Absolute Combat
Absolute Combat promises to be a stormer.
Check out the card here
Paul McVeigh v Marcelo Costa
Paul Reed v Fred Fernandez
The top two fights are as good as you’ll find anywhere in Europe and there are gems right down the card. With the likes of Paul Jenkins and Tom Haddock taking on the locals- you are guaranteed fireworks. hurtbusiness is particularly pleased to see the return of Manslaughter O’Toole. The Irishman always puts on a show and his clash with Allan Love is a potential fight of the night.
Interview with co promoter James Doolan here
Interview with Paul Reed here
Interview with Paul McVeigh here
Ultimate Force Extra
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: Oblivion – Preview
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
BFC Dream Over
Back in February, at the launch of the British Fighting Championship, I asked one of the organisers: “When is it all going to go wrong?”
It was a joke. Basking in the optimism generated in the UTC, it looked clear that the idea was a winner. A huge step on the road to establishing the sport in this country. The comment did have a deeper edge however. UK MMA has a history of grabbing defeat from the jaws of victory. The scene is populated by many great people who work diligently to keep the sport alive. Unfortunately, there are also a large number of con artists, carpetbaggers and all round tosspots who will stop at nothing in their quest to nick a pound note off out of someone else’s pocket.
The collapse of the BFC is a disaster for UK MMA. All those who tried to make it work deserve credit. Those who actively worked to destroy it deserve nothing but contempt.
Everyone who is involved in the UK MMA scene will suffer as a result of this.
BFC Kick Off
The British Fighting Championship is finally here. After the predictable lies, pull outs and backstabbing that we associate with UK MMA, the BFC is going ahead with a much stronger roster than many would have predicted.
The three first round megacards take place in Nottingham (16 May), Newport (30 May) and Barnsley (26 June). Before that, a tasty aperitif, as two of the brightest youngsters in the UK clash for the honour of a place in the Bantamweight first round proper. James Saville and Dan Korbley have been tipped for big things for a long time. A fight between the two would be a big deal any time. The fact that it is the official kick off of the BFC makes this even more significant.
The winner will get a shot at Steve “Taz” McCombe. A dubious honour: the chance to eat punches from a hard hitting veteran in your second pro fight. On the other hand: it’s the chance to catapult yourself up the rankings by claiming a big scalp. In other words; this is the perfect example of why the BFC is the best idea to come out of UK MMA in ages.
Another reason to be cheerful this week is the debut of the UK M-1 team. Rob Broughton, Tom Blackledge, Matt Thorpe, Simon Phillips and Ian Butlin fly out on Saturday and fight in Japan on Wednesday. hurtbusiness has always been a huge fan of the M-1 Challenge and can’t wait for the UK team to get started.
You will be able to see the fights streamed live on cagewarriors.com next Wednesday morning.
FX3 March on London
Massive news from FX3 . For years, MMA fans have wondered about the lack of competition in London. Apart from the marmite like shows from Cage Rage / UCUK- the capital has been an MMA free zone.
This press release from FX3 gives notice that they are ready to change all that:
“FX3 “X”treme Combat was established in the UK in 2005 and since that time has grown to become one of the prominent and leading promotions through-out the UK and Europe. Due to restrictions from the venue and local councils it has been 6 months since the last FX3 “X”treme Combat event which was held in September 2008. We are now pleased to announce that alongside our dates in Reading, Berkshire we have now also secured a London venue which is The York Hall, Bethnal Green. The York Hall has recently undergone major refurbishment and our first event there will be on June 13th and then again on October 31st 2009 with more dates to follow. We have also confirmed a whole batch of new fighters for FX3 including some of the most well known and respected fighters in the UK such as Mark Weir, John Maguire, Leo Nagao and many more. Denniston Sutherland, the current FX3 Light Heavy Weight World Champion will be defending his title against Jake Bostwick, another new signing to FX3 in his bid to be crowned World Champion. Crowd favourite Scott Jansen will take on the monster of a man Joe Mac for the British U77K Title. We are also very excited to welcome to our upcoming fight cards Gorgio Andrews, Suley Mohmood and Michael Johnson all from the renowned London Shoot Fighters Gym. European superstar Jason Jones from the World Famous Mikes Gym in Holland will be back in the FX3 Circular Cage along with team mate Danny Van Bergen who will also be contesting for the FX3 Light Weight Title. It is also our honour and pleasure to welcome back Dutch fighting sensation and K1 + MMA legend Melvin Manheof… 2009 now looks like a very exciting year for FX3 “X”treme Combat, with 6 events booked between May and December 2009, for full details and fight cards please visit www.fx3.org.uk ”
MMA in the York Hall. Great news. Pity about the clash with UFC 99.
Cage Gladiators XI Report
A full report on Cage Gladiators XI is now up on the main site:
Cage Gladiators XI Preview
The UK MMA season gets into full swing with Cage Gladiators XI – Resurrection at the Olympia in Liverpool on Saturday night.
No doubt the attendance will be boosted by TV groupies hoping to catch a glimpse of Emile “Million Dollar Trader” Coleman. Those of us who are going for the fights will also have plenty to keep us going.
Lightweight is arguably the deepest division in UK MMA and CG XI will help us to work out the pecking order of that weight class. In the main event, Harvey Harra will have the chance to confirm he can mix it with the best. Coming up, he has a BFC clash against the rejuvenated Ian Butlin. Before that, he has to face the most dangerous legs in the North West.
(WARNING : MICHAEL WINNER STYLE NAME DROP COMING UP)
I was talking to Greg Jackson recently and the world’s number one trainer/coach was raving about Paul Sass. Sass has been over to Jackson’s in Albuquerque and apparently doesn’t look out of place in that stable of superstars. He has the incredible record of six straight pro wins by triangle (nine including semi and amateur). He will be a strong favourite to continue his unbeaten run- but Harra has some impressive names on his record and is well capable of spoiling the party.
The last man to fall victim to the “Sassangle” was Jason Ball. The result disguises the fact that “Daddy Cool” spent long periods dishing out brutal ground and pound and came within a whisker of a stoppage win. Ball was a top ten Welterweight and showed he has the strength and experience (some gloriously sly fence grabbing to maintain top position) to be a genuine threat to anyone at Lightweight. The Donny David Haye lookalike has already clocked up a win away in Florida this year against ATT’s Glenn Mincer, so he will be full of confidence. He’ll still need to be on the top of his game to get past Mick Sinclair. He has shown off his subs in the past and his last Olympia appearance reminded everyone about his striking. My favourite Mick Sinclair fight was his three round war with Ian Jones at Ultimate Force in October 2007. The final round saw the pair knee lumps out of each other in the clinch before taking it turns to look for last minute head kick KOs. Both of these lads have got big futures- but the one who gets his arm raised on Saturday night will be making a real statement.
There is quality down the card- including a few hurtbusiness faves. Lucasz Les looks to have all the tools to be a genuine star. On the last card I saw he is matched against the wily old campaigner TBC- but you have to fancy him get the W.
Les Ojugabana had a disappointing 2008. He went 0-3 and also went to Mannheim to fight Mario Stapel, only to discover the German had pulled out when he was waiting for him in the cage. As is often the case- the stat’s only tell half the story. His to and fro war with Wayne Murray was one of the fights of the year and he has the physical tools to compete with anyone at Welterweight. On a superficial level- we love the matching tracksuits of “Team Hollywood” and the high jumps. Julian “Jabba” Soares looks a tough cookie on paper- but Leslee will be hoping to get the job done.
Kam Atakuru has the most deceiving record in UK MMA. 1-3 doesn’t look much until you check the quality of the 3- the aforementioned Jason Ball, Lucasz Les and Les Ojugabana. For proof that Kam is no mug- check out the video of his bout with Jason Ball. It’s one of the most amazing fights you’ll see. For those sheep who have fallen in with the view that Marc Goddard has a tendency to stop fights early- it’s required viewing.
Kam will be hoping his CV makes more respectable reading after his fight with Russel Burns.
If none of that floats your boat; there are another eight fights to enjoy. If that isn’t value for money – I don’t know what is.
For full details, ticket etc go to:
Full report will be available at the main site
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UPDATE
Lucasz Les will fight the legendary Paul “Hands of Stone” Jenkins.
Good Reads
A word to the wise about a couple of quality reads for followers of MMA.
Over at www.mmahitpit.com , fighter Dave Bownds has a blog. It’s always worth reading and his latest offering, which covers his fight at Night of the Gladiators is particularly good.
Read it here.
Another fighter who has started blogging is favourite for the BFC Bantamweight title Paul McVeigh. It was inevitable that one of the Dinky Ninjas would start sharing their knowledge with the world. We know from articles in the Scottish press that they are the world’s most intellectual fight team. After a hard sparring session they love nothing better than gathering around an open fire to toast crumpets while deconstructing Satre and pressing wild flowers.
McVeigh’s blog is certain to be a good read- full of tips, insight into the warped mind of a quality athlete and no doubt a few laughs. hurtbusiness predicts it will become a must read.
Check it out at: maccavelli.wordpress.com
