MMA Hit Pit - UK MMA News, Event Reviews & Fighter Blogs

By Michael O'Mahoney

London’s York Hall played host to a packed house on a bank holiday Sunday, as Pain & Glory put on 3 4-man tournaments to crown a Champion in K1, Muay Thai and MMA.

David Copestake took on David Faulkner in the first semi final of the night, outpointing him on the judges scorecards after 3 rounds of action. Copestake had the tidier boxing and coupled it with knees in the clinch to move on to the final, where he faced Joao Diogo from Portugal.

Diogo bested Femi Akinade in a sudden death 4th round stoppage after the judges could not come to a decision in the regulation 3 rounds. Akinade was given a standing 8 count in the first, but was able to come back in the second and third, keeping Diogo at bay with his kicks. In the 4th, Diogo managed to get inside and land a shot that led the referee to step in for a standing 8 count, but Akinade’s corner had seen enough and wisely would not let their man continue.

In the final, Diogo again looked to get inside and work his game-plan, and this time he was more successful. Just over 2 minutes into the round, Diogo landed a beautiful left hook to Copestake’s liver that visibly hurt him and he was unable to beat the count, giving Diogo the title of Pain & Glory Muay Thai Champion

The first semi final between Brazil’s Leonardo Queiroz and England’s Sam Rocha was an uneventful affair that went the full 2x5 minute rounds, with the judges deeming Rocha to have done more work and moved him on to the final, where he would take on Norwegian sensation Simeon Thoresen.

Thoresen was in control of his fight with Lithuania’s Aerliuus Kerpe from the start, but it took him until mid-way through the second round to finally secure the submission he had been searching for from the start. The entire first round consisted of Thoresen moving from submission to submission, but Kerpe is tough and always found a way out. Thoresen, after securing the early takedown, managed to sink in an arm triangle choke for the victory in the second.

Thoresen dropped Rocha early in the final with a straight right and followed him down to the canvas, where he quickly took his back and choked him unconscious for the win after just 44 seconds. Simeon Thoresen is a name to watch out for.

Chris Knowles moved on to the final after a sudden death 4th round decision victory over John Love. Both men came out swinging, but it was Knowles, who’s strategy involved throwing several hard leg kicks, who landed more in the first and third rounds, but received a standing 8 count from a big knee in the second which forced the fight to go to a 4th round. Knowles was able to outwork Love to take the decision and move on to face Dillon Whyte, who overcame well supported Daniel Sams in his semi final.

Sams landed harder kicks in the first, but it was Whyte who picked up the pace in the second and brought the fight to Sams, landing some great shots in the process. Despite being cut over his left eye, Whyte had Sams on the ropes for the majority of the third and final round.

Whyte received 2 warnings in the opening round of the final for tripping Knowles, who was moving always forward. Knowles started bleeding from his mouth in the second round and his leg kicks appeared to be taking effect on Whyte. Whyte landed the better punches and knees consistently and came out very aggressive in the third round, which saw both men go toe to toe. The judges were unable to come to a decision so called for a 4th sudden death round, in which both men were relentless in their quest to become Pain & Glory K1 Champ, but Knowles just did enough in the judges eyes to be crowned the Champion.

Chris’ brother Lyndon Knowles was stopped at the end of his first round K1 match up with Leon Waters due to a cut received above his left eye. Knowles appeared to have got the better of the round, employing the same strategy as his bigger brother, but in the end, it was the cut that was to end the fight.

Belgian Nathalie Visschers and London’s own Bernise Alldis put on a great Muay Thai battle, which Alldis eventually won on the judges scorecard. Alldis was on the front foot from the start, and although Visschers showed better boxing skills, it was Alldis who was able to enforce her game plan, which was to clinch and throw knees.

Rob ‘Diesel’ Stevens scored a KO victory over Jon Eames at the end of the first round of their kickboxing contest. Stevens pushed the pace throughout the round, landing good punching combinations and finishing them with kicks. Stevens dropped Eames at the bell with a flurry of punches and Eames was unable to answer the count.

The night kicked off with a kickboxing bout between Keith Adams and Mark Strange. Strange received a standing 8 count following a body shot from Adams, after came out with some flashy kicks, despite being warned about his spinning back-fists which are illegal in kickboxing. Strange landed a good 4 punch combo in the second round but Adams was still pushing forward. Strange received a 2nd warning in the third round for leg trips and Adams utilized his superior hand skills to take the decision on the judges scorecards.