Fighters Only

Issue 018

October 2006

By Brad Doerges, Photographed by Dave Mandel

August 4th 2006, Soboba Casino, San Jacinto, California

King of the Cage brought together a stellar card once again, comprising the cream of Californian MMA talent. The Soboba casino was packed full of hungry fight fans ready to watch four title matches take place.

Unfortunately, Shad Smith couldn’t make weight but the other three title matches went on without a hitch.

Danzig easily retains his belt

The main event of the evening featured three-time defending King of the Cage lightweight champion Mac Danzig versus the Royce Gracie-black belt Buddy Clinton. Although Danzig stated in a pre-fight interview that Clinton couldn’t take him down, Buddy fired out of the gate and immediately proved him wrong. Clinton may have proved that he could take the champ down, but he couldn’t keep him down. Throughout the fight Danzig was able to use the fence to stand up and then take Clinton down from the clinch. This would lead to Clinton on the bottom and on the end of Danzig’s formidable ground and pound.

Clinton kept it competitive in the first two rounds, even sweeping Danzig to full mount to end the second, but in the third the Gracie jiu jitsu expert didn’t show up. Buddy had nothing left but a last minute kneebar attempt from half guard, though it was easily avoided by a contemptuously yawning Danzig. Having defended his belt for a fourth time, it looks that he could become the 4^th Millenia Jiu Jitsu fighter to make it to the UFC.

Wetherspoon weathers the kimura to get the belt

With the welterweight belt up for grabs Tom Kenney took on Aaron ‘Slam’ Wetherspoon for the title. Speaking with Kenney before the fight, he knew that the wrestler Wetherspoon had become a superior striker while training with coach Colin Oyama and would be both larger and stronger. Wetherspoon did not disappoint.

Kenney wisely avoided Aaron’s hands by closing the gap and moving the fight over to the fence. Both men fought for outside position, with Wetherspoon getting the best of Kenney by landing a devastating knee to the body then slamming him to the mat.

From inside the guard Wetherspoon proceeded to throw numerous elbows and punches, opening a large cut on Tom’s forehead. The fight was briefly stopped to check on the cut and although Tom was bleeding heavily the fight was allowed to continue. With less then a minute left in the round Wetherspoon finished off the round strong thanks to Oyama’s instruction, landing several heavy elbows and punches.

As the bell rang for the end of the second round, Kenney walked over to his corner in a daze, and was met by the King of the Cage doctors and his coach John DeLaO. After being cleared by the doctors and getting a pep talk from DeLaO, Kenney came out to start the second with a determined and demonic look in his eyes, made even more hellish by the blood dripping down his face. He knew what he had to do. If looks could kill…

Kenney shot for a picture perfect double and caught Wetherspoon stepping forward and landed in half guard. Knowing his cut wouldn’t make it to the third, Kenney quickly went for a kimura. As soon as Tom had his hands locked, veteran ref Cecil Peoples shockingly stopped the fight, wanting a doctor to look at the cut. Tom refused to give up his grip, so the doctors ended up checking the cut from half guard.

When the fight was restarted Wetherspoon was able to catch his breath and power out of the submission. From there the fight went back to the clinch, with Kenney doing his trademark toe stomps. With time running out ‘Slam’ was able to get to the outside and land a devastating shot to the solar plexus, crumpling Kenney to the mat. Wetherspoon capitalised on his wounded foe by delivering a devastating knee to Kenney’s head, knocking him out and securing the welterweight King of the Cage title with only six seconds left in the round.

Today’s lesson: nothing is unbreakable

The Fighters Only mention for fight of the night goes to James “the Educator” Fanshier in his battle with Brian ‘Unbreakable’ Warren. Fanshier dominated the first round, out-grappling Warren on the feet and on the ground. In the second round Fanshier was cruising once again, throwing Warren around the ring until Mr.Unbreakable struck back, landing a crushing right that sent the Educator to the fence. Warren pounced and unleashed a flurry of lefts and rights from the full mount, but somehow Fanshier weathered the storm, escaped, stood up and got back to the clinch. From there the visibly wobbled Fanshier was able to break away, and when Warren shot for a sloppy takedown it was met with a high kick to the forehead. The kick opened a large gash that was gushing blood with every heartbeat, forcing the ref to stop the fight at two and a half minutes into the second.