Great title to attract readers: A new BCF dynasty in 2015!

Paatero · May 20, 2015

Fortnight Review for weeks 3 & 4 of November, 2001:

The scouting report is in for a small British local show in Wales.

Peak District welterweight wrestler Duncan Thistlewood improves to 8-3, dominating local talent Tony Levesque en route to a third round TKO. The 26-year old is someone I might be looking to bring in to my welterweight division, though presently the 170 pound class has plenty of talent. I might wait for one more showcase.

24-year old Yeovil-based lightweight Nigel Collett (7-2) lights up and finishes Gregory Coleman in a second round TKO. Collett has an entertaining style and +2 momentum, and will be joining my lightweight roster after this showing.

Michael Bannon (9-7) also got back in action, finishing Calvin Briscoe in a quick TKO victory. The 32-year old heavyweight was cut by BCF in May, and this was his first fight since.

I sign two European heavyweight prospects in Polish Matas Fialkowski (5-0) (changed his name to be more culturally plausible) and Scotty Arnsson (4-0). Both men got TKO victories on a recent European local show.

Harry Milne has announced his retirement on Saturday of Week 4. This leaves the top of my heavyweight division looking for new names to replace two big losses in the last few months. Milne, 38, was looking at a potential title shot with consecutive victories over Vic Millican and Reynolds Baer, but opts to leave the sport of MMA instead. BCF is of course supportive of fighters making their own decision when to quit and listening to their bodies.

Paatero · May 20, 2015

BCF: O’Breen vs O’Hara announcement

Saturday Week 3 of December, 2001 in Ireland

Broadcast by United Kingdom Choice

Lightweight Championship Bout: Seth O’Breen (17-1) vs Gregory O’Hara (10-0)

It’s Northern Ireland versus the Republic as champ O’Breen looks to defend his strap for the third time against a tough and undefeated challenger in O’Hara. While O’Breen is probably better technically, at least at boxing and jiu-jitsu, O’Hara is a tough wrestler with a lot of heart that also cuts more weight than the champion, who is relatively small for the weight class. This is an intriguing match up to me, and could go the full five rounds as both guys are notoriously tough.

Heavyweight Title Eliminator Bout: Carter Potter (19-5) vs Fritz Phipps (9-1)

With Milne and Alois gone, the heavyweight title picture is quite barren. That is going to change though, as the big boys get their first contender between former champion Potter and 25-year old prospect Phipps. Phipps should have a wrestling and strength advantage, while Potter will have the better hands and conditioning. This one should be interesting.

Welterweight Bout: Martin Cupples (11-0) vs Paul Duffell (24-14)

The Welsh veteran gets a tough one for his BCF debut. I don’t see him having much of a chance against Cupples, who is looking to establish himself as the top contender after being out of action for almost 11 months waiting for the top of the division to sort itself out. This could be similar to Cupples last 17 second knock out.

Heavyweight Bout: Roope Kuqi (7-0) vs Bob Dozier (17-10)

The 21-year old Finn makes his main card debut against Dozier, a fixture on the British local scene for years. The massive 34-year old Englishman will be giving away a lot in youth and athletic ability, but has size and wrestling ability to be a tough out.

Lightweight Bout: Ron Chuckle (8-2) vs Gordon Idle (11-5)

Two lightweight contenders coming off good performances, Chuckle and Idle could be fighting for the next title shot after O’Hara, since Oldacres is injured. The fight has some intrigue after Chuckle made a call out after dominating George Astaire on July’s Scotland card. Idle got a fantastic KO win over the surging Sid Morgan on the same night.

Lightweight Bout: Colm Dee (16-5) vs Dominick Oppenheimer (7-2)

One of my favorite bouts on the card is the BCF debut of Dubliner Colm Dee, a former SIGMA featherweight who is currently training in Spain with the Basora brothers. Facing him is 25-year old striking technician Dominick Oppenheimer who beat the brakes off Olafur Petursson in his last outing. It’s a 5’8 tall technical striker versus a 6’1 brawler known for his heart and toughness, and I can’t wait for it.

Prelims:

Middleweight Bout: Robin Catskill (3-0) vs Ram Phookan (11-6)

Catskill gives away a lot of experience in this bout as his original opponent Hoogenband was injured. It is still a less dangerous fight in many respects, as the 35-year old Phookan has had trouble in his past few fights. He will be looking to win convincingly this time out, however, as a third consecutive loss could put him out of work.

Middleweight Bout: Charlie Oakley (5-0) vs Artak Gevor (8-1)

Two middleweight debutants with impressive records. Oakley is an excellent submission grappler who has showed a lot of promise on the local circuit, while Gevor is a tough, hard hitting Armenian wrestler with some SIGMA experience. Both guys are looking to establish themselves as a force in the division early in their BCF careers.

Light Heavyweight Bout: Andoni Olano (6-3) vs Priti Manek (6-4)

Two European light heavyweights who both got pummeled by some of the division’s top prospects in Matthew Michael Kirby and Crow Leddy, Olano and Manek will look to secure their jobs with the promotion. Olano is probably the more traditionally trained and technical, but this one is basically a pick ’em.

Welterweight Bout: Buzzy Tuttle (9-3) vs Benni Peyroux (5-2)

A welterweight scrap to open up the night, entertaining strikers Tuttle and Peyroux also try to move to 2002 on a win rather than a losing streak. Peyroux has more finishing power, while Tuttle probably has better endurance and movement. It should be a fun one.

Predictions? Suggestions? Comments?

Seth O'Breen vs Gregory O'Hara

Carter Potter vs Fritz Phipps

Martin Cupples vs Paul Duffell

Roope Kuqi vs Bob Dozier

Ron Chuckle vs Gordon Idle

Colm Dee vs Dominick Oppenheimer

Robin Catskill vs Ram Phookan

Charlie Oakley vs Artak Gevor

Andoni Olano vs Priti Manek

Buzzy Tuttle vs Benni Peyroux

CageRage · May 20, 2015

Seth O'Breen vs Gregory O'Hara

Carter Potter vs Fritz Phipps

Martin Cupples vs Paul Duffell

Roope Kuqi vs Bob Dozier

Ron Chuckle vs Gordon Idle

Colm Dee vs Dominick Oppenheimer

Robin Catskill vs Ram Phookan

Charlie Oakley vs Artak Gevor

Andoni Olano vs Priti Manek

Buzzy Tuttle vs Benni Peyroux

Thesnake101 · May 20, 2015

Seth O'Breen vs Gregory O'Hara

Carter Potter vs Fritz Phipps

Martin Cupples vs Paul Duffell

Roope Kuqi vs Bob Dozier

Ron Chuckle vs Gordon Idle

Colm Dee vs Dominick Oppenheimer

Robin Catskill vs Ram Phookan

Charlie Oakley vs Artak Gevor

Andoni Olano vs Priti Manek

Buzzy Tuttle vs Benni Peyroux

Paatero · May 21, 2015

Monthly MMA Review for November, 2001:

November saw five major shows besides BCF around the world. These were ALPHA-1, GAMMA, SIGMA, FLB and WEFF.

WEFF opened the month with Pamela O’Neill defeating Vicki Summers by unanimous decision in the main event, yet no title was on the line. It seems inevitable at this point that O’Neill (14-0) will face champion Helen Fox (8-0) sooner rather than later. Layla Holmes edged Steph Smith in the co-main event.

SIGMA came up next with Matti Kurri edging Nicolai Mickiewicz for the light heavyweight belt. Russian middleweight Oleg Tariverdiev got a TKO victory over Norwegian kickboxing champion Thorbjorn Rekdal in the co-main, while Valentin Taneyev armbarred Shane Gilchrist in the third to last bout.

ALPHA-1’s Warriors of the Ring TV special saw Tamadasa Yamada submit young prospect Naozane Yamaguchiya by armbar in just 85 seconds. Thai jiu-jitsu legend Jonathan Huang got a kneebar win over Haranobu Oshiro in 43 seconds, one-upping the former champion.

FLB held their lightweight championship bout in November, with Caca de Andrade taking the split decision over Paulo Roberto Bezerra. Mario de Souza submitted Marco de Almeida in the co-main event middleweight bout.

Late in the month GAMMA 45 took place with Josh Aldarisio retaining his title with a unanimous decision win over former champion Julio Regueiro. In another welterweight tilt Nathan Chambers outstruck David Allen to a decision in the Fight of the Night battle.

Fortnight Review for weeks 1 & 2 of December

Dave Lennon becomes yet another BCF fighter to sign a standard contract with German rival SIGMA. I’ll keep the 34-year old champ booked as best as I can.

I book Vincent Henderson (2-0) and Moore Gordy (2-0) to a middleweight fight in February on the main card of the big Kitson vs McFadden PPV. Henderson, whose wrestling pedigree is one of the United Kingdom’s finest, made the headlines earlier as becoming a developmental BCF prospect. Gordy, a Manchester based 25-year old known for his striking skills, is 2-0 with two quick TKO victories on the local scene, and will definitely test Henderson’s overall mettle.

SIGMA sign their next show in January and it features no BCF fighters. Hooray! Kenneth Toadspew will rematch Dominykas Jankovic for the welterweight title and Aleksander Ivanov faces Stanislaw Lipnicki at heavyweight.

GAMMA approach Ozzy Bintley, but no dice! I offer the 27-year old a lucrative contract to keep his services right here at BCF.

Paatero · May 21, 2015

BCF: O’Breen vs O’Hara

Saturday Week 3 of December, 2001 in Ireland

Broadcast by United Kingdom Choice

Heavyweight misfortunes continue as Fritz Phipps is out of his scheduled co-main event fight against Carter Potter. Taking his place is recent signing Stratos Papaioannou (28-7), who was planning to fight Percy Catcher in January. The fight gets dropped before the Cupples vs Duffell fight, but the title eliminator status likely still remains. Catcher’s (12-4) next opponent will instead be Christopher Drew (7-0).

Prelims:

Buzzy Tuttle (9-3) vs Benni Peyroux (5-2) at welterweight

The Brit picks apart and wears down the Frenchman in an entertaining kickboxing battle, showing a good versatile striking arsenal both on the outside and in the clinch with a few knees and short punches. Good fight.

Result: Buzzy Tuttle (10-3) defeats Benni Peyroux (5-3) by unanimous decision (30-27 x3).

Andoni Olano (6-3) vs Priti Manek (6-4) at light heavyweight

Olano proves to be the superior striker, landing heavy punches and kicks early before finishing the job at the end of the first round. Manek only lands a few strikes, not ehough to slow down Olano’s relentless offense. A great comeback for the Spanish fighter.

Result: Andoni Olano (7-3) defeats Priti Manek (6-5) by KO (punches) at 4:01 of round 1.

Charlie Oakley (5-0) vs Artak Gevor (8-1) at middleweight

The Armenian defends a few of Oakley’s initial takedown attempts and lands a good punch combination, but eventually gets taken down and tapped by the catch wrestler from Bolton.

Result: Charlie Oakley (6-0) defeats Artak Gevor (8-2) by submission (kneebar) at 3:04 of round 1.

Robin Catskill (3-0) vs Ram Phookan (11-6) at middleweight

The prelims have delivered so far and it continues as Catskill and Phookan go to war for three rounds on the feet. Phookan shows superior technique and craftiness, outlanding Catskill 49 to 19.

Result: Ram Phookan (12-6) defeats Robin Catskill (3-1) by unanimous decision (30-27 x2, 29-28).

Main card:

Colm Dee (16-5) vs Dominick Oppenheimer (7-2) at lightweight

The first round sees Oppenheimer be more accurate than the Irish favorite, but eventually Dee lands enough heavy shots to slow the Englishman down. A three punch combination catches Oppenheimer and a following head kick puts him down, but he survives the round.

Dee hurts Oppenheimer again in the second, and again, putting him down on the second go. Oppenheimer holds on, but has work to do after enduring the Irishman’s onslaught for two rounds. It doesn’t look like Oppenheimer has much left, though.

Dee finally finishes the job after a minute into the third, landing a jab and a powerful right hook that puts Oppenheimer down for the final time. A great fight, if completely one sided after the first round.

Result: Colm Dee (17-5) defeats Dominick Oppenheimer (7-3) by KO (punches) at 0:59 of round 3.

Ron Chuckle (8-2) vs Gordon Idle (11-5) at lightweight

Despite the call out by Chuckle the two men touch gloves as a sign of respect. The two exchange jabs until Chuckle shoots and gets a quick takedown. Chuckle smothers Idle for most of the round with good control and ground and pound, but Idle scrambles on top in the final minute and lands a good elbow strike to the head of ’the Jester’. Idle gets the mount at the end but doesn’t have time to go to work in earnest. Close round.

Chuckle misses a right hook in the opening moments of the second round and Idle counters with a jab and a massive right hook that drops him! Idle dives in and forces the stoppage with some heavy ground and pound, what a finish for Idle! This certainly puts ’Rock Steady’ back in contention at 155 pounds.

Result: Gordon Idle (12-5) defeats Ron Chuckle (8-3) by TKO (punches) at 0:43 of round 2.

Roope Kuqi (7-0) vs Bob Dozier (17-10) at heavyweight

The Finn lands a big right hand that makes Dozier initiate the grapple. It is Kuqi, however, that controls most of the clinch and lands some dirty boxing. The latter part of the round is quite uneventful with Kuqi in control but unsuccessful with a couple of takedown attempts in the clinch.

Another big right hand from Kuqi gets Dozier’s attention and he grapples yet again. This time he manages to control the Finn for a bit and land some short shots to the body. The English giant starts to gas at the end of the round, however, and Kuqi is starting to regain control of the wrestling.

The third round sees Kuqi effectively have his way with Dozier on the feet and in the clinch, but the 21-year old Finn seems unable to hurt his opponent. Still, it should be a solid win for him.

Result: Roope Kuqi (8-0) defeats Bob Dozier (17-11) by split decision (30-27 x2, 28-29).

Wow, Martin Mills really gave a head scratcher of a score card.

Stratos Papaioannou (28-7) vs Carter Potter (19-5)

I hope for a slightly more entertaining heavyweight encounter here, and luckily the guys deliver as Papaioannou surprises by taking the initiative striking. It might have been a mistake though, as the former BCF champion drops him at the two minute mark and spends the rest of the round in top control.

Potter pours on the pressure standing in the second round until he seemingly hurts his hand on a good right hand to the chin. Papaioannou takes advantage by clinching and controlling most of the round against the fence with dirty boxing, but failing to take the Kiwi down with several trip attempts.

Potter’s strategy seems to be to control the Greek with his size and strength in the third as he voluntarily clinches with the grappler. It works at times and doesn’t at others, as Papaioannou lands more strikes up close. I’m really getting fed up with my poor luck with the heavyweights and hand breaks. No idea who’s next for Lennon as Potter is forced to take six months off.

Result: Carter Potter (20-5) defeats Stratos Papaioannou (28-8) by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28 x2).

Paul Duffell (24-14) vs Martin Cupples (11-0) at welterweight

The first round is all Cupples as the 25-year old lands big shots almost at will, drops Duffell and takes the mount and the back. The veteran survives the onslaught, however.

Not for long, as Cupples drops and finishes the Welshman in the second round.

Result: Martin Cupples (12-0) defeats Paul Duffell (24-15) by TKO (punches) at 1:04 of round 2.

Cupples takes a moment post fight to call out Mills Mullally. It’d be a fun fight, but I need Cupples to step up and main event next for the title.

Seth O’Breen (17-1) vs Gregory O’Hara (10-0) for the BCF lightweight championship

The lightweights both come in active on their feet, with O’Breen pressuring with his boxing while O’Hara lands good counter punches on the back foot. O’Breen lands more volume but O’Hara gets a takedown at the end, making for an entertaining and closely contested opening round.

The champion starts to overwhelm the challenger in the second with constant barrages of punches. After about 80 seconds O’Breen floors him with a combination that ends in an overhand right. He goes after O’Hara on the ground but doesn’t get the finish. O’Hara gets back to his feet but gets hurt again a right cross from the champion. Dominance by O’Breen.

The champ continues right where he left off in the third, dropping O’Hara in about thirty seconds. He keeps the pressure on and goes for a leg submission several times but O’Hara defends. In the final minute they scramble and the challenger gets on top and throws a few small strikes, having taken a beating for most of ten minutes without landing anything.

It’s starting to look really bad for O’Hara as he gets dropped again after 1:40 of the fourth round but he manages to scramble on top as O’Breen dives in to finish. O’Breen tries to initiate scrambles again and attack O’Hara’s legs without success, until he finally gets back to his feet and wrecks O’Hara with a combination near the fence, busting the challenger’s nose and putting him out. Wow.

Result: Seth O’Breen (18-1) defeats Gregory O’Hara (10-1) by KO (punches) at 4:55 of round 4 to retain the BCF lightweight title.

Post Show Thoughts:

Bonuses: $500

FotN: Dee & Oppenheimer

KOtN: O’Breen

SotN: Oakley

506 people came in live in Ireland for a gate of $38,051. We scored a commercial rating of 38% and a critical of 70%. We gained a +1.0% in the British Isles. The PPV did $616,000 in revenue, which is above the median for me.

It’s a bit unfair that the biggest thing I’m concerned about after the night is Potter’s hand injury and lackluster performance after the first round, as O’Breen has a dominant and exciting title defense and the other lightweights deliver as well (this is becoming a theme, isn’t it? Lightweights deliver, heavyweights stink it up). However, I don’t have a heavyweight contender now with Potter out for six months. Kuqi is a difficult guy to beat but I don’t think he is ready in terms of fan exposure or maturity. Bintley would be the obvious guy if he gets past Skerla in February, but that’s a couple of months away and Lennon isn’t hurt.

Apart from the curse of the big men, Martin Cupples has earned a shot at the welterweight title and Gordon Idle probably faces O’Breen next for the rematch. Colm Dee announced himself as an exciting entry into the lightweight ranks, but needs at least one more showing before challenging his countryman for the title.

As it concerns the prelims, Buzzy Tuttle, Ram Phookan and Andoni Olano got back to track with decent wins, with Olano’s victory being particularly dominant and violent. Charlie Oakley’s debut was impressive, and he will be featured on a main card soon.

Priti Manek gets released, while Benni Peyroux will get one more chance.

CageRage: 7/9 (with the Potter fight removed)

TheSnake101: 7/9

Same scores but a couple of different picks this time. The injuries are a bugger, I don't know if I should post the updated fight card once I know what fights are on - I feel like this is the more 'organic' way of doing it though, I don't know. I just write up the stuff as it comes up in the game, is what I mean.

All time standings:

TheSnake101: 28/37

CageRage: 23/37

Frank_Vest: 2/7

Paatero · May 22, 2015

Fortnight Review for weeks 3 & 4 of December, 2001:

It is quiet in the end of the year as no major news seem to touch BCF in any kind of tangible way. A few fighters complete their medical suspensions following damage taken in fights and I hope to see my roster recover for what is sure to be a stellar 2002.

I cut Jochen Bellof (9-4) who was at -2 momentum with two very similar, quick submission losses. The lightweight division really can’t use someone with such poor momentum right now, and I sign Bellof’s countryman Dieter Kolzig (7-2), a former boxer with +1 momentum known for his heavy hands, to replace him.

Paatero · May 22, 2015

Year Review for BCF’s 2001 and a look forward to 2002:

Year end awards:

We got an award! BCF was awarded Blurcat.com’s Company of the Year award for 2001. The site cited Potter vs Alois 2 and Lennon vs Whelan as particularly great fight cards. It is the first time for BCF to win the honor and I’m pretty pumped to keep a streak going.

The other awards were distributed globally, with our friends at SIGMA getting the honors for the Worst Fight of the Year with Alberto Basora dropping a split decision to Filip Hristov. Ugh!

Company wise I feel I’ve done a solid job of growing BCF and especially setting a foundation for future growth, starting now in 2002. We got our record-breaking PPV set by Kitson vs McSweegan in July, but that one is going to break in February as Kitson and McFadden clash for a second time. Our best fight of the year was Gordon Idle’s inspiring comeback, the KO over Sid Morgan on that very card.

The goals I set for myself at the opening of the diary were to hold about 10 events and 95 or so fights to effectively use all of my roster. While injuries were a big factor in the year, I held 11 events and a 100 fights!

We got the important TV deal with Euro Cable Sports early on in the year and have grown our European and Russian fanbases, but both still need work in the coming year. In total I’ve managed to grow our reputation in British Isles by 6.8%, 5.1% in Europe, and 4.7% in Russia. It’s not a lot for one full year, but my focus has been not on maximal company growth; rather, I’ve focused on the roster side of things.

Some big fights are on the horizon for 2002, and let’s take a look at some of them now that we’re talking.

January: BCF TV: Sithalayan vs Webb 3 in Wales

February: BCF: Kitson vs McFadden in Scotland

March: BCF: Baines vs Beaumont in London

The January event sees a clear-cut welterweight contender emerge as two world ranked fighters clash for the third time in Webb and Sithalayan. Meanwhile, Will Kane is looking to defend his title in the first third of the year against Martin Cupples to remove the disappointment of his SIGMA detour. That should be an intriguing and dynamic fight.

I also have Seth O’Breen ready to go early in the year against Gordon Idle, whose miraculous recovery from a losing streak is one of BCF’s stories of the year. The rematch comes after the pair fought in early 2000, with O’Breen getting the win by fifth round submission in what was both the Submission of the Night and Fight of the Night. The fans should be excited for this one, and a win could make O’Breen the breakout lightweight star I’ve expected out of him.

If there is another top story for the year 2001, it is the consistent disappointments with the heavyweight division. Two high profile retirements at bad times, lots of injuries and dragging fights - it hasn’t been easy, though much of it hasn’t been a fault of the fighters but simply rotten luck.

Meanwhile, the lightweights have consistently delivered in excitement and some new rising stars in Cyril Kamoze, Tim Oldacres and Ron Chuckle. Even the tiny Mal Beswick has managed to make himself relevant in the division with some entertaining bouts and good mic skills.

As a result of these themes, I’ve decided to build more on the lighter weights. The featherweight division (136-145lbs) will debut in 2002 with some interesting names already in the talks. The initial roster will consist of around 10 to 15 featherweights, including mostly established domestic talent as well as some British SIGMA mainstays, and a few European reinforcements.

As well as the featherweights, one of my goals for 2002 is to hold my first events outside the British Isles. Despite the December prediction of an economically difficult period for Europe, I want to plant seeds for the future and build BCF’s name in those regions. Germany is obviously the biggest mainland market, while Roope Kuqi is looking like a potential star to break out in Scandinavia. SIGMA has some more established European names I’ll be taking another look at later on.

Paatero · May 22, 2015

BCF TV: Sithalayan vs Webb 3 announcement

Friday Week 3 of January, 2002 in Wales

Broadcast by Euro Cable Sports 1

Welterweight Title Eliminator Bout: Vikram Sithalayan (19-3) vs David Webb (19-5)

A fight between two of the best ranked BCF fighters at welterweight, the rubber match of Webb and Sithalayan will decide who gets the next shot at the title. Both men are well known and at +1 momentum, though Webb is the more established BCF mainstay. Sithalayan’s uniqueness in terms of his style and ethnicity make him a marketable entity, however, and whoever wins I’ll be able to use. The loser most likely doesn’t fall too far, either. The previous two fights between them have gone the distance, once five rounds and three rounds on another occasion; interestingly enough, the cardio machine Sithalayan lost the five rounder while Webb dropped the three round bout in the pair’s last meeting.

Heavyweight Bout: Percy Catcher (12-4) vs Christopher Drew (7-0)

Catcher is coming off a disappointment in his razor close decision loss to Ozzy Bintley in a great fight. In Drew he faces a similar challenge - a young, hungry up and comer with a great chin and big power. Drew is taller and perhaps more aggressive than Bintley, but not as athletic. This should be a great fight and one that puts the winner in a good spot in the wide open field at heavyweight.

Welterweight Bout: Steven Griffin (16-9) vs Jayden Karp (7-0)

Griffin went 1-1 in 2001, while Karp went 2-0. However, Griffin’s last outing was an impressive submission over the dangerous Jerome Atkins in a fight where Griffin was in trouble but was able to show his veteran savvy. The ground technician faces a tough out in the undefeated Karp, who may be one of the better grapplers in the division besides the two main event competitors.

Light Heavyweight Bout: Michael Klaughnschue (9-2) vs Tikhon Diev (9-1)

This was a fight originally scheduled to happen late last year but Diev hurt his head in training and pushed the fight back. Klaughnschue comes into BCF with a good track record and +1 momentum, so even if he wins I get someone with value. I expect Diev to roll here, however, and get closer to a rematch against Kitson, against whom he has perhaps had the best chance of winning.

Middleweight Bout: Rhys Buck (6-1) vs Luka Hajek (6-0)

In a fight that combines local flavor with European spice for the TV crowd, boxers Buck and Hajek look for a step forward. The Serbian makes his BCF debut at 6-0 with +2 momentum, while Welshman Buck is coming off a tough loss to Snuffy Fontana in a fantastic fight. Buck is the more dangerous puncher, but this should be a good, technical fight for the fans of the sweet science.

Prelims:

Welterweight Bout: Malloy Mahoney (7-1) vs Mikey Wallace (9-2)

With both guys coming off their first stoppage losses in their careers, Wallace and Mahoney should be motivated to act as an exciting lead in to the main card. The 24-year old Mahoney should be the more powerful striker, while Wallace’s experience and toughness could see him edge the win.

Light Heavyweight Bout: Danny Akabaro (8-1) vs Murray O’Hare (7-3)

Both men are looking for a rebound, but I expect one is more likely to find it than the other. Akabaro’s murderous punching ability and toughness make him one of the more exciting prospects in the division, and despite his mishap in a classic fight against Crow Leddy he is someone who can build up steam quickly. The Northern Irishman might not have much for him, though he is a tough, strong competitor.

Welterweight Bout: Wayne McKellen (7-5) vs Jerome Atkins (3-1)

McKellen asked for a drop to 170lbs and he gets it. Unfortunately he has to be the opponent for the returning and pissed off Jerome Atkins who dropped his first pro fight to Steven Griffin last time out. Expect violence and expect it quickly. McKellen might see his way out after this one, as his talent level simply doesn’t help him win enough in BCF.

Lightweight Bout: Paddy McNamara (7-3) vs Jeremy Sproule (7-5)

McNamara drops to lightweight and meets Sproule, who is another striking specialist in dire need of a win. The loser probably gets cut, while the winner gets a reprieve of some kind.

Predictions? Suggestions? Comments?

Vikram Sithalayan vs David Webb

Christopher Drew vs Percy Catcher

Steven Griffin vs Jayden Karp

Michael Klaughnschue vs Tikhon Diev

Rhys Buck vs Luka Hajek

Malloy Mahoney vs Mikey Wallace

Danny Akabaro vs Murray O'Hare

Wayne McKellen vs Jerome Atkins

Paddy McNamara vs Jeremy Sproule

CageRage · May 22, 2015

Vikram Sithalayan vs David Webb

Christopher Drew vs Percy Catcher

Steven Griffin vs Jayden Karp

Michael Klaughnschue vs Tikhon Diev

Rhys Buck vs Luka Hajek

Malloy Mahoney vs Mikey Wallace

Danny Akabaro vs Murray O'Hare

Wayne McKellen vs Jerome Atkins

Paddy McNamara vs Jeremy Sproule

Thesnake101 · May 22, 2015

Vikram Sithalayan vs David Webb

Christopher Drew vs Percy Catcher

Steven Griffin vs Jayden Karp

Michael Klaughnschue vs Tikhon Diev

Rhys Buck vs Luka Hajek

Malloy Mahoney vs Mikey Wallace

Danny Akabaro vs Murray O'Hare

Wayne McKellen vs Jerome Atkins

Paddy McNamara vs Jeremy Sproule

BigRedMachine · May 22, 2015

Vikram Sithalayan vs David Webb

Christopher Drew vs Percy Catcher

Steven Griffin vs Jayden Karp

Michael Klaughnschue vs Tikhon Diev

Rhys Buck vs Luka Hajek

Malloy Mahoney vs Mikey Wallace

Danny Akabaro vs Murray O'Hare

Wayne McKellen vs Jerome Atkins

Paddy McNamara vs Jeremy Sproule

Paatero · May 23, 2015

Fortnight Review for weeks 1 & 2 of January, 2002:

I decided to change my March event to be a BCF TV-card broadcast by Euro Cable Sports. This decision is based on the fact that the main card is European-heavy as well as the reality that neither headliner (Baines & Beaumont) are big PPV draws yet. The TV exposure should help them with that more in the long run.

Rav Kapur’s (13-0) contract comes up on the first of January and I send in a legitimate challenge for the former BCF heavyweight champion. His name and violent style would put the heavyweight division back on the map as a 4-0 GAMMA prospect leaving for BCF would certainly make global headlines. The 29-year old would rival Curt Kitson in name value and surpass him in intrigue that he would bring to the former BCF marquee division. Kapur, 29, is currently recovering from a hand injury he suffered in his victory over Harv Dennis in October.

Jerome Atkins suffers an injury to his back on Wednesday week 1 of January and is out of his bout with Wayne McKellen in two weeks’ time. Atkins needs about three and a half months to recover. Scott Gillespie (6-3) steps in on short notice to face McKellen in what should be a more even striking contest. Gillespie is coming off a contract-saving win over Paddy McNamara in July, and another win will perhaps solidify his spot on the roster and get him to neutral momentum.

Jake Keane (27-5) gets a dominant submission victory over Aaron McBroom (11-6) in his fourth GAMMA appearance. The 30-year old former BCF lightweight champion has become a top lightweight contender in the American company, getting two quick finishes after dropping a decision to Bud Brockett in February of 2001. His contract still requires him to complete 2 fights or more than 2 years.

The first ever BCF featherweight bouts are booked as SIGMA contender and Sheffield-based former amateur boxing champion Manish Khan (11-3) faces undefeated Croatian prospect Ivano Ancic (9-0) in the lead in fight on the undercard in March. Khan is coming off two losses to top level competition, and he will be looking to get back on track with a win on home soil after fighting in Europe for years.

I also book Scotland’s Jason Dalglish (19-6) to fight Polish KO artist Jan Ilic (8-0) on the preliminary portion of February’s Scotland card. The Scottish featherweight will look to get back on track after a couple of SIGMA losses to top competition in Lars Bohlin and Hans Christian Bloch. The 24-year old Ilic is a dangerous opponent who is known for his devastating right hand.

On Wednesday of Week 2 I finally get good news regarding the heavyweight division. The Beast of Birmingham is back, as Rav Kapur (13-0) has decided to return home and sign with BCF after a successful four-fight stint with GAMMA. I end up paying a whopping $42,500 for each of Kapur’s fight with a rising scale. The contract is good for 3 years or 6 fights, though the standard deal is always open for renegotiation after six months. Kapur easily becomes my highest paid fighter, but I expect the national level star to bring in plenty of money with his gravitational pull. The 29-year old is ready to get back in action after recovering from a hand injury, and we are likely looking at a big summer showdown involving the Beast.

Paatero · May 23, 2015

BCF TV: Sithalayan vs Webb 3

Friday Week 3 of January, 2002 in Wales

Broadcast by Euro Cable Sports 1

Prelims:

Scott Gillespie (6-3) vs Wayne McKellen (7-5) at welterweight

The Scot Gillespie looks good, picking apart and breaking down the divisional debutant in McKellen. He stops the contest with strikes in the second round, dropping the Englishman with a straight right hand. Fantasticly entertaining striking battle and a great performance by Gillespie, who is now at neutral momentum.

Result: Scott Gillespie (7-3) defeats Wayne McKellen (7-6) by TKO (punches) at 3:05 of round 2.

Paddy McNamara (7-3) vs Jeremy Sproule (7-5) at lightweight

Another good striking battle where the former welterweight in McNamara outboxes the ’Doctor of Style’ en route to a three round decision. The Irishman outlands Sproule in power punches especially, and drops him on two occasions in the first two rounds but without a finish.

Result: Paddy McNamara (8-3) defeats Jeremy Sproule (7-6) by unanimous decision (30-27 x2, 29-28).

Danny Akabaro (8-1) vs Murray O’Hare (7-3) at light heavyweight

Akabaro quickly overwhelms O’Hare with his patented brand of dynamite. His hands seem to be heavier than a neutron star as he takes about two minutes to put the tough, tough Northern Irishman away. Poor O’Hare only had a chance to throw one jab in the fight. A bit of a mismatch here.

Result: Danny Akabaro (9-1) defeats Murray O’Hare (7-4) by KO (punches) at 2:25 of round 1.

Malloy Mahoney (7-1) vs Mikey Wallace (9-2) at welterweight

This one was a scrap! Mahoney seemed to be the sharper boxer, landing a lot of jabs and left hooks to the body. He also utilized leg kicks and body kicks, though that aspect of the game was better played by Wallace, who left Mahoney limping halfway through the fight. It didn’t matter in the end though, as Mahoney dropped Wallace with a right hand and it must’ve hurt him really bad as the Cockney Rebel tapped out as Mahoney started to pour it on.

Result: Malloy Mahoney (8-1) defeats Mikey Wallace (9-3) by submission (strikes) at 2:05 of round 3.

Main card:

Rhys Buck (6-1) vs Luka Hajek (6-0) at middleweight

This one was quick as the two boxers started to exchange and Buck’s power became evident. He put the Serbian away in about seventy seconds in impressive fashion.

Result: Rhys Buck (7-1) defeats Luka Hajek (6-1) by TKO (punches) at 1:12 of round 1.

Buck calls out Charlie Oakley, who was successful in his BCF debut a while back, but that’s a pretty unfavorable match up for the Welshman. I might still do it, as I don’t really have easier matches for either guy at this point.

Michael Klaughnschue (9-2) vs Tikhon Diev (9-1) at light heavyweight

The German newcomer had no chance as Diev immediately took him down, mounted and pounded him out with heavy strikes. A dominant display and a good rebound for the Russian.

Result: Tikhon Diev (10-1) defeats Michael Klaughnschue (9-3) by TKO (punches) at 1:39 of round 1.

Diev called out countryman Daniil Skala post fight. Both guys are definitely in the top rankings of the division, but Skala is coming off a loss to MMK while Diev now has +1 momentum. It would basically be a tune up for Diev if I decided to do that.

Steven Griffin (16-9) vs Jayden Karp (7-0) at welterweight

Karp faces his toughest stylistic test as Griffin’s ground technique should let us see how good he really is. The undefeated 25-year old forces some striking exchanges but gets countered more than he likes, prompting him to shoot in. The first takedown doesn’t work, but the second does, an inside trip into half guard. Shortly thereafter Karp gets the mount and gets the tap via arm triangle. Third quick submission in a row for Karp.

Result: Jayden Karp (8-0) defeats Steven Griffin (16-10) by submission (arm-triangle choke) at 2:50 of round 1.

Karp called out Martin Cupples after the fight, which would suggest he thinks he is ready for a big step up. Cupples is already taken, however, and I need to find Karp something else.

Christopher Drew (7-0) vs Percy Catcher (12-4) at heavyweight

This was a good heavyweight battle with both men exchanging heavy blows from the opening bell. Catcher seemed content to counter more in the first round as Drew pushed forward, seemingly unconcerned with the veteran’s punching power.

Catcher starts to get more aggressive in the second round, but Drew is still landing more big shots. The 24-year old shows an eye for the long game as he goes to the body quite a bit. At the latter half of the round Drew drops Catcher with a big right hand, but the veteran survives. Another knockdown happens when Catcher gets back to his feet briefly and the second round looks really bad for the 30-year old.

Drew lands a great right hook early in round three but shakes his hand after. It must’ve landed on Catcher’s hard head and broken the knuckles, as Drew then opts to clinch up and try to muscle his man around. Catcher takes control and wrestles Drew to the ground. Some ground and pound lands until Drew manages to scoot out and scramble on top. He aggressively goes for elbows and shoulder shots until the final bell sounds.

Bobby Serocke has given the fight 29-28 to Drew

Martin Mills: 29-28 Catcher

Steven Renshaw sees it 29-28 for the winner by split decision: Christopher Drew!

Result: Christopher Drew (8-0) defeats Percy Catcher (12-5) by split decision (29-28 x2, 28-29).

Once more a heavyweight breaks his hand on an opponent’s face and is out for six months. Drew is one of the few guys in the division who has time to be out, though, at 24 years of age. When he comes back I’ll probably look to give him some more fights before a real big one. His technique is still developing and training at Bulldog Gym with his size and power he should become a very dangerous striker in time.

Vikram Sithalayan (19-3) vs David Webb (19-5) at welterweight

This one was such a technical, strategic hustle that I lost count and the commentators didn’t seem to know what to think of each round. Webb and Sithalayan traded takedowns and submission attempts, with the Pakistani favoring leg lock attempts from the top and scrambles, while Webb was focused on top control and dominant position. Webb perhaps got the closest to a finish by taking the back straight off a takedown and going for the rear naked choke for an entire round. It took five rounds again for the two top welterweights to decide a winner, and it wasn’t clear cut for the judges.

Osford T. Drakeford scores the contest 48-47 for Webb

Bobby Serocke sees it 48-47 for Sithalayan

Steven Renshaw has given it 48-47 for the winner by split decision: David Webb!

Result: David Webb (20-5) defeats Vikram Sithalayan (19-4) by split decision (48-47 x2, 47-48).

Post Show Thoughts:

Bonuses $500

FotN: Mahoney & Wallace

KOtN: Akabaro

SotN: Karp

Popularity went up by 0.1% in the Isles, 0.7% in both Europe and Russia. 214 people showed up for a gate of $11,710 in Wales, while the ratings were 37% commercial and 69% critical. A fine show despite a main event that went over a lot of people’s heads and wasn’t a traditionally entertaining bout.

We’ve got a contender in the wings at welterweight as the high level regional David Webb makes it three in a row inside thirteen months. Jayden Karp, on the other hand, is a young prospect on the precipice of becoming a contender with another impressive finish over a veteran.

Christopher Drew got a big win and proved himself against Catcher, but broke his hand and is out until later in the year. His comeback should be against someone he can look good with, if I can find something like that. I’d like to get him up to +5 momentum, which would require two big finishes. At 24 years of age I don’t think he is quite ready for the big time yet. It is heavyweight though so I might not have the options I’d like, as was the case with this whole match up. Catcher will need to take an easier fight next, as he is coming off two narrow defeats to the division’s top prospects.

Tikhon Diev and Danny Akabaro re-established themselves at light heavyweight, and the two men have a pending call out between them still. The Nigerian is only 22 and is the kind of fighter who will either lose badly or win badly against Diev, so I don’t like the match at this point unless it becomes a main event for something.

Rhys Buck got back to track with a quick finish of newcomer Luka Hajek. I expected Buck to have the advantage but not at this extent, as he put Hajek away extremely easily.

Scott Gillespie got a fantastic TKO victory over McKellen as a late replacement for Jerome Atkins. He took an opportunity and cashed in on it, and I can now use him for a bigger bout. Mahoney stopped Wallace in a cracking fight, and those two winners might be next for each other. I don’t see Gillespie surviving Mahoney’s brand of punishment, though.

Finally Paddy McNamara salvaged his BCF career with a comfortable decision victory over Jeremy Sproule. Lightweight might suit the Irishman better, but I don’t see him having a high ceiling here, either. He gets one more fight nonetheless.

Wayne McKellen and Jeremy Sproule get their releases from the BCF.

Prediction Results:

CageRage: 7/8

TheSnake101: 7/8

BigRedMachine: 7/8

All the same scores but one different pick each! <img alt="" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/smile.png.142cfa0a1cd2925c0463c1d00f499df2.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" />

All time standings:

TheSnake101: 35/45

CageRage: 30/45

BigRedMachine: 7/8

Frank_Vest: 2/7

Paatero · May 23, 2015

Fortnight Review for weeks 3 & 4 of January:

A quiet two weeks to close out the month, as I mostly spend it re-signing some deals with Mahoney, Griffin and Gillespie, as well as extending my TV deal with ECS1.

I book featherweights Roman Danielyan (8-2) and Krzysztof Bujnicki (7-0) to fight on the April BCF TV: Kane vs Cupples card. Both men are on streaks and have significant heat behind their BCF debuts, and a good undercard victory would likely push them to the main card next time.

I also book middleweight prospect Snuffy Fontana (9-0) to face former contender Andrew Rush (19-9) on the main card of that event. This is the 25-year old’s first big test against an established name, as Fontana’s last two victories have come over formerly undefeated up and comers. Rush is coming off an entertaining decision victory over former champion Tucker Plumm.

One more booking I make for April is Crow Leddy’s (8-1) return against Daniil Skala (22-9). The 31-fight Russian veteran is known for his toughness and entertaining brand of kickboxing, and will be a good test for the returning 24-year old Englishman.

Paatero · May 23, 2015

BCF: Kitson vs McFadden 2 announcement

Saturday Week 2 of February, 2002 in Scotland

Broadcast by United Kingdom Choice on PPV

Light Heavyweight Championship Bout: Curt Kitson (15-0) vs Lenny McFadden (14-1)

The big one is here boys and girls, and let’s hope it stays that way. Kitson’s biggest name challenger comes in the shape of countryman McFadden, who is coming off two impressive knock out victories since the pair’s last meeting in 2000. McFadden is a boxer and a wrestler who should outweigh Kitson come fight night, but the champion probably has some technical advantages. Either way it goes it should be a good one with a lot of commercial interest in Scotland.

Heavyweight Bout: Juozas Skerla (8-0) vs Ozzy Bintley (7-0)

A couple of undefeated heavyweight bruisers face off in the co-main event. Bintley is one the rise in BCF rankings, while Skerla is trying to establish himself in his debut. Both men are physically tough and dangerous on their feet, and this one should get the crowd going for the grand finale.

Middleweight Bout: Vincent Henderson (2-0) vs Moore Gordy (2-0)

Scotland should be up for their national wrestling stand out Henderson who is making his BCF debut after two impressive local circuit victories. ”The Virus” is mostly an excellent wrestler, but has crosstrained his striking and ground games somewhat since joining the pro circuit in February of 2001. Both of his wins are by first round submission. In Gordy he faces an unproven but dangerous kickboxer from Manchester. The 25-year old known as ”War Wolf” has two quick TKO victories to his name.

Light Heavyweight Bout: Daniel Hornsby (13-5) vs Garry McSweegan (24-9)

Two former title contenders try to get back on track as the wrestler Hornsby tries to exert control over home turf favorite KO artist McSweegan. Hornsby’s chin has been tagged a few times in the past and a cracking KO here might put the crowd in the right mood for the rest of the event. I can use whichever fighter emerges victorious as a solid top level gatekeeper.

Middleweight Bout: Davis Spyrou (20-6) vs Hans-Peter Schneider (17-8)

The German Schneider should have some love in Scotland as his last fight on July’s Kitson vs McSweegan card was a good one where he was narrowly defeated by local favorite Ginger Beaumont. The 32-year old German gets a chance to prove his worth as a middleweight contender as he faces returning former champion Davis Spyrou, who really needs to impress after a quick and lopsided loss to Rob Baines in September.

Prelims:

Middleweight Bout: Heath Kaladaris (7-0) vs Augustus Shorrock (8-2)

Shorrock called out Kaladaris after edging out Wayne McKellen, and a wrestler is someone I haven’t tested the Australian against yet, so this suits me fine. Kaladaris is the far more versatile talent, but Shorrock is powerful and probably an equally good wrestler, so this fight should tell me if Kaladaris has a debilitating weakness or not.

Lightweight Bout: Doug Hansen (18-6) vs Grigory Kabalevsky (8-1)

One of Scotland’s favorites, Hansen, returns to action for the first time since a May loss to champion Seth O’Breen. In Kabalevsky he faces a Russian up and comer also from a judo background. This is mainly set up as a come back for Hansen, who is a mainstay for me as a highly ranked and popular fighter, but the young Kabalevsky has some good momentum to build on if he manages to take it.

Featherweight Bout: Jason Dalglish (19-6) vs Jan Ilic (8-0)

The first ever featherweight bout in BCF, Scotland’s Dalglish and Poland’s Ilic get the honors of debuting the 145-pound division. The Pole is a devastating puncher while Dalglish is known for his toughness and slick submission skills. The 32-year old Scot needs the win if he is to become a player in the fledgling division.

Lightweight Bout: George Astaire (12-7) vs Nigel Collett (7-2)

Another Scot on the rebound against a promotional newcomer, Astaire is coming off a loss to Ron Chuckle and needs to win to stay relevant. Collett, 24, has more leeway, coming off a winning streak and +2 momentum.

Heavyweight Bout: Jesse Singh (17-6) vs Linton Renn (9-3)

Singh gets an easier assignment after his KO loss to Catcher last year, but not by much. Renn is a big, strong wrestler with powerful fists, and could overwhelm the London brawler. The winner should be back at neutral momentum.

Welterweight Bout: Iain Fussell (8-3) vs Vjekoslav Sarich (7-1)

Two up and comers at welterweight in search of the rebound, Fussell and Sarich are both exciting fighters that were ground down to size in their last fights. This one shouldn’t be a dull one, as Fussell’s submission ability goes up against the Croatian’s KO power.

Predictions? Suggestions? Comments?

Curt Kitson vs Lenny McFadden

Juozas Skerla vs Ozzy Bintley

Vincent Henderson vs Moore Gordy

Daniel Hornsby vs Garry McSweegan

Davis Spyrou vs Hans-Peter Schneider

Heath Kaladaris vs Augustus Shorrock

Doug Hansen vs Grigory Kabalevsky

Jason Dalglish vs Jan Ilic

George Astaire vs Nigel Collett

Jesse Singh vs Linton Renn

Iain Fussell vs Vjekoslav Sarich

Paatero · May 23, 2015

Monthly MMA Review for January of 2002:

2002 starts off strong with BCF and six other major events around the globe. GAMMA, ALPHA-1, SIGMA, KDM FC, FLB and XCC all hold events in January.

XCC opened the month with Gaffigan vs Machado in XCC War Games 1, a debut television special on National Pride TV. The show did strong ratings as former champion Gaffigan set himself up for a potential big rematch with Philip Ziskie with a 33-second knock out over the Brazilian veteran. Frank Romita’s ground and pound overwhelmed Azor Portela Nunes in the co-main event.

GAMMA 46: Boyer vs Oktay sees the US debut of Turkish heavyweight phenom Lefter Oktay, who surprisingly drops a split decision to the Canadian veteran in the championship bout. Boyer, at 36, seems to be in the shape of his fighting career with wins over James Foster and Oktay back to back, though both have been close and controversial in terms of scoring. James Foster got back to his winning ways with a third round submission of Christopher Sharp in the co-main event.

SIGMA took the welterweight championship to Germany as Australian Kenneth Toadspew bored the crowd in a five round decision win over Dominykas Jankovic. The fight received a lot of heat, but luckily it wasn’t televised so only the 413 people in attendance had to witness that disaster. Russian heavyweight prospect Aleksander Ivanov submitted Stanislaw Lipnicki in the co-main event by guillotine choke after six and a half minutes of dull grappling along the fence. Ivanov, 25, is undoubtedly one of Europe’s best prospects at heavyweight, and I might look at him as a rival for Kapur down the line. For now, we wait. I put him on the shortlist though.

KDM FC built on the big Chinese market with a strong offering where the women took center stage. Hanako Zhimizu stopped Yutsuko Sasaki by strikes in the thrilling main event, taking KO of the Night honors and putting herself at #2 in the division behind Czech Veronika Sablikova. The vacant title was on the line as Sablikova is injured for most of two years. The co-main event saw bantamweight veteran Kanji Togo submit Sophan Sastrowardoya for the title.

Next up was FLB with Lucas vs Teco in Brazil. The BJJ black belt Lucas got a quick armbar win over the striker Teco, taking the vacant welterweight title. Veteran Zaco beat Thais Antonio Taffarel by decision for the second time in the co-main event, defending his middleweight belt. Former heavyweight champ Elzo Alves Moura got a second straight stoppage win as he koncked out Santiago Santos on the main card.

ALPHA-1 closed out the month with the rematch between Carlos da Guia and Heiji Endo in the middleweight title fight. The Japanese hero outdid the Brazilian this time in a thrilling six round fight, landing 7 out of 8 takedowns in between some exciting striking exchanges. Winning Fight of the Night honors, the magnitude and momentum of the rematch makes it an early candidate for Fight of the Year or Main Event of the Year. In the co-headliner former welterweight champion Ichisake Miyagi outwrestled Fukusaburu Hirano to a decision win.

CageRage · May 23, 2015

Curt Kitson vs Lenny McFadden

Juozas Skerla vs Ozzy Bintley

Vincent Henderson vs Moore Gordy

Daniel Hornsby vs Garry McSweegan

Davis Spyrou vs Hans-Peter Schneider

Heath Kaladaris vs Augustus Shorrock

Doug Hansen vs Grigory Kabalevsky

Jason Dalglish vs Jan Ilic

George Astaire vs Nigel Collett

Jesse Singh vs Linton Renn

Iain Fussell vs Vjekoslav Sarich

Thesnake101 · May 23, 2015

Curt Kitson vs Lenny McFadden

Juozas Skerla vs Ozzy Bintley

Vincent Henderson vs Moore Gordy

Daniel Hornsby vs Garry McSweegan

Davis Spyrou vs Hans-Peter Schneider

Heath Kaladaris vs Augustus Shorrock

Doug Hansen vs Grigory Kabalevsky

Jason Dalglish vs Jan Ilic

George Astaire vs Nigel Collett

Jesse Singh vs Linton Renn

Iain Fussell vs Vjekoslav Sarich

BigRedMachine · May 23, 2015

Curt Kitson vs Lenny McFadden

Juozas Skerla vs Ozzy Bintley

Vincent Henderson vs Moore Gordy

Daniel Hornsby vs Garry McSweegan

Davis Spyrou vs Hans-Peter Schneider

Heath Kaladaris vs Augustus Shorrock

Doug Hansen vs Grigory Kabalevsky

Jason Dalglish vs Jan Ilic

George Astaire vs Nigel Collett

Jesse Singh vs Linton Renn

Iain Fussell vs Vjekoslav Sarich

Paatero · May 24, 2015

Fortnight Review for weeks 1 & 2 of February:

The first week of February is quiet as the biggest news are my re-signing of British broadcasting ace Burt West for another two years for $10,000 a show.

In week 2 I book Robert Darrell (14-7) versus Mills Mullally (18-6) for the April show. This should be an entertaining battle between two veterans looking to get back in the win column. Mullally is fighting for the first time since May, when he took a beating at the hands (and legs) of Will Kane.

There’s a scouting report for a Tuesday local show in London, and some interesting fighters raise their heads on the domestic scene.

Roger ”The Prince” Quince (3-0) is a 22-year old judo fighter from Devon. He scored a unanimous decision victory over Paul Matravers on the prelims, wearing down the local fighter with clinch control, knees and punches. Prior to this dull but dominant performance, Quince has two impressive submission wins on his resume. I hold out on Quince, as the welterweight is still green and I have plenty of prospects at welterweight.

Larry ”Plague” Johnson (3-0) is a 23-year old Irish heavyweight prospect that comes from catch wrestling but has shown some skills in other areas as well. The Irishman scored a first round submission by rear naked choke over Dillon Richardson, slamming the local fighter down with authority after landing some solid boxing combinations. Johnson is definitely someone I have my eye on as the heavyweight needs its up and comers in the future.

Maurice ”Breeze Block” Browning (3-0) is a 24-year old, 5’9 stocky middleweight from Birmingham. The catch wrestling specialist had a combined fight time of two and a half minutes coming into his fight with Jimmy Carvill, but took a bit more cage time in his standing KO victory in the first minute of the second round. Browning’s one to watch in the middleweight division, a strong grappler who seemingly can also stand and strike.

Northern Ireland’s Barry ”The World’s Most Deadly” Gonzales (3-0) is one of the bigger 20-year olds I’ve seen at 262 pounds and 6 foot 3 inches. The jiu-jitsu student scored a 97-second arm-triangle submission over Zachary Eastman in the second to last fight. Gonzales goes into the same category as Larry Johnson as someone to look out for at heavyweight in a few years’ time.

Alan ”Poison” Maxx (3-0) is a 33-year old catch wrestler from Northern Ireland, known as one of the best at the art of catch. Maxx handed an incredibly one-sided beating to Vernon Brooks in the main event, getting a fourth round TKO after some heavy ground and pound and striking work. Maxx is a popular character and at 33 hasn’t got the luxury of five or more years to develop his skill set on the local circuit, so I sign him as part of my heavyweight division. It’ll be intriguing to see how far his skills bring him.

Matas Fialkowski (5-0) is out of his scheduled BCF debut against Scotty Arnsson (4-0) in March. I scrap the bout completely, and Manish Khan versus Ivano Ancic gets bumped to the main card.

Paatero · May 24, 2015

BCF: Kitson vs McFadden 2

Saturday Week 2 of February, 2002 in Scotland

Broadcast by United Kingdom Choice on PPV

Prelims:

Iain Fussell (8-3) vs Vjekoslav Sarich (7-1) at welterweight

The first round is a quality striking battle with no takedown attempts from the jiu-jitsu fighter in Fussell. Sarich probably edges it, but Fussell gets him down in the second half of round 2. He mostly uses it to rest and control though, no guard passes or strikes. Fussell gets another takedown after a brief striking exchange in the third and shortly gets the back mount with the body triangle in, squeezing out an impressive submission win. Great fight, and Sarich definitely gets another shot despite a second loss.

Result: Iain Fussell (9-3) defeats Vjekoslav Sarich (7-2) by submission (rear-naked choke) at 3:56 of round 3.

Jesse Singh (17-6) vs Linton Renn (9-3) at heavyweight

Singh does well for about a minute and a half, using his reach advantage until Renn closes the distance and takes him down. From there the Halifax Smasher gets mount and pounds Singh out of the fight. Great entertainment so far.

Result: Linton Renn (10-3) defeats Jesse Singh (17-7) by TKO (punches) at 2:27 of round 1.

George Astaire (12-7) vs Nigel Collett (7-2) at lightweight

Scotland comes to life as Collett uses a cage grab to defend an Astaire takedown in the first round. The referee doesn’t spot the blatant foul, but Astaire takes matters into his own hands, throwing the Englishman to the ground and getting the finish shortly thereafter. Great comeback win for Astaire, and 1-0 for Scotland.

Result: George Astaire (13-7) defeats Nigel Collett (7-3) by submission (armbar) at 3:27 of round 1.

Jason Dalglish (19-6) vs Jan Ilic (8-0) at featherweight

The first two featherweights step foot into the BCF cage. The Scottish Miniature Killer trades a pair of jabs with the Polish power puncher before diving in and getting the double leg takedown. A guard pass later, Dalglish soon finishes the job and makes it 2-0 for Scotland in a great debut performance.

Result: Jason Dalglish (20-6) defeats Jan Ilic (8-1) by submission (arm-triangle choke) at 2:35 of round 1.

Grigory Kabalevsky (8-1) vs Doug Hansen (18-6) at lightweight

It’s a well rounded showing from Hansen who dominates the Russian along the fence with knees and elbows, from the distance with boxing and takes the mount at the end of the round after scrambling on top off a Kabalevsky takedown. The same brand of entertaining scrap continues in the second and third, and Hansen should be looking at a comfortable rebound win over the newcomer who kept going but wasn’t technically sound enough to have much success. 3-0 Scotland.

Result: Doug Hansen (19-6) defeats Grigory Kabalevsky (8-2) by unanimous decision (30-27 x2, 29-28).

Heath Kaladaris (7-0) vs Augustus Shorrock (8-2) at middleweight

It’s a tough but good showing for Kaladaris who has to wrestle with the stocky powerhouse grappler Shorrock who keeps pushing in. Kaladaris gets the takedown late and almost cranks Shorrock’s shoulder out with a kimure before switching to the choke and getting it done with three seconds left in the first round.

Result: Heath Kaladaris (8-0) defeats Augustus Shorrock (8-3) by submission (arm-triangle choke) at 4:57 of round 1.

Main card:

Davis Spyrou (20-6) vs Hans-Peter Schneider (17-8)

The former champ opens with a good jab, head kick combination, making the German shoot in for a takedown. Spyrou sprawls but gets pushed to the cage. amd Schneider beats on him with knees and dirty boxing. The referee separates them at the midpoint and Spyrou keeps up the pressure with his striking. Some left hooks, jabs and leg kicks find their way through to Schneider who shoots a second time at the end, but a great sprawl from the Londoner stops it right away. A good, close round.

Even more good strikes land from Spyrou to begin right two, but Schneider pushes him to the fence at 2:30. Hard knees to the body and legs land, as well as some foot stomps and short punches. Schneider struggles to get a takedown to seal the round and manages to get it on the third attempt with just ten seconds left. Schneider is really lending himself to some entertaining and technical fights at middleweight.

The German does a better job of avoiding Spyrou’s vaunted kicks in the third round, though does eat a leg kick and a hard left hook. Schneider gets a big takedown in the final half of the round though and takes the back, but doesn’t get his hooks in. The third round ends and I’m not sure who’s going to take it. Great way to start off the main card either way.

Result: Hans-Peter Schneider (18-8) defeats Davis Spyrou (20-7) by unanimous decision (29-28 x3).

Daniel Hornsby (13-5) vs Garry McSweegan (24-9) at light heavyweight

Hornsby manages to use his wrestling to shut down McSweegan in the first, taking the Scot down and landing some punches from half guard for the majority of the first five minutes.

McSweegan opens up with a good combination but gets slammed down by Hornsby shortly thereafter. Hornsby is in control again for the second stanza.

The third round is frustrating for the Scottish crowd again, as Hornsby pushes the Scot against the fence for most of the round before getting yet another takedown and smothering McSweegan for the inevitable decision victory.

Result: Daniel Hornsby (14-5) defeats Garry McSweegan (24-10) by unanimous decision (29-28 x2, 30-27).

I guess two punches in the second round were enough to win him the round on two scorecards. 3-1 for Scotland as Hornsby finally breaks his losing streak. McSweegan didn’t get to do anything but I’ll still give him another fight. He probably didn’t get hurt much here.

Vincent Henderson (2-0) vs Moore Gordy (2-0) at middleweight

Gordy seems like a much bigger fighter in the cage than Scotland’s wrestling star Henderson, dropping down from light heavyweight. It’s not a big problem for ”the Virus” though, who walks through a couple of good combinations to slam Gordy down and claim mount near the fence. A quick switch of the hips later he has the arm and the Manchester fighter is tapping. The first part of the experiment is a success as our Scottish developmental prospect delivers a finish.

Result: Vincent Henderson (3-0) defeats Moore Gordy (2-1) by submission (armbar) at 4:17 of round 1.

Gordy is a big middleweight who seems dangerous on his feet and I suspect the ”War Wolf” will get another shot.

Juozas Skerla (8-0) vs Ozzy Bintley (7-0) at heavyweight

Big stakes for the rising star from Worcester against the 6’4 Lithuanian. Bintley seemingly breaks Skerla’s nose with his first two sharp combinations and keeps up the pressure in the first frame. Bintley finishes impressively as a fantastic right cross ends the fight.

Result: Ozzy Bintley (8-0) defeats Juozas Skerla (8-1) by KO (punches) at 2:06 of round 1.

Bintley calls out Mark Bicknell post fight, which is an odd call out. I have other plans for Bicknell though, who is expecting a fight soon.

Curt Kitson (15-0) vs Lenny McFadden (14-1) for the BCF light heavyweight championship

The two biggest names in Scottish MMA touch gloves in the first round. McFadden shortly lands a big single leg takedown to perhaps send an important message in the fight. The challenger is wary of the submission threat, but lands some stinging short strikes from the guard to win the first round in what is objectively a rather dull five minutes. Important for McFadden, though.

The two exchange some hands in the second round and while Kitson is more aggressive, jabbing his way to right hands and body shots, McFadden lands some good counter punches. Kitson is starting to take control though with volume and accuracy, and McFadden goes to shoot but Kitson instead takes the clinch and tosses the challenger over with his brilliant judo. The Bad Element mounts the challenger and tries to set up and arm triangle. He eventually gets it on the third attempt and finishes the fight with one second left in the clock in the second round. Damn, this could have turned out a great fight if McFadden had just held on a little longer. Or perhaps the champion broke him already.

Result: Curt Kitson (16-0) defeats Lenny McFadden (14-2) by submission (arm-triangle choke) at 4:59 of round 2 to retain the BCF light heavyweight title.

Post Show Thoughts:

Bonuses $2500, extra big PPV for extra bonuses.

FotN: Schneider & Spyrou

KOtN: Bintley

SotN: Henderson

733 in live attendance for a big gate of $51,603. The PPV rates broke the bank as I rake in $2,248,000, more than doubling the previous record which is also held by Kitson. A strong 63% commercial rating and a 68% critical, my popularity went up a record 3.1% in the British Isles.

The main event was decent and definitely built up Kitson’s resume even further, but I’m a little disappointed in the ending - McFadden had a good first round and could’ve made it interesting, but Kitson turned out to be too much for him as he did go for the takedown in the second which is when the champ capitalized. This puts McFadden in a difficult spot as he is 0-2 against the champion, though he is still at national popularity which makes him a strong main event fighter. Kitson is at the point where he can’t grow before BCF goes to the next level, which I’m definitely looking to do.

Bintley makes it 4-0 in fourteen months with a quick and dominant KO over a big Lithuanian known for his toughness. At 27 Bintley has recently joined Leamington Spa Muay Thai, which should help him hone his technical striking as his athletic ability and mental toughness are already through the roof. Skerla will definitely get other, easier chances when he returns.

Vincent Henderson becomes one of the more intriguing up and comers with his third straight first round submission. The wrestler seems to have adapted well into MMA, though there is still much to be seen about the 28-year old. At high level regional he is already among the best known middleweights in the British Isles, which puts him in a tough position as I need to use him on main cards and soon even featured headlining bouts. I expect his next fight to be of similar caliber to this one to measure his consistency and development, but after that I’ll try to start testing his limits gradually. Hopefully he finds a way into one of the big teams in the UK, as some striking work would definitely benefit him. His wrestling may already be the best in the division, and his groundwork has also looked stellar.

Daniel Hornsby was a disappointment to the Scotland crowd but a positive surprise to me, in a way. He fought a smart fight and though it was very dull to watch, it got him the much needed win. More passing and ground and pound would’ve been nice to see, however.

The German middleweight Schneider keeps up his improbable run of competing with and beating some of my top fighters in the Fight of the Night with former champ Spyrou. He seems to be in a constant state of improvement at London Kickboxing Academy, which is good to see. His next fight could be to determine the next title contender, or some other high profile bout. A finish would be good to see out of the 32-year old German, but that would require me to give him a slightly easier out. He has won my favor and I might do that if timing doesn’t require me to put him in a big fight of some sort.

An obvious tough match to make for him would be Heath Kaladaris, but that’s not something I’m looking at right now. The 23-year old had a good performance, but I’m not in a hurry to step him up so far in the division, even though he has the ability.

Scotland made it 4-1-1 on the night in total (the draw being the main event, kind of) with two lightweight victories on the prelims. George Astaire ran right through Nigel Collett, while Doug Hansen got a good well rounded performance over Grigory Kabalevsky. An obvious next move would be to match the two up, but I’m not sure yet if that’s something I want to do.

The featherweight division debuted in style as Jason Dalglish made quick work of the previously unbeaten Jan Ilic. Ilic is still young at 24 and will get plenty of other chances, especially as I like his potential and style. Dalglish is one of the more experienced and talented fighters in the new division, but will probably need at least one more showing to get to the title that will be up for grabs in the tournament that should start in the spring.

Linton Renn and Iain Fussell also got back to the win column with great stoppage victories. Fussell’s at mid level regional and +1 heat which makes him a rising star, while Renn is neutral and just at the border between low and mid level regional.

Nobody gets released after tonight’s stellar event, though Jesse Singh treads close.

Prediction Results:

CageRage: 9/11

TheSnake101: 9/11

BigRedMachine: 8/11

All time standings:

TheSnake101: 44/56

CageRage: 39/56

BigRedMachine: 15/19

Frank_Vest: 2/7

Paatero · May 24, 2015

Fortnight Review for weeks 3 & 4 of February:

As expected, Curt Kitson gets big international offers as ALPHA-1 approaches him. I fight tooth and nail to keep my biggest star, promising the Scot a growing domestic company and good championship benefits <img alt="" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/wink.png.686f06e511ee1fbf6bdc7d82f6831e53.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" />. In the name of fairness I bump up his pay significantly in all categories, as he has made me a staggering $4.1 million in PPV revenue as the main event. I end up with a $28,500 base pay for 3 years / 6 fights, 5% performance scale and 15% in all the bonus categories.

I announce my first double header month as May will feature two BCF events, including the company’s first foray outside the British Isles. Helsinki, Finland will host the eighth installment of BCF TV, featuring some of Europe’s top talent. (See, here I’ve gone to character again, you can’t actually pick where in Scandinavia you go.) Hometown heavyweight Roope Kuqi (8-0) will face British veteran Mark Bicknell (11-4) on the card, and some more Nordic talent is expected to be seen as well. Light heavyweights Andoni Olano (7-3) and Neville Granville (7-1) are also expected to bring some striking action to the main card.

The second event will be BCF’s next pay per view in London as Seth O’Breen (18-1) puts his lightweight title on the line against Gordon Idle (12-5) for the second time. The heavyweight title will also be on the line, with Exeter’s Dave Lennon (17-6) attempting his first defense against Manchester’s Fritz Phipps (9-1). The stacked event is also expected to open the featherweight championship tournament with Graeme Spark (10-1) facing Dallin Friedland (9-0) and Jay Dorridge (10-2) facing Freddy Lomax (8-0). In addition, middleweight prospects Rhys Buck (7-1) and Charlie Oakley (6-0) round out the main card.

Paatero · May 24, 2015

BCF TV: Baines vs Beaumont announcement

Saturday Week 2 March, 2002 in London

Broadcast by Euro Cable Sports 1

Middleweight Championship Bout: Rob Baines (33-11) vs Ginger Beaumont (9-0)

Regardless of who wins, the middleweight division will be ruled by a Rob Baines fighter as the namesake of the gym defends his title against long time teammate in Scotland’s Ginger Beaumont. The champion is 9 years the elder of the two men and is a pedigreed submission grappler while the challenger is a physically strong bull of a fighter with heavy hands and wrestling ability. It is difficult to say whether the Scot has the technique and experience to deal with someone of Baines’ caliber.

Middleweight Bout: Edgar van den Hoogenband (6-0) vs Mily Golovanov (8-1)

The Dutch elite kickboxer returns and faces a stiff test in the Russian top prospect Golovanov, who has the style to cause problems for him. Golovanov makes his BCF and British Isles debut, but has +3 momentum with several impressive submission finishes in his resume.

Welterweight Bout: Piotr Dabrowski (20-8) vs Filip Hristov (8-0)

The Bulgarian vanquisher of Will Kane makes his BCF debut on the main card as he faces Poland’s Dabrowski who was successful in his debut last year. Hristov’s elite judo should make him a favorite against the experienced Pole, and a good showing might get him all the way to the title.

Welterweight Bout: Jens Halle (17-4) vs Timothy Latchkey (10-1)

I promised Latchkey a step up, and that’s what he gets in #6 welterweight Jens Halle who is coming off a TKO of middleweight Henning Olsen in his last fight. The Norwegian is 1-1 in BCF and is looking to put together his first winning streak in the company against the Exeter catch wrestler in Latchkey. The Englishman will be looking to put the fight in his terms on the mat, while Halle will want to stand and strike.

Featherweight Bout: Manish Khan (11-3) vs Ivano Ancic (9-0)

Sheffield’s Manish Khan returns to home soil after spending years fighting for SIGMA around Europe. The 27-year old amateur boxing stand out has suffered two losses in his last three fights and is looking to get back on track against the undefeated Croatian, Ancic. There is a six inch length differential in the fight in favor of the 23-year old Croatian.

Prelims:

Middleweight Bout: Dennis Gallagher (13-8) vs Tucker Plumm (17-11)

A fight between middleweight veterans in desperate need of a win. London’s Plumm is known as a karateka while Ireland’s Gallagher also likes to stand and bang, which coupled with the high stakes should make this an entertaining one to lead in to the main card.

Lightweight Bout: Xavi Castillejo (7-1) vs William Powell (12-9)

A couple of lightweights looking to put a streak together, Spain’s Castillejo will look to lean on his strong striking skills against the submission fighter in Powell. I’m hoping that the opposite match up makes for a decisive finish and puts one fighter ahead in the division with momentum.

Middleweight Bout: Bobby Hawkins (1-0) vs Paul Goodfellow (1-1)

Paul Goodfellow’s growth continues against Birmingham’s Bobby Hawkins who, like his opponent, was a high level kickboxer before turning to MMA. This should be a fun one with a violent finish, as Hawkins’ lone MMA win was recorded by head kick KO in 23 seconds.

Heavyweight Bout: Basil McCrystle (9-7) vs Vic Millican (19-7)

Basil McCrystle managed to get his first BCF win in a KO over Terry Bull in his last fight, while Millican is looking for his first one in a long time. The 35-year old Millican is at -2 momentum and really needs to deliver big here if he is to continue his career in any sort of relevant fashion.

Paatero · May 25, 2015

Monthly MMA review for February, 2002:

Four major MMA events take place in addition to BCF: OMEGA, GAMMA, WEFF and KDM FC.

OMEGA’s super heavyweight title went to Wally Bryant, who knocked out Ted Johnson in four minutes. Darren Southall defeated Ross Smith in the co-main event by knock out.

GAMMA light heavyweight champion Lawrence Herringbone submitted contender Marlon John for the second time. Buddy Garner armbarred Stuart Strange in the co-main event.

WEFF featherweight champion Hope Lehane defended her title for the third time, submitting Rachel McGuiness by rear naked choke. Pamela O’Neill arm triangled Rose Nessa in the penultimate bout.

KDM FC featherweight champion Tomohiro Takeuchi beat Li-Kong Ho by decision for the third time. Takeuchi seems to have cleared out the division as he is 3-0 against the second best fighter in the entire weight class. Yoshiro Makamori submitted Tan Su in under two minutes in the co-main event.

Fortnight Review for weeks 1 & 2 of March, 2002:

Gordon Idle (12-5) has suffered a minor leg injury in training but luckily the lightweight contender is still able to compete on his scheduled date at the end of May.

Exciting featherweight fighter Fernando Peragon (12-3) will make his BCF debut on May’s BCF TV card in Finland. Facing the Spanish brawler will be Northern Irish boxer Liam O’Donnell (10-4).

Welterweight Duncan Thistlewood (9-3) gets a BCF contract after his fourth straight stoppage victory on the local circuit.

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Great title to attract readers: A new BCF dynasty in 2015!

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