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Top quality MMA returns to the Barnsley Metrodome on Friday October 16th.

(Quick quiz- What landmark in MMA history took place at the Metrodome. Answer at bottom)

The event has been put together by Paul Murphy and features many of the fighters who shone on the great Ultimate Force cards.

The always entertaining Wayne Murrie takes on Bryan Moore. Also on the card are Lanus Jones and Luke Dalton, both coming off spectacular wins at the recent 10th Legion show. Ultimate Force always delivered with well matched bouts from start to finish and this show should not disappoint.

Wayne Murrie v Brian Moore
Lanus Jones v Daniel Sliwowski
James Bateman v Leeroy Barnes
Jules Willis v Billy Glossop
Jason Ball v TBA
Pete Hill v TBA

Ross Price v Martin Stocks
Tom Whitaker v Nick Slack
Louie Chapman v James Green
Sean Fells v Grant Kyles
Luke Dalton v Mathew Stocks
Josh Harrop v Keith Lorenz
Daniel Dwyer v Joe Patrick

Quiz Answer: On 9th May 2004 at Cage Warriors 7: Showdown, Gerald Strebendt won his fight against Dave Elliot with a Twister. This was the first ever submission by way of Twister in MMA history.

Jim Wallhead clocked up another impressive win, but a clue to his success may have been outside the cage. The Rough House guys always turn out in numbers to support their team mates. In attendance at the Donny Dome were: international superstars Hardy and Daley, TV heart throbs Amasinger and Winner, Lee Livingstone, Jim’s management and no doubt plenty of others I didn’t recognise. Fighting is the ultimate individual sport. You’re all alone; but having the backing of a good camp makes a huge difference.

Jason Ball’s shorts bore a British Fighting Championship logo. A reminder of a massive missed opportunity.

Marc Goddard: great ref, but sometimes he lets the fans down. During the Gary Enderby / Chris Fields fight, the eagle eyed Brummie noticed the cage door was unlocked. The action was stopped until the problem was sorted. Of course fighter safety is important and all that but, in these troubled times, wouldn’t we all enjoy the slapstick gold of two blokes leaning on an open door and falling through it.

Neil Fraser was wrongly announced as being from Barnsley, Fortunately, he was able to clear matters up by turning round and pointing out the huge, claret and blue Burnley tattoo on his back to the audience.

Back to team work. Neil Fraser had the Sinclair brothers in his corner. To get the most of their wisdom, he planted Chris Stringer bang in front of them at the start of the second. As the pair urged him on- they were able to point at the exact areas they wanted Fraser to work on. In no other sport do you get your coach literally in your ear while you work.

With hindsight, the main report didn’t give the Fraser / Stringer fight enough praise. Fraser was coming off a string of good wins, including dominant turn against Leeroy Barnes and the way he controlled Stringer was impressive. He wasn’t able to find a way to finish, but that is credit to his opponent. I looked up Chris “Menace 2 Society” Stringer’s record again. He’s got a few Ls but mainly early on and check the names: Grzegorz Tredowski, Samy Schiavo, Augusto Frota and Bendy. There’s coming up the hard way but that’s taking the piss. The more I think about it, the better his win over Fraser was.

Decent numbers turned up at the Dome on Saturday. Down on some previous shows, but still respectable considering the economic meltdown. They got value for money as always.

Danny Mitchel looks to have a rosy future. He got caught up in a leg lock duel early in his title challenge, kept his composure and nicked the win. Danny already brings a sizeable following at the Dome and he looks set for big things if he works hard and keeps his feet on the ground. Then again, he’s only young. He could probably get away with going totally off the rails and waste a couple of years in a haze of drink, drugs and loose women and still have time to come back and have decent career. It would make his autobiography a juicier read as well.

Ultimate Force is never less than a great night out. Ace venue, the most enthusiastic fans in UK MMA and a roster of quality regulars. For a variety of reasons, Saturday’s event looks like being even better than usual.

The main event sees a classic up and comer versus veteran match up for the European Welterweight title. Danny Mitchel won the Title Challenge at Total Combat 28, earning himself a grand and a massive boost to his reputation. On a night when all around were losing their heads- Danny got past homeboy and future superstar Andy McQueen and “The Viking” Runar Gundersen. Back on home turf and backed by his always noisy fan club- Mitchel will be hoping to push on. Facing him is veteran Lee Doski. Doski has been in with everyone who’s anyone on the UK scene. On his last visit to Doncaster, he showed his class when submitting the ultra-game Gary Savage. Since then- he has endured a spell out injured and a three fight losing streak. When you see that those losses came against Simon Phillips, Peter Irving and in a Pancrase rules fight against Jess Liaudin- it doesn’t seem nearly as bad. A chance for both fighters to make a statement. Doski needs a win to show he really is on his way back. A win for Mitchel would mean he becomes a player on the domestic Welterweight scene.

Jim Wallhead is undoubtedly a player on the domestic Welterweight scene. “Judo” Jim was the clear favourite to take the British Fighting Championship title before that organisation imploded. He was due to face Fabio Taldo in the first round of the BFC. Ultimate Force have stepped in and the fight will now go ahead. Wallhead will be expected to prevail. His last two fights have demonstrated why he is one of the most feared Welters outside the big shows. His display of controlled aggression against Fabricio Nascimento highlighted his vastly improved stand up in the UK fight of the year. His destruction of jiu jitsu ace Igor Araujo proved beyond doubt he is ready to step up to the next level. Overlooked for TUF 9, Jimmy will just have to keep dishing out the pain until the one of the major promotions hand over his long overdue contract. My only experience of Taldo was seeing his win over Edgelson Lua at the first Ultimate Challenge. Taldo took his man down and looked for a heel hook for three minutes before earning the tap. Hopefully, he has more than the Ken Shamrock plan #1 in his locker or it could be in for a brief but highly unpleasant experience.

Wayne Murrie v James Bateman is another salvaged BFC first round bout. Bateman has graduated to the Dome via impressive displays at the Storm Force / Phoenix Fights feeder shows in Rotherham. In Murrie, he is facing one of the stars of Ultimate Force. Rarely in a dull fight, “Mayhem” has a habit of getting the crowd on their feet, most notably when choking out Djamel Moula at Ultimate Force 6: Battle of Waterloo. Last November, his thrilling third TKO win over Leslee Ojugbana allowed Murrie to show off his all round game. On that form, it’s hard to look beyond a Wayne Murrie win.

Ian Jones headlined the last Ultimate Force and was comprehensively beaten by Ross Pearson. No shame in that as Pearson looks to be the outstanding prospect in UK MMA and is currently winning fans on both sides of the Atlantic due to his starring role in TUF 9. Jones will take on Tommy Maguire on Saturday.  

Jason “Daddy Cool” Ball will return to the scene of his greatest triumphs in the hope of revitalising his career as a lightweight. Since dropping down from Welter, Ball has clocked up wins against Aidan Marron and Glenn Mincer. He has also dropped a decision to Mick Sinclair and came closer than anyone to beating the phenomenal Paul Sass. Doncaster’s favourite David Haye lookalike battered the Scouse prodigy for eleven minutes and twenty six seconds before being snared in the inevitable triangle. His opponent Alexandre “Xandinho” Izidro will be a good measuring stick. He loses a few- but only because he chooses to mix it with the very best. Both men are always in great shape and the judges may be called on to separate them.

On top of these goodies- you’ve got another nine fights to enjoy. The Dome is one of the most luxurious venues on the UK MMA circuit and, with this many local heroes on the bill, you can guarantee a special atmosphere. Add in the attractions of the cheekiest ring card girls in the business and the extra large beer glasses and you’ve got pretty much the perfect night out.

Be there.

For full details, go to Ultimate Force website