In case you forgot during those long months of retirement- Paul Daley really is THAT good. Semtex blew away a highly rated European opponent with a performance that oozed class in the main event.

His opponent, Bojan "Zelva" Kosednar, came to fight- but Daley dropped him early on- following up a huge knee with right hand to the ribs. The Slovenian did well to survive the furious onslaught that followed.

When the pair got back to their feet- the contrast was apparent: Kosednar intense with slightly mad eyes, Daley all business. The Rough House star connected with a sweet left hook and Kosednar ate the canvas again. A ground and pound stoppage looked inevitable- but referee Goddard stopped the action so Kosednar could replace his mouthpiece.

It was a temporary reprieve. With seven seconds of the first round left- Daley planted his feet and delivered another perfect left hook. Kosednar dropped like a stone. The fight was over.

 

On any other night- such a display of star quality would have guaranteed fight of the night honours. On any other night- you don’t have Jim Wallhead v Fabricio Nascimento.

Look into the eyes of Nascimento and you see a window into a world of chaos. The Brazilian came out throwing accurate, single shots and looked to set up a takedown. On the deck- Nascimento went close with a leg lock attempt, but Wallhead kept his cool and rolled out of danger.

As the round wore on, Judo Jim began to take control of affairs with some slick boxing. Round two and three saw the pair trade punches. Once again, Wallhead impressed with his intelligent stand up. Fabricio Nascimento tried to draw his man into a brawl. With each passing second, Fabricio moved further away from sanity. He advanced forward in a stance that resembled a mechanical rooster that was desperate for a piss. He called Wallhead on- slapping his chest, grinning and keeping up a demented commentary. Judo Jim- responded with sharp blows, but kept his work organised and avoided taking unnecessary risks.

The crowd went crazy throughout and gave the local boy a huge ovation when he took a unanimous decision. Nascimento also got a big ovation. A fantastic fight.
 

Paul McVeigh retained his CWFC Bantamweight strap with a second round stoppage of Steve McCombe. The muscular McCombe set the pace in the first, but McVeigh seemed untroubled. Once the fight hit the ground, McVeigh was always going to be the favourite and he settled matters with a rear naked choke halfway through the second. “Taz” McCombe put in a solid night’s work, but McVeigh looks a invincible at domestic level.

Abdul Mohammed v Andre Winner was always going to go the distance. The pair went at it for fifteen hard minutes in a compelling contest. Abdul dictated the shape of the fight from the start- forcing Andre against the fence and scoring with a double leg. Winner refused to be dominated and responded with up kicks. The ref stood them up- Abdul dumped his man down again.

The second session started in the same style. Abdul picked up Winner, marched across the cage and dumped him in the Wolfslair corner. This action was repeated a couple of times after stand ups. Abdul stood over his opponent for the entire round, working to land shots. Having said that- Andre went close with an armbar attempt. Against anyone without the amazing strength and balance of Abdul, it would have been game over.

The third was looking more promising for Winner. A sustained period in the clinch saw him unleash some nasty elbows. They then went back to the script and Abdul planted his man in his corner again.

I saw it as a clear victory for Abdul. One judge scored it 29-28 Abdul (plenty round me had it 30-27 the same way). The other two judges went 29-29, making it a majority draw.

Simeon “The Grin” Thoresen, glided into the Harvey Hadden with a big reputation and glided out with it boosted. The Norwegian slapped a Kimura on Matt Thorpe to earn the sub within a minute. Movie star looks, an easy manner and some serious skills- I think this lad is going to be signing a big contract soon.

Another foreigner with movie star looks (in the horror genre) is Matteo Minonzio. The Italian’s ultra wide stance made it clear he wanted his clash with Wayne Buck to be a stand up affair. It soon became clear why. Buck took him down and Minonzio looked all at sea- struggling to maintain a flimsy guard. He held on to stifle Buck’s work and managed to reply with a few elbows from the bottom. After a stand up, Wayne rushed in, but he was on a hiding to nothing. A cut next to his eye was bleeding heavily. The doctor only needed a quick glance before he called it off.

Lee Livingstone subbed Wayne Murray in the first round. “Mayhem” Murray caught a Livingstone kick, but Livingstone managed to close in again top position when they went to the ground. Murray swept Lee, but the Rough House fighter snared his man in a fight ending triangle from the bottom.

Cliff Hall came into his fight with a guillotine on his mind. For two and a half minutes he looked for the same sub, before he finally forced the tap from Rocci Williams.

Chris Cooper had his work cut out against the hard to shift Tommy Rasmussen. Cooper stuck to his task and finally broke down the tiring Norwegian at the end of the first.

Pete McGurk and Eddie Podolski put in smart performances to earn first round sub wins over John Phillips and John Brotherhood respectively.

Kristoff Woodhouse and Lee McDonald fought out a draw in their kickboxing bout.





Crowd

Well into it. Appreciated every moment of a stacked card.

 

Best Ring Walk Music

Wayne Buck- Unfinished Sympathy : Massive Attack

Film Crew of the Night

Former Tory Cabinet Minister Michael Portillo making a documentary on violence for a BBC science programme Horizon.

Runners Up

Channel Five- filming “I’ve Got a High Maintenance Husband”- a documentary based on the home life of the Wallhead family.

Best Hair

Fabricio Nascimento – a cross between 70s funkateer and a cartoon character who has recently been on fire.

Runner up

Paul McVeigh - strong Johnny Rotten influence

 

Man of the Night

Even on a night that featured a stunning KO from a returning local hero- there can only be one winner.

Fabricio Nascimento

Was the name on the lips of Tory grandees and world boxing champs alike. Word is the man himself can be “high maintenance”- but his exciting style and pure bonkers demeanour mean he’s worth it.



Paul Daley def Bojan "Zelva" Kosednar Rd 1KO 4:53
Simeon Thoresen def Matt Thorpe Rd 1 su Kimura 0:51
Jim Wallhead def Fabricio Nascimento Unanimous Decision
Andre Winner vs Abdul Mohammed Draw
Paul “Metabolic” McVeigh def Steve McCombe Rd 2 Rear Naked Choke 2:27
Matteo Minonzio def Wayne Buck Ref stoppage due to a cut
Lee Livingstone def Wayne “Mayhem” Murray Rd1 Triangle Choke 1:32
Cliff Hall def Rocci Williams Rd 1 Gteen 2:24
Chris Cooper def Tommy Rasmussen ref stoppage due to ground and pound
Pete McGurk def John Phillips rd 1 Armbar 1:05
Eddie Podolski def John Brotherhood Rd 1 Rear Naked Choke 2:08
Kristoff Woodhouse v Lee Donald draw (Kickboxing)