. He´s strong and well-rounded, and seems to always find a way to neutralizing his opponents´ strengths. Cajnak took the defeat hard. “I´m so disappointed. I didn´t think too much of Hytten, as his record isn´t that impressive. I wish I could fight him again, because I sincerely believe I can beat him. This is so unlike me,” the loser stated. But the experienced road warrior will be back and he will fight in M-1 next, reportedly.

Winner: Thomas Hytten by submission (triangle choke)
Time: 1,05 R1

Although everything went against the EVT going into this 4th event, they managed to turn it around and make yet another succesful show. Staging MMA events at this level is a long learning process, and each event teaches the crew new things.

The 18 fighters all put up tremendous efforts, as the 9 fights put the the enthusiastic crowd on the edge of their seats. The 9 winners all are gave more hope to the blossoming MMA scene in Scandinavia and Northern Europe.