Enter the Rough House 2, 28 April 07, Harvey Hadden Centre, Nottingham

Outlaw King

Hardy shows his class

A stunning submission victory for Dan Hardy sent the home crowd wild at Enter the Rough House 2. The Outlaw showed great composure to outwit Willy Ni.

We all know about Hardy's stand up game- but this performance highlighted his developing prowess on the deck. In the first, he remained calm in ground exchanges with the canny Ni. By the close, Hardy had worked himself into top position. Despite being in Ni's guard he managed to find the target with a few punches and dropped a couple of nasty elbows.

Round Two opened with Dan throwing a huge, killer head kick. Ni ducked under it and charged Hardy to the floor. Showing lightning reactions- Hardy whipped an arm round Ni's neck on the way down. From the second they landed, the guillotine choke looked to be secure. The inevitable tap came quickly.

Dan The Outlaw scaled the fence and milked every last drop of acclaim from his home town crowd. With his Muay Thai background- Hardy has always shone in stand up encounters. On tonight's showing- his ground game is catching up.

If the improvement continues- Who's going to stop him?    

Jim Wallhead v Lewis Barrow

Judo Jim put on a dominant performance that underlines the Rough House's strength in depth at welterweight. Round one lacked any conclusive action, but Wallhead was always in top position when the fight went to the ground thanks to his impressive sprawls. Although trapped in guard, Jim managed to land some punches.

Between rounds, Barrow was blowing hard. The second round was even harder for him. Barrow was on his back with Wallhead firing knees to his gut from side control. When he was satisfied that the time was right, he went for the finish. Jim Wallhead dropped elbows to the head of Lewis Barrow like a sculptor crafting a masterpiece. A really violent sculptor whose idea of a masterpiece is something that's smashed to smithereens. The ref had to dive in to bring the rapid fire to an end.

Greg Loughran  v Andre Winner

Loughran showed great confidence from the off. Despite facing an unbeaten fighter from a renowned striking team in his own back yard, the UFR man held his own in a tit for tat stand up exchange. The rest of the round was an inconclusive ground struggle with Greg on his back. In second, the fighters went quickly to the ground, with Andre on top again.  Winner worked hard to pass and did manage to score with the odd strike. As he came forward, Loughran grabbed Andre's neck and the used the hold to negotiate his way off the floor. As the two got to their feet, it soon became clear that the choke was on tighter than it had first appeared. Winner's arms dropped limply and the ref dived in. Andre Winner has huge potential and should learn a lot from this fight. For Loughran and the UFR, this was another impressive win and confirmed their role as the biggest party poopers in UK MMA. When will people learn that- if you invite these guys over; they're gonna beat you up.

Karl Amoussou v Mark O'Toole

From the mega take down slam at the start to the perfectly set up and executed rear naked choke, this was a bravura performance by the Frenchman. Amoussou has the talent to go all the way in MMA, although he seems more keen on establishing himself as some kind of WWE baddie figure with his costumes and grimaces.

Wayne Buck v David Cieplinski

A comprehensive victory. You can only beat what's in front of you and that's what Wayne did for 18 seconds.

Pick of the Rest

'Psycho' Steve Tetley brought the house down with the right hand from hell. Despite making the running in the first round, Steve was unable to impose himself on Cristian Binda. This changed drastically at the start of round two when Psycho Steve served up a 'Southpaw Supper'; the kind of devastating overhand right that left handers like Binda eat just before they go to sleep. Game Over.

Christian Smith overcame Jay Keiron in a war of attrition. Smith needed two breaks after knees to the nads. He outstayed his opponent to Ground and Pound his way to victory in the last.

Chris Cooper- Jesus Christ: A heavyweight who can deliver a proper axe kick. It didn't quite connect, but the rest of the barrage was too much for the game Dylan Tanner.

Eddie Podolski, Rocci Williams, Edwin Junior, Rob Askew. I don't think you'll be seeing any of these lads fighting Pro B anymore. All of them showed a bit of class and plenty of guts to get the show off to a rousing start.

Lee Livingstone took a close decision over Eduardo Mahal.

Crowd

Up for it and rowdy. A larger event that still had an interclub vibe. Almost makes you think the IFL could be a workable idea. When they got going, the atmosphere was electric.

Venue

Not a bad seat in the house. Slight shabbiness and lightshow give it a bit of a warehouse party feel.

Talking point of the night

If there was an MMA governing body, what action should they take against a fighter who loses his gumshield, makes his opponent hang around in the ring for ten minutes while his corner look for it then causes the fight to be put back an hour?

Worst Clothing Decision

Karl Amoussou's balaclava. Worn for the entry and decision and exit.

Quote of the Night

You're a good fighter. Stop making yourself look like a twat.

Ian Freeman comments on Amoussou's fashion choices.

Celeb of the Night

It dawned on me last night what a star Michael Bisping has become. He was ringside to support his team and some of the people sat near me spent more time watching him than the fights. Every five minutes it was- 'Bisping's having another drink', 'Bisping ate his sandwich really fast', 'Bisping doesn't look happy about that'. We need to draft in more celebs to take the heat off him. Does anyone know Chris Eubank's phone number?

Man of the Night

Mark Manslaughter O'Toole

The affable Manslaughter O'Toole became an instant  crowd favourite. During Karl Amoussou's sinister, stage managed ring walk, Mark sat cross legged, smiling and swaying. He seemed less that terrified by his opponent's balaclava. Despite losing the fight, the late replacement kept his good humour and highlighted the silliness of some others. Amoussou snarled through his balaclava as his arm was raised by the ref. In response, Mark put a towel on his head and smiled. Tremendous. The UFR team may have not have got the victory in the cage this time, but they certainly won the hearts and minds offensive. Brilliant hairstyle too.

Results

Pro B

Eddie Podolski Rough House bt Rocci Williams 3rd Wave Combat - Points
Edwin Junior Independent  bt Rob Askew  Tap Or Snap- R1 2:29- G’n’P

Pro

Chris Cooper F’s Freestyle  bt Dylan Tanner Wales- R2- 0:53- G’n’P
Lee Livingstone Rough House bt Eduardo Mahal Wolfslair- Points        Steve Tetley Rough House bt Cristian Binda Sure Grip –R2-0:57- G’n’P Christian Smith Tap Or Snap bt Jay Keiron  Wolfslair –R3- G’n’P
Greg Loughran  UFR  bt Andre Winner  Rough House-R2 3:52- Guillotine Jim Wallhead Rough House bt Lewis Barrow WVT-R2 1:40 Tap (G’n’P)
Karl Amoussou  Amoussou  bt Mark O'Toole  UFR – R1 – Rear Naked Choke
Dan  Hardy (Rough House) bt Willy Ni Budo Academy-  R2 0:32- Guillotine Wayne Buck Tap Or Snap bt David Cieplinski Independent – R1 0:18- G’n’P

pictures by robertswannphotography.com