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Wrap-Up
November 13, 2004 South Parade Pier Portsmouth, Hampshire, UK FCFN - No frills, No bling and No bull
How time flies…nearly seven months since the first FCFN event have past when this “small” show made its debut in the confided surroundings of the Southsea pier in Portsmouth, when two local respected UK MMA figures in Darrin Richardson and Grant Waterman decided to try their hand in promoting a show.
They took the ultimate risk in having no backers and put their own money and liveyhoods on the line to promote their show. In an industry where a profit is quite often a pipedream, this was a huge gamble however. But with an all-Brazilian superfight as their first main event that fell into their laps and a series of hard working honest match-up, the reputation of FCFN as a show with a tagline of “no frills, no bling and no bull” was born.
Unlike other shows, there is nothing phoney about this event, the promoters know its not going to be a “big” event, they don’t pretend to act like it is either. They don’t lock themselves away from the MMA community like some others do. Instead, they are open and honest and run a show in which other promotions and gyms are able to promote themselves and their fighters in a sometimes frenzied but fun atmosphere in which some “bigger” events could only dream about.
This reputation was confirmed after their second show in August in which more heroes were found and another big crowd was drawn which left fans and fighters alike talking about how good the show was on UK forums for weeks.
Well, now it was time for their third show which unfortunately lost its original main event with a week to go, but still promised a solid night of action, and with nearly all the tickets being sold out prior to the show, it promised to be another wild night of drama by the sea.
There was a slight delay to the event due to the audience not showing up on time and I know that many who travelled from London were held up due to traffic, however after a 30 minute delay, the action commenced with MC for the night, the venerable Mr. Andy Geer (Cage Rage Co-Promoter) entering the ring and starting the show.
Fight 1 Ryan O’Sullaven vs. Christian Walker – Amateur MMA The brother of the highly rated Carla O’Sullaven was up first; however Walker soon dominated the fight on the ground and wrapped up a win in under two minutes by an armbar. O’Sullaven fought hard to stop the submission and by no means embarrassed himself in the ring, but may have been put in there a little too early. Winner - Christian Walker via submission (armbar) round 1.
Fight 2 Daniel Mavahedi vs. Craig Copland – Kickboxing FCFN 1 vet Craig Copland was back after he was unable to find an opponent last time out. His opponent was Daniel Mavahedi from the Elite fighting system gym in South London. The initial staredown set the scene for the rest of the fight as both men were clearly ready to throwdown and within the first few seconds Copland thundered in and caught Mavahedi with a left hook that floored him. Mavahedi beat the count and carried on as a see saw battle commend with both men charging in and exchanging shots for the rest of the round. Round 2 saw a break for an accidental low blow but both men continued the scrappy but high tempo affair which the masses enjoyed with neither man really getting the advantage.
However, round three saw Copland back in full attack mode walking in a straight line with his head down as he pummelled the London based fighter who in turn tried to subdue Copland’s relentless pressure without any luck. The fight eventually went to the judges after 3 tough rounds and they gave it to Copland via a unanimous decision.
Although this was an exciting fight to watch in some respects, in others it was a sloppy fight and I feel really Copland should now step-up and fight in the new UK1 discipline which has become a trademark feature of FCFN shows. Hopefully with the rumours of an all UK1 card happening in 2005 this will (and should) happen Winner – Craig Copland via unanimous judges decision Round 3.
Fight 3 Dan Lloyd vs. Matt “12 Gauge” Thorpe – UK1 rules Matt Thorpe from the Northern Cartel made his UK1 debut against Dan Lloyd. Thorpe looked lean, toned and had a sizeable height advantage going into this contest and started off the brighter with a display that mimicked that of his team mate Dave “B-52” Butlin at FCFN 2.
Thorpe rocked his opponent with some powerful rangy strikes that he seemingly threw like torpedoes that hurt Lloyd and caused referee Mark Woodard to give Lloyd a standing 8 count. However the tide turned momentarily as the ever-confident Thorpe dropped his arms and was caught with a sweet left hook, which wobbled his legs as the crowd, watched on. Somehow Thorpe held on and recovered enough to be back in control of the fight by the end of the round.
Round 2 saw Thorpe using his reach to keep his opponent away before the rangy fighter from Manchester caught Lloyd with a straight left right combo which weakened Lloyd and which set up the finish when Thorpe connected with 2 knees to the body and a towering left which knocked out the brave Lloyd in 1.20 of round 2.
An impressive win for the talented Thorpe who despite being inexperienced in this UK1 style, looked very technical and showed some of the qualities that earned him a lot of plaudits at the start of the year with this impressive performance. Speaking to his teammate Ian Butlin a few days after the fight, he told me that he and his brother Dave Butlin had worked with Matt in some heavy sessions in the lead up to the fight. And in my opinion it showed as Thorpe dominated his opponent with rangy punches and neat combos which was a change from the normal high tempo bulldog style that this new UK1 style of fighting sometimes attracts. Winner – Matt “12 gauge” Thorpe via knockout 1.20, round 2
Fight 4 Stuart Ayers vs. Lee Curtis – Amateur MMA This fight was initially delayed as Ayers came out wearing traditional boxing gloves in a moment that had sentimental hardcore fans hoping for a “throwback” fight to the days of UFC 1. However Ayers was given some MMA gloves (to the disappointment of a few fans at ringside) but they were treated to a UFC 1 style fight. As the contest had a wild and crappy start in which the 2 time FCFN vet Lee Curtis took down his opponent and gained full mount and pounded down on his opponent. However Ayers showed that despite the embarrassing start he was no Art Jimmerson and swept to top position and even stuck his away out of a submission attempt by the Cage Gym fighter.
The fighters then returned to their feet before Curtis scored with another takedown and scrappily went for an armbar and despite a desperate struggle from Ayers, Curtis was able to sit up and turn onto his belly for a face down armbar submission finish after 2.48 of round 1. Winner – Lee Curtis via submission (armbar) at 2.48 of round 1.
Fight 5 Aaron Blackwell vs. Jason Clarke – Semi Pro MMA Aaron Blackwell from the Ronin Vale Tudo club came to FCFN as a last minute replacement for the injured FCFN star Jordan Miller (who had an ankle injury) Although Blackwell has a 1-3 pro record he has mixed it in some top professional shows such as Extreme Brawl, European Vale Tudo and the now defunct Ultimate Combat. Unfortunately this meant he was far too experienced for his younger opponent making his FCFN debut. To his credit Clarke decided to take on the match when many others would have refused and he put up a brave fight against Blackwell who quickly ran to his opponent and took him down from a clinch. He quickly passed into full mount and despite frantic efforts from Clarke to sit up, Blackwell rained down blows on him for 20 seconds and although they were not accurate it was enough to make referee Mark Woodard stop the fight after 1.27 of round 1.
His corner consoled a dejected Clarke but he has surely earned another shot at an FCFN show by taking on Blackwell at such late notice. Blackwell, on the other hand also benefited from a good workout and will now surely be wanting to re-establish himself in the UK MMA Pro ranks after being thrown to the lions himself over the last year or so. Winner - Aaron Blackwell via ref stoppage (strike from mount) 1.27 round 1.
Fight 6 Jack McGee vs. Rodrigo Araujo – Semi Pro MMA (Middleweight) Next up was the first of the 3 fighters from Sol Gilbert’s ZT Fight Skool. Gilbert is one of the top Middleweights in the UK scene and anticipation was high. His opponent was Rodrigo, a Purple belt in BJJ (from Alex De Souza, who is famous for competing in an epic 30 minute draw with fellow Brazilian Roberto Atalla at FCFN 1). The local support had come out in favour for Rodrigo as there was a big cheer during his entrance and a bigger cheer at the start when he ran and executed a near perfect hip throw takedown and landed next to McGee’s corner. Rodrigo looked to strike down on his opponent from side position, however he landed illegal elbow strikes to his downed opponent, and in FCFN semi pro rules this is illegal. This unfortunately caused a moment of madness as an incensed Sol Gilbert who was cornering McGee came into the ring towards Rodrigo and the referee. De Souza ran into the ring and for an awful moment Gilbert clocked back his arm and looked to strike the oncoming Brazilian, who seemed to try to defuse this situation.
Luckily for all concerned the situation was resolved and the action was restarted with Rodrigo again taking his opponent down with a hip throw and although McGee manage to recover and get back on his feet again, the action soon went back to the floor where despite a brief struggle from McGee, Rodrigo found himself in guard and looked for a triangle, before he finally caught Mcgee with a kimura for the submission, which ended a bout that was full of excitement, intrigue and controversy in which both men (who made their debut) deserve credit. Winner Rodigo Araujo via submission (Kimura) – Round 1
Fight 7 Neil North vs. John O’Mally – Semi Pro MMA - Welterweight John O’Mally from the Northern Cartel made his 2nd successive FCFN appearance after winning in under a minute at FCFN 2 via a tap out from strikes. His opponent this time round was Neil North, second fighter of the night from the ZT Fight Skool in Brighton. North showed some of the power that made his mentor Sol Gilbert famous by Flooring “Gypsy John” with a solid left and took side position as the action went to the floor. Then in an ironic twist North is deducted a point for landing an illegal elbow which Sol Gilbert momentarily protested.
From the restart North continued to take the upper hand via a leg trip takedown and worked efficiently from half to full mount where he pounded away at O’Mally and opened up a cut. The referee stopped the fight to look at the cut before restarting it in the same position. However O’Mally was saved by the bell just after the restart in what was a dominant round for the young ZT Fight Skool star.
Round 2 started with both men swinging however North landed the crisper shots and got a takedown in the corner where the referee stopped the action again to check on the cut before the action was restarted in the same position with North striking down on O’Mally. O’Mally tried to escape this perilous position in a brave effort but North eventually ¾ mounts O’Mally and finally rained down heavy blows again for the win by referee stoppage at 2.41 rd 2.
All in all it was an impressive display by Neil North against the rugged and tough northern striker as O‘Mally showed a tremendous amount of heart and kept going when he was being outworked both on his feet and on the floor when many others would have quid, and I’m sure he will be invited back again. Winner - Neil North via Ref Stoppage (strikes) 2.41 Round 2.
Fight 8 Nigel Ford vs. John Gisbey – UK1 rules Both fighters were announced as hailing from the Phoenix gym as John Gisbey stepped in on the day to take on Nigel Ford after FCFN favourite Paul “Clarkey” Clarke pulled out injured.
After a slow start Ford opened his account with a right cross and his opponent received a count in a round which had both men stalk each other without any real action apart from the initial contact. Round 2 saw Ford charge in and have Gisbey trapped on ropes where he received a standing 8 count.
Round 3 saw Gisbey down on points and decided to throw some wild haymakers, however with both fighters hitting the bottom of their fuel tank, Gisbey is caught with a wild punch which stunned him and Ford continued in and forced the stoppage after 1.18 of round 3. Winner - Nigel Ford via TKO/Ref stoppage 1.18 round 3.
Fight 9 Phil “Billy” Harris vs. Chris Freeborne – Pro MMA Rules The first of the 3 Pro MMA fights of the night saw a noticeable increase in skill as 2 local grapplers clashed in a style vs. style affair as the judoka Phil “Billy” Harris took on Chris Freeborne who fought for the fourth time on a FCFN card. Grant Waterman took over the refereeing duties as both men stalked each other and traded lightly. Following 2 takedowns in which neither man had an advantage.
However it was third time lucky for Freeborne who used his reach to good effect who quickly looked for a triangle against Harris as the fight went to the floor. Freeborne looked for an armbar from guard however Harris who weighed in at just 60kg’s managed to work out and escape. Although the action was stood up, both men went back to the floor where Harris quickly gained the advantage and wins by an armbar from guard in a short but technical fight in which the skill level was increased by 200% to which Freeborne’s face showed a lot of frustration and annoyance.
Talking to Andy Foreman (who is Harris’s trainer) after the fight, he said that Harris will be one to watch in the new bantamweight division in 2005.
Fight 10 Adam Kelly vs. Atilla Kubilay – Pro MMA In what was the most action packed fight of the night. Two MMA newcomers squared off in yet another fight that got the whole Southsea pier going crazy as Atilla from London’s Elite Fighting System took on Adam Kelly who was the third and final ZT Fight Skool member in action on the night. You could feel the tension as Atilla’s fans to my left were standing on chairs and standing over other each other in anticipation.
The fight started in earnest with Atilla attempting a pick up and slam which mounted to nothing and followed it up with a leg trip take down once the fighter were back on there feet. Atilla ended up on his back as Kelly got full mount and started to ground and pound on his opponent however Atilla swept out of it and went on the attack causes Kelly to turtle up before Atilla turned into him onto his back and gained side position. The crowd were going crazy as Kelly got back into guard, as Dave O’Donnell pleaded with the crowd to settle down as they chant “Atilla, Atilla, Atilla” which awaked memories of intense FCFN’s matches in the past. A ground battle looked too occur before Grant Waterman stood both men up as Atilla tried in vain to improve his position.
From the stand up Atilla sprung into an all out attack mode and ran in like a steam train and although Kelly found himself on his back defending blows, Atilla overstretched and made the fatal mistake of overdoing it and was caught in a guillotine counter and was grateful to hear the end of the round.
Dave O’Donnell tried to calm down Atilla’s supporters as Turkish flags were waved to my left in support of the Elite fighter. The second round started with Atilla getting the better of the early stand-up dodging Kelly’s strikes as he stalked Kelly around the ring. The crowd continued their chant as Atilla went for another slam but ends up ultimately with Kelly on top, landing a left-right-left combo however Atilla manages to ride it out.
As both men return to their feet Atilla floored Kelly with a leg kick; however Kelly recovers on the floor and went for a heel hook whilst Atilla was standing, however the powerful stocky fighter was able to power out of it. As the tempo increases at the end of round 2 in true FCFN style as this small venue is jumping with both sets of supporters urging their man on and it seems that the venue is in danger of falling into the sea with the ruckus going on inside it.
Round 3 saw Atilla having the early advantage on the stand up and circling Kelly and landing the odd leg kick in the process before Atilla landed another big pick up and slam which send the crowd to my left in an absolute frenzy, before both men were stood up as Kelly showed some good defensive and recovery skills to prevent Atilla from making a dent on the floor.
However Atilla soon scores again with another takedown as both men show signs of fatigue and as both men land on their back, Kelly takes the advantage by obtaining full mount and throwing down some strikes as both men look extremely gassed and battered. Kelly continues with the ground and pound which marks Atilla’s face and looked to close in on a stoppage win as Atilla weakened he tried to sit-up and blocks it, however Kelly breaks his grip and continues his ground and pound attack. Dave O’Donnell holds the towel in his hand and looked to throw it in as Kelly pounded down with weaker strikes as his own gas tank hit empty. Atilla ‘s other second Steve Cooper looked to catch the towel as Atilla ‘s supporters urged him on as Grant Waterman stood next to the action and although Kelly did have full mount for some time, his strikes were very weak and Atilla survives to hear the end of the round in another epic FCFN contest.
Some in the ZT fight Skool camp are arguing about this result along with others on the UK forums; however I felt that although Kelly finished the stronger, Atilla probably did enough to seal the win earlier on the fight. However 1 issue still needs to be cleared up and that is the lack of crowd control at MMA Events, we have seen this happen numerous times this year, most noticeably at the last Extreme Brawl when over-excitable fans stopped the main event on three separate occasions. In a small intense venue like the Southsea pier this may prove difficult.
However this was another exciting contest, which may not have been a technical masterpiece but was certainly not a fight that anyone would want to miss, and I’m sure we will be hearing from both fighters in the near future. Winner - Atilla Kurbilay via Judges Decision – Round 3
Fight 11 Main Event – Danny Fletcher vs. Paul Jenkins – Pro MMA (Welterweight) Main Event time at the Southsea Pier saw Londoner Danny Fletcher (2-0-1) from the Peacock gym take on the Cage Rage Welterweight Champion and UK legend that is Paul “Hands of Stone” Jenkins. (24-19-3). This was Jenkins’ 15th (yes 15th) fight of the year, however Jenkins was coming off 4 straight losses and was no doubt keen to stop it from going 0-5. However Jenkins was his usually jovial self as he walked to the ring wearing a penis shaped hat, and you may have been forgiven for thinking that this may have been another jokey Jenkins performance….but you would have been very wrong.
Although not a “home” fighter the crowd were firmly behind the veteran and Jenkins started off by trading with the dangerous Fletcher who was due to fight Jenkins in September for the Cage Rage Title but pulled out due to last minute problems. However tonight Jenkins was in another league as he launched unorthodox leg kicks which floored Fletcher on the counter as Fletcher got up a pumped and focused Jenkins attempted a flying guillotine that he initially had and cranked before Fletcher got out of it and returned to a standing base. Jenkins then released some stiff body shots (which he has used to beat Jean Silva at Ground and Pound 2 a few years back and more recently led him to two wins over Ronaldo Campos at Extreme Brawl and Cage Rage 7 respectively.
As the crowd chanted his name Jenkins continued his furious onslaught as he dominated Fletcher and floored him with a right hook and as Fletcher crouched over by the ropes in pain and as Jenkins walked in to finish the job, referee Grant Waterman stopped the action as Fletcher looked as if he was unable to intelligently defend himself a stop to the action mid way through round 1.
This was Jenkins best performance for a long time, I’ve personally seen 16 of Jenkins’ MMA fights and this was probably the best I’ve seen apart from his narrow defeat by the world class BJJ black belt Fabricio Nascimento nearly a year ago. I have not seen Jenkins both so focused and so dangerous, and this performance will leave many wondering why Jenkins does not do this on a regular basis. After the fight Fletcher was fine but I feel he was shocked by the ferocity of Jenkins’s attack and did not prepare for these strikes.
Jenkins now faces the flashy American BJJ stylist Gerald “The Finishing Machine” Strebendt at Cage Rage 9 on the 27th November, and if Jenkins can repeat this performance in London then the Eddie Bravo Protégé could have a very long night against a focused and determined Jenkins.
Final Thoughts It no secret that I like FCFN and the promotion team behind it. They do a good job looking after the fighters, by offering them food after the weigh-in in a local club which is a good meeting hub for fans and fighters alike. The promotion team sort out hotels for the fighters and treat them with great respect. The venue is also one of the most intense places I have been to and is packed with fans that really appreciate the action. As I mentioned several times this year in a sport that is filled with “niches” that can sometimes isolate the “hardcore” fan it is refreshing to see an event that have identified their niche but can offer the hardcore/technical fan a wide range of match-ups instead of pandering exclusively to their niche which can devalue the overall product.
FCFN has also implemented other good ideas and are not afraid to have a card of amateur and semi pro guys alongside professional MMA and UK1 fighters. These UK1 fights are also a positive addition to the FCFN line-up as it has so much potential and with rumours of an UK1 card in 2005 I believe the future is bright.
I had a fantastic night out in Portsmouth, as the south coast’s premier MMA event continues to go from strength to strength in what has been one of UK MMA’s unexpected success stories of 2004
Press Release from Grant Waterman & FCFN with a little editing from us (color, highlights, etc...)
(11/24/04)
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