No Way Out

Fight 1 – Andy Crichton vs. Chris McGragh

The first fight of the evening featured two local fighters, both from Nottingham. The two looked evenly matched in terms of weight and height, and both started cautiously in an attempt to size up the other. Andy delivered a number of good kicks, but none of them really made any proper contact.

After a struggle in the middle of the cage, Andy manages to get Chris pinned down to the floor, then proceeds to get in a number of punches to the face. Chris defends himself well, and the two appear to be locked in a stalemate until Andy manages to get in the mount position. Once there, he delivers a barrage of punches to the face. Chris was eventually unable to defend himself, and the ref, Dean Amasinger (from the Ultimate Fighter series), stepped in to call an end to the fight.

Fight 2 – Simon Hull vs. Dave Latus

Dave had brought plenty of fans with him, which helped spur him on to one of the shortest fights we’ve ever seen. Within the first couple of seconds both fighters got a couple of punches in, but after only 10 seconds of the first round, Dave delivered a spectacular knockout punch that left Simon motionless on the floor and had the paramedics racing into the cage. Luckily, he was given the all-clear after the doctors checked him out. (The referee for this fight was Dean Amasinger).

Fight 3 – Marios Konstandi vs. Mo Coles

Local boy Marios has made a reputation for himself as a fighter who doesn’t hang around, and once again he lived up to his reputation. Marios started with a high kick which Mo managed to duck, and both fighters begin to exchange punches and kicks in the middle of the cage. Mo makes a couple of attempts to get Marios down on the ground which he succeeds to do on a couple of occasions.

Mo applies a leg lock that Marios manages to escape and then Marios takes control of Mo from the back, Mo’s face to the floor. Marios  then proceeds to deliver a barrage of punches to the head, which Mo is unable to defend against. The referee, Dean Amasinger, then steps in to stop the fight.

Fight 4 – Ben Rose vs. Paul Barton

Both fighters had plenty of fans in the crowd for this one. The action started straight away with Paul managing to get Ben pinned against the cage. Ben defended well and kept getting the punches in. However, Paul did exactly the same and Ben could not escape from the position he was in. Paul then proceeded to lift Ben up in order to drop him to the ground. Ben manages to resist the floor but ends up pinned against the cage once again. Paul proceeds to attack with a number of knees directed at the stomach, but Ben responds in kind and manages to force his way out of the position he was pinned in. Now Ben is on the offensive and lays into Paul with a number of well-timed punches and kicks. Paul manages to defend well once again and, for a few seconds, has Ben pinned to the ground – he makes the most of this by delivering a couple of punches to the face. Ben manages to get off the ground, but within seconds Paul has him pinned up against the cage again. After the referee, Danny Battn, separates them, both fighters keep each other at bay until the end of the round.

Round 2: As round 2 kicks off, Ben looks, for a second, like he is off balance but quickly regains his footing. The fighters keep each other at bay by exchanging punches and kicks for a while. Ben tries to get in a high kick but it leads to nothing. Ben is definitely getting a lot more punches in in this round, with Paul appearing to be a lot more defensive than he was in the first round. Ben gets in a good blow to the head and follows with a kick to the chest. Paul attempts to get his opponent down to the ground but mistimes his attack and allows Ben to get another good punch to the face. Paul fights back and manages to get Ben pinned against the cage again. However it is only for the last few seconds of the round. Ben is declared the winner by the judges’ unanimous decision.

Fight 5 – Rafikas Mamedovas vs. Brendan Loughnane

Brendan definitely had the crowd on his side as this fight got underway. Immediately Brendan was on the offensive and had his opponent pinned down within seconds. Rafikas is able to turn this around but cannot quite get him on the floor, and a few seconds later both fighters are back on their feet.

With each of them getting in a number of punches, the two look very evenly matched. For a second it looks like Rafikas has the advantage when he manages to get Brendan pinned down, but, out of nowhere Brendan delivers a lightning-fast arm bar and it is all over. (The referee for this match was Danny Battn).

Fight 6 – Benjamin Dennis vs. Craig Chesters

The crowd went wild as each fighter entered the cage. Both of them started cautiously, trying to size each other up. Craig goes in for an attack and tries to get Benjamin pinned down, but is unsuccessful. After a grapple in the middle of the cage, Ben has managed to get Craig pinned down - but before long he is able to turn it around and the two of them are back on their feet. After a number of punches and kicks from each fighter, Benjamin ends up pinned against the cage. Again, it’s only few seconds before he is able to get out of it. Back on their feet, the two of them begin exchanging punches and kicks again. Craig makes another attempt to take his opponent down, but it backfires and he ends up against the cage. A few seconds later the referee, Danny Battn, has to step in when it looks like Benjamin attempted a kick to the head whilst Craig was grounded. The two are separated for a minute before the fight continues.

Both are going for it, with each fighter delivering a number of kicks and punches. Craig seems to be the more aggressive fighter, but Benjamin does a good job keeping him at bay until he picks his moment well and delivers a high kick to his opponent’s head. The two keep trading punches and kicks until the end of the round. It looks like Benjamin has a swelling on the side of his head which the doctor is not happy about. Although Benjamin wishes to continue, the doctor will not allow the fight to go on.

Fight 7 – Peter Rejdovjan vs. Lee Johnson
 
At first, these two looked slightly mismatched. Peter was better built, but Lee had a clear height advantage. Both started the fight getting a couple of punches in. Peter initially looked like he had the advantage by almost getting Lee pinned down early on.

However, Lee managed to turn it around and, once he had Peter where he wanted him, he proceeded to deliver a barrage of punches to the head. Peter defended himself and was withstanding the punches, but it was only a matter of time until the referee, Danny Battn, stepped in.

Fight 8 – Brent Crawley vs. Lawson Tennant

Lawson goes on the offensive early on, getting a number of both high and low kicks in. After a while with the two fighters trading punches and kicks in the cage, Brent managed to pin Lawson, first to the cage and then down on the ground. Lawson was able to turn it around and, for a while, it looked like the pair were locked in a stalemate.

However, this did not last too long and, before long, Lawson started delivering the punches. Lawson takes control of Brent from the back, Brent’s face to the floor. Lawson  then proceeds to deliver a barrage of punches to the head, which Brent is unable to defend against. The referee, Danny Battn, has to step in to end the fight.

Fight 9 – Tadas Mikolaitis vs. Haydn Ward

Neither fighter wasted any time getting the punches in. Each managed to get in a number of blows to the head which made contact. Tadas managed to get the upper hand, and succeeded in bringing Haydn down. With Haydn being in Tadas’s mount, Tadas followed up with a barrage of punches to the head.

It seemed to go on forever, but Haydn was able to defend on his back and fight back, but was unable to get out of the mount. It looked like it was all over until, in an astonishing turn of events, Tadas was overcome by exhaustion. To the crowd’s disbelief, he collapsed to the floor and Haydn was declared the winner. The referee for this match was Danny Battn.

Fight 10 – Eddie Podolski vs. Ali Arish

To say that the fighters started cautiously is putting it mildly. Neither wanted to get involved or go on the offensive, and the referee had to step in and give them a warning. This seemed to spur them on initially as Eddie got Ali pinned against the cage. However, Ali was able to get out of it easily and both fighters were back in the middle of the cage. Once again, neither seemed to be willing to get involved in the fight and the crowd were not happy. Ali almost has Eddie pinned against the fence, but he acts quickly and the two are left grappling in the middle of the cage. Eddie goes for a high kick but Ali skilfully ducks it and uses this as a chance to take his opponent down. Ali proceeds to deliver a number of punches to the head and chest, but Eddie is able to defend until the end of the round.

Round 2 begins and, at the start, it looks like more of the same – both fighters are very hesitant and again the referee has to warn them. Ali makes an attempt to take Eddie down, but he quickly gets out of it. Ali tries a number of times to take down his opponent and eventually succeeds, but only for a few seconds before the end of the round.

As round 3 begins, both fighters are looking tired. Once again, Ali leads the attacking and gets Eddie pinned up against the cage, but Eddie manages to get out of it in seconds. Eddie follows this by getting a number of punches to the head. Ali tries a number of times to get Eddie down on the floor, but Eddie will not give him the chance. Ali does take him down eventually, but only for the last couple of seconds before the end of the fight. The referee for this match was Danny Battn.
Eddie Podolski is declared the winner by the judges’ unanimous decision.

Fight 11 – Ashley Smith vs. Martin Stapleton

Both fighters started the round with a number of kicks to the head. Martin followed this with a number of good punches to the head, but Ashley was quick to respond in kind, with the two of them appearing to be very evenly matched. Martin is attacking more than Ashley, but not all of his blows are connecting. Martin manages to get Ashley pinned against the side of the cage but Ashley is quick to escape. After exchanging a few punches and kicks in the middle of the cage, Martin gets a number of good blows in and follows this by once again getting Ashley pinned up against the cage for the last few seconds of the round.

Round 2 begins and Martin wastes no time getting a good punch in. Ashley responds with a kick to the head. The two of them still seem pretty evenly matched, although Martin seems to be dictating the fight. Following a grapple, Ashley is spun into the side of the cage for a second but quite literally bounces back. So far in this round, Ashley seems unable to do any real attacking – although he keeps trying, none of his efforts are really making a difference.

Round 3 is more of the same. Martin continues to dominate the fight and, despite numerous attempts, Ashley cannot make any headway. At the end of round 3, Martin is declared the winner by the judges’ unanimous decision and takes home the Clash of Warriors Lightweight British title belt. The referee for this match was Danny Battn.

Fight 12 – Neil Huntley vs. Leigh Cohoon

The crowd were cheering for Leigh Cohoon before the fighters had even stepped into the main room. Early on in the first round, Neil loses his footing and Leigh responds with lightning speed in order to get the advantage. He manages to get Neil pinned up against the side of the cage, then forces him down to the ground. Neil refuses to be taken down easily, and manages to get a number of punches to Leigh’s head.

Before long, Leigh manages to take Neil’s back and brings the fight to a quick end with a rear naked choke. The referee was for this fight was Danny Battn.

Fight 13 – Marius Buzinskas vs. Jim Wallhead

As soon as the fight started, both fighters immediately started to trade punches and kicks. Jim saw an opportunity and took his opponent down to the floor. He then delivered a barrage of punches to Marius’s head and Marius turned his back to escape and avoid further punishment.

Jim immediately went to Marius’s back to prevent him from escaping and then managed to control him and continue with the punches to the head. Jim then saw the opportunity and went for a rear naked choke - and it was all over and Jimmy took home the Clash of Warriors Welterweight World title belt. The referee was for this fight was Danny Battn.