BCF: A Rookie Tries The WMMA-Verse

[Pineappleman]

Heavyweight Division
Stafford Alois vs. Rav Kapur

Middleweight Division
Tetsuji Myojin vs. Gavin Marshall

Heavyweight Division
Pai Cheng vs. Mark Bicknell

Welterweight Division
Iain Fussell vs. Kafu Bunya

Light Heavyweight Division
Emil Karlsson vs. Jon Silvers

Lightweight Division
Cyril Kamoze vs. Steven Griffin

Lightweight Division
Jeremy Sproule vs. Tim Oldacres

[Jingo]

Heavyweight Division
Stafford Alois vs. Rav Kapur

Middleweight Division
Tetsuji Myojin vs. Gavin Marshall

Heavyweight Division
Pai Cheng vs. Mark Bicknell

Welterweight Division
Iain Fussell vs. Kafu Bunya

Light Heavyweight Division
Emil Karlsson vs. Jon Silvers

Lightweight Division
Cyril Kamoze vs. Steven Griffin

Lightweight Division
Jeremy Sproule vs. Tim Oldacres

[Chris2K]

BCF: ALOIS vs. KAPUR
SATURDAY - WEEK 3 OF JANUARY 1999

------------------------------------

Fight #1
Lightweight Division

Jeremy Sproule (4-4) vs. Tim Oldacres (2-2)



Oldacres immediately goes for a head kick that Sproule ducks, and Sproule soon lands a combination of decent punches. Oldacres moves in to the pocket to stand and trade but it's Sproule who lands another combination first, then avoids a big right hand to land a good jab. Oldacres tries another KO punch but Sproule avoids it and counters with a flurry of jabs and punches, then avoids an uppercut and lands a nice hook to the body. Sproule lands another combination of quick punches, and then dodges another right hand to land another combination. Sproule is out-striking Oldacres in spectacular fashion so far; Oldacres hasn't been able to land anything and is getting tagged constantly. Sproule avoids another big right hand and lands a sequence of good punches, and once again Oldacres misses a vicious uppercut and Sproule connects with another lightning fast combination. Oldacres in desperation looks for a superman punch, but Sproule avoids that and connects with a jab, then lands another jab to end the round. Complete domination from Sproule in the round, it wouldn't surprise me if he was given a 10-8 for it.



Both fighters come out looking to land combinations but their opponents manage to avoid each one, after another exchange of strikes leads nowhere the two fighters end up in a clinch. Sproule wants to get free but Oldacres keeps him in the grapple, eventually using his strength to push Sproule back against the cage. Oldacres lands a hard knee to the thigh of Sproule, and then connects with a foot stomp. Oldacres then lands a vicious uppercut that catches Sproule right on the jaw and Sproule goes down! Oldacres senses the opportunity and quickly pounces on the fallen Sproule, landing some hard ground and pound that leaves Sproule in a lot of trouble, but Sproule manages to recover and pulls Oldacres into half guard. Oldacres immediately tries for an arm triangle but Sproule defends it well, then scrambles to get out of trouble and ends up reversing the positions to get on top of Oldacres in half guard. Sproule is happy to just land some half-hearted shots to the head and body of Oldacres and doesn't try to improve his position or try for submissions, and he stays in half guard until the round comes to an end.



Sproule goes back to his countering ways by avoiding a big right hand and landing one of his quick combinations, Sproule then dodges a body kick from Oldacres and lands a good left hand. Oldacres tries a big right uppercut but Sproule steps back to avoid it and lands a jab, then lands two more jabs shortly afterwards. Sproule stings Oldacres with a series of quick left hands, and then lands a solid jab that snaps back Oldacres' head. Sproule ducks a big right hand from Oldacres and lands a hard hook to the body, then dodges a second swinging right and lands a series of quick punches to the head and body of Oldacres. Oldacres is nearing exhaustion now and has nothing left but to swing for the fences and hope to catch Sproule, but Sproule continues to use his speed to duck these massive strikes and land another quick combination, and then does so again shortly before the end of the fight. That round could be another 10-8 as Sproule again managed to avoid every strike that Oldacres threw and landed at least twenty strikes of his own. The fight ends up going to the judges and we have a variety of scores, even though every judge scored the second round 10-9 to Oldacres. We have a 29-27 (one 10-8 round), a 29-26 (two 10-8 rounds) and even a 29-25 (one 10-8 round and a 10-7 round!!), but more importantly they all give the fight to Jeremy Sproule.

Winner: Jeremy Sproule (5-4) via Unanimous Decision
Fight Rating: Great

------------------------------------

Fight #2
Lightweight Division

Cyril Kamoze (2-1) vs. Steven Griffin (13-7)



Kamoze comes out and tries to land a spinning back kick but Griffin just steps back to avoid it. Griffin misses a jab which allows Kamoze to counter with a right hand, and then Kamoze avoids a second jab and connects with a flurry of jabs and straight punches that find their mark. Griffin manages to avoid a second combination but misses another jab, allowing Kamoze to fire back with a right hook to the body. Griffin covers up to absorb some lefts and rights from Kamoze, then steps back to avoid a hook to the body. Griffin waits for Kamoze to make a move, and he does with a jab, but Griffin ducks under it and shoots in for a takedown, but Kamoze sees the takedown attempt coming and manages to get himself out of the way before Griffin can get hold of him. Kamoze moves forwards with a flurry of lefts and rights, but Griffin waits for him to finish and punishes him with a jab to the cheek, however Kamoze strikes back with a left jab of his own shortly before time runs out, and Kamoze's striking was probably enough for him to win the first round.



Griffin lands a nice jab to start the second round, and he decides to try and get the fight to the ground quicker this time but Kamoze is able to avoid it again, showing some good takedown defence. Kamoze misses a leg kick and Griffin takes the opportunity to move in closer, before shooting in once more from a closer range and getting a double leg takedown, Kamoze had less time to react on this occasion and couldn't stop it, having to pull guard. Griffin begins to put his ground skills into effect by moving from the guard to side control with ease, and then rolling Kamoze over to take his back just as easily. Griffin gets the hooks in to completely take control of Kamoze on the ground and leave him with very little chance of escape, and Griffin is quickly able to get the rear naked choke applied. Kamoze tries to struggle and stay in the fight but he knows he's going nowhere and he taps out! Griffin takes the win via submission after a pretty even fight up to the point when it hit the ground.

Winner: Steven Griffin (14-7) via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) - 3:48 of Round 2
Fight Rating: Decent

------------------------------------

Fight #3
Light Heavyweight Division

Emil Karlsson (3-1) vs. Jon Silvers (7-2)



Everybody knows that Karlsson is a very powerful man so it comes as no surprise when he grabs a hold of Silvers and picks him up for a big slam that sends Silvers crashing into the canvas; Karlsson ends up in Silvers' guard. Karlsson goes straight for his usual stalling tactics and just smothers Silvers for over a minute, only landing some strikes occasionally to try and stop the referee from standing them up. Karlsson does try to get past the guard but Silvers does well to stop him, so Karlsson just continues to stay in the guard and throw a couple of strikes to the body. The referee finally has had enough and stands them up, much to the relief of the crowd. Silvers tries to stand in the pocket and strike, but Karlsson just grabs a single leg and takes him straight back down to the ground, landing in guard again. Karlsson is a bit more active this time and lands some decent strikes, Silvers manages to defend some of them though and actually manages to use his legs to push Karlsson away before the round ends.



Silvers manages to land a strike this time with a series of good left hands after Karlsson misses with a jab, and he nearly connects with a hard combination but Karlsson does just enough to get out of the way. Karlsson uses some jabs as a cover so that he can go for another takedown, but this time Silvers is quick enough to back away and doesn't get taken to the ground. It can't last forever though, Karlsson lets Silvers move in and waits for a chance to shoot in for a single leg, and this time he gets Silvers down and lands in his guard. We soon go back to watching Karlsson MMA 101 - the Norwegian just keeps Silvers pinned down on the mat by shifting his weight forward, Karlsson occasionally lands a couple of strikes but when he tries Silvers is able to defend them. Unfortunately the referee doesn't see the need to stand them up in this round, and Karlsson does manage to get some hard shots through the defences of Silvers towards the end of the round, but the clock runs down with Karlsson just smothering him on top, and when the round does end the crowd are quick to voice their disapproval of the boring tactics being used by Karlsson.



Silvers starts the round by landing a combination of quick punches, Karlsson tries to connect with a hard combination of punches but Silvers avoids them and lands a good jab. Karlsson is very tired, surprising considering he spent the first two rounds doing as little as possible, but Silvers is relatively fresh and is able to keep striking whilst Karlsson looks very ragged. Karlsson circles to look for an opening but Silvers is too quick right now, perhaps wisely Karlsson doesn't try and attempt a takedown as I don't think he'd have the necessary energy to complete it. Silvers lands another good jab then ducks a hard right from Karlsson and counters with a straight left. Silvers then moves in with a series of hard right hands which land on the jaw of Karlsson and send him crashing down to the ground! Karlsson is able to shake off the damage but can't stop Silvers from joining him on the ground in side control. Silvers lands a hard knee to the ribs with a minute left in the round, and begins to try and pass side control to get into mount, Karlsson manages to defend that but he can't get Silvers out of the dominant position. Silvers tries his best to improve his position but time runs out in the fight before he can do so, and we're heading to the judges for a decision again. One judge gives a 10-8 third round to Silvers to end with a score of a 28-28 draw, but the other two judges score the fight 29-28 to Karlsson to give him a Majority Decision victory.

Winner: Emil Karlsson (4-1) via Majority Decision
Fight Rating: Average

------------------------------------

Fight #4
Welterweight Division

Iain Fussell (6-1) vs. Kafu Bunya (11-1)



Bunya's first strike in the BCF is a spinning roundhouse kick that misses Fussell by just centimetres, and Bunya is by far the more aggressive fighter as he constantly moves forward and looks to connect with strikes, but Fussell does a very good job of keeping out of the way and avoiding Bunya's punches and kicks. Fussell is barely moving forward at all but Bunya is desperately trying to hunt him down, however not one of his strikes has connected thus far. Fussell suddenly loves forwards and tries to shoot in for a takedown, however this time it's Bunya's turn to get out of the way. Fussell finally finds the courage to step forward and strike with Bunya, and he's successful as he dodges a jab and lands a hard right hand to the jaw of Bunya. However he soon goes back to just ducking, dodging and diving, avoiding a jab and a kick to the ribs from Bunya without going for a counter strike, and time runs out in what has been a frustrating and dull round.



Straight away we go back to the same action that we had in the first round, Bunya continues to try and land punches and moves forward to try a combination which Fussell avoids, Fussell then avoids a leg kick and a right hand without trying to land anything of his own. Fussell moves forward at last and begins to stand in the pocket, but Bunya manages to land his first strike of the fight with a hard body kick, and then connects with another kick this time to the thigh. Fussell chooses to shoot in for a double leg takedown but Bunya sees it coming and uses his impressive hand speed to catch Fussell with a left hand above the eye as he moves in, forcing Fussell to give up on the takedown attempt. Fussell avoids a leg kick from Bunya but he can't avoid a sharp kick to the ribs, Bunya is starting to find his range as Fussell may be starting to tire a bit after all his movement in the fight so far. Bunya tries to land a couple more kicks before the round comes to an end, but Fussell moves away out of range and they hit nothing but thin air. The second round ends, and somehow we managed to have less action than the first one.



Fussell is a bit more aggressive early in the final round, but a big left hand misses and allows Bunya to fire back with a hard kick to the outside of his thigh. Bunya moves forward to connect with a combination but Fussell covers up and connects with a nice jab when Bunya has finished. Fussell shoots in to try and get a takedown again, but once more he gets punished by a hard left hand from Bunya as he moves in and has to abort the takedown for a second time. Bunya avoids a jab from Fussell and connects with a jab of his own, then lands another hard body kick to the ribs of Fussell. Fussell tries one more attempt at a takedown and manages to avoid taking a strike from Bunya on this occasion; however Bunya is still quick enough to get out of Fussell's grasp and remain standing, much to Fussell's annoyance. Fussell moves into the pocket to try and strike in the remaining thirty seconds, but now it's Bunya who is happy to just fight from a distance and not try to land anything himself, and eventually time runs out in the fight so we go to the judges again. They all come to a unanimous decision, albeit with slightly different scores, two judges score it 30-27 and the other 29-28 in favour of Kafu Bunya to give him a victory on his BCF debut.

Winner: Kafu Bunya (12-1) via Unanimous Decision
Fight Rating: Poor

------------------------------------

Fight #5
Heavyweight Division

Pai Cheng (5-0) vs. Mark Bicknell (8-4)



Cheng doesn't waste any time in trying to execute his game plan, he uses a jab as a distraction before shooting in and going for a takedown, Bicknell tries his best but he can't stop Cheng and the fight ends up on the ground with Cheng in Bicknell's guard. Cheng fires away with some punches that connect on the head of Bicknell, before getting out of the guard and passing to side control with ease. The next stage on Cheng's plan is to get to mount, and Bicknell offers very little resistance to that as well and is mounted by Cheng. Just one more step for Cheng which is to go for a submission, but his attempt at an armbar is blocked by Bicknell who rolls with the hold and ends up on top and in side control. That wasn't part of the plan. Bicknell works away in side control with some strikes, but Cheng doesn't appear to be taking much damage or being affected by them too much. Cheng tries to scramble out of the position but Bicknell manages to keep him pinned down and is able to land a few more strikes as well. Cheng finally manages to use an underhook to scramble and get back to his feet, but the round ends shortly afterwards.



Cheng connects with a nice left jab at the start of the second round, and is soon moving forward to look for another takedown. Bicknell tries to grab a guillotine choke on his way down but Cheng doesn't get caught and ends up in Bicknell's guard. Cheng pounds away from the guard for a bit before deciding to advance his position, once again he gets through to side control without much difficulty at all. Cheng lands a nice knee strikes to the ribs before going for an armbar from side control instead of the mount, Bicknell tries to roll through again but this time Cheng has the hold locked in tightly and he has nowhere to escape too. Cheng continues to wrench away at the hold until Bicknell has no choice but to give up and tap out! Cheng takes a dominant win, but he will have been hoping to finish it a bit quicker.

Winner: Pai Cheng (6-0) via Submission (Armbar) - 2:03 of Round 2
Fight Rating: Good

------------------------------------

Co-Main Event
Middleweight Division

Tetsuji Myojin (6-1) vs. Gavin Marshall (3-0)



Marshall comes out looking to connect with some vicious punches, but Myojin does well to step back and keep away from them. Marshall then uses some punches to help set up a takedown attempt, Myojin manages to block it and stop himself from being taken down, but he can't stop Marshall from forcing him back up against the cage. Myojin manages to reverse the positions so he is the one in control of the clinch, but his attempts to use underhooks to get a takedown are stuffed by Marshall who keeps it standing, and then manages to separate and get back to the centre of the cage. It doesn't take long for Marshall to decide to try and grapple with Myojin again, and the American gets hold of Myojin and pushes him back against the cage for a second time. Marshall then lifts Myojin up and uses a Greco-Roman slam to thump Myojin into the mat in devastating fashion! Myojin manages to quickly get Marshall into his guard, but Marshall is able to get one of his legs free and move to half guard. Marshall is desperate to move into a more dominant position with time running out in the round, but Myojin does a great job of keeping him stuck in half guard and Marshall is forced to just stay there until the first round ends.



Marshall lands a nice jab to start the second round, and after an exchange of strikes doesn't go anywhere the fighters end up clinched again. Myojin tries to match Marshall when it comes to slams but he can't get Marshall up, and Marshall ends up taking the opportunity to break the grapple. Marshall ducks a jab from Myojin and connects with two hard right hands that catch Myojin right on the jaw, then ducks another punch and lands another good right hand. Marshall is countering Myojin well and does so again by landing another jab, but Myojin manages to catch him with a flurry of jabs and straight punches after checking a low kick. Marshall uses some good head movement to dodge a right hand from Myojin, and then connects with a series of big rights and lefts with the final one putting Myojin down on the ground! Marshall senses his opportunity and immediately pounces on Myojin on the ground, raining down punches and hammer fists as hard and as fast as he can. Marshall continues to fire away with strikes as the referee gives Myojin a lot of time to recover. Myojin is barely defending himself now and Marshall is seemingly tireless in his constant strikes, so the referee decides he's seen enough and calls a stop to the fight! Marshall gets the TKO win and remains undefeated.

Winner: Gavin Marshall (4-0) via TKO (Strikes) - 4:28 of Round 2
Fight Rating: Good

------------------------------------

MAIN EVENT
Heavyweight Division

Stafford Alois (29-9) (c) vs. Rav Kapur (8-1)



Kapur is completely dominant in the striking game to begin with, he counters a left jab with a very hard kick to the body, another jab with a couple of quick right hands, a third jab with a sharp kick to the shin of Alois, and then one final jab with a jab of his own. Alois is getting out struck by sheer speed at the moment, another jab misses and Kapur connects with a jab, but Alois manages to check a leg kick and hit a right hand. Alois is trying to step back and keep away from Kapur now, he avoids a combination but can't counter with anything, Kapur then ducks a jab from Alois and unleashes a barrage of vicious rights and lefts that is enough to send Alois crashing to the mat! Alois seems to recover quickly, but not quickly enough as Kapur comes flying in with a devastating diving punch that lands right on the jaw and Alois is knocked out cold! A spectacular finish from Kapur who gets a big victory over a tough customer, not many people have knocked out Stafford Alois.

Winner: Rav Kapur (9-1) via KO (Punch) - 3:43 of Round 1
Fight Rating: Good

------------------------------------

Statistics

Critical Rating: Good
Commercial Rating: Great

Attendance: 4,598 ($229,900)
Fight of the Night: Jeremy Sproule vs. Tim Oldacres
KO of the Night: Rav Kapur
Submission of the Night: Steven Griffin

Balance: $2,223,099 (+$179,095)
Popularity
= 88.4% (+1.6%)
= 8.6%
= 8.6%

------------------------------------

Final Thoughts

A magnificent KO finish capped off a pretty decent show, one that brought in our highest gate takings and our biggest one-show profit of all time. Our popularity continues to get higher and higher as we approach that magical Low Level National mark that will allow us to run outside of London, although what we really need more than anything is either another TV show or a PPV carrier to expand the shows as far as possible to speed up our growth.

Rav Kapur was very impressive in his victory over Stafford Alois, aside from the devastating diving punch that finished the fight his stand-up looked to be at a completely different level to what we have seen before. Kapur still needs to work on his ground skills because he will always be in trouble if he's on his back. His win here might give us the opportunity to do the rubber match between Kapur and Carter Potter though...

Gavin Marshall showed that he has more than just potential as he finished of Tetsuji Myojin in dominating fashion. Marshall is among some of the young Middleweights that will be hoping to be able to keep up with the high level of Middleweights that are coming into the BCF, and they will be hoping to spring a surprise or two should they get the opportunity against their higher-paid opponents. Pai Cheng made light work of Mark Bicknell which probably came as a surprise to absolutely nobody, the only possible surprise being that it took him until the second round to do it. There will be tougher tests ahead for Cheng, but building up experience is more important for him at this stage.

Kafu Bunya made a successful start in the BCF despite Iain Fussell's best efforts to make sure no strikes landed in the entire fight. I can understand his being cautious of Bunya's striking, and it was a testament to the level of his strike defence that he managed to avoid so many strikes, but it ended up being at the detriment of the fight itself. Bunya not being taken down by Fussell is a strong indication that Bunya can keep the fight standing which is a very important part of his game plan. Emil Karlsson continues to annoy me with his boring and repetitive tactics, and he's even finding bizarre ways to win now; who wins by Majority Decision? He still hasn't done enough to warrant a move up the card despite now being on a three fight win streak, if I could I would offer him an extra $5,000 if he just finished a damn fight.

We also had the bizarre opening fight with the most different scores I think I've ever seen in a fight. Jeremy Sproule must have got a 10-7 from one judge as the 29-25 score doesn't make sense if he didn't, however I've checked my accomplishments and it's not saying I've achieved the 10-7 goal, and the PBP called both rounds a 10-8. Either way it was a sensational performance from Sproule who I gave one more chance to and he definitely took it, even though Oldacres put up some resistance in the second round. Oldacres himself will get one more opportunity as he is being dropped down to the Featherweight division, but he had better make the most of his last chance...

[Chris2K]

British Cage Fighting will be back for their first televised show of 1999 as BCF Warriors returns to our screens following a break in December for the holiday season. With the Christmas films over we can get back to the brutal fights on Euro Cable Sports 4, and this show will be headlined by a Lightweight title fight between Seth O'Breen and the top contender in the division Lukas Mellberg. Aside from the main event there is only one fight on the card that does not contain a fighter making his BCF debut.

But the first fight of the night will be in the first official fight in the BCF's new Featherweight division. Charged with opening the division in this British company will be a Japan vs. America contest as Taki Inouye (4-0) takes on Gregg Grable (19-9). Inouye is a high level judoka with very impressive grappling skills, but he really has struggled to develop his MMA game in other areas. Striking seems completely alien to him and he doesn't like getting hit, but so far he has been able to get the fight to the ground quickly enough not to have to deal with it. This will be Inouye's first fight in eighteen months, so ring rust may be an issue that he has to deal with. Gregg Grable is an MMA veteran from Florida who has fought at Lightweight for most of his career, but decided to drop to Featherweight and become the larger man in a fight for a change. His base is mainly in wrestling and he doesn't really have anything else to go to should he need it, making it hard for him to cope against those with good takedown defences. Grable also hasn't fought for a long time, so at least they will have that as an even playing field.

The next fight will be in the Heavyweight division between two debuting fighters, Reynolds Baer (5-0) will take on Brazilian Gladstone Lopes (14-1-1). Baer is a young fighter from Bristol in England who has good skills in both striking and grappling that he uses to overpower his opponents due to having good physical strength. Baer's normal gameplan is to use his grappling to get the fight to the ground, then pound away with strikes for the finish. Baer only fought once in 1998, a win over a local fighter via TKO. Interestingly, an anagram of his surname is "Bear", but we are told that he is not a bear. Gladstone Lopes comes into this fight as the #19 ranked Heavyweight in the world thanks to a very successful time in the FLB, losing a close split decsion to Kerlon Guerra de Bastos before defeating Helton Nascimento and Sergio do Vale in first round TKOs, and he was next in line for a title shot before defecting to the BCF. Lopes is considered an elite level striker for his devastating punches and viciously powerful leg kicks that have left many an opponent limping after a fight. Lopes also has good wrestling skills that allow him to keep the fight standing, or to regain control of a situation on the ground.

Next up will be a fight between two kick boxers from very different climates in the Middleweight division as Derbyshire's Andrew Rush (14-9) takes on Hawaii's Kraymer Mayweather (2-0). Rush's kick boxing involves using quick and technically proficient strikes that wear his opponents down as opposed to finishing them off. Rush has good striking abilities but struggles if the fight goes anywhere else, he has no grappling skills to speak of and is out of his depth if he has to fight off his back. Kramer Mayweather is a promising young fighter from Hawaii who can do serious damage with his punches and kicks thanks to an extensive background in kick boxing having started training in the sport at a young age. After deciding to move into MMA Mayweather began to train in other areas as well, particularly in developing a strong takedown defence to allow him to keep the fight standing and not go to the ground where he has a distinct weakness. Mayweather spent most of 1998 training privately before having a fight in November where he destroyed a local fighter on an independent show.

In the next preliminary fight in the Light Heavyweight division we will see the debuting Matthew Michael Kirby (3-0) take on BCF veteran Mick Curran (12-10). Kirby is a big and powerful brawler from Edinburgh with a background in amateur boxing. Kirby's main strengths are his unsurprisingly his striking skills which have the ultimate combination of speed, technique and vicious power that make Kirby a very difficult man to stand and trade with for an extended period of time. Still only 19, Kirby has time to develop the rest of his game a bit further, but right now he will be hoping to keep the fight standing at all times. Mick Curran is a genuine tough guy and an experienced veteran of MMA, however his career has always been defined by the limitations that result in his now ever-increasing number of defeats. Curran is a hard-hitter but has very few other skills to fall back on and has therefore become easy prey for the younger, more well-rounded fighters of today. Curran lost all four fights he had in 1998, Allen LeFleur, William Harrison, Tikhon Diev and Jon Silvers all scoring victories over him with relative ease.

The only preliminary fight not to have a debuting fighter is another Light Heavyweight division fight between Adrian Majoram (6-2) and Marco Maciel (6-1). Majoram is a very capable kick boxer from Scotland who has the raw power to do a lot of damage to his opponents, and is tough enough to be able to withstand most of what is thrown back at him. Majoram may not have the necessary skills to compete at the highest level, but he is a good test for anybody on his day. After defeating Lenny McFadden in the main event of a show in April of 1998 Majoram has since lost both of his next two fights to William Harrison and Allen LeFleur. Marcos Maciel is considered one of the best strikers in MMA due to his ability to combine technique and power with devastating consequences. However the rest of his MMA game is limited, and at 28 he seems to be running out of time to train his ground skills enough to be a well-rounded fighter. Maciel joined the BCF after winning two fights on the South American independent scene, but ran into a brick wall known as Emil Karlsson on his BCF debut who took him down at will to grind out a decision victory.

We head into the televised fights which on this show are designed to showcase some of the new talents brought into the BCF to a wider audience. The first fight will be between Atep of Indonesia (10-1) and Mal Beswick in the Lightweight division. Atep has the prestige of having what many feel to be the total package, looks, charisma and more importantly some very impressive MMA skills. Atep is a devastating striker with a legitimate background in kung fu fighting, and sure enough he is also fast as lightning and a little bit frightening. His speed allows him to hit quick, powerful strikes before getting out of harm's way immediately. Atep joins the BCF from ALPHA-1 where he won two fights in 1998 by first round KOs, before coming unstuck against the legendary Sukarno. Mal Beswick has a pedigree nowhere near the likes of Atep, but is a solid fighter who shouldn't be underestimated due to having good submission skills and is relentless in his pursuit to get takedowns. Unfortunately these skills may not quite be enough, he continues to develop his striking and grappling but the level of competition in the BCF makes it a tough place to be learning on the job. Beswick went 2-2 in 1998 with wins over Jeremy Sproule and Ignatius Hepfinger, but lost to Seth O'Breen and Bosco Curbeam.

The semi Main Event will be another fight in the Lightweight division between Snorri Gunnarsson (21-5-1 NC) and Dominick Oppenheimer (5-2). This will be Gunnarsson's only fight at Lightweight before he drops down to be one of the big names in the new Featherweight division. Gunnarsson is rated as being one of Europe's best pound for pound fighters due to his high level grappling skills that give him advantages in both clinches and in taking the fight to the ground. He has decent striking on the ground as well as on the feet, but the biggest part of his game is the strategies he is able to plan to defeat his opponents. Gunnarsson left SIGMA after two fights in 1998, defeating Manish Khan by TKO but losing out to Lars Bohlin via decision. Oppenheimer is a young English fighter who has a very technical striking game with very good movement that allows him to use a "hit and run" style to keep himself at a distance. Oppenheimer's weaknesses lie in his grappling skills and if he does get caught and taken down he doesn't have the defensive skills to protect himself. Oppenheimer won his first two fights in 1998 against Dom Yorke and Tim Oldacres, but lost his next to fights to the main eventers of this show, Seth O'Breen and Lukas Mellberg.

And speaking of those fighters we go to the Main Event, a battle for the BCF Lightweight title between the new champion Seth O'Breen (15-1) against the top contender Lukas Mellberg (18-4). O'Breen is coming off a massive five round victory over the former champion Jake Keane, it was incredibly close but O'Breen did enough to take the fight 48-47 on all the judges' scorecards. The Irishman is very tough to fight due to having very strong grappling and submission skills, and has an excellent chin to allow him to take punishment before he can get the fight to the ground. O'Breen lost his first fight to Keane after nearly taking the fight with an armbar, but he got back on track with wins over Mal Beswick and Dominick Oppenheimer before getting his revenge over Keane. Lukas Mellberg is Sweden's premier fighter who has fought all over Europe in his MMA career, but is perhaps best known for his ever-growing goatee beard. Mellberg is predominantly a jiu-jitsu practitioner, and he is also good at getting the fight to the ground so he can use those skills. He doesn't have the best striking skills in the world but it's unlikely that his fight will see much action taking place on the feet. Mellberg lost his first fight in 1998 in SIGMA against Fiyero Lermontov by decision, but won his second fight against Harald Hubner, and the was victorious in his BCF debut against Dominick Oppenheimer.

OFFICIAL FIGHT CARD

BCF Lightweight Title
Seth O'Breen (c) vs. Lukas Mellberg

Lightweight Division
Snorri Gunnarsson vs. Dominick Oppenheimer

Lightweight Division
Atep of Indonesia vs. Mal Beswick

Light Heavyweight Division
Adrian Majoram vs. Marcos Maciel

Light Heavyweight Division
Matthew Michael Kirby vs. Mick Curran

Middleweight Division
Andrew Rush vs. Kramer Mayweather

Heavyweight Division
Reynolds Baer vs. Gladstone Lopes

Featherweight Division
Taki Inouye vs. Gregg Grable

Predictions welcolmed and adored.

[Jingo]

BCF Lightweight Title
Seth O'Breen (c) vs. Lukas Mellberg

Lightweight Division
Snorri Gunnarsson vs. Dominick Oppenheimer

Lightweight Division
Atep of Indonesia vs. Mal Beswick

Light Heavyweight Division
Adrian Majoram vs. Marcos Maciel

Light Heavyweight Division
Matthew Michael Kirby vs. Mick Curran

Middleweight Division
Andrew Rush vs. Kramer Mayweather

Heavyweight Division
Reynolds Baer vs. Gladstone Lopes

Featherweight Division
Taki Inouye vs. Gregg Grable

[Pineappleman]

BCF Lightweight Title
Seth O'Breen (c) vs. Lukas Mellberg

Lightweight Division
Snorri Gunnarsson vs. Dominick Oppenheimer

Lightweight Division
Atep of Indonesia vs. Mal Beswick

Light Heavyweight Division
Adrian Majoram vs. Marcos Maciel

Light Heavyweight Division
Matthew Michael Kirby vs. Mick Curran

Middleweight Division
Andrew Rush vs. Kramer Mayweather

Heavyweight Division
Reynolds Baer vs. Gladstone Lopes

Featherweight Division
Taki Inouye vs. Gregg Grable

[BHK1978]

BCF Lightweight Title
Seth O'Breen (c) vs. Lukas Mellberg

Lightweight Division
Snorri Gunnarsson vs. Dominick Oppenheimer

Lightweight Division
Atep of Indonesia vs. Mal Beswick

Mal that poor bastard...

Light Heavyweight Division
Adrian Majoram vs. Marcos Maciel

Light Heavyweight Division
Matthew Michael Kirby vs. Mick Curran


Middleweight Division
Andrew Rush vs. Kramer Mayweather

Heavyweight Division
Reynolds Baer vs. Gladstone Lopes

Featherweight Division
Taki Inouye vs. Gregg Grable

[Chris2K]

BCF WARRIORS 8: O'BREEN vs. MELLBERG
SATURDAY - WEEK 4 OF JANUARY 1999

------------------------------------

Fight #1 (Preliminary)
Featherweight Division

Taki Inouye (4-0) vs. Gregg Grable (19-9)



After an exchange of strikes goes nowhere for either fighter it is Inouye who makes the first attempt at a takedown, however Grable is equal to it and keeps the fight standing quite eawsily. Grable avoids some wild punches from Inouye and lands a jab, before moving out of range to avoid any further Inouye strikes. The two fighters battle for position rather than attempting to land any strikes for a while, Grble is circling to look for an opening, Inouye is trying to stand in the pocket. Neither fighter is committing themselves to throwing any strikes, which is not exactly making this fight very interesting for the spectators. Inouye does seem to be the slightly more aggressive of the two and he shoots in for a double leg takedown when he finally gets close enough to do so, but again Grable's takedown defence is strong enough to stuff the attempt and they remain standing. Grable avoids a couple more wild shots from Inouye before the round ends, and it's bit a very dull fight so far.



Inouye comes out swinging but Grable just bides his time before connect with a straight left, but Inouye fires back shortly afterwards with a looping right hand. Inouye moves in to try and grapple with Grable, but Grable lands a nice left hand and manages to keep out of Inouye's reach. Grable misses with a right hook to the body, Inouye tries to counter with a left jab but Grable avoids that and punishes him with a solid left hand. Inouye continues to move forward as he has done consistently throughout the fight, and he tries for another takedown. Grable continues to show very impressive takedown defence as he stops the judoka from getting him to the ground again, this time he gets hold of him in a front facelock after a sprawl and drags Inouye down to the mat with his face looking at the floor. Grable tries to land some strikes to the side of Inouye's head from this position, but Inouye covers up well and uses some good speed to get back to his feet. The fighters continue to circle until the second round comes to an end.



Grable misses a jab early and Inouye counters with a nice two punch combination, Inouye then shoots in with yet another takedown attempt which Grable again stuffs with ease, and Grable almost catches Inouye with a hard uppercut as they separate. Inouye does manage to get the fight into a clinch which will assist his judo skills. And Inouye does just that, using an inside leg trip to get Grable to the ground in his guard. Inouye begins working away on the mat and moves from guard to side control with ease. Inouye then tries to get behind Grable to take his back, and Grable foolishly almost gives it straight to him. Inouye is looking pretty tired at the moment, and as a result he can't get the hooks in around Grabl, but he goes for the rear naked choke anyway. However, without the proper control Grable is able to avoid the choke much easier and Inouye can't get the hold applied. Inouye eventually manages to get the hooks locked in but time is working against him, Grable keeps his chin down and stops Inouye from getting the choke locked in, managing to survive the round as time expires. The fight ends up going to the judges, and the scores are all 29-28 in favour of Gregg Grable, giving him a unanimous decision victory. For some reason the fans boo the decision, probably based on the one-sided final round, but Grable definitely won the first two.

Winner: Gregg Grable (20-9) via Unanimous Decision
Fight Rating: Average

------------------------------------

Fight #2 (Preliminary)
Heavyweight Division

Reynolds Baer (5-0) vs. Gladstone Lopes (14-1-1)



Baer misses a jab which allows Lopes to counter with a hard kick to the legs, Baer doesn't seem to want any more of those landing and decides to try and grapple with Lopes, but Lopes uses his jab to keep Baer at a distance. Baer misses another jab and Lopes connects with a second vicious leg kick, then tries a hard right hand that Baer manages to block with his gloves. Baer is certainly losing the striking game so he chooses to shoot in on Lopes, but Lopes sees the takedown attempt coming and is able to get out of the way. Baer is not discouraged by this and moves in to try another takedown, but this time Lopes catches his with a devastating right hook that catches Baer on the jaw and sends hi crashing to the mat! Lopes is quick to follow up and begins raining down with massive punches to the head of Baer, and the referee steps in to stop the fight and stop Baer from getting destroyed! Gladstone Lopes gets an impressive TKO victory on his BCF debut.

Winner: Gladstone Lopes (15-1-1) via TKO (Strikes) - 3:05 of Round 1
Fight Rating: Decent

------------------------------------

Fight #3 (Preliminary)
Middleweight Division

Andrew Rush (14-9) vs. Kramer Mayweather (2-0)



Mayweather comes out in the opening round looking to land combinations, but despite Mayweather throwing some quick punches Rush is able to get out of the way, and after avoiding the second one he lands a nice jab. Mayweather connects with a hard kick to the left leg of Rush, but Rush avoids another combination and lands another jab. It can't go on forever though, Mayweather finally lands a nice one-two combination, the moves forward and unleashes a series of big right hands! Rush shows how tough he is as he isn't knocked down by those strikes, and despite possibly being rocked by them he is able to get out of the way of a massive right hand from Mayweather that would have probably finished him off. After the excitement of the first half of the round the second half is a lot less interesting, both fighters lose interest in committing to strikes and end up feinting, circling and backing away from each other for a while. Mayweather finally lands a nice kick to the body but that is the last meaningful strike that lands before the end of the first round.



Rush does some good countering at the start of Round 2 as he avoids a body kick from Mayweather and lands a jab, then avoids a big combination and connects with another jab. Rush continues to do a good job of avoiding Mayweather who is really putting the pressure on him now, Rush avoids another combination and connects with another jab, but Mayweather finally gets a jab of his own. Mayweather then moves in and lands a series of hard rights and lefts that leave Rush stunned, and one more straight right puts him on the canvas! Mayweather swarms on him to land some hard strikes and the referee jumps in to get him off and stop the fight! Mayweather wins by TKO on his debut, and it's yet another loss for Andrew Rush...

Winner: Kramer Mayweather (3-0) via TKO (Strikes) - 2:29 of Round 2
Fight Rating: Decent

------------------------------------

Fight #4 (Preliminary)
Light Heavyweight Division

Matthew Michael Kirby (3-0) vs. Mick Curran (12-10)



For reasons of a "fun" nature, I'm going to call him MMK. MMK starts off by countering a jab from Curran and landing one of his own, then avoids a second jab and connects with a nice left hook. Unfortunately the action slows to a halt towards the halfway point of the round, neither man is moving forward and both are seemingly waiting to see what their opponent is going to do before doing anything themselves. Occasionally the two fighters exchange some strikes in the centre of the cage, but neither man lands anything significant. MMK tries to move in closer and pressure Curran into doing something, but Curran is happy to just feint a punch or a kick and get out of harm's way, and MMK isn't falling for any of them. MMK manages to land a crisp jab after avoiding a jab from Curran, but that's the last real action of the round and the crowd are happy to boo both fighters as they make their way back to their corners.



MMK immediately lands a nice couple of jabs and a big right hook to the body of Curran, whilst Curran is happy to just keep trying to fake out MMK with a feint, a ploy that is still getting him nowhere. Finally we get some proper action as they meet in the centre of the cage and begin wildly swinging punches at each other, and it's MMK who connects with a vicious right hook that catches Curran right on the button, Curran's legs buckle and he hits the ground! MMK is quick to pounce on the fallen Curran and gets into side control to start landing with punches and hammer fists right to the face, eventually the referee decides that Curran is not defending himself and jumps in to stop the fight! MMK wins his BCF debut by TKO, which seems to be the running theme of this show...

Winner: Matthew Michael Kirby (4-0) via TKO (Strikes) - 1:43 of Round 2
Fight Rating: Average

------------------------------------

Fight #5 (Preliminary)
Light Heavyweight Division

Adrian Majoram (6-2) vs. Marcos Maciel (6-1)



After a brief fight-opening exchange of strikes goes nowhere the two fighters end up in a clinch, but Maciel manages to break free. Maciel lands a hard leg kick which causes Majoram to back off a bit, and eventually both fighters are keeping the other at a distance by using a long jab to maintain a gap. Maciel manages to dodge a jab and lands a nice combination of quick punches, but only just misses with a nice uppercut. Majoram tries to move in closer and strike from the pocket, but Maciel continues to land short strikes to make sure Majoram can't grapple with him. Maciel throws a jab that Majoram is able to avoid, but Majoram doesn't take the opportunity to land a counter shot in retaliation. Majoram decides to stop trying to move in and just start circling Maciel, Maciel doesn't follow him though so we get very little action for the remainder of the round, and to be honest the whole round was just five minutes of very little happening other than some occasional strikes from Maciel.



Maciel counters a left jab with some hard right hands, and Majoram backs off looking like that combination hurt him quite a bit. Maciel tries to chase after him and deliver another hard blow, but Majoram manages to avoid him long enough to recover. Maciel continues to be aggressive but Majoram does a better job of staying out of the way, Maciel nearly connects with a hard right cross but it sails just millimetres past Majoram's nose. Majoram manages to connect with a solid right hand, but he misses another jab which allows Maciel to land a quick combination, but Maciel misses a jab of his own and Majoram gets another right hand in. With a minute left in the round they go back to their circling and movement exhibition, not a single strike is thrown in the final sixty seconds as they dance their way around a cage, Majoram is the one trying to initiate some contact but Maciel is happy to just keep on moving around the cage until time runs out in the round.



Majoram misses a jab and Maciel counters with a good combination, two shots to the body and an uppercut to finish. Maciel lands a hard leg kick than connects with another combination of a jab and a right cross. Majoram is looking for an opening but his striking lacks accuracy when he finds one, Maciel avoids a left hand and lands a couple more shots, then moves his head to avoid a jab and lands another hard leg kick, Majoram looks like he's limping a bit after that one. Majoram manages to land a nice left hand, then checks one of Maciel's dangerous leg kicks and counters back immediately with a right hand to the temple. Maciel avoids a quick combination from Majoram and fires back with a series of hard right hands, it's a testament to Majoram's chin that he was able to last through that onslaught without being knocked down or even stunned by it. Maciel decides to relax at that point, perhaps under the knowledge that he has this fight pretty much sewn up, and he just stays away from Majoram until the fight ends. We go to the judges again, and all three score the fight 30-27 to give Marcos Maciel a unanimous decision victory.

Winner: Marcos Maciel (7-1) via Unanimous Decision
Fight Rating: Very Poor

------------------------------------

Fight #6 (Televised)
Lightweight Division

Atep of Indonesia (10-1) vs. Mal Beswick (5-2)



Beswick walks into the cage looking like a man whose been thrown to the lions. And it seems that is the case, Atep misses his opening flurry of strikes, but a second combination of big rights and lefts drops Beswick immediately, Atep showing incredible punching speed and power straight away. Atep drops down to pound away, kneeling from side control and punching the face of Beswick who is not defending himself at all. With Beswick taking an absolute beating the referee has to step in and stop the fight! A dominant performance from Atep on his debut, he could be a real challenge for the winner of tonight's title fight...

Winner: Atep of Indonesia (11-1) via TKO (Strikes) - 1:02 of Round 1
Fight Rating: Good

------------------------------------

Co-Main Event (Televised)
Lightweight Division

Snorri Gunnarsson (21-5-1NC) vs. Dominick Oppenheimer (5-2)



Oppenheimer comes out looking to strike with Gunnarsson, he misses a combination but soon connects with a nice left hand. Gunnarsson's advantage was never going to be in the stand-up game so it's no surprise that he shoots in for a takedown at the earliest opportunity. Gunnarrson ducks under a right hand from Oppenheimer and gets the double leg takedown into his guard. Gunnarsson wastes little time and starts pounding away with hard punches from the guard, not even bothering to get into a better position to do so, and he doesn't need to. Oppenheimer is showing no signs of defending himself as Gunnarrsson postures up and delivers some very heavy shots to the head, and the referee decides that he's seen enough and stops the fight! It's probably a good decision, there were three minutes remaining in the round and Oppenheimer was just going to take more and more damage the longer it went. Gunnarsson wins by TKO in his debut, the fourth person to do that tonight.

Winner: Snorri Gunnarsson (22-5-1NC) via TKO (Strikes) - 2:06 of Round 1
Fight Rating: Great

------------------------------------

Main Event (Televised)
BCF Lightweight Title Match

Seth O'Breen (15-1) (c) vs. Lukas Mellberg (18-4)



O'Breen starts the fight as the much more aggressive fighter, he tries to land some combintions early on, Mellberg manages to miss the first one but has to cover up and absorb the second. O'Breen then shoots in for a takedown and it's pretty much perfect, he moves in quickly and hard and gets Mellberg down to the ground with his back against the cage. The position actually helps Mellberg a bit as it means that O'Breen can't really do anything but stay in the guard, as a result O'Breen just smothers Mellberg for a bit by pinning him against the cage, he tries to get to mount occasionally but he has to be cautious of giving Mellberg the opportunity to sweep him. We get stuck in this cycle for a while, O'Breen is keeping active by making sure to do enough to stop the referee standing them up, but there's no real aciton to speak of as Mellberg has his defences well sorted out. They remain in that position until the end of the first round, and O'Breen surely must be an easy round winner.



The two fighters exchange a flurry of quick strikes at the start of the second round, Mellberg then breaks away and tries for a takedown, but O'Breen catches him with a hard right hook as he moves in and Mellberg has to back off. Mellberg avoids a jab from O'Breen and ducks down for another takedown, this time O'Breen can't get the right hand off quick enough and Mellberg drives through with his body to get O'Breen on the floor by the cage. Mellberg seems to have a bit more tactical know-how and manages to get O'Breen away from the cage making it much easier to get a dominant position. With O'Breen on his back Mellberg is able to get into side control, and from there Mellberg tries to lock in arm triangle. O'Breen is caught and the hold is in deep, but he shows remarkable fortitude to stay in the fight and be patient until he can break free, Mellberg loses his grip and O'Breen just about survives! O'Breen is still recovering though and doesn't have the same level of defence as he normally does, Mellberg takes advantage by rolling O'Breen over and taking his back. O'Breen manages to get out of the round without being caught in a choke, and Mellberg no doubt took this round on the scorecards.



O'Breen isn't usually known for his striking, but he ducks a jab from Mellberg at the start of the third round and unloads a vicious left-right combination that sends Mellberg stumbling backwards, he's defeinitely rocked! O'Breen starts throwing a barrage of big punches to the head and body of Mellberg, but the Swede manages to cover up well and weather the storm. O'Breen goes completely off his usual gameplan, and possibly out of his mind, by trying to connect with a head kick, but Mellberg backs out of the way. O'Breen fakes a takedown attempt to keep Mellberg guessing, then unleashes a massive right hook that lands right on the jaw of Mellberg, and he's out before he hits the ground! A sensational knockout for Seth O'Breen, the "Submission King" showing he has what it takes on his feet as well.

Winner: Seth O'Breen (16-1) via Knock Out (Punch) - 2:52 of Round 3
Fight Rating: Decent

------------------------------------

Statistics

Attendance: 1,606 (Gate of $80,300)
Critical Rating: Good
Commercial Rating: Decent
TV Viewers: 223,926 (-6,030)

Fight Of The Night: Snorri Gunnarsson vs. Dominick Oppenheimer
KO Of The Night: Seth O'Breen
Submission Of The Night: None

Balance: $2,228.007 (+ $5,108)

Popularity
= 89.6 (+1.2%)
= 9.8 (+1.2%)
= 9.8 (+1.2%)

------------------------------------

Final Thoughts

For some reason the BCF Warriors shows are beginning to fall away a bit, particularly in the TV viewers which have fallen significantly since the highs of October, and the profits are beginning to slow down due to the increase in contracts that we're paying. That said, our popularity in Europe and Russia continues to rise slowly but surely, so I can only hope that the viewing figures will go back on an upwards plane.

The next Warriors show might not be the best for that though, it's scheduled to be a 4 Man Featherweight tournament to crown the first BCF Featherweight champion. Snorri Gunnarsson will face the winner of the tournament as the first defence following his brutalisation of Dominick Oppenheimer. To win a fight against a bigger opponent with strikes from the guard sends a big warning to the rest of the new Featherweights that he is the man to beat, and the winner of the tournament knows he will have a big test in his first title defence.

Seth O'Breen continues his rise in the Lightweight rankings with a superb performance against Lukas Mellberg, even if Mellberg almost had him beaten in the second round. O'Breen obviously noticed Mellberg's skill on the ground and kept it standing for Round 3 where he unleashed a striking game that we have not seen from him before to win the fight. His next title defence will be against Atep of Indonesia, a decision that was helped by them calling each other out in post-fight interviews, so that fight will be arranged for a show down the line when they're both healthy. Atep's warm up fight against Mal Beswick showed that he is a tough striker to face off against, although I'm sure Beswick didn't even give himself much of a chance.

Debutants had a very good show with Matthew Michael Kirby, Kramer Mayweather, Gladstone Lopes and Gregg Grable winning on their debuts. It can be said that MMK and Mayweather had lesser opponents, Rush and Curran have 1 win between them in their last ten fights, but you can only beat what's put in front of you and you only get one first impression, so to finish fights on your debut is a good start. Lopes to me was the most impressive, Reynolds Baer is certainly no walkover, particularly on his feet, and Lopes showed some very impressive striking skills and power to get a first round TKO.

The two less interesting fights of the night both went to decisions. Grable versus Inouye wasn't the most inspiring way to start the Featherweight division, Inouye thankfully stepped up his game in the final round but it was too little, too late. Grable is never going to set the world on fire but he'll be a good test for all the young, undefeated fighters that have joined the BCF to make up the Featherweight ranks. Marcos Maciel defeating Adrian Majoram was an expected result, but my God he did it in the most boring possible way. It was supposed to be a battle between two explosive kick boxers, but it turned into a fight between two people who didn't seem to know how to throw strikes effectively. Maciel grinded out the victory, but I was certainly less than impressed with his performance during the fight.

[Chris2K]

British Cage Fighting will be back for their first show in February, it's quite close to Valentine's Day, so what better way to show your loved one how much you care than by buying them a ticket to a BCF show?* Main eventing this show will be Leonardo da Costa defending his BCF Middleweight title against #1 contender Jaromir Grygera.

*WARNING: Results may vary. The BCF takes no responsibilty for any relationships ended following the purchase of tickets for this show.

The first fight of the evening will be a contest in the Middleweight division between Ginger Beaumont (5-2) and Jakuchu Abe (2-1). Beaumont is a ground and pound artist from Scotland with very powerful strikes, and a good line in takedowns to get the fight to the ground should he want to. Beaumont is working on refining his striking technique and ground skills following two successive defeats, however he is not training at a specific camp so he's not learning very quickly. Beaumont started 1998 in good form with victories over Pierce Jeeler and Daniel Hornsby, however he came unstuck against Leonardo da Costa, and then lost out to Dwayne Alleyne in his last fight in September. Jakuchu Abe is a Japanese fighter who is a black belt in traditional Jiu Jitsu, making him one of the most dangerous ground fighters in MMA today. Abe also has good cross-training, particularly with striking, in order to become well-rounded enough to have a lot of potential for his career. Abe started off his BCF career successfully with a win over Atsutane Akera, but then suffered his first professional defeat to Tuck Durdell via a split decision in a fight that was horrendous to watch.

The next fight has a very European flavour as Dutchman Jacco Landeweerd (5-2) takes on Hungarian Zsolt Hargitay (4-2) in the Heavyweight division. Landerweerd is a big, powerful kick boxer as so many Dutch fighters are, however he suffers from the same weakness as many of his countryman which is the ground game. Whilst Landeweerd's punches and kicks can do a lot of damage, if he's put on his back then he's very uncomfortable. It was a rollercoaster year for Landeweerd in 1998, a win over Dave Lennon was followed by a loss to Steve Mason, then a win over Howard Pursglove was followed by a loss to Stafford Alois. Annoyingly for Landeweerd both his wins were decisions, and both his losses were TKOs. Zsolt Hargitay is a very fat man. However, whilst his cardio is appalling and women find him quite repulsing, his MMA skills are deceptively strong. Hargitay has very good upper body strength, excellent grappling ability, and very powerful punching. Hargitay's main threat is taking people down and just lying on them for a while, it's not pretty but it's effective. Hargitay has lost both of his fights in the BCF thus far, first a tough fight against Pai Cheng, but then a surprising loss to Mark Bicknell when he got caught by a guillotine.

Next up will be an interesting Lightweight division fight between Bosco Curbeam (4-0) and Jayden Karp (3-2). Curbeam, who models his hair and nickname (Bad Attitude) after Mr. T, is one of the strongest lightweights in MMA. At only 5'6" he is pretty much all muscle which he uses to overwhelm opponents with grappling, or punish them with strikes on the feet or the ground. Curbeam's favourite thing to do is to slam his opponents to the mat and then pound away until they're finsihed. Curbeam won three fights in 1998, first was a win on an independest show, but he then defeated Mal Beswick and Steven Griffin after making his way to the BCF. Jayden Karp is a very talented young Englishman who has the potential to a big name in the sport if he can develop his game to the next level. Karp's background is in submission fighting, but he also has a very good boxing game that makes him a danger both on the feet and on the ground. Karp has had a mixed time in the BCF so far, his first fight was a loss to Jochen Bellof, but then he came back to defeat Buzzy Tuttle. However he lost out to Chad Zoff in a very close battle, but then defeated Cyril Kamoze with a rear naked choke in his last fight.

In the Light Heavyweight division we will see two fighters looking to come back from recent defeats, Guillermo Morales (8-1-1) will take on Dag Kreuger (5-2). Morales is a Cuban fighter with outstanding physical strength that makes his grappling skills incredibly difficult to go up against. He is quite short, but that helps his game as his low centre of gravity gives him a very powerful right hand, and makes it hard to take him down to the ground. Much was expected of Morales when he arrived in the BCF, but he ran into a stumbling block in Joshua Hope in his BCF debut. Hope managed to stuff his takedowns and win the striking battle on the way to a unanimous decision victory, but Morales will look to get back on track here. Kreuger is a young Swedish fighter who is a powerhouse as well, he uses his strength to help his takedowns which allow him to get the fight to the ground and utilise his ground and pound power. Kreuger is working on improving his striking game at his camp in Russia, and if that gets sorted he could be a very difficult opponent for anyone to go up against. Kreuger is another fight that went 2-2 in the BCF in 1998, wins over Murray O'Hare and Crow Leddy were sandwiched by losses to veteran George Laurent, and Toby Sorkin via submission.

Next up is a fight in the Heavyweight division between two highly ranked Heavyweights, Duke Aiona (15-4) makes his debut in the BCF as he takes on the undefeated Sly Twinge (6-0). Aiona is a fighter from Hawaii who is currently ranked #16 in the world Heavyweight rankings after winning his last two fights in GAMMA before jumping the Atlantic to come to the BCF. Aiona is primarily a kick boxer with good striking skills, the rest of his game is pretty average at best but his striking is good enough to keep him winning most of his fights so far. His last year started with a loss to Tank Manu'a, but he won his aforementioned last two fights against Fatuma Roy and Frank Sheedy in GAMMA. Sly Twinge has begun to make a name for himself as a dangerous Heavyweight thanks to his bullying style and good striking abilities. He may not look like a superstar but his looks deceive his skills, he has some of the stand-up of any of the young fighters that are in the BCF today, and so far he has been very successful. Twinge joined the BCF after winning at an independent show, and he has since scored decision victories over Russell McPhee, and a surprising win over Aleksander Ivanov that some people claim was a bit of a poor decision.

The next fight will be in the Light Heavyweight division as two fighters with differing levels of experience, undefeated MacGregor Dare (3-0) faces his biggest career challenge when he takes on John Rivero (15-2). Dare is a 23 year old American who did wrestling at college, but due to a decision to go into MMA at a young age he has trained in all areas of the game for longer than most people his age. Dare is known as a very hard trainer and a quick learner, if he lives up to his potential then many see him as a future champion. Dare has fought twice in the BCF so far, first fighting back to defeat Emil Karlsson by knockout, then defeating Russell McPhee via TKO. John Rivero is ranked as the #11 Heavyweight in the world, slightly strange considering he has been in the BCF Light Heavyweight division for three months. Rivero has explosive power and superb grappling skills from his background in competitive sambo. Rivero's popularity in his home land of Puerto Rico increases with every win, but if those wins are going to keep coming then he will need to improve his striking skills which has always been a big weakness. Rivero won two fights in GAMMA before moving to the BCF, and in his BCF debut he defeated Tikhon Diev in a much closer fight than most people expected going in.

In the semi Main Event of the evening we will see a Middleweight contest that will determine the next man to challenge for the BCF Middleweight title, plus one man will taste defeat for the first time when Dwayne Alleyne (6-0) takes on Ethan Sutton (7-0). Alleyne is one of the most promising wrestlers to enter MMA in recent years having had training with the US Olympic wrestling team for the last few years which has given him superb grappling skills. Alleyne's favourite way to win is to get his opponent against the cage and just beat him up with some nasty dirty boxing, but Alleyne is also skilled at fighting from a distance and if he gets the fight to the ground he can finish it there too. Alleyne has fought twice in the BCF, defeating Daniel Hornsby by KO and then Ginger Beaumont by submission. Ethan Sutton is one of Canada's highest hopes for future success in MMA with one of the best all-around games of anyone in his age range. Sutton has excellent takedowns, solid boxing skills and good submissions that make him dangerous in any position. Sutton's only drawback is the lack of power in his strikes, but he makes up for it with good hand speed. Sutton has been very successful in the BCF so far, starting with wins over original fighters Henning Olsen and Tucker Plumm, before showing a massive improvement by defeating fellow prospect Tetsuji Myojin with a rear naked choke in just over three minutes, turning what was expected to be a close fight into a dominant performance.

And finally we come to our Main Event with the BCF Middleweight title on the line for the first time since August of 1998, Leonardo da Costa (15-6) will make his first title defence against one of Europe's most decorated MMA veterans Jaromir Grygera (20-5). Da Costa won the BCF Middleweight title from Tora Mizwar six months ago, and has been patiently waiting for his first defence due to challengers having inconveniently timed fights. Da Costa is a black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and is one of the most dangerus fighters in the world on the ground. In the past he has shown tendancies to ignore his ground skills and just brawl with opponents, but he seems to have got that out of his system as he won all three of his BCF fights via submission. In his debut he tapped out a very game Ram Phookan with a rear naked choke, then handed Ginger Beaumont his first loss with an ANKLE LOCK~!, before grabbing a guillotine choke to defeat Mizwar and win the title. Jaromir Grygera is a former SIGMA Middleweight champion who is one of the most experienced fighters in Europe. He posseses one of the best ground and pound games in the world, and is notoriously difficult to finish due to having an iron chin and very good defence on the ground to stop submissions. He has been accused of not being the most exciting fighter in the world due to his grinding style, but he has won half his fights by KO or TKO and has an under-rated striking game. Grygera won the two fights he had in SIGMA against Oleg Tariverdiev and Fernando Amaro, before moving to the BCF where he defeated Tucker Plumm in a close fight, eventually triumphing by split decision.

OFFICIAL FIGHT CARD

BCF Middleweight Title
Leonardo da Costa (c) vs. Jaromir Grygera

Middleweight Division
Dwayne Alleyne vs. Ethan Sutton

Light Heavyweight Division
MacGregor Dare vs. John Rivero

Heavyweight Division
Duke Aiona vs. Sly Twinge

Light Heavyweight Division
Guillermo Morales vs. Dag Kreuger

Lightweight Division
Bosco Curbeam vs. Jayden Karp

Heavyweight Division
Jacco Landeweerd vs. Zsolt Hargitay

Middleweight Division
Ginger Beaumont vs. Jakuchu Abe

Predictions welcomed and appreciated almost as much as my CM Punk shirt that just arrived.

[BHK1978]

Leonardo da Costa (c) vs. Jaromir Grygera

Middleweight Division
Dwayne Alleyne vs. Ethan Sutton

Light Heavyweight Division
MacGregor Dare vs. John Rivero

Heavyweight Division
Duke Aiona vs. Sly Twinge

Light Heavyweight Division
Guillermo Morales vs. Dag Kreuger

Lightweight Division
Bosco Curbeam vs. Jayden Karp

Heavyweight Division
Jacco Landeweerd vs. Zsolt Hargitay

Middleweight Division
Ginger Beaumont vs. Jakuchu Abe

Sorry Ginger but you suck.

[Jingo]

BCF Middleweight Title
Leonardo da Costa (c) vs. Jaromir Grygera

Middleweight Division
Dwayne Alleyne vs. Ethan Sutton

Light Heavyweight Division
MacGregor Dare vs. John Rivero

Heavyweight Division
Duke Aiona vs. Sly Twinge

Light Heavyweight Division
Guillermo Morales vs. Dag Kreuger

Lightweight Division
Bosco Curbeam vs. Jayden Karp

Heavyweight Division
Jacco Landeweerd vs. Zsolt Hargitay

Middleweight Division
Ginger Beaumont vs. Jakuchu Abe

[Pineappleman]

Leonardo da Costa (c) vs. Jaromir Grygera

Middleweight Division
Dwayne Alleyne vs. Ethan Sutton

Light Heavyweight Division
MacGregor Dare vs. John Rivero

Heavyweight Division
Duke Aiona vs. Sly Twinge

Light Heavyweight Division
Guillermo Morales vs. Dag Kreuger

Lightweight Division
Bosco Curbeam vs. Jayden Karp

Heavyweight Division
Jacco Landeweerd vs. Zsolt Hargitay

I love big Jacco, but he loses everything. I gave him a kickboxing can with 5% chin once and he managed to mess it up.

Middleweight Division
Ginger Beaumont vs. Jakuchu Abe

[Chris2K]

BCF: DA COSTA vs. GRYGERA
SATURDAY - WEEK 1 OF FEBRUARY 1999

------------------------------------

Fight #1
Middleweight Division

Ginger Beaumont (5-2) vs. Jakuchu Abe (2-1)



Abe starts off in spectacular fashion by dodging a jab and connecting with a series of hard right hands, Abe moves away and it's clear that Beaumont is rocked! Beaumont drops down for a takedown on pure instinct, but Abe easily defends it and takes the fight into the clinch. From there Abe tries a judo throw, but Beaumont manages to deny him the necessary leverage for the trip to work. Instead, Abe hoists him up into the air and slams Beaumont down to the mat with a lot of impact, Abe ends up in Beaumont's guard. Abe easily passes the guard to get in to side control, then lands some strikes to the head and ribs of Beaumont whilst he plans his next move. That next move turns out to be an attempt at an arm triangle, and Abe is able to get the hold fully applied!! With the hold in tight Beaumont has no choice but to tap out and give Abe the submission victory, Beaumont never seemed to recover from those hard shots early in the fight.

Winner: Jakuchu Abe (3-1) via Submission (Arm Triangle) - 3:37 of Round 1
Fight Rating: Good

------------------------------------

Fight #2
Heavyweight Division

Jacco Landeweerd (5-2) vs. Zsolt Hargitay (4-2)



Hargitay avoids a body kick and fires back with a nice left hand, but Landeweerd responds shortly afterwards with a decent jab. Hargitay moves in closer to attack, and he uses some punches to help set up a takedown attempt, but Landeweerd sees it coming and connects with a hard right hook to Hargitay that leaves him rocked! Landeweerd misses a combination, but manages to stop Hargitay's second takedwon attempt. Hargitay seems desperate to get a takedown, but as he shoots in for a third time he gets clobbered by another hard right hand from Landeweerd that almost sends him down. Hargitay avoids a jab and gets the fight into a clinch. Hargitay pushes Landeweerd backwards until he gets him against the cage, and uses his incredible body weight/fat to smother Landeweered against the cage and give him nowhere to go. Hargitay keeps him there until the end of the round, landing a few punches to the ribs in the process but nothing else of excitement. Landeweerd will probably take the round for those two punches that rocked Hargitay.



Hargitay is already looking tired after just five minutes of action, but he manages to avoid a combination from Landeweerd early in the round. Hargitay dodges another combination, but a combination of his own is avoided by Landeweerd and he lands a series of quick punches in retaliation. Hargitay doesn't seem to be the most intelligent fighter in the world, the first example of that would be his absolutely awful conditioning, but the second example is that he goes in to try for another takedown and gets smacked on the chin with another vicious right hook from Landeweerd as he does so. At least this fight is proving that Hargitay has one hell of a chin, lesser men would have been dropped by most of those shots from Landeweerd. Landeweerd lands another jab, then avoids a jab from Hargitay and connects with a hard kick to the body. Landeweerd is now breathing heavily as well, you'd think that fighters would be trained to go at least fifteen minutes but obviously not. With both fighters so tired the action drops off completely, and I'm surprised that most of the crowd don't drop off at the same time. The round ends, so at least both fighters can have the rest they so desperately need.



The fighters clinch almost straight away which is hardly surprising seeing as they can barely stand, but to their credit they separate quickly and go back to striking. Landeweerd uses some good head movement to avoid a big right uppercut and land a nice leg kick, both fighters are moving forward and swinging randomly, it's all they have the energy to do at this stage. Landeweerd manages to land a perfect right hand that rocks Hargitay for the fourth time in this fight, it seems that Hargitay is just not going to drop though. The middle part of the round involves both men just trying to get their energy back, most likely for one last burst at the end. Landeweerd lands another hard kick to the shin of Hargitay, there's not much fat there to be absorbing those blows either. Landeweerd goes for another kick to the body with fifteen seconds left in the fight, but Hargitay sees it coming and strikes first with a massive right cross that connects right on the jaw of Landeweerd! Landeweerd goes down, and he's been knocked out cold by that one punch! A devastating KO for Hargitay, he was probably behind on the scorecards as well so he needed a finish.

Winner: Zsolt Hargitay (5-2) via KO (Punch) - 4:45 of Round 3
Fight Rating: Decent

------------------------------------

Fight #3
Lightweight Division

Bosco Curbeam (4-0) vs. Jayden Karp (3-2)



Karp lands the first good strike with a nice straight left, then counters a missed jab from Curbeam with a series of quick punches. Karp shoots in for a takedown despite seemingly having an advantage on the feet, Curbeam blocks it with a sprawl and takes Karp down with a front facelock. Curbeam tries to roll Karp out of a turtled position and onto his back to get side control, but Karp blocks those attempts on two occasions before managing to get back to his feet. They go back to striking and again Karp lands a thudding right hook to the body of Curbeam, then ducks under a big right hand and connects with a nice jab. Karp is countering superbly here, he dodges a jab from Curbeam and lands a right hand to the temple, then slips past another jab and lands a left jab of his own. Karp continues to use his jab to good effect as he connects with another two, but an exchange of strikes sees the fighters fall into a clinch, and they stay in a grapple with neither man getting an advantage until the round comes to an end.



Karp avoids a jab from Curbeam, but he can't stop Curbeam from getting the fight into the clinch, although it doesn't look like Karp is all that bothered about it. And he's right not to be, Karp gets the underhooks and tries for a takedown, and he successfully gets Curbeam down to the ground, landing in half guard. Karp tries to get his leg free to get to a better position, and he does so by managing to get through to mount. After those impressive ground skills Karp goes to finish things off with an armbar, and Curbeam can't stop him from getting it locked in! Karp hyper-extends the arm and Curbeam is left with no option but to tap out! A superb performance from Karp both on the feet and on the ground, he looks like he's made a big step since his last fight.

Winner: Jayden Karp (4-2) via Submission (Armbar) - 1:44 of Round 2
Fight Rating: Decent

------------------------------------

Fight #4
Light Heavyweight Division

Guillermo Morales (8-1-1) vs. Dag Kreuger (5-2)



Kreuger comes out looking to strike with Morales, but Morales manages to duck two jabs and the fighters end up falling into a clinch. That seems to suit Morales perfectly as he lifts Kreuger up for a slam, and Kreuger is planted into the canvas at a great velocity, but he manages to secure guard once he hits the floor. Morales begins his pursuit of getting himself into a better position, and he gets a leg free to go to half guard. From there he tries to secure an arm triangle, but Kreuger is able to easily defend it as Morales never had enough leverage to cause much danger. Morales manages to get his other leg free and gets into side control, and from there he gets into mount with ease, Kreuger seemingly unable to do anything about Morales' relentless movement into better and better positions. Unlike so many people who go for submissions from the mount Morales is more happy just beating the crap out of Kreuger with vicious elbow strikes and hard punches. Kreuger can do nothing about it as Morales pounds away with ever-increasing fury, Kreuger can't defend himself against the onslaught of punches coming his way. The referee decides that he's seen enough and he pulls Morales off Kreuger to prevent what could have been a complete brutalisation, Morales celebrates his first BCF victory whilst Kreuger lies on the mat and tries to remember how to defend on the ground.

Winner: Guillermo Morales (9-1-1) via TKO (Strikes) - 3:52 of Round 1
Fight Rating: Great

------------------------------------

Fight #5
Heavyweight Division

Duke Aiona (15-4) vs. Sly Twinge (6-0)



Aiona strikes first with a series of quick jabs after avoiding a jab from Twinge, but they clinch shortly afterwards which gives Twinge the opportunity to use his grappling skills. Twinge goes for a takedown but Aiona manages to block that attempt, however he can't block a big Greco-Roman slam from Twinge that sends him crashing into the canvas, it seems that the slam has become a theme of tonight's show. Twing is in half guard and begins unloading some hard punches after posturing up, a lot of the strikes get through Aiona's defences and seem to be doing quite a lot of damage. Twinge begins to conserve his energy, but his hesitation gives Aiona a chance to scramble, and it ends up with Twinge turtled up on the ground with Aiona behind him, Aiona then rolls him over and takes side control. I have no idea how that just happened. Aiona catches his breath and settles for just landing some punches to the body of Twinge, with Twinge's gut I doubt that's doing much damage. Aiona manages to retain the dominant position until time expires in the first round.



Aiona makes the mistake of throwing a body kick which Twinge sees coming and uses it to get Aiona to the ground straight away in Round 2, Aiona pulls guard but that just allows Twinge to lie on top of him and smother him for a while. Twinge tries to land some swinging right hands but Aiona deals with them, but he allows Twinge enough room to squeeze his large frame out of the guard and quickly moves into side control. Twinge lands a decent knee to the ribs, then some punches to Aiona but he's not doing anything with that much urgency. Twing tries to pound away with punches and elbows from side control but Aiona is doing a good job of limiting his power by keeping control of Twinge's arms. Aiona shows some more impressive scrambling skills as for the second time in the fight he is able to get free of Twinge with a burst of speed, and he reverses the positions to take side control himself. Aiona lands some strikes before trying to move into mount, but Twinge is able to stop him from doing so. However he leaves himself open to Aiona taking his back, and Aiona gets hold of him and looks to try and work the hooks in. Time is against him though, and Round 2 comes to an end before he can take full advantage of his position.



Twinge is starting to get a bit tired and his striking is getting a bit sloppy, he tries to take the fight into a clinch but as he moves in he gets caught by a jab from Aiona. They ends up clinched eventually and Twinge begins to use some dirty boxing when he takes control of the grapple. Twinge spends over a minute landing shots on the inside, mainly to the ribs of Aiona but occasionally aiming futher up for the chin, and then to the side of the head. Aiona is trying to get free but Twinge controls him well, the strikes to the body are also starting to sap the energy levels of the Hawaiian. Twinge has landed a significant number of strikes, a surprise considering how tired he was at the start of the round but then I guess doing dirty boxing from a clinch doesn't use up that much energy. Eventually the amount of activity from Twinge slows enough for the referee to decide to separate them. Whilst the idea is good in principal it doesn't actually result in anything, both fighters are too tired to even throw a strike for the final thirty seconds. The BCF Heavyweights need a crash course in conditioning. The fight goes to the judges and all three of them score the fight 30-27 to Sly Twinge, giving him a unanimous decision victory and keeping his undefeated record intact.

Winner: Sly Twinge (7-0) via Unanimous Decision
Fight Rating: Good

------------------------------------

Fight #6
Light Heavyweight Division

MacGregor Dare (3-0) vs. John Rivero (15-2)



Dare shows some impressive hand speed at the start of the fight, he lands a quick series of shots to the body, then a nice three punch combination. Rivero is hesistant to move forward after being caught by those, he ends up stepping back to avoid another combination and also a jab. Dare presses forward but it seems that Rivero was just lulling him in, Dare walks straight into a takedown attempt from Rivero and the element of surprise works in Rivero's favour as he takes Dare down to the ground. That there shows the difference in experience between the two. Rivero is in Dare's guard, but it doesn't take long for him to move into side control. From there he lands a couple of hard knees to the body fo Dare, then lands a third knee to the hip area. Rivero tries to apply an arm triangle from side control, and it seems he has managed to get it locked in deep! Dare somehow manages to break free, Rivero may have made a slight error with his hands and Dare used it to get out of trouble. Rivero spends the remaining thirty seconds of the round in side control, landing the occasional shot but mainly just making sure he stays in the dominant position.



Both fighters come out looking to strike in the second round, Rivero avoids a combination from Dare, but when Dare avoids a jab he fires back with a barrage of big right hands that sends Rivero flying to the mat! Rivero recovers quickly and waits for Dare to come down to the ground with him, but Dare decides not to and remains standing, waving for Rivero to get back to his feet. Rivero misses a jab, but then tries to shoot in on Dare and get him to the flooor, the takedown is successful and Dare has to pull guard. Rivero tries to land some strikes from the guard but there's no real power behind them, Dare throws some from his back but Rivero has the room to lean back and get out of the way. They continue to have this striking battle on the ground for the remainder of the round, neither man lands anything significant and it seems Rivero is just biding his time and maybe still recovering from the punches that put him down earlier in the round.



Dare misses a jab and gets caught by a jab from Rivero in response, Rivero then throws out a couple more jabs as he moves in, before shooting in and completing another takedown to leave Dare on his back with Rivero in his guard. Rivero starts to use his ground skills to move from guard into side control, and lands a hard knee to the ribs of Dare after he does so. Rivero lands another knee to the side before going for an armbar, Rivero manages to get the hold applied but he can't get Dare's arm hyper-extended, Dare shows some good patience and gets his arm free before Rivero can get it locked in. Rivero moves into the mount with ease and goes for an armbar again, this time Dare defends it by stacking up Rivero to get his arm free, Dare gets side control in the process and begins to land some decent strikes. Dare lands some more punches to the head before Rivero manages to go for a guillotine choke, however it's always going to be difficult to get a guillotine to work when the opponent is in side control, and Rivero is forced to give up on the submission. Dare lands some more shots to Rivero but fatigue is beginning to set in and the punches get slower and start losing power. Dare is spending more time catching his breath than striking as the fights comes to an end, and we head to the judges for a decision. All three judges score the fight 29-28 in favour of John Rivero to give him a unanimous decision victory.

Winner: John Rivero (16-2) via Unanimous Decision
Fight Rating: Decent

------------------------------------

Semi Main Event
Middleweight Division

Dwayne Alleyne (6-0) vs. Ethan Sutton (7-0)



Sutton starts the fight by avoiding a combination and landing a nice left hand, but Alleyne ducks a jab and connects with a left hand of his own. The fighters end up in a clinch and begin wrestling for control. Sutton can't get Alleyne back against the cage, but Alleyne's attempt at getting a takedown doesn't work either. Sutton finally manages to use his strrength to get Alleyne against the cage, but Alleyne quickly reverses it to take control of the grapple. Alleyne goes for another takedown but Sutton blocks it and gets a reversal again. Alleyne gets back control again in this ridiculous game of reversals but again his takedown attempt is blocked, and again Sutton takes control of the clinch. Sutton actually manages to keep control of the grapple for a while and lands a lot of good strikes to the head and body of Alleyne. Alleyne can't get free as Sutton continues to smother him against the cage and land sharp strikes, they're not going to do a lot of damage individually but the total of strikes landed keeps rising. Sutton manages to keep Alleyne pressed up and stuck against the cage until the end of the round, and has landed a good number of punches since taking control of the fight.



Sutton lands a nice jab but Alleyne avoids a second one and connects with one of his own. Alleyne then moves forward to try and get a quick takedown, but Sutton is able to step away and Alleyne is unable to get hold of him. They end up in a clinch again which is just what everybody was fearing after the first round of boredom, Alleyne gets control of the grapple and pushes Sutton back against the cage. Alleyne then takes what he learned in the first round and gives Sutton a taste of his own medicine, landing some hard shots on the inside. Alleyne then grabs some underhooks and delivers a perfect Greco-Roman slam to send Sutton crashing into the mat, but Alleyne can only get into Sutton's guard on the ground. Sutton seems a bit stunned by the slam though and Alleyne finds it quite easy to move from guard to side control, Sutton manages to delay Alleyne's movement through to mount though. Alleyne finally does get to mount but it's too late for him to do anything worthwhile due to the lack of time left in the round, and when the bell sounds Alleyne has to give up his dominant position having spent a lot of energy to get it.



Alleyne lands a nice jab before following up with a hard straight left hand, he then tries to get a takedown after the success on the ground in the previous round, but Sutton does well to keep it standing. Sutton manages to land a jab to Alleyne who has slowed down a bit due to fatigue, Alleyne tries to shoot in again but his attempt is ragged and Sutton has no problem avoiding this one as well. Unfortunately both fighters are at the point where their energy has been completely sapped, and due to the close nature of the fight there is no reason for either man to go crazy to look for a finish. As a result the crowd is treated to the final two minutes of the fight being nothing but both of them circling around, stalling, feinting and waiting for the other guy to make the first move. This doesn't go down too well with the crowd who spend most of the last thirty seconds booing the fighters, then boo even louder when the fight finally ends. We go to a judges decision, not an easy process seeing as neither fighter deserved to win the final round, but the scores that they give are as follows:

29-28 to Sutton
29-28 to Alleyne
and 29-28 to.... Dwayne Alleyne! He takes the split decision victory, but both fighters will be disappointed with the performance they gave during the fight.

Winner: Dwayne Alleyne (7-0) via Split Decision
Fight Rating: Very Poor

------------------------------------

Main Event
BCF Middleweight Title Match

Leonardo da Costa (15-6) (c) vs. Jaromir Grygera (20-5)



Grygera's gameplan becomes apparent straight away as he closes the distance and gets the fight into a clinch. Grygera then uses some good strength to muscle da Costa back against the cage, and when he gets him there he nails him with a hard uppercut to the chin. Grygera keeps da Costa pressed against the cage for a couple of minutes, mainly just holding him there and stalling but occasionally being brave enough to actually land a strike or two to the body of da Costa. It's not the most entertaining of strategies, but it's a technique that has served Grygera well through the years. Grygera throws an elbow but da Costa is quick to avoid it and use it to reverse the positions, da Costa then quickly breaks the clinch and heads back to the centre of the cage. It's not for long though, Grygera is quick to get hold of da Costa again and push him against the cage again, Grygera goes back to landing some shots on the inside but predominantly just wants to keep da Costa in place. Grygera keeps control of da Costa until the end of the round, he may have shown some impressive grappling skills but that doesn't stop the crowd from booing the fighters when they head back to their corner due to the lack of action in the opening five minutes.



Da Costa knows that he has to get Grygera to the ground to avoid being smothered for a second time, but his first attempt at a takedown doesn't work, so he settles for pushing Grygera up against the cage. Da Costa drops down for a second takedown attempt but Grygera shows some good resistance to stay on his feet, however he nearly gets caught out when da Costa climbs on his back to try and apply a choke, but Grygera is able to fight him off. Da Costa is trying for that choke again shortly afterwards but Grygera blocks it again, however the relentless da Costa quickly drops down and gets a takedown, taking Grygera's back in the process! Da Costa immediately starts to go for submissions on the ground, but his attempt at an armbar results in Grygera stacking him up to reverse the position, and Grygera takes side control. Grygera stands up immediately as he wisely wants nothing to do with da Costa on the ground, and after some hesitation da Costa stands up too. Da Costa looks quite tired and his attempt at another takedown is sloppy, Grygera sees it coming a mile off and gets out of the way easily. Grygera is content to just wait for da Costa to make the first move at the moment, but that just leaves us with both fighters not doing anything during the final thirty seconds of the round before the bell sounds to end it.



Grygera lands a nice left jab to start the round, but all of a sudden da Costa is diving at his feet. Most people are expecting a takedown attempt but it seems da Costa is more interested in a heel hook, Grygera escapes the submission hold but he can't stop da Costa from taking him down to the mat, da Costa manages to get into half guard in the process. Da Costa immediately tries to secure an arm triangle from half guard but Grygera defends it well, and also manages to stop da Costa from improving his position. What follows is three minutes of da Costa being stuck in Grygera's half guard, da Costa is trying to move into side control but Grygera is blocking it, Grygera is trying to get back to full guard but da Costa is blocking that. The stalemate leaves the fans furious at the lack of action but the referee doesn't opt to stand them back up. Da Costa finally tries to do something as he goes for a kimura from half guard, Grygera blocks the attempt though and tries to sweep da Costa in retaliation, however da Costa quickly puts a stop to that idea. The referee eventually decides to stand them up, prompting a loud ironic cheer from the crowd who have nearly lost their patience with this fight, but as you'd expect there's very little action on the feet before the time expires in the third round.



We head into the championship rounds after three rounds of boredom, and Grygera comes out and stuns everybody, possibly including himself, by landing a barrage of hard right hands that drops da Costa to the ground! Grygera hesitates slightly before going to the ground with a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt, but he realises this is a golden opportunity and begins pounding away with some hard punches on the ground! Grygera keeps pounding away and lands several hard shots that threaten to knock da Costa out, so the referee steps in and stops the fight! Jaromir Grygera is the new BCF Middleweight champion with a finish that possibly saved the fight from a worst fight of the year nomination!

Winner: Jaromir Grygera (21-5) via TKO (Strikes) - 0:41 of Round 4
Fight Rating: Poor

------------------------------------

Statistics

Attendance: 4,542 ($227,100)
Critical Rating: Average
Commercial Rating: Great

Fight Of The Night: Guillermo Morales vs. Dag Kreuger
KO Of The Night: Zsolt Hargitay
Submission Of The Night: Jayden Karp

Balance: $2,321,323 (+ $157,120)

Popularity
= 91.2% (+1.6%)
= 9.8 %
= 9.8%

------------------------------------

Final Thoughts

The show was pretty successful commercially due to the name values of the top two fights, but the fights themselves caused a massive drop to our critical rating thanks to how dull they were. It may have just been a clash of styles between the two very evenly matches youngsters in Alleyne and Sutton, and I knew when I signed him that Grygera wasn't going to be a frequent fight of the night candidate. Thankfully some of the other fights on the card made the show vaguely enjoyable, and we still had a good profit and a populartiy boost at the end of it.

Grygera became the fourth different BCF Middleweight champion in the last 13 months, and the title has changed hands on the last three occasions it has been defended. I'm not sure whether that should be considered some kind of curse or not, but if I were Grygera I'd be a bit concerned about my first defence. It was surprising to see Grygera win by TKO, I had a feeling it would end up being a boring decision unless da Costa was able to get a submission, but I am happy to be proved wrong. At 35 Grygera is going to have to fight hard to withstand pressure from the youngsters coming after the title, the first of which will be Dwayne Alleyne following his victory over Ethan Sutton. That fight was really terrible, it became a chore for me to write about it when I was halfway through, which may explain the non-sensical statements during the second and third rouinds. It was a very close fight, just not in the way you'd hope it to be, instead a slugfest we got a clinchfest. Sutton will no doubt get his chance at the title in due time, just hopefully not in a re-match with Alleyne...

John Rivero continued his winning streak by handing MacGregor Dare his first professional defeat, Dare put up a good fight and nearly got the win in the second round, but in the end he just couldn't cope with Rivero's outstanding grappling game. Rivero is making a strong claim for a title shot against William Harrison, and that could well be the next fight that is made for the title seeing as other challengers are fighting elsewhere in the future and Harrison doesn't have a fight scheduled. Sly Twinge continues to be victorious against ranked Heavyweights with his decision victory over Duke Aiona, and unlike his win over Aleksander Ivanov this one was definitely deserved. Twinge has got himself into the top 20 Heavyweights in the world with this victory, and he's doing a good job of putting himself into the mix as a potential title contender.

Guillermo Morales showed the true level of his skills after disappointing in his BCF debut, he bulldozed his way through Dag Kreuger with a combination of unstoppable grappling and devastating punching power. Morales will be hoping he can continue to develop the rest of his game and make himself a tough opponent for anyone in the division. Kreguer is on a bit of a slide, and I think the losses to Morales and Sorkin prove that he isn't quite at the same level as his Light Heavyweight competition. Jayden Karp sprang somewhat of a surprise in his victory over Bosco Curbeam, Karp had a mixed year in 1998 and didn't seem to be matching up with the other young Lightweights that joined the BCF at the same time. But he showed some impressive skills in this fight on his feet and on the ground, and has now shown that he has the talent to be in the mix with the division's stronger fighters.

Zsolt Hartigay is an enygma wrapped inside a mystery. How he managed to win his fight against Jacco Landeweerd defies all logic, he was two rounds behind and completely out of gas when he just swung for the fences, connected, and knocked Landeweerd the hell out. Hargitay is never going to be a contender in the division thanks to his abysmal conditioning, but at least with a win it means he can be sacrificed to someone with some potential. Jakuchu Abe shook off his recent poor form to make light work of Ginger Beaumont with a first round submission victory. Abe put on a clinic to defeat Beaumont in no time at all to re-establish himself as a potential future star, whilst Beaumont's stock continues to decrease dramatically. At one point I hoped he would be a British force in the Middleweight division, but he has now lost three in a row against fighters at the same level that he should be at.

[Chris2K]

British Cage Fighting will be back for their second show of February 1999, and for all those fans who are now single after their partners dumped them for buying them BCF tickets for Valentine's Day, why not celebrate your freedom by buying another one? Just please don't touch the ring girls, they are people too. The headlining fight for this show is a battle in the BCF Light Heavyweight division between Garry McSweegan and Gustavo Spagnol.

The first fight of the evening will be a contest in the Heavyweight between two original BCF fighters, Eddie Whelan (10-7) will take on Percy Catcher (10-5). Whelan is primarily a Muay Thai fighter with powerful kicks and technical punches that always make him a dangerous fighter to trade strikes with. Whelan's weaknesses lie whenever the fight goes to the ground, he doesn't have much to offer when he's on top, and has no real defence against submissions if he's on his back. Whelan is reaching the stage of his career where he will need to improve his weaknesses to keep up with the increased level of talent in the BCF, he lost all four of his fights in 1998, Carter Potter, Harry Milne, Sam Hoyne and Vittorio Pescatelli all defeating him. Percy Catcher is coming off an award-winning 1998, albeit an award as the loser of the 1998 fight of the year with Sylvester Collins. Catcher is a kick boxer who loves nothing more than to stand and trade strikes with opponents, something that has gained him a reputation as one of the most exciting fighters in the BCF. Catcher's strikes aren't to be taken lightly either, if they connect they can knock you out as Steve Mason found out in 1998 when his undefeated record was destroyed by a thumping right hand from Catcher. That was Catcher's only win in 1998, with losses coming to Fritz Phipps, Ozzy Bintley and the aforementioned fight with Collins.

The next fight is a Welterweight division match between two 21 year-olds in Gideon Navarro (3-1) and BCF newcomer Malloy Mahoney (3-0). Navarro is a talented fighter from Hawaii who possesses a combination of natural physical gifts with a well-balanced MMA game. He started his life as a wrestler and submission fighter who loved to get the fight to the ground and try and get his opponent to tap out, but he has since developed a decent striking game, particularly in his defence, to make him difficult to beat. Navarro went 2-1 during 1998, a win at an independent show was followed by a loss to Felix Mattherson Jr, but he scored his first victory in the BCF with a dominant submission win over Delroy Rhodes in his last fight. Mahoney comes into the BCF after finding success on local British independent shows, winning two fights in 1998 via first round TKOs. Mahoney is a good striker due to a background in kick boxing, and his MMA training thus far has focused on developing wrestling skills so he is able to keep the fight standing for as long as possible. Fighting in his home town of London, Mahoney will have a lot of crowd support which will only amplify if he wears a pair of his trademark outlandish shorts.

Next up will be another Heavyweight division clash when Sam Hoynes (3-1) takes on another BCF newcomer in one of MMA's most well-known veterans Christopher Sharp (35-12). Hoynes is a wrestler from Dallas who loves nothing more than to grab a hold of his opponents and getting them to the ground, before finishing them with vicious ground and pound. The rest of Hoynes' game seems to be increasing at a steady rate, although a lack of a specific training camp means he is possibly not developing to his potential. Hoynes fought three times in the BCF in 1998, a win over Eddie Whelan was followed by his first career loss to Graham Goodbody, but he made light work of Howard Pursglove in his last fight. Christopher Sharp has been labelled as the "biggest MMA star that never was". His debut in 1990 saw him run through opponents with ease, he thre opponents around with his superb wrestling skills. However he made no attempt to change his game when everyone around him was developing all-around MMA games, and his lack of boxing skills saw him get knocked out again and again and he was left on the scrapheap. Now Sharp is on a mission to revitalise his career in the BCF after winning consistently on the independent shows, so this first fight will be a test to see if he still has what it takes.

In the Lightweight division we will see two fighters making their BCF debuts when Paulo Roberto Bezerra (12-5) takes on Rupert Lennox (3-0). Bezerra arrives in the BCF from the FLB, and he has earned the ranking of the #19 Lightweight in the world due to his recent form. Bezerra is a very powerful Muay Thai fighter who has scored a number of his victories by dragging his opponents into a clinch and destroying them with elbows and knees. Bezerra does have a weak ground game, but nobody can take him lightly due to his supreme striking skills. Bezerra won two fights in the FLB last year, defeating Laerte Portinari and Anderson Desailly to put himself on the map and get a top 20 ranking. Rupert Lennox is a young English fighter who himself is a former national champion in Muay Thai. He is a very dangerous striker, his punches are crisp and powerful and he loves to take the fight to the clinch as well to utilise his Muay Thai skills. To put it simply, these two fighters are almost mirror images of one another, as they both have the same fear of going to the ground as well. Lennox is the less experienced of the two, but he has been tearing it up on the British independent scene with two brutal TKO victories over local fighters. This will be a big step up in competition though, but a win would be the possible birth of a new British Lightweight superstar.

Next up is a fight in the Welterweight division between Callum Henson (20-8) and Gus Fitzpatrick (3-0). Henson is a dangerous striker from Canada who has the reputation of having some of the hardest leg kicks in the game, many an opponent has been left limping out of the cage after going toe-to-toe with him. Henson also has pretty decent punching technique and power to keep his opponents guessing, and he has been training hard at the Slaughterhouse camp to improve his wrestling and ground skills as well. Henson went 2-1 in 1998, he won his BCF debut against Mikey Wallace, but suffered a disappointing loss to Delroy Rhodes. Henson then fought back to defeat former champion Will Kane with a vicious knock out. Gus Fitzpatrick is a promising youngster from Florida with an impressive amateur wrestling background, but due to being one of the new breed of fighters he has trained in all areas of MMA, and as such he has very powerful strikes as well. Fitzpatick has the ability to ground and pound anyone to a defeat, something that Hans-Peter Schneider found out the hard way in Fitzpatrick's BCF debut, Fitzpatrick finishing him by TKO in the first round. Fitzpatrick then showed the other dimensions of his game in his second fight by finishing Paul Duffell with an armbar in the first round.

In the Middleweight division we will see Alex Cole (10-1) will take on Edgar van den Hoogenband (5-1) in the classic grappler vs. striker contest. Alex Cole is a good all-rounded but his base will always be wrestling from his time in high scool. He has trained hard to develop skills in all the other areas of MMA, and is well-suited to fighting anybody due to his skills, however the big weakness he has is the knee injury that kept him out of training and fighting for over a year. There is still fear that the injury is hampering his performances, in the three victories he has had since then he has only finished one, and suffered a surprise loss to Ram Phookan. His victories have come over Tucker Plumm, Rob Baines and a submission victory over former Middleweight champion Davis Spyrou. Edgar van den Hoogenband is considered pound-for-pound one of the best kickboxers in the world, but the lack of opportunities for a man of his size in kick boxing caused him to choose a career in MMA. Van den Hoogenband is an elite striker that allows him to trade with anyone, but the rest of his MMA game is still in the development stages. Should he be able to get the rest of his skills sorted he could be rising to the top of the Middleweight division. Van den Hoogenband went 2-1 in 1998, a loss to Isaiah Monroe was followed by two successive victories over fellow kick boxers Jemaine McKenzie and Andrew Rush.

The semi Main Event will be everyone's favourite kind of fight, two English Heavyweights slugging it out for a mixture of money, glory, but most of all pride. Harry Milne (43-9) will take on Vic Millican (17-6) with both fighters needing a win following recent losses. Milne is one of the most famous British fighters in the world following many years of success with his catch wrestling skills as well some hard punching power. Milne is the most successful British fighter of all time, a former BCF Heavyweight champion, and he can still go at 36 years of age. Milne went 2-2 in 1998, losing a title fight to Stafford Alois and to youngster Fritz Phipps, but picking up victories over Eddie Whelan and Sylvester Collins, handing Collins his first defeat. Millican is the prototypical English Heavyweight, he loves nothing more than to try and punch someone in the face no matter how much punishment he takes in the process, and fighting on the ground is a completely alien concept. That said, Millican is not completely clueless if the fight goes to the ground, so long as he's not the one on his back, and getting him on the ground is hard enough due to a decent takedown defence. Millican won one fight in 1998 against Russell McPhee iin 1998, but he fought some tough guys in Rav Kapur, Stafford Alois and Nate MacReary, losing to all three but putting up a decent fight on each occasion.

And finally we come to our Main Event with the standard "veteran vs. newcomer" fight that we see on nearly every BCF show, this time Garry McSweegan (22-9) is the veteran and Gustavo Spagnol (7-1) the newcomer and they will fight in the Light Heavyweight division. McSweegan is a tough Scotsman who loves to trade punches with his opponents due to his fast and powerful hands, and he will come out full of aggression no matter what the situation. It's a blessing and a curse though, he can knock out people quickly or he can make a mistake and lose the fight just as fast. McSweegan is pretty much useless of his back but has good ground and pound if he finds himself in that position. In 1998 he lost his first two fights, one to Curt Kitson for the Light Heavyweight title, and one an upset to youngster Crow Leddy. McSweegan fought back though by defeating Jon Silvers and handing Jericho Stewart is first professional loss. Gustavo Spagnol is a Brazilian fighter who is regarded as having some of the best ground and pound in MMA, he has very explosive takedowns to get the fight to the mat, and vicious punching power when he gets there. He may not have the most well-rounded game in the world but he will always be a dangerous opponent due to his positive attributes being so strong. Spagnol got off to a flier in 1998 by winning his first three fights against Crow Leddy, Tikhon Diev and Allen LeFleur, but he came unstuck in a close fight with William Harrison in a #1 Contenders sfight. Spagnol got back to winning ways with a decision victory over Lenny McFadden in November.

OFFICIAL FIGHT CARD

Light Heavyweight Division
Garry McSweegan vs. Gustavo Spagnol

Heavyweight Division
Harry Milne vs. Vic Millican

Middleweight Division
Alex Cole vs. Edgar van den Hoogenband

Welterweight Division
Callum Henson vs. Gus Fitzpatrick

Lightweight Division
Paulo Roberto Bezerra vs. Rupert Lennox

Heavyweight Division
Sam Hoynes vs. Christopher Sharp

Welterweight Division
Gideon Navarro vs. Malloy Mahoney

Heavyweight Division
Eddie Whelan vs. Percy Catcher

Predictions make your lungs unpuncturable. Take that Tony Romo.

[Pineappleman]

Light Heavyweight Division
Garry McSweegan vs. Gustavo Spagnol

Heavyweight Division
Harry Milne vs. Vic Millican

Middleweight Division
Alex Cole vs. Edgar van den Hoogenband

Welterweight Division
Callum Henson vs. Gus Fitzpatrick

Lightweight Division
Paulo Roberto Bezerra vs. Rupert Lennox

Heavyweight Division
Sam Hoynes vs. Christopher Sharp

Welterweight Division
Gideon Navarro vs. Malloy Mahoney

Heavyweight Division
Eddie Whelan vs. Percy Catcher