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Night of the Gladiators 4: Review
05 Jun 2010
By Ben Cartlidge
15 months on from Ross Pointon’s first Night of the Gladiators show it was once again time for the fastest growing mma promotion in the Midlands to return to the Victoria Hall in Hanley. This time the card boasted three title fights, two at pro and one at semi-pro, and a host of new talent and the return of some familiar faces. The fights promised us action and this installment of Night of the Gladiators delivered some of the most explosive bouts that the promotion has ever seen.
Semi Pro Bout 65kg - Lewis Jenkinson vs. Phil Barnard
Opening up the event was a returning local favourite. Lewis Jenkinson had fought twice for Gladiator Promotions and was looking to chalk up another win against a tough opponent. Phil Barnard did not seem intimidated by facing a hometown favourite and after a nervous opening quickly locked on a tight looking guillotine choke. Jenkinson showed some good composure to escape this position and once his head was free began landing some good ground and pound. Barnard seemed to have little answer to this assault and once Lewis moved to mount it seemed a matter of time before he would force the stoppage. Mark Goddard called a stop to the proceedings just short of the three minute mark as Jenkinson picked up a much deserved win.
Semi Pro Bout 70kg - Aiden Brooks vs. Lee Warlough
The entry of Brooks marked the first of the competitors from Shrewsbury based Spartan MMA but he was forced to adapt quickly as his original opponent had to be replaced at very short notice. Lee Warlough showed tremendous heart in stepping up and was not afraid to exchange strikes with Brooks. After a frantic first round that saw both fighters swinging wild looking haymakers without much landing it was conditioning that would prove to be the key. The second round saw Aiden Brooks able to close the fight out with some vicious looking strikes following a nice takedown. This marked a good performance from Brooks despite suffering a shoulder injury early on in the first round.
Semi Pro Bout 77kg - Gaz Driver vs. Gareth Wallage
Gladiator Gym’s own Gaz Driver also had to face a change of opposition at the last minute as he met a very game Gareth Wallage in what was a fantastic contest. The first round saw Driver work some much improved stand up but once the fight hit the ground he seemed to struggle. Wallage showed some nice strikes from the top position and looked to take the back of Driver near the end of the round but was unsuccessful.
In the second round Driver seemed a lot more composed and took his man to the canvas with a good takedown. Wallage seemed to tire significantly and could not stop his opponent passing to mount and landing some shots before securing a very tight armbar for a well deserved win.
Semi Pro Bout 77kg - Harry Izevbigie vs. Ben Charlesworth
Crewe’s Harry Izevbigie was looking to continue his winning streak as he had been successful at Night of the Gladiators 3 back in February. Ben Charlesworth came in looking to strike but left his hands low while he threw a kick and Izevbigie quickly countered with a hard right hand that all but took his opponents head off. Harry swarmed his downed foe and landed a few strikes but the referee did well to stop this fight before Charlesworth took any unnecessary punishment as Izevbigie walked away with an impressive first round KO win.
Semi Pro Bout 77kg - Gaz Wilson vs. Lee Tuff
Lee Tuff looked like a man possessed as he walked into the cage to fight Gaz Wilson and both fighters didn’t seem to want to waste any time. Lee proved to be tuff by name and tough by nature in the opening rounds as he used sound wrestling to repeatedly take Wilson to the ground. Tuff looked like the busier of the two fighters overall but Wilson showed that he had some dangerous strikes as he landed a series of heavy looking shots that made Lee Tuff repeatedly revert back to his wrestling. In the third round it was Tuff who once again opened up with a good takedown but this time he seemed determined to finish his foe and his determination paid off as he was able to secure a beautiful arm bar with less than a minute left in the fight.
Semi Pro Bout 70 kg - Lee Summers vs. Jordan Brown
In another fast paced bout it was Summers who rushed towards his opponent but his initial aggression was brilliantly countered by Brown who swept round and took his back from a standing position. Lee showed some good composure under pressure and was able to reverse the position and slam his foe to the canvas. Summers would spend the remainder of the first round on top as he landed shots from within the guard. In the second round Brown looked more decisive with his striking and although he was taken down, was busy from his back and stood back up to return the favour with a takedown of his own. The last round saw a lot more activity from Brown as he bullied Summers from the clinch landing a series of heavy looking strikes but neither man could find a way to finish the contest. The verdict was announced by MC Ricky Wright and Brown was given the nod in a razor close split decision victory.
Semi Pro Bout 84kg - Chris Kelly vs. Gary Smallwood
Chris Kelly was the second fighter from Spartan MMA to make his way to the cage as he faced the dangerous looking Gary Smallwood. The fight was merely eight seconds old when Kelly got caught coming in with a picture perfect hook which sent him crashing to the canvas. Smallwood celebrated, clearly elated, and was told to calm his post fight antics down by referee Marc Goddard; who was clearly concerned for Kelly following the knockout. Chris made it back to his feet and both fighters showed great sportsmanship in what surely must rank as one of the quickest knockouts in UK mma history.
Semi Pro Bout 70kg - Adam Bairstow vs. Stuart O’Leary
Adam Bairstow was making his fourth appearance for the promotion having racked up an impressive 3-0 record on the previous shows. O’Leary looked to be a very capable opponent who began opening up with leg kicks following a somewhat tentative start. It would be the fast hands of Bairstow that would prove to be the difference maker in this fight as he countered O’Leary beautifully with a flowing combination of strikes that clearly rocked his foe. Adam did not turn off the pressure until the referee came in to stop the contest and round off another impressive win for the Team Gladiator stalwart.
Pro Bout 65kg - Ant Phillips vs. Jamie Barratt
The first professional tilt of the evening saw a battle of returning victors. Phillips and Barratt had been victorious back in February at Night of the Gladiators 3 and both looked impressive coming into this fight. Barratt was the initial aggressor storming the gate early as he rushed Phillips and landed a huge takedown. Phillips showed amazing composure from the bottom and dodged a couple of clubbing strikes that could have put the lights out in a hurry. Barratt seemed happy to throw huge shots from the top but it would prove to be his undoing as Phillips waited for his opponent to overextend with punches and locked a hold of a textbook armbar that forced the tap early in the first round. A good performance from both fighters but Phillips looks a different fighter since dropping down to 65kg.
GPUK Semi Pro Championship Bout 77kg - Lee Stevens vs. Jack Longworth
In the first of the night’s title bouts Lee Stevens took on Jack Longworth for the semi pro title. Stevens, once again, came to the cage with fire in his eyes and looked to intimidate his foe from the opening stare-down. Longworth looked unshaken by this and initially circled round Stevens looking to pepper him with jabs. In a truly explosive display of striking power it was Lee Stevens that dropped his man with a straight right down the pipe and quickly swarmed on Longworth with uppercuts and hooks. It was over in a matter of seconds as Jack wilted under the pressure and an ecstatic Stevens jumped onto the cage to enjoy the victory with his riotous fans.
GPUK Pro Championship Bout 70kg - Paul Ramos vs. Ben Crook
The second title bout of the evening saw Gladiator Promotions veteran Paul Ramos take on the very athletic Ben Crook. From the opening bell it was clear that Ramos wanted to take the fight to the ground as he showed a variety of good takedowns from the clinch and from the outside. Ben Crook, however, showed a phenomenally dangerous guard and didn’t let up firing off submission attempts. Ramos did well to avoid being caught in a variety of submissions as Crook at one point locked up a tight triangle choke but was unable to finish. The second round began with both fighters trading a series of heavy shots until; once again, the dominant wrestling of Ramos came into play as he executed a huge takedown and quickly looked to go to work. Crook once again looked to more likely to finish the fight even though he was in some bad spots as he showed a good offensive guard but when it counted he could not reverse the grinding wrestling of Ramos. This would prove to be the blueprint for the third round as Ramos utilized a superb game-plan in grinding Crook out from side control and holding dominant positions. The judges’ rendered a deserved unanimous decision to Paul Ramos who weathered the early storm and fought a tactical fight to take the title back to Derby.
GPUK Pro Championship Bout 77kg - Andy Devant vs. Paul Hopkins
In the main event of the evening Andy Devant looked in exceptional condition and he rattled Paul Hopkins early with a clubbing overhand right. This spurred Devant on as he then looked to close out the contest in the first round. Hopkins did well to survive the early onslaught but was clearly rattled from the punishment and when he was taken to the canvas he instinctively covered up. This was all the invitation that Devant needed as he took his time and picked his shots from on top, finishing up with a brutal elbow that opened up a nasty cut on the forehead of his opponent. The ground and pound onslaught was relentless and it was a deserved TKO victory for Devant who looks a handful for anyone to handle at 77kg.
Gladiator Promotions continues to go from strength to strength as the standards in both fights and production are constantly improving. Ross Pointon’s fighters are fine ambassadors for the sport and with further events booked for August and November it’s clear that the best is still yet to come from the Gladiator.
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