Fighters Only

Issue 016

August 2006

Coal Exchange, Cardiff, april 30th 2006

Written and photographed by Hywel Teague

The sleeping dragon that is Welsh mixed martial arts is finally being aroused from its slumber. With recent events in both the capital city and nearby Swansea (as well as the popular amateur Grapple and Strike league), the local talent is now spoilt for choice as where to test their mettle. Now a newcomer to the South Wales scene is offering semi-professional athletes a platform on which to showcase their skills.

Angrrr Management, working in partnership with the Penarth-based MMA club Dogs of War (home to the Hands of Stone himself, Paul Jenkins) held their first show in Wales on April 30th, planned as the first of a series of semi-pro feeder events. The card would pit an entire roster of local lads against ‘foreign’ opposition (in this case, the English!), hence the title of the show.

Headlining the show was the ubiquitous presence of Jenkins himself, rematching the Cambridge-based fighter Lee Doski. A handy boxer and technician, Doski would be looking for revenge of sorts having succumbed to a guillotine in a previous meeting in front of his home crowd. Jenkins would be performing under similar pressure, unbelievably fighting under MMA rules for only the third time in his

home town.

The match mostly played out as a stalemate- familiar with each other’s styles, both men found their strengths negated. Denied an advantage in any range, they traded strikes with precision but little damage. The clinch battle was very even and only highlighted by Jenkins few takedowns, and the ground fighting was uneventful.

The decision went to Jenkins, and rightfully so, but he wasn’t happy about his performance. Both guys knew it was close, but it boiled down to three factors- Jenkins landed a couple of cleaner shots in the exchanges, scored the takedowns and held top position throughout the grappling. Doski didn’t get beaten as such- he just didn’t do enough to win.

Though the main event proved to be anti-climactic, the undercard was full of excitement. The 17-yr old Adan Cole proved to be one to watch in taking out Mark Cox. In a toe-to-toe battle that saw big punches landed, impressive takedowns and close submissions, Cole suddenly claimed victory with a vicious ground and pound attack with barely seconds left in the first round. Keep an eye out for this one.

Rising semi-pro star Tim Newman defeated the tough Royal Marine Martin Stapleton in double quick time, securing an armbar in only 33 seconds. Newman has a habit of ending his fights so quickly, his fans now beg him to draw them out longer!

Another entertaining contest saw Anthony Rowe take on Danny Irwin. The first round was quite even, as both fighters jockeyed for position on the ground. Rowe, a noted kickboxer, came close to ending it with an omoplata (a rarity in MMA) and landed an array of strikes. Irwin was dropped by a sharp right hand at the very start of round two, but he came back to control the remainder of the fight on the mat to make the fight a deserved two-round draw.