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BRINGING MARTIAL ARTS TO LIFE!!!

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MARTIALARTSSHOW the

martial combat

THE NEC BIRMINGHAM 7TH & 8TH MAY 2011

November 2010 www.fightersmag.co.uk

Asia’s Biggest MMA Tournament!

DOUG WILLIAMS The New Ambassador

HAYE VS HARRISON Britain’s Biggest Heavyweight Fight of The Decade!

M-1 GLOBAL SELECTION Searching For The World’s Next Generation of MMA Superstars

BRAND NEW IRISH SECTION News & Views From The Emerald Isle

KICKBOXING - MUAY THAI - MMA - K-1 - BOXING

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CONTENTS 6

NEWS ROUND-UP Domestic & International

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THE NEIL ADAMS SUBMISSION CLINIC

By Fergus Dullaghan

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WRESTLING NEWS Winter is Here and The Wrestling World Finally Starts to Heat Up!

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HAYE VS HARRISON Destiny or Harsh Reality Awaits?

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ALL IN A GOOD CAUSE Fundraising Event in Aid of The Down’s Syndrome Association

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OLE LAURSEN Looking to Make up For Lost Time

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SHIN CONDITIONING PROGRAMME

By Cris Janson-Piers

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CASSIE ROBINSON Rumbling at The Reebok

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ONE FOR THE LADIES A Masterclass in WAKO K-1 Rules

34

DOUG WILLIAMS The New Ambassador

38

CORRECTIVE METHODS For Fighters With Shoulder Issues

42

BODYGUARD A New Beginning For Talented UK Director Chee Keong Cheung

44

JAMES TONEY From IBA to MMA

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ULTIMATE CHALLENGE UK Manuwa is The Unconquerable King of The UK Light Heavyweights

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STRIKEFORCE Meisha Tate Wins Women’s Title

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THE M-1 SELECTION The Americas Semi Final Round

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I couldn’t let the fact that the UFC are staging their UK expo at Earls Court in London over the 15th and 16th of October alongside the eagerly anticipated UFC 120 show. We will be present as we will be taking a stand, so if you are going to be there please feel free to come and say hi.

MARTIAL COMBAT 4 Singapore’s Brian ‘Polar Bear’ Choi Clinches Rousing Victory

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MARTIAL COMBAT 5 Claire Clinches First Women’s Title

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Kick boxing has been quiet of late with very few big style events taking place and whilst MMA has grabbed all the limelight, it’s a shame to think that kick boxing is suffering at the hands of its pugilistic sister.

MARTIAL COMBAT 6 Highly Rated Korean Fighter Makes Winning Comeback

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MARTIAL COMBAT 9 Spectacular Knock-out Wins Superfight

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MARTIAL COMBAT 10 Evolve MMA Dominate

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NEW!!! FIGHTERS IRISH SECTION All The Latest News & Views From ‘The Emerald Isle’ inc...

Aisling Daly, Graham Boylan & Cage Warriors, Norman Parke and Cage Contenders

CONTENTS EDITORIAL There’s no escaping the fact that MMA is gathering more and more momentum as each day goes by. The UFC seems to be rolling on to bigger and better things and with Mr Murdoch having now bought out Mr Branson, I predict an MMA fest of activity on cable. The down side of this is that we could see other MMA programmes taken off air. I also see a rush for the others to pick up on oportunities that this rush will create so if you are a promoter of good quality events and have a desire to promote MMA in a very positive way, get ready, your time may just be around the corner!

There are several other developments taking place in the world of MMA at the moment which we will report back to you about very soon. However and in line with a personal wish, I am pleased to announce the launch of our new Irish MMA section headed up by a new member to our team here at Fighters, Thomas McCullough, welcome aboard Thomas. Thomas is a true MMA fan and will, each month, bring you all the latest news, features, interviews, organisation profiles and event reports/previews. So, if you are in Ireland, interested in the Irish scene, its fighters or promotions Fighters is now even more to offer you!

As we are now taking on more writers, I have introduced a direct contact policy so that should you wish to contact any of our writers, you can now do so by e-mailing them at their e-mail address at the front of the mag.

Thai boxing seems to be experiencing a plethora of activity in the form of top quality events with Fightsports tournament at the NIA in Birmingham and the Rumble at the Reebok set to take place later this month.

Well I’m off to the BAMMA event now where Alex Reid will face Tom Watson, make sure to check out next months issue for a full report with exclusive images, regardless of whom you are in favour of winning.

Until next month, train safe, fight hard and above all else, enjoy what you do.

Paul.

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WWW.FIGHTERSMAG.CO.UK PUBLISHER/EDITOR IN CHIEF Paul S. Clifton paul@martialartsinprint.com SENIOR DESIGNER Mark John Davies GRAPHIC DESIGN Kevin Thompson ADVERTISING/SALES EXECUTIVE Jan Harley 0121-351-6930 fighters@btconnect.com UK THAI SUB EDITOR Dan Green UK MMA SUB EDITOR Rob Nutley UK BJJ SUB EDITOR Carl Fisher UK KICKBOXING SUB EDITOR Cris Janson-Piers UK BOXING SUB EDITORS Luke Calvert, Mark Wilson Smith THAI / KICKBOXING Tony Myers, Shaun Boland, Bob Spour, Paul Hennessy, Neil Holden, Dean Sugden

CONTRIBUTORS Steve Dileo, Bryan Levick, Fergus Dullaghan, Ben Cartlidge, Alan MacDonald, Christina Castellana, Teddy Galbally, Craig Bush, Seymour Yang, Rocki Sondhi, Tommy Thompson HOW TO GET WORK PUBLISHED Drop us an email at fighters@martialartsinprint.com or give the editorial team a call on 0121 351 6930 NEWS ITEMS For all news related items, simply mark your envelope “FIGHTERS NEWSLINE” and together with a photograph (if required) and a covering letter, send it to: FIGHTERS, Head Office or E-Mail: fighters.news@btconnect.com HEAD OFFICE: Unit 20, Maybrook Business Park, Maybrook Road, Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands, B76 1BE. Tel: 0121 351 6930 E-Mail: fighters.magazine@btconnect.com ADVERTISING DETAILS If you would like to advertise in FIGHTERS email us at fighters@martialartsinprint.com to obtain details, deadline dates and costs.

DISCLAIMER FIGHTERS is published by M.A. Publications Ltd, Unit 20, Maybrook Business Park, Maybrook Road, Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands, B76 1BE. The publishers reserve the right to reject editorial and/or advertising material as they see fit. The Publishers accept no responsibility for the return of unsolicited material. However, the Publishers will endeavour to return such matter providing that it is accompanied by a stamped addressed envelope. Any material accepted by the Publishers shall be revised or altered should the Publisher deem it necessary to do so. The act of submitting manuscripts and/or materials shall be considered an express warranty that such material is original and in no way infringes upon the rights of others. It is expressly forbidden for any part of the magazine to be reported whatsoever without the permission of Editor / Publishers. The views or comments expressed in these pages are not necessarily those of the editor or Publisher.

Distribution by COMAG. No part of this magazine may be produced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form without prior permission. Fighters, may not be sold at more than the recomended retail price shown on the cover.

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SUBSCRIPTION RATES To take out a subscription to Fighters, just send your cheque for the correct amount made payable to M.A. Publications ltd. to: Subscription Dept. Unit 20, Maybrook Business Park, Maybrook Road, Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands, B76 1BE. or telephone: 0121-351 6930 12 issues = UK @ £44.95 EUROPE @ £75 (Airmail) REST OF WORLD @ £90 (Airmail)

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Page 6 NEWS ROUND-UP - DOMESTIC & INT’

NEWS ROUND-UP

Have you got news for us? You have? Then e-mail us at fighters.news@btconnect.com

NEWS ROUND-UP OCTOBER 2010

Strikers need to find ways to beat wrestlers - Hathaway John Hathaway has confessed he feels some sympathy with wrestlers accused of killing fights in MMA, and he admits judges have a tough job on their hands to know when to intervene.

Hathaway is a good friend of fellow British welterweight Dan Hardy, who labelled Nik Lentz the UFC’s answer to Gandhi after he ground out a dour victory over Andre Winner at UFC 118. Hardy later told ESPN that fighters should leave the UFC if they are going to avoid confrontation on fight night.

A wrestler by trade, Hathaway understands Hardy’s comments, but he insists it is not always easy to be as active as planned when embroiled in a ground battle. The London Shootfighters pupil also admitted he would not want to be a judge.

“It’s a hard one to comment on,” Hathaway wrote in his exclusive blog for ESPN. “Quite often a wrestler like Lentz can pull off a submission or inflict ground and pound and it’s

Strikers need to find ways to beat wrestlers - Hathaway

exciting, but there are going to be times when an individual can become too involved in the importance of the fight, where takedowns and ground control suddenly take over from the will to do damage.

“Judges and referees have a tough job. You definitely cannot break people up when they’re in certain positions.

“Let’s not forget, sometimes it’s up to the guy on his back to find a way to get back to his feet. That’s part of mixed martial arts. He also has to find a way to establish a range so that he can get his strikes off without being taken down.”

Dan Hardy’s exclusive blog: Ready to fight fire with fire AFTER two weeks of serving as the mouthpiece for the majority of MMA fans who have the temerity to want their sport to be entertaining, it is time for this column to move on from the subject.

I’m happy to have contributed to what quickly became an industrywide debate, though.

Some people who troll internet forums seemed genuinely baffled why I was spending time writing my views on this subject rather than training.

But, believe me, the 40 minutes or so I spend on this column each week is a welcome distraction from the brutality I am putting myself through ahead of my fight at UFC 120 on October 16.

I have a new secret weapon in the Rough House. I cannot mention his name right now, but he is going to give me a huge advantage in the fight against Carlos Condit at London’s O2 Arena.

He is one of the best training partners I’ve ever worked with and is forcing me to add new dimensions to my game, just to survive our sessions together!

Condit says it was ‘nothing personal’ when he went to the UFC and demanded a fight with me. It was, he said, purely business.

No, Carlos. Calling me out, asking to fight me by name, does make it very personal.

To go the UFC and say you want to fight someone in particular is to say: “I can beat this guy, no problem, and further my career.” How can you not expect that to be taken personally?

But this is very personal to me now. I am going to put a real beating on this guy. When he gets his flight back to the US, he will have trouble clearing customs because he will look nothing like his passport photo.

Carlos is training with Greg Jackson, who no doubt is going to try and put another ‘safety first’ game plan together. He encourages his guys to take the low-risk route, which usually turns out to be quite strategic and a little boring.

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NEWS ROUND-UP

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NEWS ROUND-UP OCTOBER 2010 That will mess up Condit’s natural instincts.

Dan Hardy’s exclusive blog: Ready to fight fire with fire

I just don’t think that a Greg Jackson game plan is suitable for Condit’s style of fighting or his mentality as a fighter. Condit is called ‘the Natural Born Killer’ with reason and as soon as I drop him a couple of times, he will revert to his instincts and try to fight fire with fire.

Carlos has got a lot of heart, no doubt about that. He will give everything he’s got. But all of what he’s got isn’t just enough.

Georges St-Pierre was gracious enough to talk me up to the media this week, saying his win over me will look better and better as I go through my career and people realise just how good I am.

Obviously, it is only smart for any fighter to talk up the people he has wins over - why bad-mouth your own CV? But knowing GSP, he only says things he means.

I’ll be wearing my ‘Team GSP’ Tshirt when I sit down to watch the new series of ‘the Ultimate Fighter’ on Sky Sports starting tonight.

Finally, well done to Paul Daley for his win in the US last week and commiseration to Ross Pearson. But the Real Deal will be back.

Catch The Ultimate Fighter, every Tuesday at 10pm, on Sky Sports.

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I will be rooting for GSP to humiliate Josh Koscheck and win the series. I am not sure how I will be able to put up with 12 episodes of Koscheck the world’s most irritating man - being in my living room, but hopefully I get to see him take a beating which will make up for it.

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Page 8 NEWS ROUND-UP - DOMESTIC & INT’

NEWS ROUND-UP

Have you got news for us? You have? Then e-mail us at fighters.news@btconnect.com

NEWS ROUND-UP OCTOBER 2010

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Wanderlei Silva on the way to Scotland for Master Class.

LEGENDARY Brazilian cage fighter Wanderlei Silva is set to give a martial arts master class in Paisley. Silva - whose nickname is the Axe Murderer - is on a unique tour as he recovers from knee surgery and the owners of the Paisley Academy martial arts centre have pulled off a coup by persuading the 34-year-old to give a two-hour seminar.

Academy director Matt McLachlan said: “This is like Ronaldinho coming to train a football club - it’s massive.”Wanderlei is likely to return to fighting early next year so I doubt he will tour again to give seminars. “This is probably a once-in-a-lifetime chance to meet him.”

Silva’s seminar will be held on October 27 at the academy - which is based in the Glasgow Airlink Industrial Estate near the airport.

McLachlan said: “Tickets are on sale now and we are aiming to sell 100 of them. But people can also spectate.”

Tel: 01213516930 for details/bookings.

M-1 Global Raining Gold in October?

Forging the development of tomorrow’s MMA superstars today, M-1 Global will proudly announce the kick-off of the highly anticipated M-1 Challenge on October the 28th at the glamorous Ice Palace in St. Petersburg, Russia, where the first ever M-1 champions will be crowned.

Wanderlei Silva on the way to Scotland for Master Class

At this historic evening, M-1 Global will crown three world champions and for the first time ever in M-1’s history, championship belts will be awarded in the lightweight, middleweight, and heavyweight divisions. These are the culminating battles between theM-1 Selection regional champions.”

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NEWS ROUND-UP

Have you got news for us? You have? Then e-mail us at fighters.news@btconnect.com

NEWS ROUND-UP OCTOBER 2010 Lightweight Title Fight: Artiom Damkovsky, M-1 Selection Eastern Europe 2010 champion (104) will clash with Mairbek Taisumov, M-1’s Selection Western Europe 2010 champion (12-2).

Chris Eubank Launches New Business Venture

Middleweight Title Fight: Magomed Sultanakhmedov, M-1 Selection Eastern Europe 2010 champion (28-4) will meet Rafa_ Moks, M-1 Selection Western Europe 2010 champ (5-2).

Heavyweight Title Fight: Maxim Grishin, M-1’s Selection Eastern Europe champion (7-4) will battle the undefeated Guram Gugenishvili, M-1’s Selection Western Europe champion (8-0).

The Welterweight and Light Heavyweight championship bouts are being scheduled for later this year in the United States, establishing M-1 Challenge champions in all five weight classes. Once executed, a true contenders system will be established to fuel events throughout 2011, driving M-1 Global’s growth as a leading brand in the US and international markets.

2011 includes a full slate of M-1 Challenge events held in the United States and Europe. These are mega-event spectaculars where Champions will be crowned, titles defended and contenders’ positions (on the ladder) will be determined.

Feeding the stable of fighters will be two Selection tournaments in 2011 with details being announced shortly.

Free broadcast coverage of the entire 2010 M-1 Challenge event schedule will be available at a later date to viewers worldwide on www.M-1global.com and selected affiliate partner sites.

Visit www.M-1Global.com for additional information.

Chris Eubank Launches New Business Venture.

company is growing fast and will turn over £1.3m in 2010.

Lisping former World boxing champi on and bankrupt Chris Eubank is hoping to launch a new career with his ŒJodhousers‚.

Martial Arts: Impressive Godbeer records fifth straight win

Mr Eubank has designed a hybrid between a Jodhpur and a suit trouser which he believes will become the next big thing in men‚s fashion. Chris Eubank‚s range also includes a wedding suit and a frock coat.

It is just one of several Œfashion design‚ projects he has undertaken with bespoke London tailors Cad and the Dandy.

Ozwald Boateng coined the term bespoke couturier and took the suit to the catwalk. We shall have to wait and see what Chris Eubank can contribute to male elegance.

About Cad and the Dandy: Cad and the Dandy were founded by banking professionals James Sleater and Ian Meiers in 2008 after they were both made redundant from their jobs in the city. With shops in the City, Canary Wharf and Savile Row, Cad and the Dandy offers high-end, bespoke machine- and hand-stitched tailoring at a competitive price. The

26-year-old Mark Godbeer, fighting out of the All or Nothing Kickboxing and MMA camp, took on Milton Keynes fighter Frazier Opie at the South-West Fighting Championships in Torquay recently. Opie has an extensive Thai boxing background as well as an impressive mixed martial arts record, but it took Godbeer little under three minutes of the first round to submit his opponent with a guillotine choke.

Despite Opie’s obvious strength, Godbeer maintained his head and attacked with submission attempts from beneath his opponent. His opponent remained resilient but Godbeer was attacking with a variety of options, which lead to him wrapping an arm around Opie’s undefended neck and throat, forcing him to tap out.

More than 100 travelling fans from Bridgwater and Taunton cheered Godbeer on, in what was his toughest test to date. He will be fighting in Bristol in October before facing a French fighter in the next Bridgwater home show in November.

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Page 10 NEWS ROUND-UP - DOMESTIC & INT’

NEWS ROUND-UP

Have you got news for us? You have? Then e-mail us at fighters.news@btconnect.com

NEWS ROUND-UP OCTOBER 2010

UFC Primetime Returns for Brock Lesnar vs. Cain Velasquez Starting Oct. 6

Fellow Nothing fighter Danny Poulsom impressed in his third mixed martial arts bout against Thai fighter Colin Freel. 38-year-old Poulsom made good use of his footwork and defied his age by relentlessly punching his opponent’s head and body.

Freel tried to get back into the fight but exposed his head and Poulsom’s left hook saw the Torquay man hit the floor. The match was ended when Freel’s corner man threw in the towel. Poulsom’s stablemate John Allen took on Mark Brown and won with a technical knock-out following an impressive second round performance. Newcomer Martin Greedy took his first ever fight with just a couple of days notice. Although winning the first round, brave Greedy was stopped in the last ten seconds of the final round. You can watch these fighters in action in Bridgwater at Junction 24 on November 21. For more information about mixed martial arts, contact club coach Arthur Meek on 07765-042414.

UFC Primetime Returns for Brock Lesnar vs. Cain Velasquez Starting Oct. 6 UFC Primetime will return with a threepart preview of UFC 121?s headlining title clash between heavyweight champ Brock Lesnar and challenger Cain Velasquez beginning on Oct. 6 at 11pm ET on Spike immediately following The Ultimate Fighter 12.

“UFC Primetime: Lesnar vs.

Velasquez” will continue on Oct. 13 at 11pm and Oct. 20 at 9:30pm leading up to the Oct. 23 event in Anaheim, California.

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The UFC 121 fight card also includes Jake Shields vs. Martin Kampmann, Diego Sanchez vs. Paulo Thiago, and Tito Ortiz vs. Matt Hamill.

For the latest UFC 121 news, including UFC 121 results on Oct. 23, stay tuned to MMAFrenzy.com.

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NEWS ROUND-UP

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NEWS ROUND-UP OCTOBER 2010

NISHIOKA v MUNROE DATE ANNOUNCED RENDALL MUNROE was last night given the date for his world title showdown against Japanese star Toshiaki Nishioka.

Munroe (21-1) will challenge for Nishioka’s (36-4-3) WBC super-bantamweight title at Tokyo’s 10,000 capacity Sumo Hall on Sunday October 24.

Munroe, 30, will take eight weeks off from his bin man’s job to prepare for the biggest fight of his career.

The Leicester southpaw, promoter Frank Maloney, manager Mike Shinfield & trainer Jason Shinfield, will spend 12 days in Tokyo before the fight.

Maloney explained: “Tokyo is about eight hours ahead so we need to be there well in advance to make sure everything is spot on.

“People are writing Rendall off, but there are far more hostile places than Japan for a fighter to travel to.

“Nishioka’s camp have been complete professionals to deal with and I am sure Rendall will get a fair deal if the fight goes 12 rounds.”

The fight will take place early afternoon British time and UK television rights will be announced at a later date.

makes combatives (MMA training) a regular part of his troop’s Physical Training Program, reached out to request a donation of New Blood tshirts to boost their morale.

Clayton Maxfield, owner of New Blood Fight Gear, was thrilled to hear from the Sergeant. “We appreciate what our troops are doing over there and felt so fortunate to have Sgt. Wolfer reach out to us with a specific care packages request that we could fulfill,” said Maxfield. According to Sgt. Wolfer, “Everyone says they support the troops <http://troopssupport.com/> but most don’t do anything more than wear the t-shirt or put a bumper sticker on their car.”

Sgt. Wolfer first noticed ads for New Blood while looking through a Magazine and was drawn to the company’s Native American Thunderbird imagery. “I have a love of Muay Thai fighting,” said Sgt. Wolfer. “The Thai traditions of the sport are similar to Native American views of combat and respect.” Looking to elevate the art of MMA, Maxfield had chosen the Thunderbird for his company’s brand because of its legend of strength, cunning and power. “We want to reach a wide audience and help them appreciate the intensity of discipline and training involved in MMA,” said Maxfield.

That put Sgt. Wolfer ahead of the pack in terms of his passion for and training in the sport of MMA. “I stuck with it all these years and compete at everything the Army has,” said Wolfer. When stationed with the U.S. Military in Germany, he used a 3-day pass to train in Holland in a session with Cor Hemmers. His training and love of the sport paid off when he recently competed at a tournament in the Joint Base Balad (JBB) in Iraq and placed third.

Sgt. Wolfer and the two dozen soldiers under his direction, continue to train in Iraq in their New Blood fight gear. Communicating with Sgt. Wolfer made a big impression on New Blood’s Maxfield. “At one point we lost touch with Alan and were worried with him being in Iraq,” said Maxfield.

“He was alright, but it really hits home at a time like that, what our soldiers are doing for us over there.”

About New Blood Fight Gear New Blood Fight Gear was launched in late 2009 offering mixed martial arts fans an alternative to traditional fight gear. Owned by a young man and his father - founded while the son was still in high school - New Blood makes high quality sports clothing with unique designs created to elevate the art of MMA. http://www.NewBloodFightGear.com

For Ticket Information Please Visit Frankmaloney.com

Supporting Our Troops!

Military Staff Sergeant reaches out to New Blood Fight Gear for moraleboosting donation. Mixed martial arts clothing company, New Blood Fight Gear <http://newbloodfightgear.com/> , recently received a unique request from Military Staff Sergeant, Alan J Wolfer, deployed in Kirkuk, Iraq.

An MMA enthusiast for the past twelve years, Sgt. Wolfer, who

Supporting Our Troops!

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Page 14 THE NEIL ADAMS SUBMISSION CLINIC

The Neil Adams

Submission Clinic

By Fergus Dullaghan

Part 6 - Hadaka jimi - The rear naked choke In Portuguese o mata- leão means “the lion killer”. That is what the Gracie family chose to name this technique when it was taught to them by Mitsuyo Maeda. Maeda was a Japanese judo champion and it was he who taught the Gracie family the basics of what would later become their revolutionary new jiu jitsu style. To him the Mata leão was simply called Hadaka jimi (the rear naked choke).

This became the signature move of the Gracie family: It was used frequently by Rorion in the Gracie Challenge, which was a pre-UFC open invitation from the Gracie family in which they took on all comers in no-holds-barred fights with $10,000 on the line. (Footage of the fights is available from the Gracie academy website). The technique was also used by Rickson throughout his career, and it was the move that Royce used to beat Gerard Gordeau and win UFC 1.

It remains a staple technique of any MMA fighter to this day. Indeed it was recently used by BJ Penn to submit Kenny Florian in UFC 101.

In the sixth instalment of our submission clinic, Neil Adams, the former world judo champion demonstrates how to perform this technique.

In Fig 1 Neil begins behind his opponent and gets his first hook (foot) in. As can be seen from the other angle his weight at this stage is on the opponent’s belt line so that he remains balanced. He does not lean forward to attack the neck yet (Fig 2). Neil then sinks his second hook in behind the opponent’s other thigh (Fig 3).

Now that his second hook is in place it is safe for Neil to lean forward. He allows his feet to go back deeply between his opponent’s legs as he does this (Fig 4). He then begins to stretch his opponent out using his hips, until he is totally flattened and his legs are no longer on the floor (Fig 5-6). With his opponent now completely immobilised Neil can begin striking (in MMA) or hunting for a choke (Fig 7). From the reverse angle (Fig 8) we can see the process again as Neil first gets one hook in and then the other (Fig 9). He leans his weight forward (Fig 10) and racks his opponent out (Fig 11). It is common practice to execute the choke while the opponent is still face down. Occasionally however you need to be able to roll the opponent back to the centre of the mat. This is especially true in judo, where attacking on the edge of the area also carries the risk of the fight being stood back up if your opponent rolls out of the playing area. Rolling back to the centre can be achieved by using the opponent’s legs as levers (Fig 12 -14).

From here the strangle or choke can be applied in the same way as it would be face down. To strangle (Fig 15) you wrap one arm around your opponent’s neck by sliding

your hand under his chin towards his opposite shoulder. Once there, grab your own arm and tense your bicep. To choke an alternative grip is often used (Fig 16), where the forearm is slid across the throat and the wrist is pulled back sharply into the trachea. To ensure this is tight you grip with your spare hand as pictured.

Neil Adams is a former World Judo Champion and Olympic Silver Medallist. He is currently the Belgian national coach and his new online tutorials featuring all his judo secrets are available from www.cagefilm.com in association with Combat Magazine and Fighters Magazine.

Fig 1

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THE NEIL ADAMS SUBMISSION CLINIC Page 15

Fig 2

Fig 3

Fig 4

Fig 5

Fig 6

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Fig 8

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Fig 10

Fig 11

Fig 12

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Page 16 WRESTLING NEWS NOVEMBER 2010

Wrestling

By Teddy G

News ‘November’ 2010

Winter is here and the wrestling world finally starts to heat up.

TNA News: It’s been a big month for TNA, both in the US and here in the UK. The biggest news for UK fans is the announcement that TNA have set up UK offices and employed Simon Rothstein (ex The Sun newspaper) to head up their UK PR and development. Their Nashville offices have sometimes been a bit less than cooperative in the past and so this is a great move and will help boost their image over here.

Also following on the heels of their announcement of UK tour dates for 2011, they have also announced the return of their Fan Interaction package, which offers a pass to meet some of the wrestlers and personalities on the tour along with a limited edition autograph book, which for £25 isn’t bad value. Check out their website (www.tnawrestling.com) for more info on that and their tour dates and lineups.

Over in the US, the success of their Hardcore Justice PPV featuring ‘EV2.0’ (ex ECW stars - but they can’t use ECW as WWE owns that name) - they have signed all the members to short term contracts. They are set to feud with Ric Flair’s Fortune group.

Also following Fortune and Abyss’s attack on EV2.0 and RVD in particular, he has vacated the TNA World title and an 8 man tournament has been set up to determine a new champ.

Talking of Fortune, their ranks now include Beer Money Inc, Matt Morgan, and the UK’s own Doug(las) Williams.

On the subject of Doug, check out our exclusive interview with him in this very issue (and the Nick ‘Magnus’ Aldis interview in an upcoming edition). It was good to speak to the former British Invasion members when they recently popped up to Birmingham before heading back to the US.

We have a new Knockouts Champion too in the (shapely) figure of Angelina Love. She continues to feud with Madison Rayne over the belt (expect Tara to be unveiled as Rayne’s motorcycle riding backup).

A special mention has to go to the teams of Beer Money Inc and the Motor City Machineguns for their outstanding best of 5 series of matches for the TNA World Tag Team titles.

Awesome, awesome matches!

Finally, just a quick heads up to anyone with an Xbox 360, Bravo has now been added to the basic Sky Player packages, so even more people can check out Impact at 9pm each Saturday.

WWE News: Before I begin the WWE news, I have to report the passing of two WWE stars, one young, one veteran.

Our sincere condolences go out to the families of Lance McNaught (aka Lance Cade) and former long-time (WWF) manager Jim Wehba (aka General Skandor Akbar). Both will be sadly missed by everyone in the sport.

The shock news in the ‘WWE Universe’ is the return of Daniel Bryan (Brian Danielson) at Summer Slam. For those unfamiliar with the background, he was one of the ‘NXT / Nexus’ “rookies” that attacked a number of WWE wrestlers on RAW in order to get a fulltime WWE Contract like the winner of NXT, Wade Barret. He was ‘sacked’ by WWE though for choking someone with a mic cord during the melee.

WWE decided it reminded people too much of what Chris Benoit did to his family several years ago and got rid of

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him the next day in a knee jerk reaction. He was brought back to be the WWE’s savoir in the 7 vs. 7 elimination match (partly due to the negative outcry and their realization they got a bit carried away getting rid of a talented wrestler over what was really a trivial transgression).

Expect to see him beat The Miz (his former NXT mentor) at Night of Champions for the WWE US title (thus allowing Miz to cash in his Money in the Bank privilege and win the WWE Title...

The Hart Dynasty are still the tag champ’s but are now the WWE Tag Team Champions. This is because WWE have scrapped the ‘unified’ tag team titles and both sets of title belts and just have one title and one set of (new) belts.

Sticking with the Hart’s, Brett Hart got married for the 3rd time at the end of July when he married 27 year old Stephanie Washington. Let’s just hope that the 3rd time really is the charm for Brett!

The new Smackdown Vs Raw video game should be on the shelves by the time you read this (or not far off at least). The 2011 edition promises to be the best yet and I hope to bring you a review of it for next issue.

On a final WWE related note, Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson is currently in Puerto Rico filming The Fast And The Furious 5. He stars alongside Vin Diesel and Paul Walker, and plays a cop trying to track them down. Oddly enough he looks more like Stone Cold Steve Austin in it (more than The Rock) with a shaved head and a goatee beard!!

As ever don’t forget you can follow me on Twitter on @combatwrestler or via MySpace on www.myspace.com/ teddygalbally, or just contact me via the office (details in the front of the mag).

Angelina Love

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Page 20 DAVID HAYE VS AUDLEY HARRISON

Haye vs Harrison

Destiny or Harsh Reality Awaits The date and venue have been set- November 13th at the Manchester MEN, for what is arguably Britain’s biggest heavyweight fight since Frank Bruno Vs Lennox Lewis back in 1993.

David Haye will defend his WBA crown against, in some people’s opinion, a less than deserving Audley Harrison. Despite general belief that the outcome is a foregone conclusion, there are a lot of other factors that make this a fascinating contest.

The first area of interest is the personal history between the two fighters. It has been well documented that Haye and Harrison used to be friends before their relationship turned sour. Harrison firmly believes that it was a one way friendship, with him giving and Haye taking.

When both fighters were at the outset of their careers, it was Harrison who had the lucrative BBC television deal. He helped to get Haye on the shows and raise the fighter’s profile. He even used to let Haye sleep over at his house.

When Harrison lost the BBC deal and

his career took a dip, he looked to Haye, who now had his own TV deal, to return the favour. However, he found the door firmly shut- something he still feels bitter about today. You can clearly see the animosity between the fighters at any media gathering.

The careers of the two fighters have been vastly different. The first difference is obviously that David Haye started his professional career as a cruiserweight, whereas Audley has always campaigned at Heavyweight. The more significant difference between their careers is the amount of success they have had. Apart from his solitary loss to Carl Thompson in 2004, Haye’s career has pretty much always been on the ascendency. His first major title came in 2005 when he defeated Alexander Gurov for the European cruiserweight title. This was followed up in 2007 with a win over Jean-Marc Mormeck which gave him the WBC and WBA world titles. The following year, in another ‘Battle of Britain’, Haye defeated Enzo Maccarinelli to claim the WBO title. When Haye moved up to the Heavyweight division, the success

continued- 2009 brought him the WBA title as he out boxed Russian skyscraper Nikolai Valuev.

Harrison, like Haye, turned professional in 2001, but has had a significantly more modest career. Winning Gold at the Sydney Olympic Games in 2000 gave him a great platform to launch his career.

Unfortunately a lot of pressure and expectation was placed upon him from the very beginning. Harrison himself must take some of the blame here, as he was making so many bold, ambitious claims from the offset. Like all boxers, he wanted to learn the ropes against low quality opposition, but with so much hype surrounding him, the public quickly grew impatient. The other real problem was that Audley never really progressed from that level- in terms of opposition or ability. Defeats to Danny Williams, Dominick Guinn, Michael Sprott, and Martin Rogan saw Harrison being written off and his career in freefall. A change in fortune saw him win the Prizefighter tournament in 2009, which set up a shot at the European title, which he duly won by knocking out old adversary Michael Sprott in the last

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round. It was that victory that put him back on the world map and allowed the fight with David Haye to be made.

The only real similarities between their careers, are that they have both been European champions (Haye’s title being at Cruiserweight) and that they both hold wins over Polish journeyman Tomasz Bonin. It took Audley nine rounds to stop him, while Haye completed the job in less than 3 minutes.

This fight is also interesting when you look at the bigger picture of their respective careers. Haye has long claimed he wants a showdown with the Klitschko brothers, but nothing ever seems to materialise. The Klitschkos themselves claim Haye is running scared and just used their name to gain publicity for himself. Reports in the United Kingdom say a more likely reason for the fights not happening is that the Klitschkos are just demanding too big a share of the spoils. Haye, as a world champion, wants to be treated fairly before he signs any deals. His trainer and manager, Adam Booth, has also claimed there is no rush to fight the Klitschkos. Let them age closer towards 40, let them have a few more battles to add to the wear and tear, and then make the fight happen.

Indeed, David doesn’t really need the Klitschko brothers just yet- he can sell a lot of tickets, make plenty of money, and increase his exposure by fighting Audley Harrison. This is also a fight with a lot less risk, so it benefits David in many ways to hold on a little bit longer before doing business with either Wladimir or Vitali Klitschko.

For any Audley Harrison fan out there, or even just for anyone that has followed his career, this is a truly momentous moment. For 10 long years Audley has been telling us he would be the Heavyweight Champion of the World.

Now, he finally gets the chance to achieve that dream. Harrison has been told his career is over more times than I care to remember, but big Audley never listened. He kept on plugging away, coming back after every defeat still full of confidence. The one thing I admire most about Audley Harrison is that he has never given up. He has his dream and he has never let any person or any defeat stop him from believing it is still possible. He often spoke about how he would one day face David Haye, that it was his destiny to fight for the heavyweight title- now that day has come.

Although Audley may claim this is his destiny, the omens are not looking good. I don’t think anyone outside of his own team is giving him much of a chance to win this. David Haye’s achievements dwarf those of Harrison’s.

Haye has some decent names on his CV such as Mormeck, Fragomeni, Valuev, and Ruiz and he is a multiple world champion. In comparison, there are no real big names on Harrison’s resume- victories over faded versions of Danny Williams and Michael Sprott do little to inspire.

Further, if you look at the people that have beaten Audley, you couldn’t really imagine any of them giving Haye much trouble. I expect Haye to end this quickly, but it could last a little longer if Audley tries to hold and frustrate the champion. Harrison only really has a punchers chance. David Haye’s chin is known for being suspect, and if Audley can land the type of shot that stopped Michael Sprott, it would all be over.

There is also the chance that Haye could be complacent going into this fight. He really does see this as a no risk contest.

Defeat for Harrison should signal the end of his career- but that has been said before, and defeat for Haye would leave heavyweight boxing in a very bad state- he is seen as the exciting saviour of the division. If everything goes the way that it should, Haye will retain his title and there will once again be talk of a showdown with the Klitschko brothers. Like I said, it’s a fascinating contest.

By Mark Wilson Smith

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Page 22 ALL IN A GOOD CAUSE - BY LUKE FARMER

All in a

good cause Report by Luke Farmer of the BFKKO. Foreword and photography by Cris Janson-Piers & Janson-Piers Imaging

I would just like to say that when I had to rearrange the proposed WAKO Pro show which will now be featured on December 4th at the same venue I was a little put out, but then whilst sat there pondering whether I should cancel the venue booking completely I came up with a great idea. With everything in place already how easy would it be to actually give something back from our sport for nothing. I can say the event that followed made me proud to be a martial artist and to feel that what we do can give so much good to others is a pleasure. Cris Janson-Piers. CJP. On the 7th of August the Lyric theatre, Dinnington, played host to a fundraising event in aid of the Down’s Syndrome Association (Reg Charity No. 1061474). The event was a sponsored sparathon where money was raised by numerous members of Dinnington’s resident Falcon Fight Academy of the

British Freestyle Karate & Kickboxing Organisation (BFKKO) as well as members of 5 Elements martial arts (Essex London), DEMAA (Manchester) and JC Kickboxing club from the North East. Members of these clubs of all sizes, ages and experience sparred with one another in their respective martial

arts styles in a light hearted day to raise money for this worthwhile cause. The event showcased many of the martial arts styles that the BFKKO specialises in teaching and coaching such as Freestyle Points Fighting, Kickboxing, Light Continuous, WAKO K1 Rules, Kick Jutsu, Grappling and Mixed Martial Arts.

The all day event was originally set to be the latest of local fight promoter and principal director of the BFKKO Cris Janson Piers’ prestigious Dinnington shows but due to various scheduling issues Cris was left with an open venue.

As a result the decision was made to fill the empty slot with a charity show and with the aid of close friends and contacts Andy Olsen and his brother James, who have raised money for the Down’s Syndrome Association on numerous occasions, the event was set.

Both avid martial artists, Andy and James have had experience with this sort of event in the past, as with Cris’s help they had sparred 100 rounds between them against some of the Falcon Fight Academy’s members and champions along with players of Bradford Bulls Rugby league team. This time James

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‘Lights Out’ Olsen, who lives with Down’s syndrome himself, was ready for his promised charitable bout against Cris Janson Piers himself. This highly anticipated main event of the day ended in the closing seconds of the third and final round of the WAKO K1 Rules fight.

After some questionable and gameful tactics by Piers, Olsen rattled him in the corner and sent him to the canvas, all in the name of good sport and charity of course! James ‘Lights Out’ Olsen certainly lived up to his name and his brother Andy said it was his proudest he had ever felt of James.

On the day James also got to touch gloves with local Falcon fighter and kickboxing champion Ryan ‘The Hammer’ Hamer, Kerry-Louise, as well as former ISKA world champion, now a successful actor Waine Turner, who has fought some of the best fighters all over the world. Turner made a special effort in travelling all the way from Birmingham to spar continuously for 20 rounds against all comers on the day ranging from the inexperienced to

seasoned fighters in various styles in the name of great sportsmanship and the spirit of the charity event. Notable falcon champions Jordan Waring, ‘Lethal’ Leif Taggart and Kerry Lousie Norbury, who is scheduled to fight an international title bout against a South African opponent on December 4th at the same venue, sparred along with the members of the BFKKO to achieve over 70 rounds in the sponsored effort.

The event was light hearted and fun for all involved, being free to enter for spectators with raffle prizes and other donations being made through the day to contribute to the raised total. Great thanks has to be mentioned for all those involved in the organisation and running of the day including the Falcon Fight Academy who supplied the ring for free and the WAKO Pro medical team who offered their services free of charge for the day along with numerous others who helped maximise the raised donations for the Down’s Syndrome Association.

The day was finished off with an after party where even more fun and games raised extra funds for this worthwhile charity!

With the success of this event, although the exact figure raised has not been announced yet until all the proceeds are in, it appears that there could be many more charity events to look forward to from Dinnington’s Falcon Fight Academy and the BFKKO and its members. If you are interested in contributing to future events please see the contact information on the website www.bfkko.co.uk

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Page 26 OLE LAURSEN - MAKING UP FOR LOST TIME

Ole Lau r Looking To Make Up For Lost Time Ole Laursen may come from an unusual diversity of backgrounds but his MMA career is only heading in one direction; upwards. Laursen’s mother is Filipino, his father is Norwegian and he was born in the Philippines but raised in Denmark.

He is now based in Thailand where he has developed a reputation as one of the top foreign Muay Thai fighters.

However he has decided to put Muay Thai on the backburner to focus on an MMA career which began almost 15 years ago.

While Laursen has held world titles in both kick boxing and Muay Thai he has always been interested in MMA and actually had his first fight under amateur rules at the age of 18, losing by arm bar.

He did not make his pro debut until 2006 but when he did, it was against highly experienced Japanese fighter Genki Sudo. Despite Sudo being a UFC veteran with 19 MMA fights already under his belt, Laursen did not hesitate in taking the fight, ‘I think we all love Genki for his crazy style and I was a fan of his.

vs Nicholas Leconte

Besides being an entertainer he was also a great fighter so for me, it was a thrill and a pleasure to fight him and I accepted it right away. They had straight up requested someone with no ground skills so they saw me as a perfect match up for him,’ he said.

Laursen lost the fight but, despite being selected specifically for his lack of a ground game, he was not submitted by Sudo and went the full three rounds. Things did not get any easier for Laursen who found himself up against another highly experienced Japanese fighter, Caol Uno, in his next MMA outing.

Uno was a veteran of 31 fights who, like Sudo, had fought in the UFC. This time Laursen could not go the distance and was submitted at the end of the second round. It was the MMA equivalent of a baptism of fire but

Laursen says he has no regrets about stepping in against such a high level of opposition straightaway, ‘Losing my first two fights did not put me off MMA at all. I felt at home and I think that with bit more training I could have beaten them. It made me realize where I belong,’ he said.

Despite this sense of belonging Laursen did not resume his MMA career until 18 months after the loss to Uno. He faced Chinese fighter Liang Guang Yao in his comeback fight and, somewhat surprisingly for a fighter with such strong stand up, won by way of submission.

He went on to win his next two fights, with the most impressive performance of his career coming at Martial Combat 1. Laursen was up against Eduardo Pachu who was named by Sherdog as one of the top ten Brazilians to look out for in 2010. It turned out to be a tremendous war which ended early in the third round when Laursen submitted Pachu with a rear naked choke.

Pachu has a purple belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and any question marks which might have lingered over Laursen’s ground game were swiftly dispelled by this particular performance. Laursen obviously has excellent stand up but his ground game has evolved to the extent that he can now be considered a truly well rounded mixed martial artist.

Laursen, 33, was back in action at Martial Combat 7 in August where he won an extremely close fight with American Nicholas Leconte by way of majority decision. He has a title fight lined up in Sweden in November and is

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u rsen

By James Goyder

looking to make up for lost time with a quick succession of MMA victories, ‘I regret not being more active as an MMA fighter; I should have gone this way long ago. I have decided not to take anymore K-1 or Muay Thai fights even though I can make more money through them. I love MMA, I love to train MMA, I love to learn new moves and it is my future focus,’ he said.

Laursen believes that Martial Combat, which is being broadcast to 24 countries by ESPN Star Sports, could provide the spring board with which he can really launch his MMA career and went on to say: ‘Martial Combat is a blessing to all MMA fans in Asia.

There are a lot of good fighters in my weight class and eventually all the best guys in the division will have to fight to find out who is actually the very best. I plan to be a part of that showdown and I will fight whoever is in the opposing corner. I am living my dream and will fight anyone if it brings me closer to my goal.’ he said.

Laursen, who is the owner of Legacy Gym in north eastern Thailand, is extremely ambitious and believes that he still has what it takes to reach the pinnacle of the sport, ‘Ever since I first saw the UFC, I have dreamed of a title shot for the UFC. Winning a UFC title is the greatest accomplishment any MMA fighter can achieve and it is this burning desire which keeps me in the game,’ he said.

This fighter of Norwegian and Filipino descent has already been on an epic life journey which has taken him from the Philippines to Denmark and Thailand. If he can build on his four fight winning streak then, for Ole Laursen, the MMA journey might have only just be begun.

For more information about Martial Combat visit: www.rwmartialcombat.com.

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Page 28 SHIN CONDITIONING PROGRAMME

Shin

Conditioning programme

By Cris Janson-Piers. Photography by Janson-Piers Imaging.

The lower limbs are a main target in fighting sports such as K1, Thai and MMA and these areas need not only to be strengthened but extremely well conditioned. We have many different ways to do this with various techniques.

The idea is to make the areas used to contact and at differing levels of intensity. The legs may get hit with a sharp slapping type kick or a deep deadening powerful kick or even a knee.

So the aim of the exercises are to get the surface fibres and deep fibres which contain many minute nerve endings an pain receptors to get used to the pain levels as much as possible, not to smash or deaden the shins etc.

The use of Dit Da Jow ointment is also recommended which quickly heals

bruises, sprains/strains, and fractures.

Dit Da Jow also relieves pain, swelling and even helps with arthritis. (Available at Falcon Fight Academy).

We also have another special mixture of three compounds which is excellent for the above also, an old boxers remedy which really works!

So what exercises are involved and at what intensity?

Like anything it is a time served thing and it is recommended that each of the

following exercises are used 1 at a time over a period of several weeks each (This time varies on the condition of the participant, some can progress really quickly whilst others need to introduce each exercise one by one as stated).

Once all the exercises have been introduced it is then possible to use all the exercises in a conditioning circuit and build up the exercises in the order below as these increase in intensity.

1. The least severe shin conditioning is using a hand towel to whip your legs. Take the towel with both hands and spin in until it is tight then using the tightened end whip your shins.

You will feel a “stinging” like sensation. You need to condition not only the shin bone but the muscles around it. Start with 50 whips on each leg and gradually build up to 100 using both hands to make sure you are covering all the lower leg.

This wants to be done every other day until you are used to it and then do it every day.

2. You need to be kicking a heavy bag with your full shin across the bag (your foot shouldn’t touch it) starting lightly and building up into full power do 25 - 50 -75 and up to 100 3. The next one is the bottle. Fill up a good quality plastic bottle (like a small coke bottle) with sand. Using the flat

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and the bottom of the bottle work up and down the shin muscle and bone do this 50-100 times on each leg.

4. Get yourself a well worn 4x4 tyre attach it to a wall and strike with full shin (your foot shouldn’t touch it) pushing down into the tyre as well as kicking up into the tyre do this in 10s and do as many as you can kicking lightly at first and building up into full power kicks.

5. With a partner start with both wearing shins and one kick and 1 block over a time limit or taking it in turns for 50 kicks. Then one of you take off the shins and repeat and then when you are feeling ready both take off the shins and repeat, approaching the latter with caution.

6. You can then do the same starting with both wearing shins go on to leg sparring only working up to both sparring with no shins (only do this occasionally as where there is no adrenaline there is pain!)

When you have got used to exercises number 1 and number 2 you can start doing the circuits, either working on a time limit (Of say 30 seconds each leg) or doing 50 - 100 of each exercise You will notice there is no striking with iron bars or kicking bare concrete posts!

The idea of shin conditioning is to have the effect of deadening the nerves in the shin and condition the shin bone. It isn’t to destroy the bone so you end up with arthritis! Use things that are strong but “give” like a tyre.

The most severe of exercises is kicking a bamboo pole which does have concrete in it for weight but is then covered in tape which gives absorbency albeit minimal. (This exercise is only recommended to be partaken in under the strictest of supervision). Not recommended for the average martial arts class.

to the body and limbs will help prepare these for the impact they will endure in a normal fight. The person receiving impact is always in charge and can increase or decrease intensity by the use of the words “UP” or “DOWN”. This article should lead nicely into a secondary article concerned with body conditioning.

This is shin conditioning, but don’t forget you have the rest of your body to condition also. As a fighter your body will be adaptable and will get used to being hit with bare legs, feet and punches of course. You must not neglect arm and thigh conditioning either.

Repetitive arm and leg slaps get the body used to the initial stinging pain of glancing or slapping kicks whilst building the impact level of actual kicks and punches

Boxers such as Manny Pacquiao use stick conditioning to the abdominal areas and the limbs, it may be frowned on by some, but it hasn’t seemed to affect his performance???

Please note: The BFKKO, its executives or agents cannot and will not be held responsible or liable for any injury or damage caused to any person in following this information which is purely designed as general and topical advice. Any heavy or extreme training/conditioning must be supervised by a suitably qualified professional.

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Page 30 CASSIE ROBINSON - BY KRU SHAUN BOLAND

Cassie

Robinson

Rumbling at The Reebok As an instructor/coach you guide and mentor your students to reach their full potential. Some students may take longer than others to reach their full potential and succeed, but nevertheless if they show commitment and heart you will always have something to work with.

Occasionally a student will arrive at your gym gifted with natural talent, enthusiasm and a will to succeed. This is indeed a gift for any instructor.

Darren Morris, chief instructor for Salford Muay Thai, has received such a gift with his student and fighter, 21 year old Cassie Robinson.

Cassie ventured into the Salford gym back in April of 2009 on the advice of her boyfriend at the time, who told her that Muay Thai was an excellent way to

get in shape. Darren Morris remembers thinking that she must have trained before as her technique seemed inch perfect and yet, in fact, Cassie had never had any formal training and had never had a fight, even at school.

Under Darren’s tutelage, Cassie trained 3 times a week and took to Muay Thai like the proverbial duck to water. In the August of 2009, after only 4 months of training, Cassie had her first professional fight on the ‘Ultimate lad’s night’ which Darren promoted at the Reebok stadium.

As a footnote; if you have ever been to one of Darren’s promotions, ‘Rumble at the Reebok’ etc, you will know that they are thoroughly professional shows which billboard some of the best fighters in the UK and International fighters such as; Damien Trainor, Daitan Jackson, Andy Thrasher, James France, Frankie Hudders, Andrei Kotsur and Tawatchai Budsadee to name just a few.

So not only was this Cassie’s first fight but she was also being presented on one of the best promotions in the country.

Her opponent was Paula O’Rouke from Master Alby Bipson’s gym in Liverpool.

This was to be a risky first fight as Paula had already chalked up 3 fights and had been training for over 3 years. So, with just 4 months training under her belt, Cassie was having her very first fight against a more experienced fighter.

It can always be a risk when you believe your student has a natural talent and you test them from the off, but Darren’s foresight paid off and Cassie didn’t disappoint.

Coming out all guns blazing she stopped O’Rouke in the opening seconds of the 2nd round with a barrage of powerful punches.

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Still into her first 15 months of training Cassie racked up a further 10 fights with only 2 losses and all this was done within 10 months of her first fight.

Cassie even travelled to Canada to fight under full Muay Thai rules against the very coveted Jessica Gladstone, the Canadian ranked number 1, Cassie controversially lost a hard fought fight on points even after putting Gladstone down in the first round and the third causing both the Canadian sport authority and the promoter to be baffled by the decision. However, Cassie was now making ripples in women’s’ Muay Thai.

Back on UK soil Cassie went up in weight from 57kg to 59kg, to fight the vastly experienced Gemma Coast for the UKMF Northern area title. Cassie was not fazed at all by Gemma’s experience and won the title on points.

So, with a current record of 10 fights of which she has notched up an unprecedented 8 wins and only 2 losses and is the current holder of the UKMF Northern Area title, what’s next for Cassie?

Darren Morris is helping to prepare Cassie towards becoming a new breed of UK Thai boxer in that she may well be one of the first to make a living as a

professional fighter. With the current level of purse still very low for UK fighters, Darren says that with careful management and lucrative sponsor deals, Cassie is already making a healthy living and this is a goal to which he both personally and actively is trying to achieve for our sport.

Cassie’s next challenge will be on the ‘Rumble at the Reebok’ in Bolton on October 9th against Cornwall’s highly rated fighter, Lucy Payne. Lucy has a good pedigree and after being in the sport for 8 years has racked up 16 fights and is trained by one of the World’s best pound for pound female fighters, Julie Kitchen.

The fight will be under full Thai rules and is for the coveted UKMF British title belt.

If this show is anything like the last one then it’s set to be a great night with some outstanding talent. Tickets are available online at www.fightinc.co.uk This will be a big step up for Cassie but one that she is more than capable of handling and helping her prepare her technical skills is non other than Ross ‘the real deal’ Pearson who, along with Mike ‘The Count’ Bisping, now trains at Salford Muay Thai.

I refereed Cassie during her last fight at the Rumble and this girl can punch and

kick. For a girl who has only been in the sport for such a little amount of time and with the careful management and tutelage under Darren Morris, Cassie Robinson may well be a name to remember and a destiny to make something very special of herself.

If anyone is interested in training at the Salford Muay Thai gym then you can contact them on 0843 444 8462 or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/salfordmuaythai

By Kru Shaun Boland

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Welcome to...

WAKO WORLD ASSOCIATION OF KICKBOXING ORGANISATIONS President: Tom Hibbert M.B.E., F.S.M.A.

Founded in 1970 WAKO is the largest unified kickboxing organisation in the World with over 100 nations currently in membership. WAKO World H.Q. is based in Milan. ★ WAKO History ★ WAKO started its activity in Europe in 1976. The founder was Mr Georg Bruckner from Berlin, who promoted the first ever World Championships in semi and full contact karate (as it was called in those days) back in 1978 with 110 competitors representing 18 countries. WAKO immediately created the rules and regulations for the new fighting sports and acted, since the very beginning, as the authentic Kickboxing Federation of the world. In our Championships, only national teams are accepted. Each member country can present only 1 competitor in each weight class. The WAKO World Championships are NOT open competitions therefore each representative is the premier competitor in that category, from their country.

World Governing Body for Kickboxing World and European Amateur Championships Title Fights held continually both Amateur & Professional Regional Competitions are held throughout the year British Amateur Championships to choose British Teams Full-Contact, Light Continuous-Contact, Semi-Contact, Musical Forms Licence, Membership and Insurance available to all of U.K., Southern Ireland and Republic of Ireland Coaching courses, Referee Training, Seminars and Training Dan Gradings and WAKO certificates for all Members For upto the minute details of all forthcoming W.A.K.O events visit our website To see national ama/wako listings of over 13,000 instructors/clubs on the web, type: www.bt.com/thephonebook then in ‘business’ type: martial arts and town

Contact: WAKO, 66 Chaddesden Lane, Chaddesden, Derby, DE21 6LP Tel: 07973 507716 / 01332 663086 (after 6pm and weekends) or Fax: 01332 280286 Email: info@wakogb.co.uk WAK001/24

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Page 34 DOUG WILLIAMS - THE NEW AMBASSADOR

Doug Will i The New Ambassador On a rainy August afternoon I recently had the pleasure of chatting to two of TNA wrestling’s rising stars. As The British Invasion tag team they held the TNA World Tag Team titles together, but now as they are following their own paths, this was a perfect time to chat to Doug Williams and Nick ‘Magnus’ Aldis about their time so far in TNA and what the future holds for them.

In part 1 of this interview I will be focusing on the much travelled Doug Williams, who was a former Judo British Champion, current TNA X-Division Champion, and the latest member of Ric Flair’s ‘Fortune’ group.

Doug, firstly, many thanks for taking the time to talk with me... Should I call you Douglas now you’ve joined forces with Ric Flair’s Fortune group, and what’s that like?

DOUG WILLIAMS: “Yeah, you can refer to me as Doug’s that’s fine (laughs)... I look forward to it going forward; I only officially joined this week...”

You are the reigning “X” Division champ, how does it feel to be a solo champ compared to your run with the tag titles with (Brutus) Magnus and which do you prefer?

DOUG WILLIAMS: “From a selfish point of view, I prefer the solo run. The Main advantage for me is that I do not have to coach two other guys who are fairly inexperienced (referring to Magnus and Rob Terry. ED), which was the reason I was in the team, but that’s now been lifted from me so that’s the main advantage.

I have to say you have done an excellent job with both of them, including Rob Terry who has come on leaps and bounds from where he started.

DOUG WILLIAMS: “Yeah... He’s done tremendously well... He holds himself back psychologically sometimes, thinking he can’t do things that he can, but he’s breaking through those barriers now.”

You have worked and wrestled all over the world, what’s it like to work for TNA compared to other territories you have wrestled?

DOUG WILLIAMS: “The biggest thing is that it is a full time profession working for TNA. And the TV aspect is very different to anything you’ve done before... What you are doing there is making a show for television, there are a lot more things related to TV you have to concentrate on instead of purely doing a wrestling match... but other than that, when it comes down to it, it’s pretty much the same as wrestling anywhere else in the world”.

With TNA setting up UK offices here now, what do you think the future holds for TNA here, and how would you like to see it grow (e.g. a UK developmental territory, UK PPV’s?)

DOUG WILLIAMS: “With respect to what they are going to do in the UK, it would be nice to see them do an episode of Impact over here, and ultimately a PPV. As for developmentals, they really need to establish something

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l iams in the US first before they start looking at anywhere else. But certainly getting some aspect of their TV show filmed over here would be a fantastic thing for them because of the size and enthusiasm of the crowds they have here... hopefully in the next couple of years..”

Not many readers may be aware but you are a former British Judo Champion (winning the 72KG category in 1992), what made you take the leap from martial arts to pro wrestling?

DOUG WILLIAMS: “I started watching British wrestling when I was about 6 or 7, but I started doing Judo when I was 11, mainly because my mates where all doing it, and I did that for a few years until I moved to Germany with my parents. But what I did do in Germany was pick up wrestling again because Sky had just started broadcasting. We had satellite TV and I started watching the WWF shows, and that turned me into a huge fan of wrestling again. So, when I went back to England, when I was 15, I started to pick up the Judo again primarily with a view to becoming a wrestler... as I knew that British wrestling was pretty much dead at that time...I figured that the way to get into wrestling was to have some sort or amateur background, some sort of ‘shoot’ background and some sort of ability to actually wrestle. So I thought if I do well at Judo the transition into being a wrestler should be pretty easy... that was my whole motivation of getting back into Judo after a couple of years.. And that’s what I did”

British Invasion Interview Part 1

By Teddy G

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Page 36 DOUG WILLIAMS - THE NEW AMBASSADOR

IF someone was to offer you £10 million, and you could fight ANYONE in the MMA world, who would it be?

DOUG WILLIAMS: “Fight anyone in the world, ten million eh? You’d have to have a pop at Brock (Lesner) wouldn’t you (laughs), maybe Randy Couture, not Brock (laughs).”

What’s it like being a ‘Brit’ in TNA? Do you guys tend to all stick together?

DOUG WILLIAMS: “Yeah we tend to socialize, we and stick together (laughs), but I think that’s more a cultural thing. You have the same things to talk about, same sense of humour... you’re speaking the same ‘language’ in respect of cultural references, slang, that sort of thing.

I have nothing against any of the American guys, its just the way it tends to happen... even Rob (Terry) being Rob tends to join in, be the but of jokes, that kind of thing (laughs)”.

Outside of wrestling what are your passions? What does Doug Williams like to do in his spare time?

Given the growing trend of wrestlers like (Bobby) Lashley and (Dave) Batista trying their hand at MMA, and given that you are a former British Judo Champion, have you been tempted to dabble with MMA?

DOUG WILLIAMS: “The answer is no, because I consider myself... well not too old per say, but I have a lot of nagging injuries that I think doing 5 minutes of MMA could result in an injury I can’t recover from... the most important thing for me now is staying injury free... if I was 10 years younger.. when I was 26/27 then I probably would have done it 5 days a week if I could, and maybe if it had been a big thing when I first started doing Judo then I may have moved into that as opposed to wrestling”

DOUG WILLIAMS: “Do I get any spare time?

(Laughs)... I’m gonna sound really boring now. Most of the time when I’m not training I watch TV, go the cinema. Its kind of weird when you have a hobby that suddenly becomes your job... you’re kind of stuck in a void for what to do as a hobby, you know? At this time in my life I don’t do an awful lot (laughs)” What is your schedule like with TNA?

DOUG WILLIAMS: “I’ve got TV tapings twice a month, a PPV, and usually do two house show loops per month which I’m usually on one of them. But with all the travelling, I usually end up spending fourteen to eighteen days on the road and then the rest of the time at home... about 10 days or so (off), so its not too bad.”

A lot has been said and written about the Dixie Carter / Hulk Hogan / Eric Bischoff partnership in TNA, what’s your take on them?

DOUG WILLIAMS: “Well Dixie’s a lovely person you know? She’s easy going and very approachable, nice to work for. If she doesn’t like something she’ll say, and if she does like something she’s full of praise as well. She’s a great boss as far as I’m concerned. You don’t need to worry about Eric or Hulk there, I mean I have a limited interaction with them, purely because I don’t interact with them much on TV, but they’re always polite to me, always tell me if I’ve had a good match, and Eric works a lot with me on my promo’s which I’m thankful for. So I’m okay with everyone as boring as that may sound”.

Finally, where would you like to see yourself, and TNA, in say the next 5 years?

DOUG WILLIAMS: “Yeah, I think I’d still like to be there, I don’t know to what extent I’ll be wrestling in five

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years as I’m approaching my forties, but I’d like to have a couple of shots at the World title... some main events would be nice... and to just carry on working hard and giving the fans value for money when they see me wrestle you know?

Doug, this has been a real blast for me, thank you again for taking time out of schedule for this interview and the best of luck with the new push in Fortune and best wishes for the future.

DOUG WILLIAMS: “You’re welcome!”

One final interesting fact that came to light post interview was that Doug actually used to buy our sister magazine, Combat, back in his Judo days!

I guess we really are the choice of champions.

Be sure to check out part 2 of the interview with Nick ‘Magnus’ Aldis in the December issue of Fighters Magazine.

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Page 38 CORRECTIVE METHODS FOR FIGHTERS...

Corrective

Methods

For Fighters with Shoulder Issues Have your shoulders ever felt like they were tight and had a hard time “loosening” up? You feel the need to stretch or rotate the shoulders? Well my friend, you may be dealing with a greater under lying problem than is apparent to you. In this first of a two part series, we will discuss some potential causes and corrective strategies for what may be “upper extremity postural distortion” (UEPD). As fighters you’re constantly breaking yourself down. Here’s a surefire way to build your-self back up.

Upper extremity postural distortion is a condition in which you have rounded shoulders and a forward head (photo A).

Fighters develop this condition because this is typically what happens when we assume our fighting stance (photo B) and all of the punching (pushing) movements without the proper balance of pulling motions. Shoulders are up and rounded forward to protect the chin and head forward and down, again to protect the chin amongst other reasons. This poor postural alignment causes altered length tension relationships between posterior and anterior muscle groups. This causes improper joint mechanics and neural fir-

Photo a

ing patterns and leads to compensatory movements and eventually injury, if the poor movement mechanics persist.

UEPD can lead to rotator cuff impingement, shoulder instability, biceps tendonitis and headaches. These can be caused by the muscle imbalances between shortened pectorals, lats and upper trapezius and lengthened rhomboids, posterior deltoids and lower trapezius, to name a few.

The three corrective strategies are: 1) self- myofascial release (SMR), 2) stretching and 3) activation exercises.

In this article we’ll cover SMR and

Photo b

stretching and activation exercises next month. The two main areas to SMR are the lats and pectoralis major (photos 1&2). The rationale for self-myofascial release is that sustained pressure on tight or tender tissue areas helps the muscle to release (relax). The tighter a muscle, the more painful it can be. Roll on the lats until you find a “painful” spot, hold for 30-90 seconds and switch sides. Repeat for the pecs. If little to no pain exists but you feel a “bump” in the tissue, stay on the “bump” for the same amount of time.

This can be done everyday a couple of times/day at no expense to your training.

Actually, it will help you greatly because the muscle has released and increased circulation helps the healing process.

The last order of business is to stretch the lats, pecs and posterior delts (photos 3, 4&5). Stretch until you feel a gentle pull on the intended muscle group and hold for 30-45 seconds and switch sides and then get the other muscle groups. These two corrective strategies alone can yield relief and benefits in just a few sessions.

Next month you’ll learn the corrective exercises that will build balance back into those unbalanced muscle groups and bring relief to your shoulders.

Ken Pytluk PES,CES - MMA Fitness and Training - http://www.esp-xc.com

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CORRECTIVE METHODS FOR FIGHTERS... Page 39

Photo 1

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Photo 3

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By Ken Pytluk PES, CES

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Page 42 BODYGUARD - A NEW BEGINNING

Bodyguard Lewis and Strange gets their kicks in

A new Beginning’ for talented UK Director Chee Keong Cheung Writer/Director Chee Keong Cheung made a big impact with his debut feature ‘Underground’, a highly stylised hi-octane martial arts extravaganza that featured some of the most talented screen fighters in the UK. For his second feature, ‘Bodyguard: A New Beginning’, Chee has raised the bar yet again, as it is a UK/ Hong Kong co-production that spanned locations in both countries and featured a strong international cast. The result is a film that sits easily alongside much bigger budgeted fare with its slickly choreographed fights and complex and compelling story.

Mark Strange and Nathan Lewis, both superb martial artists and veterans of Chee’s first feature ‘Underground’, have strong supporting roles here. As an actor, Mark has worked with such martial superstars as Jackie Chan and Donnie Yen whilst also moving into producing with the independent British action film ‘Displaced’, featuring Sir Ian McKellen (‘Lord of the Rings’, ‘XMen’). Nathan Lewis is a freestyle legend in the UK with three World Kick Boxing titles and four British Kick Boxing titles to his name as well as being a former British National Kung Fu Champion. But Nathans most highprofile film credit to date was as a shadow warrior in ‘Batman Begins’ before a

starring role in Chee’s previous film ‘Underground’ which showcased his amazing ability.

Fans of the Hong Kong style of filmmaking will notice that ‘Bodyguard’s’ fight sequences have a distinct Hong Kong flavour and this is because Chee has utilised two of Hong Kong’s most experienced and dynamic action choreographers, Anthony Carpio and Chan Man Ching. Carpio is a Hong Kong based actor, stunt man and action director, with over 20 years of professional experience in the film industry most notably as part of Jackie Chan’s famous ‘JC Stunt Team’ participating in stunt and action design in more than twelve

Mark Strange (r)

of Jackie’s films including; ‘Police Story’ 1 and 2, ‘City Hunter’, ‘Thunder Bolt’, ‘Twin Dragon’, and ‘The Accidental Spy’. Alongside his stunt duties, Carpio has performed as an actor in numerous high profile feature films including; ‘Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story’, ‘The Medallion’, and ‘Infernal Affairs 2’.

Chan Man Ching is a Hong Kong based actor, stunt man and action director, with over 15 years professional experience and he too is also a member of the famous Jackie Chan Stunt Team, having worked on such classics as ‘Mr. Nice Guy’ and ‘Rumble In The Bronx’.

He worked as an assistant stunt coordinator on the hugely successful ‘Rush Hour’ with Jackie Chan, and also performed in the film itself. His most recent work outside of ‘Bodyguard’ is Guillermo Del Toro’s fantasy blockbuster adventure ‘Hellboy II’.

Despite the obvious Hong Kong influence, Chee allows his home-grown fighters Mark Strange and Nathan Lewis every opportunity to steal the show with three superb fight sequences and it is an opportunity that they take with both hands and feet in spectacular fashion. As mentioned, the pair feature in the film’s three stand-out fight sequences, the first being a fight out with a rival ganglord’s goons. Here Chee gives Mark and Nathan the spotlight as the two of them dismantle their opponents in a variety of high-kicking

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ways. As a director Chee displays his thorough knowledge of Hong Kong action film-making as the scene is not only superbly executed it exudes style and ‘cool’ as Strange and Lewis are presented as very stylish bodyguards, snappily dressed and sharp movers and the fight is an excellent mix of both the brutal and balletic.

Towards the climax of the film the pair has two intricate and compelling two on one showdowns with the ‘Bodyguard’ of the title played by Vincent Sze. It is refreshing to note that after Chee has built them up to be such formidable opponents, Mark and Nathan beat our hero to a pulp in the first encounter, leaving him virtually for dead. This sets up the climatic rematch perfectly and the fight is well choreographed and the tension cranked right-up, to the point that the audience is genuinely never sure if Sze will actually triumph. Once again the fight, is brutal, bloody and this time, lethal! It is this eye for realism combined with all the slick style you’d expect from a classic Hong Kong movie that makes the fights in ‘Bodyguard’ such a rewarding experience.

Overall ‘Bodyguard’ once again proves that director Chee Keong Cheung can

Nathan Lewis (r) in ‘Underground’ deliver a film that is far more satisfying than his budget should dictate. Fans of martial arts films, especially those of the Hong Kong style, will thoroughly enjoy the film as it pays homage to vintage Hong Kong action cinema whilst retaining a strong sense of its own identity.

We have been saying for many years that we have the talent in Britain to

match anything in the World and what Chee has done with ‘Bodyguard’ is prove the truth of those words in the most emphatic fashion.

Bodyguard is available now on DVD.

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Page 44 JAMES TONEY - FROM IBA TO MMA

By Ben Cartlidge

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James Toney From IBA to MMA James Toney vs. Randy Couture had received the most hype of any fight on the UFC 118 card but it proved to be nothing more than talk from the IBA Heavyweight Champion. Toney’s punching power and boxing skills were nullified after just fourteen seconds as Couture shot a low single, ankle picked his foe and moved straight to mount.

Randy took the bout by arm triangle in the end but, in all honesty, he could have locked Toney in a Cobra Clutch if the mood had taken him. It was the outcome that many had predicted, but approaching the situation logically why should there have been any doubt? I refer you back to the case of Art Jimmerson, one of boxing’s most famous crossovers.

At UFC 1 Art was the boxer who, famously, came out with one boxing glove on against Royce Gracie. He was quickly taken down, mounted and submitted in a similar fashion to Toney. It’s easy to look back at Art’s fight with Royce, having seen thousands of mma events, with a wealth of knowledge and point out his faults but back then the sport was still in its infancy. The same, however, can not be said about James Toney.

It’s hard to know whether it was for a payday, $500k has been reported as his purse, to prove a point or a delusional level of self belief that made him step in the Octagon. A fighter must have the faith that they can beat their opponent before they step into the battle or they have already lost.

Toney had talked a level of trash that would make Chael Sonnen blush but all the talk in the world couldn’t overcome the glaring holes in his game. Did Toney approach this fight thinking that he would land the punch he needed to finish the fight?

However, even for someone like James Toney, there must be a point where the reality of the situation hits home; the

reality of Toney’s mistakes hit home after just fourteen seconds at UFC 118.

I’m struggling to think of anything that became glaringly apparent following the display at Boston. We learned that out of shape fighters shouldn’t turn up to the weigh ins in tight underwear and that the price to pay for arrogance is a lot higher than James Toney could have foreseen.

It’s been said so many times before but mixed martial art is the sport of fighting, it’s combat in the purest and most undiluted form. To approach this only training one element of the disciplines that have been proven to work is akin to turning up to the PGA Masters with only a putter. It’s merely a part of what makes the sport so diverse. Toney showed an arrogant disregard for what this sport has proven over the last seventeen years and he duly paid for it.

Couture mounts Toney with ease picture copyright

The greatest fighter accepts that a singular style is limiting in so many different ways. That’s why the Tao of Jeet Kune Do is heralded as the Magna Carta of mma, a philosophy that strips away all the needless technique and salvages the best elements from all available disciplines.

James Toney’s place in the history books of mma is guaranteed, but for all the wrong reasons. He’ll go back to boxing, make way more money than he did from mixed martial arts and also be able to keep his self respect intact.

He now, hopefully, understands what is needed to become a diligent mixed martial artist. In the cold light of day, James Toney should learn from this experience and thank his lucky stars that Brock Lesnar was ill when he started this ludicrous campaign.

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Page 48 WWW.FIGHTERSMAG.CO.UK September 2010

Invincible

ble king Manuwa is the unconquera yweights of the UK light heav

This was one of the most anticipated fights in UK MMA, as two unbeaten competitors met in the cage at London’s Troxy to put their unblemished records on the line and to be known as the number one UK light heavyweight. Jimi Manuwa, the current belt holder and knock out artist from London was headlined to battle against Team Sure Grip’s Valentino Petresu; both coming into the fight with a record of 8-0 and both looking to claim themselves as top dog of the light heavyweight division in the UK. EARL BROWN VS JAKE BOTSWICK These two middleweights either finish the fight or go out swinging; so everyone knew it was just a matter of time before the dynamite set off and the two would connect. SWS Fight Team’s Brown started to push the aggression with his cracking leg kicks; but Botswick stole back the first round with some textbook Semtex ground and pound after scoring a huge double leg takedown.

Into the second and after some feeling out, with impressive head movement

from Brown, Botswick proved that sometimes it just takes one shot to end the fight. After Brown connected a short jab, Botswick countered with a right hook that sent Earl to sleep. A terrific finish for Botswick, possibly enough to push him forward as a contender for the middleweight title.

Bostwick defeated Brown via KO (Punch) Rd.2 T. 1:27

themselves as one of the premier gyms in London, but Bloodline’s John Kelly wanted to put out that fire and the featherweight came to push the pace from the beginning. Dixon received a battering from Kelly, before being caught by a huge double leg takedown.

While Dixon retaliated with some combinations towards the end, it was not enough to control the round.

TOM DIXON VS JOHN KELLY

Kelly knew he had been tested at the end of the first, but turned the tables in the second with a counter left hook off Dixon’s jab that sent the Bandog’s fighter flat on his back. While it may have looked that Dixon could have continued, it was better to be safe after being on the end of a punch that landed so accurately. An excellent finish for Kelly, but a good effort by Dixon for only his third fight and his second of the night after stepping in at the last minute.

Kelly defeated Dixon via KO (Punch) Rd.2 T. 1:14

Tom Dixon’s Bandog’s MMA teammates are quickly making a name for

BRAD WHEELER VS FRANICS HEAGNEY This was the comeback fight for Heagney after losing his last fight to Michael Pastou and in the process having his title as UCMMA lightweight champion taken away. The Irishman had been training hard for his return at the London Shootfighters, and he would have to as Brad Wheeler is no slouch with a submission win by armbar in his last fight.

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Heagney showed no regard to Wheeler’s ground game by getting the double leg takedown after a charge of straight punches. While Wheeler showed some offensive ground skills, working from the rubber guard and going for armbars, the former champ shrugged them off and never stopped looking for the ground and pound.

Wheeler proved himself to be ground savvy, but Heagney proved he always one step ahead by looking to advance to mount or stuff reversals and submission attempts. As the round started to come to a close, Heagney smelled blood and started to pick up the pace with his ground and pound. Wheeler started to not protect himself, covering up but not guarding against the punches from the turtle position; it was obvious that he had run out of ideas. The referee stepped in and solidified a superb win for Heagney.

Heagney defeated Wheeler via TKO (Punches) Rd.1 T. 4:48

JERMAINE FACEY VS EDGELSON LUA Although many will know Facey’s reputation for airing his thoughts for anyone who will hear it, the focus should now be shifted from his words to his talents in the cage. Since ‘s the dual

loses to Lee Doski, Facey has been on a mission, putting on impressive and entertaining performances in every fight. That is not to say Lua doesn’t have his fair share of impressive highlights on his record. DKK Fighter’s Lua may have dropped his last few fights, but they were against top talent like john Maguire and Alberto Mina. Two welterweights with two reputations for being tough.

Facey set the tone by throwing a high kick straight after they touched gloves, there was going to be no love lost in this bout. Facey used fast footwork and lightening fast kicks, but Lua pushed through to get the takedown and started to dominate on the ground. It wasn’t all one sided, as Facey reversed the position and the two swept back and

forth until Lua found himself on the back and closed up a rear naked choke. The submission was wrapped up but somehow Facey pushed through and escaped to survive to the end of the round.

The two darted around each other for the beginning of the second, until Lua looked to push the advantage of his grappling by trying to take it to the ground. The two scrambled and exchanged top positions. Lua clambered his way to mount, only to be reversed once more and for Facey to sweep and step into mount. From the top position Jermaine put on a clinic of rapid ground and pound and quickly earned himself the win by TKO. Facey defeated Lua via TKO (Punches) Rd.2 T. 4:50

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Page 50 WWW.FIGHTERSMAG.CO.UK September 2010

VALENTINO PETRESCU VS JIMI MANUWA This is the fight everyone had been waiting for. Both entered the cage calm and stoic, almost as if unaware that both their reputations were on the line.

This was to be Valentino’s second fight in two years and his first in the UCMMA cage; whereas most fans will know that out of the seven fights Jimi has had in Ultimate Challenge, only one has left the first round and all have taken place in the last year.

Petrescu’s speed worked well from the start with quick footwork that set up his leg kicks. Once it got to the short range and in the clinch, Jimi’s power took over and he was able to dominate with knees and dirty boxing. Petrscu would worked to break from the Thai clinch, but Manuwa would drag him back, landing strong elbows and hooks on the exit.

At the end of the third minute, Manuwa landed a clean left elbow which dazed Valentino for a second. That second was all Jimi needed, as he pounced forward

with a uppercut and straight combination that had Petrescu backpedalling.

Visually shaken with the fence supporting him, Valentino took a few more clean shots to the face, before Manuwa landed a hook combination that ended with a right hand which resulted in Petrescu knocked out on the canvas.

An excellent win for Jimi and by far the most impressive of his career. It might be time for UCMMA to look further afield for a challenge for this champ.

Manuwa defeated Petrescu via KO (Punch) Rd. 1 T. 3:08

Highlights from the undercard The submission of the night had to go to Team Titan’s Dean Bray, who pulled out a superb arm in guillotine, rolling into mount to finish and get the tap from Simon Gould. Ben Craggy’s quick finish of Dan Movahedi is also worth note. Craggy got the takedown and from side control tide up a crucifix position for a finish early in the first round.

Results Tom Dixon defeated Daniel Shortman via Submission (Triangle Choke) Rd. 1 T. 1:20 Steve O’Keefe defeated Alex Harvey via TKO (Punches) Rd.1 T. 1:48 Dean Bray defeated Simon Gould via Submission (Guillotine Choke) Rd.2 T. 1:36 Joe Holder defeated Michael Brown via TKO (Punches) Rd.1 T. 2:47 Ben Craggy defeated Dan Movahedi via TKO (Punches) Rd.1 T. 3:16 Giorgio Andrews defeated Spencer McMorris via Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) Rd.1 T. 3:07 Ian Hawkings defeaed Mark Potter via DQ (Soccer Kick) Rd.1 T. 1:12 Jake Bostwick defeated Earl Brown via KO (Punch) Rd.2 T.1:27 John Kelly defeated Tom Dixon via KO (Punch) Rd.2 T. 1:14 Francis Heagney defeated Brad Wheeler via TKO (Punches) Rd.1 T. 4:48 Jamaine Facey defeated Edgelson Lua via TKO (Punches) Rd.2 T. 4:57 Jimi Manuwa defeated Valentino Petrescu via KO (Punch) Rd.1 T. 3:08

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Page 52 STRIKEFORCE WOMEN’S TOURNAMENT

Strikeforce MieshaTate wins Women’s tournament

PHOENIX, ARIZ. (Aug. 13, 2010) — On the night that STRIKEFORCE crowned its first-ever Women’s Welterweight Tournament Champion, hometown hero Joe “Diesel” Riggs upended tough up-and-comer Louis “Handgunz” Taylor and Ryan Couture won his Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) debut on Friday night on STRIKEFORCE Challengers on SHOWTIME®.

Miesha “Takedown” Tate won two fights on the night, both by unanimous decision, to hoist the inaugural STRIKEFORCE Women’s Welterweight Tournament belt and became the No. 2 contender behind Marloes Coenen in the competitive 135pound division. She also may have earned a possible future date with current STRIKEFORCE Middleweight Champion Sarah Kaufman.

“Sarah Kaufman, you’re amazing,” Tate announced loudly to the near sold out Dodge Theatre crowd, seeking out Kaufman from the other side of the cage. “I can’t wait to fight you again.”

She later added: “It’s a dream come true. I came here on a mission and I accomplished my goal. And now it’s on to step two and getting that championship belt and getting another shot at Sarah Kaufman.”

Tate (11-2) used her world-class grappling to control both fights. She beat Maiju Kujala (4-2; Strikeforce debut) in the first two-round semifinal, rested for a good 35 minutes and then went back at it, beating the scrappy Hitomi “Girlfight Monster” Akano (16-8) in the final by controlling the ground position and simply out-muscling her Japanese opponent.

But Cyborg wasn’t the most visible of fighters watching cage side. That distinction would have to go to Couture’s famous father, MMA legend Randy Couture, who proudly took his spot in his son’s corner for his successful MMA pro debut. “I’m very proud of him and he has a great passion for the sport,” Couture told the nationally televised SHOWTIME audience.

Akano submitted Carina “Beauty But the Beast” Damm (15-4) at 1:48 of the second round to earn her final shot at Tate.

STRIKEFORCE fans will undoubtedly be seeing more of Las Vegas’ Couture in the near future. He used his signature triangle choke move at 1:15 in the first round to beat Lucas Stark of Chandler, Ariz., in a 155-pound lightweight match.

STRIKEFORCE Women’s Middleweight (145 pounds) Champion Cris Cyborg liked what she saw from Tate on a night that celebrated women’s MMA. “This was a great opportunity for women’s fighting and I’m looking forward to seeing Miesha fight Sarah in the future,” she said.

“It’s kind of a load off to get the first win and I hope there won’t be a long wait for the next one and I can show some new things next time,” Couture told the media afterwards.

“I thought once it hit the ground I would catch him but I didn’t expect it to be that quick. I just lucked out that way I guess.”

Couture said he couldn’t find his jab early against the shorter Stark. “I decided to get where I was comfortable and get it to the ground,” he said. “I’m a slow starter when it comes to the striking. I just locked it in and got the tap.”

Down on the judges’ scorecards early in his 182-pound catch weight fight, Riggs (33-11) knew he would have to come up with something special in the third round, and did just that, pinning Taylor (6-2) against the cage before the ref stopped the fight at 2:07 and Riggs was awarded the decision by submission by punches.

“I felt great fighting and winning in front of Phoenix,” Riggs said. “I love my fans.”

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He said STRIKEFORCE fans haven’t seen the last of his tough opponent.

“He’s a prospect. He’s a big guy. His standup was very athletic and he’ll be a dangerous guy for anyone.”

Main Card: Joe Riggs def. Louis Taylor by submission (punches) – Round 3, 2:07 Women’s Welterweight Tournament Championship Miesha Tate def. Hitomi Akano — Unanimous Decision Ryan Couture def. Lucas Stark via submission (triangle choke) – Round 1, 1:15

Women’s Welterweight Tournament Semifinals Hitomi Akano def. Carina Damm — by submission – Round 2, 1:48 Miesha Tate def. Maiju Kujala — Unanimous Decision Preliminary Card: Women’s Reserve Fight: Liz Carmouche def. Colleen Schneider — Unanimous Decision Chris Gruetzemacher def. Ryan Diaz — TKO (Cut) R1 (No Time Given)

Jason Richey def. Edmund Xehili — Majority Decision Joel Champion def. Sean Scott — KO (Punches) 1:06 R1 Rob Anderson def. Alonzo Fears — Unanimous Decision Andres Acuna def. Edwin Louis — Unanimous Decision Frankie Saenz def. Jace Crawford — Unanimous Decision

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Page 54 THE M-1 SELECTION 2010 TOURNAMENT

The M-1

Selection The Americas Semi-Final Round Clearly succeeding on its mission to seek out the world’s next generation of mixed martial superstars, M-1 Global’s highly successful M-1 Selection tournament is now officially a world-wide phenomenon.

At the close of the final bout of the M-1 Selection Americas 2010 (Americas Semi Finals in Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA) frenzied fight fans bore witness to stellar performances as the tournament’s Finals round matchups materialized.

The Americas Semi Finals presented a stellar card of returnees resuming their quest to become the M-1 Selection Champion in their respective weight classes. “These fighters were relentless in their aggression inside the ring and eager to show the world what M-1 stands for,” says Evgeni Kogan, M-1’s Director of Operations. “The MMA world is going to have to take notice of our next generation superstar fighters.

With the Semi’s presenting this level of caliber and excitement, the Finals are going to be even better.”

With live coverage during the event, the semi final round bouts featured: Byron Byrd def. Sammy Collingwood - 40 of round 1 via TKO Jose Figueroa def. Josh Thorpe - via unanimous decision George Sheppard def. Josh Baccallao - via split decision Len Bentley def. Colin Schrader - 1:45 of round 2 via KO Daniel Vizcaya def. Chris Sydnor - 202 of round 1 via submission (head and arm choke) Mike Geurin def. Shane Primm - unanimous decision Pat Bennett def. Mehdi Hassan - unanimous decision Tyson Jeffries def. Plinio Cruz - via split decision Kenny Garner def. Andrei Kapilou - via unanimous decision Tom Gallicchio def. Aaron Meisner - Round 3 via submission (RNC)

Without doubt, ‘fight of the night’ honors went to middleweight contenders Shane Primm and Mike Geurin who’s see-saw battle featured spectacular displays of precision striking and ventures to the canvass where submissions were attempted and feverishly countered.

Primm withstood Guerin’s neck-snapping artillery of rights, lefts and upper cuts but was clearly rocked several times throughout the full three-round contest and looked like a staggering rubber chicken. Knowing he was down two rounds, Primm charged out at the start of the third and gave everything he had, proving he can throw a punch as well as he can take one.

Going the distance, the judges gave the bout to Mike Geurin via unanimous decision; leaving M-1 Global matchmaker, Paul Domenich, with an easy

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decision to bring Primm back for an undercard bout on the Americas Finals card September 18th. As for Geurin, he’ll face Tyson ‘The Anti-Hero’ Jeffries in a well-earned middleweight final bout and a shot at becoming the M-1 Selection Americas Champion.

The ‘knock out of the night’ was delivered in epic fashion at 1:45 of the second round by Len ‘The Liger’ Bentley who unleashed his devastating onepunch knock-out power and put Colin Schrader down face-first onto the M-1 Ring’s canvas leaving him to be stretchered out unconscious The honor of ‘submission of the night’ was clearly won by Tom ‘Da Tank’ Gallicchio. Barley able to answer the bell for the third round, Gallicchio came out with fire in his eyes, stalked his opponent, Aaron Meisner, to the center of the M-1 ring and unleashed hell on earth. In the middle of furious, heavy exchanges,

the pair ventured to the ground where Gallicchio took Meisner’s back and locked in a suffocating, world-class rear naked choke forcing the submission near the midway point of the frame.

The Americas Finals presents a stellar card of returnees who are one victory away from winning their respective weight classes and the Selection Championship title. The tournament finals feature: Lightweight Jose Figueroa vs. George Sheppard Welterweight Len Bentley vs. Tom Gallicchio Middleweight Mike Geurin vs. Tyson Jeffries Light Heavyweight Daniel Vizcaya vs. Byron Byrd Heavyweight Pat Bennett vs. Kenny Garner

The M-1 Selection 2010 - Americas Semi-Final round is slated to return to Bally’s Casino Hotel in Atlantic City, USA on September 18, 2010. Make sure that you pick up a copy of next month’s issue of FIGHTERS magazine to catch all the details, exclusive photographs and results, blow by blow! On sale October the 28th EVERYWHERE!

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Page 58 MARTIAL COMBAT 4 - CHOI CLINCHES VICTORY

Martial Combat

4

Singapore’s Brian “Polar Bear” Choi clinches rousing victory at Resorts World Sentosa Crowd favourite Malik clinches Superfight Championship title over Washington SINGAPORE, 17 June 2010 - Martial Combat 4 provided another fantastic night of mixed martial arts action with Singapore-based Brian Choi stealing the show with his closely-contested decision over Japanese American Isamu Himura after a frantic see-saw battle at Resorts World Sentosa.

The two fighters set a frenetic pace as they constantly battled for position throughout the fight. Choi, a wrestling coach at Evolve MMA, landed a series of eye-catching takedowns in the fight, utilizing his wrestling skills to repeatedly pick Himura up and slam him on the ground. Himura responded with a few takedowns of his own as both men exchanged submission attempts.

The audience gave both fighters an enormous ovation at the start of round

Choi vs Himura

three as a rapidly tiring Himura attempted to take the fight to the floor.

Choi was able to defend the takedown attempt and caught Himura in an arm bar. Choi appeared to have the submission locked in and Himura must have been tempted to tap but showed incredible heart to escape and fight to the finish. The fight was a fantastic exhibition of skills by both men which captivated the Resorts World audience and Choi was deservedly awarded the winning decision.

Said Choi, who was delighted to emerge victorious in front of his home fans: “He was a late replacement and I didn’t know anything about him so I couldn’t prepare. It was a tough fight but I think the takedowns won me the fight. This is a great show and I am proud to be representing Evolve MMA and Singapore.”

Highly rated Filipino fighter Eduard Folayang was tipped for a victory in the opening fight, but faced a stern examination of his MMA credentials against Slovakian Muay Thai specialist Egon Racz. Racz threw a couple of early leg kicks but Folayang, who has a very high level of Wushu, was able to check them comfortably. The Filipino scored with a right hand before landing a huge takedown. Racz showed some intelligent submission defence but was simply overwhelmed by Folayang who landed some ground and pound before sinking in a guillotine choke.

Muhsin Corbbrey, a world renowned MMA fighter, was looking to put on an eye-catching performance against the unbeaten Wu Cheng Jie. Corbrey scored with some heavy leg kicks but Wu was able to catch one and send Corbbrey to the canvass. It proved to be a fatal error as the American is deadly

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on his back. Corbbrey first attempted an armbar and from there transitioned into the mount. Once Corbbrey had secured a dominant position there was simply nowhere for the Chinese to run from the professional boxer as he received a torrent of vicious elbows that left the referee little option but to step in and award the fight to the American.

Brazilian Arthur Cesar was able to make it two wins out of two tonight for the Evolve MMA team with a submission win over South Korean stand up specialist Yun Seob Kwak. Cesar secured an early take down and pinned his opponent to the floor before finishing the fight with a rear naked choke.

The Superfight Championship Belt showdown was billed as the War in Singapore with Afghanistan-born Malik Mawlayi taking on Cyrus Washington from USA. After a hesitant start, the muay thai-trained Washington took the fight to Mawlayi who threw a wild back kick before taking the American to the floor and quickly moved into side control. Cyrus gave up his back in an attempt to escape and Mawlayi sunk his hooks in and secured the rear naked choke for the victory.

Said a jubilant Mawlayi: “He was so tall, when I saw him stepping into the cage, I thought I’d go to my Plan B, which was to take him down. But he was so strong I couldn’t submit him that fast, but as soon as he made a mistake I caught him - rear naked chokes are my specialty. I felt good fighting in Singapore and I am thankful my fans

Corbbrey vs Jie

Folayang vs Racz for cheering for me. I’d like to tell them to keep believing in me and I will certainly be back.”

Tonight’s contests were crowd pleasers with fans cheering on and inspiring the fighters. Held at the Compass Ballroom, Resorts World Sentosa, the Martial Combat series featured 10 world-class mixed martial arts fighters battle over five explosive fights, presented by ESPN STAR Sports and Resorts World Sentosa. Resorts World(r) Sentosa Martial Combat(tm) is the only MMA event officially recognized and sanctioned by two of the world’s leading governing bodies in the martial arts scene, the Asian Mixed Martial Arts Federation (AMMAF) and the World Martial Arts Federation of Singapore.

Mixed martial arts fans can expect even more hard-hitting action in Martial Combat 5 and 6 when another ten fighters do battle next month on 14-15 July at the majestic Compass Ballroom, Resorts World Sentosa. Fans can look forward to more fights over the next four months with some of the world’s top professional contenders competing at Resorts World(r) Sentosa.

Kindly visit www.RWmartialcombat.com for more information.

Mawlayi vs Washington

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Martial Combat

5

Claire clinches Resorts World Sentosa Martial Combat First Women’s Title First women’s MMA fight receives huge fanfare at Martial Combat 5 SINGAPORE, 14 July 2010 - Resorts World Sentosa Martial Combat 5 featured its first ever women’s fight and provided another fantastic night of mixed martial arts action that saw Claire Haigh of England emerging victorious against Sun Jiau of China in a frantic see-saw battle tonight.

Eduard Folayang (PHI) vs Bao She Ri Gu Leng (CHN) 70kg vs 72kg Result: Folayang wins by unanimous decision: 49-47, 48-47, 48-47 Eduard Folayang has already tasted victory in the Martial Combat cage but tonight for the very first time he faced adversity against accomplished Chinese fighter Bao She Ri Gu Leng.

Folayang vs Leng

Folayang is one of the best fighters to emerge from the Philippines and is in action at Martial Combat for the second successive month, having claimed a first round submission victory over Egon Racz at Martial Combat 4. His opponent nicknamed the Warlord is also undefeated with five wins out of five and Asian pride was on the line at Resorts World.

Any doubts over warlords credentials are swiftly dispelled as the two

exchange on their feet in a very technical opening round. This is clearly a well matched fight between two extremely proficient MMA practitioners but Warlord is getting the better of the opening exchanges.

Folayang was keen to take the fight to the floor because Warlord seems to have the advantage on the feet. The Mongolian is clearly enjoying the fight and he drops his hands and taunts Folayang. With a smile permanently etched across his features Warlord narrowly misses with a couple of head kicks in round three before landing a huge right hand which rocks Folayang.

The Filipino is clearly hurt but he somewhat recklessly chooses to stand and trade and is abel to secure a vital takedown. Warlord is able to get to his feet but Folayang secures another takedown and starts to land some ground and pound. The tide of the fight appears to have changed and Warlord is not smiling anymore.

The paces slows a little in round four.

Warlord lands a couple of right hands but Folayang appears to have slightly more left in the gas tank and is starting to edge the rounds. The final round follows the same pattern, exchanges are few and far between but Folayang is

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getting the better of them and he is able to take Warlord down again and land some ground and pound.

All three judges award the contest to Folayang but Warlord deserves tremendous credit for making it such an entertaining contest. This was a huge test for the Filipino who showed tremendous resilience to bounce back after losing the opening rounds. In being crowned the Martial Combat 5 Superfight Champion Folayang demonstrated that not only does he have the necessary technique to be a top fighter, he also has the heart.

Claire Haigh (UK) vs Sun Jiau (China) 62 kg vs 62 kg Result: Haigh wins TKO via ground and pound after 3.30mins in round 3 Clarie Haigh of England made history at the Resorts World Sentosa Martial Combat 5, winning the first ever female Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) championship over Sun Jiau of China tonight.

If the audience at Resorts World Sentosa were unsure what to expect from this inaugural female MMA fight, they were in for a treat tonight with non-stop action from two of the best female mixed martial artists in the region. Currently based in Phuket, Haigh is one of the best female Muay Thai fighters in the world and the veteran of MMA fights in Australia and Thailand has held world titles at two separate weight categories. Sun is a national Sanda champion and an accomplished wrestler whereas Haigh has a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu blue belt.

The two exchanged explosive attacks in the first round with Haigh landing a kick and a right hook early followed by Sun’s countering with kicks to the lower body. Haigh managed to secure the Muay Thai clinch and landed some knees, and continued to be the aggressor throughout the round, moving forwards constantly but Jiao landed some extremely effective counter hooks. The bout went into ground fighting with Haigh securing the takedown late in the round and swiftly moved from side control to mount, but the round finished before she can do any real damage.

In round two Haigh is able to secure a takedown early and took Jiao’s back, looking to finish her opponent with the rear naked choke but is unable to finish the fight. They got to their feet with Haigh stalking her opponent but landing several key punches before wearing Sun down with another Muay Thai clinch and several devastating straight knees before the round finished.

In the third round it appeared that the straight knees landed by Haigh were taking its toll on Sun who began to tire quickly. Haigh then took the fight to the floor and mounted her opponent while landing a series of brutal elbows, causing the referee to step in and stop the fight with 1.30 minutes left.

Pham vs Yun It was a back and forth war which captured the imagination of the Resorts World Sentosa Crowd and was a fantastic endorsement for female MMA fights.

Both fighters played their part in what was undoubtedly the fight of the night.

Kian Pham (Vietnam) vs Jiang Long Yun (China) 57kg vs 57kg Result: Jiang Long Yin’s via majority decision Kian Pham came into the ring with a big reputation from Australia where he is one of the stars of Cage Fighting Championships.

Jiau vs Haigh

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Born in Vietnam, Pham is renowned for being a truly fearless fighter having no problems taking on far bigger opponents. His opponent, Jiang, is a seasoned wrestler and a veteran mixed martial artist.

The fight started tentatively with both men reluctant to engage. Jiang dropped his hands to try and taunt Pham into attacking him but whenever the Vietnamese fighter looked to land a hit, Jiang countered effectively. Jiang landed an uppercut which seemed to wobble Pham who has a tendency to go for takedowns, but ends up getting mounted. Pham gives up his back in an attempt to escape and Jiang looks to sink in a rear naked choke but Pham is able to escape and reverse the position.

Jiang goes for a submission attempt off his back but Pham picks him up and slams him to the canvass.

At the start of round two Jiang lands a slapping up-kick which gets the audiences appreciation. Pham is able to land some knees in the clinch after an unsuccessful takedown before the fight is interrupted as he suffers an accidental eye poke.

Pham continues to work for the takedown but eats a series of uppercuts in the process and Jiang narrowly misses with a knee. Pham, who is a groundand-pound specialist, does eventually take Jiang down but is unable to do any damage.

Perhaps fearing he is behind on the scorecards Pham comes out swinging at the start of the third round and lands a huge takedown. He is able to keep him on his back for almost the entire round but is unable to do any significant damage. Kian Pham managed a couple of eye catching attacks but Jiang Long Yinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s effective counter moves was enough to beat him this fight by way of a majority decision, with one judge scoring the bout even and two scoring it for Jiang.

Bill Saures (Saipan) vs Joon Soo Lim (South Korea) 91 kg vs 115 kg Result: Lim via knock out after 2:38 of round one Joon is an absolute giant and was looking to use his enormous weight to full advantage in his second Martial Combat fight. Saures was facing a 20 kg disadvantaged against his opponent and was keen to show that size isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t everything in this heavyweight contest.

Saures landed a couple of leg kicks and misses with a superman punch before Joon countered with a kick of his own.

Saures ambitiously attempted an improbable takedown and even attempted a judo throw, much to his opponents amusement. Rather than take the fight to the floor, Joon attempted to help his opponent up and this decision is thoroughly redeemed when he knocks Soares out with a punch almost immediately afterwards.

Lim has firmly established himself as a fan favourite in Singapore and received a huge ovation as he left the cage.

Ramsey Dewey (USA) vs Leandro Issa (Brazil) 67 kg vs 65kg Result: Leandro Issa by submission after 45 seconds.

Leandro Issa a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt who already earned one submission win to his name in Martial Combat so far. Issa made short work of his relatively unknown opponent, and secured an early takedown and went straight to side control before swiftly sinking in a kimura, winning his bout in less and a minute.

Issa vs Dewey

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Martial Combat

6

Highly rated Korean fighter makes winning comeback at sold out Resorts World Sentosa Martial Combat 6

SINGAPORE, 15 July 2010 - Local favourite Yang Sung Ho delighted the sold-out crowd at the Resorts World Sentosa Martial Combat 6, headlining another brilliant night of mixed martial arts fighting that saw the Korean beat his Israeli opponent Oron Ben Simon in a thrilling contest tonight.

Ray Elbe (USA) 77kg vs Alan Fenandes (India) 78kg Winner: Elbe via verbal submission at 2:15 The Martial Combat Superfight saw veteran fighter and Martial Combat commentator Ray Elbe up against India’s leading mixed martial artist Alan Fenandes. Elbe is from the US but is now based in Phuket where he runs the MMA programme at Tiger Muay Thai.

Nan vs Iniong

Fenandes got the crowd on his side with possibly the best entrance in Martial Combat history. He walked into the cage accompanied by a booming soundtrack of Indian music and dancers. There was bad blood going into this fight after comments made about Elbe by a member of Fenandes’s team on the internet. And the animosity was there for all to see when Elbe refused to touch gloves with Fenandes at the start of the fight.

Most observers at Sentosa Resorts World felt that Fenandes’s only chance of victory was to swing for the fences in search of a knock out in the opening round. He managed to push Elbe to the floor but then in a moment of madness chose to enter the guard of the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt.

Elbe is one of the finest ground fighters in the world and wasted little time in landing some elbows and punches to the body of Fenandes who was forced to tap, citing a rib injury.

Yang Xiao Nan (China) 52.5kg vs Gina Iniong (Phillipines) 50kg Winner: Yang via unanimous decision For the second night in a row the ladies were in action in the Martial Combat Cage, featuring Yang as a Sanda champion and Iniong, a title holder in grappling, Sanda and MMA. Yang took the fight straight to the floor and looked for an armbar but Iniong managed to escape an early defeat.

Yang demonstrated some slick Sanda skills with a side kick to the face of her Filipino opponent.

Despite the apparent difference in size and class, Iniong battled on and even

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Ho vs Simon

tried a side kick of her own. Iniong looks to land some wild punches but is dropped by a big right hand from Yang and was mounted. Iniong managed to escape and needed to get inside the guard to finish the round.

They both had exchanged at the start of the second with the strategy for Iniong clearly to finish the fight with a big hook. Yang took Iniong down and had her in a crucifix but Iniong was able to escape. Yang looked absolutely exhausted and Iniong is slightly the busier of the two fighters as the action started to slow.

Iniong showed real spirit to keep on battling for the full three rounds. With the exception of a few flurries the third round was uneventful and Yang was awarded the win on all three judges scorecards.

Yang Seung Ho (S.Korea) 78kg vs Oron Ben Simon (Israel) 77kg Winner: Yang Seung Ho via submission after 3:16 of round one Local crowd favourite Yang Seung Ho received a rousing round of applause from the Resorts World Sentosa Crowd.

The decorated grappler has been tipped for the top while his opponent, Oron Ben Simon, with his unorthodox Krav Maga background, has been honing his fighting skills at Evolution MMA in India.

Yang looked to be more of the aggressor as he paced up and down like a caged animal while waiting for the fight to start.

Simon started the bout with an unorthodox stance but was almost instantly taken down by the Korean, who moved into side control and landed a few elbows as he worked for a submission.

Ho vs Simon

Yang trapped Simonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s head and landed a few unanswered punches as the Israeli tried to escape. Simon put up a stubborn resistance as Yang looked for a kimura. Eventually Simon was forced tap out or risk breaking his arm as Yang sinked in an armbar.

Robert Washington (USA) 71kg vs Josh Payne (Guam/Aus) 72kg Winner: Washington via unaunimous decision Washington came into the bout unbeaten with a perfect record of 7-0, but has never faced anyone of Payneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s caliber.

Washington is an accomplished wrestler, while Payne is a well-rounded fighter whose recent fight was won via a knockout with a spinning back fist.

The fight got off to a tentative start with Washington showing good lateral movement to evade Payne and landing a series of leg kicks.

Elbe vs Fenandes

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The American took Payne down at the first time but was unable to do any significant damage as Payne found his feet again. They clinch against the cage and exchanged punches and knees, and the Australian got the better of a late exchange, but neither had a clear advantage.

All three judges scored the fight to Washington but a tremendous display of heart from Payne earned the audienceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s applause to endure the full three rounds after two devastating rounds of punishment.

At the start of the second round, Washington landed a big right that rocked Payne and the American looked to impose himself. Instead of covering up, Payne choose to stand and swing but was quickly taken down.

Washington landed a series of short elbows and Payne appeared to be suffering from a cut.

Winner: Dallow via rear naked choke, 2:25 min into the first round

Back on his feet, Payne stuufs a td and lands a knee and a couple of kicks.

Washington seems reluctant to engage and allows Payne to finish the round the stronger

Ross Dallow (Australia) 84kg vs Dong Ho Han (S.Korea) 84kg

Ross went for an early takedown and they clinch against the cage. Dong attempted a guillotine and pulled the fight to the floor. Dallow escaped and moved into side control before taking Dallowâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s back looking for rear naked choke. Dong was determined not to tap and held out for as long as he could but eventually was forced to tap.

Roy Tan Wee Leong (Singapore) vs Aaron Koh (Singapore) Winner: Koh by unanimous decision

Payne attempted his signature spinning back fist move at the top of the third round but Washington easily evaded it.

Payne continued to bleed, but kept pushing the pace as Washington continues to counter and hold his ground.

Eventually Washington secured another takedown and landed some ground and pound, but Payne was able to tie him up and the fight is stood up.

Washington vs Payne

Elbe vs Fenandes

The local amateurs were given a chance to show what they could do prior to the main event. The slightly larger Koh dominated his opponent landing a series of hard kicks throughout the first round.

In the second round Koh landed a bit of ground and pound before looking for the submission. He was unable to sink it in and the fight was eventually stood up only for Koh to continue with his relentless onslaught of kicks and punches.

The third round continued in the same vein as Koh continued to inflict punishment in a one-sided contest. He took the fight to the floor and went for an armbar but was unable to sink it in.

Koh tried to finish the fight with a late flurry but could not prevent it from finishing in the judges hands.

In one of the easiest decisions they will ever have to make all three judges awarded the contest to Aaron Koh.

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Martial Combat

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Spectacular knock-out punch wins Joy Ray second Superfight Championship against veteran Chad Reiner SINGAPORE, 15 September 2010 - The crowd at Resorts World Sentosa were privileged to witness fantastic, action packed fights at Martial Combat 9, highlighted by the crowning of a new Martial Combat Superfight winner and rising Mixed Martial Arts star, Yang Seung Ho. Jin Hirano Japan 5-1-0 vs Sung Ming-Yen Taiwan Debut Winner: Sung Ming Yen via unanimous decision This bout was an all-Asian affair between two fighters. Jin Hirano of Japan is a Jiu Jitsu specialist who started MMA training in 2004 but has been inactive as a fighter for almost four years. Sung Ming Yen of Taiwan is making his MMA debut but has a strong background in stand up fighting with experience in Muay Thai, Sanda and Karate.

Both men start tentatively but Sung scored first, catching his opponents kick and landing a right hand which

knocked an off-balance Hiruno down.

Sung appeared very confident in his stand up skills highlighted by a vicious combination that knocked Hiruna down by the end of the first round.

After an early exchange of leg kicks in the second round, Hirano secured a takedown but Sung sprung straight back to his feet and landed a big right hand.

Hirano has a solid chin but Sung is consistently getting the better of him in the exchanges. The Japanese fighter jumped onto Sung and wraps his legs around him in an attempt to pull his guard and is slammed to the ground. Hirano went for a leg lock but Sung demonstrated some ground skills of his own to escape.

Moore vs Svensson

Knowing he is probably two rounds behind on the scorecards Hirano tries a spinning back fist at the start of round three but missed by a mile. Sung clearly had the measure of his opponent and walked him down. Hirano managed to land a left hand but it was not enough to change the momentum of the fight.

Sung secured a late takedown and landed some punishing knees and short elbows from side control to put the seal on an emphatic victory.

A very impressive debut performance from the Taiwanese fighter, who looks certain to return to the Martial Combat ring soon.

Chris Moore USA 1-0 vs Wiktor Svensson Sweden 2-0 Winner: Wiktor Svensson via anaconda choke after 1:57 of Round One Wiktor Svensson won his first Martial Combat fight with a submission after only 28 seconds. It took him only slightly longer to secure a submission win this second fight at Resorts World Sentosa, by choking his opponent into unconsciousness.

Moore landed a stiff jab at the start of the fight and Svensson instantly tried to clinch. The fight went to the ground

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and Svensson looked for a submission off his back but Moore powered his way out. Svensson grabbed a leg and tripped Moore and he immediately worked to improve his position.

Bostick vs Gouaida

Martial Combat fighter Ray Elbe recently awarded Swensson with a purple belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Swensson wasted little time demonstrating why. He sunk in an anaconda choke so deep that Moore was actually unconscious by the time the referee stepped in to stop the fight.

Another hugely impressive performance from the Swedish submission specialist to make it two Martial Combat wins out of two.

Chris Bostick USA 4-2 vs Yoann Gouaida France 2-2 Winner: Bostick via Americana 3:55 Both these men have been fighting since 2007 and look to be well rounded athletes. Gouaida is a crisp, technical striker who is extremely strong in the clinch.

Bostick has a background in wrestling and Muay Thai but all four of his wins have come by way of submission.

Bostick tried to touch gloves and ends up on the receiving end of a jab.

Undeterred the wrestler shot for a takedown which his opponent was power-

less to prevent. Once the American took the fight to the floor, Bostick patiently moved into side control before taking Gouaiadaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s back. The Frenchman defended himself intelligently but was powerless to prevent Bostick from sinking his hooks in looking for a rear naked choke.

Gouaiada escaped and ended up mounted by Bostick who unleashed a barrage of punches and elbows. Bostick took advantage of his dominant position to isolate his opponentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s arm and crank it back forcing Gouiada to tap to an Americana submission.

Arthit Hanchana Thailand 1-2-1 vs Malik Mawlayi Afghanistan / Sweden 8-3-1 Winner: Mawlayi via arm triangle after 2:41 of round two.

Malik Mawlayi is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu purple belt who showcased his submission skills on his Martial Combat debut.

Hanchana is primarily a Muay Thai fighter although he does hold a submission win.

Hirano vs Ming-Yen

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Both men have unusual life stories, Mawlayi’s has seen him flee from war torn Afghanistan to the sanctuary of Sweden before traveling to South America and Asia to fight and train.

Hanchana hails from Thailand but now calls China home and is one of a growing number of promising MMA fighters to emerge from the country.

Mawlayi went straight for the takedown which he eventually secured and moved swiftly into mount. Mawlayi attempted an Americana, but Hanchana escaped but Mawlayi moved straight into side control.Despite spending the best part of five minutes on his back, Hanchana managed to survive until the bell.

Mawlayi absolutely dominated the round and started the next round with another early takedown and moved straight into the now familiar position of side control. Hanchan escaped and bravely, with his opponent’s Brazilian Jiu Jitsu credentials, goes for a submission of his own. Mawlayi was able to escape the guillotine attempt and moved straight back into side control from where he finally submits the resilient Hanchana with an arm triangle.

Yang landed another vicious leg kick and a spectacular super punch which was greeted with wild cheers by the crowd who sensed that the tide of the fight may be turning. Gardner hip throws Yang to take the fight to the floor and ended up in Yang’s guard. The American may have taken the dominant position but Yang was doing all the damage with a series of sharp elbows, one of which left a cut on Gardner.

Despite changing the fight’s momentum dramatically, Yang knew he was probably still a round behind and he came out aggressively at the start of round four, landing a huge head kick which knocked Gardner down. Gardner covered up while Yang started to tee off looking to finish the fight but Gardner is nothing if not resilient and was able to get back to his feet and shoot for a takedown.

Winner: Yang Seung Ho via decision.

Yang ended up on his back yet again with an increasingly inactive Gardner in his guard, but the referee was forced to halt the action and asked the doctor to take a closer look at Gardner’s cut.

After a moment’s consideration the fight is allowed to resume in the original position. Yang, who by now has his opponent’s blood streaked across his chest, landed some vicious hammer fists from underneath Gardner who offered minimal offense.

Yang Seung Ho trains out of Evolve MMA and got a rousing reception from the Singapore crowd. The fight started slowly with Gardner landing a couple of inside leg kicks on his Korean opponent.

Both men knew the fifth round was going to be decisive and Gardner came out strong and landed a sharp right hook, which Yang shook off. The Singapore-based South Korean went on

David Gardner USA 18-14-0 vs Yang Seung Ho S.Korea 10-1-0

Gardner took the fight to the ground and was able to control Yang for the entire round without doing a lot of damage. Round two followed a similar pattern with but the American’s work rate was noticeably slowing.

The first two rounds were largely devoid of action, but despite the stalemate Yang was probably behind on the scorecards and needed to win round three. He came out swinging and the fighters soon clinch up against the cage where the Korean was able to land some knee strikes. Gardner responded with some foot stomps of his own but they separate and Yang landed a solid leg kick before laying into Gardner with a flurry of punches. The American recovered and used all his experience to tie Yang up but he was visibly hurt and is his opponent was starting to control the fight.

Seung Ho vs Gardner

Mawlayi vs Hanchana the offensive and landed a barrage of unanswered punches. In desperation, Gardner went for a takedown but Yang took his back and sunk both hooks in looking for a rear naked choke.

Gardner is legendary for smiling and waving at the cameras while in a similar position in a previous fight in Japan, but after almost 25 minutes of fighting he is far too exhausted to showboat.

Yang worked diligently for the choke as the Singapore crowd started to get behind him. Gardner managed to reverse the position but it was too little too late and the round finished with Yang looking for an armbar.

A fantastic come-from-behind performance by the South Korean left the Resorts World Sentosa Crowd home happy. All three judges scored the fight 48-47 in favour of Yang.

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Martial Combat

10

Singapore-based fighters from Evolve MMA dominate Resorts World Sentosa Martial Combat 10 SINGAPORE, 17 September 2010 - Singapore-based fighters Arthur Cesar and Neelan NordattReece won their respective bouts in Martial Combat 10 to put their club Evolve MMA in the forefront against their rivals at Asia’s biggest Mixed Martial Arts Championship.

Neelan Hordatt-Reece Canada 1-0 vs Zhang Jing Xong Taiwan 4-1 Winner: Neelan Hordatt-Reece via rear naked choke after 3:42 in the second round Neelan Hordatt-Reece, a Canadian student based in Singapore, won his second Martial Combat fight in as many months over Zhang Jing Xong, a Sanda specialist from Taiwan. Zhang was looking for a win having lost to Hordatt-

Reece vs Xong

Reece’s Evolve MMA team mate Mitch Chilson at Martial Combat 1.

The first round started with Zhang constantly looking for a counter which frustrated Hordatt-Reece, who started taunt his opponent by dropping his hands.

When the two fighters finally exchanged blows, it was Zhang who got the better of the action, dropping Hordatt-Reece with a left hook and

landing blows on Hordatt-Reece.

However the Canadian showed good composure and was able to tie Zhang up and bought some time to recover.

In round two, Zhang landed some crisp punches early and Hordatt Reece looked for a takedown which he eventually secured, moving into side control and trying for an arm triangle. Zhang managed to escape and Hordatt Reece transitions almost immediately into another triangle but, yet again, the Taiwanese was able to wriggle out.

However Zhang ended up getting mounted and was on the receiving end of some solid elbows. Zhang was forced to gives up his back in an attempt to escape and Hordatt Reece finally secured his submission win courtesy of a rear naked choke.

The 20-year-old Hordatt-Reece studies at MDIS in Singapore and continues to train while studying full time.

“I am a business studies student, it’s my plan B. If the fighting doesn’t work out or I get injured it gives me something to fall back on. I’ve got a great team behind me at Evolve MMA here and I am proud to represent Singapore,” he said.

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Xavier Macay USA 1-0 vs Isamu Himura USA 1-3 Result: Draw by split decision Macay is a Muay Thai practitioner who has been working diligently on his submission skills from the Fairtex Gym in San Francisco. Meanwhile, Himura was aiming to better his fight record after losing to Brian Choi at Martial Combat 4.

Himura has a black belt in Judo and used it to good effect, landing a couple of eye-catching early takedowns.

Macay appeared reluctant to engage and Himura spent much of the first half of the round stalking and, on one occasion, literally chasing his opponent around the cage. Macay seemed to gain a little confidence as the round progressed and landed a couple of crisp combinations of his own, but Himura was relentless in his mission to take the fight to the floor, repeatedly shooting in on Macay and driving him across the cage.

In round two, Himura appeared to have taken Macay down but has unable to capitalize to do any damage or set up a serious submission attempt. Macay landed a high kick towards the end of the round which glanced off Himura’s head, stunning him.

Macay vs Himura

The takedown attempts appeared to have sapped Himura who looked exhausted at the start of round three.

Knowing he is probably behind on the scorecards, Macay’s corner urged him on and he was finally able to stuff Himura’s takedown attempts and assert his authority in the stand up department.

Himura had nothing left to give and was starting to take more punishment but Macay just couldn’t seem to find that final burst of energy to finish the fight.

The judges were divided with one scoring the fight to Himura, one to Macay and the third scoring it a draw.

Arthur Cesar Brazil 11-4-0 vs Robert Sothmann Canada 3-3-0 Winner: Arthur Cesar via TKO after 2:43 of round two Singapore-based Cesar is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt who already has three MMA wins to his name this year. He has won seven out of his last eight fights and is one of the top fighters on the Martial Combat roster.

Sothmann surprised a few people when he took a fight against Zhang Jian Jun at Martial Combat 3 on short notice and finished the Chinese fighter in less than two minutes.

After a tentative start Sothmann threw a low kick but Cesar managed to catch it and took him down. This is where the

Cesar vs Sothmann

Brazilian wanted to be but he continued to be frustrated by Sothmann. Cesar worked diligently to improve his position but to no avail as Sothmann was able to defend himself intelligently.

Sothmann managed to do some damage off his back, landing an up-kick which knocked his opponent back and allowed him to get to his feet as the round came to an end.

Cesar received a text-book double leg take down early in round two and once again worked to improve his position in the face of stubborn resistance from Sothmann. The Brazilian, eventually mounted his opponent and landed a barrage of unanswered punches, leaving the referee little option but to step in and stop the fight.

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With eight wins out of nine, Cesar has built a solid record and made it clear after this contest that he is looking for a title shot.

Shungo Oyama Japan 8-13-0 vs Brian Gassaway USA 29-19-2

Karina Hallinan USA 2-2-0 vs Yang Xiao Nan China 3-0-0

Japan and the USA are traditionally two of the most prominent nations in the world of MMA. They are home to the biggest and best attended MMA shows and also produce some of the best fighters on the planet.

Winner: Hallinan via rear naked choke after 3:28 of round one Yang is a Sanda champion who absolutely picked apart top Filipino fighter Gina Iniong at Martial Combat 6. Hallinan has a background in wrestling and trains under standout wrestler, UFC and Pride veteran Dan Henderson.

Yang went on the offense straight from the start, unloading on Hallinan who was forced to cover up. They clinched up against the cage and Yang hip throws Hallinan and landed a vicious kick as the American tried to get to her feet.

But Hallinan managed to catch her breath and had a takedown of her own and was clearly in her element on the ground. She moved into mount and repeatedly slamed Yang’s head against the canvass. Hallinan, firmly in control after softening her opponent, swiftly took her back, sinking in a rear naked choke that left the Chinese fighter no alternative but to tap.

Gassaway vs Oyama

Winner: Shungo Oyama via inverted heel hook after 1:50 of round one

Oyama is an experienced veteran who has been fighting for the best part of a decade and holds wins over both top fighters Renzo Gracie and Rodrigo Gracie. He has fought in all the major promotions in Japan and has a reputation for being a fearless fighter who never gives up.

Brian Gassaway’s professional MMA career began back in 1996 when the sport was well and truly in its infancy and has fought for most of the major MMA promotions in the US. It is a real clash of cultures Oyama entered the ring accompanied by Japanese fighter, Daiju Takase, one of few men to ever beat the best fighter on the planet, Anderson Silva. Gassaway, by contrast, has UFC veteran and MMA legend Shonie Carter in his corner.

Hallinan vs Nan

Gassaway looked confident on his feet, hardly a surprise seeing as he has never been knocked out in over 50 MMA fights but Takase landed a hard body show and, smelling blood, moved in for the kill. The fight went to the floor and Takase sunk in an inverted triangle, trapping Gassaway’s neck between his legs. As Gassaway sunks into unconsciousness the referee leaps in to stop the fight.

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Visit us at The Martial Arts Show - (Stand R11) Saturday 22nd & Sunday 23rd of May. at The National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham.

For retail please contact: Joya sports bv/ Almere/ The Netherlands Phone: 00-31-36-5291827 E; mail: info@joyasports.com

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FIGHTERS IRISH SECTION

All the latest news and views from The Emerald Isle...

Fighting

Irish

With Irish MMA continuing to flourish and impress on the domestic and international stage, Fighters Magazine is continuing in its coverage of “Fighting Irish” and has brought an even bigger selection of features looking at MMA in Ireland.

As part of our continued coverage, we’ve features on some of the most influential figures involved in Irish MMA. Another successful promotion to emerge from the “Emerald Isle” is Clan Wars, an organisation which was created and has since grown enormously to satisfy eager students who wanted to fight. We spoke to its cofounder Paul Mc Laughlin about its continued success.

Peter Lavery

Irish MMA wouldn’t enjoy the success it’s been having in recent times if it wasn’t for various individuals who dedicate so much of their time to its growth. This hasn’t gone unnoticed at Fighters Magazine as we take a look at Peter Lavery. A man of many talents, this music fanatic, coach and former fighter is Ireland’s equivalent to Herb Dean of referring.

Fighters Magazine also catches up with Ireland’s very own “Randy Couture”, Emmett Mc Nally. Known as “The Mauler” this knockout king is known throughout Irish MMA and is described as the “Peoples Champion” by Paul Mc Laughlin. He’s set to headline Clan Wars 5 and gives us am insight into why he’s returned and what the future holds.

“The Cannibal” known as Vittorio Grant is also fighting on the Clan Wars 5 card and gives Fighters Magazine’s readers a powerful insight into his early life. The reader would be highly advised to take onboard the advice which “The Cannibal” gives to those who may want to follow in this charismatic fighter’s life.

Another individual giving so much of his time to Irish MMA is Rodney Moore, Head Coach of Institute of Mixed Martial Arts (IMMA). We visit his gym and learn about the ethos and origins of this successful man and how he instils honour and respect into Irish fighting talent.

Damien “The Rage” Rooney features in our look at the ever emerging “Fighting Irish” talent. The HIT Squad fighter spoke to Fighters Magazine about travelling throughout the world to acquire fighting styles which have wooed fight fans on a regular basis.

Irish MMA is continuing to grow and develop and the “Fighting Irish” section will grow and develop alongside it.

October 24 will also see Cork known as “The Rebel” county stage its first MMA event Cork Cage Combat which is another positive.

The future is bright; the future is green!

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All the latest news and views from The Emerald Isle...

Clan Wars Established To Satisfy Eager Students MMA has seen exceptional growth throughout the world in only a short space of time.

Its attracted new fight fans on a daily basis. Ireland with its “Fighting Irish” reputation continues to embrace this phenomenon. Cage Wars Championship, an Irish organisation, has now reached global recognition. Cage Contender has put on magnificent events, staging its latest show in Manchester. Another organisation from the “Emerald Isle”, Clan Wars, has achieved magnificent results in only a short space of time.

Established in 2009, by Irishmen Paul Mc Laughlin and Chris Tweed, Clan Wars has enjoyed rapid success. Urban Krav Maga, a fighting style, is closely linked with the organisation. Both Paul and Chris were the first in Ireland to receive instructor certificates in the art and established Israeli Fighting Systems (IFS). Little did they realise, Clan Wars would be its future “off spring”.

Co- founder, Paul Mc Laughlin, said: “Myself and Chris Tweed were the first instructors in Ireland certified in Urban Krav Maga (Krav MMA) under founder Stuart McGill and former World BJJ Champion, Leo Negao. What interested us at

the very start about Krav MMA, before our instructorship, was the no holds barred sparring which went a lot deeper into ground fighting than other self defence systems. The training is seen as hardcore by some but you aren’t going to class to learn golf.”

involved and asking about the next event.

We knew if we were going to do this we needed to do it right. So we sat down to discuss proper venues and bringing in a proper world recognised MMA sanctioning body.

This was the birth of Clan Wars.”

Setting up their IFS club, they attracted many fighters and established contacts throughout MMA which would benefit them in the future. “At the start we trained at a few locations such as sports halls and community centres until we got the chance to open a full time gym. While we progressed as a club, we made a lot of friends and good contacts with other clubs who competed in various fighting styles,” said Paul Mc Laughlin.

Each event held by Clan Wars has attracted many new fight fans, fighters and media interest. Clan Wars 2 quickly capitalised on this success and received the backing of MMA sanctioning body ISKA. Ireland witnessed its first ever ISKA sanctioned event at Clan Wars 2.

Clan Wars first ever event was held thanks to the pupils of (IFS) who wanted to create an MMA team and compete against other clubs. From a simple desire of wanting to compete in the cage, various promotions and events were established. Word quickly spread; Clan Wars was born.

Paul Mc Laughlin said: “From what developed that day has been nothing short of astonishing. Clan Wars 1 took place in the old (IFS) club backroom in a 15ft cage with seventy spectators from competing clubs.

From that event, we were approached in the next few days by clubs from traditional martial arts to new MMA clubs looking to get

Clan Wars 2 “News travelled fast about the quality and success of Clan Wars 2. Before we knew it, clubs from throughout England and Ireland wanted to send fighters to the next event. We had set a high standard at Clan Wars 2 and we wanted to maintain and even better the next event,” said Paul.

Clan Wars 3 followed the same trend as the previous events held by the promotion. Fighters from throughout Ireland and the UK took part. Gone were the days of staging an event in the gym backroom to satisfy eager pupils. Ring girls, TV production crew P4TV, MMA clothing companies Caged Steel and Impact Specialists Essimo have all become part of the exceptional growth of Clan Wars.

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MMA in Ireland has reaped the benefits of Clan War’s arrival. “I believe Irish MMA is flourishing from what I’ve seen on our shows. In just over one year we’ve had over 150 applications from fighters in Ireland, UK and Europe looking to compete.

Between Clan Wars 2 and 3 we’ve had 6 fighters invited and fought on UK promotions. We are connected to many UK and European promotions and we are one of the shows being used by ISKA in its search of Irish talent to compete on bigger shows, right through to Dream and Strikeforce. This is a major achievement for the show,” says Paul.

August 8 saw Clan Wars 4 take place and featured international fighters from throughout Europe competing for both ISKA and Irish titles. The rise of the promotion has taken Paul Mc Laughlin by surprise. He said: “If you’d told me two years ago that we would be at this stage now, I would’ve laughed at you. God only knows what the next two will bring. Our main goal that we put in place from the start is the progression of local MMA and the promotion of the sport to leave behind the old stereotypes.”

Clan Wars have attracted much interest not just in Ireland but also throughout

All the latest news and views from The Emerald Isle...

Europe with former UFC and M1 challenge fighters wanting to become involved with the promotion. “What’s surprised us is that the show is very popular in Europe and further a field. I’ve been getting lots of emails from teams from France, Germany, Spain, Brazil and the USA looking to come over to fight on the show. This includes fighters from past UFC shows and the M1 Challenge.”

Clan Wars 5, the latest show to be held on October 31 at the Tullyglass Hotel, Ballymena, features the return of popular fight veteran, Emmett “The Mauler” McNally. Known as the ‘Randy Couture” of Irish MMA, his bout is eagerly anticipated by Paul Mc Laughlin.

He said: “Emmett is truly the ‘Irish Randy Couture’ I believe. Emmett is a real pioneer of Irish MMA and is a very humble down to earth guy. Everyone in Irish Martial Arts from MMA to boxing to kickboxing knows Emmett and the one punch knock out power he possesses.”

Set to face Neysden Santos from Spain, it’s a fight which Paul believes wont go the distance. “The fight it will be too close to call, Neysden Santos is coming off a close

loss to John Donnelly. Many believed he should’ve got the decision. Neysden is a strong striker but is even better on the ground and will have a belly full of fire to avenge his loss in Clan Wars 3.

On the other hand we have the veteran and Irish peoples champion Emmett’ The Mauler’ Mc Nally with a lot of experience and knock out power in both fists. One thing’s for sure both these guys are coming to put on a show and leave it all in the cage. I don’t think this fight will go the distance.”

Sending a word of warning about the “Fighting Irish”, he said: “Various promotions such as Cage Wars have shown that Ireland is a serious force to be reckoned with.

Ireland is building itself a reputation that was perhaps overlooked before. Watch out, as over the next few years there’s going to be a lot of Irish fighters making big impressions and showing the true spirit of the “Fighting Irish”.

Clan Wars is a classic example of what happens when you agree to appease a group of Irish students who simply; want to fight.

For more details on Clan Wars 5 visit www.clanwarspromotions.com

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It’s Eat

or Be Eaten Vittorio ‘The Cannibal’ Grant Vittorio Grant is set to face Tom Maguire (Spirit MMA) in a hugely anticipated night of international fights on October 31 as part of Clan Wars 5. Based at the Blood Sweat and Tears gym Lanzarote (BST MMA) this fighting veteran acquired a notorious fighting reputation throughout his life.

Spending a short time in conversation with this fighter I quickly realised how he came to acquire the name “The Cannibal” and rightly so.

“The Cannibal” saw his youth wasted on the streets of Northampton in the 1980s which saw him engage in bare knuckle brawls and the inside of a prison cell on numerous occasions. The saying ‘youth is wasted on the young’ applies to this charismatic fighter.

“I started out in Mixed Martial Arts in a rough and ready gym in Northampton, England in the early 1980s. Mauy Thai was my discipline and I trained under Morris Young who was a brutal heavyweight kick boxer. But a life of badness on the streets saw my younger years wasted spending a lot of time in prison,” says Vittorio.

His fearsome reputation saw him work as a bouncer in pubs and clubs throughout the Midlands area and he was in charge of 300 men at one stage.

Around this time he acquired the name “The Cannibal”. He said: “From 19902002, I ran the doors in the Midlands area known as Prestige Security, which still operates today covering Scottish and Newcastle pubs and clubs. In my time it was very big and we had three hundred men strong. In this era I gained a fierce reputation as the cannibal. No trouble was too much for me. I had thirty four bare knuckle fights and countless street fights earning me my nickname.”

“The Cannibal” has got a do or die psyche when he enters the octagon and this will be no different when he fights on

Halloween night. “For me I’m a true cannibal in the arena. Be it in the street or in the cage or ring, it doesn’t matter at all. I always bring it, nothing else is left and it’s just eat or be eaten. I will stop at nothing to win my fight but with honesty and fairly as in all arenas there are rules.”

Vittorio thanks his wife which he met in 2002 for changing his life around and gives credence to the saying ‘behind every good man is a woman’. He said: “In 2002 I met my wife and it’s then that my life changed for the better. I moved to Lanzarote and formed BST gym and it finally gave the bull within me a sense of direction. It was here that I met another hungry fighter Neysden Santos, who was beating every opponent in the Spanish islands.”

Santos, who became a student of Vittorio, is set to headline the main event at Clan Wars 5 when he faces the tough Irish KO artist Emmet “The Mauler” McNally known as the Randy Couture of Irish MMA. “The Cannibal” believes it’s an exciting match up for his submission expert student.

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FIGHTERS IRISH SECTION Vittorio Grant & Clan Wars 5 “Neysden recently gained his brown belt in bjj and is a serious guy on the floor winning all his wins via submission. He wants to knock people out all the time but I tell him to fight to his strengths. He’s fought twice in Ireland, the first being with Colin McKee taking the fight with 2 weeks notice as his opponent Che Mills was injured but I felt he wasn’t ready for the step up in class.”

He added, “He then fought John Donnelly at Clan Wars 4 and if he took more initiative he would’ve won easily. I know McNally will come on strong which Neysden loves and will certainly show his confidence, talent and ability to win, though it wont be easy,” says Vittorio.

BST MMA has sent many of its fighters travel to Ireland to fight on various promotions which has seen “The Cannibal” develop an admiration for Irish MMA fans and especially Clan Wars and wants to give something back to those who’ve welcomed him with open arms to the Emerald Isle.

All the latest news and views from The Emerald Isle...

He said: “After hassling Paul and Chris from Clan Wars for a fight, I’m fighting to give something back to them and to Irish MMA as many have become good friends and I want to fight for the moral of my gym. Like Emmet, I’m in my forties and Clan Wars are willing to give us a chance so this is my way of saying thanks.”

A charismatic and well spoken man, “The Cannibal” speaks almost in spiritual terms and chooses his words carefully and with a deep sense of thought and calm behind every word. He’s studied his opponent very carefully and has the upmost respect for Tom Maguire.

He said: “I’ve seen some videos of him and he’s a good wrestler. I’ve the upmost respect for him and can only say that it’s either him or me when we enter the cage. Regardless of the fight I hope we can become friends after this as it’s a gladiator sport. We make war then peace.”

“The Cannibal” has came a long way since the bare knuckle fights and street brawls around Northampton which saw him locked up at her majesty’s pleasure.

With a sense of nostalgia he offers some advice to others.

“I’m not a sensei or a Sifu. I’m a professor of war; my life can be learnt from but never followed,” says Vittorio “The Cannibal” Grant.

Any student would benefit from listening to such advice from this charismatic fighter who will face Tom Maguire at Clan Wars 5 on October 31 at the Tullyglass Hotel, Ballymena, N.Ireland.

Visit www.clanwarspromotions.com for more details.

By Thomas McCullough

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Damien “The Rage”

Rooney HIT Squad Hopeful

“When Coach Fiore offered it to me I was very honoured to be even considered in that calibre by one of the most respected coaches in the sport.” This was Damien Rooney’s response when I asked the highly talented Irish fighter his reaction to becoming a full-time member of the world famous HIT Squad gym. He can count on training partners such as hall of famer Matt Hughes and Robbie Lawlor as close friends.

Known as “The Rage” the Irishman has attracted many fans and plaudits since he first wrapped a pair of MMA gloves around his fists. The talented 26 year old Bantamweight fighter is set to face another highly rated gladiator, Neil “2Tap” Seery at Cage Contender VII on November 13 in a mouth watering domestic bout.

Before he even began his MMA career Damien Rooney had already built up a fighting reputation on the international scene representing Ireland in Tae Kwon Do. It was when he entered University the changes began to occur; not just academically but fighting. He said: “I started training in Tae Kwon Do when I was ten years old and trained and fought in that for

ten years with the international team before moving to university. When I was at university it was hard to get back all the time for training so that’s when I first took up boxing training.” It didn’t stop there.

Most students when they enter university research various bars, clubs and drinking dens to attend. “The Rage” began to look at other combat sports instead. After graduating from university he didn’t follow the usual trend of taking 1 year off and walking around Europe with a back pack and a tin of beans in his pocket. Instead, Muay Thai and its spiritual home of Thailand became his training camp for 5 months.

“When I graduated I’d done some research and headed to Thailand for 5 months to train and fight Muay Thai over there. It was my first experience of pure Muay Thai and I loved the whole sport. I would’ve loved to have found it sooner. It was great to be learning from the beginning again and I was dedicated to it my whole time there.”

He Added, “After one of my fights I decided to change things up a bit and do some MMA

training as there was a class running at the camp I was training at. I went in and did stand up with the guys and was getting on very well but as soon as the fight hit the floor I was lost. As soon as I got back from Thailand I found a BJJ and MMA club and started training full time. That was 3 years ago I’ve been fighting in MMA since.”

His MMA career has certainly benefitted from him travelling throughout Asia and the US to learn all he can from the very best in their respective disciplines. With a fight record of (7-1-1) other Irish fighters would do well to listen to the advice he gives in relation to travelling abroad.

He said: “I think it can help your game out greatly. I was lucky enough to get away to train in some of these places with some of the best guys in their respective disciplines. Its great to see and you can only learn from the guys that are top of their respective sports and I feel that it’s helped me out a lot. MMA in this country has continued to grow since then and now top coaches in a lot of areas are popping up around the country and that is only going to help MMA in Ireland as a whole.”

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FIGHTERS IRISH SECTION Travelling to the US to initially train at the world famous HIT Squad gym on a temporary basis quickly became a permanent home for the feared stand up specialist. “The Rage” began to live the life that most fighters can only dream about on a daily basis.

“Training over at a gym like the HIT Squad is fantastic. Getting to work on a daily basis with guys competing at the top level of the sport is a real privilege and working with world class coaches over there really brings your game on a lot.”

With a sense of excitement and disbelief he revealed his very first thoughts when he entered Matt Hughes’s gym.

He said: “I remember being taken back by the facility and how state of the art it was.

It was equipped with everything you could possibly need to help with your training and when you add in the level of coaching you receive; it’s easy to see why their fighters are having so much success.”

Irish MMA has continued to grow and produce many quality fighters. Damien Rooney is another who feels that it’s in a healthy situation at the moment.

All the latest news and views from The Emerald Isle...

“I think Irish MMA is on the rise and will continue to go that way. Better facilities are popping up all over the place and high level coaches from all disciplines are being brought into specific areas and I think we can be see that in the performances of the fighters. Especially with more talented and younger fighters going into the sport at a younger age. I see it going from strength to strength from here.”

Neil Seery is set to be the next opponent for “The Rage” and it’s a fight he’s looking forward to. He plans to use his natural power and size to good affect on November 13. He said: “I always come into a fight in shape and I’m pretty big and strong for my weight so that’s always a strength that I bring in with me. Regarding my skills, I like to stand up as it’s my background but I try to train hard everywhere and think my game is becoming more well rounded to the point where I wouldn’t be uncomfortable in any position the fight ended up.”

“The Rage” is also very aware of the dangers posed by “2Tap Seery”, a fighter with a quality stand up and ground game. “Neil is a top fighter and a fight that I’m really looking forward to.

He’s been around the sport for a long time and has been top of the domestic scene for the most part. Neil trains under BJJ brown belt Andy Ryan at Rhino and has a very dangerous guard He’s great boxing and kickboxing though too which gets overlooked a bit I think.”

“On top of that he has vicious ground and pound and probably what many people feel is his biggest weapon; the pace he makes his opponents fight at and the stamina he can maintain in the fight. I recently fought though and only took 4 days off to heal up and have been back in the gym hard since then. I’m two months away now. My cardio and weight are great and I’m still sharp from the last fight. I’m just trying to tighten everything up though and concentrate on playing my strengths against his weaknesses. It’s going to be a hell of a fight.”

Like most fighters, Damien Rooney dreams of the big stage. The glamorous lights, packed arenas, competing against the very best in the world, are his goals.

“Being at bantamweight the WEC is the top organisation right now. But to be honest with more and more of the bigger promotions moving towards the lower weight categories like Bellator and Dream, it would be great to get a chance on any of them as they are all top promotions.”

Training with a hall of famer on a daily basis won’t do his dreams any harm!

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“The Mauler”

is Back Emmett McNally It’s been a long time coming but Irish fans are set to welcome the return of Emmett “The Mauler” McNally (8-4-1), the man dubbed “Ireland’s Randy Couture” who will make his eagerly anticipated return at Clan Wars 5 on October 31.

Headlining the main event, “The Mauler” is set to fight submission expert and dangerous striker Neysdon Santos, based at Blood Sweat and Tears Gym (BST Gym) Lanzorote. A hugely popular figure throughout Ireland he’s known for his ability to put fighters to sleep with his powerful knockout power in both hands.

He hopes to use his power to good affect come fight night and continue his impressive win streak. He said: “I’ve currently a 6 fight win streak and I will certainly be gunning to make it 7 in a row. I like to land big heavy punches with an aggressive style. At my age I always want to get the job done early.”

A veteran of over 200 bouts he decided to take up MMA after seeing it explode on the world stage. This was the best way of testing his fighting ability. “My main background was in boxing. I had over 200 fights and won various titles along the way. I then decided to take up martial arts and immediately became hooked on it gaining numerous black belts. Myself and a couple of friends were star struck when we had seen MMA taking off in America. We decided this was the best way of testing are abilities,” says Emmett.

Many Irish fans are hoping that the knockout specialist will not make this a one off appearance and will continue to delight fans with his explosive fights.

“The Mauler” hopes this will be the start of more fights to come his way and wanted to be included much sooner on the Clan Wars promotions.

“I was asked to fight on a few shows before this. But injury and other engagements got in the way, such a married life; oops (laughing). My 7 year old son goes to a few shows when our men are on the card and he’s

always seen me do the corner. He asked me why I never fought again and I think he started the ball rolling and I hope there’s more brawls in me yet,” says Emmett.

“The Mauler” knows very little about his opponent, Neysden Santos and feels extra pressure going into the fight due to both his reputation and popularity. “I know very little about my opponent. All I know is he’s fought a few Irish guys before and that’s it.

I’m going to search you tube. I feel extra pressure going into the fight. People are telling me I will do this or that but every fighter knows every fight doesn’t always go to plan. I will take any win that comes my way.”

A very humorous as well as dangerous fighter, he blames a close friend on giving him his “Randy Couture” comparison but wishes to keep his previous badass nickname. He said: “I was dubbed the “Irish Randy Couture” by a good friend of mine Adrian Marron, when people found out I was on the Clan Wars 5 card. I think it might have something to do with the number of candles on my birthday cake. I’ve got to keep “The Mauler” nickname though.”

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FIGHTERS IRISH SECTION “The Mauler” has been around Irish MMA for a number of years and feels that although it’s producing many talented fighters, prima donnas are also in its ranks. He said: “We’re a small island and there’s some great talent about the circuit and I hope they can filter through to the bigger shows and standout. I just hope guys are in it for the right reason and have a great career as I feel there are a lot of prima donnas out there.”

On October 31 Neysden Santos will be facing a knockout powerhouse who is certainly no prima donna!

For more information please visit www.clanwarspromotions.com

Neysden Santos

All the latest news and views from The Emerald Isle...

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IMMA

Home of Respect and Honour Established in 2001, Institute of Mixed Martial Arts (IMMA) has made a huge impact throughout Irish MMA with many of its fighters defeating opposition both in Ireland and the UK. The team created by the much travelled former Vale Tudo fighter, Rodney Moore, boasts a membership of around eighty fighters and has came along way since it began with only 6 fighters.

Under the guise of Rodney Moore and Paul Robinson, the latter being one of Ireland’s only former UFC fighters, the team, based in Ballymena N.Ireland, have enjoyed huge success. When you consider the knowledge passed down from its founder; it’s easy to understand why.

Rodney Moore began a life dedicated to martial arts and its teachings from an early age, before travelling abroad in

search of different fighting styles. His students have reaped the rewards. He said: “My martial arts background began when I was around 7 years old. I began doing traditional karate, then moved onto Jui Jitsui and boxing followed by Eskrima Kali JKS. In 2000 I went to live in Colorado Springs and started Vale Tudo. I travelled to California and trained with Royce Gracie, Erik Paulson and Dan Inosanto.”

Having acquired more knowledge of various fighting arts and training with legends of the cage, he returned home to Ireland and wanted to pass on his own knowledge. “When I returned home again in October 2001, I opened my own MMA club and it’s been going strong ever since. I’m sure we have 60-80 members now,” says Rodney.

Not only has a tremendous knowledge been passed to the students of IMMA but also a strong ethos of respect and honour both of which are synonymous with martial arts. Such values haven’t been forgotten by Rodney Moore.

He said: “My reasons and ethos behind IMMA were to put all my knowledge that I’d learnt from my travels and pass it on to whoever wanted to learn it, as long as they’re sensible with what I’m teaching them then I will continue. As long as they keep coming I’ll keep teaching and trying to turn out good respectable athletes who are gentlemen inside and outside of the cage or ring and treat everyone with honour and respect.”

IMMA gym has plenty of equipment to keep its talented fighters in peak physical condition. It includes a 1200 sq ft matted area, both a cage and ring measuring 16ft. Core strength conditioning

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paramount to all MMA fighters, are helped by having numerous kettle bells, battle ropes, sand bags and Olympic weights located at the successful gym.

Both Rodney Moore and Colin Robinson like all coaches give a lot of their time to the development of IMMA on a daily basis and split training between them. “I’m the main coach and take all the main classes on a Monday night, Tuesday night, Wednesday day, Thursday night, all day Friday and Saturdays. Colin Robinson helps me out and he takes the beginner classes for me,” says Rodney.

Some of Ireland’s leading talent currently training at the IMMA gym with many others showing promising potential all of which hasn’t gone unnoticed

by Rodney. He said: “Our key fighters at the moment include, Norman Parke, Ryan Body, Colin Neeson and Alan Philpott.

We’ve a few other pros who train with us but fight with other gym. Josh Boal who competes at semi-pro is doing very well.

Young lads at Colin’s class are showing great potential but it’s unfair to name them or show favouritism.”

All the latest news and views from The Emerald Isle...

Very few gyms throughout Ireland can boast a former UFC fighter among its ranks. IMMA can and it’s something that the gym is proud of. “Easily the highlight of IMMA was Colin Robinson getting a 3 fight contract with the UFC. At the time Colin was the top heavyweight in Ireland and the UK. He’d about 5 UK titles and 2 European titles and then to top it off; fought in the UFC,” says Rodney.

Prominent figures such as former world champion boxer Eamon Loughran, UFC fighter Ed “Short Fuse” Herdman and Team Quest Head Coach Robert Follis are just some of the people who’ve graced the doors of IMMA gym.

Having established a hugely successful gym, Rodney Moore knows Irish MMA as well as most people. He believes that the values of humbleness and respect are important in its continued growth and to learn from experienced fighters and clubs.

He said: “My opinion of Irish MMA at the moment is that it’s came on leaps and bounds over the last 5 years, with new clubs opening all over the place which is great for the sport as long as they stay respectful and humble with it and keep the good reputation that older fighters and clubs have built. Our club has been involved in Irish MMA since day one and competed at the highest levels.”

IMMA has built up a solid reputation throughout Irish MMA and it’s something that Rodney Moore is determined to solidify in the future. He said: “The future for our gym is to keep producing top class fighters and learn cutting edge skills to all the guys which will help us remain one of the top MMA gyms in Ireland.”

For more information please visit www.imma-ni.com

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Peter Lavery Ireland’s Herb Dean of Referring Irish MMA has been flourishing with fighting talent and various promotions putting on fantastic events attracting many fans in the process. Individuals have given so much time and energy to Irish MMA none more so than Ireland’s very own Peter Lavery.

His name is known throughout Irish MMA circles. From Derry to Kerry, fighters, fans and promoters know the name of the man who travels throughout Ireland referring at MMA events.

As well as referring, he’s a former Mixed Martial Artist himself who established Kyougin MMA. Coaching and referring are synonymous with the Herb Dean of Irish MMA. Judo became one of the first martial arts of Peter Lavery before progressing onto Jui Jitsui attaining various black belts.

He said: “My background in martial arts began with Judo, an art I would love to have time to go back to. I started training in Kempo Jui Jitsui and reached 1st degree black belt. After a fall out with our then

coach, myself and a few friends searched and found in my opinion the best traditional coach and style of Japanese Jui Jitsui, Ross Iannoccarro and Tai Jutsu Kai. I trained with Ross for a few years and was fortunate to attain 2nd degree black belt under him. A grade I’m very proud of.”

Like most people, Peter Lavery became aware of the Brazilian Jui Jitsui (BJJ) revolution taking place around the world. It helped point out holes in his own fight game. “I was introduced to Carley Gracie and the world of BJJ. I was competing in various Jui Jitsui events in England and was invited to MMA trials staged in Ireland by Paddy Mooney, Tom Lamont and Lee Hasdell. It was an eye opener and that’s an understatement as I was able to see my own shortcomings. I needed to train a lot harder and more than traditional Jui Jitsui,” says Peter.

His new found love of BJJ saw him achieve a purple belt in 2009 under Rodrigo Medieros and he became part of Carlson Gracie BJJ Revolution Team.

Peter decided to stop competing in MMA and teach the skills he’d learnt to younger students coming through the ranks.

From a life of coaching, Peter Lavery stumbled into referring by complete accident and was very nervous during his first fight in charge. He said: “I fell into referring through being the only one available at the time. I was at a Cage Wars event and their referee Alan Lowry had taken

ill so they asked me to ref a couple of fights. I was pretty nervous I must admit. After that David Patterson asked if I could help out with referring at his event, Elite Fighting Revolution (EFR). So I helped ref a few fights for him and was installed as the only referee. If it wasn’t for those two promotions I wouldn’t be referring at all I suppose.”

As a referee, Peter has witnessed some heroic and epic battles in the octagon.

His most memorable fight he took charge of was also his most recent; Cage Contender. He said: “There are so many fights that stick in my head for various reasons. One of the most memorable featured Jonny Shields and Cathal Pendred at Cage Contender. Both fighters wouldn’t give an inch and I’m sure it was a very exciting fight for the spectators. I went to step in a few times to end the fight but both guys just kept going to the end. I wouldn’t have liked to be a judge because it was a very close match. I should maybe get the tape so I can see what it looked like from outside the cage.”

Judges have been the topic of much heated debate in recent times due to controversial decisions. Despite all the point scoring that decides a fight, Peter Lavery believes that it essentially comes down to the opinion of a judge and refresher courses should be established to help minimise controversial decisions.

“MMA events are scored using the ten points must system the same as boxing, whereby rounds are scored ten or nine or lower. But

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FIGHTERS IRISH SECTION at the end of the day, it’s a matter of opinion and not everyone’s opinion is the same.

Judges see fights from different angles and different points of view. I think it would be beneficial for judges and referees to attend a course and maybe regular refresher courses to keep up with fight styles and rule changes. It will go along way to attract new blood.”

Fight fans witness opposing fighters in the cage go head to head. Adrenalines flowing with every punch, kick and elbow, each fighter not wanting to leave without their hand raised in victory.

Such a determination leaves room for serious injury and puts extra pressure on referees such as Peter Lavery who must try to prevent this, even if it may lead to criticism from others.

He said: “Fighter safety is paramount; no debate, argument or discussion. Fighters want to fight and they want to win. They won’t give up regardless of what happens so we refs have to take the decision out of their hands if we feel they’ve taken enough. It leads to discussions on many forums that we stopped fights too early but that’s the call we make and stand by it. I think that’s why no one wants to do the job. I will take the grief and abuse levelled at me but at least I know the fighter will be able to leave the cage or ring under his own steam.”

All the latest news and views from The Emerald Isle...

It’s this attitude and Peter Lavery’s desire to protect the fighter at all times that led him to have a confrontation at his most recent event. He said: “Recently I had to stop a fight and the corner men had a go at me for stopping it. I explained why I stopped the match but they were having none of it. I asked him what would’ve happened if his fighter had been seriously injured and he replied ‘we are fighters that’s what we do’.

Al I can say is that I’m glad he was never cornering any friend or fighter of mine.”

Travelling throughout Ireland as both a coach and a referee Peter Lavery is very much aware of the state of Irish MMA and its fighting talent. Irish MMA is in a healthy state he believes.

“Irish MMA is on the up. I know there are a lot of people saying that but lets look at the evidence. We are lucky enough to have fighters of the calibre of Colin mc Kee, Aisling Daley, Norman Parke, Niel Seery, Damien Rooney, Greg Loughran, Joe Clarke and my own personal one to watch Declan Dalton coming through the U.K and Irish shows.

Aisling is just back from the Bellator event in America and Joe had a fantastic win in the U.S recently. Greg Loughran is more in the American events as is Colin mc Kee. The List of Irish talent is growing bigger by the day,” says Peter.

It’s clear that Ireland has many talented fighters coming through the ranks.

Referees’ coming through doesn’t seem

as strong according to Peter Lavery. He said: “MMA refs are very thin on the ground in Ireland. Off the top of my head there are 4 very experienced refs. Dave Jones, Aidan Marron, Alan Lowry and myself. Declan Larkin is starting to come through now but that’s pretty much it. The problem is that to be a good referee in any sport I imagine it helps if you’ve some experience at the sport.

There’s a lot of armchair refs who are very able to voice opinions and criticise what we do and how we do it but they wont take the step up to try to take the job on.”

It’s because of the work ethic and dedication of people such as Peter Lavery that Irish MMA has been making huge progress. By the time you read this he will have travelled over two hundred miles to Cork to referee their first ever cage event, Cork Cage Combat on October 24.

Driving to Cork, Peter will no doubt indulge in his other passion; music.

“Outside of the cage, music is my passion.

Apart from spending time with my children who incidentally are big fans of the sport and are usually in attendance at the Irish events. I’m happiest listening to some good blues or psychobilly. At my gym the music is controlled by me so the listing is Ska, Psychobilly or Punk, proper punk, not that metal stuff .If they don’t like it I tell them to train harder to blank it out.”

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WRS001/04

What Does the WRSA offer you?

• Insurance for Fighters, Instructors and Promoters So you are fully protected

• Regular Tournaments around the country.

Already 40 planned for 2009. See Website for details.

• Gradings with Specially designed certificates and badges.

Each Belt Grade Certificate is Unique

• Courses for Judges and Referees.

The WRSA encorages experienced fighters and coaches to take our judges and referees course so they understand what judges are looking for

• Regular Meetings Meetings so member can express their views of how the WRSA is being run.

What they think is good and what they feel needs improving.

• Courses First aid courses run by qualified instructors.

Training courses for ring craft, weapons course, etc.

• The WRSA does not interfere with how you run your club.

It does not restrict you or your fighter as to which shows you fight on.

• The WRSA welcomes Kickboxing Clubs, Thai boxing clubs, Kung Fu Clubs, Traditional Karate clubs.

For Further Information contact the WRSA or Steve Humphrey, Cressdene, Evesham Road, Offenham, Evesham, Worcestershire, WR11 8SA Tel: 01386 48452 Mobile: 07881 784839 Email: ukcba@lineone.net

www.worldringsportsassociation.com

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UFC001/01

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