Ryan White TKO1 Mark Buchanan

The marathon 15 fight, 5 hour plus card kicked off with Sol Gilbert protégé White scoring a surprising win over Elite fighter Buchanan. White, who later admitted he expected to lose, dominated from the outset, taking Buchanan down, landing big shots and making a couple of guillotine attempts. After a nice guard pass he started raining right hands down on Buchanan’s face, prompting the referee to stop the fight at 3:07.

Paul Daley DEC3 Joey Van Wanrooij

Controlled and measured are not words usually applied to the er, explosive ‘Semtex’ Daley but that’s how he fought here. And it earned him a clear, unanimous decision win over a very difficult Wanrooij. Daley clearly had no intention of standing with the dangerous Dutchman and was constantly going for takedowns. He usually got them too, displaying a real improvement in his wrestling. However, aside from a furious barrage of punches after the initial takedown and some good shots late in the first he never really looked like finishing Wanrooij off, despite being very active on top. The Dutch striker was surprisingly good on the ground and had some nice reversals. He also blasted Daley with a huge right hand in the second round but the Rough House fighter took it well and although tired in thew last round, ground out a hard-fought unanimous decision win.

Gesias Cavalcante KO1 Michihiro Omigawa

Cavalcnate booked himself a date in Japan with his 49 second KO of Omigawa in this Pride: Bushido Challenge Match. Omigawa started with some nice leg kicks but a big right hand from ‘JZ’ hurt him badly. Cavalcante followed up with a couple more as Omigawa was falling, becoming the second ATT fighter to put Omigawa’s lights out.

Ross Mason TKO2 Darren Guisha

Mason made a very impressive welterweight debut, thoroughly outclassing the previously unbeaten Guisha. Mason took the first round with ease, picking apart Guisha with body punches, leg kicks and some sharp knees to the face. Mason also worked patiently on the ground, although the ‘no elbows’ rule hampered him a little. Still, late in the round he drilled Guisha with some heavy left hands. Mason opened the second with some nice kicks to the legs and body of his less skilled, tiring opponent. Flooring Guisha briefly, Mason also rocked him with a heavy left hand and followed up with a good takedown. A few more punches had Guisha looking for a way to escape and as he turned his back, Mason went for the choke. Unable to secure it he just carried on hammering until the referee waved it off 2:16 into the round.

Nigel Whitear SUB1 Dean Bray

Whitear tapped Bray with an armbar after 3:56 of a very entertaining, action-packed fight. Both men started off swinging wildly, with the ultra-aggressive bray hurting ‘the Pitbull’ and taking him down. From there they traded reversals frequently in what was either a display of their offensive skills or defensive deficiencies, depending on your viewpoint. Whatever, it was great to watch. After a brief exchange on their feet, bray scored another takedown and had Whitear on the floor, trapped by the fence. Striking away, he left himself open for the submission and Whitear took a beautiful armbar from a very bad position for the win.

Robbie Olivier DEC3 Chris Freebourne

Olivier’s wrestling and BJJ skills enabled him to dominate the fight but Freebourne’s incredible tenacity at least saw him survive the full 15 minutes. Freebourne threw some dangerous upkicks and had some great submission escapes but the relentless Olivier forced him onto the defensive for the vast majority of the fight. Olivier came close with a couple of triangle attempts in the third but for the most part the story of the fight was Freebourne struggling to avoid the takedown and then to cover up against Olivier’s punches and squirm free of his frequent and varied submission attempts. Olivier more than earned his unanimous decision win but Freebourne deserves just as much admiration for his sheer guts.

Alan Murdoch TKO1 Dave Lageno

I have no idea how to adequately describe this fight. This was just insane. My preview started with the words “expect fireworks” but this was something else. Drawing comparisons between an unskilled version of the Griffin-Bonnar classic in April, or a clumsier Frye-Takayama, crossed with a drunken pub brawl may give you an idea of what went on during this 4 minutes of total mayhem. Firstly, Elite fighter and MMA debutant Lageno either has a HUGE family or a LOT of friends as he came out to thunderous reception. Murdoch on the other hand was booed without mercy, partly due to his howling mad pre-fight interview clip where he ranted his head off and partly because this crowd would have booed their own grandparents against Lageno.

As the fight started Murdoch charged forwards and Lageno started swinging. Holding Murdoch’s head with one hand Lageno fired off about a million uppercuts and a few thousand body shots. Murdoch somehow survived the onslaught but again his gameplan was limited to steaming in and Lageno picked him off with some nice jabs. A powerful jab/right hook combination hurt Murdoch and Lageno another incessant barrage, this time of left and right hooks, as his army of fans screamed their heads off in excitement. Lageno was pretty obviously gassed out by now and his punches lacked power. Still, the sheer volume of fists dropped Murdoch and the fight looked close to being stopped until he grabbed a leg and held on for dear life until managing a takedown. Clumsily, Murdoch armbarred an unprepared Lageno but the local hero simply refused to tap. With the arm fully extended and absolutely no prospect of Lageno escaping Grant Waterman made the right, but very unpopular decision to stop the fight. Both men asked for a rematch and, lacking in skill as they both are, they completely understand the need to entertain the audience so I’d love to see them go at it again.

Sol Gilbert DQ1 Xavier Foupa-Pokam

Gilbert may have been knocked silly with an illegal kick after just 70 seconds but ‘Professor X’ was the real victim here. Cage Rage’s rule change – allowing kicks to a downed opponent when the referee gives his consent is supposed to bring their rules more in line with Pride’s while also protecting the fighters in a cage environment – was bound to cause problems. Co-promoter Andy Geer addressed the crowd and blamed this on the transition from one set of rules to another but essentially it just doesn’t make sense to allow kicks like this in some situations but not in others. Anyway, both men started out fast with the much taller Frenchman looking especially dangerous. A high kick glanced off Gilbert’s head but after some feinting and dancing by both men, Foupa-Pokam dropped Gilbert heavily with a beautiful punch. Unfortunately, instead of using his fists he followed up by hoofing him in the face, forcing his immediate disqualification. A visibly disappointed Gilbert asked for a rematch and Geer announced it should happen at Cage Rage 15 in February.

Robert Berry SUB1 Marc Goddard

It took just 61 seconds for ‘Buzz’ Berry to finish Goddard off and he did it in a pretty unlikely way. Goddard is more skilled with submissions but the much bigger Berry grabbed his head while defending against a leg trip takedown and held on tight, eventually forcing a submission with a guillotine choke. ‘Buzz’ usually batter his opponents with his fists but his loyal following were happy to see him win however it happened. As for Goddard, he announced his retirement, saying he just didn’t have the time to devote to his training these days. A shame, but he’s an excellent referee, as he proved last week at Cage Warriors: Strike Force 4.

Mark Epstein KO1 Brian Adams

Well, Cage Rage will be replaying a clip of this one for years. After a solid start by the taller Adams where he used some very good jabs to keep ‘the Beast’ at bay, both men threw simultaneous right hooks, and both hit the floor. Looking at the replays it was clear Epstein’s punch was heavier and he was already scrambling to his feet to follow up as the referee waved the fight off after a mere 19 seconds. Adams disputes the decision and without a closer look it’s impossible to say for sure, but while I thought the stoppage may have been a little premature, I can see why it was called that way.

Matt Lindland TKO3 Antonio Schembri

Who says Lindland isn’t a good finisher? Even without the use of elbows he still battered Schembri for the TKO 3:33 into the third round, making him the first fighter to finish the touch and defensively obsessed Chute Boxe fighter inside the distance. Schembri is just horrible to watch – utterly negative and completely single-minded at all times. The first two rounds were abysmal. And the blame lies with the Brazilian. Time and time again he pulled guard and simply allowed Lindland to take him down. Yet once on the mat he did almost nothing aside from a couple of weak submission attempts and a lot of holding on. For his part, Lindland was constantly aggressive, always looking for openings and punching away at Schembri’s head and body. On the rare occasions when ‘Nino’ did try a submission, Lindland slipped out easily. ‘The Law’ landed some particularly good punches in the second and after two rounds was walking away with what looked to be a certain decision victory. The third saw Schembri land a sloppy right hook but otherwise stick to his gameplan. Then, with ‘Nino’ yet again holding guard, Lindland backed up, giving himself the space to drop a might right hand that rocked the reluctant Brazilian. The UFC veteran had tried this a few times before and now got the result he wanted. Pouncing on Schembri, he started whaling away with rights and lefts. Schembri got a brief respite (a couple of seconds at most) when he kicked Lindland away but it was too little too late. Lindland was instantly back on him, his punches bouncing Schembri’s hairy head off the mat to force the stoppage.

Afterwards, Lindland had some kind words for Lee Murray before challenging him for a fight later in the year and after telling the crowd how much he enjoyed bashing Schembri he even thanked Dana White (in town for TUF3 auditions) “for coming to watch me”. Two words: Lindland rocks.

Alex Reid DRAW3 Daijiro Matsui

This was an excellent fight, easily one of the best in Cage Rage history, and Matsui walked away bruised and an unlikely cult hero. In many ways this was similar to the recent Diego Sanchez and Nick Diaz fight, except far, far more competitive. Like Sanchez, Matsui was utterly relentless in going for takedowns but Reid did some real damage from the bottom in an all-out, three round war. Matsui took Reid down early and landed one or two hard punches. Reid, always working, kept using his feet to spin away from the fence and was throwing plenty of short, chopping punches of his own. A flurry of shoulder strikes earned Matsui a cheer from the crowd but then as he was working to pass Reid’s tight half-guard, the referee called an inexplicable restart. Matsui soon got another takedown and after another busy exchange of punches, Reid went for a triangle. It looked close but Matsui escaped and countered with some solid left hands to the face. Again Reid fired back with punches but as the round ended he was cut deeply over the right eye and on the right cheek. Matsui had done enough to win a very close, very exciting round.

The second opened with Matsui catching a kick and dumping Reid to the mat for a takedown. Again, Reid was attacking from a bad position, throwing short, chopping punches from his back. Matsui went for a kneebar. Failing to extend Reid’s leg properly, and back in the Englishman’s guard, Matsui stood to throw down some punches. Reid had other ideas though and blasted him with some vicious upkicks. A shaken Matsui dropped down and they exchanged short punches once more. The ever-inventive Matsui went for a cartwheel guard pass but Reid caught him and manoeuvred into a triangle attempt. Some more fast, slick groundwork saw Matsui take a side mount and land a few punches to Reid’s face. As the buzzer went Matsui was going for a hopeful Kimura and Reid’s corner dashed into the cage to work frantically on his cuts. The damage done by Reid’s upkicks likely sneaked him another extremely close round.

The two exchanged fast, hard punches at the start of the third with Reid tagging Matsui and the Japanese veteran going for a takedown. Some good punches were met with more of Reid’s nasty upkicks until the pace slowed a little and the referee ordered a restart. A visibly tired Matsui was slow in getting up and as the fight restarted, was forced to cover up against Reid’s aggressive, accurate punching. Matsui of course tried standing with the taller Reid and caught him with a couple of shots of his own but Reid got the better of the exchange throwing some knees at Matsui’s face. Matsui dove back in for a takedown and despite Reid’s defence, eventually dragged the Englishman to the mat. Another brief Kimura attempt and a few punches from Matsui ended the show’s best fight to the rousing applause of a very appreciative audience. I had Reid sneaking the last round, giving him the closest of decision wins in a fight where I really wouldn’t want to argue the case for either fighter. Matsui had all the takedowns and was on top, but Reid was busy enough from the bottom to earn the win. Eventually a majority draw was announced and really, that may have been the fairest decision. The crowd thought otherwise and booed their countryman before chanting for Matsui. They even cheered his post-fight interview (before it was even translated) and gave him a great reaction as he punched one of the corner posts (this is Matsui after all) and bowed to the audience. Reid’s position was simple, “we need to do it again.” Yes they do.

Mark Weir KO1 Akira Shoji

This was over, fast. After a few seconds of cautious circling, Weir nailed the much shorter Shoji with a left high kick to the temple that dropped him like a sack of potatoes and followed it up with a couple of punches. Really, Shoji was finished as soon as the kick landed and referee Grant Waterman literally charged in to save the Pride veteran from unnecessary punishment. A stunning, crowd pleasing 17 second win for the UK MMA legend.

Vitor Belfort KO2 Antony Rea

Belfort, who received a superstar reaction, cruelly exposed Rea as a top quality European fighter who is still some way away from World class, with an efficient second round KO. Both men were cautious from the outset with nothing happening for the first minute or so. As the crowd started to boo, Rea threw a right hand that Belfort countered with his fast hands. Changing tactics, Rea went for the takedown, but Belfort reversed and went for a guillotine. Back on their feet, Rea blocked a high kick but was backed up against the fence and hurt him with a couple of hooks and a swift uppercut. Belfort caught Rea with a couple more counterpunches to seal a comfortable opening round. Rea opened the second by landing a straight right hand and a decent leg kick while a passive Belfort seemed happy to wait for countering opportunities. The Phenom’ took advantage of the slower, more aggressive Rea, landing a perfect uppercut and a beautiful knee to the face from a Muay Thai clinch. Strangely, Belfort gave Rea time to recover and the Frenchman went for a takedown. Belfort stuffed it and Rea rushed in for another punch but Belfort caught him with a stunning left uppercut that dropped Rea and ended the fight 1:13 into the round. Some have already questioned the stoppage but due to Belfort’s speed, power and technique, Rea was only looking at further punishment.

Anderson Silva KO1 Curtis Stout

Cage Rage World Middleweight Champion Silva retained his title with a fantastic performance against the bigger, stronger challenger with a vicious KO 4:59 into the first round. During the pre-fight promo video Stout mocked the champion’s power but ended the fight unconscious by the fence and stayed down for several minutes as he received medical attention. From the start, Silva was clearly faster and Stout chose to take him down, obviously expecting his weight advantage and wrestling to give him the edge. Silva defended well and even went for a triangle choke. After a clinch by the fence and another Stout takedown, Silva landed on top of the American and controlled him while throwing punches to the body. The action slowed considerably until Silva slammed Stout with a vicious right hand to the head. The champion then stood up and dropped 5 or 6 heavy shots through Stout’s guard and the challenger turned his back. Staying on him, Silva carried on punching, and stout, trapped by the fence simply had nowhere to go. Somewhere in there, Silva knocked him out cold and Grant Waterman dived in to save him and end a night of serious action.