GAMMA - Dynasty and commentary on my decisions

[WCW Mark]

I was a big fan of WMMA 1 but didn't get to play WMMA 2 very much, as such when starting a game on number 3 I though I would go with a company I knew. Having looked at the rosters for Gamma and Alpha 1 I've gone with Gamma. Whilst they are number 2 in the world the roster is good and there are lots of fighters active in America I can hire.

 

My first job was to secure a PPV deal, I request goes in to negotiate with Public Access Select, this is the smallest PPV provider in the US so hopefully I should get a deal, it also broadcasts in Canada which is a bonus, I'd better look at pushing at least one Canadian star

 

Next was to look at the weight divisions and see where I needed to hire some extra stars, with my signings I'm going to be looking for a few things, some future stars, some current big names and some jobbers. I don't want to make too many signings though as I want to make sure there are plenty of fighters for the smaller companies. I'm also going to be looking at mostly signing fighters who are already based in North America.

 

Lightweights

 

This looks like a pretty strong division. The champ stands out as he is far more popular than the rest of the division. However Brandon Sugar and Truck Gleeson both seem like credible contenders and there are several undefeated fighters lower down the rankings. There are a few fighters who really don't make the grade but that's fine, I'll job them out and then sack them. Ian Linderman & Henry Baldwin I'm looking at you. Signings wise there aren't any big names available, I put a bid in for Brian Claremont as he looks like an exciting fighter with potential and Ashton Andrews and Nicky Shapiro who both look like they can do a job putting over some of my up and coming fighters.

 

Welterweights

 

 

The champ here appears to stand head and shoulders above the division, my number 2 ranked fighter, Nathan Chambers, has just lost his title to Julio Regueiro and as I'm not a fan of immediate rematches I need to find something else for the champ to do while I build chambers back up. There are a good number of veterans in the division but little in the way of up and coming talent. I put bids in for Callum Henson who is fairly popular, exciting to watch and on a winning streak and Delroy Rhodes who at 6-0 could be a potential up and comer. Lamont Banner is tempting at both lightweight and welterweight but he only has 1 fight under his belt and he is a natural featherweight and as such I decide to leave him for XCC to snap up if they want him

 

Middleweight

 

Mathew Dean is the champion here and he is ok but doesn't have great marketability or performance. Luckily the next 3 fighters in the rankings are exciting and marketable, De Vries lost his title to Dean but has since got back on track. Darling is as popular as the champ and Napier isn't far off. Lower down the rankings I have Garner and JJ Reid who are both impressive BJJ experts and Ashley Ballard who is an all action kickboxer. I've also got Osmosis Benn and Adam White, both of who could be potential superstars. This is a pretty healthy looking division. Signings wise Alex Cole is 7-0 and has potential, Gregg Atteveld provides a veteran with name recognition and Bernard Blue and Keith Place can provide decent opponents for some of my lower ranked prospects to gain experience against. Jonathan Huang is very tempting but will probably prove expensive and I decide to leave him for someone else to sign

 

Light Heavyweight

 

This was one of my favourite divisions in GAMMA in WMMA 1, lets see how it shapes up now.

 

My champ is Spencer Rubenstein but my number 1 ranked fighter is Linfield Ballard. He lost the title to Rubenstein but is now back on a winning streak. This seems like an obvious rematch. Lower down Marlon Joh is 11-0 and Anthony Le Toussier is 12-0, he could be one of the Canadian stars I try to push. Lower down is Derek South who was a favourite of mine in WMMA 1 and Mike Watson who should be a future star. Signings wise I put bids in for Guillermo Morales as a potential latin american superstar, Toby Sorkin as a future heel and Jerr Bogdonovich as I like him. I also put in bids for Glenn Pimm, Petey Barnum and Ernie Bruns to provide a bit of cannon fodder.

 

Heavyweights

 

At first glance this seems like a strong division, the champ, James Foster, is incredibly popular. I've also got 6 national level popularity fighters. Looking at the division more closely though and it is top heavy with veterans. 11 of the 15 fighters are over 30 and some of the big names like Jack Cobblepott and Norbert Vinkus really aren't very good. There are also several fighters who are pretty dull to watch, Tank Manu'a, Frank Sheedy and Randall Donelly can all consider themselves on notice.

 

Signings wise I need to look to the future and Chuck Dooley is an obvious choice. I need some more exciting fighters in this division and put in bids for Wilson Franklyn and Sly Twinge. Fletcher Merman, Norman Pike, Russel McPhee and Stan Blackheath round out the midcard. I then spot Christopjer Sharp, an excellent wreslter with a glass jaw I decide to take him on, with the right match ups I can hopefully propel him up the rankings before feeding him to an up and coming big puncher for a highlight reel KO. My final bid goes in for Khru Duangian. He is unknown in the US but has skills and is incredibly exciting to watch.

 

Right thats the bids in, now time to spin on a few days and see what happens. Then I get to look at booking my first card.

[BYU 14]

Will be interested to see how Foster fares for you. He seems to be losing his title early in most peoples GAMMA games.

[WCW Mark]

GAMMA 1: Morrison v Reguerio

 

I managed to make all my signings and land that PPV deal so now time to book my first event. As this is GAMMA's first PPV I am going to reset the numbering and this will be GAMMA 1. This is really just to help me as it means in my notes event 1 will actually be my first event.

 

As this is my first PPV I want it to be memorable, which means putting on something a little special for the main event. I decide to go with Morrison v Regueiro for the Welterweight Title. Hopefully the chance to see two dominant champions face each other will draw the fans in. I expect Regueiro to win this one which is why I'm holding it at Welterweight. If Morrison loses he can blame the weight difference and his reputation won't be too badly hurt.

 

The co-main event is going to be a number 1 contenders fight in the Heavyweight division. I book Hughes v Carlton as it should prove an exciting fight and whoever wins will make a worthy challenger to Foster for his first defence.

 

The rest of the card looks like this:

 

Gleeson v Sugar LW - The winner of this belt will face Morrison for the LW title.

 

South v Cumming LH - This is a bout I hope South can win, Cumming has a poor chin and this will hopefuly lead to a good KO for South, whoever wins will be on a winning streak and will see themselves move up the rankings.

 

Osmosis v Atteveld MW - Osmosis is a fast rising young fighter, he has the skills but now needs to start building a reputation. Atteveld is no where near the fighter he once was but still has name value and a win over him shuld help Osmosis' career.

 

Sharp v Sheedy HW - Sharp makes his debut after signing his new contract. This probably won't be an exciting fight but Sheedy doesn't punch hard and hopefully won't test Sharp's chin.

 

Sipatov v Halvorsen WW - Two veterans who have fallen on hard times. Sipativ is the ex champ and needs a win to kick start his career. The loser of this bout may find themselves leaving the company in the near future.

 

Bogdonovich v Bruns - LH - Bogdonovich is a hard hitting brawler, Bruns has a dubious chin. I bet you can see which way I hope this one will go. This will hopefully provide a good start to the PPV getting the fans hyped up.

 

Prelims

Claremont v Andrews LW - Both fighters are making their debuts for GAMMA, I expect Claremont to win by KO, we can replay it before his next fight on PPV.

 

Duangjan v Donnelly HW - Duangjan is completely unknown in the States, Donnelly is known, known to be rubbish. Hopefully this will be an exciting fight to kick the card off and Duangjan will get the win.

[Scottie]

Yeah, I've always thought Foster is a bit of a Couture-clone minus his ability to fight at 205. He's still good enough to beat top level fighters here, but not consistently. I'm not sure what his destiny stat is, but I'm guessing he retires old.

 

EDIT: Didn't see the update.

 

GAMMA 1: Morrison vs. Regueiro

 

GAMMA Welterweight Title

Julio Regueiro vs. Sean Morrison

Could be won or lost on the ground. Neither fighter is great in the stand up, but I rate Morrison a more likely type to ground and pound Julio than Julio is to sub out Morrison.

 

Raul Hughes vs. Jeff Carlton

Not sure here. Carlton seems to have been given a boost in this game, but Hughes is super dangerous and hopefully wins by KO.

 

Truck Gleeson vs. Brandon Sugar

Sugar is a jet on the ground and I expect will expose Truck's weaknesses.

 

Osmosis Benn vs. Greg Atteveld

Poor Atteveld. Benn by brutal GnP.

 

Christopher Sharp vs. Frank Sheedy

Sharp is a bit undersized in this division but is a threat with his striking. Rate Sheedy's ability to smother out a decision higher, though.

 

Yevgeny Sipatov vs. Dan Halvorsen

Toss of the coin here. Two MMA legends, but the Bulgarian for me.

 

Jeremy Bogdonovich vs. Ernie Bruns

Bogdonovich blows hot and cold, but Bruns is well past it and succumbs to strikes.

 

Prelims

Brian Claremont vs. Ashton Andrews

Khru Duangjan vs. Randall Donnelly

[BYU 14]

GAMMA Welterweight Title

Julio Regueiro vs. Sean Morrison

I think Morrison wins, getting the better of the standup game.

 

Raul Hughes vs. Jeff Carlton

Carlton is at his peak right now and I think he destroys Hughes

 

Truck Gleeson vs. Brandon Sugar

Will take him down and pound him out

 

Osmosis Benn vs. Greg Atteveld

Benn made weight??? Surely a win then

 

Christopher Sharp vs. Frank Sheedy

Sheedy is declining

 

Yevgeny Sipatov vs. Dan Halvorsen

Fairly even match

 

Jeremy Bogdonovich vs. Ernie Bruns

J-Bog will run right over poor Ernie

[WCW Mark]

GAMMA 1: Reguerio v Morrison: Welterweight Title

 

Prelims

 

Duangjuan v Donnelly

 

Donnelly does well in the first round and cuts Duangjuan, however Duangjaun comes out swinging at the start of the second round, knocking him down with a kick and then diving on top and unleashing for the TKO win. Thats the part of the fight that will be replayed before Duangjuan's PPV debut.

 

Result: Duangjan by TKO, 0:46 Round 2. Match Rating: Great

 

Claremont v Andrews

 

Claremont starts aggressively and lands several good shots on Andrews, with the first round coming to a close he lands a good shot which puts Andrews down, Claremont jumps on him and unleashes several hard strikes before the ref pulls him off.

 

Result: Claremonet by TKO, 4:34 Round 1. Match rating: Decent

 

Main Card

 

Bogdonovich v Bruns

 

Both fighters trade punches in the first round and Bruns ust about edges it, Bogdonovich comes out more aggressively in the 2nd round and gets a TKO win when he puts Bruns down. Most of the fight was spent up against the cage and was a but dull, not the barnstormer I was hoping for for the opening match.

 

Result: Bogdonovich by TKO, 3:05 Round 2. Match rating: Poor

 

Sipatov v Halvorsen

 

Both fighters come out looking for the takedown from the off, after a couple of failed attempts for each of them Halvorsen gets Sipatov up against the cage, he goes for a single leg but Sipatov reverses into side control, he quickly gains the mount and unleashes.

 

Result: Sipatov by TKO, 3:17 Round 1. Match rating: Great

 

Sharp v Sheedy

 

First round goes to Sheedy as he constantly stuffs Sharps takedown attempts and lands jabs on the counter. He is breathing heavily at the start of the second round though and Sharp keeps attacking and looking for the takedown. He gets it about halfway through the round and quickly gets mount. It's soon all over as he rains down the pain.

 

Result: Sharp by TKO, 3:28 Round 2. Match rating: Average

 

Benn v Atteveld

 

There is controversy as Benn fails to make weight by 4 lbs. Atteveld being the pro he is agrees to go on with the fight but he is obviously going to be at a disadvantage here. Sure enough Benn takes him down after a couple of minutes and starts to pound away. The ref gives Atteveld a couple of chances but eventually has to step in. A good win by Benn but tainted by his failure to make weight.

 

Result: Benn by TKO, 3:15 Round 1. Match rating: Great

 

South v Cumming

 

South does't mess around here and goes straight after Cumming from the off, he lands several hard shots and rocks Cumming. This fight doesn't look like it will be a long one and sure enough a monster haymaker lands ending the fight on 2.19 in the first round.

 

Result: South by KO, 2:19 Round 1. Match rating: Great

 

Gleeson v Sugar

 

The winner of this one gets a title shot against Morrison regardless of the result of the main event. Sugar starts well clinching against the cage and frustrating Gleeson. However Gleeson comes out swinging in the 2nd round and lands a hard right cross to win by KO.

 

Result: Gleeson by KO, 1:47 Round 2. Match rating: Decent

 

Carlton v Hughes

 

This is a big fight for both competitors as the winner gets a shot against Foster for the title. The first round passes quickly with both fighters trading shots, Carlton is swinging and missing and Hughes is picking him apart on the counter. Good first round for Hughes. The second round is more of the same with Carlton getting rocked on a couple of occasions and put down late in the round. Hughes doesn't follow up and the round ends. The third round is more of the same until about the halfway mark, from out of no where Carlton gets the take down. He gets Hughes back and gets the hooks in. With 30seconds left in the fight he gets the rear naked in and Hughes has to tap. Great comeback for Carlton.

 

Result: Carlton by submission, 4:28 Round 3. Match rating: Fantastic

 

Regueiro v Morrison - Welterweight Title

 

This is the big one, with two fighters at the top of their division facing off. Advantage has to go to Regueiro who is fighting at his natural weight but anything could happen.

 

First round goes Morrison's way, he is keeps the fight standing and lands several good shots. Whilst he doesn't hurt Regueiro he frustrates him and takes the round. Second round goes the same way and Morrison is in control, coould he become a two weight champion? Morrison keeps up his game plan in the 3rd round but it seems to be taking its toll on him as his breathing is getting ragged. One mistake lets Regueiro take him down at around 2.30 and now he is in trouble. Regueiro goes for an arm bar and gets it sinked in, some how Morrison guts it out and wrigles free, Regueiro switches to a Kimura and this time Morrison taps.

 

Result: Regueiro by Submission, 4:10 round 3. Match Rating: Poor

 

Aftermath

 

Overall I'm pretty happy with the PPV. It scored Great in terms of commercial success and Decent in terms of Critical success. Attendence was 5,143 bringing in $411,440 and PPV buys were 175,202 for an income of $1,051,212. The rating for the main event was disapointing but despite the loss Morrison retained his credibility, he might want to work on that cardio though. Sipatov shot up to 3rd in the rankings with his win and overall eveone I wanted to win won. Benn needs to watch his weight and if he fails again will find himself moving up a weight class. Finacially the month was good with a profit of $901,168 being made.

 

Rest of the World

 

Not a very eventful month elsewhere, Sigma held a PPV on the last day of the month and Mannish Khan beat Lars Bohlin for the Featherweight Title. Alpha-1 signed Hyun-Shik Lim and Jiroemon Hasegawa but the big signing of the month is Heikichi Shimizu for Sigma. He could prove very dangerous in their Welterweight Division.

[Chris2K]

Best to be cautious with Benn, he missed weight twice for me at 185, then somehow he missed 205 as well. I thought Regueiro would take the win, kind of a GSP/Penn type feel about the fight. Must be nice to have a card with 10 finishes!

[WCW Mark]

Rigth well after a fairly succesful first PPV I decide to book my next two. I offered a title match and two number 1 contenders matches at GAMMA 1 and I obviously can't keep that sort of pace up or I'll burn through all of my match ups.

 

GAMMA 2: Spencer Rubenstein v Linfield Ballard

 

This is the obvious headliner for 3 reasons, firstly Ballard lost his title to Rubenstein but has since gone on a winning streak so he has earnt his rematch. Secondly Ballard is ranked more highly than Rubenstein and it doesn't sit well with me to have my champ ranked second and thirdly Ballard is only High Regional level popularity and as such if he is going to headline for me it needs to be soon before my popularity improves. I don't mind which of them win this one but my money is on Rubenstein.

 

Josh Aldarisio v Darin Blood

 

After beating Morrison, Regueiro needs a new challenger and I'm picking one of these guys. They are actually only ranked 5th and 6th in the Welterweight division but 2 to 4 are Chambers, Stephens and Sipatov. Chambers hasn't earnt a rematch yet, Sipatov doesn't deserve to be that high in my opinion and I have other plans for Stephens. Hopefully a win here for either of these will improve them to low national popularity and move them up the rankings making them a more credible contender. This is a hard one to call as Blood has a very low consitency rating but I'm gonna go with Aldarisio.

 

Leon Banks v Rick Stanley

 

I've already got my next Heavyweight Title fight sorted so it's time to start planning ahead. Both these guys are coming off a loss but either of them could make a credible contender with a few wins under their belts. Banks is only 28 but has the fight record of a much older man at 31-10. Stanley is 37 and has the worse record but is more popular and ranked higher. My money is on Stanley but both these fighters are pretty much drinking in the last chance saloon in terms of title shots. My money is on Stanley.

 

David Allen v Jim Carpenter

 

Both fighters are coming off a win and bith need another win to push on so lets match them up against each other, at least that way I'm guaranteed one of them will improve. Ranked 9 and 10 in the division neither of them are likley to get near the title picture any time soon but a loss will definitely put them right out of it. My money is on the massively experienced Carpenter to take this.

 

Duke Aiona v Gary Sampson

 

Both these guys are coming off a loss, firmly mired in the midcard a win probably doesn't do much for either of them in the short term, a loss though could be devastating and may leave them only one or two matches from the sack. I fancy Aiona to take this one.

 

Ian Linderman v Benny Danare

 

Right time to start pushing some fresh talent. Linderman is on a winning streak but frankly looking at his stats he appears to be awful. Danare is unbeaten and I would like to keep it that way. He should win this one and I am going to hype him up to hopefully get a popularity boost.

 

Keith Place v Adam White

 

White is ranked 18, Place is ranked 15 even though he has yet to debut. Looking at their stats this it's not right that someone so much worse is ranked higher. Lets correct that by giving White a bout he should easily win. Again I'm gonna hype him up for, hopefully, another popularity boost.

 

Ken Peters v Guillermo Morales

 

Peters is 8-0 while Morales is making his debut. Peters performance rating is only 23% at the moment and as such I don't care for pushing him where as Morales shows promise and can help me target that key Latin American market. Hopefully this one will go Morales' way for a debut win.

 

Prelims

 

Bernard Blue v Alex Cole

 

Both of these guys are making their debuts and the winner will get to appear on PPV next time around. Neither of them look like setting the world on fire but it would be nice if Cole could keep his winning streak a while longer.

 

Moss Gilbert v Nicky Shapiro

 

Shapiro has a glass jaw, Gilbert has a reasonable punch on him. I expect Gilbert to extend his record to 6-0 here and hopefully get a highlight reel KO that can play before his PPV debut next time around.

 

The PPV will be held last Saturday in February in Nevada.

[WCW Mark]

GAMMA 3: Mathew Dean v Dexter Darling

 

I've booked to PPV's as I'm eager to press on, this one won't take place until last Saturday in March but its nice to know I have everything planned for the next few months. This time round it's the Middleweight Titles turn to be put on the line as the number 1 ranked middleweight in the world defends his title against the number 3. Dean is the champion but Darling is far more exciting to watch and is much more marketable. I don't know who is going to win this one but I hope it's Darling.

 

Junior Patinkin v Anthony LeToussier

 

Ranked 3rd and 5th in the division this fight is the number 1 contender bout with the winner facing the winner of Rubenstein v Ballard at some point in the future. Despite being ranked 4th Marlon John doesn't get a look in as he is only mid regional in popularity. He'll have to look at gettign a few more wins before getting his title shot. But back to these two. LeToussier is a fearsome striker whilst Patinkin is the stronger wrestler of the two. Personally I like LeToussier as he always did well for me in past versions of the game. He is unbeaten and I hope he takes this one. Having said that however either one of these guys will make a good number 1 contender.

 

Rufus Stephens v Jack Humphreys

 

Remember I Daid I had other plans for Stephens, well here it is. A match against motormouth Jack Humpreys. According to the fan feedback this is a worthy main event and looking at their popularity I don't disagree, I'm really spoiling you guys with these fights. I think Stephens will have too much for Humphreys here a if he wins this a title shot won't be far away.

 

Mac Fuller v Ashley Ballard

 

Ballard is 10-0 and a young up and comer whilst Fuller has name value but is past his prime. Both fighters are known for having exciting fights and as such I am hoping this one will be a war. The winner of this fight will see themselves catapulted up the rankings. Infact I'm going to hype this fight a little to try and get an even better rating.

 

Peter Bracewell v Bobby Brubaker

 

Bracewell has a granite jaw and I don't see Brubaker knocking him out, if he does though it will be a big boost to his career. I'll be happy with a points victory for him though.

 

Nicholas Bretton v Aaron McBroom

 

Ranked 9th and 10th in the division both these guys are a few wins away from being credible contenders. The loser is likely looking at prelims and jobbing to up and comers so whilst a win here won't make their careers a loss here could break them. I think Bretton's wrestling and Subs will prove too much for McBroom but I don't really care either way.

 

Chuck Dooley v Stan Blackheath

 

Dooley could be part of the next generation of Heavyweights, he takes on fellow new signing Stan Blackheath in the opening match of the PPV. Blackheath is coming off a win, has name value and is an exciting brawler. All things which make him an ideal debut opponent for Dooley. I'm going to hype Dooley for this fight so I hope he gets the job done.

 

Prelims

 

Delroy Rhodes v Dana Delaney

 

Both these fighters are low regional level popularity and as such don't yet belong on the main card. They are both exciting to watch however and this should get the crowd going before the PPV proper starts.

 

Fletcher Merman v Wilson Franklyn

 

Both fighters are making their GAMMA debuts, the prize for a win is an appearance on the PPV proper next time around. Neither are champions in the making but they could both do a job in the Heavyweight Division, especially when some of the older fighters start to drop away. Franklyn has the look and the punching power to be marketable and I hope he takes this one.

 

That's the next two months PPV's taken care of. I've actually booked number 4 as well but I don't want to overwhelm you guys. Let me know what you think of the cards and any predictions you may have and I'll hopefully be running both of them tonight.

[WCW Mark]

GAMMA 2: Rubenstein v Ballard - Light Heavyweight Title

 

 

Prelims

 

Moss Gilbert v Nicky Shapiro - Lightweight

 

Apparently Shapiro wasn’t happy with his training coming into this fight, I didn’t fancy his chances before and I certainly don’t now. First round consists of Gilbert stepping forwards and peppering Shapiro with jabs. Shapiro backs up well to avoid the worst of it though and the round ends without any major action. Second round is a different story, this time one of Gilberts big punches lands early on, he rocks Shapiro and follows it up by knocking him to the ground with a good combination. He dives on top and gets the TKO win.

 

Result: Moss Gilbert beats Nicky Shapiro by TKO at 1:53 of the first round in an Average Fight

 

 

Alex Coe v Bernard Blue - Middleweight

 

Very first action of the fight is Blue dodging a kick and unleashing a big punch which rocks Cole. He doesn’t follow up however and Cole regains his composure. Cole punishes Blue with some good leg kicks but then gets caught with a two punch combo which puts him down. He gets straight back up though and Blue can’t capitalise. As the round draws to a close Blue is visibly limping.

 

Round 2 starts with more leg kicks from Cole, he is managing to back Blue up and gets the takedown about halfway through the round. He lands in full guard but does some good work and eventually gets Blue’s back. He goes for the rear naked with about 30 seconds to go but Blue defends well and the round ends.

 

Round 3 is a repeat of round 2, Cole tries to apply the choke of a coupe of occasions but can’t get it sinked in. Both fighters look exhausted by the end of the round and Cole takes it on points. An interesting fight with Cole winning by having an intelligent game plan. Blue looked good early on but didn’t have that killer instinct needed.

 

Result: Alex Cole beats Bernard Blue by Unanimous Decision in a decent fight

 

 

Ken Peters v Guillermo Morales - Light Heavyweight

 

The fight starts with Peters advancing and throwing a few jabs, he attempts the takedown a couple of time but gets stuffed by Morales. On the third attempt Morales gets Peters in front face lock and then floats over to take his back and goes for the sub. They both scramble and Peters ends up in Morales’ guard. The rest of the round is taken up with ineffectual striking from the guard by Peters.

 

Peters continues to be the aggressor and goes for a slam and a takedown early on. Morales defends them both though and gets a takedown of his own around the 2.30 mark. The rest of this round is spent with Morales on top but unable to do much. It’s a round each going into the final round.

 

Again Peters is the aggressor but all his attempts are stuffed and he gets scooped and slammed. Morales keeps on top for the rest of the round and whilst he never looks like finishing he takes the match on points.

 

Result: Guillermo Morales beats Ken Peters Unaniomous Decision in an Average fight.

 

 

Adam White v Keith Plaice - Middleweight

 

White comes forward and gets the takedown at the first attempt, he spends the entire round on top but does little with it. Second round if anything is even more dull, the fighters spend most of it circling each other with occasional strikes being thrown. White gets the takedown with 30 seconds remaining but it’s to late to do anything with it. Final round kicks off and White’s corner are telling him to get in there. He listens and goes for and gets the early takedown. He passes into mount and then gets Plaices back when he goes for the sweep. Plaice defends the arm bar and a rear naked choke but looks exhausted and eventually taps to a rear naked. White was far and away the better fighter here and comfortably got the win. I would have liked to see a bit more aggression from him though.

 

Result: Adam White beats Keith Place by Submission at 4:24 in the 3rd round of a poor fight.

 

 

Ian Linderman v Benny Danare - Lightweight

 

Danare decides to show White how it should be done, he goes for the takedown right from the start and gets it on the third attempt. With 4 minutes to go Linderman could be in trouble. Danare goes for an armbar and almost gets it before taking Linderman’s back. A couple of attempts at a rear naked are fought off and the round ends. Good round for Danare. Second round goes the same way as the first except this time Linderman is too tired to fight Danare off.

 

Result: Benny Danare beats Ian Linderman by submission at 4:24 in round 2 of an Average fight

 

Duke Aiona v Gary Sampson - Heavyweight

 

Sampson hits some big strikes early on but Aiona doesn’t seem phased, Sampson then clinches and spends the rest of the round forcing Aiona up against the cage. He does some good work with the dirty boxing but no real damage is done. The commentators give the round to Aiona, I would be fuming if I were Sampson. Second round is spent with both fighters throwing and for the most part missing. Aiona hit’s a couple of good leg kicks and probably takes the round off the back of them. Third round and we finally have some action, Aiona hit’s a big head kick and Sampson crumples to the ground, Aiona dives in and starts throwing punches and elbows but Sampson covers up well. Changing tack Aiona goes for an armbar and ends up getting sweeped. Sampson is in side control and starts pounding away. He knows how to use his ground and pound and the ref eventually steps in.

 

Result: Bob Sampson beats Duke Aiona in by TKO at 2:26 of the second round of a Good fight

 

 

David Allen v Jim Carpenter - Welterweight

 

First two minutes are spent up against the cage, neither fighter is able to control the other and they keep switching positions. Carpenter ties something different and goes for a guillotine, he nearly gets it but Allen wriggles free. Allen spends the rest of the round on top but Carpenter looks more dangerous and he goes for a couple of arm bars. Commentators give the round to Allen though.

 

Carpenter decides the top is the place to be and gets an early takedown, he stays on top for the whole round but can’t get past guard. This time it’s Allen doing the work off his back but he can’t get anything. 10-9 to Carpenter.

 

Third round is bitty and neither fighter impresses as they both try to strike. The round draws to a close and it goes to the judges. 29-28 Carpenter, 29-28 Allen, 30-27 Carpenter.

 

Result: Jim Carpenter beats David Allen by split decision in a very poor fight

 

 

Leon Banks v Rick Stanley - Heavyweight

 

The PPV has been a bit of a bust so far in terms of action, however we’re stepping up to the big guns now. Lets hope things improve.

 

Both fighters tear into each other from the get go, they exchange punches and kicks and then Banks lands a monster upper cut knocking Stanley clean out.

 

Result: Leon Banks beats Rick Stanley by KO at 3:03 in the first round of a Great fight.

 

 

Darin Blood v Josh Aldariso - Welterweight

 

That last fight got things back on track. Lets hope it continues in the co-main event.

 

Blood’s training camp was heavily disrupted by illness, it looks like he might be up against it here then. Blood comes out swinging but Aldariso dodges or blocks everything, he gets the takedown around the halfway mark and spends the rest of the round on top. He can’t do much but he surely took the round.

 

Second round is a carbon copy of the first, Aldarisio can’t get past Blood’s guard and Blood can’t do a thing off his back. I don’t know about the fighters but I was relieved when the round ended.

 

Third round starts the same as the first two. This time however Aldarisio gets the mount and gets the stoppage. Not a great fight.

 

Result: Josh Aldariso beats Darin Blood by TKO in 2:26 of the third round.

 

Spencer Rubenstein v Linfield Ballard - Light Heavyweight Title

 

Well after that the success or failure of the PPV rests on this fight, lets hope it’s a barnstormer.

 

Both fighters start off aggressively, Balard is getting the better of the striking but can’t stop the takedown from Rubenstein, however it’s not clean and he ends up in a sitting position against the cage. Rubenstein keeps working and turns Ballard onto his back slipping into side control. He quickly gains mount and unloads. This one is over.

 

Result: Spencer Rubenstein beats Linfield Ballard by TKO at 3:02 of the first round to retain the GAMMA Light Heavyweight title in a great match

 

Well the main event really saved this PPV, I ended up getting a Decent Critical Rating and a Good Commercial Rating. In terms of numbers the gate was 4,520 for an income of $361,600 whilst the PPV buys were 156,725 for an income of $940,350. Not such good figures as last time but I expected that as the main event and co-main events weren’t as popular as last time. The monthly profit came in at $878,761 as I paid out a lot less in fighter pay this month. Rick Stanley is the only fighter who needs a contract renewal and seeing as he is coming off a loss he won’t be able to hold me to ransom.

 

Rest or the world

 

Heji Endo beats Mal Phe Roy to retain Alpha-1 MW title in a very poor match

Cater Potter beats Stafford Alois for BCF Heavyweight Title in a good match while Jackson Grey beat Jamie Hewitt for XCC LW title by decision in a 5 round snore fest.

At FLB 7 Manuel Silva retained his unbeaten streak and beat Gabriel Gallego by TKO in a good match to retain the Welterweight title

Dianna Marr beatt Haley Croft by decision for the WEFF Heavyweight Title in a poor match. At a poor PPV

Li-Kong Ho finally won the KDFM Featherweight Title, he is now the #1 Featherweight and #3 P4P in the world

And finally good news for BCF as the UK enters a boom period

[WCW Mark]

GAMMA 3: Dean v Darling - Middleweight Title

 

Welcome to my 3rd PPV, with the Middleweight Title and a shot at the Light Heavyweight Title on the line as well as a couple of big debuts this is an important card for me. Lets get it on!

 

Prelims

 

Wilson Franklyn v Fletcher Merman - Heavyweight

 

Frankly quickly closes range and clinches with Merman, he backs him up against the cage before stepping back and unleashing, Merman goes down and Franklyn dives on top and pounds away until the ref pulls him off.

 

Result: Wilson Franklyn beats Fletcher Merman by TKO at 2:54 in round 1 of a decent match.

 

 

Delroy Rhodes v Dana Delaney - Welterweight

 

Both fighters attack from the off, Rhodes is landing more of his strikes but Delaney is hitting harder, as the first round closes neither has a real advantage. The second round start in the same vein but this time Delaney’s bigger hits start to tell as he puts Rhodes down. He leaps on him and starts unloading. Rhodes is trying to defend but has to turn and give up his back. Delaney gets the hooks in and continues wailing away. He is relentless. Eventually the ref has seen enough and calls the fight.

 

Result: Dana Delaney beats Delroy Rhodes by TKO at 4:06 in round 2 of a great fight

 

Main Card

 

Chuck Dooley v Stan Blackheath - Heavyweight

 

No messing from Dooley, he dives straight in and gets the takedown. He lands in half guard and starts trying to do some damage with his elbows. He then moves into mount and lands several big punches. It’s all over, Dooley barely broke a sweat.

 

Result: Chuck Dooley beats Stan Blackheath by TKO at 2:59 in round 1 of a great fight.

 

Nicholas Bretton v Aaron McBroom - Lightweight

 

Both fighters start the round cautiously, suddenly Bretton makes his move and takes McBroom down. He lands in guard and starts to try and work the position. He lands a few strikes and then transitions to side control. McBroom is fighting back with strikes but isn’t doing any damage. He should have been concentrating more on defence as Bretton grabs an arm and sinks in the Kimura. There's only 3 seconds to go but McBroom can't hold on and he taps.

 

Result: Nicholas Bretton beats Aaron McBroom by submission at 4:57 of round 1 in a good fight.

 

Kendall Tracey v Glenn Pimm - Lightheavyweight

 

Tracey starts aggressively moving forwards and peppering Pimm with jabs, Pimm puts his hands up and Tracey shoots in for the take down. Pimm back peddles and gets away. Tracey patiently stalks Pimm and this time is rewarded with a successful takedown. He lands in guard and lands a couple of shots before moving to side control. The round ends before he can do any real damage. The next two rounds see Pimm keeping his distance with Tracey trying and failing to take him down. As the fight ends the commentator says he thinks Pimm may have won it, if he does it will be a travesty as he has done nothing for the whole fight. The judges agree and give Tracey the unanimous win.

 

Result: Kendall Tracey beats Glenn Pimm by unanimous decision in an awful fight.

 

Peter Bracewell v Bobby Brubaker - Welterweight

 

Bracewell spends the first two minutes trying to close the distance and getting punched in the face for his troubles. He finally gets the clinch and pushes Brubaker up against the cage, Bracewell gets to work and lands several good punches and footstomps from the clinch. A momentary lapse in concentration however lets Brubaker escape and the rest of the round is Bracewell chasing Brubaker but failing to get near him. Second round starts and this time Bracewell is able to get in much quicker and again presses Brubaker up against the cage, Brubaker quickly turns it around though and lands several short kicks to the leg before breaking away. Bracewell continues to chase but Brubaker remains elusive and lands a couple more, Brubaker shows good skills and lands some more leg kicks before getting caught against the cage again. Bracewell lands some short range body blows but Brubaker is able to get away again. If Bracewell wants to win this one he’ll need to control his opponent better

 

Round 3 starts and Bracewell is limping from those leg kicks, he still manages to catch Brubaker though and pushes him against the cage. He gets reversed again and Brubaker lands some more punches before breaking away. Bracewell looks tired and can’t catch Brubaker again.

 

Result: Bobby Brubaker beat Peter Bracewell by unanimous decision in a poor match.

 

Mac Fuller v Ashley Ballard - Middleweight

 

Well after a good start the last two matches have been stinkers, however I have high hopes that this one will be better, I certainly don't see it going the distance.

 

The round starts and Ballard lands some good strikes from the off, he's mixing up his punches and kicks to keep Fuller guessing. He puts Fuller down with a right hook but waves him back to his feet, he is obviously confident of his ability to finish this on his feet. Sure enough Fuller gets up and takes a couple of hard leg kicks before Ballard switches and lands a monster uppercut knocking him clean out.

 

Result: Ashley Ballard beats Mac Fuller by KO at 2:11 of round 1 in a great fight.

 

Rufus Stephens v Jack Humphrey - Welterweight

 

The round starts and the fighters immediately move to the clinch, Humphreys stuffs two takedown attempts from Stevens before getting pushed up against the cage. He stuffs a third and switches it so that he is now the one in control. Humphreys goes for a couple of takedowns but this time it’s Stephens turn to defend well. The dominant position against the cage switches a couple more times but neither of them can do anything about it. You can’t fault them for effort but that wasn’t pretty.

 

Second round and both fighters decide to try and keep a little separation, they trade blows and both fail with a couple of takedown attempts. With one minute to go Humphreys sees an opening and finally gets Stephens down, he moves to side control just as the bell goes to signal the end of the round.

 

As the bell goes for the start of the third round it is noticeable that Humphreys breathing is ragged, guess he shouldn’t have wasted so much of it on trash talking before the fight. He stays on the offensive though, first attempting a takedown and then a slam. Stephens gets behind him on the slam attempt though and grabs an arm, Humphreys reverses and ends up in side control. Humphreys is looking tired and takes the opportunity to grab a breather before attempting to gain mount. Stephens takes the opportunity to wriggle free and end up on top in half guard. Humphreys is now looking exhausted. Stephens spends the final 30 seconds trying to advance his position and failing, this one will go to the judges and I have no idea whose won.

 

Result: Rufus Stephens beats Jack Humphreys by unanimous decision in an average match

 

 

Co-Main Event

 

Junior Patinkin v Anthony LeToussier - Light Heavyweight Division

 

Round one and LeToussier tests the waters with a few jabs and half hearted kicks, Patinkin grabs an ankle and almost manages to put him down. LeToussier backs up but Patinkin is relentless going first for a takedown attempt and then clinching and going for a hip throw. He gets it and lands in guard. He makes several attempts to pass but LeToussier knows how to defend and frustrates him.

LeToussier is trying to keep his distance and lands some decent strikes, Patinkin is relentless though, despite having several takedowns and throws stuffed he keeps going for it and finally gets LeToussier to ground with a slam. With only 40 seconds left in the round though it’s too late to matter and the bell goes.

 

Third round follows a similar pattern, LeToussier is landing some good strikes but is constantly on the back foot as he has to be wary of the takedown. After a couple more failed attempts Patinkin seems to be tiring and LeToussier takes advantage coming forwards for the first time in the fight, he lands a big right hand that leaves Patinkin looking glassy eyed, LeToussier follows up with a flurry of punches but Patinkin is able to cover up and weather the storm. This is a close fight and that final flurry could have made the difference to the judges scores.

 

Result: Anthiny LeToussier beats Junior Patinkin by split decision in a poor fight

 

 

Main Event

 

Mathew Dean v Dexter Darling - Middleweight Title

 

Well after a disapointing co-main event I need this match to be a good one and it's not of to a great start as the first round is a quiet one, it looks like both fighters are aware this could go five rounds and are planning accordingly. Darling lands a few strikes from range and Dean isn’t really able to get close enough to go for a takedown. First round to Darling on points, lets hope they pick up the pace.

 

This time Dean is able to get in and clinch early on. He gets the takedown and lands in guard. He moves to side control and then to mount in a matter of seconds before starting to unleash the ground n pound. Darling isn’t defending himself and the ref steps in. Mathew Dean retains the GAMMA Middleweight Title.

 

Result: Mathew Dean bts Dexter Darling by TKO at 2:50 of round 2 in a good fight

 

Well that probably saved the the PPV. The stats are:

 

Fight of the night: Delaney v Rhodes

KO of the night: Ashley Ballard

Submission of the night: Nicholas Bretton (Those of you who are paying attention will have guessed he would win seeing it as it was the only sub of the night)

 

5,161 for $412,880

157,219 for $943,314

Critical: Decent

Commercial: Great

 

 

Aftermath

 

Mathew Dean makes the 3rd defence of his title (first in game), despite his lack of charisma I'm still pretty pleased. He is the number 1 ranked Middleweight in the world which is a bonus for GAMMA and he showed he knows how to finish an opponent. LeToussier is ranked number 2 the GAMMA Light Heavyweight rankings which is good as he is the next challenger and I think him and Rubebstein should have a good match with their kickboxing skills. Elsewhere on the card Stephens win took him up to number 2 in my Welterweight rankings. Aldariso has the next title shot here but Stephens isn't far behind. Ballard impressed and Dooley had a good debut.

 

Post event Bretton's contract is expiring and following his win he deserves another one while Dooley calls out Aiona in his post match interview. I don't think I'll be making this fight, I see Dooley getting a bit more experience against jobbers while I'd like to give Aiona a fight he has a good chance of winning next.

 

Rest of the world

 

Alpha 1 put on a disgrace of a card, the main event is a big one with Fezzik beating Kikuchi but it only rates as an average fight. The co-main event is Yamazaki against Dan which scores a poor rating. Meanwhile ratings winners such as Hyun-Shik Lim v Ebizo Fujishima and Chikafusa Abukara v Jungo Futagawa are hidden away in the pre-lims. Lim and Abukara take the wins. Despite this poor match positioning they move to Mid National in terms of popularity.

 

Sigma are the only other organisation to hold an event in March and they do it the same night as mine, we're not competing for the same audience so this doesn't hurt either of us. It's a good PPV with Aleksei Chekhov beating Nick Soldo in the main event by KO to win the Light Heavyweight Title.

 

Signings wise Alpha-1 strengthen their heavyweight division with a trio of young potential superstars. Kanezane Fujii "The Great Japanese Hope", Jutaro Honma an ex sumo wrestler and Pai Cheng, a wrestler from China. It will be interesting to see how these three fare.

[WCW Mark]

GAMMA 4: Jack Cobblepot v Norbert Vinkus

 

Well I already had GAMMA 4 booked so time to reveal it to you, my main event is short on quality but big on popularity. Vinkus is High Level National and Cobblepot is Low National so I'm expecting a decent buy rate. Cobblepot is past his best while Vinkus appears to have good physicals but after only two fights doesn't have much in the way of experience or skills. His celebrity status as an ex NFL player should draw in the casual fan however.

 

Realising that the main event isn't going to please the hardcore fans I book JJ Reid v Buddy Garner in the Middleweight Division. Hopefully these two Jiu Jitsu wizards will put on a ground clinic. The winner will certainly get a nice boost to his career.

 

Next we see ex heavyweight champion Mark Cohen take on Mike Watson. Watson is a bright light in the Light Heavyweight division and whilst Cohen is past his best he still has name value and after dropping a division must be hoping for one more shot at the top. If he can end Watson's unbeaten streak he could well get it.

 

Beau Gorshin takes on Bud Brockett in the Lightweight Division. Again this is another match putting an unbeaten up and comer against a cage veteran. The winner will have a very good claim to be the fighter to face the winner of Gleeson v Morrison.

 

Thomas Smith v Sutton Ripley is a typical wrestler vs striker match up. The winner will be the one who manages to dictate where the fight takes place.

 

Norman Pike takes on Fatuma Roy in his GAMMA debut, I'm not a massive fan of Roy and hope Pike can take the win.

 

Henry Baldwin faces a tough match up against Bruce Steven. I expect Steven to take the win here but you never know in MMA.

 

Ricky Heath v Christian Mountfield kicks things off, again this is wreslter v striker and both fighters have the ability and attitude to put on exciting fights. Both fighters are a long way from the title picture but a win here will be the first step on the road.

 

Prelims

 

Tank Manu'a takes on Russell McPhee and Petey Barnum takes on Bryan Van Den Hauwe in the prelim matches. The winner of these will earn a place on the main card next time they fight.

 

I'm keen to see any predictions or comments so to make your life easier I've included a prediction card below.

 

Cobblepot v Vinkus

Reid v Garner

Watson v Cohen

Brockett v Gorshin

Smith v Ripley

Roy v Pike

Steven v Baldwin

Heath v Mountfield

Manu'a v McPhee

Barnum v Van Den Hauwe

[BYU 14]

Cobblepot v Vinkus

Reid v Garner

Watson v Cohen

Brockett v Gorshin

Smith v Ripley

Roy v Pike

Steven v Baldwin

Heath v Mountfield

Manu'a v McPhee

Barnum v Van Den Hauwe

[WCW Mark]

GAMMA 4 - Cobblepot v Vinkus

 

GAMMA 4 - Cobblepot v Vinkus

 

The big news coming out of the weigh in is that Budd Brocket failed to make weight. Despite this Beau Gorshin agrees to go ahead with their bout. Brocket is going to have to watch himself though or he may find himself bumped up to Welterweight.

 

Prelims

 

Petey Barnum v Bryan Van Den Hauwe - Light Heavyweight

 

Round 1 and Barnum is happy to try to keep this one at range while Van Den Hauwe makes several attempts to get in close with a view to getting a takedown. He fails on every attempt though and I think Barnum takes the round with his more accurate striking. Round 2 sees Van Den Hauwe finally get the takedown and he tries to work a couple of submissions but to no avail. The commentators give Barnum the round, they must be watching a different fight to me. Round 3 is a repeat of round one and it goes to the judges. They give the fight to Barnum 29-28.

 

Result: Petey Barnum beats Bryan Van Den Hauwe by unanimous decision in a very poor fight

 

 

Tank Manu’a v Russell McPhee - Heavyweight

 

The bell goes and McPhee is coming forwards from the off, he is throwing punches and kicks but isn’t connecting with many of them, Manu’a appears to be happy to play a waiting game as apart from one takedown attempt he doesn’t do a lot. Probably hoping that McPhee will burn himself out.

 

Round 2 and Manu’a appears to have changed his game plan and this time stands and trades with McPhee, McPhee is gets the best of it though, slipping most of Manu’a’s punches and hitting him on the counter. Even the commentators comment on what an exciting round that was.

 

Round 3 and Manu’a needs to stop his opponent here, he starts aggressively looking for the takedown and a tiring McPhee can’t stop him. He immediately unloads with a couple of big right hands and the ref stops the fight. Good win for Manu’a who out thought his opponent this match. Not a disaster for McPhee though, it was on the prelims so not many people will have seen this loss and he has impressed me with his all action style.

 

Result: Tank Manu'a beats Russell McPhee by TKO in round 3 of a great fight

 

 

Main Card

 

Ricky Heath v Christian Mountford - Light Heavyweight

 

Mountfield tries to close the distance between them quickly and gets caught with a couple of hard strikes from Heath, it all becomes worth it though when he ducks under a wild right hand and gets the single leg takedown. Landing in guard he starts to try to improve his position and eventually gets side control, he lands several hard knees to the body as the round draws to a close.

 

Round 2 and this time it’s a lazy looking leg kick from Heath that gives Mountfield his opening, this time he isn’t able to do much damage on the ground as Heath covers up well but again Mountfied surely took that round.

 

3rd Round and Heath surely needs to stop Mountfield to stand any chance, he is going to have to do it from his back though as Mountfield takes him down more or less straight away. Mountfield goes for an Americana before taking Heath’s back and trying to slip on a choke. Heath defends and Mountfield decides the best way to victory is brute force. He lands several hard strikes and Heath goes limp.

 

Result: Christian Mountfield beats Ricky Heath by TKO in Round 3 of a decent fight

 

Bruce Steven v Henry Baldwin - Lightweight

 

Steven gets an early takedown and has a good four minutes to try and make something of this. Baldwin defends well and eventually the ref stands them up. A few punches are exchanged as the seconds tick away but no real damage done.

 

Round 2 and Baldwin is trying to jab and move, he keeps his distance well and never gives Stevens an opening. I make that one round each.

 

All his good work in round 2 is undone as Baldwin gets caught against the cage and taken down, Steven seems content to control the fight on the Steven didn't impress me in this fight with his no action style.

 

 

Result: Bruce Steven beat Henry Baldwin by Unanimous Decision in a poor fight

 

Fatuma Roy v Norman Pike - Heavyweight

 

A messy start to the fight as they clinch and Pike attempts a slam, he doesn’t get it and ends up on his knees with Roy behind him. Roy leans on Pike looking to wear him out. Pike is expending a lot of energy trying to wriggle free and Roy sees an opening and pushes him forwards. Both fighters are now prone with Roy on top, he starts punching and doesn’t stop until the ref steps in. A good win for Roy and an unimpressive debut for Pike.

 

Result: Fatuma Roy beats Norman Pike by TKO in Round 1 of a decent fight

 

Thomas Smith v Sutton Ripley - Middleweight

 

Smith is looking to close the distance but Ripley is able to keep him at range with some good jabs. Frustrated Smith shoots in for the takedown from a long way out and Ripey counters with a big right hand which rocks Smith, he’ll think twice before attempting that again. The rest of the round is uneventful, Smith seems wary of Ripley’s power and doesn’t try to push matters.

 

Round 2 and Ripley is clearly not worried about any threat Smith might offer, he steps up and moves into the pocket. He easily stuffs Smith’s takedown attempts before unloading that big right hand leaving Smith staring at the ceiling.

 

Result: Sutton Ripley beats Thomas Smith by KO in round 2 of a decent fight

 

Bud Brockett v Beau Gorshin - Lightweight

 

Both fighters trade jabs before ending up in the clinch, Gorshin goes for the takedown but Brockett is wise to it, he uses the opportunity to get clear of the clinch before shooting in for a takedown while Gorshin is still off balance. Gorshin tries to turn it into a guillotine but fails and ends up with Brockett in his guard. He goes for another guillotine and then a triangle choke. Brockett again counters well and uses the opening to gain side control. He swiftly transitions and takes Gorshin’s back. With only 14 seconds left though he can’t do anything and the round is over.

 

Straight from the bell Gorshin rushes Brockett and although the takedown is unsuccessful he ends up behind Brockett with Brockett up against the cage, he first tries to sink in a choke before settling with taking Brockett down. He lands in side control and tries to work an armbar. He fails and Brockett slips out and gains side control, this time it’s Brocketts turn to take his opponents back and he manages to get both hooks in. 32 seconds left can he finish it? He goes for the rear naked but Gorshin keeps his chin down and the round ends.

 

Both fighters keep up the pace from the start and Brockett gets the takedown, he tries to transition to mount and Gorshin gives up his back. Brockett goes for the choke again but Gorshin is fighting it off well, he is looking tired though. The bell finally sounds and Brockett takes it in the score cards. The bout only gets an Average rating which I feel is a little harsh as it was pretty action packed. Despite the loss Gorshin impressed and he was outweighed by his opponent.

 

Result: Bud Brockett beats Bau Gorshin by unanimous decision in an average fight

 

Mike Watson v Mark Cohen - Light Heavyweight

 

Watson is an up and coming fighter looking to make a name for himself and he has a chance to do it here against the ex-Heavyweight champion of the world. Meanwhile Cohen is looking to revitalise his career after dropping down to Light Heavyweight. Both fighters are aware this is a big bout and spend the first round feeling their opponent out, they exchange some tentative strikes but the only real action is a hard right hook to the body from Watson.

 

Cohen changes tack in the second round and goes for the clinch, he pushes Watson up against the cage and keeps him there for a good 3 minutes landing a lot of short punches to the body. No real damage done but he surely took it on points and it probably took a lot out of Watson.

 

Both fighters need to take this round and they both step up and start swinging, Cohen should have stuck with his previous tactics though as Watson lands an uppercut flush on his jaw leaving him out cold.

 

Result: Mike Watson beats Mark Cohen by KO in round 3 of a poor fight.

 

JJ Reid v Buddy Garner - Middleweight

 

This is the fight the purists bought the PPV for. However both fighters seem like they are wary of the others ground ability and almost 4 minutes have elapsed before the first takedown attempt. It’s stuffed and the round ends.

 

Round 2 and both fighters start by trading punches again. Reid hits two hard counters but he doesn’t follow up. Garner goes for the takedown but Reid seems happy on his feet and dodges out the way. Garner continues to chase and finally gets the takedown with 26 seconds to go. He can’t do anything in that amount of time though.

 

Round 3 and Garner goes looking for the takedown from the off, he gets it and lands in guard. Reid tries an armbar from underneath and then a triangle but can’t get anything. The round and the fight ends. Have to say that wasn’t really what I expected from these two.

 

Result: Buddy Garner beats JJ Reid by split decision in a poor fight

 

Cobblepot v Vinkus

 

Onto the main event of the evening and after a few lacklustre fights I'm hoping these boys can show the others how it should be done. Neither are high on skill but an all action brawl will hopefully satisfy the fans.

 

Bell goes and Cobblepot shows his experience pushing Vinkus up against the cage and working him over with some dirty boxing. The ref gets bored and moves them out to the middle of the ring. Cobblepot immediately pushes Vinkus back up against the cage and continues to work him over, however as the round ends it’s Cobblepot who is looking tired. Can he last two more rounds?

 

Cobblepot is keeping his hands low and looks exhausted, Vinkus swings wildly and gets taken down. Cobblepot pounds away but is too tired to put much power behind them.

 

Last round and Cobblepot looks ready to drop. Vinkus makes sure of it by putting him down with 1 big punch and then out with another.

 

Result: Norbert Vinkus beats Jack Cobblepot by TKO in round 3 of a great fight.

 

Aftermath

 

At the top of the card Vinkus proved he has power but still showed inexperience and a lack of technique, I think he will come unstuck against a better opponent but in the meantime I'll settle for the ratings his name power is going to get me. Nespite winning neither Garner or Watson impressed me much and they will need at least one more decent result before getting neat the titles. Brockett came in overweight and as such despite the win he has a point to prove next time out.

 

Fight of the night: Manu'a v McPhee

KO of the night: Mike Watson

Crtical Success: Average

Commercial Success: Great

Attendance: 5,176 for $414,080

PPV: 158,208 buys for $949,248

 

Rest of the world

 

First the economic news and several good reasons to celebrate as experts say that Japan and Europe are to see their recent economic woes coming to an end in the near future, good news for Alpha 1 and Sigma. Asia enters into a 2nd boom period whilst things aren't so good in Russia which, still adjusting from the end of communism, enters a terrible slump. Elsewhere Mexico becomes regulated bringing a level of legitimacy to the sport there.

 

Alpha-1 put on a well received PPV at the start of April. In the main event Sho Kitabatake beat Tadamasa Yamado by submission to win Alpha-1 Light Heavyweight Title, while on the lower card Naizen Hamacho beat Sadakuno Katoh to extend his unbeaten run and Ryosei Sakamoto lost his to Zvonimir Asanovic. The PPV is rated as good both commercially and critically.

 

Alpha-1 also continued their rejuvination of their Heavyweight division snapping up Tomoji Takaoka, Nate Macreary, Sam Hoynes and Ozzy Bintley.

 

Over in BCF Curt Kitson beat Garry McSweegan by submission to retain BCF Light Heavyweight Title while Rupert Lennox (2-1) loses to Seth O’Breen 13-0 in what can only be described as a mismatch in the co-main event. Lowerdown the card Rav Kapur continues his winning streak with a win over Perry Barr.

 

Elsewhere Sandy Oliver beat Diana Marr to win WEFF Heavyweight Title in a great match and Philip Ziskie beats Sammy Gaffigan by KO to retain XCC Featherweight Title. Super Experienced Zaco beat Braulio Moura by split decision to win FLB Middleweight Title and Sukaro 24-0 bt Atep of Indonesia 8-1 in the fight of the night to retain the KDMFC Lightweight Title.

[WCW Mark]

Time to reveal the next couple of events I've got booked up. As always predictions or comments welcome.

 

GAMMA 5: DeVries v Thomas

 

The main event for GAMMA 5 will be Maarten De Vries vs Patrick Thomas in the middleweight division. The winner here will become the number 1 contender and will get a shot at Mathew Dean somewhere around GAMMA 10 or 11. Both these fighters love to stand and trade and as such I'm hoping for a very exciting main event.

 

Co-Main event is Tony McCall v Tim Boyer in the heavyweight division. Both these guys are big names and should help sell the PPV. The winner will likely get a number 1 contenders bout for the heavyweight title so plenty of incentive for both fighters. Boyer has a lethal head kick but McCall has one of the hardest chins in MMA and is no slouch when it comes to dishing out the pain. Again I'm hoping for an all action fight.

 

Yevgeni Sipatov v Nathan Chambers - Welterweight

 

The two ex champions meet in an important match in the welterweight division. Sipatov lost his title to Chambers and will be looking for revenge. He is coming off a good win against Halvorsen but Chambers is a completely different prospect. Chambers is a motormouth and has the skills to back it up and I think he will be too much for Sipatov whose time in the sun is coming to a close. Fairytales to happen though and if he can get the win here he may get one last crack at the title.

 

Woody Fierstein v Osmosis Benn - Middleweight

 

Osmosis has a point to prove after coming into the last fight overweight. By rights he should be pushing for a title shot at middleweight but until I know if he can make weight he isn't going to get it. He faces Woody Fierstein who is a compentent wrestler but doesn't, in my opinion, offer too much of a threat to Benn. The real battle here is Benn v the scales.

 

Dan Halvorsen v Tyler Lass - Welterweight

 

Halvorsen is coming off the back of a loss to Sipatov and at 42 questions are being asked as to whether he should think about calling it a day. He has a chance to prove their is life in the old dog yet as he takes on Tyler Lass. Despite being 5-0 Lass's skills aren't that impresive, although at 23 he still has plenty of time to learn. A win against a respected veteran could see him take his career up a level whilst a loss wouldn't be the end of the world.

 

Luke Hilton v H M Menzel - Lightweight

 

Hilton is 7-0 and is starting to build a name for himself in the lightweight division. Here he faces H M Menzel another wrestler who is on a winning streak himself. This will be the toughest test so far in Hilton's career and if he can get an impressive win he may prove that he is ready to start mixing it with the big boys in the division.

 

Ken Peters v Bill Cumming - Light Heavyweight

 

Both these fighters are coming off a loss and need a win here to get back on track. They are both wrestlers and as such I think this will be a fairly long drawn out fight. My prediction though is Peters on the udges cards.

 

Brian Claremont v Moss Gilbert - Lightweight

 

Both these fighters like to stand and throw punches and I'm hoping this will be an exciting opener. They both scored impressive wins last time out in the prelims and as such have earnt this slot on the card. The winner will be looking to become a PPV regular while it is likely the loser will be sent back to the dark show.

 

Prelims

 

Toby Sorkin v Ernie Bruns - Light Heavyweight

 

Judoka Toby Sorkin looks to make his Gamma debut against Ernie Bruns. Bruns' suspect chin shouldn't be a problem against Sorkin but his dodgy ground game almost certainly will be. This should be a comfortable debut for Sorkin.

 

Sly Twinge v Randall Donnelly

 

The other prelim fight sees another Gamma debut with Sly Twinge taking on Randall Donnelly. Twinge is strong and has fists loaded with dynamite. He shouldn't underestimate Donnelly however who is not exactly on the small size and as a wrestler may be able to exploit the big weakness in Twinge's game. I fancy Twinge to win but it's no forgone conclusion.

 

 

Prediction card:

 

Twinge v Donnelly

Sorkin v Bruns

Claremont v Gilbert

Cumming v Peters

Menzel v Hilton

Lass v Halvorsen

Fierstein v Benn

Sipatov v Chambers

Boyer v McCall

DeVries v Thomas

[WCW Mark]

GAMMA 6: Foster v Carlton

 

GAMMA 6 sees Foster defend his title for the first time under my ownership of Gamma. Foster is the most popular fighter in America and his name alone is enough to ensure this PPV sells. He is in for a tough night though as Jeff Carlton is no slouch, as he proved with his win against Raul Hughes. At 35 this is likely to be Carlton's last chance at a title and as such I expect him to go all out. I decde to hype this fight as it has the potential to be a goood one.

 

Darin Blood v Alan Kendall - Welterweight

 

Due to Foster's involvement the focus for this PPV is all about the top match. As such, whilst the rest of the card is solid it isn't spectacular and is more about building fighters up. Bloood is coming off the back of a painful loss in a number 1 contenders match against Aldariso and will be looking to get back on track. Kendall is a good all round fighter and if Blood doesn't come in completely focused Kendall could upset him. Whichever fighter wins they will still be a fair way off getting that coverted title shot but every journey starts with a single step.

 

Benny Danare v Nicholas Bretton - Lightweight

 

Whilst neither of these fighters are household names they both scored decent wins first time out. They both favour a submission based style and as such I expect this one to go to the matt early on. Danare is currently unbeaten but this will be his toughest test yet.

 

Adam White v Mac Fuller - Middleweight

 

Adam White is another unbeaten prospect whose star is on the rise. Here he faces a fighter who is definitely at the other end of his career. Despite being on a losing streak Fuller still has name value and a win here would be a big bost for White. Fuller can still throw a punch though and as such White will need to be careful. Hopefully this will see a name enhancing win for White. As he is a rising star I decide to hype him a little for this bout in the hope he gains a bit extra in the popularity department

 

Alex Cole v Greg Atteveld - Middleweight

 

Another unbeaten prospect and another veteran face off here, Atteveld is still dangerous but is again at the tail end of his career. Cole is no where near as good as White though and I think this one could go either way.

 

Khru Duangjan v Rick Stanley - Heavyweight

 

After beating Donnelly on the prelims Duangjan makes his PPV debut Rick Stanley. Both fighters have an all out style and I'm so confident this will be a good match I decide to invest a little extra in hyping it up. Duanjan has the best chin in MMA and I think Stanley will strugle to knock him out. Hopefully Duanjan will announce his arrival in style.

 

Duke Aiona v Frank Sheedy - Heavyweight

 

Two fighters on losing streaks and two fighters with only one guaranteed fight left on their contracts. The loser here can basically kiss their GAMMA career goodbye. I'm hoping Aiona wins as at least his fights are exciting.

 

Prelims

 

With only 7 fights on the main card and 3 prelims this PPV really is all about the main event. The prelims feature several fighters looking to get their careers back on track.

 

Keith Place v Bernard Blue - Middleweight

 

Both these fighters are coming off a loss and whilst another loss wouldn't see them gone they would be on the brink. A win on the other hand would almost certainly see them back on the main card.

 

Ashton Andrews v Aaron McBroom - Lightweight

 

If McBroom doesn't win this he needs to start questioning whether MMA is really for him. I expect him to take the win here and end Andrews career in GAMMA

 

Peter Bracewell v Delroy Rhodes - Welterweight

 

Rhodes had a disapointing debut, losing to Dana Delaney. He has a chance here to make amends but Bracewell won't make it easy. I don't see Rhodes stopping Bracewell but if he can pick up a points victory he will be back on track.

 

Prediction card:

 

Rhodes v Bracewell

Andrews v McBroom

Plaice v Blue

Aiona v Sheedy

Duangjan v Stanley

Cole v Atteveld

White v Fuller

Danare v Bretton

Blood v Kendall

Foster v Carlton

[BYU 14]

Rhodes v Bracewell

Rhodes has great upside

 

Andrews v McBroom

Gets a reprieve in a sloppy fight

 

Plaice v Blue

Not as impressive as I thought he would be, but has enough to get by in this one.

 

Aiona v Sheedy

Sheedy is about done

 

Duangjan v Stanley

Arrives in style

 

Cole v Atteveld

The Ace has too much in his arsenal, an early submission win

 

White v Fuller

Mac relys on his experience in ground one out

 

Danare v Bretton

Don't know much about Danare, but I know Bretton is very inconsistent

 

Blood v Kendall

Big rebound win inside the distance.

 

Foster v Carlton

Carlton just has Fosters number

[WCW Mark]

GAMMA 5: DeVries v Thomas

 

GAMMA 5 arrives and all the talk is of the main event. Patrick Thomas weighs in a couple of lbs over weight. This is supposed to be a bout to decide the number one contender but if Thomas wins I think the shot will go to someone else as punishment.

 

Prelims

 

Randall Donnelly v Sly Twinge - Heavyweight

 

Twinge spends the first half of the first round walking forwards trying to catch up with Donnelly who is back-pedalling furiously. When he finally catches him he takes him down pretty easily and lands in half guard. He connects with several good elbows but Donnelly is able to defend and the round comes to a close.

 

Round 2 and Donnelly does a much better of of keeping Twinge at bay, he land several good counters when Twinge tries to punch and stuffs both of Twinge’s takedown attempts. Whilst Donnelly didn’t really do any damage he definitely won the round.

 

The bell goes for the final round and at one round each the fighters need to be aggressive. This suits Twinge who steps in and knocks Donnelly down with a good two punch combo. He leaps on him and unleashes the ground and pound.

 

Result: Sly Twinge beats Randall Donnelly by TKO in round 3 of a poor fight

 

Toby Sorkin v Ernie Bruns - Light Heavyweight

 

Bruns is obviously wary of Sorkin’s ability to take him down and boxes clever throwing the occasional punch but generally keeping his distance. Sorking however patiently stalks his prey and with just under a minute left in the round he sees an opening. Ducking under a wild right he takes Bruns down. He easily transitions into mount and rains down some big punches. The ref quickly calls an end to the fight.

 

Result: Toby Sorkin beats Ernie Bruns by TKO in round 1 in a poor fight

 

Main Card

 

Brian Claremont v Moss Gilbert - Lightweight

 

Both fighters are throwing a fair few punches but both of them are also proving elusive and as a result not very much lands. By the end of the first round the fans are getting restless. It is impossible to decider a winner of that round.

 

Round 2 and Claremont gets inside and clinches. He does some good work on the inside and pushes Gilbert up against the cage but he quickly escapes and spends the rest of the round dancing round his opponent, jumping in to throw a few punches and then backing away again. Claremont’s defence is solid though and again not a lot if punches land.

 

Claremont looks tired as he stands for the third round, his tiredness shows as he gets rocked early on by a big right from Gilbert and then later on put down by another. Gilbert tries to follow up but Claremont scoot backwards and the resulted scramble ends up with Claremont on top. The seconds are ticking away and the round is over before he can try to take advantage

 

Result: Moss Gilbert beats Brian Claremont by unanimous decision in a good fight

 

Bill Cumming v Ken Peters - Light Heavyweight

 

Cumming comes forwards determined to clinch and turn this into a grappling contest, Peters is happy to oblige and he overpowers Cumming and scoops him up for a slam. He gets it and one punch later is celebrating victory by KO

 

Result: Ken Peters beats Bill Cumming by KO in round 1 of a great fight

 

H. M. Menzel v Luke Hilton - Lightweight

 

They circle each other and exchange a few punches before breaking off, Menzel comes back in and takes several jabs to the face for his trouble. He isn’t put off and goes for a single leg takedown, he gets it but Hilton seems prepared and the two fighters end up scrambling on the floor for dominant position. No one can get an advantage and eventually they both end up on their feet. The ycircle and again exchange blows, Menzel is getting the better as Hilton is swinging and missing. Eventually though he gets lucky and catches Menzel on the way in. He knocks him down and jumps on him. His ground and pound is relentless and eventually the ref drags him off.

 

Result: Luke Hilton beats H M Menzel by TKO in round 1 of a great fight

 

Tyler Lass v Dan Halverson - Welterweight

 

Dan Halvorsen goes for the early takedown but Lass stuffs it, Halvorsen ends up turtled with Lass on top looking for an opening. Halvorsen uses all his experience to avoid creating one and Lass can’t do anything with it. The round ends with Halvorsen on his knees and Lass leaning all over him

 

Halvorsen doesn’t want another round like the first, he doesn’t attempt a single take down this round and instead is happy just to stand and trade. It’s not a tactic I would recommend as he gets beaten to the punch several times. Halvorsen has surely lost this round.

 

Final round and Halvorsen reverts to pan A as he looks for the takedown, he gets if fairly early and lands some good ground strike before going for an armbar, then an Americana and then a rear naked chop. The bell goes and I think Halvorsen may have won it on points.

 

Result: Dan Halvorsen beats Tyler Lass by unanimous decision in a poor fight

 

Woody Fierstein v Osmosis Benn - Middleweight

 

Benn showed up a massive 6 lbs overweight, to Fiersteins credit he takes the fight but Benn will be moved up to Light Heavyweight for his next bout.

 

Benn wastes no time and gets the takedown, he advances his position and has obtained mount before a minute has elapsed. He starts punching and before to long it’s all over. Fierstein will no doubt claim the weight advantage played its part whilst Benn will be unable to rely on it next fight.

 

Result: Osmosis Benn beats Woody Fierstein by TKO in round 1 of a good fight

 

Yevgeni Sipatov v Nathan Chambers - Welterweight

 

Sipatov throws some jabs and Chambers ducks underneath looking for the takedown. Sipatov immediately responds by going for a guillotine but can’t get it and instead has to concentrate on keeping Chambers in his guard. Chambers is happy to just control Sipatov for a minute before seeing an opening and transitioning to side control. He uses the opportunity to land a couple of big elbows to the head and Sipatov looks groggy. Chambers takes this chance to really open up and the ref is forced to step in.

 

Result: Nathan Chambers beats Yevgeni Sipatov by TKO in round 1 of a decent fight

 

Tim Boyer v Tony McCall - Heavyweight

 

McCall must have left the gas on at home as he seems to want this one over with quickly. He swings wildely with several massive hooks but Boyer is wise to it and steps out of range. McCall keeps pressing though and although he takes a few kicks to the body and legs he is able to put Boyer down with a hard right. Boyer uses up kicks to keep McCall away while he clears his head. McCall grabs an ankle though and manages to get side control. He can’t really take advantage though as the bell soon goes.

 

Boyer continues hitting with those leg kicks but they don’t seem to faze McCall, instead he steps forwards and lands a good combination which leaves Boyer rocked and on rubber legs. McCall rushes forwards to press his advantage but Boyer fends him off and quickly clears his head. McCall smells blood though and keeps trying to pressure his opponent. Boyer able to create space though using a mixture of kicks and punches and probably ends up taking the round.

 

Final round and Boyer’s corner are telling him to be more aggressive, he tries to comply but immediately gets caught with another big right that leaves him stunned. McCall goes for a big head kick to try and finish him but Boyer just steps away in time. Boyer quickly recovers his senses and starts working the jab to keep McCall at bay. McCall can’t get near him again for the rest of the round and whilst he takes several punches to the head he never looks in any danger.

 

Result: Tony McCall beats Tim Boyer by unanimous decision in a decent fight

 

Maarten De Vries v Patrick Thomas - Middleweight #1 contender

 

It's been a pretty good card s far and I have high hopes for the main event. It's ashame Thomas turned up overweight though.

 

Both fighters test out their opponent’s defences darting in and out and throwing a few punches. De Vries sees an opening and hits a spinning back kick putting Thomas down. Thomas isn’t hurt however and shakes it off. De Vries moves in looking to gain a dominant ground position but Thomas grabs him and rolls him ending up on top in half guard. Thomas throws some elbows but they don’t seem to be troubling De Vries. He tries to sweep Thomas a couple of times but isn’t successful. Thomas keeps up the pressure and finally some of those blows get through. The round ends just in time for De Vries.

 

Round 2 and after his success in the last round Thomas is looking to take it to the ground. As he shoots in though he is hit with a flying knee which puts him down. De Vries seizes the advantage and limbs on top landing several big shots. Thomas is rocked but manages to grab De Vries and pull him down onto him. De Vries decides to use his knees instead but Thomas manages to sweep as he is off balance and gains side control. This time he lands the big punches and De Vries can’t do anything about it. After giving him the chance to defend himself the ref steps in.

 

Result: Patrick Thomas beats Maarten De Vries by TKO in round 2 of a fantastic fight

 

Overall a great night with some exciting fights. The attendance is 4,727 for receipts of $378,160 whilst 139,297 people pick it up on PPV bringing it $835,782. Critically and Commercially the PPV is deemed to be great whilst fight of the night goes to the main event and KO of the night to Ken Peters.

 

Aftermath

 

Despite his win Thomas doesn't get a title shot as I decide to give that to Garner following his win over JJ Reid. Thomas will have to show me he can make weight before he gets another go.

 

I hire Barry Strachan to be Chuck Dooley’s next victim, I mean opponent and poach Duane Weatherly from XCC. Weatherly has a record of 16-8 and is coming off the back of 2 wins in XCC against Campbell Crane and Cory Brewer and can hopefully offer something my Lightweight Division. I also sign the unknown, in America, Marco Maciel who recently impressed at a local show in Brazil and who looks to be an exciting striker in the Light Heavyweight Division

 

Rest of the world

 

Alpha-1 - Shizuya Nakae (25-11) beat Fumiaki Hayahi (16-5) in the Fight of the Night to win the Lightweight Title. Gyokusho Fujimoto beating Ikuhisa Tamura and Ikku Funaki beating Bakin Sakamoto are also rated as Great. The PPV as a whole is deemed a great critical success although only an average commercial success.

 

Sigma’s event for the month sees Fjodor Kanchelskis retain the Middleweight Title by beating veteran Fernando Amaro by nanimous decision and Leftar Oktay continues to build his reputation beatinjg Stjepan Andric to go 13-0.

 

In shock news Holden Strant looses to a local fighter at a show in America, it's the first time I've seen this happen.

[WCW Mark]

GAMMA 6: Foster v Carlton

 

James Foster is the biggest star in American MMA and tonight he faces his first fight under my management of GAMMA against Jeff Carlton. Both fighters are renowed for their ground and pound. Foster is already an icon while at 35 this is probably Carlton's last chance to try and become one. From my point of view they are both charasmatic and marketable so I don't mind who gets the win as long as it's a good fight. The rest of the card is pretty weak so I need the top guys to perform.

 

Prelims

 

Peter Bracewell v Delroy Rhodes - Welterweight

 

Bracewell stalks Rhodes round the cage trying to get him into the clinch, Rhodes uses his speed well to keep his distance and keeps well out of reach. Bracewell is keeping his hands high though and Rhodes’ opportunities to counter are limited. Overall a dull round, that Rhodes probably sneaked.

 

Round 2 starts a little better as Bracewell shoots in for the takedown and gets caught with a big right from Rhodes. He’s rocked but quickly shakes it off and shoots in for another takedown which Rhodes counters again with another big right. Bracewell backs up and reassess his options but decides that takedowns are the way to go. He tries 2 more this round and gets hit with stiff jabs both times. Good round for Rhodes.

 

Bracewell continues stalking Rhodes and it looks like it could be paying off as Rhodes is starting to breath hard. Bracewell manages to get in close and pushes Rhodes against the cage before going for a takedown. Rhodes can’t counter at this range and Bracewell gets it landing in side control. Bracewell softens Rhodes up with a couple of knees before going for the arm triangle. He locks it in but Rhodes shows great determination and refuses to tap and eventually breaks free. Bracewell tries something different and mounts Rhodes, he’s looking for the big punch to end it but Rhodes blocks well and Bracewell gives up and switches to an armbar. Good defence by Rhodes, he not only blocks the attempt but manages to throw Bracewell off him. Bracewell lands in side control but with only seconds remaining he can’t finish it.

 

Result: Delroy Rhodes beats Peter Bracewell by unanimous decision in a decent fight

 

Ashton Andrews v Aaron McBroom - Lightweight

 

McBroom is the aggressor and advances throwing kicks and punches. Andrews is proving elusive however and McBroom can’t land much on him. Andrews seems happy just to avoid the punishment and doesn’t strike back. As the round draws to a close the fans are booing.

 

McBroom seems to have realised that Andrews isn’t offering anything offensively and rushes him, he unleashes a flurry of punches and puts him first down and then out. Good showing by McBroom and Andrews is looking at the unemployment line.

 

Result: Aaron McBroom beats Ashton Andrews by TKO in round 2 of a poor fight

 

Keith Place v Bernard Blue - Middleweight

 

Both fighters just stand there trading blows, they are both hitting but Blue seems to be hitting harder, after 4 minutes of this he catches Plaice and puts him down. He dives on him but with the clock ticking away can’t do anything other than land a few knees to the body.

 

Round 2 is more of the same although this time Plaice seems to be getting the better of it. Neither fighter can land anything decisive though and the bell sounds.

 

Round 3 follows the same pattern, neither fighter can land a decisive blow despite their best efforts. This one is going to the judges and it’s going to be close. Blue takes a split decision, that knockdown in the first round probably won it for him. Both fighters did themselves proud here though.

 

Result: Bernard Blue beats Keith Place by split decision in a good fight

 

Main Card:

 

Duke Aiona v Frank Sheedy - Heavyweight

 

Aiona uses his mobility well to get in and out quickly land several good punches and kicks to Sheedy. Sheedy is just to slow and everything he tries is just a second too late as the elusive Aiona sticks and moves. Good round for Aiona

 

Round 2 is more of the same for 4 minutes until Aiona makes a mistake and allow Sheedy to clinch him up against the cage. Sheedy gets the underhooks and throws him to the ground. He lands several good blows but the bell sounds before any real damage can be done.

 

Round 3 and Sheedy is looking very tired, he is practically immobile and Aiona is landing leg and body kicks at will. Aiona knows he has this on points and doesn’t want to risk getting in close and is content to let time expire.

 

Result: Duke Aiona beats Frank Sheedy by unanimous decision in an average fight

 

Khru Duangjan v Rick Stanley - Heavyweight

 

Both fighters stand in the middle of the cage and start swinging. Neither seems to be worried about defence at all. A counter right puts Stanley down but he jumps straight back up and doesn’t back away. Duangjan lands a huge right this time Stanley isn’t getting up.

 

Result: Khru Duangjan beats Rick Stanley by KO in s great fight

 

Alex Cole v Greg Artevelde - Middleweight

 

Cole leaves an opening and Atteveld shoots in for the takedown, Cole was expecting it though and secures a front face lock forcing Atteveld down to the mat. Cole rolls him and gains side control but can’t get free to try and progress anything, eventually the ref stand them up with a couple of seconds of the round remaining.

 

Both fighters step up to grapple, Cole goes for the takedown but Atteveld slips away. Cole keeps closing down and lands a couple of good body shots. Atteveld’s breathing is ragged and Cole keeps the pressure on forcing his opponent against the cage and working him over with dirty boxing for the rest of the round.

 

Round 3 and Atteveld changes tack, he doesn’t seem to be able to out wrestle Cole and instead tries to out strike him. Cole takes advantage by landing a couple of stiff jabs followed by a huge right that puts Atteveld down. Cole dives in and starts pounding away, the ref leaves it for a few seconds but sees that Atteveld isn’t defending himself and pulls Cole away.

 

Result: Alex Cole beats Greg Atteveld by TKO in round 3 of an average fight

 

Adam White v Mac Fuller - Middleweight

 

White throws a couple of feints and then slips under Fullers hands and takes him down. He quickly gains mount but instead of going for the TKO he tries to grab an arm bar. Fuller not only blocks it but throw White off and lands in side control. Fuller throws some punches but White is defending well from the bottom and manages to slip round to half guard. It’s Fullers turn to go for the arm bar but White manages to block it before scrambling backwards then sweeping Fuller. White ends up in half guard and decides that brute force is the answer. He throws several big rights but Fuller’s chin is strong enough to take them. White slips into side control and spends the last few seconds landing several good knees to the body.

 

Round 2 and White isn’t messing around, he throws a couple of jabs before getting the takedown. He lands in guard and easily gains side control. He doesn’t stop there though and gains the mount before unloading. Fuller is all over the place and the ref ends it.

 

Result: Adam White beats Mac Fuller by TKO in round 2 of a good fight

 

Benny Danare v Nicholas Bretton - Lightweight

 

Bretton seems keen to close the distance and happily clinches with Danare. Danare is happy enough with this and looks for the slam. Although he doesn’t get it, it seems to have scared Bretton who quickly breaks the clinch. Danare chases him down and ends up pushing him up against the cage. Bretton is slippery though and turns it around. He goes for a foot stomp and while he is off balance Danare switches it back round and then gets the takedown. The time expires though before he can take advantage. A very messy first round

 

Bretton seems to have revised his gameplan and this time out he keeps his distance and uses his jab. Danare tries to get in close but Bretton is too quick for him. Danare spends the entire round chasing air.

 

Round 3 and Danare looks tired after chasing Bretton round the cage last round and it looks like he is going to have to do the same again. This time though he catches him and goes for the takedown. Bretton doesn’t even fight it but instead pulls guard and after taking a second to catch his breath uses his legs to push Danare off. Danare goes for the takedown again but Bretton skips away, Danare looks exhausted but keeps going and is rewarded with a successful takedown on the 4th attempt. Danare throws some punches but they lack conviction and Bretton snags an arm. Danare blocks it easily but Bretton takes advantage by sweeping him. He also looks exhausted and both fighters look relieved when the final bell comes.

 

Result: Benny Danare beats Nicholas Bretton by unanimous decision in a poor fight

 

Darin Blood v Alan Kendall - Welterweight

 

Both fighters come forward looking to assert their dominance early, it’s Blood with the early advantage though as he catches Kendall with a hook which put him down. Blood leaps on him and gains mount before going for an armbar. Kendall not only defends it but manages to gain top position. Kendall throws a lot of punches from half guard but can’t really land anything. He needs to gain a better position but every attempt is blocked.

 

Blood gets the better of the early exchange and lands a couple of big strikes. Kendall shakes them off and goes for the clinch. Both fighters try to gain the advantage and they both land some good body blows before breaking off. The rest of the round passes quickly with both fighter landing some abs and kicks but no real damage being done.

 

Round 3 and Blood looks tired. He throws a lazy punch and Kendall slips it before landing a big right hook. Blood goes down dazed and Kendall wastes no time getting on top and snagging an arm. Before he knows what happened Blood finds himself tapping.

 

Result: Alan Kendall beats Darin Blood by submission in round 3 of a decetn fight

 

James Foster v Jeff Carlton - Heavyweight Title

 

They exchange punches before Foster shoots in for the takedown. Carlton stops him with a good sprawl and grabs the front facelock. He forces Foster down and starts firing away, he lands punch after punch and Foster isn’t offering anything back. The ref steps in and it’s all over. Carlton fulfils his dream and becomes GAMMA Heavyweight Champion of the world.

 

Result: Jeff Carlton beats James Foster by TKO in round 1 of a good fight to win the GAMMA Heavyweight Title

 

Aftermath

 

Overall I'm pleased with the PPV, Khru Duangjan announced his arrival in style and moved up to 4th in the Heavyweight rankings. I think that's a little high given who he has fought but it is nice to see such rapid improvement. Cole, White and Danare all extended their unbeaten streaks and the dull Frank Sheedy lost and along with Peter Bracewell and Ashton Andrews finds himself looking for a new job.

 

The event scored a good critical success and a great commercial success with an attendance of 4,917 for $393,360 and a PPV buy rate of 140,594 for $843,564. Fight of the night was Duangjan v Stanley and Duangjan also picked up KO of the night. Sub of the night naturally goes to Kendall.

 

Post fight it is revealed that Foster sustained a nasty elbow injury which will keep him out for a few months, when he is fit though there is no doubt he will be looking for revenge. He might have to wait a while though as there are plenty of other challengers for the new champion.

 

Rest of the world

 

Few more events this month as the other companies up their games.

 

Ex Sumo Tomoji Takaoka fails to make weight in his heavyweight bout against fellow ex sumo wrestler Jutaro Honma . He then goes onto lose in the first round by TKO, looks like you might want to go back to Sumo wrestling fat boy. On the main event of the card Heji Endo (14-1) beats Bambang Sriyanto (23-7-2) by unanimous decision to retain the Middleweight Title in a poor bout. Further down the card and Hyun-Shik Lim continues his rise with a first round TKO of Ryosei Sakamoto. Overall the PPV attracts an attendance of 9,377 and 136,948 buys. It’s rated decent and decent.

 

Bambang Sriyanto’s contract is up and as the number 2 ranked Middleweight in the world he is a tempting target. His popularity is only low regional in the USA however and as I’ll be bidding against Alpha-1 I decide not to go for it. My Middleweight division is pretty stacked and I’m not convinced he would offer value for money.

 

XCC hold MacLean v Sweet and Hester Maclean wins to retain the Women’s Title. Elsewhere on the card it is a good night to be undefeated as every other fight sees a fighter extend their unbeaten streaks. Stand out fights are Wallace Everett beating Ned Butterfield in a good fight and Ross Smith beating Kade Devine by rear naked choke in round 1 of a great fight.

 

FLB put on Moura v Melo on the same night. Moura retains his title by points but it was a very poor fight. Luckily for FLB the co-main event sees Helio go 16-1 by beating Chico Feijo by TKO in a great bout.

 

BCF go with Kane v Sithalayan for the Welterweight Title to headline their June event and Sithalayan takes advantage of the shot by beating Kane by unanimous decision. Sithalayan is definitely one I would be keen on when his contract comes up.

 

KDM FC but on a quality show with 3 good bouts, 1 great bout and a fantastic fight between Teeratep Nutnum and Bunrakukun Abe. The main event sees Hanako Shimizu take the KDMFC womens title by KO in round 4.

 

WEFF follow this up with Michellle Addams winning the title from Vicki Summers. With 3 title bouts this month it’s a great month if you are a fan of womens MMA. I don’t have a women’s division however and I have no intention of starting one so these title changes are of little interest to me.

 

Overall a good monht, my popularity is still lower than Alpha-1's but my momentum is higher. I had better hope I don't derail it with GAMMA 7 which is unfortunately a little weaker than some of my previous cards in terms of star names.

[WCW Mark]

GAMMA 7

 

After the massive main event of GAMMA 6 I'm taking a different approach with GAMMA 7. The main event is going to be Raul Hughes v Christopher Sharp. Hughes dropped to 11th in the rankings following his loss to Carlton whilst Sharp has climbed to 7th following his win over Frank Sheedy. I think Hughes is too low for his ability and Sharp is too high so hopefully this will reverse it and if Sharp proves me wrong and wins then he can be considered a real threat in the Heavyweight division.

 

As the main event isn't such a big one I've decided to stack the lower card. Co-Main event is Stuart Strange v Petey Mack. The winner of this one will face the winner of Dean v Garner.

 

3rd fight on the card will be John Rivero v Marlon John, Marlon John is undefeated but this is a big test for him. Whilst the winner won't get a title shot as LeToussier is already lined up for that they will move up the rankings dramatically.

 

Jack Humphreys faces off against Callum Henson, Humphrey is coming off of a loss but is still mid national popularity and a win will move him back into contention. This will be a big debut for Henson but if he can get a win here he will show he has arrived.

 

Next up and Wilson Franklyn makes his main card debut against Gary Sampson. Whilst I don't see either of these fighters as main event material the fan feedback is that this would be a good co-main event. A win for either of these fighters will move them up the rankings and it should hopefully be an exciting fight.

 

Next Linfield Ballard takes on Lawrence Herringbone in the Light Heavyweight division. Whilst Ballad lost to Rubenstein he is still a big player in the division and a win over him for Herringbone will be a massive one. Ballard on the other hand will be looking get back into the title picture and a win here will be the first step.

 

Chuck Dooley faces Barry Strachan in another career builder, I'm hyping Doley here and fully expect him to pick up the win. Strachan is mid regional level popularity and as such this is yet another fight the fans would consider to be co-main event level. Dooey's popularity is mid national but in terms of experience he isn't ready for the top yet and this will hopefully prove to be another stepping stone.

 

Finally on the main card we have Dana Delaney v David Allen in the welterweight division. This is a classic boxer v submissions bout and both have a reasonable perfomrance rating so I'm hoping this will be a good opener.

 

So whilst the main event is a bit dubious there are 7 fights which the fans feel could co-main event this card. I'm hoping this strength in depth will carry the card.

 

On the prelims Nicky Shapiro faces Ian Linderman, If Shapiro loses this one he is out of the door. Hopefully this will give a win to Linderman allowing him to ob out to someone in the near future. Finally we see Marcos Maciel make his debut against Glenn Pimm. Pimm is coming off a loss and I think his career is winding down so here's hoping he can give the rub to Maciel on his way out.

 

Summary:

 

GAMMA 7: Hughes v Sharp

 

Raul Hughes (14-3, ranked 11) v Christopher Sharp (35-12, ranked 7) - Heavyweight

Stuart Strange (16-2, ranked 6) v Petey Mack (10-2, ranked 7) - Middleweight

Marlon John (11-0, ranked 4) v John Rivero (12-2, ranked 8) - Light Heavyweight

Jack Humphreys (22-7, ranked 10) v Callum Henson (18-7, ranked 7) - Welterweight

Wilson Franklyn (6-1, ranked 14) v Gary Sampson (17-5, ranked 8) - Heavyweight

Linfield Ballard (20-8, ranked 10) v Lawrence Herringbone (12-1, ranked 11) - Light Heavyweight

Chuck Dooley (4-0, ranked 17) v Barry Strachan (24-15, ranked 21) - Heavyweight

Dana Delaney (9-2, ranked 14) v David Allen (14-3, ranked 11) - Welterweight

 

Prelims

 

Ian Linderman (7-2, ranked 15) v Nicky Shapiro (14-11, ranked 17) - Lightweight

Marcos Maciel (5-0, ranked 19) v Glenn Pimm (30-12, ranked 20) - Light Heavyweight

[WCW Mark]

<p>Well sorry for the long wait between the card being declared and me giving you the results, Christmas and New Year got in the way. I'm going to mark the fights in alternating colours to hopefuly seperate them a bit better, let me know what you think.</p><p> </p><p>

Any way here it is (finally)</p><p> </p><p>

<strong>GAMMA 7 - Hughes v Sharp</strong></p><p> </p><p>

First off the weigh in and John Rivero fails to make weight by 10lbs. The fight goes ahead but win or lose he will find himself moved up to Heavyweight as 10lbs is a disgrace.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>

Pre-lims</p><p> </p><p>

<span style="color:#000080;"><strong>Marcos Maciel v Glenn Pimm - Light Heavyweight</strong></span></p><p><span style="color:#000080;"> </span></p><p><span style="color:#000080;">

Maciel slips under a jab and put Pimm down with his first punch, he start to hammer away and the ref steps in. That only took him 36 seconds, amazing debut.</span></p><p><span style="color:#000080;"> </span></p><p><span style="color:#000080;">

</span><span style="color:#000080;"><strong>Result: Marcos Maciel beats Glenn Pimm by TKO in round 1 of a good fight</strong></span></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong>

Nick Shapiro v Ian Linderman - Lightweight</strong></p><p> </p><p>

Shapiro looking to get in close and strike from the pocket but Linderman is happy to back up and keep a distance between them. It leads to a pretty dull round that Linderman just about edges.</p><p> </p><p>

Round 2 is more of the same, Linderman is just slightly quicker on every exchange and again thakes the round. </p><p> </p><p>

Round 3 and Shapiro has to stop Linderman to win the fight, he steps up and swings leaving himself wide open. Linderman hit’s a series of big rights and takes the win.</p><p> </p><p>

<strong>Result: Ian Linderman beats Nicky Shapiro by TKO in round 3 of a decent fight</strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong>

Main Card:</strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong>

</strong><strong><span style="color:#000080;">Dana Delaney v David Allen - Welterweight</span></strong></p><p><span style="color:#000080;"> </span></p><p><span style="color:#000080;">

Allen gets the early takedown slipping under Delaney’s jab. He gores for an armbar and then a kimura and almost finishes it. Delaney manages to wriggle free and get Allen into his guard, he manages to keep him there for the remainder of the round.</span></p><p><span style="color:#000080;"> </span></p><p><span style="color:#000080;">

2nd round and Delaney is determined not to get taken down again, he keeps his distance and strikes whenever Allen tries to close the distance, it’s dull but effective.</span></p><p><span style="color:#000080;"> </span></p><p><span style="color:#000080;">

Delaney tries to do the same in the 3rd round but he is tiring and he throws a sloppy punch giving Allen the opening he needs. Allen takes him down and goes for an americana and then an armbar. Delaney is exhausted and can’t fight him off and has to tap.</span></p><p><span style="color:#000080;"> </span></p><p><span style="color:#000080;">

</span><span style="color:#000080;"><strong>Result: David Allen beats Dana Delaney by submission in round 3 of an average fight</strong></span></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong>

Chuck Dooley v Barry Strachan - Heavyweight</strong></p><p> </p><p>

Strachan apparently isn’t happy about his training for the fight, it probably doesn’t matter too much as Dooley steps in and unleashes one big right hand which knocks Strachan clean out. The fight lasted one punch so I doubt any amount of training would have helped Strachan there.</p><p> </p><p>

<strong>Result: Chuck Dooley beats Barry Strachan by KO in round 1 of a good fight</strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong>

</strong></p><p><strong><span style="color:#000080;">

Lawrence Herringbone v Linfield Ballard - Light Heavyweight</span></strong></p><p><span style="color:#000080;"> </span></p><p><span style="color:#000080;">

Round 1 starts and it’s looking good for Ballard as he lands several big leg kicks leaving Herringbone limping. Herringbone is tenacious though and keeps coming forwards looking for the takedown. 4 attempts and none are successful. Herringbone must be getting frustrated but he keeps up the pressure and with 14 seconds remaining he lands a counter right hook knocking Ballard down. Ballard leaps straight to his feet and the round ends.</span></p><p><span style="color:#000080;"> </span></p><p><span style="color:#000080;">

Herringbone changes tack and decides to stand and strike with Ballard, it’s a clever tactic as Ballard opens up and Herringbone takes him down on the counter. He land in guard but is still able to land some good shots before passing to side control. He keeps the pressure on and Ballard is forced to give up his back. Herringbone starts firing away with punches and Ballard is in trouble. The ref gives him a moment to start defending himself but decides he has to step in.</span></p><p><span style="color:#000080;"> </span></p><p><span style="color:#000080;">

</span><span style="color:#000080;"><strong>Result: Lawrence Herringbone beats Linfield Ballard by TKO in round 2 of a fantastic fight</strong></span></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong>

Wilson Franklyn v Gary Sampson - Heavyweight</strong></p><p> </p><p>

A few punches are thrown but the fight soon ends up in the clinch, Sampson forces Franklyn up against the cage and starts to work Franklyn over with some dirty boxing. Franklyn manages to switch it around though and lands a few good strikes to the body before stepping back to create space. Franklyn lands a few more punches as the round expires and probably takes the first round.</p><p> </p><p>

Sampson is trying to get in close but every time he tries it Franklyn forces him back with punches. Not many of them are hitting but they are enough to force him to keep his distance. Sampson keeps coming forwards though and eventually gets the clinch, he tries to force Franklyn back but he’s too strong and stands his ground. Sampson gives it up and breaks just as the round ends.</p><p> </p><p>

Round 3 and this is anyone’s fight. Franklyn comes out and throws some wild punches. They miss though and he looks like he is struggling to catch his breath. Sampson closes and forces Franklyn up against the cage and lands some good strikes on the inside. Both fighters are looking exhausted and the round comes to a close without any more being done. Not a lot of technique of display and it led to a very dull fight.</p><p> </p><p>

<strong>Result: Gary Sampson beats Wilson Franklyn by split decision in round 3 of a very poor fight</strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong>

</strong><strong><span style="color:#000080;">Jack Humphreys v Callum Henson - Welterweight</span></strong></p><p><span style="color:#000080;"> </span></p><p><span style="color:#000080;">

Lets hope this fight is an improvement on the last one or the fans may fall asleep. The fighters step up and Henson lands several big punches on Humphreys. Humphreys stagers back looking stunned and Henson follows up, he can’t capitalise though as Humphreys covers up and recovers. Humphreys goes for the takedown but Henson dances away and keeps throwing punches keeping Humphreys off balance. Good opening round for Henson in his GAMMA debut.</span></p><p><span style="color:#000080;"> </span></p><p><span style="color:#000080;">

Henson keeps up the pressure and lands several big strikes and then puts Humphreys down, Humphreys shakes it off and stays down trying to tempt Henson in. Henson is happy to stay on his feet though and steps back allowing Humphreys to get back up. Humphreys braves a few more strikes in order to get in close and goes for the takedown from the pocket. This time he’s successful. Humphreys is throwing strikes from the guard but can’t land anything. He passes to side control but it’s too late and the bell sounds.</span></p><p><span style="color:#000080;"> </span></p><p><span style="color:#000080;">

Humphreys comes forwards aggressively and gets an early takedown, Henson could be in rouble here. Humphreys throws some punches but Henson is able to deflect them. Humphreys passes to side control and goes for the kimura. He sinks it in and it looks like it’s all over. Henson won’t give up though and somehow gets his arm free. Humphreys moves to mount and throws a couple more punches, the bell goes though and I think this one has to go to Henson.</span></p><p><span style="color:#000080;"> </span></p><p><span style="color:#000080;">

</span><span style="color:#000080;"><strong>Result: Callum Henson beats Jack Humphreys by unanimous decision in a decent fight</strong></span></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong>

Marlon John v John Rivero - Light Heavyweight</strong></p><p> </p><p>

Rivero is 10 lbs overweight which will give him a significant advantage, he looks to make it tell by stepping in and going for the takedown early. John ducks away and then grabs Rivero and forces him up against the cage, impressive strength by John against the heavier man. John keeps Rivero there for 2 minutes before the ref separates them. They circle each other in the centre of the ring and Rivero steps in and gets the takedown. He gains the mount but with 1 second left it’s far too late to do anything. The commentators say that was a fun round to watch, got to say I don’t agree.</p><p> </p><p>

Round 2 and Rivero’s corner tell him to get it onto the mat. Two failed attempts later though and John then clinches and pushes Rivero up against the cage again. John gets flipped around though and Rivero gets the underhooks in and throws him to the ground.. Rivero moves to side control with ease but again with only 4 seconds remaining he doesn’t have time to do anything. </p><p> </p><p>

Rivero has handled John with ease whenever it goes to the mat but he can’t get the takedowns earlier enough to take advantage. John is winning on points and seems happy to try and stall by pushing Rivero against the cage again. Rivero switches it though and John could be in trouble in Rivero can take advantage and get the fight to the floor. He goes for it but John takes advantage and switches it back. Both fighters are looking very tired here. John tries to keep Rivero against the cage but the ref has had enough and separates them. One minute to go and they both look exhausted. Neither has the energy to do very much and the fight ends.</p><p> </p><p>

<strong>Result: John Rivero beats Marlon John by split decision in an average fight</strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong>

</strong><strong><span style="color:#000080;">Stuart Strange v Petey Mack - Middleweight</span></strong></p><p><span style="color:#000080;"> </span></p><p><span style="color:#000080;">

Both fighters start cagely throwing a few feints, Strange thinks he sees an opening though and goes for the takedown, Mack grabs him though and sprawls forcing him to the ground and eventually ending up in half guard. He tries to pass to side control but Strange is wise to it and keeps him in place before going for a sweep which fails. Mack goes for a kimura but it is easily blocked. He tries to pass into side control again but Strange has the counter and then goes for the sweep, unsuccessful. These two are completely neutralising each other.</span></p><p><span style="color:#000080;"> </span></p><p><span style="color:#000080;">

Round 2 starts and the fighters eagerly close to a clinch, Strange goes for the slam and gets it but Mack quickly pulls guard. Strange passes to half guard but can’t get any further and Mack tries to grab an arm from underneath but can’t get it. He then goes for a couple of guillotine attempts but again Strange shrugs it off. The bell goes and again it looks like these two have the counter for everything their opponent tries.</span></p><p><span style="color:#000080;"> </span></p><p><span style="color:#000080;">

Petey Mack starts the round aggressively going for the early takedown, Strange grabs him though and pushes him up against the cage. Mack slips round and gets the dominant position before attempting a judo throw. Strange counters and flips it round, he lands some short punches to the ribs but the round ends before any real damage can be done.</span></p><p><span style="color:#000080;"> </span></p><p><span style="color:#000080;">

</span><span style="color:#000080;"><strong>Result:Stuart Strange beats Petey Mack by unanimous decision in a poor fight</strong></span></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong>

Hughes v Sharp</strong></p><p> </p><p>

Well the PPV got off to a good start but the last four fights haven’t exactly impressed, lets hope Hughes and Sharp can put on show.</p><p> </p><p>

Sharp ducks under a jab and goes for the takedown, Hughes shrugs it off and unleashes a barrage of punches. Sharp covers up and backs off but Hughes keeps the pressure on landing punch after punch. Sharp goes down and Hughes jumps on top looking for the finish. The ref steps him in and it’s all over.</p><p> </p><p>

Hughes has restored some of his aura here with an impressive performance.</p><p> </p><p>

<strong>Result: Raul Hughes beats Christopher Sharp by TKO in round 1 of a good fight</strong></p><p> </p><p>

<strong>Aftermath</strong></p><p>

That beating may have saved the PPV, I need to pay more attention to the fighters styles when setting up the cards as I ended up with quite a few dull fights there. Even though the popularities were worse than some of the higher fights I should have had Ballard v Herringbone much higher up the card. Still overall the results of the PPV are good. Dooley impressed and Henson had a good debut. Rivero will be moving up to Heavyweight as 10 lbs over is not even close to making weight which throws a spanner in my plans at Light Heavyweight but Herringbone can step in and fill that gap.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>

Overall the PPV gets a Good critical and commercial rating and had an attendance of 5,041 for a gate of $403,280 while it generated 141,460 buys on PPV for an income of $848,760. Herringbone v Ballard got fight of the night while Dooley and Allen picked up KO of the night and sub of the night respectively.</p><p> </p><p>

The Light Heavyweight Division took a bit of a knock with the loss of Rivero and Joh losing his undefeated streak. Luckily I pick up Aleksei Chekhov who moves right to the number 1 slot in my Light Heavyweight rankings. He’ll need a couple of fights to improve his name value before being ready for a title shot but I have high hopes for him.</p><p> </p><p>

Jeff Carlton signed a new contract but asked for and got a big pay rise from $16k per fight to $60k, still I'm making plenty of money and he is world champion. There are a few contract renewals due after this PPV but the biggest is Raul Hughes, his demands will no doubt have gone up after that win.</p><p> </p><p>

Greg Atteveld announces he will be retiring in the near future, lets see if I can make his last match mean something.</p>

[WCW Mark]

<p><strong>July - The Rest of the World</strong></p><p> </p><p>

The economic slump in Central America is ending whilst reports show that Asia is about to enter a boom period, any boost to the economy there will be good news to KDM FC as there are reports they are in financial trouble.</p><p> </p><p>

<strong>SIGMA</strong></p><p>

Over in Germany Nicolai Mickiewicz challenges Aleksei Chekhov for the Sigma Light Heavyweight Title. Chekhov retains by decision in a decent fight and then announces he will be leaving for GAMMA.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>

<strong>Alpha-1 </strong></p><p> </p><p>

Motoki Hojo (17-3) beats Shizuya Nakae by KO in round 6 to win the Lightweight Title. I didn’t know Alpha-1 went 6 rounds. Hojo’s contract is up and seeing as he fights in my weakest division and has a mid regional popularity in the USA I decide to bid for him He is mid national in Japan though and as such I don’t expect to get him without a fight. Gyokusho Fujimoto and ****en Hamacho’s contract are both up and seeing as they are both 9-0 it’s tempting to put a bid in. I decide against it though as I don’t feel like a really need them enough to get into a bidding war.</p><p> </p><p>

Otherwise it is a pretty quiet month with most companies not holding any events.</p>

[WCW Mark]

GAMMA 8 - Dean v Garner

 

Mathew Dean (32-5) v Buddy Garner (14-0) - Middleweight Title

 

The next card will be GAMMA 8 at the end of August and will be headlined by Mathew Dean v Buddy Garner for the Middleweight title. Dean put in a strong performance defending his title against the ground and pound of Dexter Darling at GAMMA 3 but Buddy Garner offers a different challenge. Garner is one of the best practitioners of BJJ in GAMMA, is unbeaten in 14 and as my 3rd ranked Middleweight finds himself with a title shot after Thomas lost his chance for turning up overweight.

 

Sean Morrison (27-4) v Truck Gleeson (22-4-1) - Lightweight Title

 

I'm really spoiling the fans here and GAMMA 8 features not 1 but 2 title bouts. The second is Sean Morrison v Truck Gleeson for the lightweight title. As Morrison is coming off a loss (albeit at Welterweight) and Gleeson is only High Regional in terms of popularity I'm not comfortable headlining with this bout despite what the fan feedback says. Morrison is a wrestler whilst Gleeson is a kick boxer and this clash of styles should hopefully make for an exciting bout. Gleeson is actually ranked #1 in my Lightweight Rankings whilst Morrison is #2 and this bout will determine who is really the best.

 

Derek South (14-3) v Mike Watson (10-0) - Light Heavyweight

 

This is the highest ranked of 3 Light Heavyweight bouts I'm putting on. South has been a favourite of mine ever since he won my first ever tournament in WMMA 1 whilst Watson is a monster. They are both coming off wins against easier, name, opponents in the form of Bill Cumming and Mark Cohen respectively and this will be the first proper test for both of them. The winner will get a number 1 contender bout against Lawrence Herringbone.

 

Jerry Bogdonovich (6-0) v Mark Cohen (34-8-1) - Light Heavyweight

 

Cohen is on a losing streak and needs to get a win to prove that there is life in the old dog yet. Bogdonovich is an unbeaten brawler who needs to start proving himself against more skilled rounded opponents. A loss for Bogdonovich here will prove all the doubters who say he is a street fighter without the skills to compete at a high level right whilst a loss for Cohen will signal that he really should start to consider retirement. As such this is a make or break fight for both individuals.

 

Guillermo Morales (8-0-1) v Ricky Heath (13-5) - Light Heavyweight

 

Heath is coming off the back of a painful loss to Christian Mountfield whilst Morales is making his PPV debut after beating Ken Peters on the prelims at GAMMA 2. Another wrestler vs Kick Boxer bout a win here is important for both fighters.

 

Dexter Darling (17-3-1) v JJ Reid (24-6) - Middleweight

 

Either of these fighters could have been in the main event here is they had only been able to get the job done in their last fights. As a wrestler v BJJ contest it will hopefully give the fans a taster for the action to come at the top of the card.

 

Geoff Cahill (48-23) v Simon Vine (19-7) - Welterweight

 

Simon Vine makes his GAMMA debut after signing from ALPHA-1. He is currently on a losing streak and needs to turn it around. I'm putting him against another new signing, Geoff Cahill. Cahill is coming off a win on a local show and and should be taken seriously by Vine. I see Vine as a heel in my Welterweight ranks due to his high marketability and menace hopefully beatting up a respected veteran will get the ball rolling on his push

 

Brandon Sugar (24-5) v Duane Weatherly (16-8) - Lightweight

 

Weatherly is coming off the back of 2 wins in XCC but remains something of an unknown quantity for me. At 31 there is no use in trying to push him slowly and so he gets a chance to make a statement on his debut against former #1 contender Brandon Sugar. I fancy Sugar to win this one but if Weatherly can get the upset it will really put the lightweight division on notice.

 

Prelims

 

Russel McPhee (16-7) v Stan Blackheath (20-10) - Heavyweight

 

Both fighters are coming off the backs of very exciting fights, sadly they are also both coming off the back of a loss. The winner here will see himslef back on the main cards whilst the loser will most likely get one final prelim job match and then be gone.

 

Norman Pike (16-5) v Fletcher Merman (7-3) - Heavyweight

 

Opening the show we have another two heavyweights who need a win to revitalise their GAMMA careers. Pike has more upside in terms of what he can offer the division than Merman and I hope he takes the win

 

 

Well that's it for GAMMA 8. I will hopefully be running the show and posting the results tomorrow morning. In the meantime any predictions or general comments about the diary are welcome.

 

Prediction Card

 

Norman Pike v Fletcher Merman

Rusell McPhee v Stan Blackheath

Brandon Sugar v Duane Weatherly

Geoff Cahill v Simon Vine

Dexter Darling v JJ Reid

Guillermo Morales v Ricky Heath

Jerry Bogdonovich v Mark Cohen

Derek South v Mike Watson

Sean Morrison v Truck Gleeson

Mathew Dean v Buddy Garner

[WCW Mark]

<div style="text-align:center;"><p><span style="font-size:36px;">GAMMA 8: Dean v Garner</span></p></div><p></p><p> </p><p>

Everybody makes weight so there is no drama and we can get right on with the show. </p><p> </p><p>

</p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><span style="font-size:18px;">Prelims</span></p></div><p></p><p></p><p>

</p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><strong><span style="font-size:18px;">Norman Pike (17-4) v Fletcher Merman (7-3)</span></strong></p><p><strong><span style="font-size:18px;">

Heavyweight</span></strong></p></div><p></p><p> </p><p>

<strong>Round 1</strong></p><p> </p><p>

Pike goes for the early takedown but Merman is wise to it and steps out of the way. Merman uses the opportunity to land a couple of quick strikes. The fighters circle each other and Merman lands a good few jabs, realising he needs to get in close Pike steps into the pocket. He unleashes a big right hook which drops Merman. He jumps on top and grabs an arm before Merman can react. It’s all over:</p><p> </p><p>

<strong>Result: Norman Pike beats Fletcher Merman by submission at 4:45 of round 1 in a good fight</strong></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>

</p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><span style="font-size:18px;"><strong>Stan Blackheath (20-10) v Russell McPhee (16-7)</strong></span></p><p><span style="font-size:18px;"><strong>

Heavyweight</strong></span></p></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p>

<strong>Round 1</strong></p><p> </p><p>

Blackheath starts the round pushing forwards but keeps getting driven back by some vicious leg kicks. McPhee eventually decides to give Blackheath a chance and steps into the pocket. The fighters exchange a series of blows but McPhee gets the better of it hitting with both punches and kicks. By the end of the round Blackheath is visibly limping.</p><p> </p><p>

<strong>Round 2</strong></p><p> </p><p>

Blackheath is looking tired, McPhee keeps the pressure on and lands a big right hand which puts Blackheath down, he leaps on his and starts raining down blows. The ref pulls him away and McPhee celebrates.</p><p> </p><p>

<strong>Result: Russel McPhee beats Stan Blackheath by TKO at 1:55 of the 2nd round in a good fight</strong></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>

</p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><strong><span style="font-size:18px;">Brandon Sugar (24-5) v Duane Weatherly (16-8)</span></strong></p><p><strong><span style="font-size:18px;">

Lightweight</span></strong></p></div><p></p><p> </p><p>

There are rumours that Sugar wasn't happy with his traiing camp, even so the commentators pick this as an easy win for him.</p><p> </p><p>

<strong>Round 1</strong></p><p> </p><p>

The poor preperation shows in the first round as Weatherly manages to out grapple Sugar and push him up against the cage on two occasions. Both times he slips away before any damage can be done but the signs are ominous.</p><p> </p><p>

<strong>Round 2</strong></p><p> </p><p>

Weatherly has gained confidence after his first round and steps up with some punches, he knocks Sugar down and tries to follow up but Sugar scrambles away and both fighters end up standing. Weatherly keeps the pressure on moving forwards for the rest of the round but can’t do any real damage.</p><p> </p><p>

<strong>Round 3</strong></p><p> </p><p>

Both fighters are showing signs of fatigue at the start of the 3rd round. Sugar keeps his distance and Weatherly keeps the pressure on but can’t catch him until late on. When he does though he lands a couple of nasty leg kicks and a couple of jabs. He must have taken this fight on points. Not a great bout but certainly a great debut win for Weatherly.</p><p> </p><p>

<strong>Result: Duane Weatherly beats Brandon Sugar by unanimous decision in a very poor fight</strong></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>

</p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><strong><span style="font-size:18px;">Geoff Cahill (48-23) v Simon Vine (19-7)</span></strong></p><p><strong><span style="font-size:18px;">

Welterweight</span></strong></p></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p>

<strong>Round 1</strong></p><p> </p><p>

Cahill is throwing a lot of punches but Vine is avoiding them all, Vine sees an opening and shoots in for the takedown. Cahill stuffs it however and wrestles Vine to the ground. He gets his back and goes for the rear naked. Vine fights it off but can’t get free. Cahill goes for the choke 3 more times but Vine keeps his head and his chin down. Good round for Cahill.</p><p> </p><p>

<strong>Round 2</strong></p><p> </p><p>

Vine is more cautious and seems to be trying to beat Cahill on his feet. He comfortable out strikes Cahill for 4:50 of the round but right at the end gets caught with a big right that leaves him glassy eyed. Luckily for him the round ends before Cahill can follow up.</p><p> </p><p>

<strong>Round 3</strong></p><p> </p><p>

The fighters circle and exchange strikes before Vine shoots in for the takedown, he gets it but Cahill is happy on his back and goes for a guillotine and then 2 triangle chokes. He can’t get them though and Vine continues to plug away with elbows and short punches. No real damage being done but it’s enough to take the round.</p><p> </p><p>

<strong>Result: Simon Vine beats Geoff Cahill by unanimous decision in an average fight</strong></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>

</p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><strong><span style="font-size:18px;">Dexter Darling (17-3-1) v JJ Reid (24-6)</span></strong></p><p><strong><span style="font-size:18px;">

Middleweight</span></strong></p></div><p></p><p></p><p> </p><p>

<strong>Round 1:</strong></p><p> </p><p>

Darling quickly clinches and pushes Reid up against the fence. He looks to do some damage with his boxing but Reid covers up and lands several counters. Darling grabs hold again and keeps Reid there for a full minute before Reid manages to work the space for a standing guillotine. Darling shrugs it off but Reid uses the space created to turn it around and push Darling up against the cage. The ref immediately decides no progress is being made and moves them back to the centre of the ring. If I was Reid I would be fuming, where was that call when he was getting smothered. With 3 seconds to go he shoots for the takedown to score some points. The commentators still think that was Darlings round though.</p><p> </p><p>

<strong>Round 2:</strong></p><p> </p><p>

Both fighters start the 2nd round looking to get an advantage with their striking, Darling is throwing the bigger punches but Reid is connecting with a lot more. He also lands several nasty leg kicks and probably took the round.</p><p> </p><p>

<strong>Round 3:</strong></p><p> </p><p>

Darlings corner tell him to swing for the fences, he obliges by rushing forward with a superman punch. Reid slips past it though and lands some stinging jabs. Darling closes in but Reid is comfortable standing in the pocket and slips several big swings from Darling. He lands a few more leg kicks and Darling is struggling to put any weight on his lead leg. Reid knows he has done a job on Darling and allows the clock to tick away the final minute.</p><p> </p><p>

<strong>Result: JJ Reid beats Dexter Darling by unanimous decision in a decent fight</strong></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>

</p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><span style="font-size:18px;"><strong>Guillermo Morales (8-0-1) v Ricky Heath (13-5)</strong></span></p><p><span style="font-size:18px;"><strong>

Light Heavyweight</strong></span></p></div><p></p><p> </p><p>

<strong>Round 1</strong></p><p> </p><p>

Morales catches a body kick and takes Heath down. He throws some elbows which Heath deflects and then passes to side control before attempting an arm triangle. Heath fights it off put allows Morlaes to take his back. Morales starts throwing bombs and the ref steps in.</p><p> </p><p>

<strong>Result: Guillermo Morales beats Ricky Heath by TKO at 3:21 of round 1 in a good fight</strong></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>

</p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><span style="font-size:18px;"><strong>Jerry Bogdonovich (6-0) v Mark Cohen (34-8-1)</strong></span></p><p><span style="font-size:18px;"><strong>

Light Heavyweight</strong></span></p></div><p></p><p> </p><p>

The paying audience finally got to see a fight finished in the last one, I strongly suspect this one won't go the distance either</p><p> </p><p>

<strong>Round 1</strong></p><p> </p><p>

No subtlety from Bogdonovich, he charges forwards swinging. One of the punches catches Cohen and puts him down. Bogdonovich takes his chances and leaps on top ending the fight by TKO in 1 minute 9 seconds. A good win for Bogdonovich but a sad day for Cohen, he probably has to admit that age has caught up with him and his reflexes and chin have gone.</p><p> </p><p>

<strong>Result: Jerry Bogdonovich beats Mark Cohen by TKO at 1:09 of round 1 in a good fight</strong></p><p> </p><p> </p><p>

</p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><span style="font-size:18px;"><strong>Derek South (14-3) v Mike Watson (10-0)</strong></span></p><p><span style="font-size:18px;"><strong>

Light Heavyweight</strong></span></p></div><p></p><p> </p><p>

<strong>Round 1</strong></p><p> </p><p>

Both fighters look defensively solid and despite both of them throwing a fair few strikes neither can land anything solid. The commentators give the round to Watson but really neither fighter did much of note.</p><p> </p><p>

<strong>Round 2</strong></p><p> </p><p>

Watson seems contend to try to strike on the counter, South keeps plodding forwards but can’t land anything. He finally catches up with Watson towards the end of the round and muscles him up against the cage. Too little too late to win the round though.</p><p> </p><p>

<strong>Round 3</strong></p><p> </p><p>

South continues to be the aggressor but Watson is just too good for him. He takes all 3 rounds and showed his defensive class, he ‘ll need to show a bit more aggression in his next fight however. Disappointing for South, he just couldn’t get going.</p><p> </p><p>

<strong>Result: Mike Watson beats Derek South by unanimous decision in an average fight</strong></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>

</p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><span style="font-size:18px;"><strong>Sean Morrison (27-4) v Truck Gleeson (22-4-1 NC)</strong></span></p><p><span style="font-size:18px;"><strong>

Lightweight Title</strong></span></p></div><p></p><p> </p><p>

<strong>Round 1</strong></p><p> </p><p>

After coming off a loss at Welterweight Morrison is looking to prove he is still the dominant Lightweight in Gamma. Gleeson throws some early strikes but Morrison gets under them and takes him down. Morrison has over 4 minutes to try and make something of this. He starts slowly with some short elbows before passing to side control. He keeps Gleeson pressed against the matt looking for an opening and gets it with a minute to spare. He takes Gleeson’s back and gets the hooks in before going for a rear naked choke. Gleeson can’t fight it off and is forced to tap. He was always in trouble after getting taken down so early.</p><p> </p><p>

<strong>Result: Sean Morrison beats Truck Gleeson by submission at 4:34 of round 1 to retain the GAMMA Lightweight Title in a good fight.</strong></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>

</p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><span style="font-size:18px;"><strong>Mathew Dean (32-5) v Buddy Garner (14-0)</strong></span></p><p><span style="font-size:18px;"><strong>

Middleweight Title</strong></span></p></div><p></p><p> </p><p>

<strong>Round 1</strong></p><p> </p><p>

The fight quickly goes to the clinch and Dean pushes Garner up against he cage. He can’t keep him there though and Garner slips out and lands a couple of jabs on the way out. They go back to the centre of the ring and Garner shoots in for the takedown, he can’t get it but does drive Dean up against the cage. Garner goes for another takedown attempt which Dean stuffs and the round draws to a close.</p><p> </p><p>

<strong>Round 2</strong></p><p> </p><p>

Again this goes to the clinch early on, Dean pushes Garner up against the cage and this time he is able to keep him there for several minutes before the ref moves it to the middle again. Dean is looking tired already, Garner shoots in but Dean grabs him in a front facelock and pushes him to the matt. Dean leans on him and looks to catch his breath but Garner is able to scramble backwards and regain his feet. Dean keeps the pressure on though and when Garner throws a lazy punch Dean takes him down. Garner shows why he is dangerous though as he reaches up and goes for a kimura. Dean fights it off and the round ends.</p><p> </p><p>

<strong>Round 3</strong></p><p> </p><p>

Dean is looking very tired and Garner’s corner tell him to pursue the takedown. He tries but Dean grabs him and forces him to his feet. Dean is exhausted though and the commentators speculate that the weight cut may have been too much for him. Dean pushes Garner up against the cage and looks to lean on Garner again. Garner goes for the standing guillotine and drags Dean down. It’s on tight and Dean has to tap. We have a new champion.</p><p> </p><p>

<strong>Result: Buddy Garner beats Mathew Dean by submission at 1:45 in round 3 to win the GAMMA Middleweight Title in a decent fight</strong></p><p> </p><p> </p><p>

</p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><strong><span style="font-size:18px;">Aftermath</span></strong></p></div><p></p><p> </p><p>

Well most obviously the major news coming out of the PPV is that we have a new Middleweight Champion, at 15-0 Buddy Garner looks unstoppable and he takes Dean‘s place at the top of not only GAMMA‘s Middleweight rankings but the world Middleweight rankings. He faces a tough first defence against Stuart Strange in the near future however. Dean looked awful in their match up and the commentators speculated he was struggling with the weight cut. I decide to bump him up to Light Heavyweight as well. There has been a bit of an exodus from the Middleweights recently and I may need to look at getting some new talent in.</p><p> </p><p>

Cohen announces that he is taking 6 months off to sort out some nagging injuries. I think he is probably done as a fighter but I’m willing to give him one more chance when he comes back from injury.</p><p> </p><p>

Simon Vine didn’t impress on his debut despite getting the win, Duane Weatherly however had a much better debut and due to the low levels of talent in my Lightweight division finds himself right up in the title mix, especially if Brockett fails to make weight again. </p><p> </p><p>

Despite not having any fights rated better than good the PPV was deemed a decent critical success and a great commercial success and attracted 6,086 for a gate of $486,880 whilst it generated $203,322 buys for a revenue of $1,219,932, making this my biggest selling PPV so far by over 25,000 buys (2nd was GAMMA 1 with 175,202 buys.) Morrison featured on both those cards and can maybe justifiably claim to be the biggest draw in MMA at the moment. Buddy Garner got submission of the night whilst Guillermo Morales got KO of the night. Most people didn’t get to see McPhee beat Blackheath in the fight of the night as it happened on the prelims.</p><p> </p><p>

There are a few contracts needing renewal but no one major and I manage to keep them all.</p>

[WCW Mark]

<div style="text-align:center;"><p><strong><span style="font-size:18px;">Rest of the world - August</span></strong></p></div><p></p><p> </p><p>

Monday 3rd week August was a hell of a day for MMA fans with KDM FC, XCC and BCF all holding events.</p><p> </p><p>

<strong>KDM FC</strong> held Sukarno v Ektawatkul and scored a Decent Critical and Great Commercial rating. The main event saw Sukarno retain his Lightweight Title against Bhumibol Ektawatkul. Elsewhere on the card Yoshiro Makamori extended his unbeaten streak to 12-0 with a win over Yee Tsuji.</p><p> </p><p>

<strong>XCC</strong> also scored a decent critical rating and a great commercial success with an evnet which saw Philip Ziskie retain his Featherweight Title against Rafael Tavares</p><p> </p><p>

<strong>BCF</strong> Spyrou v Rush got an Average critical success and a great commercial success and saw the only title change of the night as Andrew Rush beat Davis Spyrou to win the Middleweight Title.</p><p> </p><p>

<strong>FLB</strong> are a day late and put on FLB 10: The Damned on the Tuesday. They score a good critical rating and a great commercial success with a main event that sees Manuel Silva beat Claudio Palacios to retain the Welterweight Title and go an impressive 15-0. Helio continues his push to the top of the lightweight division going 17-1 and beating Lima Fragma in round 1. A title shot must be pretty close for him.</p><p> </p><p>

<strong>Alpha 1</strong> hold two events, the first is a PPV on Saturday in the 3rd week of August. The headline bout sees Heji Endo beat Tadao Miyazaki by KO to retain the Middleweight Title. Sam Hoynes (1-0) is thrown in a little early against the experience Mason Archer (16-4) and loses by split decision in a very poor bout. While Zvonmir Asanovic becomes the #1 ranked Light Heavyweight in the world after beating Ebizo Fujishima in the opening bout. Overall though the PPV scores badly getting an Average for Critical Success and a Poor for Commercial Success. The next night sees Alpha-1’s TV show Warriors of the ring get 765,971 viewers and sees Syed Tan beat Bakin Sakamoto in the main event.</p><p> </p><p>

The same night sees <strong>WEFF</strong> 7, Sandy Oliver goes 6-0 in the main event beating Hope Lehane in one round to retain the Heavyweight Title.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>

I failed to get Motoki Hojo and he resigned with Alpha-1. He ended up signing for £17,500 with a 100% win bonus compared to my offer of $20,000 with a 75% win bonus. I guess this is why they are the world number 1</p><p> </p><p>

However with all these events it's hardly surprising there are several fighters out of contract. The two most prominent are Faas Smit and Aleksander Ivanov, both of Sigma. I really don’t need another Light Heavyweight. but Aleksander Ivanov is more tempting. He hasn’t fought for Sigma yet and hasn’t yet adjusted to fighting in a cage. I decide to leave him alone to get a bit more experience and hopefully I can snap him up next time around.</p><p> </p><p>

I do decide to strengthen my under card though with a few potential up and comers. I pick up Solomon Salas and Jay Dorridge for my lightweight division and Rupert Dreck for my Light Heavyweight Division. They are all 5-0.</p><p> </p><p>

Europe enters a 2nd economic slump which is bad news for SIGMA</p>