Fighters Only

Issue 004

June 2005

WEMBLEY CONFERENCE CENTRE

APRIL 30, 2005

Just when you thought you were in for a disappointing night, things turn around and surprise you. Initially I had mixed feelings when I entered Wembley Conference Centre for Cage Rage 11. On one hand I was extremely disappointed and had sympathy for Ian ‘The Machine’ Freeman. As a friend I knew how upset he was that he wasn’t going to fight and I had spoken to him on more than one occasion about his disappointment. As a fighter, I knew the frustration that was eating away at him and the fire he had had only two weeks before in training. Unfortunately that was extinguished by injury. For everyone who is interested, Ian was at the top of his game. Not only was he in fantastic condition but his focus, strength and fitness was even better than when he fought Frank Mir. As a fan and spectator I was disappointed that the top billed fight was not going to happen and also due to the news that other top fighters such as Sol Gilbert, Alex Reid and Jean de Silva were unable to fight either. I consoled myself with thoughts of the other matches as, in usual Cage Rage style; there were some pretty big names and big contests to come.

To add to my initial concern, I stood in the foyer and watched the attendees ‘trickle’ in. This was not how I remembered previous events when the foyer was crammed full of fans and the noise of the hustle and bustle itself heightened the atmosphere and intensity of the event. Sadly, I felt that this was missing and wondered whether holding a fight night on a Bank Holiday weekend was a good decision. As it happens, all of these worries were quickly forgotten when the action started. As I took my seat and looked around at the empty seats I hoped that it would just be a case of people not being too bothered about the undercard. It would be this perception that would prove to be a big mistake for those who turned up late as the early fights proved to be some of the most interesting of the night.

When was the last time you attended a fight night when only one match was ended by submission. Probably not too unusual, but what if the submission hold was placed on the fighter by the Referee!

In the first bout Cage Rage referee Grant ‘The Ref’ Waterman had to choke out Attila ‘Mr T’ Kubilay in an attempt to stop him from raining down shots on his opponent, Richard Bowkett, after being disqualified for illegal blows. Atilla had tried to intimidate his opponent before the fight even started by throwing shots during the referee’s briefing. Despite attempting to hold him back, Grant struggled to restrain the pumped-up Attila who was intent on providing as much punishment to his opponent as possible —

‘Crazy fool’! In the end Grant had to place a rear naked choke on Attila and hold it on until he was at the point of going under. ‘I pity the fool’ who tries to mess with Grant in the octagon after this. The fight ended in a disqualification with Richard Bowkett winning after 1:01min of the first round. Attila now suffers a nine month suspension from competitive fighting.

By the second bout only small numbers of spectators continued to creep into the Conference Centre but the atmosphere was certainly starting to spark especially after a small scuffle broke out at the side of the ring. Perhaps someone mentioned taking a plane trip that provoked another reaction from Attila! In his debut fight Wolfslair MMA Academy fighter Tom Blackledge took on Kuljit ‘Asian Sensation’ Degun and easily submitted him in round one with a neck crank He was keen both on his feet and on the ground, showing a potentially good range of skills.

By the third bout the place was starting to pick up. Late-comers who had suffered again at the hands of public transport took their seats only to hear of the events they had missed which in turn created its own sense of anticipation for more action, which they certainly got in the next fight. ‘Fighters Only’ sponsored fighter Abdul Mohammed took on the well respected Jess Laudin. This was an eagerly anticipated fight for me and my friends as we have known and trained with Abdul for some time and is one of Ian’s students. On top of this, we have watched and admired Jess Laudin over many shows. Both competitors seemed wary of each other and not before long, Jess was taken down from the cage wall in classic style by the former Olympic wrestler. However, what was about to transpire took everyone by surprise, no-one more so than Jess who’s technical twisting and turning trying to lock up a leg to knee bar proved unsuccessful thanks to some masterly control from Abdul who continued to smash Jess’s face with what could only be described as classic ‘Machine Ground ‘n’ Pound’. It was obvious to all what the Team Freeman game plan was as Abdul went on to make a mess of Jess’s face. Towards the end of round one the fight eventually got back to its feet before a completey frustrated Jess launched an unsuccesful flying punch towards Abdul. On the night he had been completely over powered with the doctor preventing Jess from continuing with a broken nose and bad cuts to his face. Abdul Mohammed the victor by way of TKO.

Now came the time of the big men with Andy ‘The Rock’ Costello taking on Robert ‘Buzz’ Berry. Buzz was returning to the Cage Rage octagon after an emphatic knockout over Andy Harby at Cage Rage 10. Both were ready as soon as they entered the cage and both were aware of the others’ strengths. This could easily be seen with their initial clinch. The clinch was forced back to the Cage wall as neither of the strong men committed themselves at first. Buzz, looking the stronger successfully controlled Andy. Both men were tied up with Buzz having the advantage of being able to fire in a few knees. At first this looked like quite a competent and technical display by both men who seemed to be focused on not giving away any advantage. Then came the break with Buzz firing off first with some heavy, but unorthodox bombs. Not the ‘prettiest’ display of stand up but certainly very effective as a roundhouse right hand found it’s way through an open guard and landed squarely on the jaw of Andy Costello instantly dropping him. This proved to be another emphatic win from ‘Buzz’ Berry who seems to be on a roll and is gaining a reputation of a bit of a knockout merchant. If he tidies up his stand up game and is able to maintain this form with even more credible opponents he could well be on his way to creating greater interest in his fights and should command even bigger purses.

By this time the crowd seemed to be growing and the atmosphere was really starting to pick up. I couldn’t help think about what people had missed so far. It was apparent that Cage Rage is really starting to match their fighters with knowledge, care and attention that not only gives a big finale but manages to put on a hell of a show from the first bell. If the latter part of the night was anywhere near as good as the first this show could very well be the best event yet.

By this time the atmosphere had changed. It looked and felt like a completely different place. The buzz was a combination of talk over the last matches seen and those to come. The timing of the next fight was impeccable and if I didn’t know better, I would have said that the whole night so far was a case of master planning — the next fighter on the bill had an unbelievable following, all of whom had managed to take to their seats at exactly the right time. Brad ‘One Punch’ Pickett is a small and scruffy looking lad who creates such an impact with the crowd that in my opinion set a precedent for the rest of the night. His opponent Aaron ‘Sayan’ Blackwell was a well matched opponent fighting out of London Shootfighters and was cornered by Alex Reid who unfortunately had to pull out of his fight with Hassan Muridi due to a fractured cheek bone caused by Lee Murray during a sparring session. Aaron’s ring entrance, as well as most of the ring entrances that night, were over shadowed by Pickett’s as the crowd sang and danced to what sounded like Chas ’n Dave being pumped through the sound system. This was an awesome stand up fight with both men choosing to take it to the other in slightly different styles. Aaron Blackwell showed a very competent display of kicks and clinch work with an obvious Muay Thai heritage. Brad Pickett’s stand up showed a greater emphasis on boxing with some heavy shots being thrown. It is clear why Brad got his nickname ‘One Punch’ as his punching ability was impressive and tidy generating a lot of power for a small man. Aaron was never discouraged by the ever advancing Pickett choosing to keep his distance and fire off continuous kicks to the legs, body and head. Ironically, it would be a leg kick from Pickett that would finish the fight as a highly disappointed Blackwell was unable to continue in the final round due to injury. This was well received by Pickett and his admiring fans as he jumped onto the octagon wall to return their adoration.

After a break within the VIP lounge of the Cage Rage entertainment department (being the Managing Director of the leading industry publication.which you qualify for free entry) I returned to the arena after having had my fill of free food, champagne and being pampered by stunning hostesses. Yes, you should really try this next time you go to the show! I now wanted action of another kind which was instantly supplied by ‘Fighters Only’ sponsored fighter Hassan Muridi fighting the late replacement Henrique ‘The Lizard’ Santana. The normally ‘psyched up’ Muridi seemed very subdued when he entered the cage. We were later informed it was because of a reaction to creatine! After a flying start, attacking the technical Santana from the offset, Muridi seemed to die towards the end of the first round. Santana took advantage of this by securing an arm bar unfortunately a little too late as the bell rang for the end of the round.

This was repeated throughout the remainder of the rounds with Hassan pounding Henrique at every opportunity with ‘The Lizard’ trying his best to slip away from the attack and defend, successfully turning Hassan on a couple of occasions. The intensity of the fight had its effect in the final round when Santana’s corner threw in the towel. This may have been a welcome sight for Muridi who was clearly suffering from muscle fatigue. At the end of the fight, Alex Reid stepped into the ring to apologise to the crowd for Santana’s absence and then challenged Hassan to a fight at the next Cage Rage. The challenge was immediately accepted by Hassan and his manager Ian ‘The Machine’ Freeman who went on to tell Alex that his opponent would ‘kick his fucking arse’. I was quite surprised by this outburst from Ian as I have never heard him express his views quite so literally being the shy retiring chap that he is!

The atmosphere was now reaching a peak. The place was almost full, the crowd were clearly enjoying themselves and the night was shaping up into one of the best shows I have seen.

Next in the limelight was another shy and retiring sort, Cage Rage Middleweight Champion, Paul ‘Hands of Stone’ Jenkins who was lined up in a title defence against Paul ‘Semtex’ Daley. Unlike his stage entrance, running into the octagon on the back of a Bernie Winters style Ostrich Jenkins’ performance was somewhat poor for the Cage Rage Champion. However, not just ‘Hands of Stone’ but chin of granite as Jenkins soaked up some really heavy shots from the

very determined Daley — treating them with contempt by smiling at the crowd and ‘flipping the bird’ to the cameramen while under attack. With superb displays of stand up and ground work from both but Daley dominatedthe first and arguably the second round. Throughout Jenkins tried to submit Daley, to no avail, who was being far more aggressive on the ground. The displays of bravado throughout from Jenkins merely masked his disappointing performance which grew stronger towards the end especially in the last round when he started to turn the table. A judges’ decision of a draw was controversial and could easily provide a rematch potential with Jenkins retaining his belt.

Next up was another late replacement for the injured Sol Gilbert. Ross ‘The Boss’ Mason was lined up to fight the younger of the Riccio brothers from France, Damien. This proved to be a fantastic bout with Ross Mason showing why he calls himself ‘The Boss’ proving to be the sharpest stand up fighter of the night with some excellent Muay Thai skills. Riccio was no walk over with both men giving a fantastic display during a mainly stand up battle. Ultimately the fight was stopped by the ringside doctor as Riccio suffered a vicious cut to the eye during some heavy elbows in a ground ’n pound attack. Ross ‘The Boss’ Mason won by TKO in round three.

Anthony Rea made his return to the Cage with another win, this time over another Frenchman Pierre ‘The Professional’ Guillet. Not satisfied with his request to take on the whole of the Chute Boxe team, this time Rea decided to call out ‘Fighters Only’ sponsored fighter Babalu, pitching his claim on the vacant Cage Rage Light Heavyweight World Championship belt. Rea was again quite impressive but he has a long way to go before taking on Babalu. Despite this, Rea gave another impressive performance, keeping his composure when Guillet piled on the pressure. Rea eventually opened up in the second round overpowering Guillet with punches until a barrage of heavy knees sent Guillet to the ground curling up in defence. The fight was instantly stopped by ‘The Ref’ giving a second round TKO to Rea.

Cage Rage Hall of Fame, Mark ‘The Beast’ Epstein was pitched to fight Chute Boxe’s own Gabrielle ‘Cyborg’ Santos, who returned to the Cage after a loss at Cage Rage 10 to Anthony Rea. Both men were cornered by their own superstars. With Cyborg was Pride Middleweight Champion and friend to ‘Fighters Only’ Wanderlei ‘The Axe Murderer’ Silva, and cornering ‘The Beast’ was the one and only Lee ‘Lighting’ Murray. Lee was back in the UK after a disappointing trip to America where he was unable to fight in the UFC. After the fight Lee gave an interview with Stephen Quadros where he explained his frustrations and described himself as being ‘ready to fight’, especially against ‘that bald ugly monkey’ Matt ‘The Law’ Lindland. His will to fight was obvious to everyone as a psyched-up Lee seemed to stare down Wanderlei while in the ring with their fighters. From where I was sitting it looked as though the crowd may have been treated to a rare show down if any eye contact was made or the wrong words uttered. The fight however ran it’s short course, both men coming out after the bell with the sole intention of knocking the other out. As flailing shots swung, it was Cyborg that connected first dropping Mark to the canvas for a disappointing finish. An overjoyed Cyborg shouted with delight as a dejected Epstein apologised to the crowd promising to return at the next Cage Rage.

The spectators were now on a high and it was time for Cage Rage presenter Richard Blackwood to take some heat. Many of you may have noticed the comments in forums about Blackwood’s suitability as the face of Cage Rage within the media. His popularity with a group of fans was clear to see as they taunted him during the end of fight interview. Calls of Richard ‘Bankrupt’ were initially met with humour by the former TV presenter. Further heckling provoked him into offering to meet his fans after the show to ‘sort things out’. Now there is a fight I would have liked to have seen!

Mark ‘The Wizard’ Weir against Curtis ‘Bang ‘em Out’ Stout proved to be a little bit of a let down for the British Weir fans with ‘The Wizard’ being unable to cast any spell over his opponent. In an early trade of blows, after a promising start, Mark did not recover fully from a low knee shot. A fine display of strength and ability saw Stout take down Weir, push him up against the Cage and pounded him while still pinning the desperate Brit. Several attempts by Weir to get back to his feet were met with a some what ‘legendary’ left hook by Stout finding it’s way through a wide open guard knocking Weir out within the first round. Another knock out for Curtis Stout who changed his name to ‘Bang ‘em Out’ from ‘Red Nose’ after his last Cage Rage fight against Sol Gilbert. He felt that his performance that night warranted the change and this was again proved right by his win this evening.

Finally the main event of the evening; UFC veteran Jorge ‘The Conquistador’ Rivera took on Anderson Silva in what was billed to be a much anticipated match up. Anderson Silva commented recently that Lee Murray was the hardest man he had ever fought. So how would the experienced Rivera cope against the force of Silva? The match started at a fairly slow pace with Silva dominating with the use of some fantastic clinch work which he used to control Rivera into every position within the cage. This was continued into the matched with Silva clearly dominating. He constantly fired off punches, kicks and elbows and maintaining control all the time. Rivera’s attempts to retaliate were met with contempt from Silva who went on to knockout his opponent with knee and punch combinations. in the second round Not quite the opposition created by Lee, let’s hope for a rematch soon!

All in all a fantastic night was had by all — fighters and spectators alike. Our thanks to the attending celebrities who brought a little colour to the night including our new favourite personality (Danny John Jules aka the Cat from Red Dwarf) who was without a doubt one of the nicest people we have ever met. Our thanks go to Cage Rage and all the fighters that made the show what it was. Despite the missing members of the original line up, I believe that this was one of the best events yet. Our thoughts go out to the men who were unable to fight but we look forward to watching them again soon. The standard of this show is clearly being taken to the next level and if anyone wishes to experience the sound smell and feel of a big fight night they have to make the effort and attended the next show.

Check out the Cage Rage shows on Men and Motors on Wednesdays and Fridays as well as Cage Rage 12 which will be shown on July 2. The fight card is already being confirmed and should prove to be a night to remember.

Full Results

Richard Bowkett def Attila Kubilay by disqualification 1:11 R 1

Tom Blackledge def Kuljit Degun via submission (neck crank) in RD 1

Abdul Mohamed def Jess Liaudin by TKO in RD 1

Robert Berry def Andy Costello by KO in 1:22 RD 1

Brad Pickett def Aaron Blackwell by TKO in RD 2

Hassan Muridi def Henrique Santana by TKO in RD 2

Paul Jenkins and Paul Daley fight ended in a draw

Ross Mason def Damien Riccio by TKO in 4:37 RD 3

Antony Rea def Pierre Guillet by KO in 0:45 RD 2

Evangelista Cyborg def Mark Epstein by KO in 2:16 RD 1

Curtis Stout def Mark Weir by KO in 1:45 RD 1