GAMMA - Dynasty and commentary on my decisions

[WCW Mark]

GAMMA 9 announced

 

I've got some concerns about GAMMA 9, it's being headlined by Reguiero v Aldariso for the Welterweight Title. Aldariso deserves his shot after beating Blood at GAMMA 2 but his style is very dull. Hopefully Regueiro will sub him out to retain the title.

 

Co-main event is ging to be Patrick Thomas' debut at Light Heavyweight. He faces Junior Patinkin. Patinkin is big for a light heavyweight and it will be interesting to see how Thomas copes without his customary size advantage. If Thomas wins he will put himself into the title mix whilst Patinkin needs a win after losing to LeToussier in his last outing.

 

Next is a match I expect to be a real barn burner and hopefully will help make up the expected snooze fest in the main event. Tony McCall v Leon Banks should see some high quality striking with a world class Kick Boxer taking on a world class boxer. Due to the lack of quallity at the top of my Heavyweight Division the winner will get a shot at Jeff Carlton at the Title.

 

Osmosis Benn also makes his debut at Light Heavyweight, he faces Ken Peters who is coming off a good win against Bill Cumming, I expect Benn to be too much for him but you never know.

 

Bruce Stevens vs Luke Hilton at Lightweight comes next. GAMMA 10 is going to see Brocket v Danare in a number 1 contenders fight but Brocket has previously failed to make weight and if he does so again and wins he will forfeit his title shot and the winner of this bout will then get the shot. As such this is a reserve number 1 contenders bout.

 

Kendall Tracey faces Christian Moutfield in the Light Heavyweight Division next. Whilst both are on winning streaks due to the strength of the division they are no where near the title. A win hear though will be one more step on a long journey.

 

Fatuma Roy vs Tank Manu'a sees to Heavyweights on winning streaks clashing. The Heavyweight Division is a mess and almost anyne could put themselves in contention with a few wins so this match matters for both these competitors. Manu'a is the bigger man but Roy is more accomplished so it will be interesting to see who triumphs.

 

The opening bout sees Toby Sorkin face off against Petey Barnum, this is the PPV debut for them both after wins on the Pre-lims. I expect Sorkin to take the win here and hope he can look impressive whilst getting it.

 

The Pre-lims see Brian Claremont take on Henry Baldwin, both are coming off a loss and need a win if they want to get back on the main card. We also see Bill Cumming vs Bryan Van Den Hauwe, they are both on losing streaks and the loser may well get cut. I hope Cumming wins just becasue Van Den Hauwe's name is a pain to type.

 

So the card overall is:

 

Josh Aldariso v Julio Regueiro - Welterweight Title

Junior Patinkin v Patrick Thomas - Light Heavyweight

Tony McCall v Leon Banks - Heavyweight #1 Contender

Osmosis Benn v Ken Peters - Light Heavyweight

Bruce Steven v Luke Hilton - Lightweight

Kendall Tracey v Christian Mountfield - Light Heavyweight

Tank Manu'a v Fatuma Roy - Heavyweight

Petey Barnum v Toby Sorkin - Light Heavyweight

Pre-lims

Brian Claremont v Henry Baldwin - Lightweight

Bill Cumming v Bryan Van Den Hauwe - Light Heavyweight

 

I'll be running the card later today and posting the results this evening but in the meantime any predictions or comments are welcome.

[Chris2K]

Josh Aldariso v Julio Regueiro - Welterweight Title

Junior Patinkin v Patrick Thomas - Light Heavyweight

Tony McCall v Leon Banks - Heavyweight #1 Contender

Osmosis Benn v Ken Peters - Light Heavyweight

Bruce Steven v Luke Hilton - Lightweight

Kendall Tracey v Christian Mountfield - Light Heavyweight

Tank Manu'a v Fatuma Roy - Heavyweight

Petey Barnum v Toby Sorkin - Light Heavyweight

Pre-lims

Brian Claremont v Henry Baldwin - Lightweight

Bill Cumming v Bryan Van Den Hauwe - Light Heavyweight

[BYU 14]

Josh Aldariso v Julio Regueiro - Welterweight Title

Junior Patinkin v Patrick Thomas - Light Heavyweight

Tony McCall v Leon Banks - Heavyweight #1 Contender

Osmosis Benn v Ken Peters - Light Heavyweight

Bruce Steven v Luke Hilton - Lightweight

Kendall Tracey v Christian Mountfield - Light Heavyweight

Tank Manu'a v Fatuma Roy - Heavyweight

Petey Barnum v Toby Sorkin - Light Heavyweight

Pre-lims

Brian Claremont v Henry Baldwin - Lightweight

Bill Cumming v Bryan Van Den Hauwe - Light Heavyweight

[WCW Mark]

GAMMA 9: Regueiro v Aldarisio

 

Welcome to GAMMA 9. The main event sees Josh Aldarisio challlenge Julio Regueiro for the Welterweight Title. Regueiro is unbeaten in 21 fights but Aldarisio has a great grappling game and will be his toughest challenge yet.

 

Elsewhere on the card we see both Osmosis Benn and Patrick Thomas make their debuts at Light Heavyweight. This is a stacked division so they will both be hoping to make an impression. We also see Tony McCall vs Leon Banks to detemine the number 1 contender for the Heavyweight Title. So without further do lets get it started.

 

 

Prelims

 

Bryan Van Den Hauwe (15-5) v Bill Cumming (27-14)

Light Heavyweight

 

Round 1

 

Van Den Hauwe shoots in early with a takedown but Cumming sees it coming and slips out of the way, Van Den Hauwe circles looking for his chance, Cumming glances at his corner and Van Den Hauwe dives in and lands a big right knocking Cumming down. Cumming shakes it off but not quickly enough to stop Van Den Hauwe from gaining side control. He works him over with several knees to the body before going for an arm bar. He gets it and Cumming taps.

 

Result: Bryan Van Den Hauwe beats Bill Cumming by submission at 3:31 of round 1 in a decent fight.

 

Brian Claremont (5-2) v Henry Baldwin (7-3)

Lightweight

 

Round 1

 

Both fighters circle and Claremont test Baldwin with a couple of jabs from range, he then steps in looking to close the range. Baldwin throws a jab which Claremont slips and lands a hard counter strike. Baldwin is stunned and Claremont follows up with a series of heavy rights. Baldwin goes down and Claremont follows up raining down blow after blow. The ref pulls him away before Baldwin gets seriously hurt.

 

Result: Brian Claremont beats Henry Baldwin by TKO at 2:06 of round 1 in a great match.

 

Well thats the preliminary fights out of the way, lets get on with the main card.

 

Main Card

 

Toby Sorkin (4-0) v Petey Barnum (22-13)

Light Heavyweight

 

Round 1

 

Both fighters start tentatively exchanging jabs, Barnum steps in and gets rocked with a big right from Sorkin. If Barnum can’t beat Sorkin on his feet he is in trouble as he certainly can’t beat him on the ground. Sorkin grabs him and goes for the slam but Barnum just slips away. To his credit Barnum keeps moving forward attempting to strike from close range but all he gets for his trouble is taken down. Sorking passes to side control but the bell sounds before he can do any damage.

 

Round 2

 

Sorkin goes for the takedown early this round, ducking under a right hand and landing in guard. He lands several big shots before leaning back to grab a leg. Barnum keeps his leg clear and but gives up his back in the process. 45 seconds left can Barnum hold on? He Sorkin gets the hooks in and flattens him out. The bell goes, lucky escape for Barnum.

 

Round 3

 

Sorkin grapples with Barnum pushing him up against the cage, he rocks him with an uppercut and then puts him down with a leg sweep. He gains side control and goes for a kimura. He twists back and it looks like Barnum will tap, he manages to wriggle free though, fantastic courage. Sorkin takes his back and goes for an armbar. Barnum blocks it and the round ends.

 

The result isn’t in doubt but great determination from Barnum in a fight where he was obviously outmatched. Sorkin will need to work on his finishing if he wants to be a top level competitor.

 

Result: Toby Sorkin beats Petey Barnum by unanimous decision in an average fight

 

Fatuma Roy (21-8) v Tank Manu’a

Heavyweight

 

Roy is heavily out weighed here and it will be interesting to see how he copes.

 

Round 1

 

Manu’a makes the early going keeping Roy on the back foot with a series of punches, he sees an opening an goes for the takedown, Roy chooses not to fight it off and instead goes for a guillotine. He’s not successful though and Manu’a lands in his guard. He passes to side control with ease and works Roy over with some knees to the body and some weak looking punches to the head. He is happy to keep it here for the rest of the round and Roy can’t do anything to shift Manu’a’s massive bulk. Dull but effective.

 

Round 2

 

They exchange strikes, both landing but neither really doing any damage. They end up clinching and Roy goes for a slam, good luck with that against the Tank. Manu’a slips away but Roy follows up and shoots for a leg, he gets caught in a front facelock and it forced down to his knees. Manu’a hits several big punches to the body and head before stopping to catch his breath. Roy takes advantage of the lull to slip out and regain his feet. They exchange some lacklustre strikes and Manu’a goes in for a half hearted takedown which is easily stuffed. Another good round for Manu’a but he is looking exhausted, can Roy take advantage in the final round?

 

Round 3

 

Both fighters step up and exchange strikes from close range, Roy gets the better of it and puts Manu’a down. Roy dives on him and starts landing strike after strike. The ref gives him a couple of seconds to regain his senses but eventually has to step in.

 

Good win for Roy, he never gave up and eventually toppled the larger man with his superior conditioning and work rate.

 

Result: Fatuma Roy beats Tank Manu’a by TKO at 3:13 of round 3 in a good fight

 

Christian Mountfield (13-3) v Kendall Tracey (9-1)

Light Heavyweight

 

Round 1

 

Tracey shoots for an early takedown hoping to take Mountfield by surprise. It doesn’t work and he finds himself in the clinch and pushed up against the cage. Mountfield throws and elbow but Tracey ducks under and reverses it so he is in the dominant position. He has the underhooks and looks for the throw. Mountfield keeps his feet and uses Tracey’s momentum to swing him round so he is back against the cage. Mountfield steps back looking to land some strikes but Tracey covers up and grabs him again. Tracey looks for the throw, he can’t get it but he does manage to slip in behind Mountfield. He can’t take advantage though and the round ends. I’d give that to Tracey.

 

Round 2

 

Mountfield comes forward looking to clinch but Tracey backs him up with a flurry of strikes and then shoots in, Mountfield side steps and then grabs him. They struggle back and forth against the cage with neither man able to get an advantage. The time expires and the crowd show their displeasure. Mountfield probably edged a close round

 

Round 3

 

Tracey once again goes for the early takedown but can’t get it, Mountfield grapples and pushes him against the cage. Again the switch position back and forth with neither able to get the advantage. Both fighters have expended a lot of energy and look exhausted. With a minute to go Tracey gets a slam but lands in guard and whilst he can’t take advantage, that might have been enough to win the round and the fight.

 

Result: Kendall Tracey beats Christian Mountfield by unanimous decision in a poor fight.

 

Bruce Steven (16-7) v Luke Hilton (8-0)

Lightweight

 

Round 1

 

Steven shows some quick feet to avoid a several strikes from Hilton and they end up clinched. Steven drops back and manages to drag Hilton into his guard. He goes for a guillotine and whilst he doesn’t get the sub he does manage to turn Hilton over and gets side control. He lands some knees and then works his way round and takes Hilton’s back. He goes for the rear naked but Hilton fights it off. Steven is tenacious though and tries again. He flattens Hilton out and has the choke sunk in. Hilton refuses to tap but suddenly goes limp and the ref steps in. Great display of guts by Hilton but ultimately it was all for nothing.

 

Result: Bruce Steven beats Luke Hilton by technical submission at 4:46 of round 1 in a good fight

 

Osmosis Benn (16-0) v Ken Peters (9-1)

Light Heavyweight

 

First fight for Benn at Light Heavyweight and he actually outweighs his opponent by 5lbs.

 

Round 1

 

Peters gets the better of the early going avoiding Benn’s strikes and landing a few of his own. Benn shoots in though and gets a takedown with ease, he passes to side control and then mount and starts pounding away. Peters can’t do anything about it and the ref steps in.

 

Great debut for Benn at Light Heavyweight, he put the rest of the division on notice there.

 

Result: Osmosis Benn beats Ken Peters by TKO at 3:03 of round 1 in a great bout

 

Tony McCall (33-10) v Leon Banks (32-10)

Heavyweight #1 Contender

 

Two veterans of the cage here with 85 fights between them. Banks is only 29 though compared to McCall who is 35 and this could give him the edge in what I expect to be a stand up war.

 

Round 1

 

Great start, McCall steps in and Banks almost connects with a massive overhand left. McCall hits a hard leg kick be forgetting hit with a series of big punches. McCall backs up and just avoids a huge left hook from Banks. Banks charges forwards throwing lefts and rights and McCall is backing away looking for respite. He manages to avoid a couple of punches and hit’s a very hard leg kick which leaves Banks limping. Now it’s his turn to push forwards and he scores with kicks to the body and legs. Even the crowd are groaning in sympathy as Banks legs are targeted again and again. Great round.

 

Round 2

 

Both fighters step in and start swinging, McCall hits first and Banks is out before he hits the ground.

 

Result: Tony McCall beats Leon Banks by KO at 1:36 of round 2 in a great match.

 

Junior Patinkin (14-2) v Patrick Thomas (17-3)

Light Heavyweight

This is Thomas’ first fight at Light Heavyweight and despite weighing 215 lbs he is dwarfed by the 6’4” 227 lb Patinkin. It will be interesting to see how “The Titan” adapts.

 

Round 1

 

Both fighters exchange blows but it doesn’t really come to anything. Patinkin tries a couple of takedown attempts and gets it on the 2nd one landing in guard. He throws some punches and easily keeps his position when Thomas goes for a sweep. He passes to half guard and lands some good knees to the body to bring the round to a close.

 

Round 2

Again they exchange strikes but no real damage done, Patinkin grapples and picks Thomas up for the slam, getting manhandled like this must be a new experience for Thomas. Patinkin lands in guard and is content to control Thomas while he catches his breath. Thomas tries everything to budge Patinkin but can’t shift him. Patikin passes to side control and again is happy to end the round landing some good knees to the body.

 

Round 3

 

Again Thomas tries to keep his distance but gets grabbed by Patinkin who uses an inside leg trip to put him down this time. Again Patinkin lands in guard but easily passes to side control. He works the body again before going for an armbar. It’s in deep but Thomas manages to pop it free. Patinkin decides not to risk losing position and keeps Thomas down for the rest of the round.

 

Comfortable win for Patinkin to put him back near the top of the division whilst Thomas needs a rethink now he can no longer rely on his size to dominate his opponents.

 

Result: Junior Patinkin beats Patrick Thomas by unanimous decision in a decent fight.

 

Julio Regueiro (21-0) v Josh Aldarisio (16-1)

Welterweight Title

 

Round 1

 

Regueiro falls for a feint and gets taken down. Aldarisio remains standing and holds onto Regueiro’s feet before motioning to him to stand back up. Regueiro gets up and is immediately drawn into a clinch and forced up against the cage. Aldarisio controls the rest of the round working Regueiro over with some short punches.

 

Round 2

 

Regueiro doesn’t want another round like that and goes for an early takedown attempt, it’s stuffed and he finds himself exactly where he didn’t want to be, up against the cage. He works him over but the ref isn’t going to put up with another round of this and moves them back to the middle. Regueiro goes for 2 more takedown attempts but Aldarisio sprawls well.

 

Round 3

 

Again Regueiro goes for the takedown and this time ends up in a front face lock, he gets rolled to his back and as Aldarisio goes for mount he grabs an arm, Aldarisio shakes it off and deciding he is safer on his feet stand up. Aldarisio again clinches and forces Regueiro against the cage working him over with some more dirty boxing.

 

Round 4

 

Aldarisio is looking exhausted but he still has enough to stuff Regueiro’s takedown, once again he clinches and takes the fight to the cage.

 

Round 5

 

All Aldarisio has to do is last 5 minutes and the title is his, he makes a good start to the round pushing Regueiro against the cage, his tiredness shows however as he lets Regueiro escape. Regueiro throws a good left jab and Aldarisio’s nose breaks. That’s it, the fight is over and it goes to the scorecards. Aldarisio is surely the new champion.

 

Result: Josh Aldarisio beats Julio Regueiro by unanimous decision to win the GAMMA Welterweight Title in a poor match.

 

PPV Summary

 

For those who are interested in the results but don't want to read my ramblings.

 

Prelims

Bryan Van Den Hauwe beats Bill Cumming by submission in 3:31 of round 1 (Decent)

Brian Claremont beats Henry Baldwin by TKO in 2:06 of round 1 (Great)

Main Show

Toby Sorkin beats Petey Barnum by Unanimous Decision (Average)

Fatuma Roy beats Tank Manu'a by TKO in 3:13 of round 3 (Good)

Kendall Tracey beats Christian Moutfield by unanimous decision (Poor)

Bruce Steven beats Luke Hilton by Technical Submission in 4:46 of round 1 (Good)

Osmosis Benn beats Ken Peters by TKO in 3:03 of round 1 (Great)

Tony McCall beats Leon Banks by KO in 1:36 of round 2 (Great)

Junior Patinkin beats Patrick Thomas by unanimous decision (Decent)

Josh Aldarisio beats Julio Regueiro by unanimous decision to win the GAMMA Welterweight Title (Poor)

 

Attendance: 6,440 for a gate of $512,000

PPV Buys: 204,558 for a revenue of $1,227,348

Fight of the Night: Tony McCall v Leon Banks

KO of the Night: Tony McCall

Submission of the Night: Bruce Steven

Critical Success: Decent

Commercial Success: Great

 

Aftermath

 

Well first and foremost we have a new champion, I'm pretty surprised as I thought Regueiro would retain. Aldarisio is now ranked as the number 1 Welterweight in the world so I can't complain too much but I do hope his first defence is more exciting that that match was.

 

Tony McCall is out for 6 months with a facial injury, it must be something pretty nasty to be out that long, maybe a broken orbital and whilst that makes his performance even more impressive it is frustrating as he is the number one contender. I'll need to think about putting that on hold and seeing if anyone else can step up. Tony McCall’s injury is a blow as it will delay his title fight. Again there are several people whose contracts are expiring including Tony McCall, Bruce Steven and Junior Patinkin

 

Looking at my Heavyweight top 10 I think McCall will still get his title shot and I'll have to just give him time to heal. Here is the top ten (not including 1 or 2 which is Carlton and McCall) with the reaons why they aren't suitable.

 

3. Fatuma Roy - Wins over Manu'a and Pike shouldn't really qualify you for for the number 3 spot and certainly shouldn't give you a title shot. He needs that big name win to be a credible contender.

4. Raul Hughes - Already lost to Carlton and not yet earnt a rematch

5. Khru Duangjan - Not well known enough in the US, needs at least one more PPV win before he can be considered a challenger

6. James Foster- Lost the title to Carlton and not yet ready for a rematch

7. John Rivero - Only just moved to Heavyweight and not yet ready for a title shot.

8. Tim Boyer - Coming off a loss to McCall

9. Gary Sampson - Hasn't beaten anyone of note

10. Duke Aiona - Hasn't beaten anyone of note

 

So McCall it is, I had planned for McCall v Carlton to feature at GAMMA 14 but it will need to be put back a bit.

 

Overall a mixed bag, I'm not over the moon with Aldarisio's title win and McCall's injury is a pain. I'm happy Benn kept his unbeaten streak and I'm happy with Bruce Steven as a reserve contender at Lightweight. Roy impressed and Sorkin won but needs to improve. The worst news is that Bryan Van Den Hauwe won which means I'm going to be typing that name a few more times.

 

Congrats to BYU 14 who picked 6 out of the 10 fights and better luck next time to Chris2K who had a shocker only picking 3.

[WCW Mark]

Rest of the World - September

 

KDM FC have been given 1 month to pay off its creditors. I don't fancy thier chances but it could be good news for me as several of their fighters would be of interest to me.

 

Alpha-1 headline with Sho Kitabatake (15-0) v Jin Katou (17-1) for the Light Heavyweight Title. Kitabatake retains in a great match. Surely Asanovic must be next for him. Unless of course they give a title shot to Hyun-Shik Lim who went 13-0 with a win over Inejiro Chiba. Or possibly they’ll give a rematch to Tadamasa Yamada who beats Eisaku Nozaki to go 22-2 in a great match. And I thought my Light Heavyweight Division was crowded. The PPV overall gets a good commercial and critical rating.

 

HyunShik Lim and Inejiro Chiba's contracts are both up but I don’t need any more Light Heavyweights. I do however need lightweights and the news that Tarcisio Dantas (4-0) is available is exciting. I put in a bid and get him on a 60 month 6 fight deal at $3,500 a fight. This now means I have 3 fighters waiting to make their debuts in the Lightweight ranks. I’ve got a bit of a lack of cans here and I’m regretting letting Ashton Andrews and Nick Shapiro go. There are plenty of lightweights with lower regional popularity available in the USA but they are all undefeated and at the start of their careers and I don’t like to hire them just to throw them to the wolves. I have a scan through the available Welterweights who are willing to drop and put bids in.

 

Elsewhere it is pretty quiet with the only news coming out of BCF being their signing of Neville Granville who is 2-0 after a win at a local show.

 

Nothing happens over at SIGMA, WEFF or XCC and the only item of not relating to FLB is the unfortunate news that South America is predicted to enter an economic slump

 

Finally Geoff Cahill announces he will retire after his next fight. It's a shame as he is still High Regional popularity and I need everyone I can get in my light weight classes. Still at 39 and with 72 fights under his belt I can't blame him for calling it a day.

[WCW Mark]

GAMMA 10 Announced

 

Saturday, week 4 October sees GAMMA 10 sees Rufus Stephens (17-1) vs Nathan Chambers (17-1), the winner will get a shot against Josh Aldarisio's Welterweght Title. They are ranked 2 & 3 in the division so the winner here will have definitely earnt his title shot. Chambers is the motormouth ex champ and is coming off a win against former champ Yevgeni Sipatov, whilst the quiet unassuming Stephens, wwho lets his ability do his talking, is coming off a win against Jack Humphreys. At High and Low level National popularity I have no worries about the popularity of this contest but I do worry about the excitement. They are both wrestlers and I expect to see a lot of clinching going on. Not only that but whoever wins will be facing Josh Aldarisio in what will no doubt be abother clinchfest. Still this is what happens when you have 3 wrestlers at the top of your division.

 

Given the strong possibility that the main event will be a dud I want to put on a good co-main event. Who do I go to when I want an exciting match? Maarten De Vries (15-7) of course. Although he lost his last match it was to an over the weight limit Patrick Thomas. He gets an immediate chance to get back in the title picture with a match against Neil Napier (15-0). Although Napier is unbeaten he hasn't fought for me yet and as such is a bit of an unknown quantity. His performance rating is 84% though so hopefully they can put on a show. I decide to hype this fight a little as I'm pretty sure it will be a good one.

 

The next match should probably be the co-main event but I'm worried it will be a dull one as well. Bud Brockett (8-0) takes on Benny Danare (10-0) in a wrestler vs BJJ contest to determine the #1 contender for the Lightweight Title. At 3rd and 4th in the rankings they have both earnt this shot (Stevens is #2 after beating Luke Hilton and will get the title shot if Brockett wins but fails to make weight again) and I'll just have to take the risk that I'm sending the fans to sleep.

 

Match 4 sees Tim Boyer (24-4-2) take on Jack Cobblepot (38-10-3), both fighters are coming off a defeat but, at low level National popularity, this is deemed a worthy main event. That's 4 potential main event matches on the same card! Boyer is a favourite of mine from previous versions of WMMA and I would like to see him back near the top of the rankings. I'm hopeful that a victory over the limited Cobblepot will kick start that process.

 

Alex Cole (9-0) vs Thomas Smith (11-2) at Middleweight is next, Cole is unbeaten and on a good streak but Smith will be his toughest test yet. If he can beat him he will find himself pushing a claim to be among the top names in the division. Smith on the other hand needs a win here to stop himself slipping further after his previous loss to Sutton Ripley.

 

Another lightweight belt next as Moss Gilbert (7-0) takes on Aaron McBroom (9-3). On paper boxer Gilbert is the better man but the more versatile strikes of McBroom may give him trouble.

 

Delroy Rhodes (7-1) takes on Dan Halvorsen (36-12-2) at Welterweight. At 22 and 43 these two fighters are at opposite ends of their careers, Rhodes needs a win to push on whilst Halvorsen is looking to prove he is still relevant and not just a trainer of tomorrows stars.

 

The opening bout sees Sly Twinge (4-0) take on Rick Stanley (28-16) in another rookie vs veteran match up. Stanley is on a losing streak but the losses have come to good quality opponents (Banks and Duangjan) and whilst Twinge is one for the future this bout may have come to early for him. Still with the lack of quality in my heavyweight division a win here will see him start to climb the rankings rapidly.

 

The prelims see H M Menzel (10-4) v Nicholas Bretton (11-4), both need a win to get back onto PPV proper whilst the loser will be doomed to prelim hell for a while longer. Rupert Dreck (5-0) makes his GAMMA debut taking on Ernie Bruns (17-12) in what should be a comfortable win for the youngster.

 

Overall then a mixed bag, 4 very popular fights but 2 of them have the potential to be dull ones. The card overall is:

 

Rufus Stephens v Nathan Chambers - Welterweight #1 Contender

Maarten De Vries v Neil Napier - Middleweight

Benny Danare v Bud Brockett - Lightweight #1 Contender

Tim Boyer v Jack Cobblepot - Heavyweight

Alex Cole v Thomas Smith - Middleweight

Moss Gilbert v Aaron McBroom - Lightweight

Delroy Rhodes v Dan Halvorsen - Welterweight

Sly Twinge v Rick Stanley - Heavyweight

Prelims

H M Menzel v Nicholas Bretton - Lightweight

Rupert Dreck v Ernie Bruns - Light Heavyweight

 

I'll be running the card tonight and will post the result either then or tomorrow morning depending on time, as per usual any predictions or comments let me know. Would you pay to watch this card on PPV or would the lack of a title fight and the prospect of all that clinching put you off?

[batsnumbereleven]

Rufus Stephens v Nathan Chambers - Welterweight #1 Contender

 

Chambers is the man here. If you can get him fighting for you he's an absolute hype-machine, even if he struggles to beat the very best.

 

Maarten De Vries v Neil Napier - Middleweight

 

DeVries has always been a good quality fighter for me, but again is one that never troubles the best in the division. Napier, on the other hand is one of the best, and has good wins over the impressive Dean for me, so I'm picking him to do the biz.

 

Benny Danare v Bud Brockett - Lightweight #1 Contender

 

I don't think it matters who wins this fight, they'll still lose to Sean Morrison because he's an absolute monster at Lightweight. However, Brockett is probably the next best thing in this Division, and even though Danare can spring the odd surprise, I think that Brockett's too good for him.

 

Tim Boyer v Jack Cobblepot - Heavyweight

 

One for the veteran here. Cobblepot is one whose Destiny is very important. With luck he'll become a good gatekeeper for three or four years for you, but some early defeats could see an equally early retirement. Boyer's never really got me excited, and although he works okay as a JTTS, he's not title material. "Jackpot" to extend his career with a win here.

 

Alex Cole v Thomas Smith - Middleweight

 

Nasty match-up to pick, with both men being strong contenders in this division and have the potential to remain so for several years even with the strength in depth you can get. I was surprised by Smith's loss to "The Talented" Mr Ripley, and this isn't an easy one to pick up to re-start a sequence of wins. Cole to remain unbeaten for now, though he'll need to stay that way if he's going to challenge.

 

Moss Gilbert v Aaron McBroom - Lightweight

 

Gilbert is a potential surprise package, but may need a couple of fights to settle into the Division. McBroom's basically a can for the top guys, and Gilbert has to beat him here if he's going to generate any momentum.

 

 

Delroy Rhodes v Dan Halvorsen - Welterweight

 

Much as I like Rhodes as a prospect, I think this might be too early for him to be taking on the veteran Halvorsen, and his desier to impress the fans ringside might getthe better of him. I would have liked to have seen him fed a few less rounded opponents first, and I think he gets brought down to earth here, though probably by Decision.

 

Sly Twinge v Rick Stanley - Heavyweight

 

Twinge is a "love e'm or hate 'em" type and if he's going to make any progress for GAMMA he has to win here. Unfortunately, I see Stanley picking up the win here using his greater experience, with Twinge possibly heading back to one of the smaller promotions for seasoning.

 

Prelims

H M Menzel v Nicholas Bretton - Lightweight

 

Another toughie to pick, as Menzel is another slow developer but who has lots of talent. Bretton's got nothing to trouble the division and is probably the inferior fighter overall, but he might just pull this one off.

 

Rupert Dreck v Ernie Bruns - Light Heavyweight

 

Dreck by name, dreck by nature. Neither of these guys gets me particularly interested, but Bruns should be overmatched by the debutant here, who can't afford to lose to a can like this (on days like these).

 

 

 

Cole/Smith to be MoTN.

[BYU 14]

Rufus Stephens v Nathan Chambers - Welterweight #1 Contender

Maarten De Vries v Neil Napier - Middleweight

Benny Danare v Bud Brockett - Lightweight #1 Contender

Tim Boyer v Jack Cobblepot - Heavyweight

Alex Cole v Thomas Smith - Middleweight

Moss Gilbert v Aaron McBroom - Lightweight

Delroy Rhodes v Dan Halvorsen - Welterweight

Sly Twinge v Rick Stanley - Heavyweight

Prelims

H M Menzel v Nicholas Bretton - Lightweight

Rupert Dreck v Ernie Bruns - Light Heavyweight

 

Good solid card top to bottom, even without a Title fight.

[Chris2K]

I can't get much worse this time!

 

Rufus Stephens v Nathan Chambers - Welterweight #1 Contender

Maarten De Vries v Neil Napier - Middleweight

Benny Danare v Bud Brockett - Lightweight #1 Contender

Tim Boyer v Jack Cobblepot - Heavyweight

Alex Cole v Thomas Smith - Middleweight

Moss Gilbert v Aaron McBroom - Lightweight

Delroy Rhodes v Dan Halvorsen - Welterweight

Sly Twinge v Rick Stanley - Heavyweight

Prelims

H M Menzel v Nicholas Bretton - Lightweight

Rupert Dreck v Ernie Bruns - Light Heavyweight

 

As for the show, it's certainly better than anything BCF can do

[WCW Mark]

GAMMA 10: Chambers v Stephens

 

Welcome to GAMMA 10, tonight will see two numbers 1 contenders decided tonight, one of them isn't fighting however. Bud Brockett fails to make weight so not only does he forfeit some of his purse but if he wins he’ll forfeit his title shot in favour of Bruce Steven. I’m rooting for Danare and Im sure Steven is rooting for Brockett.

 

Prelims

 

Rupert Dreck (5-0) v Ernie Bruns (17-12) - Light Heavyweight

 

Round 1

 

Bruns throws a leg kick but Dreck grabs it and takes him down, he lands in guard and throws a few punches while he thinks about what to do, he takes to long thinking about it and the ref stands them up. The fighters circle and exchange a few blows but the round ends without much more happening.

 

Round 2

 

Dreck shoots in straight away and gets the takedown, lets hope this time he can do something with it. Dreck passes guard and gains side control, he goes for an armbar and for a second it looks like he might get it but Bruns pulls his arm free. Dreck goes for mount, Bruns tries to stop him and in the struggle ends up giving up his back. Dreck lands some hard shots and the ref steps in.

 

Result: Rupert Dreck beats Ernie Bruns by TKO at 3:00 of round 2 in a decent match.

 

H M Menzel (10-4) v Nicholas Bretton (11-4) - Lightweight

 

Round 1

 

Menzel closes the ditance quickly and grapples with Bretton pushing him up against the cage, Bretton reverses it with ease and goes for the takedown. Menzel blocks it and manages to switch it back around so Bretton has his back to the cage. The next couple of minutes see the fighters switch position a couple of times. Both fighters are trying hard but neither can assert any sort of dominance.

 

Round 2

 

Round 2 follows a similar pattern to Round 1. There are maybe a few more punches thrown but no real damage done. Both fighters are looking tired by the time the round ends.

 

Round 3

 

Round 3 is more of the same, both fighters look exhausted and it is impossible to say who has won this one.

 

Result: Nicholas Bretton beats H M Menzel by split decision in an awful match

 

Main Card

 

Sly Twinge (4-0) v Rick Stanley (28-16) - Heavyweight

 

Thank god that last match wasn’t on PPV, lets hope this one gets things off with a bang.

 

Round 1

 

Stanley attacks from the off with kicks and punches but Twinge shows good movement to avoid them all. Twinge think he sees an opening and shoots in for the takedown, Stanley sees him coming and lands a big right hand, Twinge backs up and shakes his head clear. Stanley moves in closer and again throws some strikes which Twinge avoids, Twinge goes for the takedown and gets caught again, this time he’s knocked down. Stanley gets the mount and starts swinging, Twinge covers up and not much is getting through. The ref jumps in and stops the match with 1 second left in the round. Twinge looks furious.

 

Result: Rick Stanley beats Sly Twinge by TKO at 4:59 of round 1 in a great match

 

Delroy Rhodes (7-1) v Dan Halverson (36-12-2) - Welterweight

 

Rhodes was saying in an interview earlier this month that Halvorsen was one of his heroes and he would need to put on the best performance of his career so far to beat him. Lets see if he can do it.

 

Round 1

 

Rhodes and Halvorsen excahnge punches as both look for an opening, Halvorsen ducks a punch and steps in and grapples. He uses his dirty boxing well and then pus Rhodes down with a Greco-Roman Slam. He lands in side control and quickly shifts to mount. Rhodes rolls through and ends up with Halvorsen in his guard. Halvorsen easily transitions to side control and then mount but the bell goes before he can take advantage.

 

Round 2

 

Round 2 starts the same way as Round 1, Halvorsen gets him down with the slam, this time he stays in side control and works Rhodes over with some knees and elbows to the ribs. He then switches to mount and again goes for the arm bar. Rhodes rolls through again and this time he manages to end up on top in side control. Rhodes lands a few strikes to the body and the round ends.

 

Round 3

 

Halvorsen is ahead on points but was starting to look tired towards the end of the last round, can he hold out for the win? Rhodes knows he has to stop Halvorsen and attacks from the off, he lands several combinations and puts Halvorsen down. He leaps on him and lands blow after blow until eventually the ref steps in. Good performance by Halvorsen who looked impressive but couldn't quite last the distance.

 

Result: Delroy Rhodes beats Dan Halvorsen by TKO at 2:34 of round 3 in an excellent fight

 

Moss Gilbert (7-0) v Aaron McBroom (9-3) - Lightweight

 

Round 1

 

Gilbert steps in and throws an uppercut which McBroom sidesteps. He throws a left ab but Gilbert swings with a monster right hand which catches him flush. It’s all over.

 

Result: Moss Gilbert beats Aaron McBroom by KO at 0:52 of round 1 in a good fight

 

Alex Cole (9-0) v Thomas Smith (11-2) - Middleweight

 

Round 1

 

Smith closes the distance quickly and grapples with Cole, he goes for the takedown but Cole not only blocks it but trips him and lands in Smith’s guard. Smith goes for a choke from his back but Cole blocks it. Cole doesn’t really seem to know what to do against Smith and settles for keeping him pinned down for the rest of the round.

 

Round 2

 

Smith counters a kick and goes for the takedown which he manages to get, however he ends up against the cage and there isn’t much room to work in. He throws some punches but Cole deals with them easily. Smith moves to Side Control and then gets Cole’s back. He gets the hooks in and goes for the rear naked. Cole breaks free, 60 seconds left can he last? Smith starts throwing punches and Cole is in trouble, the ref gives him a couple of seconds to start defending himself but eventually steps in.

 

Result: Thomas Smith beats Alex Cole by TKO at 4:38 of round 2 of a good fight

 

Tim Boyer (24-4-2) v Jack Cobblepot (38-10-3) - Heavyweight

 

Round 1

 

Cobblepot swings and misses and Boyers lands a couple of hard rights rocking him. Cobblepot is tough though and shakes them off, Boyer uses his reach advantage to keep Cobblepit at range with some good leg kicks. Cobblepot steps in and again gets hit with a hard right counter. Cobblepot steps back and spends the rest of the round on the back foot. Boyer keeps the pressure landing several good kicks and punches but he can’t get close enough to go for the finish.

 

Round 2

 

This time Cobblepot manages to clinch early, using his weight advantage to push Boyer up against the cage. He works the body with short punches for several minutes before the ref brings it back to the centre. Cobblepot spends the rest of the round stepping forwards to pressure Boyer, he can’t catch him though and the bell goes.

 

Round 3

 

One round a piece and this is anyone’s fight. Both fighters look short on breath and it shows as they throw some sloppy strikes. Cobblepot goes for the takedown but it is stuffed and he ends up in a front facelock. Boyer lands a few big rights and then rolls Cobblepot into side control. Cobblepot is exhausted and offers no resistance as Boyer takes his back. Boyer goes for an armbar and Cobblepot makes a final effort to not only shake it off but roll Boyer and gain side control. He land some knees and punches to the body but overall seems happy to control it. The bell goes and I’m really not sure who took that round.

 

Result: Tim Boyer beats Jack Cobblepot by unanimous decision in an average fight.

 

Bud Brockett (8-0) v Benny Danare (10-0) - Lightweight #1 contender

 

Brocket came in 2lbs overweight at the weigh in but is up to 175 lbs by fight time. Danare has a struggle on his hands as he is only 159.

 

Round 1

 

Brockett slips a jab and grabs Danare, pushing him up against the cage, he lands a short uppercut rocking Danare but doesn’t follow up settling for using his weight advantage to keep Danare pinned. The ref steps in with a minute to go and moves the fighters back to the middle. Brockett immediately goes for the clinch again but Danare keeps him away with a series of good jabs and the round ends.

 

Round 2

 

Danare throws a flurry of punches but Brockett avoids them and lands a big left knocking him down. Danare stays on his back and tries to use up kicks to keep Brockett away. Brockett sweeps the legs aside and lands a big punch, Danare is out cold.

 

Result: Bud Brockett beats Benny Danare by KO at 0:35 of round 2 in a decent match.

 

Maarten De Vries (15-7) v Neil Napier (15-0) - Middleweight

 

Round 1

 

The fighters close and Napier throws a couple of jabs, De Vries ducks and lands a hard teep (anyone know what that is?) to put Napier down. De Vries dives on him and starts swinging but Napier survives and manages to gain half guard. De Vries knows he is outmatched on the ground and tries to stand but Napier won’t let him and moves to full guard. De Vries pauses to catch his breath and Napier grabs a triangle choke, it's in deep and De Vries has to tap.

 

Result: Neil Napier beats Maarten De Vries by submisson at 3:12 in round 1 of a decent fight

 

Rufus Stevens (17-1) v Nathan Chambers (17-1) - Welterweight #1 Contender

 

Chambers shows Brockett how weight cutting should be done, he weighed in spot on at 170 but is up to 190 by fight time. Could this make the difference in what I think will be a close fight?

 

Round 1

 

Both fighters land several jabs and Chambers then dives in for the takedown, Stephens is happy to go with it and tries to grab a guillotine on the way down. He fails though and Chambers ends up in Stephens guard. You can write the rest of this round off as Chambers settles for smothering Stephens against the ground.

 

Round 2

 

Both fighters exchange jabs before Chambers again goes for the takedown, this time Stephens decides to avoid it and manages to with ease. As Chambers gets back to his feet Stephens shoots in but Chambers stuffs it and they end up clinched. Stephens lifts Chambers up to his shoulder, great strength there, and looks to go for the slam. Chambers slips out the backdoor though and takes Stephens back as they fall to the matt. Chambers starts swinging and the ref calls it.

 

Result: Nathan Chambers beats Rufus Stephens by TKO at 3:20 of round 2 in an average fight

 

PPV Round up

 

Gate: 6,407 for an income of $512,560

PPV: 205,794 buys for an income of $1,234,764

Critical Rating: Great

Commercial Rating: Great

Fight of the Night: Delroy Rhodes v Dan Halvorsen

KO of the Night: Bud Brockett

Submission of the Night: Neil Napier

 

 

Overall I’m pleased with that PPV, the ratings were great and if the co-main event wasn’t as exciting as I had hoped at least the main even wasn’t as dull as I feared. Brockett won’t get his title shot and will find himself moved up to Welterweight, if I was Danare I would be aggrieved at losing my unbeaten streak to someone who outweighed him by so much. In fact it was a bad night for unbeaten streaks with Cole and Twinge also taking their first losses although Twinge will feel that it was undeserved.

 

Aftermath

 

There are lots of contracts up for renewal I don't anticipate problems with most of them but Chambers has me worried as Alpha-1 go in for him as well. Bud Brockett gets moved up to Welterweight and as a result Bruce Steven gets the title shot. Tim Boyer announces that he is taking 11 months off to spend time with his family. That’s frustrating as I’m already struggling in my Heavyweight Division to find decent challengers and Boyer had put himself back in the frame with that win.

 

Congrats to BYU 14 who called 8 out of 10 fights correctly, the two he got wrong were Stanly beating Twinge and Smith beating Cole, both of which were shocks in my opinion. Chris2K improved getting 4 out of 10 and called the Cole v Smith fight correclty which is more than I did.

[WCW Mark]

News Round Up - October 1998

 

The big news of the month is the collapse of KDM FC, whilst it has been rumoured for a while (and I understand from the forums nearly always happens) this is still a shock to the MMA world. There are plenty of fighters on the market, I’m not interested in starting a Featherweight division so I’ll leave those for XCC to pick and choose from (No Li-Kong Ho for me sadly) but I am definitely interested in some of the Lightweights. Sukarno is an obvious one, he will not doubt cost a fortune but I don’t care as I'm amking over a million a month, I just hope Lance Decker will let me pay enough for him. I also put a bid in for Atep of Indonesia who despite being unknown in the US has the skills to make an impact and Yoshiro Makamori who is a featherweight but he can bulk up to Lightweight and at 12-0 is worth a punt.

 

I end up getting Atep of Indonesia and Makamori but Sukarno won't even enter into negotiations with me.

 

I go on a bit of a signing spree this month after reviewing my roster. Remember I said I needed some fighters at Lightweight to debut Dorridge, Salas and Dantas against but didn’t want to job out people who were undefeated and as such couldn’t find anyone at Lightweight. Well I decide to sign Sawyer Hines (4-1), Eli Harris (4-2) and Tyson Rechslatter (4-1) who are all natural welterweights. I move them all down to Lightweight and that sorts out my prelims for the next few months. These guys have all already suffered losses so I don’t feel bad and it’s a big oppurtunity for them as not only have they got a chance of a win at lightweight but even if they lose I’ll probably move them back to Welterweight where they can face off against each other so at least one of them will get a career out of this. I also pick up Bruno Epps (8-3) and Lloyd McAllister (13-3) at Welterweight, both of whom are coming off wins of local shows. All these additions have strengthend my lgightweight and welterweight divisions leaving middleweight as probably my weakest at the moment in terms of depth. I'll look to address that next month.

 

Alpha-1 lead with Carlos De Guia (15-0) v Fukusaburu Hirano (12-0-1) for the Welterweight Title. De Guia retains by 2nd round KO ina good fight. The rest of the PPV is disappointing and it ends up getting an Average rating both critically and commercially. It was a good one from the point of view of building future stars however as Nilton Fantoni (8-0), Kafu Bunya (12-0), Gyukudo Teshigahara (6-0) and Jiroemon Hasegawa (4-0) all extend their unbeaten streaks. This is Alpha-1’s last PPV on their current deal and I haven't seen any rumours that they are looking to sign a new deal yet so it will be interesting to see what they do next, especially they have a show lined up 2nd week of November.

 

Sigma put on Shane Gilchrist (13-4) v Daniil Skala (20-6) for the vacant Light Heavyweight Title following Chekhov’s defection to me. Skala wins on points in an average fight. Overall not a great PPV with 2 poor fights and one very poor. The PPV was probably saved by a Great co-main event that saw Templeton Crumb (19-3) beat Pirmin Zubriggen (11-8) by TKO. Overall is scored an Average critical rating but was still a great commercial success. New champ Skala’s contract is also up but I decide to cut them a break and leave him where he is.

 

WEFF 8 features Samantha Sachs (6-0) challenging Sandy Oliver (6-0) for the Heavyweight Title, Sachs gets the win and the title in a poor match. Thanks to the efforts of the undercard however the show still scores a Decent Critical and Good Commercial rating.

 

BCF’s latest star, Rav Kapur, claims the Heavyweight Title in a 2 round demolition of Carter Potter. Kapur is the sort of fighter you can build promotions around and if they can keep hold of him he could be the difference in their battle for 3rd place with SIGMA.

 

XCC suffer a blow as the most marketable featherweight in America, Philip Ziskie, suffers his first loss to Easton Frye. Even worse the new champion picks up an injury and will be sidelined for several months. Overall the PPV does great business scoring a Good Critical Rating and a Great Commercial Rating.

 

Meanwhile FLB 11: Bad Intentions on the same night sees Helio go 18-1 to win the Lightweight Title from Branco. Helio’s contract is up and FLB are lucky that I’ve just signed a lot of Lightweights as otherwise I would be interested. Again the PPV scores a good critical and great commercial rating. Looks like those economic worries in South America aren’t biting yet.

[WCW Mark]

GAMMA 11 Announced

 

GAMMA are pleased to announce GAMMA 11: Vinkus v Foster, two of the most popular fighters in North America this is a contest designed to pull in the casual fan, as well as rehabilitate Foster (32-5-1) after his recent title loss. I don't expect Foster to struggle to much here as Vinkus (3-0) is massively inexperienced and is really only in this position because of his NFL career but I do expect a good buy rate as everyone tunes in to watch these two clash.

 

Of course it's all very well bringing in the casual fan but I need to persuade them to stick around in the future. The Co-main event sees Ashley Ballard (11-0) clash with Sutton Ripley (14-2) in what I expect to be an all action encounter. Stuart Strange has already secured the first shot at Garner's title but the number 4 & 5 Middleweights can do their claim for the next shot a world of good by getting a win here.

 

Fight 3 sees Gregg Atteveld's (37-16) retirement match as he takes on Mac Fuller (32-10). Both fighters are on a losing streak so this match shouldn't really be this high up the card. However seeing as it is a legends last ever match I've bumped it up a place or two. Fuller is the perfect opponent, he is already on a losing streak so he won't be hurt too much if he gets beaten by someone who is on their way out and if he wins it could rejuvinate his career.

 

Fight 4 sees Bobby Brubaker (11-3) take on Jim Carpenter (50-9-2) at Welterweight, with both fighters on winning streaks this should really be fight 3 but both fighters had dull fights last time out and I don't feel they deserve it. Carpenter obviously has the experience edge and is only 34 despite his record and as such is still young enough to make his mark on the division. Brubaker is 25 and a win against a name veteran like Carpenter could be ust what he needs to move his game up to the next level.

 

Next is John Rivero (13-2) v Gary Sampson (18-5), Rivero is making his Heavyweight debut and will likely find himself outweighed by a fighter who is near the top end of of the weight scale in the Heavyweight Division. Rivero needs a win here if he is to stake any sort of claim to success in the Heavyweight Division. Sampson is tough and on a good run but he is limited and Rivero should win this.

 

Darin Blood (13-6) takes on Jack Humphreys (22-8) at welterweight, both fighters are on losing streaks and desperately need a win to stop their slide in the rankings. Both are still popular but popularity will start to wane if you can't pick up the wins, even if you have a mouth like Humphreys.

 

Two more fighters who need a win are Linfield Ballard (20-9) v Derek South (14-4), Linfield will want to impress on a card his younger brother is co-main eventing while South will want to get back on track after his loss to Mike Watson.

 

Opening the PPV is Chuck Dooley (5-0) v Duke Aiona (14-4) at Heavyweight. Dooley is a star for the future and will gain good exposure by being on, what I hope will be a widely purchased PPV. Of course it needs to be exposure of the right sort, a loss here will do him no good at all, and whilst Aiona will offer him his toughest match to date if Dooley has any pretentions at reaching the top he needs to be beating opponents like this.

 

The prelims see Beau Gorshin (36-9) take on Ian Linderman (8-2). Gorshin lost in his last outing to Bud Brockett but but on a good show and has the extenuating circumstances of Brockett coming in over weight. He should win this comfortably and I hope this will set him up for a match against Danare, another of Brockett's victims.

 

The other prelims sees Randall Donnelly (12-7) face off against Wilson Franklyn (6-2). Franklyn suffered a disapointing loss on his PPV debut and this match will hopefully give him a win before he has a second go at it. Donnelly is on a losing streak and a loss may well see him gone.

 

PPV Summary

 

James Foster v Norbert Vinkus - Heavyweight

Ashley Ballard v Sutton Ripley - Middleweight

Mac Fuller v Greg Atteveld - Middleweight

Bobby Brubaker v Jim Carpenter - Welterweight

John Rivero v Gary Sampson - Heavyweight

Darin Blood v Jack Humphreys - Welterweight

Linfield Ballard v Derek South - Light Heavyweight

Chuck Dooley v Duke Aiona - Heavyweight

Prelims

Beau Gorshin v Ian Linderman - Lightweight

Randall Donnelly v Wilson Franklyn - Heavyweight

 

So no title matches and no #1 contender fights and essentially a gimic match for a main event. Will this fulfill my ambitions of being my most purchased PPV so far? And if so will it create new fans or turn them off to MMA altogether? As per usual your comments and predictions welcome.

 

Oh and just for the record my predicitions are:

 

James Foster v Norbert Vinkus - Heavyweight

Ashley Ballard v Sutton Ripley - Middleweight

Mac Fuller v Greg Atteveld - Middleweight

Bobby Brubaker v Jim Carpenter - Welterweight

John Rivero v Gary Sampson - Heavyweight

Darin Blood v Jack Humphreys - Welterweight

Linfield Ballard v Derek South - Light Heavyweight

Chuck Dooley v Duke Aiona - Heavyweight

Prelims

Beau Gorshin v Ian Linderman - Lightweight

Randall Donnelly v Wilson Franklyn - Heavyweight

[BYU 14]

James Foster v Norbert Vinkus - Heavyweight

Ashley Ballard v Sutton Ripley - Middleweight

Mac Fuller v Greg Atteveld - Middleweight

Bobby Brubakerv Jim Carpenter - Welterweight

John Rivero v Gary Sampson - Heavyweight

Darin Blood v Jack Humphreys - Welterweight

Linfield Ballard v Derek South - Light Heavyweight

Chuck Dooley v Duke Aiona - Heavyweight

Prelims

Beau Gorshin v Ian Linderman - Lightweight

Randall Donnelly v Wilson Franklyn - Heavyweight

[batsnumbereleven]

James Foster v Norbert Vinkus - Heavyweight

 

Dangerous fight for Foster this, as Vinkus can be a complete beast in the right circumstances. This early on might just be a touch too early for Vinkus though.

 

Ashley Ballard v Sutton Ripley - Middleweight

 

"Tiger" is vastly over-rated and I see Ripley picking up the W here with relative ease. Co-main or not, Ashley's one of those I expect to hit the skids sooner or later.

 

Mac Fuller v Greg Atteveld - Middleweight

 

Atteveld will go out on his shield, but unfortunately for him that might well be a literal ending to his career, as I see Fuller pulling this one out by stoppage.

 

Bobby Brubaker v Jim Carpenter - Welterweight

 

Carpenter's a real stalwart in this division. Probably the best gatekeeper there is at this stage of the game. Therefore Brubaker needs a win here to propel himself into the upper echelon of the division. I think it's just a touch too early though, and Bobby could have done with another couple of fights before taking this one on.

 

John Rivero v Gary Sampson - Heavyweight

 

Although Sampson can pull off a shock now and again, I don't see him having the skills to beat Rivero, who despite being disadvantaged in size should be able to carve a niche in the Heavyweight division. Rivero's not quite good enough too take the title in this division unless it thins out, but he should have more than enough for this fight.

 

Darin Blood v Jack Humphreys - Welterweight

 

Blood could well develop into one of the top few fighters at Welterweight, but is another that needs more time before taking on an opponent of this calibre. Humphreys has just too much for now to be beaten here.

 

Linfield Ballard v Derek South - Light Heavyweight

 

The "Big Cat" faces a tough opponent in South, but he's a better all-round fighter and has a shot at being a title contender for several years to come. He'll have to disppose of South fairly handily here to show that he can make that level, but I don't see that being a problem.

 

Chuck Dooley v Duke Aiona - Heavyweight

 

Dooley is a complete monster and has the potential to shoot right to the topof the Heavyweight ranks in short time. Aiona is a solid opponent and will provide a proper test for the "Laughing Man", but if Dooley is to reach his potential, he can't afford matches like this to become roadblacks to his success.

 

Prelims

Beau Gorshin v Ian Linderman - Lightweight

 

Linderman is probably one of the worst fighters in the Division. Gorshin should be able to challenge the title holder, but is probably two or three notches short of that level in the long run.

 

Randall Donnelly v Wilson Franklyn - Heavyweight

 

The long-term prospects for the loser of this one are pretty bleak, and although Donnelly is a low-level testing point for the up and comers, he just might have too much nous for Franklyn.

[joehelmer]

James Foster v Norbert Vinkus - Heavyweight

Ashley Ballard v Sutton Ripley - Middleweight

Mac Fuller v Greg Atteveld - Middleweight

Bobby Brubaker v Jim Carpenter - Welterweight

John Rivero v Gary Sampson - Heavyweight

Darin Blood v Jack Humphreys - Welterweight

Linfield Ballard v Derek South - Light Heavyweight

Chuck Dooley v Duke Aiona - Heavyweight

Prelims

Beau Gorshin v Ian Linderman - Lightweight

Randall Donnelly v Wilson Franklyn - Heavyweight

[WCW Mark]

GAMMA 11: Vinkus v Foster

 

Welcome to GAMMA 11, this event has generated interest like no other in GAMMA history and it is expected that new records will be set for PPV buys. Whilst the hardcore fans are complaining about the fact that Vinkus has been given this chance against MMA legend James Foster, the casual fan is hooked. But will they like what they see or will they turn off for good after this show.

 

Prelims

 

Randall Donnelly (12-7) v Wilson Franklyn (6-2) - Heavyweight

 

Round 1

 

First round sees the fighters staying on their feet and exchanging shots. They both seem pretty even with their fists but Franklyn lands a few good kicks to the body which probably gives him the round. Overall though neither fighter ever looked in danger.

 

Round 2

 

The fighters jab and move for the first minute or so until Franklyn gets bored and steps in, he unleashes a powerful uppercut knocking Donnelly down, Franklyn stands over a stunned Donnelly and unleashes enough punches for the ref to step in.

 

Result: Wilson Franklyn beats Randall Donnelly by TKO at 2:31 of round 2 in a good match.

 

Beau Gorshin (36-9) v Ian Linderman (8-2) - Lightweight

 

Round 1

 

Gorshin throws several quick punches and when Linderman lifts his guard he dives in and takes him down. Gorshin moves to side control and softens Linderman up with some knees to the body. He goes for the armbar and Linderman taps. Easy win for the veteran

 

Result: Beau Gorshin beats Ian Linderman by submission at 3:22 of round 1 in a decent match

 

Main Card

 

Chuck Dooley (5-0) v Duke Aiona (14-4) - Heavyweight

 

Chuck Dooley is a future star and exposure on an event like this can only be a good thing, well povided he wins. Duke Aiona should provide a credible challenge and allow me to see what he is made of.

 

Round 1

 

The fighters exchange a few light jabs before Dooley goes for and secures a takedown. Dooley gets side control and then tries to mount Aiona. In trying to fight him off Aiona ends up giving up his back. Dooley lands several big punches before going for the choke as the clock ticks away, Aiona manges to keep his head down and the round ends.

 

Round 2

 

No respite for Aniona, he tries to keep Dooley away from him with kicks but Dooley scores an early takedown. This time he manages to move to the mount and starts throwing punches. Aiona can’t do anything about it and the ref steps in. Dominant win for Dooley against a respected competitor.

 

Result: Chuck Dooley beats Duke Aiona by TKO at 3:44 of round 2 in a great match

 

Linfield Ballard (20-9) v Derek South (14-4) - Light Heavyweight

 

Round 1

 

Both fighters try to strike from a distance and when neither can get the upper hand they try closing and using their dirty boxing. Again they appear to be evenly matched and move back to striking at range. The round ends again with them clinching. The commentators give the round to Ballard but it could have gone either way.

 

Round 2

 

A repeat of round 1, this time South manages to keep Ballard against the cage for a short while but again neither fighter able to put their stamp on the fight. Lets hope someone can strike a decisive blow in round 3.

 

Round 3

 

With the third round coming to a close it looks like neither fighter is going to be able to land that decisive blow, they’ve both had decent spells this round but again nothing decisive. Then with 23 seconds to go they both step in and start swinging wildly. 2 seconds left and South lands the big punch and Ballard is down and out. The finish made up for the rest of the fight.

 

Result: Derek South beats Linfield Ballard by KO at 4:58 of round 3 in a decent match

 

Darin Blood (13-6) v Jack Humphreys (22-8) - Welterweight

 

Round 1

 

Humphreys is desperate to get hold of Blood but Blood proves elusive, he jabs and move and lands a couple of decent shots, one of which visibly staggers Humphreys. Smart fighting by Blood but Humphreys only needs to catch him once.

 

Round 2

 

Blood is sticking to his game plan and manages to frustrate Humphreys for most of the round although the shots appear to lack the same level of impact as the ones he landed in the first round. He gets caught against the cage late in the round and is made to pay as Humphreys roughs him up with some excellent dirty boxing to the body and head. Blood looks tired by the time the round ends.

 

Round 3

 

Humphreys obviously feels Blood is slowing as he goes for his first takedown of the fight, he lands it as well. He gets side control and then immediately passes to mount. He goes for the armbar but Bllod manages to fight him off. Still half the round to go though. Humphreys decides to throw punches instead and although Blood initially defends well some get through, one stuns him allowing Humphreys to really start landing. The ref has to call it.

 

Result: Jack Humphreys beats Darin Blood by TKO at 3:37 of round 3 in a decent fight

 

John Rivero (13-2) v Gary Sampson (18-5) - Heavyweight

 

Rivero’s first fight in the land of the giants and at 215 lbs he is giving up 36 lbs to Sampson, will his technique be enough to beat the rugged Gary Sampson.

 

Round 1

 

After a few strikes are thrown Sampson surprises Rivero with a takedown attempt, Rivero tries to grab a guillotine on the way down but is unsuccessful. Sampson keeps Rivero pressed against the ground using his massive weight advantage. He opens up to try and throw some elbows but Rivero uses it as an opportunity to try and grab another guillotine. Sampson fights him off and goes back to smothering him. When he senses the time is right he moves to side control and start pounding away with elbows, Rivero can’t muster a decent defence and the ref stops it.

 

Result: Gary Sampson beats John Rivero by TKO at 4:44 of round 1 in an average match

 

Bobby Brubaker (11-3) v Jim Carpenter (50-9-2) - Welterweight

 

Round 1

 

Brubaker comes out all guns blazing, he lands a few good punches before unleashing a superb back roundhouse kick. Carpenter goes down hard. Brubaker starts unloading punch after punch but Carpenter shows his resilience by weather it and then manages to grab Brubaker and pull him in. Brubaker struggles back to his feet and waves Carpenter up. The fighters circle and Carpenter dives in for a takedown, he avoids the counter punch and wrestles Brubaker to the mat. Brubaker tries to scramble away but just leaves himself open and Carpenter takes his back. Brubaker tucks his chin in and despite two attempts Carpenter can’t get the choke.

 

Round 2

 

Brubaker throws some good leg kicks to keep Carpenter at a distance, he can’t maintain it though and as soon as he sees an opening Carpenter dives in taking him down. He starts throwing punches and despite Brubaker covering up some start to land. For a second it looks like Brubaker might struggle free but Carpenter controls him and then passes to side control. He land several hard knees and then transitions to mount, he’s goes for the arm bar but over extends and gives Brubaker the chance to sweep him. Brubaker jumps to his feet, it’s clear he was no piece of Carpenter on the mat. Carpenter knows he has the round won and just keeps away from Brubaker’s attempt to strike until the clock expires.

 

Round 3

 

Carpenter throws a feint looking to draw the strike, Brubaker obliges and throws one so good that it connects hard knocking Carpenter down. Brubaker resists the urge to follow up and waves Carpenter back to his feet. It’s a mistake as Carpenter gets up and immediately takes Brubaker down. Brubaker pushes him off but with Carpenter standing over him can’t get back to his feet. Carpenter lands a couple of kicks to the legs and then jumps in, he goes for the arm triangle and for a second it looks like he has it until Brubaker wriggles free. Carpenter moves to mount and again grabs the arm. Brubaker is too tired to fend him off again and Carpenter sinks in the armbar.

 

Result: Jim Carpenter beats Bobby Brubkaer at 4:04 of round 3 in a great match

 

Mac Fuller (32-10) v Gregg Atteveld (37-16) - Middleweight

 

Two veterans face each other in legend Greg Atteveld’s final match. Will he go out a winner.

 

Round 1

 

Fuller is throwing a lot of punches but Atteveld is dodging most of them, however Fuller is wise to Atteveld’s takedown attempts stuffing them each time. The only real action worth reporting is a good right hook that staggers Atteveld in the closing seconds of the round.

 

Round 2

 

Fuller keeps the tempo high but again Atteveld is able to dodge most of his strikes, most is the operative word and with Atteveld again unable to land any takedowns this is another round for Fuller.

 

Round 3

 

Again Atteveld goes for several takedown attempts to no avail. Fuller’s sprawl is too good and he takes an easy points victory. Although he didn’t win at lease Atteveld went the distance and is able to thank the fans at the end of the fight. And the judges even have him winning one of the rounds.

 

Result: Mac Fuller beats Greg Atteveld by unanimous decision in an average match

 

Ashley Ballard (11-0) v Sutton Ripley (14-2) - Middleweight

 

Round 1

 

Ballard throws several kicks from a distance, keeping well away from Ripley’s devastating right hand. Ripley steps in and is immediately the recipient of a low blow. Nasty! The ref stops the clock and Ripley takes a breather. Ripley spends the rest of the fight chasing the elusive Ballard who is happy to pick his shots and try to break Ripley down with leg kicks. Good round for Ballard.

 

Round 2

 

This time they end up clinched and take it in turns to exchange short punches in the middle of the ring, eventually Ripley gets the upper hand and forces Ballard against the cage. Ripley gets to work and lands several good punches, including one which cuts Ballard above the eye. At the end of the round the ref asks the Dr to check the cut but he says it is fine.

 

Round 3

 

If Ripley can repeat the last round he will have this fight, he gets off to a good start when he lands to big rights after a sloppy left by Ballard. Ballard looks groggy and backs away quickly. Ripley rushes forwards and snares Ballard against the cage. Ripley punishes Ballard with blow after blow, none of them hard enough to finish it but cumulatively they are hurting and Ballard looks a beaten man. He briefly musters the energy to push Ripley away but Ripley is relentless absorbing Ballard’s blows and getting straight back on him.

 

A bad night for the Ballard brothers.

 

Result: Sutton Ripley beats Ashley Ballard by unanimous decision in a good match.

 

Main Event

 

James Foster (32-5-1) v Norbert Vinkus (3-0)

 

And finally the event everyone bought the PPV for (even those fans who say it’s a joke). The King of Ground and Pound and most recognisable face in American MMA takes the ex NFL player Norman Vinkus. This is Vinkus’ big chance to stick it to all the people who say he is only getting this bout because of his previous career and not because of his MMA ability.

 

Round 1

 

Foster goes for the early takedown, obviously determined to finish this quickly and prove that Vinkus doesn’t belong in the ring with him. Vinkus however has been studying tapes and grabs a front facelock dragging Foster to the mat. This is exactly how Jeff Carlton beat him. Vinkus is no Carlton though and despite landing several big punches can’t finish Foster who eventually wriggles free. Early scare for Foster though. Foster backs away giving himself a chance to recover before shooting in again. Again Vinkus defends with the front facelock. Foster is wise to it though and scrambles backwards and gets free. Is Foster going to have to change his game plan? Foster sticks with what he knows and goes for another takedown, this time though it’s successful. He lands a couple of big punches but the bell goes before he can do any serious damage. Looks like we have a fight on our hands.

 

Round 2

 

Foster again goes for the early takedown and again eats mat, Foster needs to at least vary his attack to try and catch Vinkus out. Vinkus land shot after shot but Foster finally struggles free and regains his feet. Foster spends the rest of the round on his feet but is out struck by Vinkus.

 

Round 3

 

Foster has 5 minutes to avoid the biggest upset in GAMMA history. Vinkus is tiring but still has enough in the tank to stuff 3 more takedown attempts. Foster is out of ideas and the round comes to an end.

 

Result: Norbert Vinkus beats James Foster by unanimous decision in a good match.

 

PPV Summary

 

Prelims

Wilson Franklyn beats Randall Donnelly by TKO at 2:31 of round 2 (Good)

Beau Gorshin beats Ian Linderman by submission at 3:22 of round 1 (Decent)

Main Card

Chuck Dooley beats Duke Aiona by TKO at 3:44 of round 2 (Great)

Derek South beats Linfield Ballard by KO at 4:58 of round 3 (Decent)

Jack Humphreys beat Darin Blood by TKO at 3:37 of round 3 (Decent)

Gary Sampson beat John Rivero by TKO at 4:44 of round 1 (Average)

Jim Carpenter beat Bobby Brubaker by submission in 4:04 of round 3 (Great)

Mac Fuller beat Greg Atteveld by unanimous decision (Average)

Sutton Ripley beat Ashley Ballard by unanimous decision (Good)

Norbert Vinkus beat James Foster by unanimous decision (Good)

 

Attendance: 12,287 for a gate of $1,228,700

PPV: 346,403 buys for a revenue of $2,078,418

Fight of the night: Chuck Dooey v Duke Aiona

KO of the night: Derek South

Submission of the night: Jim Carpenter

Criticial Success: Great

Commercial Success: Great

 

Aftermath

 

Well there is really only one talking point after that PPV and it is Vinkus' win against Foster. Does this show that Vinkus is the real deal or is Foster just washed up? I'm tempted to give Vinkus a title shot for his next fight as I know it would do massive numbers but after some thought I decide to leave it with McCall and use Vinkus to headline another PPV. Meanwhile Foster will need to do some serious soul searching, is his game too one dimensional? It's looking that way and his time could be drawing to a close. His next fight may be the most important of his career.

 

Overall I'm delighted with the PPV. 346,403 buys is massive and smashes the previous record (205,794 at Gamma 10). Not only that but the event turned out to be a great one as well and as a result I've moved up to Mid National Popularity in the States and Mid Regional popularity in Canada.

 

As far as the rest of the results go I'm pretty pleased. Dooley continued his rapid rise in the Heavyweight division. Jim Carpenter proved their is life in the old dog and Mac Fuller got a win against the departing Greg Atteveld. Ashley Ballard lost his unbeaten streak but I like Ripley so I'm happy to see him doing well.

 

As far as predictions go,well no one predicted the winner of the main event. I proved that I don't know my roster as well as I tihnk getting 5 out of 10, an effort matched by BYU14 while new comers to the diary Batsnumbereleven and Joe Helmer both got 6 out of 10. Welcome on board guys, hope you stick around and well done.

[WCW Mark]

News Round up - November 1998

 

The big talking point this month, apart from the Vinkus v Foster bout is the surprise defection of Nathan Chambers to Alpha-1. Chambers was my number 1 contender at Welterweight and is ranked as the number 1 Welterweight in the world. We both offered $80k per fight but I guess he decided to go with the more prestigious company (this happened before my rise to Mid National). I'm gutted but looking at my Welterweight roster I have a few options and it's not the end of the world. As far as Alpha-1 goes however, this means war.

 

Alpha-1 re-sign with Jade 237 so there PPV future is secure and they alsso strengthen their middleweight division with the addition of Tetsuji Myosin (5-0) and their welterweight division with Diego Arteta (4-0).

 

Their PPV this month is Heji Endo (15-1) v Kojuro Kudo (11-2-1) for the Middleweight Title. Endo retains by unanimous decision but it is a poor fight. That sets the tone for the PPV as a whole with all 4 televised bouts being average or worse. The event overall is rated as poor by the critics and is only a decent commercial success.

 

I re-sign with Public Access Select but manage to negotiate 30% of the revenue instead of 20%.

 

In economic news the turmoil continues as it is predicted that Europe is due to enter a terrible slump while the Australian boom period is drawing to a close and Central America is predicted to be in for a 2nd wave of economic misery. It's pretty grim out there.

[WCW Mark]

GAMMA 12 Announced

 

GAMMA 11 is always going to be a tough act to follow and the increase in my popularity means that matches the fans would have previously been raving over just aren't quite good enough any more. For my final show of the year I've put together a card that whilst it can't match GAMMA 11 in terms of drawing power should hopefully prove an exciting one as well as setting things up for the new year.

 

The main event sees Spencer Rubenstein (14-4) v Anthony LeToussier (13-0) clash at Light Heavyweight in a streak vs Title match. Both fighters are strikers and I'm hoping this one will be an exciting contest.

 

The Co-main event sees Alan Kendall (13-3) v Callum Henson (19-7) to determine the new number 1 contender for Josh Aldarisio's Welterweight Title. I already had this match booked before Chambers defection but it now takes on new significance.

 

Dexter Darling (17-4-1) v Petey Mack (10-3) sees two fighters in need of a win. Darling has lost his last two and at 31 needs to stop the slide soon. Petey Mack has only lost 1 fight for me but as he is less popular than Darling his position will be under threat as well if he loses this.

 

David Allen (15-3) v Simon Vine (20-7) sees to fighters coming off a win clash at Welterweight. With the removal of Chambers this division is wide open and all it takes is 2 or 3 wins to put a fighter in contention. Both fighters have the chance to get on a streak here and start to impress.

 

Christopher Sharp (35-13) v Russel McPhee (17-7) is a classic wrestler vs striker. Sharp is coming off a loss to Raul Hughes which is no disgrace while McPhee is coming off a win against Stan Blackheath. Whilst neither fighter is ever likely to be chalenging for the title a win here would cement them in the GAMMA midcard and secure their futures with the company for a while longer.

 

Ricky Heath (13-6) and Marlon John (11-1) are ina similar position to Darling and Mack and again both need a win to turn it around. As their popularity is lower they are more vulnerable in terms of their careers and the loser here will certainly be banished to prelims at best.

 

Barry Strachan (24-16) v Norman Pike (17-5) will hopefully end in a victory for Pike. Strachan still has name value and I'm hoping to get every last bit of use out of him as a can before letting him go. That said if he can beat Pike it will be Pike looking at a career of getting fed to the bigger dogs so all to play for.

 

The opening match will hopefully get the event started in the right way. The hardest hands in MMA meet the hardest chin as Raul Hughes (15-3) takes on Khru Duangjan (13-1). This should be a great fight and the winner will find themselves pushing for a title shot.

 

The prelims see Jay Dorridge (5-0) v Eli Harris (4-2) and Solomon Salas (5-0) v Sawyer Hines (4-1), both at Lightweight. I need new blood in the rankings and with 4 debuts these prelims are the first step to getting it.

 

Overall then not the greatest PPV I've ever put on. The rise in popularity means most fights are only considered as decent undercar bouts. Come the new year I may revamp my programming a little to try and get some more new blood out there.

 

Prediction Card

 

Spencer Rubenstein v Anthony LeToussier - Light Heavyweight Title

Alan Kendall v Callum Henson - Welterweight #1 contender

Dexter Darling v Petey Mack - Middleweight

David Allen v Simon Vine - Welterweight

Christopher Sharp v Russel McPhee - Heavyweight

Ricky Heath v Marlon John - Light Heavyweight

Barry Strachan v Norman Pike - Heavyweight

Khru Duangjan v Raul Hughes - Heavyweight

Prelims

Jay Dorridge v Eli Harris - Lightweight

Solomon Salas v Sawyer Hines - Lightweight

 

My predictions are:

 

Spencer Rubenstein v Anthony LeToussier - Light Heavyweight Title

Alan Kendall v Callum Henson - Welterweight #1 contender

Dexter Darling v Petey Mack - Middleweight

David Allen v Simon Vine - Welterweight

Christopher Sharp v Russel McPhee - Heavyweight

Ricky Heath v Marlon John - Light Heavyweight

Barry Strachan v Norman Pike - Heavyweight

Khru Duangjan v Raul Hughes - Heavyweight

Prelims

Jay Dorridge v Eli Harris - Lightweight

Solomon Salas v Sawyer Hines - Lightweight

[batsnumbereleven]

Spencer Rubenstein v Anthony LeToussier - Light Heavyweight Title

 

Rubenstein's done well so far, but on his day LeToussier can beat just about anyone, especially before ALPHA-1 get their claws into him. I se the challenger taking this one.

 

Alan Kendall v Callum Henson - Welterweight #1 contender

 

Henson's a bit of an unknown heading into this, while Kendall is fairly solid. I don't think either would trouble Aldarisio, though, and you may have to wait for a new infusion of talent for that. Kendall to win.

 

Dexter Darling v Petey Mack - Middleweight

 

This is a pick 'em. Both are great on their day, and Darling always looks like a challenger, but neither man has had success so far. Mack needs the win more here, as he can't rely on his reputation to keep him in a job at the moment, and that might be enough for him to take it.

 

David Allen v Simon Vine - Welterweight

 

Vine's had his chances at lower levels and done okay, but this may be a step up too far for him, with 7 losses already. Allen's under-rated and should move up the Welterweight rankings with a win here.

 

Christopher Sharp v Russel McPhee - Heavyweight

 

Neither of these guys has a long future in the business. Both are as high as they are likely to go, but I think Sharp will have enough nous to pull something out when he really needs it.

 

Ricky Heath v Marlon John - Light Heavyweight

 

This seems like something of a mis-match to me. John is by far the better fighter and should win this handily.

 

 

Barry Strachan v Norman Pike - Heavyweight

 

You nail this one in your preview: Strachan's nothin gmore than a can at this stage and if Pike can't win here it'll be a huge shock. Pike's still got a few good victories in him before he goes into decline, even if he'll never smell the belt, so no shocks here.

 

Khru Duangjan v Raul Hughes - Heavyweight

 

Another mis-match, despite Duangjan's record, as he's not come up against anyone of Hughes's quality before.

 

Prelims

Jay Dorridge v Eli Harris - Lightweight

 

These two prelims could go either way, but I'm going with the Ju-Jitsu expert Dorridge here, as I see him having the better chance of taking Harris down than vice-versa.

 

Solomon Salas v Sawyer Hines - Lightweight

 

Two kick boxers here, but Salas is unbeaten, so I'll take him to remain that way.

 

 

 

 

 

I see that my predictions for GAMMA 10 finally got posted, too. Sucks to be a newbie, eh?

[WCW Mark]

Hey Batsnumbereleven - yeah just seen your predictions for 10, 6 out of 10 ain't bad. Just thought I would say, hope you're enjoying the diary and I love the fact you take the time to give reasons for your predictions. This is my first and currently my only game of WMMA 3 so I don't always have an idea of whose good and who isn't, should hopefully keep me on my toes when I'm trying to predict the winners. I'll hopefully be running and posting the results for GAMMA 12 this evening.

[BYU 14]

Very good card with some solid matchmaking!

 

Spencer Rubenstein v Anthony LeToussier - Light Heavyweight Title

It would be surprising if Rubenstein keeps the belt as LeToussier is one of the fastest rising stars in the LHW division.

 

Alan Kendall v Callum Henson - Welterweight #1 contender

I think Henson is in over his head

 

Dexter Darling v Petey Mack - Middleweight

Good fight, but I think Mack's strength is the diference maker

 

David Allen v Simon Vine - Welterweight

Don't know much about these too, but I think Vine can step up

 

Christopher Sharp v Russel McPhee - Heavyweight

2nd round TKO on strikes

 

Ricky Heath v Marlon John - Light Heavyweight

Love the punisher, he tends to lose a fight that surprises you, but I don't think this will be it.

 

Barry Strachan v Norman Pike - Heavyweight

Norman is a good striker, who tries to wrestle too much. It won't hurt here though as he rolls over Barry

 

Khru Duangjan v Raul Hughes - Heavyweight

I expect Hughes will stop him fairly early just based on quality of opposition

 

Prelims

Jay Dorridge v Eli Harris - Lightweight

Solomon Salas v Sawyer Hines - Lightweight

[WCW Mark]

GAMMA 12: Rubenstein v LeToussier

 

Prelims

 

Sawyer Hines (4-1) v Solomon Salas (5-0) - Lightweight

 

Round 1

 

Both fighters are looking to keep this one standing and it’s an exciting first couple of minutes, Salas is trying to get close and trade shots from up close whereas Hines is looking to jab and move. Hines is landing some good counters and Salas can’t really close him down. Frustrating round for Salas.

 

Round 2

 

Both fighters close the distance and start trading, Salas gets caught with a hard right hand and he’s down and out. Great victory for Hines

 

Result: Sawyer Hines beats Solomon Salas by KO at 1:04 of round 2 in a good fight

 

Jay Dorridge (5-0) v Eli Harris (4-2) - Lightweight

 

Dorridge is undoubtedly more skilled than his opponent but is a natural featherweight while Harris is a natural welterweight and outweighs him by 17lbs. Could this be the difference maker?

 

Round 1

 

Harris is jabbing and moving trying to make sure Dorridge doesn’t grab hold of him, Dorridge seems his equal when it comes to striking though and lands several stiff shots. Dorridge shoots in for the takedown but ends up in a front facelock and has to eat several shots regaining his feet. Good round for Harris.

 

Round 2

 

Harris changes tactics and decides to grapple with Dorridge, this could be a big mistake against the judo black belt. Harris however manages to use his size advantage to trap Dorridge against the cage limiting his chances to do anything. Dorridge controls him for a solid two minutes before the ref brings them back to the middle. Dull but effective.

 

Round 3

 

Harris is looking tired and Dorridge comes out throwing a lot of punches in an effort to unsettle him. Harris grabs him and forces him up against the cage but Dorridge is too quick and slips behind him. Dorridge jumps up his back and grabs the choke pulling Harris to the mat. Dorridge is cranking up the pressure and has the choke fully applied, Harris holds on though and the round ends.

 

Result: Eli Harris beats Jay Dorridge by unanimous decision in an average match.

 

Main Card

 

Khru Duangjan (13-1) v Raul Hughes (15-3) - Heavyweight

 

Round 1

 

The fighters close the distance quickly and exchange strikes, they both have good movement though and as a result not much is landing. About a minute to go and Hughes fires off a blistering combination which puts Duangjan down for the first time in his career. Hughes looks to try and get on top but Duangjan’s head has cleared and he scrambles away.

 

Round 2

 

Hughes is definitely getting the upper hand this round, he is two quick for Duangjan and is landing more often than not while Duangjan is struggling to connect with anything. A minute to go and Hughes steps up the pace moving inside and throwing a barrage of punches. He knocks Duangjan down again and this time has time to follow up and start unloading. He lands blow after blow and the ref is forced to call it with 1 second left in the round.

 

Result: Raul Hughes beats Khru Duanhjan by TKO at 4:59 of round 2 in a good match.

 

Barry Strachan (24-16) v Norman Pike (17-5) - Heavyweight

 

Round 1

 

The fighters both throw a series of strikes and the both miss, Pike decides to try and grapple with Strachan, not sure this is a good move against someone 30lbs heavier than you. Sure enough Strachan gets the upper hand and Pike is forced to break away before he finds himself against the cage. Pike keeps the pace high for the rest of the round, constantly on the move and keeping Strachan on the back foot with a combination of feints and strikes. He doesn’t do any real damage but by the end of the round Strachan’s lack of cardio is showing.

 

Round 2

 

Pike goes for an early takedown but Strachan stuffs it and takes a breather while he rests on Pike who is turtled up. Pike gets free and goes for another takedown, this time he’s successful. Strachan looks exhausted and Pike moves to side control without difficulty before grabbing an arm. Strachan has no choice but to tap to a painful looking Kimura.

 

Result: Norman Pike beats Barry Strachan by submission at 3:42 of round 2 in an average match.

 

Marlon John (11-1) v Ricky Heath (13-6) - Light Heavyweight

 

Round 1

 

John rushes Heath from the off and goes for a takedown which he gets. This could be a quick one. He moves to side control and then to mount and starts throwing some strikes. Heath initially covers up well but more and more start getting through. Eventually it becomes clear that Heath isn’t defending anymore and the ref stops it.

 

Dominant performance by John who clearly wasn’t getting paid overtime.

 

Result: Marlon John beats Ricky Heath by TKO at 1:34 of round 1 in a good match.

 

Christopher Sharp (35-13) v Russell McGhee (17-7) - Heavyweight

 

Round 1

 

Sharp is looking to close the distance and despite being on the receiving end of a couple of vicious leg kicks he manages to grapple with McPhee and then slams him to the ground. Sharp starts to land some big shots from half guard and McPhee isn’t fighting back at all. The ref is left with no choice but to call it.

 

Result: Christopher Sharp beats Russell McPhee by TKO at 1:42 of round 1 in a good match.

 

David Allen (15-3) v Simon Vine (20-7) - Welterweight

 

Round 1

 

Allen uses a couple of punches to try and set up the takedown, Vine stuffs it however and clinches with him forcing him against the cage. Vine lands some nasty looking elbows and Allen is cut, Vine continues the assault until a mistake allows Allen to switch it around. Allen can’t get the space to strike though and the round draws to a close. The Dr looks at Allen’s cut but says he is ok to continue.

 

Round 2

 

Vine is again trying to turn this into a grappling contest, Allen though keeps him away with some accurate punches. Allen keeps the tempo high and keeps the pressure on Vine until he finally sees an opening. He ducks under a wild right and takes Vine down to the mat. With the round about to end however there is no time for Allen to do any real damage.

 

Round 3

 

Vine rushes Allen at the start of the round and manages to get in close and push him against the cage. He looks tired though and can’t keep him there as Allen flips him round with ease. Allen presses him against the cage wearing him down with some short strikes before going for a trip. Allen lands in Vine’s guard and seems happy to just smother Vine for the points win.

 

Result: David Allen beats Simon Vine by unanimous decision in a poor fight

 

Dexter Darling (17-4-1) v Petey Mack (10-3) - Middleweight

 

Round 1

 

They start slow obviously wary of each others abilities, Darling thinks he sees an opening and shoots in. Mack goes for the guillotine but can’t grab it and has to settle for ending up with Darling in his guard. Darling manages to get to half guard but every time he tries to progress further Mack goes for the guillotine and Darling is forced to back off.

 

Round 2

 

Darling catches a weak kick and gets the takedown straight away. He lands in guard and pauses to think about what to do next, Mack takes advantage and goes for the triangle choke but Darling twists away and manages to gain side control. He lands a few knees but again can’t improve his position and the round comes to a close.

 

Round 3

 

Again Darling grabs a kick and gets the takedown early on, Mack is doing himself no favours with these lazy kicks. Mack again tries the sub from off his back but is unsuccessful. Darling gains side control and lands several big knees. Mack tries a couple more submissions but Darling is too experienced to fall for those and he sees the clock out.

 

Result: Dexter Darling beats Petey Mack by unanimous decision in a poor match.

 

Alan Kendall (13-3) v Callum Henson (19-7) - Welterweight #1 contender

 

Big opportunity for both these fighters, when the match was made no one expected a title shot out of it but the defection of Nathan Chambers has left an opening at the top. Who will capitalise?

 

Round 1

 

Henson is throwing a lot of strikes, whilst most are missing they are at least preventing Kendall from clinching with him. However he makes a mistake when he goes for a leg kick which gets caught leading to a takedown, wasn’t he watching the last match? Kendall slowly starts to work Henson over, landing some good blows and moving to side control and then mount. Too slowly as it turns out as the bell goes just as he mounts him.

 

Round 2

 

Kendall is looking to close the distance again but this time Henson is able to keep him away with some good combinations. Although he isn’t doing much in the way of damage he is scoring points and winning the round. With 17 seconds left he gets sloppy and leaves an opening for Kendall to land a hard right cross which knocks him down. The round expires before Kendall can take advantage but that might have cost Henson the round.

 

Round 3

 

Henson know he is losing and steps up to Kendall looking to try and stop him with strikes. The problem is that this leaves him open to Kendall’s wrestling and sure enough Kendall takes him down. He moves to side control and then tries to go for mount. Henson is forced to give up his back and Kendall goes for the choke. The bell goes just as it looks like Henson might have to tap.

 

Result: Alan Kendall beats Callum Henson by unanimous decision in a decent fight

 

Spencer Rubenstein (14-4) v Anthony Lavoisier (13-0) - Light Heavyweight Champion

 

At 223 Rubenstein weighs more than some Heavyweights, LeToussier will need to keep this one at range to have a chance of extending his unbeaten streak and claiming the title.

 

Round 1

 

LeToussier lands a couple of good leg kick but Rubenstein shakes them off and grabs him. He gets the Muay Thai clinch and lands several a big knee to the body and then one to the cheek. LeToussier manages to free his head and turn it into a regular clinch. Rubenstein jumps up wrapping his legs around LeToussiers waste and tries to drag him to the ground and LeToussier has no choice other than to follow him. Rubenstein goes for the arm triangle and then a triangle choke. Whilst LeToussier defends them both he can’t get free and back to his feet and the round ends.

 

Round 2

 

LeToussier starts the round very aggressively, he throws several big punches and kicks but Rubenstein avoids them all, before stepping in and flattening LeToussier with a series of rights. Rubenstein leaps on him and starts throwing bombs. LeToussier is unable to defend himself and the match is over.

 

Result: Spencer Rubenstein beats Anthony LeToussier at 1:43 of round 2 by TKO to retain the Light Heavyweight Title in a great match.

 

Results Summary

 

Prelims

 

Sawyer Hines beat Solomon Salas by KO at 1:04 of round 2 (Good)

Eli Harris beat Jay Dorridge by unanimous decision (Average)

 

Main Card

 

Raul Hughes beat Khru Duangjan by TKO at 4:59 of round 2 (Good)

Norman Pike beat Barry Strachan by Submission at 3:42 of round 2 (Average)

Marlon John beat Ricky Heath by TKO at 1:34 of round 1 (Good)

Christopher Sharp beat Russell McPhee by TKO at 1:42 of round 1 (Good)

David Allen beat Simon Vine by unanimous decision (Poor)

Dexter Darling beat Petey Mack by unanimous decision (Poor)

Alan Kendall beat Callum Henson by unanimous decision (Decent) #1 contender Welterweight

Spencer Rubenstein beat Anthony LeToussier by TKO at 1:43 of round 2 to retain the Light Heavyweight Title (Great)

 

PPV Round Up

 

Attendance: 11,821 for a gate of $1,182,100

PPV: 276,570 buys for a revenue of $1,659,420

Critical Rating: Decent

Commercial Rating: Decent

 

Fight of the Night: Spencer Rubenstein v Anthony LeToussier

KO of the night: Sawyer Hines

Submission of the night: Norman Pike

 

Overall a solid PPV with a couple of disapointing fights and a few that were a little one sided (but they got good ratings so it's not all bad). Both of my debuting Lightweights lost to the guys they were supposed to beat so it looks like the pushes will be going to Sawyer Hines and Eli Harris, fair play guys you got the wins against the odds.

 

Raul Hughes breezed through Khru Duangjan, this is my fault for believing the hype about Duanjan's chin. Or perhaps Hughes just hits that damn hard.

 

I'm pleased Spencer Rubenstein beat Anthony LeToussier, nothing against LeToussier but I've had a few title changes this year so it's nice to see a champion retain.

 

Predictions wise BYU14 scored 5 and Batsnumber 11 scored 6. I like to think that this means I'm putting on fairly evenly matched cards as they seem to be pretty hard to call. Thanks guys your input is greatly appreciated.

[WCW Mark]

News Round Up - December 1998

 

GAMMA

Stan Blackheath announces his retirement, sadly for him, whilst he may be a respected veteran he isn’t exactly a GAMMA stalwart and as such he won’t get a send off like Atteveld, instead he’ll probably get a winnable match on a prelim.

 

I open negotiations with The Pop! Network for a tv show which I envisage as using to push new stars. Sadly they reject me, despite their small size I’m not big enough for them. I could try to open negotiations with National Pride TV who are tiny but given their anti MMA stance I decide not to bother. I’ll stick to my PPV only format.

 

There are a lot of fighters with contracts due to expire this month, however I’m not interested in many of them as they are mostly either past it or unproven. If I had my tv show it might be different but for now I decide to leave them where they are as it will be beneficial for both them and the smaller companies.

 

One fighter I do decide to try and sign again is Sukarno. Now I'm Mid-level popularity he might be interested and it will help make up for the loss Nathan Chambers (Yes I know they are a different weight class, I just mean in terms of having another headliner). Alpha-1 are also interested and his demands are insane, however I decide to bite the bullet and get him, at a whopping $750,000 per show! No wonder this man sent KDM FC bankrupt. My finances are a lot better than theirs however and with 12 million in the bank I can afford it, I hope.

 

In terms of the other orgs this is a busy month for shows.

 

Sigma kick the month off with Van Der Capellen v Medtner. They put on a great match that sees Noach Van Der Capellen triumph by TKO to win the Welterweight belt in a great match. The event gets a decent critical response and is deemed a great commercial success despite drawing on only 487 people, their lowest since their very first event back in January.

 

WEFF 9 sees Karen Curtis going 7-0 and winning the Lightweight Title from Michelle Addams. The show is rated good all round.

 

FLB’s recent run of great main events ends with Marcelo Boccoli (12-5) beating Elzo Alves (13-0) by unanimous decision to win the Heavyweight belt in a poor bout. Even worse the co-main event, which sees Joaquim Fontes (21-3) beat Vivinho (6-1) by heel hook, is also poor. Luckily the undercard rescues the show and they still score a Decent Critical rating overall. Commercially they continue to defy the economic climate getting a great rating.

 

BCF continue to push Sigma for 3rd place putting on Seth O’Breen (13-0) v Jake Keane (22-4) for the Lightweight Title. O’Breen keeps his unbeaten record and wins the title by KO in the 3rd round. Critics rate the event as decent whilst commercially it’s a great success drawing 863 people, a great success.

 

XCC hold an event the same night as my PPV, I’m not sure that’s the best move but the 251 people who attend see a good show with Layla Homes going 5-0 to win the Women’s title from Hester Maclean in the main event.

 

Alpha-1 hold the last event of the year and put on a Good card. Main event sees Naizen Hamacho extend his unbeaten streak to 10-0 to claim the Lightweight Title in the main event. In the co-main event Fumiaki Hayashi scores the KO of the night beating Go Yamamoto in a good fight.

[WCW Mark]

The next thing I write will be a round up of the year for both GAMMA and the rest of the world, as such this might take a bit longer than the usual updates. Given that Im starting a new year and this thread is now on four pages I'll probably start the new year in a new thread, just to signify the new start.

 

Given that 1999 is likely to be in a new thread I might look to revamp the diary a little. The presentation has already changed significantly from the earlier entries and is, I think, a lot more readable. However I'm keen to get any feedback before I start the new year. What do people like or dislike about the diary (either presentation wise or writing style) and is there anything people would like to see included or excluded.

 

Just to give you an idea of where I'm thinking of going in terms of GAMMA itself. I'm going to be moving to a slightly different PPV format of 6 prelims and 6 main card matches each month. This is for two reasons, the first is that due to my popularity I'm now more popular than a lot of my fighters, especially those with a couple of losses. Secondly I want to start bringing in some new fighters and again these won't be popular enough for the main card.

 

As I'm going up to 12 fights I thought that rather than do a round by round for the prelims I'll just do a summary of the fight. I'll probably keep the same format for the main card matches.

 

Anyway that's just my initial thoughts but any and all feedback welcome.

[batsnumbereleven]

I quite like the format that you have progressed to. I think you should carry on in the same thread though, so that people who pick it up from the start aren't confused by jumping into the game half way through.

 

Write-ups are fine (though I generally only skim-read them, to be fair) and there's enough info without being overwhelming.

 

I think you'll have to have more prelims unless you get a TV show - even to start with GAMMA runs a decent-sized roster. I seem to end up with up to 50 fighters in each division, which involves 7 main card and 7 prelim fights on each PPV and 6 main card and 6 prelim fights on each of 2 TV shows in order to keep everyone fighting around twice a year.

 

Just a note: I haven't had too many problems getting TV deals with companies that are "anti-MMA". You might be able to get a deal with either National Pride or East Coast today!