UCMMA 29 Fight Report.
UCMMA returned to the Troxy for the first time since May last weekend, and while the card bore little resemblance to the original line-up due to a spate of injuries, everything came together on the night for an entertaining evening of fisticuffs. Addicted MMA was cage-side soaking up all the action.
Vassell swarms a game Chapman in first title defence
Nick 'The Headhunter' Chapman may have been the underdog going into Saturday's main event, but nobody told the challenger who put on a valiant performance against heavy favourite Linton Vassell. While the champion is known for his wrestling, he seemed more than content to allow the opening phase of the fight to take place on the feet. The blueprint was set early; dictate the pace with a piston-like jab, mix in stinging low kicks to keep the challenger guessing, then turn up the heat when the opportunity presented itself.
The plan worked well for Vassell, however each time he caught Chapman, the challenger starred him down and rampaged forward, hurling leather with bad intentions. In the second round, normality was restored. The champ secured a takedown and slipped into back-mount. At first it seemed like a TKO stoppage was on the cards, as 'The Swarm' quite literally swarmed his man with heavy bombs. In a quick change of tact though, Vassell snaked his arms around his opponent's neck and coaxed the tap.
Andrews remains unbeaten, claims flyweight crown
A strange set of circumstances lead to the UCMMA Bantamweight champion facing the UCMMA Interim Bantamweight champion for the UCMMA Flyweight title. Confused? So were we, but when Georgio Andrews and Spencer Hewitt had completed three rounds of gruelling action, there was no doubt as to who the better man was that night. The heated exchanges at the pre-fight press conference added some sizzle to the steak of what was the evenings most anticipated bout amongst hardcore MMA fans.
The story here was whether the wrestling of Andrews would be able to stifle grappling of Hewitt, who had also treated fans to the first real look at his boxing ability with a stunning KO in his previous bout. While the hand-speed of Hewitt was on display in phases, Andrews wrestling was the perfect spoiler. The London Shootfighters product used his wrestling in reverse to shut down his opponent and stuff Hewitt's takedown attempts, also using it no negate his opponents BJJ skills when the bout did hit the ground. It's a long-held rule in MMA: The man who dictates where, when and how the fight takes place will win it. That certainly rang true on Saturday night, with the judges scoring the bout one-sidedly for the new UCMMA Flyweight champ, Spencer Hewitt.
Carter stops Clark in Fight of the Night, MVP and Nunes win big
Addicted MMA's unofficial Fight of the Night award went to the back and forth clash between Sean 'Sexy Curls' Carter and Dom 'Dominator' Clark. Both men were victims of fights that fell through, and both deserve credit for taking the new bout on relatively short notice. MMA fans had been buzzing about the new fight since it was announced, and with good reason. Both men went out all-guns-blazing from the get-go, but it was Clark that landed with more power in the opening exchanges, marking-up Carter's face early.
'Sexy Curls' came into his own in the clinch though, landing some hard shots from close range, including a vicious knee that signalled the beginning of the end. Clark slumped following the sickening impact and Carter capitalised, throwing huge looping shots as he followed his man to the ground for the TKO finish. The bout had the crowd on its feet from bell to bell, and Carter solidified himself as one to watch on the domestic scene.
Another terrifying prospect, Michael 'Venom' Page, added to his tally at UCMMA 29. Page faced off with late replacement Jefferson George, who was there to do anything but make up the numbers in their UK-1 bout. George, a Muay Thai stylist, landed some chopping low kicks in the first round, in an attempt to slow the bedazzling footwork of Page. While he had some success, Page never lost the spring in his step and answered back with a trademark selection of spinning attacks.
As the round drew on, George was baited into an exchange of flashy strikes, much to the chagrin of his corner. The pair played a game of Russian Roulette with their unorthodox kicks and punches, but it was George who took the loaded chamber in the second round, getting flat-lined with a spring-loaded right hand from Page.
In a clash of undefeated prospects, someone's '0' had to go when Iain 'Badman' Martell and Max 'Power' Nunes threw down. Despite ending the first round in a disadvantageous position, Martell dictated the pace early on, unleashing some nice combinations and takedown attempts. Nunes answered back with strikes of his own, and was able to stifle Martell's ground 'n' pound attack when the bout hit the mat.
After a quick takedown in the second round, Nunes legs snaked up for a triangle variation with Martell in side control. After a quick adjustment, Nunes secured the tap and with it, a potential showdown with UCMMA champ Linton Vassell.
UCMMA 29 may have been ravaged by injuries, but as is so often the case, the fighters all dug deep and put on some entertaining performances in the cage. All eyes now turn to UCMMA 30, which sees heavyweight champ Darren Towler returning to defend his belt for the first time against powerful grappler Dayman Lake.
UCMMA 29 Results: http://www.addictedmma.com/result-8548_UCMMA-29.php
Published by Boogeyman - Mon, 20 Aug 2012 17:19
