Fighters Only

Issue 018

October 2006

Doncaster Dome, August 12th 2006

Written and photographed by Hywel Teague

It’s a small show with a big, big feel. Ultimate Force has now put on a couple of events, and are doing a great job of promoting a show that comfortably embraces both the professional and amateur sides of the sport.

The top half of the card is all pro, with a number of well known fighters heading the bill in a total of nine fights, whereas the undercard is comprised of both semi-pro and amateur matches. This means that not only are the paying audience treated to quality action from seasoned veterans, but aspiring young fighters are given a chance to cut their teeth in front of a big crowd.

Tengiz vs Moise

Tengiz Tedoradze, the burly Georgian wrestler who resides in the unlikely town of Barnsley in South Yorkshire, is something of a fan favourite in the UK. People just can’t get enough of his pick ‘em up, slam ‘em down and beat ‘em up style. He suplexes opponents for fun and he hits hard. His boxing isn’t pretty (or too effective) and his submission game is non-existent, but he’s tough and always puts on a good show.

His opponent, Moise Rimbon of France, took the fight on short notice in place of the injured Mario Sukata. Rimbon is Tengiz’s opposite in many ways. A great Muay Thai stylist with slick submissions (he has tapped out BJJ black belts in MMA) Moise is the kind of fighter Tengiz usually struggles with. All of Tengiz’s losses have come by KO or submission, so on paper Moise had a good chance of winning this fight.

As usual, Tengiz started out briskly, charging forward and pinning Moise against the fence. If there was one place the ex-Greco Roman wrestling world champion thought he would win the fight, it was in the clinch. Attempting a belly-to-belly suplex, Tengiz arched his back ready to throw the Frenchman, but the canny Rimbon hooked a leg, foiling the throw and putting him directly in mount. The vociferous crowd were suddenly silent- their hometown hero was now flat on his back and stuck under, of all things, a Frenchman. Uh oh.

Needless to say, Tengiz escaped and started getting his groove on. From there, he and Moise engaged in a drawn-out battle that saw all manner of strikes, takedowns and groundwork. Neither man would give an inch, and each pressed the action as much as they could. Moise had the edge in the striking and the submissions, but Tengiz had the takedowns and the ground and pound.

A heelhook from Rimbon had a number of cage-side observers wincing and wondering how Tengiz resisted tapping out, while the Georgian’s three impressive suplexes raised huge cheers from the crowd. Judging this fight would have been testing for even the most astute of observers, and in the end it was declared a draw. Neither party seemed overly disappointed, other than the usual resigned looks that said they would have preferred a win. It was a five-round war that gave the crowd their money’s worth and the UF promoters a feather in their cap.

Wolfslair lads unleashed

We all know about the success of fighters such as Michael Bisping, Mario Sukata, Josenildo Ramarho and Paul Kelly, but if you thought this was all the Merseyside-based team had, you’d be wrong. The cubs have been let loose from the pack and were out in force this evening.

Middleweight Lee Dixon won with a super quick armbar over Chris Taylor – I always thought this guy was a boxer, having had the luck to have seen him training, but he impressed me with his slick grappling skills. I can’t wait to see him let his hands go.

Rob Sinclair had a back and fore battle with Manchester’s Will Burke until winning by second round stoppage. The two had some pretty feisty exchanges on the ground in the first round, with Sinclair hoisting Burke up for two picture perfect high crotch slams and almost sinking the armbar. The SBG trained-Burke remained composed though as he scored with some good ground and pound. The second round saw Burke intent on making it a boxing match, but Sinclair took him down and managed to trap Burke against the fence. He started to let shots go from within the guard and referee Marc Goddard called the fight to a halt due to Burke not intelligently defending himself.

Young Guns load up

Gareth Davies defeated Robin Robson via TKO in a quick match. This young featherweight firebrand was the winner in the fight of the night in his last outing at Ultimate Force, and once again displayed the skills that have marked him out as one to watch. Though he may not have picked up fight of the night award this time, he displayed a real dominance over the older and more experienced Robin Robson.

There was also some truly impressive junior action as 15-year-olds James Saville and Lawson Tennant opened the show. With skills belying their tender age, they put on a good display of striking and grappling before Saville set up a tight triangle for a second round submission.