For the 3rd time Cage Rage was held at the normally imposing Caesars nightclub in Streatham, south London. However this time as the bright lights greeted me in this normally daunting arena. The extra lights that the promotional team brought in for this event really made a difference and created a better atmosphere and definitely made it easier to read the impressive colour programme that the Cage Rage crew produced.

With the ever increasing number of MMA events currently being held in the UK that normally use the same pool of fighters, it is important for an event to develop their own identity. Fortunately Cage Rage have managed to create their own identity in a number of different ways

1. Hosting the event at a nightclub – Yes, it has it drawbacks too but there is something different about it, which makes it stand out from your normal sports centre. In fact the promoters will tell you that many of their guests like this setup and will want to book their tables before the card is even announced. Although the limited seating/standing places means you really do need to get to the event early to secure a good vantage point

2. The big screens – At previous events I’ve either seen the big screens obscured or have technical problems, however at Cage Rage 5 they were working at full effect. This enhances the whole visual experience for the fans, not only during the fight when their view may be obscured by people standing but also for interviews and to hold special features either before or during the event.

3. Pre and post fight interviews – Sure some of the fighters may look like a rabbit stuck in the headlights of a speeding car, but nevertheless they are a neat touch and those fighters with some personality have a real chance to shine and also boost their marketability and general profile amongst the non-hardcore fan base. Also the post fight interviews that are hosted by Mr Andy Geer co-promoter of Cage Rage give the fighters a chance to thank the fans, friends and also help promote future fights. This is something that is standard in most sports but has been chronically ignored in the UK MMA scene and therefore is a neat touch.

4. Miscellaneous items – As well as the programs which not only showed pictures of the fighters, and gave info of the titles, weight classes, rules and 2 great in-depth features of Leigh and Jean. Also Cage Rage 5 tried something new in UK MMA, as they gave a local rap group a chance to shine. It might not be to everyone’s taste but it was an interesting experiment which may lead of to further marketing possibilities and gives other a chance to go to the bar without killing the atmosphere which promoters work so hard to build during card. Also before the main event there was a performance by the established UK Hip- hop artist Blade.

5. Pole Position - Finally Cage Rage’s link with Pole Position magazine means that there is also a bit of eye-candy floating about to keep the mainly male audience happy if the fights aren’t always to their tastes.

Anyway back to the event, as the late comers were filtering through the big screens showed footage from TV programmes like “Cage Combat” and “Anna in wonderland” which has showed how MMA is slowly increasing its scope in its quest to reach full mainstream recognition. Then inside the 27ft Octagon; a lively Capoeria demonstration went on complete with music, which was a nice touch of class.

Cage Rage like most other UK events likes to be fashionable late and at 7.45PM the intro to the event begins with a bang (literally) as the “dapper don” Andy Geer and the Elite crew dress up as gangsters whilst Redman’s Smash Somethin’ (a track which is quickly becoming UK MMA’s signature tune) blares over the sound system taking full advantage of its nightclub surroundings to get the crowd going. Then the fun and games stopped and the real action started with the fighters having their promo video’s played on the big screen.

Steve Cunningham vs. Danny Fletcher

The 1st fight of the night was a Welterweight contest between 2 new faces on the UK MMA scene. Danny Fletcherentered the arena first and was announced as training in the Peacock Gym, with a background in Muay Thai and BJJ. Cunningham hailing from the Range fighting gym in the south west and as he entered the cage it was clear that he had a noticeable height advantage.

The fight itself was a typical short under card blast as after both men traded blows, Fletcher managed to get double under hooks in from the clinch and executed a nice slam which left him in side mount. With Cunningham’s reach neutralised, Fletcher worked to gain position and managed to get full mount and then look for the cross arm with he got and subsequently cranked on tight.

There was momentary lull in the action as Fletcher took his mouth guard out and spoke to referee for the night, Grant Waterman who talked to his corner, before Fletcher quickly re-cranked the arm bar and the referee promptly stopped it after 1.36 in the 1st round. All in all it was a slick impressive performance by Fletcher on his Cage Rage debut and I’m sure we will see more of him soon, as he left the cage after thanking both his cornermen and the cage rage crowd who was very receptive to the mat work that they just saw.

Stuart Grant vs. Colin Longwood

Next up was another clash of new boys in the lightweight division, as the thin wiry Stuart Grant from the Black Dragon took on Colin Lingwood, who is from the Elite fighting systems in London’s Elephant and Castle. Lingwood with various tattoos around his upper torso got the home town treatment (as Cage Rage is an Elite Fighting Systems event)

The fight started off with Grant shooting before slamming Lingwood to the ground which set the tone for a see-saw ground battle which saw Lingwood pulling guard and then sweeping his opponent to obtain full mount. Then the classic cat and mouse guard game start as the Stuart rant kept trying to get in guard whilst the bigger and seemingly stronger Lingwood kept working position as well, whilst slowing the odd strike to help distract Grant and penetrate his guard.

The fight ended at 2.54 in the 1st round when Lingwood finally managed to break Grant’s resistance and get in the full mount when he was able to fully unload with a barrage of hand strikes and hammer like blows which forced referee Grant Waterman to stop the fight.5

Lingwood fought a good, patient fight albeit against a smaller and seemingly outmatched opponent as Lingwood looked very strong almost too top heavy for his size. Lingwood was then present with his winner’s trophy by UFC veteran Mark Weir before humbling thanking his girlfriend and Dave O’Donell and the rest of the Elite crew.

Chris Hipkiss vs. Dave Lee

The 3rd fight of the night was a welterweight war between Chris Hipkiss from the Rob Lock Academy and Dave Lee from Combat Submission Wrestling. The tension around ringside was magnified by both sets of supporters being so close to each other and being so vocal throughout the fight. This added to the atmosphere and dragged the rest of the crowd into the battle, which meant that even during the fight’s more quieter points the atmosphere was fully charged.

Hipkiss who was coming off 2 straight wins at Cage Rage via armbar was scheduled to fight Cage Rage favourite Jeremy “Bad Boy” Bailey until Bailey suffered an injury in training.

The fight itself was a spirited ground battle which had Lee dominating round 1 with superior ground work and submission attempts. Round 2 continued in the same vein with both men exchanging takedowns and strikes on the ground. As both men showed signs of gassing as Lee slipped out of a Rear Naked Choke before Lee regained the upper hand firing shots from Hipkiss’ half guard whilst on his knees.

The end came at 4.10 of round 2 as Lee continued to throw strikes on a bleeding and prone Hipkiss before finally locking in a rear naked choke for am well deserved win. This was a good undercard fight which was all the more exciting due to the crowd reaction. Although both fighters have a lot to do if they wish to progress further up the welterweight ladder.

Carla O'Sullivan vs. Ruth Darbisher

In the fight scene there has been a lot of trash talked about women in combat sports. In boxing female fighters are often seen as a sideshow and some famous pundits openly despise women participating in combat sports. However at least the UK MMA scene recognises that women are adults and if they are good enough why shouldn’t they be allowed in the octagon, especially if they are good enough.

Well luckily for the Cage Rage faithful this fight did not disappoint as Carla O’Sullivan from the Cage Gym in Gosport, took on Elite’s very own Ruth Darbisher who was making her debut in the cage and cut an impressive promo video which got a good reaction from the crowd.

The action started with both fighters clinching and exchanging strikes before Ruth tried for a hip throw which was ultimately unsuccessful as Carla held on and as the fight went to the floor Carla’s experience showed as she demonstrated how much her ground game has improved as she swept from guard and got top position.

This signalled the end as she unleashed a series of straight then swinging haymaker punches down on Darbisher who to her credit took the punishment until O’Sullivan saw her stray arm and locked on an armbar and although Darbisher managed to initially resist and tried to squirm out of the hold she tapped and the fight ended just under 3 minutes. Hopefully this won’t be the last we will see from either fighter and I’m sure in won’t be the last women’s fight we see at Cage Rage.

Ian Butlin vs. Chin Weakasingh

The highly touted former amateur boxing star Ian Butlin made his cage rage debut against experienced Chin Wearasingh, who was coming off a win via armbar at Cage Rage 4 against John Waite. Many were predicting a stand-up war between 2 individuals most noted for their striking, however the fight was far more tactical than that and evolved into an intriguing battle of wills.

Ian Butlin started the first round at a canter by taking Chin down and worked his guard whilst pushing him towards the cage at one point Butlin did manage to get a full mount on Wearasingh, but Butlin’s offensive was dramatically countered as Wearasingh attempted a Kimura from the guard, and troubled the “Boxing Brit” with the painful arm/elbow lock for most of the round. To be honest Chin impressed in this round and all of a sudden Butlin looked as though he might face his first defeat in the 65kg division.

Round 2 saw Chin back in guard, which left Butlin to work for position and firing forearms from both half guard and side position. Butlin also showed hi experience in the cage by working Chin towards the cage, giving himself more leverage before they were stood u late in round 2. From the restart Chin went for a shoot, which Butlin counted with a nice sprawl and landed on top in the full mount. However Butlin has to settle with landing more punishing forearms as he seemed slightly concerned by Chin’s previous kimura attempts in round 1 to launch a full offensive on the man from Ronin Vale Tudo.

Round 3 kicks off with Butlin forcing Wearasingh to the floor then out of nowhere Wearasingh looks to sink in a nasty looking kimura, which for a few moments looks to be too much for Butlin, however he manages again to flip out of it, the crowd applaud as Butlin yet again gains the advantage and moves chin towards the cage. This time Butlin is more patient in his approach throwing down the occasional hand strike or forearm from the top or side position before the Referee Grant Waterman stops the fight must to Chin’s disgust although the damage to his face was visible.

Overall this was a good fight which is indicative of what MMA is about, as 2 strikers’ fought and because of the nature of the game, it ends up on the floor and they still come out with a great ground war.

Before the next fight there was an interview with Elites very own Glen Appleby who along with Andy Geer issued a challenge for all the Light-Heavyweights out there to stop avoiding him and fight him for the 205lbs title. Then there was a rap interlude by A.R.M.O.U.R who performed 4 songs, which kept business at the bar busy, whilst entertaining any RnB/Rap fans who came along to see the show.

Ricky Moore Vs. Benoit Derot

After the extended break there was the first international superfight of the night which featured a clash between the rugged Ricky Moore of the Ronin Gym and Benoit Derot from France. As usual the crowd was quite vocal in backing Moore who lives locally and they shouted his name out from the get go. However this did not help him avoid Derot’s takedown which forced Moore into a closed guard,

The rest of the round consisted of a ground battle with Derot attacking with a heel hook after a botched sweep attempt by Moore from the guard, and later on in the round Derot attacked again with single leg takedown whilst standing and more leg locks whilst on the floor. Although as the round ended Moore was working a kimura and was disappointed to hear the end of the round.

Round 2 started in the same vein with Derot taking down Moore once again with a single leg and like the end of round 1, Moore goes for a kimura whilst in the guard position. The crowd then start to get behind the local lad and with his back against the cage he forces the French to tap out midway through round 2. After the fight Dexter Casey handed the winner’s trophy to Moore to a rapturous applause from the home town support.

Michael Johnson Vs. Ronaldo Campos

The welterweight title was on the line as the dominant Brazilian Ronaldo Campos was defending his title against Michael Johnson who was accompanied to the octagon by the UK’s newest UFC representative Lee Murray and the rest of the London Shootfighters crew. Both men touch gloves to start the fight and circle each other patiently almost like it was a boxing match, however Johnson breaks this with a leg kick which the crowd cheer on as he fires in a low/high leg kick combination.

Eventually both fighters’ clinch and Campos going for a leg trip takedown which lands him in closed guard. The fight is quickly stood up and as before Campos goes for the leg trip which this time sends Johnson to the ground and straight away Campos works this opportunity. Johnson lying with his back to the fence is in defensive mode but Campos is simply on a roll and works to side mount and then works around the head of Johnson before catching Johnson in a cross armbar against the cage, which forces to Johnson tap immediately.

At this point in true Brazilian style, Campos’ entourage storm the cage whilst a dejected Johnson walked to his corner. However the respect is there as Campos spoke to Johnson before he left the cage. This was an awesome victory for Campos who in this 4.10min first round win, not only retained his title but probably sealed his place as the number 1 welterweight in the UK scene at the moment.

Samy Schiavo vs. Paul Sutherland

The 3rd international superfigtht of the night was a lightweight encounter between the talented Schiavo from the Bushido Academy in France, taking on the likeable Paul Sutherland who fights out of the Rough house Gym in the UK. Schiavo who is famous for taking the Cage Rage favourite Jean Silva to the 3rd round in an epic clash in November 02, started the 1st round by taking down Sutherland but was unable to do much as the powerful Sutherland forced Schiavo away. However as both men stood up Schiavo looked for a standing guillotine choke against the cage before taking Sutherland down again. From this position Schiavo played the position game traversing from side to half mount, however Sutherland was able to sweep out of this and trap Schiavo’s arm whilst on top of him in an immense show of strength.

However in MMA if you have the skill and technique you can nullify strength and Schiavo managed to closed his guard and eventually trap Sutherland against the cage in full mount, Sutherland tried to power out of it again but is caught giving Schiavo his back which was disastrous. Schiavo landed with a big elbow/forearm as Sutherland turtled up and started to fire controlled shots to Sutherland’s head. Paul offered little resistance and was forced to tap out to the Ground n Pound onslaught.

A great showing by the skilful Frenchman who showed why he is so highly rated in the 170lbs/70.2kg division and a lot of respect is shown by all as he received his sword by the fight sponsor Blitz.

“Bad Boy” Interview

Before the next fight the charismatic Cage Rage star Jeremy “Bad Boy” Bailey was interviewed inside the Octagon Bailey was given a special jacket to wear from the Cage Rage crew. He also apologised for not fighting and that was injured with a week to go before his fight. Then he dropped the bombshell that he will quit after a couple more fights but he has some new guys coming through. Soit will be interesting to see what the future holds for the man who love him or hate him certainly knows how to put on a show.

Lance King vs Mark Epstein

The Vacant Cage Rage Heavyweight Title was up for grabs as Lance King took on London Shoot’s Mark “The Beast” Epstein who was fighting out of his normal Light-heavyweight division for this contest, and was up against a Lance King who seemingly piled on the pounds since beating Elite’s own [Jonnie Mitchell]] for the second time back in November.

Both men looked pumped for the fight and highlights included a quick start as both men to and fro before King uses what looks like a vast weight advantage to clinch Epstein on the fence as both men struggle and trade short shots. Epstein attempted a guillotine choke as King ducked his head whilst Lee Murray was visibly shouting instructions to Epstein. But the pace is slowed by a low blow by King on Epstein. However at the restart Epstein fires an uppercut that rock king and sent him spinning as king moved onto the fence

The round ended with grappling on the fence as both guys firing in occasional knee and or foot stomps in order to gain the advantage. However King did look tired as he made his way back.

Lance King charges Epstein to start round 2 but gets caught and Epstein lands an uppercut and forces King down and starts to land clubbing blows on his bigger opponent before he established guard. King utilising a closed guard as Epstein’s corner holler at him to pass the guard however all he can do is break the closed guard and end up in half guard, although that is good enough for Epstein to land short clubbing blows again which gradually hurt King as he starts to push slowly through king’s guard even though king tries to close it. Epstein ends the round by standing up brief to pass King’s guard and ends up in side control where he attempts a keylock only for king to counter with weak knees whilst on his back. As both men walk to there corner Lance is looking very tired and mark’s corner is very vocal in encouraging him.

Both men start round 3 looking fatigued however the tentative start ends abruptly with Lance King walking into a punch which forces him to cover up and even though King did fire in a few back eventually Epstein’s clubbing blows were too much and the fight was stop with an exhausted King lying on the floor looking as though he has been knocked unconscious as the medical team enter the octagon. However after a brief wait Lance does stand up to applause from the audience who clearly respected this great stand-up clash. However Epstein was very impressive, especially as he was fighting out of his normal weight class and I’m sure he will be a big danger to anyone domestically at light-heavyweight/205lbs

(Champion)  Paul Jenkins vs. Suley Mahmoud

The 10th fight of the night was for the Cage Rage Middleweight title as the Welshman Paul “Hands of Stone” Jenkins took on Suley Mahmoud from the London Shootfighters. Jenkins who was Cage Rage’s “Cagefighter of year” for 2003 is well know in the UK scene after appearing on ITV’s “Caged Combat” series and last year fought over 18 times in MMA competition for just about every UK promotion and came near to winning a “World Title” when he gave the extremely talented Fabricio Nascimento a scare or two in their fight in November.

Jenkins who showed no sign of fatigue from his fight 2 weeks previous, as he started the fight with a low leg kick which Mahmoud quickly shook off. The fight went to the fence as both men battle for position as Mahmoud went for a guillotine which Jenkins pushed of before both fighters circled each other again as the fight started off slow before Jenkins latches on a waistlock throw on Mahmoud which sent him to the mat. A short grappling contest goes on before both fighters stand up and Jenkins yet again gets Mahmoud in a standing waist lock against the fence before trying for another throws which failed and left Jenkins on his back, but the wily veteran managed to Sweep Mahmoud, who could only counter by throwing small shots to the side of Jenkins head as the round ended. Jenkins stands up and looked slightly disappointed as a very methodical even round ends.

Round 2 begins with Mahmoud using his natural weight/size advantage to push Jenkins to the fence where he throws some knees to the body. Jenkins counters with a takedown attempt but Mahmoud just pushes Jenkins down to the canvas where Jenkins gets a closed guard and a see-saw battle commences as they reverse positions on the floor. The crowd is eerily quiet as they appreciate the action going on as Jenkins tries to slowly works through Mahmoud’s guard, Jenkins continues to work as he works his way to Mahmoud‘s half guard and tries to smother him with his arm. In typical fashion Jenkins then taunts Mahmoud’s corner as they cheer there man on.

To get the crowd back into the contest the MC for the night calls for the crowd to get involved and bring that tension back into the fight. However the round ended with Jenkins firing some short shots whilst on the ground, he finishes by landing 2 swinging punches whilst looking for an opening.

With the fight in the balance round 3 starts with Suley electing to stand with Jenkins and landing a nice 1-2 combo before Jenkins shoots in with a single-let takedown and after a brief struggle forces his opponent into guard. Like in round 2 Jenkins finds himself trying to pass Suley’s guard as both men are on the fence however neither man is very active as Jenkins yet again is slowly trying to push through. Jenkins switches tact and tries for a neck crank but to no avail and with 2 minutes left the fight is restarted with 2 minutes to go.

With the clock ticking Suley counters a Jenkins leg kick with a double leg takedown and with 90 seconds to go he slams Jenkins but ultimately fires to take full advantage of it as the fight ends with Paul on top position.

As the wait for the judges verdict goes on both fighters hug as the fight was really to close to call and when the fight is finally declared a draw via the judges decision I felt as though no-one would really complain. As Andy Geer hyped up a potential rematch on May 23rd Paul and Suley thank both the fans and Suley thanks his London Shoot Teammates.

Jenkins keeps his title in a ground fest but unlike previous events in which any ground action usually resulted in a vicious torrent of boos, this time the crowd seemed more educated, more respectful and more interested in what was going on. Hopefully this is a sign of things to come.

Lee Murray Interview

Due to his emphatic win at UFC 46, everyone is now talking about “Lightening” Lee Murray and for the casual fans who were in attendance they were who were treated to another showing of his win against Jorge Rivera on the impressive big screens located above the stage. Lee then entered the cage at Caesars to rapturous applause from the crowd. Lee thanked his London Shoot and Am Pro boxing teams before cutting a good interview stated yet again that he ko’ed Tito in a streetfight after UFC 38 and after a few more fights at 185 he will move up take the title then fight Tito. He also said he will be looking to fight at UFC 48 in June, which will be a date not to miss for any UK MMA fan.

Xavier Foupa Pokam vs. Paulo Coelho

The penultimate match of the night featured an international bout which was a classical grappler vs. striker bout, as Xavier Foupa-Pokam; a Frenchman with a strong background in Muay Thai, who is on an impressive run of form which included a victory over the highly touted Matt Ewin (who had an 8 match unbeaten streak going into that fight and was for many the fighter on 2003) at XFC 2 in November, and was incredibly close to beating Ewin again in a rematch at Extreme Brawl 5 in late December. His opponent was the Brazilian Poulo Coelho who holds a Black Belt in BJJ and has previously been victories in the Mundials in Brazil and was touring the UK doing seminars.

Foupa-Pokam had a big height advantage going into this contest which only added to the interest in this bout which went straight to the floor as Coelho made his intentions very clear by not willing to stand with the Frenchman, who at 185lbs looked imposing and dangerous. However on the floor he was forced into a high closed guard which frustrated both Coelho and the audience who wanted very different things. Coelho did show his superior ground skill in switching to side position but as the crowd’s frustration increased the fight was stood up and the action re-started with Coelho shooting in twice before the gangly Muay Thai expert caught him with a bone crunching jumping knee which made everyone pay attention and rocked Coelho leaving him on his back as Xavier’s long reach came into play after firing some stiff shots whilst standing over the Brazilian’s guard.

The round ends in controversial fashion as the Frenchman looked as though he had ko’ed the visiting Jiu-jitsu ace with a shot after the bell which left him on the mat for minute after the bell had rung. The crowd call for Coelho to rise as referee grant Waterman explains to Foupa-Pokam what happened and after a brief break round 2 starts.

Round 2 starts with the rangy Frenchman showing off his striking skills in earnest with a strong roundhouse which the Brazilian ducked and tried to push him into guard, however as the ground expert laid on the canvas in guard, Foupa-Pokam tentative stalked him like a lion waiting to pounce on his prey. Foupa-Pokam broke the inactively with a couple of leg kicks aimed at disrupting the experienced jiu-jitsu master’s guard. Xavier gradually becomes more aggressive as he goes to battle the Frenchman on the ground, before quickly standing up and making the Brazilian follow suit and the action starts again.

This time Xavier throws a jab as yet again Coelho shoots in but is quickly knocked to the floor by the Frenchman who connected with a kick as Coelho went to the floor. By now Coelho loo0ked tired and was reluctant to keep standing up to the French striker and eventually referee Grant Waterman beckons the Brazilian to rise for the 2nd time in a row to face more punishment however the brazilin stays on the floor and the fight is abruptly stopped via a verbal tap out.

Overall Xavier Foupa-Pokam looked very impressive on his Cage Rage debut and dominant his Brazilian opponent both physically and by his range of punishing strikes which shook his seemingly 1 dimensional opponent. However credit must go to Coelho who didn’t come to the UK to fight and took the fight on a week’s notice anyway.

Leigh Remedios Vs Jean Silva

The main event was a top notch draw featuring an established rugged veteran of the UK scene, who has featured on numerous documentaries some of which were shown in the dark days before UK MMA was that widespread. Whilst his opponent Jean Silva has a flashy hybrid style which features a high tempo mix of capoeria style kicks, fast punches and slick ground skills. Interestingly this fight was at 65KG which posed many problems for Silva who at Cagewarriors 5 in November weighed in at 72kg. Speaking to Silva before the event, he did hint that the last week had been difficult and that he would not do it again. Whilst Leigh looked calm and happy due to his experience at making weight.

However with Leigh wanting to get back into the World stage following his loss to Mike Brown at AFC 6 in December and Silva eager to impress one of the big USA promotions himself, the stakes were high which only added to the atmosphere come fight time.

The fight started with a flurry as Silva wearing long white shorts launched into Leigh with a flying front kick which forced Leigh back into the cage. Leigh who was wearing his now patented 70’s style electric blue Speedo’s, countered with a low leg kick but Silva followed up with a series of left and rights which got Leigh’s attention. The fighters then clichéd in the centre of the octagon with Leigh looking for under-hooks whilst Silva slowly pushed him to the fence where they struggled for position before they broke away and Silva chased Leigh again with a few right hands and a right high kick. Again the fight went to the fence and with his back now turned to the other side of the fence Leigh weaved and tried to mount some offence himself but Silva ducked his blows as they clinched again.

Silva momentarily was pushed to the floor on 1 knee by Leigh who continued to push him until Silva was standing with his back to the fence. A standing test of strength ensured as both fighter looked for the upper hand eventually Silva managed to shoot in and force Leigh to guard. This then set the tone for the rest of the round as Leigh used a very active guard to subdue Silva’s ground attacks. Leigh’s experience came into play as he attempted a heelhook as the ground game of chess slowly started. Other highlights were Silva going for a cross armbar which Leigh flipped out of.

The round ended with Leigh trying to pass Silva’s guard, whilst Silva looking for a triangle. Overall the round was a great mix of what MMA is and should be, with the tension in the nightclub hitting fever pitch despite the late hour it made the fight all the more exciting.

Round 2 was mostly a ground war as Silva did seem to be troubling Leigh when they were standing and did catch Leigh with a big overhead right before the fight returning to the floor. Again Leigh was very active on ground frustrating the BJJ Black belt with a tight closed guard when needed and a busy active guard when not. Leigh also threw numerous short strikes whilst on his back to the annoyance of Silva, Silva tried on many occasions to pass Leigh’s guard and even reverted to spinning Leigh and trying to work from a side position. Silva continued to mix his ground offensive by standing up and looking to pass the guard that way but he was forced back down and nullified whilst trying to pass Leigh’s guard in what was a tiring battle of nutrition for the London based Brazilian. However this ground war ended late in the 2nd round both fighters were stood up and it signalled the end of the fight in dramatic circumstances

As the fight was re-started Leigh fired in a low right leg kick, Silva crouched and leapt up and swung with a right hand and then followed this up with a left right combination forcing Remedios back towards the cage. Silva then threw another wild right which missed but forced the experienced Remedios off balance. Then in an instant it was all over as from what looked like an impossible angle Silva connected cleanly with a beautiful shin kick to the side of Leigh’s head which sent him instantly to the canvas and like lightening Silva pounded on the seemingly unconscious Remedios and landed a right hand before referee Grant Waterman jumped in.

The mainly pro-Silva crowd went crazy as Silva had KO’ed Britain’s best 65kg fighter in such a dramatic fashion which nearly rivalled stablemate Lee Murray’s KO of Pele in July last summer. Celebrations followed afterwards as his London shootfighters team stormed the cage as a dazed Remedious laid on the canvas. The atmosphere was chaotic as the crowd ignited in reaction to what had unfolded just seconds before. I sat in a shocked state as Silva despite his struggle to make weight had KO’ed Remedios in such a dramatic fashion. Suddenly the risk was worth it as Silva has now well and truly broke his domestic level tag and will now surely be knocking on the UFC’s door later on this year.

Overall this was a much improved event, although it maybe a little cramped in the arena, the Cage Rage guys know what their fans want and they know how to give it to them. And with many people being turned away due to heath and safety regulations I’m sure this time next year they will be looking for a larger arena to hold the show. But for now they remain in Streatham for the rest of the year and if you live in the London/South East Area, you really have no excuse to miss it (just get there early to secure a good view). I for one can’t wait till May 23rd for the next instalment.