Chippenham – Sunday, 30th November 2003 – Word must be spreading as Ultimate Combat 8 was another sell-out, with a packed venue and people turned away at the door. The evening’s fight card included the semi-finals of the Lightweight World Title tournament and the highly anticipated final battle in the quest to crown the UC World Welterweight Champion. Let’s rumble:

Lightweight Bout
Steven Milward vs. Billy Harris

When the original opponent for this bout, John Waite, pulled out just days before the fight, an opponent was needed to square off with Team Coliseum and Northern Cartel fighter Steven Milward. Stepping up on short notice was Billy Harris from Team Warriors, making his third pro-MMA appearance. Milward, who came to the cage with a record of 4-0-0, led with two low kicks before rushing in for the takedown. On the ground, Harris tried a scarf hold but Milward escaped and the fighters changed positions. Harris tried for a guillotine and Milward broke away and regained his feet. A second shoot from Milward returned the altercation to the canvas where he found himself held in the half-guard. Unable to pass, Milward stood back up and threw kicks to Harris’s thighs before his opponent grabbed a single leg and took him down shortly before the bell.

Milward began the second round with a low round house and Harris responded with a jab before they clinched and went back to the ground. Milward held Harris in his half-guard and Harris tried to pass before switching to an arm bar. Milward escaped and tried an ankle lock, then a guillotine. Harris resisted both and secured the mount, from there he started to ground and pound. Milward rolled to his front and Harris sunk in the rear naked choke that earned the tap out at 2:27 of round two.

European Bout (Welterweight)
Mark Spencer vs. Sami Berik

Next up were Mark Spencer, the second member of the Northern Cartel to grace the cage this evening, and Turkey’s Sami Berik, from the Tai Chi Renaissance club, who defeated Terry Thompson at UC6 earlier this year.

Spencer opened the match landing a looping right hand, leading to a clinch and a guillotine attempt from Berik when the fighters went to the ground. Spencer used a cross-face to escape, prompting Berik to bridge and scramble back to his feet. Spencer immediately took him back down and scored with a series of punches from inside Berik’s guard. The Turkish scrapper tried for a triangle and Spencer replied with an arm bar. Berik regained his footing and tried to shake his antagonist loose with two slams, but Spencer would not be denied. He held on to Berik’s arm like a vice, cranking out the submission at 2:28 of the fast-paced opening round.

European Bout (Middleweights)
Mick Broster vs. Enrique Anton

Britain’s Mick Broster, from the Tap Out Academy, squared off against Team SHOOT Espana’s Enrique Anton. When the bell rang, Anton started circling, with the Englishman stalking him around the cage. Both fighters threw some tentative shots to feel each other out, before Broster threw a flurry, closed the gap and scored an impressive slam to take his target down. Broster moved to side control on the ground as Anton tried to tie him up. The Spaniard sought to roll out of position, but Broster stayed on him and applied a rear choke. Anton escaped the choke, but absorbed some knee strikes before he managed to escape back to his feet. The Team SHOOT fighter landed a thigh kick before circling again with the Englishman following in his wake. Broster shot in for a takedown shortly before the bell.

Coming out for the second round, the pair circled the cage until Anton scored with a thigh kick and a knee, but he was unable to prevent another takedown from the powerful Englishman. The Spanish fighter had to work to escape another rear choke and a key lock before taking top position in Broster’s guard. He didn’t stay there for long as Broster quickly reversed and tried his rear choke again. Anton turned in to his opponent’s guard and threw punches before the bell heralded the end of the round.

Broster took the judges’ decision for his strong takedowns and submission attempts.

Heavyweight Rematch
Marc Goddard vs. James Thompson

Back at Ultimate Combat 6, James “The Colossus” Thompson stopped Marc Goddard in the second round of their fight after surviving two arm bar attempts. Goddard was out for revenge tonight, but Thompson entered the ring with a look on his face that would stop a charging rhino.

Outside the cage, Thompson is affable and easy-going, but when the cage door shuts, the will to win consumes him.  Goddard weighed in at 107kg, Thompson at 118kg and when the bell rang, he charged across the cage and drove Goddard back up against the fence. There, he let rip with his fists, forcing Goddard to cover up. Seeking to escape the blitz, Goddard tried to get some distance, but was driven down to the canvas, landing on all fours, as the punches hammered down. There was no escape as Thompson crashed home a series of pile-driver blows to the side of Goddard’s head and he tapped out after eighteen seconds of heavyweight mayhem, marking an emphatic win for the Colossus, who is surely ready for a British title fight.

World Title Semi-Final (Lightweight)
Ian Butlin vs. Kim Hovgaard

In the first of the semi-finals to decide the match-up for the UC World Lightweight Title, British brawler Ian Butlin faced off against Denmark’s Kim “Hardcore” Hovgaard. Butlin beat Marc Duncan in the quarterfinals and is an experienced amateur boxer with an MMA record of 4-0-0. To keep this unblemished record, he was going to have to get past the three time Danish Submission Wrestling Champion, who defeated David McLaughlin to earn his spot in the semi-finals.

Butlin came out from the bell and shot in, but Hovgaard clinched and scored the takedown, landing in Butlin’s half-guard. Hovgaard worked with his elbows, jarring Butlin with short, hard blows before Butlin regained his footing. Hovgaard then scooped his opponent up with a textbook double-leg takedown and back on the canvas both men worked with elbows and punches as Butlin held the Dane in his guard. Hovgaard was scoring the cleaner shots on the ground and Butlin tried a guillotine from the bottom, but his antagonist escaped the choke and continued his increasingly potent ground and pound. Butlin switched to an arm bar attempt and a triangle before Hovgaard dropped to his back and seized Butlin’s leg for a heel hook. Cranking on the pressure, the English fighter had to tap out after 4:28 of the opening round.

Hovgaard was on top form tonight and has never looked sharper. His ground and pound has improved considerably and if he can maintain this form, he will be a formidable presence in his weight division.

World Title Qualifier (Light-Heavyweight)
Tom Blackledge vs. Evert Fyeet

This battle, between England’s Tom Blackledge from the Northern Cartel, and Holland’s Evert Fyeet from the Jing Wu club, was the semi-finals in the quest to find a challenger for Pierre Guillet’s UC Light-Heavyweight World Title.

When the bell rang, the two warriors traded low roundhouse kicks and the Dutch fighter backed Blackledge up throwing punches, although they did not land clean. Blackledge then tried for a shoot, but Fyeet backed up and Blackledge went down. As he did so, Fyeet let rip with a powerful roundhouse kick that knocked Blackledge onto his back. Dazed, Blackledge signalled to the referee that he had been kicked in the head whilst on all fours by an upright opponent (an illegal blow) and the fight was stopped. Fyeet immediately apologized for the unintentional foul and the match was declared a no-contest when the Englishman chose not to continue.

Fyeet’s corner subsequently reviewed their video footage of the fight and said that Blackledge had started to rise when he was struck and was not on all fours, so there was no foul. Ultimate Combat officials will be reviewing their tapes of the match to determine which fighter proceeds to the final elimination round.

Lightweight Bout
Dave Butlin vs. Greg Loughrin

Next into the cage was Ian Butlin’s twin brother Dave, making his first appearance at Ultimate Combat. His rival tonight was Greg Loughrin, a scrapper from Northern Ireland. When the bell rang, Butlin came out boxing and Loughrin responded with an attempted double-leg takedown but found himself caught in a guillotine. The fighters went to the canvas, with Butlin in Loughrin’s guard. Loughrin stood up, the fighters clinched and Loughrin scored with his knees before being taken down. From the side mount, Butlin landed elbows to Loughrin’s head until a reversal from the Northern Ireland pugilist. From the top, Loughrin landed a knee to the head but Butlin kept his wits about him and worked a triangle choke into position. Loughrin tried to fight his way free of the choke, but Butlin refused to let him out and earned the submission after 3:57 of the first round.

A brief break in the action followed as France’s Damien Riccio came to the cage for an interview and to call out Royce Gracie, offering to settle their feud at Ultimate Combat. Riccio declared that he would fight Royce for free, purely for honour and under any rules Gracie chooses. Time will tell if Gracie will rise to meet this public challenge.

Female Bout (Semi-Pro)
Dina van Den Hooven vs. Kelli Salone

Next up was the second female match-up in Ultimate Combat’s history, pairing England’s Kelli Salone, who trains with XFUK’s Mark Weir, and Holland’s Dina van Den Hooven, from the Tatsujin Gym run by Martijn de Jong.

Salone was victorious in her UC debut back at UC6 in June, while van den Hooven was making his debut in the caged arena. Salone came out working her jab, to which Van Den Hooven responded with a thigh kick and a shoot, scoring a double-leg takedown. On the ground the Dutch fighter tried for an arm bar, but Salone escaped and worked around to her opponent’s back before the two were separated after the ninety-second time limit for ground fighting (which only applies to Semi-Professional bouts) had passed. After the referee brought the fighters back to their feet, they traded blows and Van Den Hooven worked her knee strikes in the clinch and landed punches to Salone’s face when they were up against the cage. Shooting for a single leg, Van Den Hooven was caught in a standing guillotine by Salone, who had her back to the fence. Salone arched her back and really cranked on the guillotine, but Van Den Hooven survived the choke and scored a double leg takedown to move the fight back to the ground. There, the Tatsujin gym fighter tried for an ankle lock as Salone tried to land strikes until the bell called a halt to the action. Dina van Den Hooven earned the judges’ decision and both women earned the respect of the crowd for a great match.

World Title Semi-Final (Lightweight)
Mark Wilson vs. Pat Carr

Entering the cage tonight with a pro MMA record of 2-1-0, Mark Wilson may have been considered the underdog against the more experienced Pat Carr, whose record of 9-3-0 includes going four rounds with UFC veteran Gerald Strebendt.

However, if pundits may have picked him as the underdog, obviously no one had bothered to tell Wilson himself. From the bell, Carr threw a kick then shot in looking for a takedown. Wilson sprawled before driving his foe backwards up against the fence. Carr managed to take his adversary down briefly, but Wilson was determined to keep matters upright and quickly recovered verticality. Still clinched against the fence, Wilson scored with his knees and broke off long enough to throw a left before resuming the clinch. Carr was constantly trying to get off the fence and after some struggling the fighters went down. Wilson took side mount and Carr was signalling to his corner that he had injured his right arm. Wilson threw some headshots while keeping Carr on his back until the bell called an end to the round. In the break, Carr consulted with his corner men and the referee before deciding that he was unable to continue with an injured arm. Wilson advances to the finals, where he will meet Kim Hovgaard for the World Title.

European Superfight (Welterweight)
Rafles LaRose vs. Javier Garcia

Holland’s Rafles LaRose, teammate of fellow Tatsujin Gym scrapper Dina van Den Hooven, entered the cage tonight with a record of 6-8-1 that includes a draw with current SHOOTO Champion Joachim Hansen. In his last appearance at Ultimate Combat, he lost a decision to Paul Jenkins and the tough Dutchman was out for retribution tonight.

His adversary in the eight-sided arena for this trans-Europe MMA exchange was Team SHOOT Espana’s Javier Garcia, who began the match with the ever-popular thigh kick. LaRose shot in, the battlers clinched, shots were exchanged and LaRose executed a double-leg takedown to move the operation downstairs. Garcia landed on the bottom but reversed the Dutch fighter and attempted a heel hook. At this point Garcia was bleeding from a cut on his eyebrow, so the referee called a temporary halt for the medic to check the cut. Garcia was allowed to continue and LaRose threw a jab to set up another double-leg takedown, landing in the Spaniard’s guard. LaRose stacked his opponent and tried to move into position for a choke, ending up on the bottom with Garcia in his guard. Garcia stood up, LaRose followed suit, and the Team SHOOT Espana member landed some effective thigh kicks that gave his opponent pause for thought. Determined to keep the fight on the canvas, LaRose shot in for the takedown, succeeded in passing Garcia’s guard on the floor and landed several punches from the mount before the bell brought a close to a great opening round.

In the second period, Garcia again worked his thigh kick and LaRose replied with a looping right hand that Garcia covered up against. LaRose performed another double-leg takedown and cranked on a guillotine choke, earning the submission after 46 seconds of round two.

European Superfight (Middleweight)
Stephano Meneghal vs. Lars Besand

Hailing from Italy, Stephano “The Bear” Meneghal brought with him three Sanda World Titles (Sanda is another name for Sanshou for those unfamiliar with the art). His opposite number for his debut at Ultimate Combat was four-time UC veteran Lars “Bad Boy” Besand, from the Skagen Fight Gym in Denmark.

Answering the bell, the two men traded kicks and Besand threw a flurry of punches leading Meneghal to attempt a takedown. Besand instead took the Italian down, ending up in his guard from where he began working his ground and pound. Meneghal attempted a triangle and an arm bar, but Besand escaped both. Up against the fence, Meneghal tried cranking on a kimura and Besand had to work hard to resist the lock before he resumed his dangerous ground and pound attack. After a second kimura attempt, Besand stood back up, allowing Meneghal to follow, before scoring a double-leg takedown and depositing his rival back against the fence, where he worked with punches and elbows until the bell.

In the second round, Meneghal came out feinting punches, trying to set up the takedown, but Besand caught the Italian coming in and introduced his knee to Meneghal’s face. The altercation moved to the ground with Meneghal in side control, until Besand reversed positions and found himself back in the guard.  From this position, the Danish warrior worked his ground and pound for the remainder of the round, at one point scoring with a double punch combination thrown first to the body, then the head that was worthy of Kazushi Sakuraba. Meneghal defended well, but the blows were taking their toll by the close of the second round.
Going into the two-minute overtime, Besand came out kicking, throwing a series of roundhouses until the Italian fighter closed the gap and took Besand down with a sweep. On the ground the Danish brawler finally managed to take the mount and he let his hands fly. Meneghal covered up, but the punches were thundering down and as Besand started to batter through his opponent’s defences, Meneghal tapped out at 1:26 of the overtime round. A great win for Denmark’s Bad Boy and a good performance from both competitors.

Middleweight Superfight
Mark Collett vs. Thomas Duffin

Training out of the Rough House Gym in Gloucester, Mark Collett entered the cage with a record of 2-1-0, whilst his opponent Thomas Duffin had plenty of experience on the Irish amateur MMA circuit.

Collett led with a roundhouse kick and Duffin answered with his fists, prompting Collett to clinch. The scrappers headed for the canvas where Duffin attempted a rear naked choke. Collett rolled out of danger the first time, but a second rear choke found the spot and he tapped out after 2:06 of round one.

World Title Qualifier (Light-Heavyweight)
Ruben Vazquez vs. Damien Riccio

After all the talk and hype it was finally time for British fight fans to see just what Damien Riccio could do. Propelled to MMA notoriety by his much-publicised feud with the Gracie family, Riccio was fighting tonight for a shot at UC Light-Heavyweight World Champion Pierre Guillet. To earn his spot in the finals, Riccio had to get past the massive form of Ruben Vazquez, the third and final member of Team SHOOT Espana to test his mettle tonight.
 
Riccio threw a thigh kick to warm things up and the Spanish bruiser exploded with a furious flurry of punches, forcing Riccio to cover up as Vazquez went for the takedown. However, the Frenchman secured his underhooks and took the Spanish fighter down, moving into side mount. Vazquez escaped back to his feet and found himself caught in a guillotine when he attempted another takedown. Unable to secure the submission, Riccio returned to side control where he landed elbow strikes to his target’s head. Vazquez reversed the French grappler, but Riccio kept working for subs, looking for a choke from his back right up until the bell.
Round two began with Riccio shooting in and driving his adversary back against the cage. With his underhooks firmly in place, Riccio stubbornly refused to let Vazquez off the fence and he started to break his foe down with a series of knee strikes to the thighs and some vicious foot stomps. The referee separated the combatants when the action stalled against the fence and taking advantage of the restart, Vazquez again erupted with a blizzard of punches. Riccio covered up and drove Vazquez back against the fence a second time. There, he resumed his combination of knee strikes and foot stomps, wearing the massive Spaniard down until the bell.

Answering the bell for the overtime round, Riccio landed a right hand and Vazquez replied with a flurry before Riccio drove him back. This time, when they reached the cage, the Frenchman took his Spanish adversary down, found his back and snapped a rear naked choke into place. Vazquez hung on as long as he could, but was forced to tap out after 1:43 of the overtime round. Riccio moves on to the final elimination round, although it remains to be seen who he will face in March at UC9.

British Superfight (Middleweight)
Matt Ewin vs. Sol Gilbert

Coming off a loss at his last outing at XFC 2 just three weeks earlier, Matt Ewin was looking to improve his record of 7-2-1 and to add another win to his already impressive record.

The immensely popular Sol “Zero Tolerance” Gilbert, from Brighton, came to the cage ready to rumble tonight, walking into a stare-down with Ewin that required the intervention of the referee and Gilbert’s corner-man Alex Reid to separate the two fighters who were on the verge of starting their battle before the emcee had even finished introducing them.

When the bell rang Gilbert threw a left that Ewin ducked underneath, moving in for a double-leg that took Gilbert to the canvas. Ewin backed Gilbert up against the fence, absorbing some blows to the head in the process, but punching off his back Gilbert was unable to do any real damage. The Brighton-based fighter tried to scramble back to his feet using the fence for support, but Ewin would have none of it and kept on the pressure with his punching. Gilbert then tried to reverse Ewin, but his base was rock solid and Ewin kept his balance and started to ground and pound. Gilbert rolled to his front, Ewin sunk his hooks in and started working the rear naked choke that forced Gilbert to tap out at 4:04 of the first round.
Gracious in defeat Gilbert shook Ewin’s hand after the match, although he was clearly disappointed. Ewin executed his game plan perfectly, refusing to allow Gilbert the opportunity to strike effectively, negating the Brighton warrior’s best weapon – his fists. This was a big win for Ewin who will hopefully be back to defend his title in 2004.

World Title Fight (Welterweight)
Fabricio Nascimento vs. Paul Jenkins

Topping the bill tonight was a classic grappler versus puncher match-up to crown UC’s Welterweight World Champion. First into the cage was Fabricio Nascimento, a Brazilian and holder of the coveted BJJ black belt with an MMA record of 6-1-0.

Paul “Hands of Stone” Jenkins holds an impressive record of 18-13-1 and is a tremendously entertaining fighter. This evening he entered the cage, crossed over to bow to Nascimento, shook hands with his opponent’s corner-man, then slipped out the door in Nascimento’s corner as if he was fleeing the venue.

Once he had returned to his own corner and the introductions were complete, it was time to take care of business. Both men threw jabs and Nascimento picked up a single-leg takedown to take the Welsh warrior down. From his back, Jenkins landed a right hand that bloodied Nascimento’s nose before the Brazilian passed to side control. Jenkins threw strikes to the ribs and thighs from his back before scoring a reversal. Nascimento was constantly hunting for submissions and from his back tried for an ankle lock and a heel hook. Jenkins escaped and recovered his feet, while his rival stayed on his back and continued trying to secure a submission. Jenkins stepped back, out of reach and Nascimento stood up. Jenkins landed an overhand right, before the Jiu-Jitsu black belt threw a low kick to set up a shoot. Jenkins landed more head shots before the bell and returned to his corner having edged out the first round. Nascimento was bloodied but unbowed, and it was clear that this was a very dangerous submission specialist on the ground.

Round two began with Jenkins landing a strong thigh kick that nearly knocked his target off balance, but Nascimento stuck to his game plan and shot in for the takedown. On the ground, up against the fence, the Brazilian found the heel hook he had been looking for, and with Jenkins against the cage with nowhere to turn, Nascimento took the World Title with a heel hook after 32 seconds of round two.
Jenkins looked disappointed with himself for getting caught but as the busiest fighter in British MMA he has an apparently boundless passion for the sport and no doubt he’ll be back in action before the end of the year. Nascimento takes home the championship belt and will be a daunting proposition for whoever steps up to challenge for his first Title defence.

With Nascimento’s triumph, the fight fans headed home, their desire for MMA mayhem sated, leaving behind the shores of Fistiana until Ultimate Combat returns in March 2004. See you there!