Sunday 14 November 2010

Night of the Gladiators 6 - Review, Results and Reflections

On a night of several marquee combat sport events it was time for yet another solid card from one of the fastest growing promotions in the Midlands.

Night of the Gladiators has been picking up great momentum in a relatively short space of time and this card was no different.

Ross Pointon's name is synonymous with action packed fights and this, thankfully, seems to have made the perfect transition into promoting as every fighter on the card came to finish their fights in the quickest way possible.


Jake Barratt vs. Chris Mullaney
70kg Semi Pro Bout

It was the first of the local favourites as returning victor Jake Barratt came to bring the fight to Team Colosseum's Chris Mulaney. The crowd clearly had picked their champion but Mullaney, undaunted, looked for the early takedown and was able to complete. It was a fast paced round and, even though he locked on a tight looking guillotine, Mullaney was unable to take advantage of this situation and found himself on the bottom and under fire.

Barratt did exactly what he needed to do and applied just the right amount of pressure to elicit the stoppage in the first round with some hammerfists and hard looking punches.

Ben Ford vs. Greg Grimshaw
70kg Semi Pro Bout

Ben Ford came in looking to strike early against Team Colosseum's Greg Grimshaw but, unfortunately for him, his opponent had other ideas. It was the dominant wrestling from Grimshaw that drew out the blueprint for this bout.

Ford never stopped working from the bottom and even managed a few reversals but he was clearly fighting a losing battle as Grimshaw showed great control and took home the deserved unanimous decision victory.

Adam Bairstow vs. Lee Tuff
70kg Semi Pro Bout

Both fighters were coming into this bout having lost at the previous show and it was clear from the outset that neither wanted to lose again. Bairstow, as always, came in to some massive support but Tuff seemed unphased and looked to pressure his man early.

Both fighters exchanged punches and positions early on and after an action packed first round, it was Bairstow who landed a nice takedown but caught an uppercut for his troubles.

Bairstow looked a different fighter and took no time in securing back control and finishing his man with a textbook rear naked choke victory


Josh Layton vs. Gary Greenough
77kg Semi Pro Bout

Josh Layton picked up where he left off in his last bout with some devastating slam takedowns against Gary Greenough. It was clear that Layton had the edge in this area and, following the gameplan perfectly, he proceeded to dictate the pace of the bout with his wrestling.

Greenough never stopped fighting but Layton was relentless in his assualt and, in the second round, gave referee Simon McGovern no choice but to step in and call a halt to the proceedings as he landed some brutal ground and pound from the top.

Carl Tranter vs. Anthony Davis
77kg Semi Pro Bout

Anthony Davis was the last of the fighters to represent Team Colloseum and, as his team mates had done before him, came out with a ferocious assault against a very well conditioned Carl Tranter.

It was a busy first round to say the least but the defining moment happened when Davis was able to get the takedown and stack his foe up in his own corner. Tranter looked apprehensive, with good reason, as Davis was able to posture up and land some dynamic looking shots which forced a justified first round stoppage.

Yannik Bahati vs. Gavin Dunnicliff
84kg Semi Pro Bout

Both fighters came in with a great deal of support and it was clear from the outset that neither man wanted to make any early mistakes.

It was an incredibly tense opening stanza but Bahati looked the busier fighter in the clinch and landed a huge knee to the body that marked his opponent instantly. Dunnicliff looked cautious with his punches and, apart from a nice combination in the second round, seemed to struggle to let his punches and kicks go.

Bahati landed a nice takedown and overall seemed to apply the pressure more throughout the course of this bout. It was a sentiment echoed by the decision rendered as all three judges awarded Bahati with a unanimous decision victory.


Ben Callum vs. Michael Obasohan
95kg + Bout

It was clear from the outset that these two fighters had come to swing hard but it was Obasohan who was able to take the fight to the floor early and looked to control his man, using his size advantage.

Obasohan looked to work from the ground but Callum did well to remain calm. Ben managed a reversal but  was penalized a point for repeatedly striking to the head of a downed opponent.

In the second round Callum realised he needed to make a big statement and did just this by dropping his foe to the floor with a piledriving straight shot. It was all Obasohan, who was clearly exhausted, could do to hold on and see the round out after he spent the bulk of the second round eating shots from the top.

Obasohan opened the third with a huge suplex style takedown and looked to have secured the set up to grind out a decision victory but was unable to capitalise and when the two got slowly back to their feet, Callum fired off a lightening fast hook that put out the lights. It was a well deserved KO victory for Ben Callum who looked sharp and showed his skills in overcoming a 30kg weight differential.

Harry Izevbigie vs. Nick Greaves
77kg Semi Pro GPUK Title Bout

Harry Izevbigie, fresh from his title victory at the previous show, clearly looked like he wanted to send a message anyone watching in this bout as he destroyed Sukata MMA's Nick Greaves in just twenty seconds.

Izevbigie landed a huge right hand over the top and, seeing his opponent reeling, smelled blood in the water and went in for the kill. He quickly landed more strikes and stood above his prone opponent hammering home punch after punch until he was stopped by the referee.

Izevbigie looks like a handful for anyone at this level and proved tonight that, with the right coaching and training, he has the potential to achieve a lot in this sport.

Conrad Hayes vs. Ben Rose
70kg Pro Bout

Team Gladiator prospect Conrad Hayes made his professional debut in an entertaining rematch with Ben Rose. It was clear, from the outset, that the crowd was willing Hayes forward but Rose had obviously learned from their previous encounter and looked to use his size and wrestling to take the fight out of his opponent.

Hayes kept moving forward throughout the fight but Rose never stopped attacking and continued to land takedowns and strikes throughout the first two rounds.

In the third round it was clear that Hayes was fatigued and Rose, sensing this, once again completed another takedown and deposited his foe up against the fence. Conrad simply had nothing left and Rose had played out the perfect gameplan as he was awarded the nod by all of the judges.

  1. Jake Barratt bt Chris Mullaney TKO 1
  2. Greg Grimshaw bt Ben Ford UD
  3. Adam Bairstow bt Lee Tuff RNC 2
  4. Josh Layton bt Gary Greenough TKO 2
  5. Anthony Davis bt Carl Tranter TKO 1
  6. Yannik Bahati bt Gavin Dunnicliff UD
  7. Ben Callum bt Michael Obasohan KO 3
  8. Harry Izevbigie bt Nick Greaves KO 1
  9. Ben Rose bt Conrad Hayes UD

It was a great night of fights with a phenomenal atmosphere and is rounded off by a few quick notes of thanks.

  • Ross Pointon: Preparing for an important fight at OMMAC in December, Ross pulled out all the stops to give the fans a very exciting and credible card.
  • Security at the Victoria Hall: A noticeable presence from the security team who, although not massively called into action, were on hand to ensure a safe and enjoyable evening was had by all.
  • Simon McGovern: On his mma refereeing debut, Simon produced one of the most consistent displays of mixed martial arts refereeing that I have seen in a very long time. A great display of authority and knowledge. It seems that the time at the Marc Goddard seminar was time very well spent.

3 comments:

Kev Knight said...

Well what can I say, it was our first visit to the event but it won't be our last! Really enjoyed the night, both our friends won(Jake and Adam). Can't wait for the next one. Once again thanks!!!! :)

lisabarrett said...

wot an eventful night n upmost respect to @ross pointon for pulling it of again...n great respect to all fighters,, i was there to support my brother jake barrett who proudly represented the gladiator team n opened the night with the 1st fight n threw amazing effort he won n no matter wether a win or loose,,we were n wud of bin so proud,,its the heart u put in that deserves the praise n the night itself clearly showed how much heart was put in by the lovely ross himself....so yet again im sure all at the gladiator gym wud b proud of him as hes a ''true gladiator'' as he wud say xx

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