Another great night at the Troxy in east London. Make sure you visit the ultimatechallengeuk website and grab your tickets for the next event.
Sean Lomas vs Jimi Manuwa
Light Heavyweight Championship
Manuwa takes down Lomas and transitions from side control to full mount. Manuwa dishes out some GNP, but Lomas reverses the position and gains top position! Manuwa keeps busy in the guard and attempts an armbar. Lomas manages to escape but Jimi Manuwa once again grabs hold of his opponent’s arm. He rolls and fully extends out Sean’s arm. It looks painful, but Lomas doesn’t tap and escapes once again! Manuwa gets mount position once more. Sean Lomas tries to buck, but Manuwa has a very high mount position and keeps the strikes coming. The referee stops the fight due to GNP. Lomas is upset with the stoppage but he really was unable to defend himself in the mount. Jimi “Posterboy” Manuwa wins at 3:56 of the 1st round and holds on to his Light Heavyweight belt.
Tam Khan vs Jamie Hearn
Middleweight Grand Prix Title
Tam Khan comes out in a Muay Thai stance, with Jamie Hearn in a more traditional boxing stance. Jamie is really swinging hard and he keeps on dropping his hands, looking for a counter. Jamie Hearn throws a big right hand, which catches Khan for what must be KO of the night. Jamie Hearn wins via KO at 1:39 of the 1st round.
Mark Glover vs Michael Pastou
Interim Lightweight Title
The 1st 2 rounds are very good for Michael Pastou. He manages to take down Mark Glover numerous times and connects with some great strikes on the ground. Mark Glover always seems dangerous off his back and I can hear Michael’s corner telling him to watch out for the submission attempts. In the 2nd round Mark Glover almost pulls off a triangle attempt from his back, but Pastou keeps a good posture and continues punishing Glover on the ground and cuts him.
The 3rd round has Glover getting Pastou’s back for most of the round. He locks Pastou in a body triangle and throws strikes to the side of the head and attempts a rear naked choke. Michael is constantly getting advise from his corner, keeps defensive and just about manages to survive the final round. All 3 judges score the bout 28-29, for the new Interim Lightweight Champ Michael Pastou.
Wayne Weaver vs Ben Smith
Round 1 goes to “Big” Ben Smith. Both fighters have their moments, with strikes in the clinch and on the ground, but Ben does more damage and makes a mess of Wayne Weaver’s face.
Round 2 starts off well for Wayne weaver. He attempts a standing guilotine choke and connects with 3 or 4 hard knees. Ben Smith gets the takedown, and top position. Wayne Weaver fails to get a closed guard and Ben easily gets side position. Ben Smith shows some nasty ground and pound. Wayne’s only defense at this point is to show his back, and Ben Smith flattens him out wins via rear naked choke submission.
Luke Smith Vs Wesley Johnson
This bout was for the UCMMA Grand Prix Lightweight Title
The 1st round starts and Wesley Johnson tries to shoot for a takedown early on. He gets caught by Luke Smith and is almost finished but he keeps busy and does a good job of recovering. Johnson retaliates by taking down Luke Smith and gives some good ground and pound, while defending a guillotine attempt. Luke Smith seems very dangerous off his back and grabs hold of an arm for an armbar attempt, but Wesley escapes and gains top position. The fight goes back up to standing but Johnson seems to slip and he falls backwards. Luke Smith doesn’t hesitate and pounces on his opponent with some vicious strikes. Wesley taps out due to GNP strikes in the 1st round.
Scott Jansen vs Jason Barrett
UK1 Welterweight Title
1st Round
Jason Barrett dishes out some real heavy leg kicks but Jansen seems unfazed and he mixes up his strikes very well. Jansen puts on a show for the spectators with spinning backfist attempts and a superman punch. Barrett gets caught in the groin, but he recovers quickly and the round continues. Jansen pulls off some great combos and the 1, 2 followed by a low kick seems to be working for him. He finishes strongly and I think Jansen edges this round.
2nd Round
Scott Jansen continues showing off his arsenal of strikes with a spinning back fist that catches Barrett. Both fighters seem much more aggressive in this round and are really going for a spectacular knockout. Jason Barrett gets in some solid body shots and finishes the combo with an uppercut. Scott retaliates with a left hook. This was an extremely close round with both fighters really giving it their all.
3rd Round
It’s the final round but both fighters still seem fresh and are going for it. Jansen connects with a solid body shot, and attempts a few spinning heel kicks. He continues to mix up his shots, and seems to be ahead at this point. Barrett lands a good straight right, but both fighters have solid chins and the fight is taken to the judges scorecards. Scott Jansen wins by unanimous decision.
