Well here we go again... you would be surprised how fast Sunday appears to come around. It's been in interesting week, lots have happened with M1.... been quiet on the Colosseum front though.
Let's kick off...
M1 Team England
Ok, over the last few weeks the biggest challenge has been sorting the team out for 15h August. For some time we have known that Ian Butlin wasn't going to be representing the team this time around. After the Mahktar fight, Ian had some X-rays and discovered that he has 5.. yes FIVE, fractures in his jaw. Non of these were a result of the fight in Kansas, but are the result of fights in the past.. some in the cage... some maybe not :)
The result is that he was advised not to fight. I don't think it's any secret, but Ian has made the decision to retire from fighting. It's a great shame to see him go, but he has had a varied career and has to put his health first.... so the end of the "M16" and the start of Ian "Beverly Hills" Butlin
The result is that he was advised not to fight. I don't think it's any secret, but Ian has made the decision to retire from fighting. It's a great shame to see him go, but he has had a varied career and has to put his health first.... so the end of the "M16" and the start of Ian "Beverly Hills" Butlin
So we needed a lightweight.
We'd also lost Rob Broughton from the team, as Rob had been picked up to fight on the ill fated Affliction show in California (more about that later). So we needed a LW and a HW.
LW was quite easy. Scott Hewitt is a Team Quannum fighter, quite in-experienced, but very skilled and focused. He has been training alongside the team for a few months, so just like Danny Giblin in the past, he nosed his way on to the team. It's going to be huge for Scott, fighting on such a high profile show. Although Scott isn't new to international competition as he represented Britian in international competition a few years back. That was for his first love, Rhythmic Gymnastics. Scott Has been competing in gymnastics for main years and having a natural flair for showmanship, a slim waif-like build and a strong sense of rhythm, led Scott to the floor mat and competing for his country in rhythmic gymnastics. Scott is famous for his routine with ribbon and ball to The Weather Girls famous 80's anthem, "It's raining men". Hopefully Scott can take some of that international experience in to the ring in Holland!
The heavy weight fighter has been a bigger challenge. Although the UK has some top HW fighters, most are tied to other shows, i.e. James Thompson, Neil Grove and our own Rob Broughton . Finding a HW replacement for Rob has been challenging. Looking at the division, there are some instant names, Martin Thompson, Neil Wain, Wayne Buck and Oli Thompson. Looking at these guys, some have a great record, but are way to small for the division. Others have size on their side and are natural heavyweight, but like the experience. Others simply asked for too much or turned us down flat. We finally got the list down to two guys. Martin Thompson, a well known fighter, with dynamite in his hands and a relatively new comer, 6'10" Dave Keeley from Caged Steel. it was a tough decision, but the coaches decide that Martin was just to small for a HW, especially as we didn't know who the opponent would be. We needed someone capable of handling a big HW. So it’s a great pleasure to welcome Dave Keeley to the Team.
Yesterday, Saturday 25th July, was the first chance to see Dave in action. The fighters training session at Quannum is open to all, but we use it for M1 team training too. This Saturday, alongside Dave Keeley, coach Dave Butlin and his brother and pro boxer, Andy Butlin... oh and myself, was Team England fighters, Rob Broughton, Tom "Mr. Awesome" Blackledge, the number one UK female MMA fighter, Rosi Sexton, James "scraps" Saville and the ever graceful form of Scott "Honey" Hewitt. A great session was had, everyone working with everyone else. and sharing knowledge It was also the first time to see Dave Keely training. Mindful of his relative inexperience, I wasn't sure what to expect, but the guy impressed. Working the pads with Andy, Dave moves quick, has varied hand, good cardio and huge power. Dave moved on to some grappling with The Bear, Rob Broughton, some sprawl and brawl and further wrestling with Matt "The Mighty Twelve Gauge" Thorpe. All in all, the guy impressed.
So the team is set and ready for Team Spain on 15h August. If you can get out to Holland, grab some tickets. You can get more information from http://www.m-1global.com/ The team it's self is:
Lightweight - Scott "Honey" Hewitt
Welterweight - Si "The Exeter Exectutioner" Phillips
Middle Weight - Matt "The Mighty Twelve Gauge" Thorpe
Light Heavyweigh - Tom "Calvin Klien" Blackledge
Heavyweight - Dave "The Iron Giant" Keeley
Has the shape of a great team.... dare I say a 5-0 team?... I'm sure Ian "Beverly Hills" Butlin would agree!
The focus in the coming weeks, will be fitness and sparring, getting the guys read for war!
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