Ultimate Combat 6 also saw the debut of the all-new Ultimate Combat cage. Octagonal in shape, and measuring 28 feet across, this is one of the largest cages anywhere in the World and was truly a sight to behold, and the action that took place in the cage that evening was truly World-class! On to the fights…

Lightweight Bout
Aaron Chatfield vs Aaron Blackwell

The first two warriors to feel the heat in the cage were Aaron Blackwell, the number one ranked amateur in UK MMA, and his opponent Aaron Chatfield, who was hungry for vindication after his disappointing loss at Ultimate Combat 5. Chatfield came out punching before the fighters went to the ground. Blackwell landed on his back but kept punching, opening a cut high on the left side of his opponent’s head. He succeeded in reversing his position, but Chatfield wrapped his left leg around Blackwell’s head to keep control of the man on top. Blackwell responded by picking up Chatfield and slamming him, before unloading more punches. Chatfield attempted a key lock, before switching to a triangle. Blackwell picked him back up and repeated the slam, but Chatfield would not be shaken loose and a second triangle choke found the mark, forcing Blackwell to tap out at 3:07 of the first round.

Lightweight Bout
Leon Howell vs Mark Wilson

The second match up of the evening was between Leon Howell of the Rough House Gym, and Mark Wilson, a finalist of the Combat Sports National Championship. Howell was the aggressor from the bell, leading with a jab and a thigh kick. Wilson responded with a flurry of punches, encouraging Howell to go for the takedown. Wilson landed on top in the open guard, where he scored to Howell’s head. Howell reversed, only for Wilson to reverse again. From there, Wilson applied his ground and pound from the mount. Howell tried to bridge out, and then attempted a triangle. Wilson escaped the choke, but Howell finally succeeded in scoring the reversal. He then commenced his own ground and pound, forcing Wilson to tie him up until the bell sounded for the end of the first round.

The second inning began with Wilson throwing hard shots, scoring to Howell’s head and body and driving him back to the fence. Wilson then reintroduced Howell to the canvas and commenced a relentless ground and pound. Both fighters looked tired, and some of the sting had gone from Wilson’s blows, but he refused to allow his game opponent a moment’s respite. Howell tried to reverse, but was unable to escape the remorseless tirade of punches. The bell sounded with Wilson still ground and pounding despite his obvious fatigue. At the end of two rounds, Wilson’s determination, tenacity and remorseless punching earned him a unanimous decision.

Heavyweight Bout
Marc Goddard vs James Thompson

It was time for the big men to enter the octagon as Marc Goddard, a winner at “Grapple and Strike 3” and “Combat Evolution”, squared off against the massive James Thompson. Both men were 2-0 coming in to the fight, which got underway as Goddard tried to shoot in for the takedown. Thompson secured his underhooks, and Goddard broke away before coming back in with a wild left that failed to find Thompson’s chin. The two fighters clinched again and Goddard scored the takedown.

On the ground, Goddard attempted an arm-bar, which saw Thompson pick up and slam him for his trouble. Thompson then found Goddard’s back and went after a rear choke, which Goddard fought his way out of as the fighters returned to their feet. Goddard threw a big right before the fight returned to the canvas. Thompson landed on top and worked shots into Goddard’s body before attempting a forearm choke. Goddard escaped back to his feet and landed a thigh kick shortly before the bell for the end of the first round.

Goddard opened the second period with another kick. Thompson moved in and grabbed his target around the waist and dropped him onto his back. Goddard quickly reversed and from the mount moved to an arm-bar. With his back to the referee, Goddard then released the arm-bar. Thompson threw a big right hand to the head of his prone opponent, rendering Goddard insensible. The referee jumped in to call a halt at 1:39 of the second round. Both men required oxygen, but once recovered Goddard complained that he believed Thompson had tapped from the arm-bar and then illegally struck the back of his head. At the time of writing, the Ultimate Combat officials are investigating Goddard’s claim and a final decision has yet to be announced.

Welterweight Bout
Terry Thompson vs Sami Berik

Sami Berik came to the cage with a 10-5 record in San Shou and the San Shou British Title under his belt. His opponent, taking the fight on very short notice, was the game and durbale Terry Thompson. From the bell, Berik took his man down, landing in the guard. Thompson defended well as Berik worked short punches in to the ribs before securing the mount. From there, Berik scored more effectively to Thompson’s head, leading to a series of reversals as the fighters exchanged positions four times. Tied up on the ground with Berik on top in the guard, the referee warned the fighters to keep working or be brought back to their feet. Pushing off the fence with his feet, Thompson reversed Berik and landed a shot just as the bell rang.

Thompson came out strong for the second inning, taking Berik down quickly, landing in side control where he drove his knees into his opponent’s exposed rib cage. Berik successfully reversed, before the fighters briefly found their feet. It wasn’t to last as Berik tripped Thompson, but in a change of tactics, Berik stayed on his feet, punching down as Thompson defended by keeping his head tight against Berik’s abdomen. Struggling to keep his footing, Berik was warned for holding on to the fence. After a hard straight left found it’s mark, Thompson turtled to escape Berik’s punching, allowing his opponent to secure his back and find a rear choke. As Berik sunk the choke in tight, Thompson tapped out at 4:11 of the second round.

Middleweight Bout
Chris Powell vs Andrew Dartmouth

Chris Powell, from the Rough House Gym, and Andrew Dartmouth, from Team Warriors, were both making their professional MMA debuts. From the bell, both men came out punching, before clinching and going to the ground. The pair landed in a tangle and both men tried to apply ankle locks. Powell regained his feet and moved in to the mount. He worked a ground and pound, driving down straight punches and hammer fists. Dartmouth escaped back to his feet, then shot in for a double leg, taking them both back down. Dartmouth landed on top, but was tied up by Powell and the combatants were stalemated until Powell reversed and returned to his ground and pound game until the bell signalled the end of the opening round.

Coming out for seconds, Powell let his hands do the talking and scored with a series of hard punches to Dartmouth’s face. Closing the gap, Powell took his man down, secured the mount and resumed punching. After a big shot found it’s mark, Dartmouth extended his arm trying to push Powell off, and the Rough House fighter seized the opportunity to switch to an arm-bar. Dartmouth had no choice but to tap out 50 seconds in to the second round. Afterwards, Dartmouth appeared despondent, but he fought well and Powell worked hard for the victory. Hopefully both men will be back in the cage again soon.

European Bout (Heavyweight)
Aaron Marsa vs Adam Woolmer

Team Shoot Espana made quite an impression at Ultimate Combat 5, winning three of their four matches, so expectations were high as their first fighter entered the arena. Aaron Marsa is a newcomer to professional MMA, but had impressive credentials, holding the title of Spain’s Strongest Man and being ranked tenth in the World’s Strongest Man Competition.

Facing him across the octagon was England’s Adam Woolmer from Team Warriors, who had beaten Denmark’s Pauli Nielsen at Ultimate Combat 4 by TKO. Woolmer got the proceedings underway with a low kick and a long left, to which the Spanish fighter replied with a short flurry of punches, although none of them landed perfectly clean. The two men then backed away from each other as Woolmer shook his head, letting the massive Marsa know that he wasn’t hurt. Marsa decided to test the strength of Woolmer’s conviction by bashing him clean in the face. The Englishman threw a low kick, which must have landed awkwardly, for Woolmer grimaced momentarily. Marsa threw more heavy leather, backing Woolmer towards the fence, where Marsa caught a kick to the thigh. Having tasted each other’s power, the two big men then backed away. Woolmer threw a wide punch that fell short, and at the bell both warriors smiled at each other in a display of bravado.

The second round started slowly, then almost ground to a halt as the pair circled each other warily, looking for openings, but mindful of moving into punching range. Marsa threw a pair of jabs, and Woolmer threw two looping hooks, but none of the shots hit home. Each fighter seemed to be waiting for an opportunity to throw one huge knockout punch, but the chance never came. Marsa threw a low kick that impacted with the inside of Woolmer’s leg. The English fighter backed away, obviously in pain, before dropping to the floor, signalling that he was unable to continue. The fight was awarded to Aaron Marsa after 2:51 of the second round.

European Superfight (Light-Heavyweight)
Julian Gonzalez vs Alex Cook

It was time for the second member of Team Shoot Espana to test their mettle in Ultimate Combat. Julian Gonzalez defeated Tom Blackledge at UC5 and tonight he faced off against Grapple and Strike Champion Alex Cook, an experienced scrapper trained by Trevor Cunningham. Cook wasted no time in shooting in for the takedown after the bell, but Gonzalez landed on top of the British fighter. The fighters were grappling against the fence, with Gonzalez trying to take the mount and Cook holding him in the half-guard. Unable to get the mount, Gonzalez broke away, leaving Cook on the canvas. The Spaniard then tried to dive back in, having to negotiate his way past Cook’s kicks. With Gonzalez holding back, Cook regained his footing and the two men clinched. Cook scored with a knee to the midsection, but Gonzalez pushed him back up against the cage, where the two men remained locked in a clinch. The referee threatened to break the two apart shortly before the bell heralded the end of the opening gambit.

The second period opened with another clinch, before the action relocated to the canvas. Cook landed on top, but Gonzalez swiftly reversed him. Cook threw shots from his back, drawing blood from Gonzalez’s nose and holding his Spanish antagonist in his guard. Cook attempted to reverse, but was held fast. The two men were separated by the referee and returned to their feet, but Gonzalez was keen to pursue matters on the ground despite the blood flowing from his nose. They were separated again for the referee to check Gonzalez’ nose, from which the blood was running freely. When the fight resumed, Gonzalez clinched and tried to land with his knees, but his assault was cut short by the sound of the bell for the end of the second round.

In the two-minute overtime, Cook came out punching, forcing Gonzalez to clinch. Cook scored with a hook to the head before Gonzalez took him down and the Spanish warrior commenced to ground and pound. The action was momentarily halted for the referee to wipe away more blood from Gonzalez’ nose, after which the ground and pound continued, although the majority of the strikes did not land cleanly. The bell rang for the end of this fiercely contested battle. The judge’s awarded the match to Gonzalez with a score of 89-85. Cook was clearly disappointed with the verdict and a rematch would be an exciting prospect.

Light-Heavyweight Bout
Wayne Cook vs Alec Davenport

Next up were two men making their pro debuts in the cage, Wayne Cook and Alec Davenport, the latter a member of Team Warriors. It was to be a short night for both fighters, as immediately after the opening bell, Cook caught his man with a huge right that dropped Davenport cold. The referee jumped between the two to prevent the prone fighter from absorbing further punishment, and the official time of the stoppage was four seconds into the first round. If you blinked, you missed this one!

Semi-Professional Female Bout
Kelli Salone vs Danielle West

Ultimate Combat’s first female bout matched up Kelli Salone from the Rough House Gym with the game but overmatched Danielle West, who entered the arena sporting a Kazushi Sakuraba wrestling mask. Alas, Sakuraba’s recent spate of bad luck seemed to be catching. Salone charged from her corner at the bell and unleashed a furious tirade of punches, several of which found their mark. West attempted a single leg takedown, but was trapped in a headlock and caught several more shots to the head. When West dropped to her knees to try to bring Salone down, the Rough House scrapper was warned for striking her opponents head on the ground (forbidden in semi-pro rules) and the two were separated. Salone then continued her relentless barrage, and as West turned her back, her corner threw in the towel to spare their fighter further punishment. The official time on the stoppage was 0:39 of the first round.

European Bout (Light-Heavyweight)
Martin Ochs vs Greg Allison

Greg Allison, the fourth member of Team Warriors to brave the perils of the octagon, took on Martin Ochs, a veteran of “2 Hot 2 Handle” and a member of Team Shidokan. Ochs opened the fight aggressively, throwing low and high roundhouse kicks before shooting in for the takedown. On the ground, the German fighter attempted a choke before Allison reversed him, ending up in his opponent’s guard. Allison worked with short shots to the German’s ribs, before finding the space to strike to the head. A key lock attempt followed from the Englishman, but Ochs defended well in the guard and the bell signalled the close of the opening salvo.

The second round began with Ochs landing two thigh kicks before the altercation settled on the canvas. The Team Shidokan fighter took the mount, but was unable to do any damage with his ground and pound. Allison escaped from the bottom and landed two shots, one to the head, one to the body, before the German took him back into the guard. Allison continued to ground and pound until the final bell, and his control of the action on the ground earned him the unanimous decision from the judges at ringside.

European Superfight (Middleweight)
Enrique Anton vs Lars Besand

Team Shoot Espana were now 2-0 for the evening, but Denmark’s Lars Besand is not a fighter to be taken for granted. Representing the Spanish fight club was Enrique Anton, who lays claim to the Spanish Pankration Champion and International Pankration Champion titles. Besand’s resume includes holding the Danish Shootfighting Champion title and the Ultimate Combat Superfight title.

The martial dialogue was soon underway as Besand launched a front kick to Anton’s gut, to which the Spaniard replied with a jab before the pair clinched. Anton succeeded in pinning Besand against the fence, where the Danish fighter chopped away with heel kicks to the back of his opponent’s calves. Following a break, the two men traded punches before grappling. Besand scored with a thigh kick that made Anton wince, before dropping his rival to the ground. On the canvas, Besand secured Anton’s back and sunk in a rear choke. The Team Shoot fighter tapped out at 4:31 of the opening exchange.

European Superfight (Welterweight)
Javier Garcia (Spain) vs David Webb

Garcia was the final member of the Spanish contingent to grace the octagon tonight, and he brought with him an impressive 13-2 record. Facing him across the canvas was England’s David Webb from the Tokon Academy, who was looking to improve on his record of 2-3 in professional MMA. Webb came out kicking, throwing two thigh kicks, a roundhouse kick to the head, and another low kick. A punch from Webb then bloodied Garcia’s nose, but the Spaniard threw a low kick of his own that caught Webb’s right knee. The Englishman collapsed clutching his knee, which had popped from the kick. With Webb unable to fight on, the match was awarded to Garcia after 51 seconds. Webb was evidently disappointed, but hopefully will recover and return to fight again in the future. With Garcia’s victory, the Spanish team went home with a combined total of 3-1 for a hard night’s work.

European Superfight (Lightweight)
Kim Hovgaard vs Pat Carr

English pugilist Pat Carr entered the cage to a huge round of applause from the crowd, who have come to expect fireworks from the acrobatic warrior. Carr’s record includes winning two Ultimate Combat Superfights and six Grapple and Strike Champion titles. His dancing partner tonight was a fighter of Viking stock, Kim Hovgaard, who brought with him three Danish Submission Wrestling Champion titles, and a very vocal Lars Besand hollering support from his corner.

The fight got underway with Hovgaard leading with a thigh kick. Carr took the Dane to the ground where Hovgaard pulled guard before scoring a reversal. From the top Hovgaard commenced a ground and pound attack, working to the head and ribs. When the Danish fighter broke away from Carr’s open guard, the Englishman threw a roundhouse kick from the floor, catching Hovgaard on the side of the head before the Dane moved back in to continue punching. Hovgaard found himself on Carr’s back as the Englishman tried to escape, encouraging Carr to return to the open guard rather than risk getting choked out. Carr performed a lightning fast reversal, and Hovgaard attempted a triangle before the bell rang out, bringing to a close the furiously fast opening round.

Carr came out for the second inning looking to do some damage, throwing a hard round house. Hovgaard replied with a thigh kick and an off-balance Carr went to his back. The Dane held onto to Carr’s legs until Carr attempted an ankle lock, which he seemed unable to lock fully on to the tough Dane, who resisted for some time. The referee broke the fighters to check the tape on Hovgaard’s glove, which was coming loose. Back on their feet, Carr threw a spinning heel kick and a series of straight punches, driving Hovgaard back. A second spinning kick saw Hovgaard dive in and the battle returned to the canvas where Carr pulled guard. Carr tried to reverse his antagonist again and again to escape from the bottom, but the Danish grappler refused to let him go. In an outstanding display of technical grappling, Hovgaard countered every attempt to reverse that Carr could think of and at every opportunity the Dane worked his ground and pound until the bell gave the warriors a welcome respite.

In the overtime, both men exchanged kicks and punches until they went to the ground. Caught in Hovgaard’s guard, Carr picked his man up and slammed him down flat, but he was unable to pass the Dane’s guard. Just before the bell heralded the conclusion of the contest Carr scored a shot to Hovgaard’s head, bringing to a close an extremely thrilling spectacle.

The judge’s scores reflected just how close this one was to call, awarding the fight 57-56 in favour of Hovgaard – just a single point separating the two men. A rematch, anyone?

International Superfight (Light-Heavyweight)
Evert Fyeet vs Pierre Guillet

The penultimate match-up of the night paired Dutchman Evert Fyeet against the finest the US Airforce has to offer, Pierre Guillet. The American led with a thigh kick, which Fyeet returned in kind before Guillet shot in for the single leg takedown. On the canvas Guillet worked for a key lock until he was reversed by the Dutch pugilist. Guillet rolled to his front and escaped back to his feet where he shot in for a double leg. Catching Fyeet against the fence, Guillet then lifted his opponent onto his shoulder, took two steps back towards the centre of the octagon and slammed his man down on to the canvas. Jostling for position on the ground, Guillet secured a toehold, forcing Fyeet to tap out at 4:31 of the first round. With the win, Guillet’s impressive record improves to 12-1-0.

European Champions Cup Challenge (Middleweight)
Patrick Suhl vs Sol Gilbert

Sol Gilbert came into the octagon with only two professional MMA fights under his belt, but the heroes’ welcome he received made clear his tremendous popularity with fight fans. An ex-professional boxer, Gilbert always comes ready to rumble and had originally been scheduled to meet Shain Tovell for the Middleweight Title. However, Tovell had been knocked out a couple of weeks earlier, disqualifying himself from competing. Instead, Gilbert faced off against Team Shidokan’s Patrick Suhl from Germany for the inaugural battle of the European Champions Cup Challenge. Suhl is only twenty, but has fought at “2 hot 2 Handle” and holds titles as German Pankration Champion and the French Night of the Gladiators Tournament Champion.

The fight began with Suhl immediately shooting in for the takedown and trying to ground and pound. Gilbert reversed positions and unleashed a fearsome barrage of punches that forced the German to cover up. Suhl then effected his own reversal and threw some good shots before Gilbert swapped places for the third time. Suhl tried to hold Gilbert’s head down in his guard, but the English brawler broke free and sat upright to continue his ferocious ground and pound. Suhl desperately tried to cover up as the leather thundered down, hoping to weather the storm, but Gilbert was relentless. As Gilbert let rip with both hands, the punishment was inescapable, forcing the referee to jump in to save the brave German fighter from further damage after 4:18 of round one. The crowd roared its approval as the very pumped up Gilbert accepted his trophy from promoter Dale Adams, and the victor paid tribute to his game opponent and thanked the fans for their extremely vocal support.

So “Ultimate Combat 6” drew to a close. Fighters and fans alike were treated to an after-party courtesy of Mad Jacks Nightclub for those with any energy remaining after the excitement in the cage. Fight of the night belonged to Kim Hovgaard and Pat Carr, whose display of grappling virtuosity was a wonder to behold. The introduction of the European Champions Cup should lead to more explosive match-ups in the future and the participation of so many international fighters can only help spread the word about the quality of British MMA. More please!

Ultimate Combat 7 returns to Chippenham in September and promoters, Combat Sports Promotions, promise one of the biggest and best events yet. Just what they have up their sleeves we will have to wait for September to see, but with the new cage and a string of highly successful events, Ultimate Combat should rightfully establish themselves as one of the main driving forces of Ultimate Fighting in Europe. Roll on September!