XFC 3: Clash of the Titans

XFC 3: Clash of the Titans

By Ben Cartlidge

XFC’s return to domestic scene for the first time in nearly seven years had generated a lot of interest from both old and new fans alike. The level of talent that competed at previous XFC events is often overlooked. Fighters like Mark Weir, Martin Kampmann, Che Mills and Abdul Mohammed all competed for the promotion and the expectations were high for a triumphant return.

Semi Pro MMA Bout 66kg

Chris Murray vs. Josh O’Shea

In what was a fantastic opening bout it was Josh O’Shea who looked the busier fighter early on as he pressed the action on young Chris Murray. O’Shea certainly did not look the physically stronger fighter but showed a great deal of technical strength as he was able to work some good takedowns on his opponent. Murray tried to rally and answered with a big slam of his own but O’Shea was calm under pressure and his superiority on the ground soon shone through as he reversed positions. In the end it was Josh O’Shea’s competence on the ground that allowed him to control the pace of the fight and saw him take a much deserved unanimous decision.

Semi Pro MMA Bout 70kg

Dan Fenn vs. Gary Alvey

Both fighters were making their debut in this fight and the nerves were apparent as neither fighter seemed willing to commit early on. When the fighters came together it was the slick grappling of Fenn that proved decisive as he showed a good mix of takedowns and positional dominance. Alvey did well to defend a number of tight looking submissions but found himself repeatedly on the losing end of the grappling exchanges. Fenn showed a good deal of promise as he controlled the fight on the floor, on route to a unanimous decision victory.

Thai Boxing Bout 58kg

Darren Harris vs. Dan Church

In the first Thai bout of the evening it was the technical striking of Dan Church against the power punches of Darren Harris. Church was the much rangier fighter and did a good job of sticking on the outside and landing a nice looking jab and some crisp leg kicks. Harris, however, did show good movement to get inside and landed a few big overhand lefts but was unable to capitalise. Both fighters never let up for the whole contest but in the end it was the precise striking of Dan Church that proved to make the difference as he took a hard fought majority decision win.

XK-1 Bout 80kg

Dean Wills vs. Matt Phillips

Local favourite Dean Wills bought a great deal of support with him and he looked to have some real stopping power in his punches and kicks as he fought Gloucester’s Matt Phillips. Wills threw a lot of powerful shots but Phillips was content to battle from range and make good use of his reach advantage. Phillips used an ever changing stance as well as some dynamic kicking combinations to keep his opponent guessing. As the fight wore on it was clear that Wills was slowing down significantly and he could not stop his opponent from landing more and more shots as the last round closed out. It was a strong outing from Range Fighting’s Matt Phillips who earned a unanimous decision on the scorecards of the judges.

Pro MMA Bout 66kg

Kim Phillips vs. Mark Rowlett

In one of the most entertaining bouts on the card Kim Phillips showed some nice takedown defence against Mark Rowlett from the opening bell but it was the relentless pressure of his foe that would eventually see him slammed to the canvas.  Mark Rowlett seemed to have the fight sewn up by the end of the first round as he locked in a beautiful rear naked choke but the bell sounded just in time for Phillips. In the second round Rowlett decided to test his opponent out on the feet and backed him up with a good combination of punches. Phillips covered up and Rowlett did a good job of switching levels and completed another takedown. That would prove to be the story of the fight as Rowlett effectively mixed up quick strikes with dominant takedowns and would cut Phillips over the eye with a good looking head kick in the third round. The judges awarded Rowlett a unanimous decision but the crowd were on their feet for both fighters at the end.

Thai Boxing Bout 70kg

Erni Ernst vs. Rob France

Rob France came out strong against Erni Ernst in this bout but received a warning from Grant Waterman following a knee which caught his foe square in the groin. Ernst was clearly affected by this fight and looked to throw nice straight rights and jabs but absorbed another low blow just minutes later. Once again the official spoke to France and in the second round he was able to land more effective knees from the clinch as he punished Ernst repeatedly. It would be another knee that would end the fight as France caught Ernst with a knee and followed up with some accurate punches. Ernst complained that the knee was once again low but Grant Waterman did not agree and awarded the bout to Rob France by TKO when Ernst could not answer the count.

Semi Pro MMA Bout 66kg

Andy Parkinson vs. Adam Webb

Andy Parkinson looked to put his mark on the event as he landed a huge takedown on Webb and began grinding his opponent out from side control with good ground and pound. Webb, however, showed composure in these difficult spots and was able to repeatedly sweep Parkinson from half guard. Webb looked the more likely to finish the fight from the ground and when the two were stood up showed a varied array of strikes. He simply could not overcome the dominant wrestling of Parkinson and was too often taken to the deck and controlled. It was a very close fight and once again the judges were called on to make a decision as neither man could get a clear finish. In the end the fight went to Parkinson via split decision but Webb showed tremendous heart and technique in a very entertaining contest.

Semi Pro MMA Bout 80kg

Ross Ridpath vs. Andy Willis

Once again we saw two debutants enter the cage and the occasion clearly seemed to get to Andy Willis. Ross Ridpath was constantly the aggressor early on as he mixed up clubbing strikes with some well set up takedowns. This would prove to be the blue print for the first two rounds as Ridpath dominated the fight. In the third round Willis came at his opponent more and landed some good leg kicks but when Ridpath took him down he once again had to scramble to survive. It was clear that Ridpath had come to finish the fight and with not long left on the clock he secured a tight armbar for a very impressive debut victory.

Thai Boxing 80kg

Lee Mitchell vs. Marius Daublys

All the Thai bouts on this card looked set to be wars and this bout was no different. We were treated to a real clash of styles as the powerful clinch attack of Lee Mitchell was matched all the way by the remarkable boxing and head movement of Marius Daublys. Mitchell had to cover up really early in this fight as Daublys looked to have a knockout in his sights.  Both fighters enjoyed good periods in the opening rounds but going into the third Mitchell began to find his rhythm and he deposited Daublys onto the deck with a stinging leg kick. This slowed Marius down and gave Mitchell the step he needed to begin chopping down his foe. In the later rounds Mitchell became relentless with the leg kicks and clinch work and although Marius always looked dangerous he simply had no answer. Mitchell took the decision and the applause of a very appreciative crowd.

Semi Pro MMA 77kg

Sam Fergusson vs. Stu Tyrie

Fergusson set his stall out early against Stu Tyrie as he set up a textbook takedown following a frantic stand up exchange. Tyrie showed some great scrambling and looked dangerous on the feet but seemed to lack the explosiveness to make his strikes count. The second round played out in a similar fashion as Fergusson delivered a crushing takedown and once again looked to work from side control. This time, however, Tyrie was unable to defend and Fergusson moved to his back before sinking in a rear naked choke which left his opponent with no option but to tap.

Pro MMA 93kg +

Roman Ship vs. Nikky Kent

In what proved out to be the shortest bout of the evening Nikky Kent was caught early and often by the strikes of Roman Ship. It was a hard right hand that sent Kent to the deck and he clearly injured himself on the way there as he lay clutching his knee. Ship showed good sportsmanship by recognising the injury and not delivering further strikes to his downed opponent and looked happy with his KO victory.

Pro MMA 80kg

Danny Da Cruz vs. Daniel Lerwell

It seemed like the floodgates had been opened following the last fight and Daniel Lerwell wasted no time at all in trying to crush Danny Da Cruz with a salvo of strikes . The crowd were quickly on their feet at this action and it was all Da Cruz could do to hold on to his foe and look to take the fight to the ground. This would prove to be his undoing as he left his neck in a dangerous spot and Lerwell quickly pounced and applied a standing guillotine choke for a first round submission victory.

Pro MMA 93 kg +

Neil Corin vs. Keiron Hambly

It was another battle of giants in this bout as Neil Corin took the initiative early on with a great takedown.  Hambly did well to get back to his feet and showed a good jab in the stand up exchanges. It was clear that Corin wanted to take the fight back to the ground and once he secured the takedown he began to attack with submissions. Hambly scrambled well but in the end it proved to be a bridge too far as Corin took his back and used his considerable strength to lock in a “Severn” choke and elicit the tap.

XK-1 Bout 82kg

Akos Aladics vs. Brendan Dempsey

The penultimate bout of the evening continued the high standard of kickboxing that we had seen previously as the stocky Akos Aladics took on the incredibly well conditioned Brendan Dempsey in a back and forth bout.  Dempsey was caught early on by a clubbing right hand that seemed to rattle him but he avoided any further shots and seemed to regain his senses quite quickly. It seemed that Dempsey was content to circle Aladics and fire single shots to weaken his opponent and he had great success with pushing front kicks throughout this fight. Aladics clearly realised he needed to pressure his taller foe from inside and continually used good head movement and body shots to set up his combinations. There seemed to be very little between the two and when a split decision was announced as the verdict it came as little surprise. It was Akos Aladics who received the nod  as the judges clearly felt he had landed the more significant shots in an incredibly close fight.

Pro MMA Bout 77kg

Simon Phillips vs. Dai Smith

The main event bought together two fighters with very impressive credentials. Dai Smith (7-1) bought in a boxing pedigree that he showed early on with some good footwork and combinations. Simon Phillips (10-5) looked to counter this with some powerful takedowns and dominant positional work. In the early going it would be all Phillips as he controlled his man on the ground and looked to have Smith in a very bad way from the mount position. Smith showed the kind of heart you simply cannot teach as he battled through and managed to scramble to his feet.  Phillips was undaunted by this display, however, and simply waited for his opportunity to shoot underneath the strikes of Smith to score a nice double leg takedown.  In the end it was the grappling talent of Phillips that would lead him to victory as he waited for his moment before securing a beautiful armbar for the victory.

There can be little debate that the return of XFC was a tremendous success. Superb matchmaking had put together some fantastic fights and it was clear that the fans and fighters alike were happy with the events of the evening. It certainly appears promising for the promotion and will surely prove to be a stepping stone to bigger and better shows in the future.