Tag: Regional MMA

The Two Sheds Review: Alex Reid Refs and Paul Daley Fights at Cage Warriors 4

As British MMA is going to feature heavily in this column in the next week, what better way to start than with a retro review?So let’s go back in time to Portsmouth, July 27th, 2003 and the fourth Cage Warriors show, entitled UK versus France.We …

As British MMA is going to feature heavily in this column in the next week, what better way to start than with a retro review?

So let’s go back in time to Portsmouth, July 27th, 2003 and the fourth Cage Warriors show, entitled UK versus France.

We begin with Rob Mitchell against Glen Appleby.

This one got off to a fast start, with Appleby countering Mitchell’s initial onslaught with a take down.

However, it wasn’t long before Mitchell took control, going for a couple of submission attempts as well as unleashing with the ground and pound.

Appleby looked out of it at the end of the round, and when he didn’t come out of his corner at the start of the second Mitchell was given the stoppage win.

Then it was on to Graham Day against Gav Bradley.

Bradley began the fight by running out of his corner and getting the early takedown. But after Day managed to get to his feet it wasn’t long before he took control on the ground, keeping the pressure on with strikes before taking the submission win with a guillotine.

The next encounter, described as a “UK lightweight Superfight” saw Dave Elliot taking on Andy Butlin.

A quick affair saw Butlin start with a couple of kicks before the fight went to the ground, but as Butlin tried to posture up, Elliot locked in an arm bar for the submission win.

Up next was Ricky Moore, who only took the fight that morning, against Guillaume Monono in the first of the UK versus France fights.

A very intriguing battle saw Monono getting the early take down. Moore soon reversed the positions and got in some good shots, but it wasn’t long before Monono regained control.

The Frenchman went for a triangle choke, but when Moore tried to slam his way out it only succeeded in helping Monono tighten his grip, with Moore tapping out seconds later.

The international action continued as Andy Cooper faced Mohamed Khacha.

The first fight to actually make it into the second round saw Khacha dominate after he got the quick take down, swelling Cooper’s right eye as he went to work with the ground and pound.

But the roles were soon reversed in the second round. Khacha tried to carry on where he’d left off until Copper took control, taking Khacha’s back, flattening him out and synching in a rear naked choke for the submission win.

Then we saw another one who took that fight that morning, Andy Lagden, against Laurent Bonnafoux.

Like others before him Bonnafoux took the early take down, controlling the fight until Lagden was able to reverse into side control.

Seconds later both men returned to their feet, and when Lagden connected with a knee to the head in the clinch Bonnafoux went down like a sack of spuds, Lagden getting the impressive knockout win.

None other than future UFC and Strikeforce star Paul Daley was next, taking on Florentin Amorim in only the Brit’s second professional outing.

Daley’s weak ground game has been exposed a few times over the years, and when he slipped while trying to deliver a kick Amorim was all over him, quickly taking Daley’s back.

Daley tried to defend, but it wasn’t long before Amorim synched in a rear naked choke for the submission win.

Next up was Robbie Olivier, going up against Emmanuel Fernandez.

This final UK/France battle saw Fernandez putting on a good display on the ground. Olivier did a good job of defending at first before taking the guard himself.

However, Fernandez continued to fight as he locked in a triangle choke for the submission win.

Then it was on to the title fights, beginning with Dave McLaughlin challenging Paul McVeigh for the Under 65 kilo title.

A dominant performance from McVeigh saw him begin with a couple of strikes that opened up a cut above McLaughlin’s right eye.

McVeigh then took the fight to the ground, and although McLaughlin got to his feet McVeigh soon took him back down, going to work with the ground and pound. Realising that there was nothing he could do against this onslaught McLaughlin tapped to give McVeigh the impressive win.

Then Paul Sutherland faced Ozzy Haluk for the vacant Lightweight title.

The second fight to go into the second round saw Sutherland take control early on when he took the fight to the ground, and although he put in some good work Haluk did a good job of defending himself.

Sutherland took his game up a notch in the second, again take the fight down and going for the ground and pound. Haluk just couldn’t handle Sutherland’s attack and wisely tapped out, giving Sutherland the title win.

The third title fight saw Adrian Degorski challenging Paul Jenkins for the Welterweight title.

This fight began with a quick exchange before Degorski took the fight to the ground, briefly taking Jenkins’ back before they returned to their feet.

A brief clinch against the cage followed before another exchange of blows, with the Pole dropping the champion with a big right. Degorski followed him down, with the referee stepping in to stop the fight, giving Degorski the title winning TKO win.

The final title fight saw Ross Pettifer taking on Matt Ewing for the vacant Middleweight title.

This was a great back and forth encounter. After jockeying for position in a clinch against the cage the fight went to the ground as Pettifer took control, almost synching in an arm bar.

The frantic action continued into the second, with both fighters going for guillotines until Ewing took control after sweeping Pettifer and taking the guard. Seconds later Ewing took his back, locking in a neck crank for the great submission win.

In conclusion—even though I’ve got quite a few of their shows from their days on The Wrestling Channel, it’s been quite a while since I’ve seen any Cage Warriors action.

As this show took place almost eight years ago it was interesting to see how much British MMA has progressed since then. The commentators mentioned that British fighters were having a hard time getting into the UFC, something which is a lot easier these days given the UFC’s global appeal.

All of the fights shown here were pretty decent, and it was good to see Paul Daley in only his second professional fight. I kept wondering though if he’ll ever overcome his weakness in the ground game.

It was also interesting to see tabloid darling Alex Reid serve as referee for some of the earlier fights. Maybe now he’s away from the clutches of Katie Price and the newspapers aren’t fixated on his cross dressing fetish he’ll start concentrating on his fighting career again.

So in all the fourth Cage Warriors show gets the thumbs up, not just for the fights but for this interesting lesson in the development of British MMA.

Before you ask, Cage Warriors are still going strong, and for information on their upcoming shows visit www.cagewarriors.com.

And don’t forget to check out my site at twoshedsreview.blogspot.com.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Cage vs. Cons: May 21, 2011 LA Memorial Coliseum and Sports Arena

On the surface, Cage vs. Cons matches up prison guards, police officers, firefighters, teachers, and other law enforcement and military personnel against ex-convicts inside the Octagon.   The event is highlighted with various musical performances …

On the surface, Cage vs. Cons matches up prison guards, police officers, firefighters, teachers, and other law enforcement and military personnel against ex-convicts inside the Octagon.  

The event is highlighted with various musical performances including E-40, Too Short, and the Dogg Pound and is hosted by Tiny Lister, “Deebo” from Friday, and Danny Trejo.

Additionally, a myriad of Los Angeles’s most esteemed tattoo artists will be part of the event.

Michael Lynch, CEO and creator of Cage vs. Cons, has fed on the public’s obsession for instant rivalries. Pinning an ex-convict versus a law enforcement agent divides the crowd instantly into two distinct, supporting halves.

A combination of high-energy, blood-seeking fights coupled with tremendous musical talent and incredible tattoo artists embrace the mixed martial arts culture perfectly and illuminates the foundation of life as an ultimate fighter.

Below the surface, however, Cage vs. Cons and Michael Lynch tell a different story.

The underlying theme of this unique promotion is to remove the stereotype associated with a law enforcement agent or an ex-convict and see the competitors as who they truly are; ultimate fighters.

Michael, an ex-convict himself, has a vision in which mixed martial arts is at the core.

That vision is to provide at-risk youth the opportunity to better their lives through the disciplines taught while training as an ultimate fighter; hard work, focus, and challenging yourself to achieve a dream.

Coordinating with Hector Pena and his gym located in Chatsworth, California, Michael provides the kids growing up in the gang-riddled areas of Los Angeles County the opportunity to “put down the guns and put your fists up.”

A born-again Christian and an advocate for the Bible and its teachings, Michael unites with other Christians, including Tiny, to relay the message to the children that living a wholesome, virtuous life in conjunction with God’s plan will provide these at-risk youth an avenue to pursue their dreams and avoid becoming a statistic of the streets.

Cage vs. Cons will take place in Los Angeles, California on May 21, 2011 at the L.A. Memorial Coliseum and Sports Arena.

The event will be comprised of ten professional fights culminating in the main event between “Officer” Ismael Gonzales and “Notorious” Rick Slaton.

Gonzales, a police officer in L.A. will bring his stand-up striking background to the cage against Rick Slaton.

Slaton, an ex-convict and ex-gang member has given his life to God in prison and is now working with Lynch to reach out to the youth.

Inside the cage, Slaton, like Gonzales, is also a knockout specialist. Look for these two hard-hitting mixed martial artists to stand toe to toe inside the center of the Octagon and give the fans everything they deserve. 

Religious beliefs aside, the message of this promotion is loud and clear; it’s time to provide the youth of Los Angeles the opportunity to pursue their dreams and not be swayed by the gang lifestyle.

This is a tremendous message and one that should be resounded nationwide.

Come support Cage vs. Cons and watch an evening of amazing fights, tremendous hip-hop talent, and extremely gifted tattoo artists on May 21st.

There are plenty of good seats still available.

Tickets start at just $30.

For more information, please visit www.cagevscons.com. 

I welcome your comments.

Todd Seyler

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Follow me on Twitter @magnus06

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Raleigh, NC Native Matt Coakley Wins Bantamweight Title at Rock the Dock III

Matt Coakley (9-4) Team Roc, Raleigh, NC is the proud new owner of the previous vacant Bantamweight Title, which he quickly captured at “Rock at the Dock III” on May 14th during the co-main event. Matt truly was rocking the dock last night in Moo…

Matt Coakley (9-4) Team Roc, Raleigh, NC is the proud new owner of the previous vacant Bantamweight Title, which he quickly captured at “Rock at the Dock III” on May 14th during the co-main event. Matt truly was rocking the dock last night in Mooresville, NC by defeating Antonio Woodard by KO close to two minutes into the first round.

Matt was calm, cool and collected before entering the cage, after being given a pep talk by his trainers Billy Dowey and Jason Culbreth. Matt stated that his trainers lit a fire in his eyes that could not be controlled by a very inspiring pep talk prior to the fight.

Matt came out to “Welcome to the Jungle” and did his pre-victory dance to establish his dominance and to show he was ready to do work. His trainers told him no eye contact until your attack begins, and Coakley followed the directive to the letter.  This upset his opponent because when it was time to touch gloves before the bell rang, Coakley said he felt disrespected because his opponent did not take the touch up seriously.

When the bout started, Coakley circled around Woodard and was hit with a heavy leg kick that was not checked by Coakley. Soon after that Coakley smashed his opponent into the cage and landed some heavy knee and thigh kicks approximately 10 times.

Coakley could tell he had done some damage and knew he was controlling the round. Unfortunately, Woodard suffered an unintentional kick to the groin area and after a recovery period was able to regain his composure and return to the fight.

Coakley observed heavy breathing from Woodard when the fight was restarted, and that was all he needed to go in for the kill. Coakley landed a leg kick to Woodard who then dropped his hands and Coakley came forward with a vicious right hook that landed right on the button, and that should have been the end of the fight, but the referee did not stop it there, so as any good fighter does Coakley dropped down and landed a few hammer fists. Finally the referee saw that Woodard was out cold and called the fight quick, fast and in a hurry.

What is next for Matt Coakley?  He will be fighting in the SC ISKA Grand Prix, which will be held May 21st at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center. Then on June 25th Coakley puts his 135 TN ISKA and 135 3FC titles on the line against a very tough Len Cook (Absolute Jiu Jitsu, Bristol, TN).  This event will be held at the Knoxville Convention Center, Knoxville, TN.

Mr. Coakley is a man on the move and definitely one to keep your eye on. He is one the list of movers and shakers all around the Carolinas and Tennessee. Congratulations on yet another great performance!

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

MMA Live 1 London: Jon Jones and 8 Reasons To Watch MMA Live 1 Parisyan vs. Ford

Next to UFC 129 in Toronto, the largest MMA event in Ontario is coming up on Thursday May 19th. Jones Entertainment Group is proud to present MMA Live 1: London, which will headline mixed martial arts veteran and colourful Karo “The Heat” Parisyan vs. …

Next to UFC 129 in Toronto, the largest MMA event in Ontario is coming up on Thursday May 19th.

Jones Entertainment Group is proud to present MMA Live 1: London, which will headline mixed martial arts veteran and colourful Karo “The Heat” Parisyan vs. one of Canada’s top welterweight fighters, Edmonton native Ryan “The Real Deal” Ford.

The event will take place at the 9,000-people capacity John Labatt Centre (JLC) in London, Ontario and will have a traveling MMA Expo featuring an appearance by Jon “Bones” Jones during the day of the fights.

Here are the top 10 reasons to get to London to check it out.

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