Archive for September 2010
BAMMA 4 on BRAVO: 9.00 Fri October 1st
Watson v Reid was a truly epic event; a landmark in UK MMA history. That and the rest of the BAMMA 4 card will be shown on BRAVO on Friday October 1st.
Catch Gunnar Nelson’s latest step on the road to world domination. The grappling prodigy is the biggest thing to come out of Iceland since the ash cloud.
Be amazed at the power of John Philips, a likely future opponent for Watson or Reid.
Enjoy a couple of mini classics as Harvey Harra returns to the cage against David Round and the highly tipped Tim Newman takes on the tough as old boots AJ Wenn.
Throw in hip young gunslinger Tom Breese and the explosive KO finish to the Elsdon / Leary fight and you’ve got yourself a show.
You’ve enjoyed the atmosphere of big arena MMA, you’ve read the hurtbusiness report, now catch the movie.
BAMMA 4 on Bravo- worth staying in for (Unless you are within travelling distance of Cage Warriors: Young Guns at the Forum )
BAMMA 4 Report
Tom Watson and Alex Reid put on one of the most exciting fights in UK MMA history. For five rounds, the pair showed guts and determination beyond the call of duty as they slugged it out. This was more than a fight; it was an event. The crowd went nuts from beginning to end, feeding off the action to produce a truly special atmosphere. Tom deservedly took a unanimous decision, but the big winner was his opponent. Alex Reid had been written off by many (including the hurtbusiness) as a man whose best days were behind him. Alex showed true warrior spirit, never taking a backward step. After being booed on the way in, the crowd gave him a huge ovation after the fight. He made a lot of new fans and changed the minds of those of us who had lost faith.
A killjoy could point out a number of technical flaws in both fighters, but that would be petty. Reid v Watson was the best possible advert for UK MMA. Both of them will be forever associated with this fight and they should be proud. It was an honour to be there.
John Phillips will be gunning for a shot at the Middleweight title after his TKO win over James Zikic. The Welshman marched forward, unloading bombs from the start. The relentless pressure was too much and the ref waved it off after a minute and a half of the opening round.
Gunnar Nelson is the going to be a world superstar. Once he managed to get Eugene Fadiora to the canvas, the was an air of inevitablity about what followed. The finish came when Nelson caught Fadiora in a body triangle then applied a rear naked choke. Showing unbelievable resilience, Eugene managed to struggle to his feet with the Icelander on his back- but the game was up. The tap gave Nelson his second first round sub win in a row over a top UK prospect. He’s going to be bigger than Bjork.
Simeon Thoresen finished Marco Santi with a rear naked choke after four minutes spent mainly in a standing clinch.
AJ Wenn got back to winning ways with a tidy win over Tim Newman. Newman had the better of the first, testing Wenn’s chin with a hard left hand on the feet and working from side control on the deck. The tide turned in the second. AJ followed Tim to the ground and snared him in a triangle choke.
Stuart Davies beat Scott Jansen by way of armbar in the first round.
Harvey Harra returned to action in a mini classic against David Round. The opening stanza was pure entertainment. Harra went close with a couple of submission attempts but was Round freed himself each time by slamming his man down on the canvas. The exertions of the first had clearly taken their toll, as both men looked sluggish at the start of the second. The fight soon hit the mat and Harvey slapped on a guillotine that earned an instant tap.
Sam Elsdon went for glory, throwing a big overhand right. It missed and Charlie Leary replied with a fearsome uppercut – right on the button. Elsdon went down, turtled up and the ref dived in to halt the ground and pound.
Shah Hussain rolled to escape the barrage of elbows. Tom Breese seized the opportunity and scored with a rear naked choke.
Robert Devanne caught Colin Lewis in a standing guillotine to take the opening bout of the night.
Ring Walk Tune of the Night
Forget the hoops and theatricals, it has to be: Simeon ‘The Grin’ Thoresen
Best Celebrity Crowd Member
Steve ‘Big Daddy’ Bunce
Best Pundit
Katie Price for her restrained pre-fight comments about both Tom and Alex being champions for stepping into the cage.
Fight of the Night
The main event was Fight of the Year material.
Man of the Night
He took the disparaging comments in the run up to the fight, fashioned them into a solid phallus, lifted his skirt, strapped it on, bent us critics over and mercilessly rammed the point home for 25 thrilling minutes.
The Reidernator is back baby.
BAMMA 4 Preview
Alex Reid v Tom Watson is the most hyped fight in UK MMA history. You already know about the insults, the Keysi, the bananas and all the tabloid nonsense – so hurtbusiness will just concentrate on the fight.
Disraeli said: “there are lies, damn lies and statistics”, but sometimes the numbers tell you all you need to know. Tom is ranked the European # 8 Middleweight in the respected Ground and Pound rankings and is generally considered the UK #2 behind Bisping. In December 2008, Cage Gladiators ranked Alex Reid #20 in the UK. Since then he has won a controversial decision in a UK 1 fight against Jack Mason and fought a close draw against the Big Brother snowman.
Alex Reid is a pioneer of the sport in this country and a nice guy. Plenty of respected figures in the sport have been popping up to say that he shouldn’t be written off, but the stat’s tell another story. Alex has not won an MMA fight against someone with a winning record since 2002. He has not won any of his last seven MMA fights. For all the talk of his heart and warrior spirit, I cannot see a way for Alex to win this fight. If the very best Alex Reid turns up, the guy who slugged it out with Mark Weir way back when, Watson would still hold all the aces. On the feet, Tom has the reach to keep Alex at range and genuine single shot power. Watson has spent the last few years dividing his time between Jackson’s MMA in Albuquerque and the Montreal gyms that turned GSP into the best wrestler in MMA. He has struggled at times in his last two fights, but they were against seasoned Americans with wrestling skills that are way beyond anything Alex has ever demonstrated. Watson’s gruelling battles with Taylor and Horwich showcased his submission defence and his supreme cardio- something that will surely be a factor if the fight goes beyond the first minute. Chuck in ring rust, the distractions of celebrity and the incredible pressure Alex must be under and there can only be one result. That is, unless something bizarre happens. Alex has a history of weird endings in his fights: the eye poke vs.’ Professor X, the Lee Murray confusion and the volcanic shin cut against Ninja Rua. Bearing this in mind the hurtbusiness prediction is Tom Watson, TKO Round One or some odd, anti climactic finish with Alex shrugging his shoulders and the arena booing.
The rest of the card features some of the best fights you’ll see in the UK this year. The Welterweight match between Eugene Fadiora and Gunnar Nelson jumps off the page. The commentary team at BAMMA 2 hailed Nelson as the second coming of Jesus Christ- and it looks like they may have been right. The Icelander has the grappling skills to be up there with Jacare, Toquinho and Demian Maia. Eugene is a red hot prospect; unbeaten with a good all round game. This year, the pair have both clocked up wins against ‘The Cheesecake Assassin’ Danny Mitchell. Eugene stopped Danny in the third, Gunnar put on a brief jiu jitsu masterclass before finishing him with a rear naked choke in the first. On the feet, you would have to favour Eugene, although Gunnar trains with tough guy Arni Isaksson so he probably has a mean body shot in his locker.
Nelson’s fans have tremendous confidence in his ability. In the run up to their fight last month, Danny Mitchell was a slight favourite over Gunnar in the betting market. Shortly before the fight, in a move that has already gone down in UK MMA legend, a mystery punter reportedly bet £20,000 pounds on Nelson to win. The book was closed and Gunnar did the biz. Fadiora has an underrated ground game, but very few people on the European scene would be able to live with Nelson on the floor. Gunnar Nelson by sub. He is all he’s cracked up to be.
John Philips has dynamite in his hands and has been unstoppable at domestic level in recent times, but he may find James Zikic has a little too much for him. ‘The Messenger’ is unlikely to be intimidated by a big hitter, seeing as he has been the distance with the likes of Cyborg and Vitor Belfort. Zikic is a smart fighter who always seems to work out a way to get the win. His experience should see him through against Philips.
Rob Sinclair’s destruction of Daniel Weichel at the last BAMMA let a few more people in on the secret. Rob has been one of the most consistent performers on the UK scene over recent years and has to be fancied to defeat Jani Lax. Lax has fought on decent shows in Europe and Japan but will not be able to deal with Rob Sinclair’s relentless ground and pound. Along with champagne, there will be some mashed Swede at the after party.
STOP PRESS: LAX HAS PULLED OUT DUE TO TRAINING INJURY
The pick of the undercard is Tim Newman v AJ Wenn. ‘Super Human’ Newman has some of the smartest ground skills in the UK Lightweight division. Last time out, he decided to prove a point against Jason Ball. Ball is an accomplished boxer. Tim travelled to his Doncaster backyard and stood up with him. The resulting slugfest was one of the fights of the year. Newman went back to South Wales without his unbeaten record, but had made a statement. In his previous fight, he submitted current Ultimate Fighter cast member Aaron Wilkinson. AJ has had less success against TUF guys. He lost out to Ross Pearson in the selection fight for season 9 and took Andre Winner’s best shots before dropping a decision to him at Cage Warriors in 2007. That fight showed off Wenn’s toughness. Only fighters with real quality get the best of him. A tough test for Tim Newman, but one I see him passing by way of submission.
As well as this lot you’ve got: submission prodigy Tom Breese, Norwegian glamour boy Simeon Thoresen and Scott Jansen ‘the David Beckham of UKMMA’.
Not to be missed.
Main Event live on Bravo TV
Full Card
Middleweight Championship: Alex Reid vs Tom Watson
Middleweight: John Philips Vs. James Zikic
Lightweight Championship: Rob Sinclair vs Jani Lax
Welterweight: Eugene Fadiora Vs. Gunnar Nelson
Welterweight: Simeon Thoresen vs Marco Santi
Lightweight: Tim Newman Vs. A J Wenn
Lightweight: Stuart Davies Vs. Scott Jansen
Lightweight: Harvey Harra Vs. David Round
Welterweight: Charlie Leary Vs. Sam Eldson
Welterweight: Tom Breese Vs. Shah Hussain
Middleweight: Robert Devanne Vs. Colin Lewis
KnuckleUp Kings of the North Extra
What do you get if you put a former UFC title challenger and decorated grappler in with a relative novice? The main event was a mismatch, but I find it hard to get upset about it. I’m happy I got the chance to witness the full Jeff Monson package over here again: Rage Against the Machine, the best ink in MMA and exceptional groundwork. Dave Keeley stepped up at short notice, tried to play to his strengths and got subbed. It’s a fair bet that it would have been the same sketch no matter which UK Heavyweight had been sharing the cage with everybody’s favourite anarcho syndicalist. Monson got the win, Keeley got experience of life at the next level and the crowd saw a master at work.
***********
Abdul Mohammed made a statement with a destructive performance that suggests he is back to top form. To ram the point home, the normally mild mannered wrestler asserted his claim to be the best in his division domestically and threw out a challenge to all comers in his post fight interview. At ringside, commentator Ian Butlin was chuckling. When it comes to call outs- his effort from 2006 remains the gold standard:
************
We’re constantly told on the news about the need for cuts and how it’s going to be hard for everyone in the harsh economic climate. This message clearly hasn’t made it up to Bolton yet. Before and after the show there were seven uniformed police officers on duty outside the arena. Not a whiff of bother, yet its deemed necessary to have seven coppers hanging around in an out of town car park. Haven’t they got any real criminals to catch etc etc.
************
I think that Cinderella Man by Eminem is destined to replace Kanye’s Stronger as the most used walk out tune.
***********
The event was well run with high production values. It was far from a sell out but, to be honest, I was expecting worse. UK events have traditionally been built on local fighters who can sell tickets. KnuckleUp have some bold ideas and are looking to put together quality cards. If you want to see them succeed, you need to get out and support them next time.
Full report on main site
hurtbusiness 