Sunday 31 May 2009

FIGHT! Goldrush Results & Recap

A capacity crowd of 10,000 packed the Rabobank Arena in Bakersfield tonight as FIGHT! rolled in to town looking to crown its first ever champion. Knockout artist Dane Kinsley was set to face Japanese wrestler Chizuko Kowashi for the Middleweight gold in a highly anticipated match. The debut of Stephen Greer had also helped the buzz for the show with equal amounts of fans hoping to see him succeed or fail.

Nosebleed tickets were available on the door, but all ringside seats had sold out more than a fortnight ago. Jake Morgan, FIGHT! Chairman was said to be delighted with the turnout and the media coverage leading up to the event.

The first bout of the evening would pit lightweights Rahm Petersen against Del Canada in what should have proved to be a submissions master class. Canada would be making his return to action after nearly a year of inactivity looking to prove that he is still one of the top lightweights in the world. Petersen was coming off of a surprise decision victory over the exciting striker Aramis Vasquez in his debut fight.

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DEL CANADA
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“I haven’t been in circulation in almost a year, and the last time I was in the cage… I got knocked out. But, in my time of solitude- I’ve grown as a man, and also as a fighter.”

“I’ve heard my opponent talking some good jive, apparently to him I’m not “known”. But yet, in 2006 AND 2007 I was considered one of the best Jui Jitsu practitioners in the world. I’ve won an Abu Dhabi, I’ve won submission fighting competitions… they’re nothing compared to MMA. Rahm may think he’s tough s**t because he has been in a few jui jitsu tournaments, but he needs to step into reality.”

“I’m coming for his throat. Plain and simple. You all will see a new Del Canada tonight.”
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RAHM PETERSEN
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“Is there any doubt what’s about to happen? You have two guys who are into Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, one of them comes from the upper echelon of the tournament circuit, and one who’s BJJ hasn’t proved exceptionally effective in MMA. I hope Del Canada took the time to learn a few things about me before this fight, otherwise this will be excessively simple.”

“Maybe I didn’t finish my FIGHT! debut, but today will be a different story. Unless Del Canada is totally uninterested in engaging me in a ground fight, I am taking his arm back to Milwaukee with me.”
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Canada looked the most eager to get the fight started as the bell sounded and launched himself into a nice high kick which could have proved decisive had Petersen not rolled with it. The less experienced Petersen definitely seemed hesitant to engage but the fight exploded into life after Del Canada mistimed a hook and found himself scooped up and then driven down to the mat. This is where the game of cat and mouse began with Rahm Petersen proving to be the more effective grappler. Petersen played it safe and found himself neutralised in the guard of Canada and that is how things remained until Canada found his way up to his feet with barely twenty seconds remaining. Despite stuffing a further takedown attempt, Canada soon found himself spiked back to the mat to bring the round to a close.

Not the most exciting fight so far, even for BJJ fans. Canada looked to get the second round off with more of a bang but his attempts to clinch only found himself dumped down onto his back and straight into full mount. Despite an armbar attempt, Canada remained calm and worked his way back to guard. Petersen worked gamely for position without inflicting damage for much of the round as the crowd grew restless. It took an enforced standup to get things flowing again as Canada swung out a high kick but ‘Hustle’ was ghost-like. In the same pattern as round one, Petersen finished on top after closing the distance and bringing Canada down with an impressive suplex.

Round 3 began with an exchange of strikes but soon fell into the familiar pattern as Petersen landed a trip and fell down into half guard. The story of the fight was Canada being unable to prevent the takedown and Petersen’s reluctance to exploit his advantage. A minute passed before Canada landed a hard blow to the body from his back which opened things up for a triangle. Just as it seemed that Petersen was perilously close to tapping, he managed to hoist Canada up and slam him back down to break the grip. The final minutes passed, slowly, with Canada on his back switching between full and rubber guard as Petersen seemed content to control the action. Suffice to say, as the final bell sounded neither fighter had endeared themselves to the crowd.

The judges have it:

30-27 Petersen
29-28 Petersen

And...


29-28 Petersen!

Rahm Petersen wins by unanimous decision after a relatively comfortable fifteen minutes of action. Canada, although he proved that his Jiu-Jitsu was up to standard, found he had no answer for the takedowns of Petersen in a fight that was fought 80% of the time on the mat.

Hopefully, the second fight of the evening would prove to be more entertaining as highly regarded middleweight Jason Mercer took on the erratic wrestler, William ‘The Wookie’ Wilson.

Mercer was the strong favourite heading into the fight, but the caveman-esque Wilson, with his long, frizzy black hair and bushy eyebrows was looking super-hyped as the pair eyed eachother from opposite sides of the Octagon. This would be the biggest fight of Wilson’s career, and a chance for Mercer to bounce back from a disappointing decision loss to Jeremy Brown last time around. Wilson would be sure to keep a frenetic pace, as long as his conditioning would allow for it.

True to form, Wilson started the first round explosively by hoisting Mercer off of his feet and landing in full mount. Swinging wildly, Wilson began to land some hard punches which had the fans up off of their feet with barely a minute gone. Somehow ‘No Mercy’ survived and worked his way back to open guard. Wilson got over-eager in sensing the biggest ‘W’ of his career and soon found himself on his back after a sharp sweep from Mercer who began to target the midsection of his ‘soft’ looking opponent. Halfway through the round, the fighters were stood up but it didn’t take long for Wilson to drag Mercer to the ground again with a brutal slam, but the momentum saw Mercer flow through and end up on top where he continued to target the body. ‘The Wookie’ defended gamely before taking some stiff hammer blows to the face as the round came to a close. A tough one to call, perhaps the control Mercer exerted for the second half of the round might swing it his way, but the real damage was done very early on.

Round two began with a couple of stuffed Mercer takedowns before a flamboyant ‘Wookie’ Judo Toss fails to connect and Mercer takes things downwards from the resulting clinch. Mercer couldn’t deliver any telling blows though as ‘The Wookie’ covered up effectively, even landing some hard looking shots off of his back. Again the pair were stood up, but again things hit the ground quickly as William Wilson took control and quickly passed to side control. A big leaping right hand from Wilson rocked Mercer, causing his eye to swell instantly. Wilson found his second wind and began to flail with big lefts and rights which leave him open to a Triangle attempt from Mercer, but it didn’t stick and Wilson served out the final minute of the round in control.

Coming in to the third, you could argue that it’s one round a piece with both fighters needing to close things out positively. Wilson’s wild style had earned him the support of the crowd but he was breathing heavily. He sucks it up though and starts the round as he has the previous two, on the offensive. Mercer is bullied from one side of the Octagon to the other with a relentless series of punches which cause a cut underneath his left eye. Mercer instinctively looks for a double leg, but Wilson stuffs it and sends Mercer for a ride. Mercer is on dream street and ‘The Wookie’ passes into full mount with ease before delivering a flurry of punches. Mercer covers up, but Wilson switches levels and lands a hard body shot. Mercer was hanging on but it was looking increasingly likely that he was going to slip to 0-2 as Wilson landed a hard shot to the head. By now, Wilson had the fans chanting his name.

Wilson nearly had the fight finished with a barrage of punches, by now, Mercer had taken more strikes than a bowling alley. Hard elbows began to rain down before another hard body shot rattled Mercer. By the third minute of the round, Mercer had nothing left. The cumulative damage had been too much and as ‘The Wookie’ continued his assault the referee had no choice but to stop the fight.

- William Wilson wins by TKO! [3:56 RD 3]

A dejected Mercer quickly left the Octagon as ‘The Wookie’ played to the crowd before our first Middleweight bout of the evening got underway. Jeremy ‘The Sensation’ Brown was looking to bounce back from his defeat to Dane Kinsley and put on a Muay Thai clinic against Canadian grappler Damian Cruise who seems determined to fight at 185lbs, despite coming to the Octagon at closer to 170lbs.

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JEREMY BROWN
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"So my first fight here didn't go so hot. This is a much better match-up, if you ask me. Sure, Damian's tough, good on the ground, whatever. I personally don't think he's any match for my standup.

"On the ground, I'll just do whatever I can to get out, get up, and pound him some more!"
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The prospect of falling to 0-2 would have been driving both men as the bell sounded to start the fight. Despite losing his FIGHT! debut, Jeremy Brown was the fan favourite here. His devastating Muay Thai makes for exciting fights and he immediately worked the clinch landing three telling knees to the body. Cruise looked to take down his opponent, but Brown showed good balance in remaining standing and followed up by blocking a Judo throw. If Cruise can’t take Brown down, this fight may be over very quickly. At the two minute mark, Cruise gets his reward for persistence with a beautiful Uchi-mata throw. Cruise looked to take advantage with a loose armbar attempt but only served in getting his face pelted. After a couple of hammer blows, ‘The Sensation’ is able to push Cruise away and get back to his feet. Cruise came in for another takedown, buoyed by his earlier success but Brown delivered some BRUTAL knees to the head. Noone can quite believe that Cruise is still awake after those, a further punishing knee to the body had Cruise in trouble but time was against Brown who couldn’t finish things quickly enough.

Brown looked confident as he came out for the second round. He had been making Cruise pay for every takedown attempt and more of the same was due to follow as he caught Cruise with a knee to the head early on. Cruise was struggling to impose his will and couldn’t find the takedown. Brown caught him in a clinch and began to unload frightening uppercuts leaving Cruise’s nose bleeding. Cruise needed to change his gameplan, but he continued to come forward looking for the takedown absorbing huge knees to the head and body. An absolute Muay Thai clinic from Brown.

Cruise went down just after three minutes of punishment from a knee to the head. Brown stayed on his feet and landed a vicious soccer kick to the head. Cruise’s eye was looking in a bad way by now. Brown stayed on his feet and peppered the legs of Cruise, further disabling his ability to score a takedown before scoring with another soccer kick. Cruise looked deflated and a hard stomp won’t help. By now, both eyes of Cruise had been messed up and he struggled to defend himself as Brown began to stomp at the body. The referee allowed Cruise back to his feet, but in truth that was probably the last place he’d want to be as Brown worked the clinch and delivered yet more knees to the head and body. As they broke, a swatting liver kick echoed around the arena. Somehow, Cruise had made it to the third round, but that had to be close to a 10-8 round such was the domination and punishment shown by Jeremy Brown.

Cruise came out gamely for the third and was met by a high kick from brown. Clearly Jeremy Brown is out to make a point, he wants this fight and he wants to send a message to Dane Kinsley. For the first time in MMA history, someone was bleeding from the chin, and it wasn’t Jeremy Brown as he landed a devastating knee to Damian Cruise. Somehow, Cruise remained on his feet and looked for a desperate Judo toss but once again, Brown stays on his feet and makes his battered opponent pay with knees from the clinch. That sequence opened a nasty cut across the left eye of Cruise and blood began pouring down his face and chest. Brown tagged him with a kick to the ribs before sucking him in and landing another knee to the chin. Cruise staggered back, his face a bloodied mask of red. Before any further damage can be inflicted, the referee calls an end to the match citing the gaping wound as the reason. Damian Cruise simply couldn’t see anything out of his swollen, bloodied left eye

- Jeremy Brown wins due to injury!

The pair exchanged a handshake and raised one another’s arms in recognition of their efforts. The fight was won in the clinch where Brown landed 62% of his strikes. Cruise was made to regret every takedown attempt he mustered and, in the end, the stoppage through injury may have been a blessing in disguise for the Canadian.

Next up was a much anticipated Welterweight bout between newcomer Julius Rembrandt and Kyle McIntosh. These two had done a good job hyping the fight, Rembrandt in particular is no stranger to getting under the skin of his opponents. McIntosh is coming off of a strong decision victory over Jason Mercer but was looking to finish this match in a more decisive manner. Both fighters like to stand and trade, so this fight promised much in the way of excitement.

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KYLE McINTOSH
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“Once again, Jake Morgan and the boys at FIGHT! are feeding me to the wolves. Last month I had to go a whole three rounds with a rigged and ready Jason Mercer, and I lived to tell the story. Without even a week to bask in the splendor of the win, I’m informed of my next big match. They tell me I’m fighting a "notorious" welterweight from Chicago named Julius Rembrandt. The first thing I did was laugh and ask if that is his real name?”

“No, in all seriousness… I actually heard of the guy, and knew a fight with him was serious shit. I immediately went straight back to Milwaukee to prepare for the match. Luckily, I wasn’t really that hurt from the Mercer match. I feel great now and I’m excited to fight. I really want to finish somebody this time, but Julius Rembrandt takes pride in never being finished or submitted, and is quite adept at making excuses for his previous losses. I aim to change this immediately. Julius Rembrandt will be screaming like a little girl by the time I am finished with him that‘s for sure. What excuse he makes for it.. I am not so sure.”
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The first round began with a touch of the gloves, but it wasn’t long before Rembrandt was swinging his in anger. McIntosh landed some nice counter punches before Rembrandt started to keep him at bay with a solid jab. Rembrandt has deadly power in his hands, and he likes nothing more than to put it to use. The first couple of minutes passed quickly with neither fighter connecting. They continued to feel one another out before Rembrandt connected with a hook. McIntosh was looking to initiate a clinch and connected with some knees to the body. The fight came alive three minutes in as Rembrandt came forward with a middle kick which caused McIntosh to put his arm in the way. An unorthodox punch to the body from Rembrandt set up a huge right hand which sent McIntosh down to the ground. After a few kicks, Rembrandt went to the ground to try and finish the fight and with a minute remaining he began to unload with strikes. McIntosh tried to cover up but he couldn’t stop the barrage. Punches, elbows and more bloodied up the face of McIntosh who just about made it to the end of the round.

With a minutes rest, McIntosh looked fresher, but his striking simply wasn’t matching up to that of Julius Rembrandt who was working the jab effectively. McIntosh managed to land a few knees to the thighs from the clinch but soon found himself hitting the mat for a second time as Rembrandt connected with a solid combination. McIntosh recovered quickly, and surprisingly Rembrandt wasn’t able to finish the fight as he dropped into the guard and the pair were soon stood up with half the round remaining. McIntosh needs to find a way to work his BJJ as Rembrandt looked a cut above on the feet.

Rembrandt landed a huge straight right at the three minute mark opening up McIntosh for a hard body kick which hurt him. Rembrandt connects with a kick to the thigh and McIntosh goes down for a third time – it was the body shot which did the damage though – Rembrandt looked to finish with a hard body stomp and some kicks to the leg but he couldn’t find an opening to land the killer blow and McIntosh was quickly back to his feet. McIntosh was looking to just see out the round when Rembrandt connected with a big right hand. ‘Stretch’ hit the ground hard, his arms were stiff by his side. He was out, fight over!

- Julius Rembrandt wins by KO! [4:43 RD2]

Rembrandt lived up to his billing as a dangerous striker, landing 80% of his punches. Kyle McIntosh, despite showing tremendous heart simply couldn’t cope with the explosive, unorthodox strikes of his opponent in what he will see as a disappointing setback after an impressive first outing in FIGHT!

A highly anticipated Heavyweight bout was up next as USA met Mongolia. Stephen Greer, who is familiar to a huge audience through his exposure in professional wrestling would make his FIGHT! debut against Jamtsanglin Daisetin, a powerful wrestler from Mongolia. Greer went 3-2 in FURYPRO several years ago so shouldn’t be overlooked.

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STEPHEN GREER
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"I can't wait to get in there and send this guy home in a bodybag. It's been a long time since I stepped into that cage and believe me, I'm here to prove a point. This is the first step toward claiming my spot at the top of the Heavyweight heap and the eventual rematch with Vyacheslav. If Daisetin thinks he's going to come in and gorilla f[expletive]k me into the ground with boring bearhug bulls[expletive]t, he's got a long night ahead of him."

"It's going to end quick and it's going to end viciously. I'm going to take his head off and toss it into the crowd. Prepare to get knocked out!"
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JAMTSANGIIN DAISETIN
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[Jamtsangiin Daisetin appears before a fight logo wearing traditional Mongolian garb. As he speaks, a translator voices over what he has to say.]

“I am very pleased to be here competing in FIGHT! It is the culmination of a lifetime of sporting competition. I have spent my life mastering the three manly skills of Mongolian culture.. archery, horsemanship, and most of all wrestling. In Mongolian wrestling, I have already won eight championships and in time the competition had grown stale. I desired a more aggressive form of combat.”

“Mixed Martial Arts was my destiny, and my path led me here to FIGHT! My first rival is Stephen Greer, a showman who decides to compete with real fighters. I myself intend to put on a show for the fans, but there will be no scripts here. All violence will be at it’s most malicious, and suffering will be met with indifference. I am coming to FIGHT! with the objective of being a pioneer in crossing over traditional Mongolian wrestling to Mixed Martial Arts. Like the man the western world referred to as Genghis Kahn, I strive to conquer. It starts with Stephen Greer.”
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Greer was calm and ready to go while Daisetin appeared to be a bit nervous. They circled each other feeling one another out until Daisetin shoots in, but Greer stuffs it. Daisetin comes up swinging, backing Greer off but continues to stalk and gets Greer in a clinch where he does get him down to the ground. Daisetin quickly worked with blows to the body while he transitioned around Greer's defenses to side control and then to full mount. Greer however quickly adapted and got Daisetin into full guard, the lack of action not endearing either to the fans. Greer continued to work as he looked for holes in Daisetin's defense to latch on for a submission. Daisetin kept working until he got back into full mount again, but Greer's defense didn't allow him to get much out of it as he eventually ended up back in Greer's guard. Greer finally found an opening for an armbar that Daisetin shook off, but Greer managed to reverse his way into Daisetin's open guard. Daisetin was quick with a Triangle attempt, which Greer escaped. Eventually the ref just stood them up. Daisetin exploded with a good combo, but Greer smiled showing that those didn't phase him as he landed some crisp counter shots as Greer backed Daisetin into the cage. Daisetin tried to toss Greer, but couldn't get him over as time expired in the round.

Round two started much faster with Greer coming out with jabs as Daisetin tried to get it back to the ground with from the clinch again, but Greer's balance wins out. Daisetin responds with a hook that Greer responds to with a big time flurry of lefts and rights, ROCKING Daisetin! Greer presses on with a relentless series of blows, amazingly Daisetin keeps his cool and surges back into the fight as the two begin trading wild shots! Greer however wins the exchange, landing a big bomb that lead to another flurry of punches from both with Greer getting the best of it. Daisetin closed the distance and looked to get the fight back to the ground, but Greer just wouldn't budge with several beautiful stuff jobs until the round was over.

Third round starts with a touch of the gloves and Daisetin again tries to take it to the ground and again Greer continues to stuff every shot and judo throw. Greer pawed at Daisetin until clinching and throwing some hard elbows. Daisetin tried again for a judo toss and Greer tagged him with a hard shot that staggered him and followed up with a huge left hand. Daisetin finally gets the takedown with a big lift and slam, but Greer quickly works Daisetin from mount into half guard. Daisetin works for position, but Greer's defenses won't let him get far and Daisetin starts to land several incredible shots! Greer managed to weather the storm with the ref threatening to call the fight. Daisetin moved into full mount, but didn't get much through Greer's defenses and eventually Greer reversed position and started raining down punches from Daisetin's open guard with a minute left in the fight. Daisetin continued to work until he reversed back to top position where he opened up with some aggressive ground and pound, but Greer defended well until the fight was over.

The judges have it:

29-28 Daisetin
29-28 Greer

And...

Winner by split decision...

29-28 Greer!

- Stephen Greer wins via split decision

Stephen Greer wins his FIGHT! debut in a controversial decision. Greer clearly took round two, but his powerful Mongolian opponent will feel that he may well have taken rounds one and three on another night.

The main event of the evening was what the fans had come to see as Dane Kinsley and Chizuko Kowashi collided for the vacant Middleweight Title. After a striking clinic against Jeremy Brown, Kinsley was the firm favourite – but Kowashi possesses the exact skillset which could cause problems. The compact wrestler could take the fight to the ground and keep it there.

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DANE KINSLEY
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"This fight is huge for me. The fact that I've gotten to this point is amazing considering where I was just a few years ago. I'm not just some club fighter anymore, I'm a legitimate and respected fighter now and that means a whole lot more to me than anything else. I'm going to go in there do whatever I have to to cash this lucky lotto ticket in. It's the light at the end of a three year tunnel and I'll be damned if I'm gonna get stopped now."

"Kowashi's got a good ground game, big time ground and pound, but can he put me to the mat to do it? Can he even get in close enough to try? I don't think so. Not without eating a few shots first, and when that happens he runs the risk of taking a nap real quick. He has to shoot in to get me to the ground and when he does I'm either going to block it or dent in his face with a knee."

"So the question is... can he stand and bang? Is he even willing to do that? I know he can drag a man down and pummel him into submission, but what is he capable of when that fails? And that right there is what gets me excited for this fight, it's the unknown. It's why I'm here today, to fight the best and more diverse talent from around the world. If I wanted to keep on rackin' up easy wins I wouldn't be here, I'd still be on those scrub shows fightin' for free."

"As for a prediction... I'll still be standing after punching Kowashi's snooze button."
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CHIZUKO KOWASHI
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" I''ve proven my worth, and now it’s my time to "cash in". Last time I stepped into the cage, I had people asking “whose that guy?”… and after I beat Dane for the championship, everyone will know exactly who I am.”

"Like I said before, I will never discredit my opponent. But, I will tell you this… Dane is a striker. I’m a wrestler, a boxer, and a muay thai guy. I’m the hybrid and Dane is the one-dimensional fighter. Not taking anything away from Kinsley, but I fell that I have the upper hand.”

"Dane sprawl is diffidently a suspect. We have yet to see how he reacts once being taken down by a wrestler of my caliber… So, I guess we’ll see how well he does once we meet in the cage."
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A tense staredown set the tone for the matchup. With the title on the line, would Kinsley change to a more cautious approach? Jeremy Brown had shown that Kinsley could be hurt, but had paid the price three times before finally being sent to sleep. One thing was certain, this fight would be one for the ages. Hopefully.

Almost immediately, one question was answered as Chizuko Kowashi dumped Kinsley on his back from the clinch. Kowashi twisted the arm of Kinsley like a pretzel using it to move into side control where he began unloading a barrage of punches. ‘Cutthroat’ Kowashi came within seconds of winning the title as he pounded Kinsley’s head like he was a training dummy. Somehow, Kinsley found a way back to guard working purely on instinct but Kowashi was still peppering him with relentless strikes. In one fluid move, Kowashi passed through the loose guard of his opponent and into full mount where he delivered several unanswered and brutal elbows. This wasn’t how anyone had expected things to go down. Barely a minute into the fight and Kinsley looks like he has been in a car wreck. The referee was ready to stop it as more unanswered blows rained down but Kowashi couldn’t find the killer blow. Perhaps he had punched himself out, but Kinsley fought back into guard and slowly looked to regain his composure. There’s no doubt that some referee’s would have called an end to the action, Kinsley can consider himself lucky to get a second chance.

Kowashi seemed content to cement his position of control for the next couple of minutes as he sucked the air back into his lungs but at the 2:30 mark the fighters were ordered back to their feet. Expecting Kinsley to deliver a pinpoint KO blow, the fans were vocally electric, but instead Kowashi dove in for another successful takedown. Already busted open across the eyebrow, Kinsley again felt the full force of his opponents elbows, opening up a laceration on his cheek. Kowashi was totally dominant and again had Kinsley moments away from defeat. Another stiff elbow caused a cut across the bridge of Kinsley’s nose.

With a minute of the round remaining the pair were stood back to their feet. Kowashi took a deep breath as Kinsley wiped the blood from his eyes. The pair came together again, but this time Kinsley landed his only telling strike of the match so far with a wincing low kick to the knee. As ‘Cutthroat’ dropped his guard he was tagged with a vicious combination. The crowd erupted as Kinsley seized the opportunity with a second low kick and then a blistering high kick which rocked Kowashi. With glazed eyes, Kowashi was there for the taking. Like a shark smelling blood, Kinsley came forward with another headkick which sent Kowashi down, unconscious.

- Incredibly, Dane Kinsley wins by KO [4:55 RD 1]

An incredible end to a fight which seemed destined for an upset. Kowashi dominated on the ground leaving Kinsley a bloody, bloody mess, but when you command as much power and precision as Kinsley, things can be turned on their head in a split second.

The referee rendered the decision, holding aloft the arm of Kinsley as Jake Morgan strapped the gleaming Middleweight Title around his waist. Truly, one of the greatest rounds of action ever witnessed. Dane Kinsley is the new FIGHT! Middleweight Champion.

Despite starting off slowly, there is no doubt that the fans in attendance left happy and Jake Morgan and the FIGHT! crew can expect a wealth of glowing reports from an excellent show.

Saturday 30 May 2009

FIGHT! 'Goldrush' weigh-in news and notes

FIGHT! held testosterone fuelled weigh-ins earlier today in front of some 1400 fans. The big story was the soon to be decided destination of the Middleweight Title - KO artist Dane Kinsley is the firm favourite to bring home the gold and glory.

Dane Kinsley [185lbs] vs Chizuko Kowashi [180lbs]

Stephen Greer [266lbs] vs Jamtsangiin Daisetin [265lbs]

Julius Rembrandt [170lbs] vs Kyle McIntosh [170lbs]

Jeremy Brown [183lbs] vs Damian Cruise [175lbs]

Jason Mercer [170lbs] vs William 'The Wookie' Wilson [171lbs]

Rahm Petersen [156lbs] vs Del Canada [155lbs]

- Stephen Greer got the biggest reaction of the night. His pro-wrestling experience garnering him immediate superstar reaction, though not all of it positive. Greer ignored the offered handshake during his staredown and didn't stop 'chatting'.

- Dane Kinsley looked in great shape. His opponent, Kowashi was much larger than we last saw. The two seemed ready to go, Kowashi was particularly eager. Kinsley looked confident.

- Damian Cruise should really look to stay off the pasta and cut down to 170lbs which looks a much more suitable weight. Jeremy Brown looked in good shape and incredibly focussed during the staredown.

- 'The Wookie' looked a little bloated around the edges.

- Rahm Petersen looked a solid 156lbs and looked to get under his opponents skin. Del Canada wasn't taking the bait and shrugged it off.



Some choice bets for you:

At +225 Chizuko Kowashi might be a good bet, his wrestling could be enough to neutralise Kinsley's emphatic striking.

Jason Mercer is well worth his -280 favourite status after seeing 'The Wookie'.

Steer clear of betting anything on Stephen Greer. 'The King Of Pain' has seen his odds swing after a surge in [probably uneducated] bets to a ridiculous -300.

Monday 4 May 2009

FIGHT! announces May 23rd event

FIGHT! today announced it's second show will be held on 23rd May 2009 at an as yet undecided location. The big story coming out of the press conference is the crowning of the first FIGHT! champion of the Middleweight division with striker Dane Kinsley taking on Japanese wrestler Chizuko Kowashi in what should be an exciting main event.

Other matches announced include the return to MMA of Stephen Greer who will take on FIGHT! debutante, the Mongolian wrestler Jamtsangiin Daiseten.

Welterweight Julius Rembrandt is also thrust nto action having recently been confirmed as a signing. Rembraandt [13-3-0], from Illinois, is more than capable on his feet or the ground but he steps into the Octagon with Kyle McIntosh who shares the very same traits.

Del Canada [USA] makes his debut in the Lightweight division and will be looking to test his impressive ground skills against Rahm Petersen, who outpointed Aramis Vasquez at the debut FIGHT! event.

The full lineup is as follows:


Middleweight Title Bout
Dane Kinsley [USA] vs Chizuko Kowashi

Heavyweight Bout
Stephen Greer [USA] vs Jamtsangiin Daisetin [MON]

Welterweight Bout
Julius Rembrandt [USA] vs Kyle McIntosh [USA]

Middleweight Bout
Jeremy Brown [USA] vs Damian Cruise [CAN]

Welterweight Bout
Jason Mercer [USA] vs William 'The Wookie' Wilson [USA]

Lightweight Bout
Rahm Petersen [USA] vs Del Canada [USA]

FIGHT! adds a notorious Welterweight

News coming out of the FIGHT! Headquarters today confirmed that Julius Rembrandt [13-3-0] has officially been tied down to a 4 fight deal.

MMA fans in the Chicagoland area know Julius Rembrandt very well. In an interview with local sports talk radio station 670 The Score, "The Doctor" talked about his 13-3 record in the regional Midwest MMA scene.
"Two of those three losses were controversial split decisions. The third was due to a small cut that bled into my eye. That sh[CENSORED] ain't a win. Nobody's found a way to knock me out or make me tap, and nobody's goin' to neither." Julius' cocky attitude is sure to draw the ire of many fans on the national stage; but it is sure to endear him to many others at the same time. Plus, you cannot question his fighting abilities. "I'm an enigma. You can either love me, or you can hate me; it really don't matter. I'll just keep knockin' f[CENSORED]rs out."
Rembrandt currently holds Welterweight Championships in two Midwest-based promotions, and talked about his plans for FIGHT!.
"Anybody who tells you they ain't after the belt and big paychecks is lyin', plain and simple. We wouldn't be here if each and every one of us didn't strive to be the best fighter in the world. Me? I know comin' in here that the competition will be tougher than what I'm used to. 'Cause when the fight's over and the ref brings out the smellin' salts, everyone will know that I'm the real f[CENSORED]ng deal And before you know it, that Welterweight belt will be around my waist."
He's vulgar, he's cocky, but whether or not "The Doctor" Julius Rembrandt will be a winner in FIGHT! MMA remains to be seen.