Cage Rage 24 :Feel the Pain- Fight by Fight
 

Murilo “Ninja” Rua v  Xavier “Professor X” Foupa Pokam
 
In an era when we all want MMA to be taken seriously, having the names like Ninja and Professor X as a main event may not be the smartest move. Unlike some recent Cage Rage main events though- this was a well matched contest between two credible opponents. The word was: if it stays standing up, X has a chance. As soon as it goes to the floor- forget about it. For once; the pre-fight chat was bang on the money. Xavier Foupa Pokam just shaded the Muay Thai exchanges in round one. A couple of times, his leg kicks downed Rua- but he let him stand up. Professor X knew a ground battle would be the end of him. When the two hit the canvas- it proved the Professor’s calculations were accurate. Ninja almost finished him with his trademark side choke before taking his back and pulling a rear naked. A demonstration that you need an all round game if you want to go places in MMA. A solid comeback win for Ninja after his Lawler trauma.
 
Paul Cahoon v Elvis Sinosic
 
A massive right hand over the top. Lands on the button. End of.
 
Drew Fickett v Mark Weir
 
Another loss for the Wizard. I make that 6 defeats out of the last 7. The stats say the 40 year old should call it a day. The opposite view is- Mark Weir took on a good opponent and got through with some quality shots that would have stopped a lesser guy. Bottom line is, the fight finished quick, but they packed in plenty of entertainment. Fickett is a great addition to the Cage Rage roster. For the second Cage Rage running, Mark Weir was in with a leading light and still looked the part. As long as he wants to fight, I’m happy to turn up and watch him.
 
 Ross Pointon v  Marios Zaromskis
 
Fight of the night on so many levels. The crowd was willing Ross to do well, but many feared the worst. On paper- this one looked like a red hot prospect being fed a name to boost his record. If that was the plan, it nearly went drastically wrong. Everyone loves Ross because he’s a gladiator- know what I mean. We all know about his heart and his punch, but Ross looks to be maturing into a serious fighter. He looks sharp at the weight and took the fight to the Lithuanian, hurting him with some heavy shots. Zaromskis replied with some incisive strikes. As always seems the way though- bad luck struck as a horrific cut opened over Pointon’s eye- giving the doc no choice but to stop it. On crowd reaction alone- Pointon was the star of the evening.
 
Mark Epstein v Tom Watson
 
Mark “The Beast” Epstein is another Cage Rage favourite in the brawling ‘cage fighter’ mould. He was up against the Tom ‘Kong’ Watson; fresh home from helping Rashad prepare for the Bisping fight. Watson takes his entrances seriously. Stepping up from the usual gorilla mask- this time he went for the gorilla mask and Victorian ladies dress. He strolled delicately down the cage as a voice narrated a fairy tale description of the fight over a backing track of the “Beauty and the Beast” theme. Did he back it up? The Beast got ugly when it mattered and edged a split decision. Epstein looks great at Middleweight and used his strength and experience to impose himself his will in the ground exchanges.
 
 
Mark Buchannan v George Castro
 
“The Cannon” came in at extreme short notice and was all business. The American was short of ideas as Buchannan chopped away with leg kicks. A sharp combination against the fence caused Castro to crumple, then Buchannan blitzed him with right hands.
 
Neil Grove v Robert Berry
 
One round of madness. Buzz Berry fought smart and hard. He executed a gameplan that exposed huge holes in the game of the highly touted Grove. Buzz put Grove down and got into positions he should have finished the fight from if he had not gassed so totally. I’ve heard since that he was suffering from a serious chest infection. Hopefully by the time you read this- he will be up and about again.
The crowd were on their feet. At times the action in the cage resembled the climactic scenes of the classic movie King Kong versus Godzilla. It was that clumsy and untidy. It was that brilliant.
Health concerns prevented Buzz coming out for the second round. Hopefully, Neil Grove will learn from this one and continue to develop. His spectacular displays to date have probably raised expectations a little too high for the moment. EliteXC are trying to build their streetfighter Kimbo Slice. With their heavy hands and wide open styles- either of these two fit the bill as an opponent for Kimbo.
 
Ivan Serati v Lee Hasdell
 
Serati was simply too strong for Lee Hasdell on the night. He was always the aggressor and showcased some decent submission skills to go with the already familiar striking.
 
Abdul Mohammed v Robbie Olivier
 
Two of the best wrestlers in UK MMA cancelled each other out. The bout was reminiscent of a Juventus v Milan 0-0. At the end of three dour rounds- the judges played safe and let champion Abdul keep his Lightweight belt.
 
Robert Paczkow v James McSweeney
 
Cage Rage have often been pilloried for their love of a freakshow. This card was missing a Butterbean or a Tank, instead putting together some intriguing matches. Lurking on the undercard was a suspicious looking one though. James McSweeney has a name as talented Heavyweight in Muay Thai and kickboxing and made a winning debut on his first Cage Rage appearance. This time he was up against “leading Polish Sumo wrestler” Robert Paczkow. Every preview of the event (including mine) poked fun at his credentials. A massacre surely. A bad thing for the sport. 330 Paczkow waddled out to laughter in his scruffy boxing shorts. James McSweeney was accompanied to the cage by the rapper Shizzio, (me neither) who did an over long rap about how hard James McSweeney was. The man himself looked all business.
 
Robert Paczkow marched forward, put McSweeney into the fence, double leg takedown, put his forearm across his throat and exerted 330lbs of pressure until he tapped. Simple when you think about it.
 
Ronnie Mann v Jordan Miller
 
A quick, by the numbers victory for Mann over late replacement Jordan Miller.
 
Murilo Rua def. Xavier Foupa Pokam via sub(rear naked choke), R2
Paul Cahoon def. Elvis Sinosic via KO, R1
Drew Fickett def. Mark Weir via sub (rear naked choke), R1
Marios Zaromskis def. Ross Pointon via Doc’s Stoppage, R2
Mark Epstein def. Tom Watson via split decision
Mark Buchannan def. George Castro via TKO (strikes), R2
Neil Grove def. Robert Berry via TKO (corner stoppage), R1
Ivan Serati def. Lee Hasdell via submission (rear naked choke), R2
Abdul Mohammed def. Robbie Olivier via majority decision
Robert Paczkow def. James McSweeney via submission (choke), R1
Ronnie Mann def. Jordan Miller via submission (triangle), R1