Issue 012

April 2006

February 4^th 2006

Wembley Conference Centre, London

In one of the most frustrating things that can happen to a MMA show, Cage Rage lost their main event only days before the show. The late pullout of Vitor Belfort left fans sorely disappointed, with tensions heightened by the fact that the Brazilian gave no specific reason for his withdrawal.  

Cage Rage pulled off a magnificent manoeuvre in securing the always-entertaining Chute Boxe fighter Evangelista ‘Cyborg’ Santos as the challenger for Melvin Manhoef’s World light heavyweight title. Even without the appearance of Belfort, fans would be guaranteed a good fight- for as long as it would last! With two highly explosive strikers in the cage an early finish was almost certain, and fans primed themselves for a classic slugfest. 

What ensued defied all expectations. Anyone predicting flying fists, feet and knees would be absolutely correct, but it seemed popular opinion was that Manhoef would walk through the chinny Brazilian. Cyborg is noted as being tough as nails and hyper-aggressive but with a suspect chin and no gas. Manhoef seemed tailor-made to take him out; he is explosive, accurate and equally aggressive. A heavy underdog on the betting lines, Santos seemed doomed to fall in the first round, but people seem to forget one thing- they breed them tough at the Chute Boxe academy. 

As the fight began the Wembley crowd were louder than I have possibly ever heard them. I doubt that a single member of the audience was seated as the two circled each other, patiently studying their opponent for openings. I’ll admit to being surprised at Cyborg’s restraint, as he is well known for rushing in with all guns blazing. To do so against Manhoef would be suicidal, yet pressuring Cyborg is equally dangerous. Remarkably the two picked their shots carefully without over-committing to anything until the first burst of activity came. 

When the fists started flying, the crowd roared with approval. As would befit this modern incarnation of gladiatorial combat, the intensity of the fight matched the noise from the crowd and vice versa. Even so, it seemed Melvin was holding back his bigger shots, and this allowed Cyborg to start to find his way through the Dutchman’s defences. The Brazilian used his lead high kick extremely well against the far-shorter Manhoef, landing it flush against the right side of his face numerous times. More of a stinging shot, it lacked real power, but did much it keeping Manhoef at range and on the end of Santo’s punches. 

When Cyborg entered Manhoef’s range though, the two traded energetically and with little regard for technique. Hooks and swung and crosses were delivered with absolute commitment, and remarkably the two still stood facing each other. Cyborg’s chin-up style of boxing had survived a barrage of Manhoef’s punches, and the Brazilian seemed to dominate the clinch battle against the fence even though his notorious lack of stamina seemed to be catching up with him. Santos even managed a takedown at the end of round one, landing Manhoef on his back. Cyborg sought a heelhook at the close of the first but was denied by the bell. 

The second round saw little restraint from either fighter. Though the opening stanza had been wildly energetic, it still seemed as if the two weren’t quite giving it their all. Whether out of respect or out of prudence, neither fighter was risking putting it all out there. That of course changed as they met in a furious exchange. Manhoef slipped a thunderous hook through Cyborg’s sloppy guard, and the fight suddenly lurched in his favour. He chased Santos down onto the cage, unleashing a salvo of hooks, uppercuts and knees. This was the kind of sustained attack that had dropped many of his opponents, yet amazingly Cyborg held it together long enough to weather the storm and come out the other side relatively unscathed. Having survived the onslaught, he recovered enough to land a few good shots of his own before he did the unthinkable- he tagged Melvin. 

No, I didn’t think it either, but it seems Manhoef is human after all, and yes he does have a weak spot. Cyborg’s height advantage meant that he could control the clinch, and he landed a sweet knee to the side of Manhoef’s jaw that made the Dutchman’s legs go wobbly. At this point the noise level in the arena jumped by another few dozen decibels, and we wondered if Cyborg was about to pull off a major upset. 

In came a sustained attack from Santos, with punches from all angles finding their target. Manhoef covered, but then dropped his hands and tried slipping some of the punches. By now, Santos’ gas meant their wasn’t enough in them to hurt Melvin, and with a supreme show of defiance he elected to take them on his chin, even allowing Cyborg to land another high kick flush to his head! I kid you not when I say that the crowd went absolutely ape-shit at this point. 

Cyborg dropped his hands also, and briefly the two stared at each other in silent conversation. In a dialogue that transcended language, a very clear statement was made. Santos looked at his foe with bewilderment and confusion. He had given his best and it wasn’t enough. Manhoef stared back with his trademark glare. He had just let Cyborg in on a secret- the worst was yet to come. 

Resuming their battle, Manhoef stepped things up a gear. Cyborg tried to match Manhoef’s workrate but by now was severely outgunned. The Dutchman was getting his shots through whereas Cyborg’s were grazing nothing but air. And then it came. A crushing overhand right landed high on Santo’s jaw, and the Chute Boxe fighter’s hopes of capturing the light heavyweight title were destroyed. A vicious follow-up from an ‘in-the-zone’ Manhoef put the nails in the coffin of Cyborg’s challenge, and he proved once again why he “lives for this shit”. 

It was a truly amazing, energetic, emotional fight, and the late replacement Cyborg certainly took it to the Dutch monster Melvin Manhoef. It wasn’t the tidiest or most technical fight, but the crowd loved every second of it, and many are already calling it fight of the century. That may be slightly presumptuous, but in can’t be denied, this fight rocked. It was possibly the greatest title fight Cage Rage has ever held. In brief, it was mental! As our very own Ian Freeman said, “I was on a chair screaming, saw the KO, then jumped back to my position in front of the camera... wicked!” 

Disappointing end for Daley

In a match held at the PRIDE Bushido lightweight limit of 73kg, Cage Rage favourite Jean Silva took on Paul Daley in one of the most exciting yet disappointing fights of the evening. The two spent almost the entire fight trading punches and kicks, both eager for the big KO, and the way the two were slamming in repeated high kicks, it looked as if it was only a matter of time before it came. Both guys are noted as deadly strikers, with Daley being the more powerful, orthodox kickboxer and Silva the unpredictable Capoeira master. 

They traded with plenty of gusto, with Silva scoring two scrappy takedowns during the fight. Upon the call of open guard (the Cage Rage rule that allows stomps or kicks to the head of a downed opponent) Daley came close to taking off Silva’s head with a huge stomp, and it was a very even battle until Paul inexplicably called out to the referee while grappling. Obviously in distress, the fight was started and it was discovered that Daley had dislocated his thumb at some point. Deemed unable to continue by the ringside physician, the fight was called in Silva’s favour in a shitty ending to an otherwise awesome fight. 

Battle of the Featherweights

In a very even contest between two of the UK’s top featherweights, Brad Pickett did just enough to claim a decision victory over the game Robbie Olivier. The three round see-saw battle had both fighters score well in each range, but Olivier controlled the vital factor of the wrestling. Taking Pickett down repeatedly and almost at will, Olivier worked from top position for much of the first round, setting up his tackles with diversionary kicks and punches. Pickett didn’t begin to counter until midway through round two and seemed stronger in the latter half of the fight. 

Both fighters got mount position during the fight although it was Olivier who was busier with submission attempts and Pickett landing the harder shots. Pickett scored some good reversals and upon the final bell the fight was tremendously close. The judges recorded a verdict of a split decision in favour of Brad, but to be honest this fight could just have easily have been a draw. Pickett seemed to have the more effective aggression whereas Olivier dictated the pace and distraction of the fight. 

The look on Robbie Olivier’s face as the decision was announced did much to describe his feelings. If there were a fighter who felt harder done by that night, you’d have struggled to find him. Robbie moped around for the rest of the evening totally despondent. Not exactly what you’d expect from someone who turned in a great performance, but I think that a quote from a member of his team sums it up well; “We know we’d have to finish Brad to win it. If it went to the judges, it was his fight.” 

Return to form for Sol

UK star Sol Gilbert has been on something of a slide recently, with two consecutive losses on his record and an unwelcome win via disqualification (his last fight ended in unpleasant circumstances when he was struck with an illegal soccer kick). Dropping to welterweight, he faced a challenge in the form of the unorthodox yet durable journeyman Sami Berik. Sol controlled every range of the fight, displaying well-rounded skills we normally only see in spurts. His wrestling seems much improved, as the two spent plenty of time airborne courtesy of Sol’s three big slams. Sol’s ground and pound and submission game looked sharp but it all boiled down to what he is best known for- his striking. The former boxer KO’d Berik with a left hook early in the second round. 

Matsui scrapes past Stout

Fan-favourite Daijiro Matsui almost had an early night when American Curtis Stout dropped him with a left hook. The exceptionally durable Matsui managed to hold on long enough for a restart, and pressed the fight from then on. Uncharacteristically, Stout spent almost the entire fight on the defensive, giving Matsui a questionable but earned decision. 

Lytle outclasses Mason

Ross ‘The Boss’ Mason had a tough time against international veteran Chris Lytle, victim of a rear naked choke with only three seconds left in the second round. Lytle outclassed Mason from start to finish, energetically matching Mason’s renowned stand-up skills and completely dominating the grappling. This was a tough test for Mason, and one that surely sets him back in his plans for international level competition. 

Buzz gets ‘Tengizzed’

Tengiz Tedoradze is a machine designed purely for beating people up. A former Greco-Roman wrestling world champion, he suplexes people and beats them up with vicious ground and pound, and this fight was no different. Buzz showed promise in striking with Tengiz, but his lack of wrestling ability showed badly as the Georgian controlled him on the ground and punished him with heavy strikes. 

Summary

Ikuhisa Minowa easily submitted the far larger Dave Legeno in an openweight match. Jose ‘Pele’ Landi-Jons was submitted by the exceptionally boring Travis Lutter, while Fabio Piamonte did the same on the aging Jason Delucia. Mark Epstein defeated the overmatched Darren Little to claim the British light heavyweight title, while Ryan Robinson established himself as a contender by submitting Brian Adams. The game Michael ‘Rocky’ Holmes was stopped by the sharp-striking Croatian Zelg Gelesic, and Team Elite fighter Jason Barrett defeated the Lithuanian Mindaugas Arbocius with ease.