Fighters Only

Issue 019

November 2006

20^th August 2006, Caesars Nightclub, Streatham, South London

Report and photographs by Jim Page

Following the success of their first Cage Rage Contenders show, promoters Andy Geer and Dave O’Donnell brought the event back to Caesars nightclub for another night of intense action. The card boasted some excellent up and coming talent and was rounded off with a bout between the very experienced Jess Liaudin and Lee Doski. With none of the fights reaching the judges decision and only two making it out of the first round, it was a Sunday fight night to remember.

Fight of the Night

The packed crowd was brought to their feet time and time again in the bout between two veterans of the Cage Rage flagship show, Jason Barret and Nigel Whitear. Obviously having learnt a great deal since his forgettable last performance against Jeremy Bailey, Jason set the pace early on by whipping in some fast low kicks. Nigel stubbornly refused to be broken down and continually surged forward with punches, rocking the Eltham Warrior on several occasions and taking him down after an effective (yet awkward-looking) shoot.

In the second round, Nigel dominated in top position, desperately trying to finish the fight with punches as Jason fended off what strikes he could from his guard. Hammering home a series of huge left hands, Nigel worked himself to exhaustion, which prompted a stand up from referee Grant Waterman. Jason leapt off his back and landed a huge punch to Nigel’s face. Battered and exhausted, Nigel did not respond to the referee and the fight was halted.

The Main Card

Sami Berik started his match with some 'drunken-master' inspired footwork in his bout with an ‘Extreme Tae Kwon Do’ fighter, Steve Elliot. Steve had the crowd cheering him on as he put his fluent kicking ability into action, flinging out a picture-perfect sidekick and launching himself in the air for a jumping spinning back kick. Curiously, the kicker then picked Sami up for a nice slam, but instantly landed him in Sami's ever-improving guard. Twisting Steve's shoulder with a tight underhook, Sami had no luck with the sweep, but quickly switched up to catch his opponent in a triangle choke for the tap.

Trojan Freefighters product Wesley Murch made his return to MMA putting in a determined performance against Afnan Saheed. Punching his way into the clinch, he took the Cambridge man down and punished him from knee-on-belly position. After eating some rough punishment, Afnan erupted into life three minutes into the contest, catching Wesley in a beautiful armbar for the tap.

Che Mills, Mark Weir's cousin, faced a tall order as he stepped in to the face the highly touted London Shootfighter Marios Zaromskis. Throwing some wild kicks, Marios was able to force his way inside and set up a takedown. It wasn’t long before the fighters were back on their feet exchanging blows. Che was able to land a hard right high kick and as Marios looked to reply with a kick, he caught his leg and amazingly landed a hard left hook and a knee to the face which sent Marios face first to the floor, unconscious.

In the penultimate fight capoeira practitioner Jeff Lawson showed the stunned audience that he was capoeira through and through, exploding with a flying kick to start his bout with Roughhouse newcomer, Andre Winner. Able to avoid the early attack, Andre quickly seized the psychological advantage as he dominated the centre of the cage, but, frustratingly for his corner, failed to capitalise on his dominant position throughout the first round. After a call of 'Open Guard' and a high wire flying stomp attempt from the Nottingham man, Jeff seemed out of the contest. In one last attempt to turn things around, he clinched and expertly dropped for a heelhook, but was made to pay with punches, which forced a verbal submission due to a damaged eye.

Main Event

The card's final match up saw the anticipated bout between Tsunami Gym’s Lee Doski and the head coach from Pancrase London, Jess Liaudin. Eager to get things underway, the fighters flew at each other to start the first round, Lee coming in with effective punches and Jess landing a hard right middle kick. Before long, a lightning fast shoot from Jess saw Lee planted on his back, defending in his own guard. Doing just enough to keep the fight grounded, Jess chipped away with sharp punches and hammerfists before passing through to sidemount. Once in position, the Frenchman scored with some vicious elbows to Lee's body as he scrambled to find half guard.

In the second round, Jess once again took the fight to the floor, pinning Lee against the cage and dishing out a real beating as the Pancrase corner roared their approval. Abandoning the low risk approach of the first round, Jess put in a series of heavy punches, stood up to kick at Lee's legs and at one point landed a crowd-pleasing double hammerfist. Smiling off an upkick that landed squarely on his jaw, Jess continued to beat his bloodied opponent to the end of the second round, when, due to another unfortunately damaged eye, the fight was called to a halt in favour of the Frenchman.

Undercard action

The undercard was explosive and unforgiving with all four fights ending due to strikes within the first round. In the opening fight Marvin Arnold Bleau chased the bewildered Terry Bostwick around the cage, eventually catching up with him and punching him to the mat in just over four minutes.

The chiselled Luke Smith had little trouble as he bashed the game but overmatched John Gisby, while Jason Young and Jake Bostwick both smashed their way to victory, battering and chasing their respective opponents to the floor in under thirty seconds.