FACE - OFF report

Fight 1 – Carl Booth vs John Graham - MMA Semi-professional fight (2 x 5 minutes)

Tonight’s first scheduled fight was unfortunately cancelled after John Graham pulled out 10 minutes before getting into the cage. Carl Booth was declared the winner by default and entered the cage to claim his trophy, however the disappointment was written all over his face.

Winner: Carl Booth. Loser: John Graham, by default.

Fight 2 – Tim Butler vs Damian Zlotnicki - MMA Semi-professional fight (2 x 5 minutes)

The first actual fight of the evening was a huge crowd pleaser. Damian Zlotnicki had a good amount of support from the crowd but it was local fighter Tim Butler whose appearance in the ring raised the roof. Both fighters looked evenly matched in both height and age – Tim has one win under his belt and Damian was making his debut.

As the round gets under way, Damian is bursting with enthusiasm, wasting no time getting a number of punches in. The two appear to be slightly cautious at first, taking their time to size each other up. Tim goes for the attack and manages to get Damian pinned down to the floor, however Damian defends well, not only getting himself back on his feet but also turning the tables and getting Tim up against the fence of the cage. Tim defends well and Damian is unable to drag him down to the floor. After it looks like the two are locked in a stalemate, Damian successfully gets his opponent up against the fence and continues with the attack, this time getting him pinned down on the cage floor. Whilst in this commanding position, he delivers a number of punches but Tim withstands the punishment and it is not long before the two of them are back on their feet.

So far the two of them look evenly balanced, both attacking but also defending well; Damian probably looks like the slightly more aggressive fighter of the two so far.

Tim goes for the attack now and changes tactic going for a lot more kicks than he has done previously. Damian replies in kind and successfully lands a couple of high kicks. After some grappling in the middle of the cage, Tim once again has Damian pinned up against the fence and then drags him down to the ground for the last few seconds of the round.

Round 2 gets under way and within seconds Tim has Damian pinned up against the fence, however Damian is defending just as well as he did in the first round and Tim cannot get him down to the floor. The two appear to be locked together in a stalemate for ages but eventually Tim’s determination and perseverance pays off and he has Damian pinned down to the ground. In this advantageous position, Tim gets in a few punches but Damian once again defends himself well and ensures that after the first few punches he is fighting to get back to his feet. Tim however has no intention of letting him and this time Damian ends up pinned against the side of the cage. For a second it looks like Damian is going to turn things around but again Tim denies him the chance and pulls him down to the floor for the final few seconds of the round.

A great fight to start off the night and it would be good to see the two of these in a rematch some time in the future. The referee for this bout was Judo Jim Wallhead.

DRAW – Judges' unanimous decision

Fight 3 – Jurijs Davidovs vs Subaig Singh - MMA Semi-professional fight (2 x 5 minutes)

As with his last fight, Subaig Singh had a large number of fans in the crowd whose support could be heard throughout the fight. Subaig wasted no time making his punches count and his opponent Jurijus Davidovs could not do much more than defend at this point. One of Subaig’s punches was timed brilliantly and sent Jurijs flying to the floor. Subaig pounced on this opportunity and got himself in a position to ensure that Jurijus is not going anywhere. In this commanding position he delivers a barrage of punches and the blood on Jurijs’s face is clear to see. Jurijs is completely unable to get any punches in but must be given credit for withstanding this attack. For a second it looks as if Jurijs is about to claw his way back to his feet but Subaig moves in with an arm bar and it’s all over.

A second very convincing win from Subaig Singh. The referee for this bout was Judo Jim Wallhead

Winner: Subaig Singh. Loser: Jurijs Davidovs, Armbar, Round 1, 4 mins 30 secs.

Fight 4 - Scott Jackson vs Antony Wainwright - MMA Professional fight (3 x 5 minutes)

Both look pretty even as the fight begins, with each fighter making contact with a number of good punches. In a brilliant move, Scott manages to get Antony on his back and follows this by delivering a barrage of punches to the head and body. Antony tries to get out of it but his attempts are in vain as Scott moves in to go for the choke. It is only a matter of time and just before the end of the first minute Antony is forced to tap out. The referee for this bout was Judo Jim Wallhead

Winner: Scott Jackson. Loser: Antony Wainwright, Rear naked choke, Round 1, 56 secs.

Fight 5 – Johnny Gillan vs Dan Watkins - MMA Professional fight (3 x 5 minutes)

A cautious start to this fight with both fighters until Dan goes in for the attack and takes Johnny down to his back, but is unable to get many punches in. After a grapple on the floor in which both get some good punches in to the upper body, the tables have turned and now Johnny has the domineering position. It looks like he has the upper hand but before long things have spun round again and now it is Dan back in control. It feels like a bit of a stalemate as each fighter tries to maintain the best position, but neither is able to maintain it for long. Dan tries to make the most of his position and attempts to get Johnny pinned down on his back but in the process Johnny gets free and both are back on their feet in the final few seconds of round 1.

Round 2 kicks off and Johnny appears to be more aggressive than he was in the first round, getting in a number of good kicks early on. He follows this with an attempt to bring Dan down but Dan defends his position well and neither can get the other down on the floor. After facing off in the middle of the ring for a few seconds, Dan successfully takes Johnny down and follows through with a couple of punches to the chest. The ref splits them up and brings them both back to their feet. A well timed kick from Johnny gets Dan square in the face and he loses his footing for a second. Johnny seizes the moment and takes Dan down, pinning him to the floor. Dan needs to get back to his feet but Johnny has other ideas and instead delivers a couple of punches to the face. End of round 2.

Although we were expecting a third round in this fight, the doctor stepped in and called an end to it due to chest pains Dan was experiencing. Johnny is declared the winner. The referee for this bout was Judo Jim Wallhead

Winner: Johnny Gillan. Loser: Dan Watkins, TKO (doctor stoppage), Round 2, 5 mins.

Fight 6 – Marios Konstandi vs Chris Flanders - MMA Professional fight (3 x 5 minutes)

This was always going to be an interesting fight. Hot prospect Chris Flanders was making his debut tonight and was facing an opponent with a history of 4 wins and 0 losses under his belt. As the fight got under way it looked like Marios had slightly more control and looked like the more dominant fighter. He went in for the attack early on and takes Chris in a slow but controlled take down. He follows this with a few punches to the face but Chris defends himself well and even manages to return a few of those punches. Marios is still controlling the fight by limiting the amount of movement that Chris can make. After being locked in this position for over a minute, Chris manages to reverse the fight and gets the mount. He now has Marios where he wants him and delivers a barrage of punches to Marios' head. Marios tries to escape from the mount, makes a mistake and gives the choke to Chris. At that point, it was game over for Marios! The referee for this bout was Judo Jim Wallhead

Winner: Chris Flanders. Loser: Marios Konstandi, rear naked choke, Round 1, 3 mins 20 secs.

Fight 7 – Ben Rose vs Vadim Shpakov - MMA Professional fight (3 x 5 minutes)

Local boy Ben had the crowd on his side as the two fighters stepped into the cage. As the fight kicks off, both of them get in a couple of kicks and punches. After a grapple in the middle of the ring, Ben picks up Vadim, carries him across the cage and drops him onto the floor with a loud crash. Ben has his opponent pinned down where he wants him and inflicts a barrage of punches. Vadim is unable to get out of the position he is in and the punches from Ben keep coming both to the face and body. Vadim can do little more than defend himself until the end of the round.

Round 2 begins and this time Vadim is more aggressive, quickly getting Ben pinned up against the fence. However Ben is quick to respond and before long the tables have turned – Ben now has Vadim down on the floor. Although this looks like a repeat of the first round, Vadim is standing his ground well and Ben is not quite dominating as much as he was before – the two of them look more evenly matched. Ben has managed to maintain his commanding position throughout the majority of the round and although Vadim has been unable to do much more than defend himself, he should still be given credit for taking the punishment.

The third round begins and it appears to be taking the same shape as the previous two. Ben very quickly gets back into the position he had before with Vadim pinned down to the floor. Yet, just as before, the fighters seem to be locked in a stalemate. Despite all his efforts to bring the fight to an end early, Ben cannot quite break down Vadim’s defending and the third round plays out in the same way the first two did.

The end of the round is signalled and Ben is declared the winner by judges' unanimous decision. The referee for this bout was Judo Jim Wallhead

Winner: Ben Rose. Loser: Vadim Shpakov, unanimous decision, Round 3, 5 mins.

Fight 8 – Craig Chesters vs Danny Mack - MMA Professional fight (3 x 5 minutes)

Of these two, Craig appears to have more support from the crowd. Within a few seconds of the fight starting, Craig has Danny down on the ground and starts delivering the punches. The punches are making contact with both the head and upper body with Danny appearing to be unable to get out of the position he is in. Danny can only defend himself for the majority of this round until in the last 30 seconds he manages to turn the tables getting himself on top and successfully landing a few good knees to Craig’s chest. In the final few seconds, Craig turns the tables on Danny and gets himself back on top in Danny's guard.

After a round dominated by Craig, Danny must have been hoping to turn the tables in the second round but it looked like we were in for the same again. Craig started with a high kick but it was mistimed and made no contact. He did succeed in a well calculated take-down and once again Danny had to defend. He did manage to defend well and used his strength to make it difficult for Craig to move. Although they were locked in a stalemate both of them were getting in a good number of elbows and punches. As before, Craig was dictating the action and Danny was too busy defending himself to ever pose too much of a threat to Craig.

Round 3 gets under way and both fighters are looking tired. A slightly cautious start compared to the last couple of rounds but before too long Craig has done it again and Danny is pinned down on his back. Despite Craig’s attempts to finish the fight, Danny still defends himself well and the fight carries on till the very end of round 3.

Craig is declared the winner by judges' unanimous decision. The referee for this bout was Judo Jim Wallhead

Winner: Craig Chesters. Loser: Danny Mack, unanimous decision, Round 3, 5 mins.

Fight 9 – Paul Gardner vs Kalvis Gebauers - MMA Professional fight (3 x 5 minutes)

As the fight begins, both of the fighters get in a number of good powerful kicks. Paul wastes little time and soon takes Kalvis down to the floor. Kalvis responds instantly and for a second reverses the position ending up on top in a dominant position. However Paul defends himself well and retakes the dominant position mounting Kalvis. In this position he delivers a barrage of punches to the face, and it is only a matter of time until the referee steps in to end the fight. The referee for this bout was Judo Jim Wallhead

Winner: Paul Gardner. Loser: Kalvis Gebauers, TKO (referee stoppage), Round 1, 2 mins 14 secs.

Fight 10 – Pete McGurk vs Aleksanders Trushins - MMA Professional fight (3 x 5 minutes)

Another local fighter, Pete McGurk had the vast majority of support from the crowd tonight. The fight begins with a minute or so of exchanging punches as both of them adopt a cautious start to the fight. Aleksanders manages to take Pete down to the ground and inflicts a number of punches to the head. Pete manages to take the punishment and before too long is back on his feet. The two are holding each other at bay for a while, in the same way they did at the start of the fight, until Aleksandrs again goes for a takedown and successfully has Pete pinned up against the side of the cage. He follows this move by lifting him up and dropping him down on the ground. In a brilliant move, Pete manages to turn this around and gets himself into a position for an arm bar. Aleksanders can only withstand it for so long and is forced to tap. The referee for this bout was Judo Jim Wallhead

Winner: Pete McGurk. Loser: Aleksanders Trushins, arm bar, Round 1, 3 mins 59 secs.

Fight 11 – Lee Johnson vs Will Jackson - MMA Professional fight (3 x 5 minutes)

These two look evenly matched as the fight begins, with both of them exchanging some good punches and kicks. Lee makes a move and goes for the takedown, but Will defends well. Lee makes a second attempt and after grappling in the middle of the cage, Will is finally pinned down on the floor. He tries to get back to his feet, but he gives his arm away and Lee sees the opportunity and goes for an arm bar. Will has no choice but  to tap out. The referee for this bout was Judo Jim Wallhead

Winner: Lee Johnson. Loser: Will Jackson, arm bar, Round 1, 1 mins 33 secs.

Fight 12 – Ricky Gammon vs Richard Jones - MMA Professional fight (3 x 5 minutes)

Being from Nottingham, Ricky had the crowd on his side. As the fight gets underway Richard appears to be the more aggressive fighter quickly getting in a number of well timed punches. One was timed perfectly and really shook Ricky and cut his eyebrow. Richard went in for the attack but Ricky managed to defend himself brilliantly, turned the tables and took Richard down. Neither fighter managed to get many blows in as they both struggle to maintain their positions. Before long, Ricky saw the opportunity for a rear naked choke and went for it. The referee for this bout was Judo Jim Wallhead

Winner: Ricky Gammon. Loser: Richard Jones, rear naked choke, Round 1, 2 mins 2 secs.

Fight 13 – Eddie Podolski vs Nikita Petrovs - MMA Professional fight (3 x 5 minutes)

Blink and you’ll miss this one. The fight begins with a few punches being thrown on both sides and a couple of good kicks from both fighters making contact. Eddie goes in for the attack and instantly has Nikita pinned down to the ground. Nikita tries to defend and get himself into a better position but it is too little, too late. Eddie moves in with a rear naked choke and it is only a matter of time until Nikita taps out. The referee for this bout was Judo Jim Wallhead

Winner: Eddie Podolski. Loser: Nikita Petrovs, rear naked choke, Round 1, 48 secs.

Fight 14 – Leigh Cohoon vs Jason Kubiak - MMA Professional fight (3 x 5 minutes)

Both fighters started cautiously in tonight’s final fight, which was unusual for Leigh who is known for his speed and pace. Jason accomplishes a good take down and Leigh is pinned down to the floor. Jason makes the most of his position and delivers a number of powerful upper body shots. It looks like Leigh is struggling to break free until he brilliantly turns 180 degrees and manages to pick up Jason. He drops him to the floor but it is still not enough to get him out of the triangle. After a second illegal move the ref separates the fighters and the doctor is brought into the cage. After his inspection, the doctor calls an end to the fight and Jason is declared the winner. The referee for this bout was Judo Jim Wallhead

Winner: Jason Kubiak. Loser: Leigh Cohoon, disqualification, Round 1, 4 mins 27 secs.