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It’s time to enter the world of British mixed martial arts as once again I dip into the pile of A1 Productions DVDs. This time we’re heading back to Hartlepool and March 2008 for the Closed Combat Arena “Put Up of Shut Up” show.

The first four fights were kickboxing affairs, begi9nning with Kristina Pook against Jen Walsh. This was a nice little exhibition bout, with Walsh clearly the better fighter. The referee declared the fight a draw afterwards.

The action continued with Brett Ramshaw against Matt Fidler. With the rounds lasting only ninety seconds, the pace of this one was quite frantic, except when Fidler’s ill-fitting head guard kept falling off. Fidler dispersed with the guard for the remainder of the fight, and it helped him no end, as Ramshaw was on the canvas twice, with the referee giving the fight to Fidler.

The kickers continued with Karl Pugh and Nick Clougher. No head guards to worry about in this one, and it was a far more entertaining fight because of it. Pugh put on a good performance, putting Clougher on his backside in the first, and twice more in the second. After the first knockdown in the second Clougher looked like he’d had enough, so it wasn’t a surprise when the ref stepped in, giving Pugh the deserved TKO win.

Next was Andy Hanlon against Danny Thompson. This was another of those frantic fast paced battles, with both guys swinging from the trees from the opening bell, and both scoring with some good shots, with Hanlon getting the decision.

The MMA action began with Michael Lund facing Simon Ng. This was a pretty even fight. Ng controlled the action in the first after a take down, going for a guillotine as the round ended. Lund came back strongly in the second with a big slam and kimura attempt, before taking Ng’s back after a second take down. So with both men winning a round, the referee declared the fight a draw, although I got the feeling that Lund would have take it if the rounds had been longer.

Then it was on to James Fleet, taking on Alfas Miah. Fleet came forward early here, only to find himself in a couple of clinches against the cage, before Miah took the fight to the ground. However, as he landed Fleet took Miah’s back, and quickly transitioned to the guard. It was long though before Miah locked in an arm bar, with Fleet tapping mere seconds later, ending a very enjoyable fight.

Action from Adam Mossap against Kristian Warham followed. The second two rounder to go the distance was another even affair, with both men getting their share of take downs and submission attempts. Once again the referee couldn’t separate the fighters as he declared it a draw, although I thought that Warham had just nicked it.

Mark Pendlington against Henry Jack was next. There was really no doubt who was going to win this one. From the moment the fight started Pendlington controlled almost every aspect, especially on the ground, as Jack looked like the proverbial fish out of water. The only thing that Pendlington was missing was a finishing move, but what he did was enough to earn the decision.

Then it was on to Christopher O’Keefe, taking on Amir Azam. Unlike the other fights that went the distance this was a more one-sided affair as Azam controlled the action on the ground in the first. O’Keefe had his moments in the second, but his failure to obey his corner’s orders during his brief moments of superiority cost him as Azam took the decision with a very good performance.

On to Matt Fleet against Andy Treen. A good performance by Treen as he controlled the fight whenever it went to the ground. Fleet got a couple of take downs, but Treen reversed immediately, and soon transitioned into his desired position after the second take down so he could apply an arm bar. Nice work here.

Next up, Damian Rounding versus Chris Douglas. This was another of those good back and forth affairs. An inadvertent low blow by Douglas seemed to spur Rounding on as he controlled the remainder of the first round. Douglas came back well in the second and showed some great ground work, but another inadvertent blow, this time to the throat, halted any momentum he had built up, which probably cost him the decision as well as Rounding came back strongly in the final few seconds.

Kalum Lodge versus Elliot McGlade was next on the agenda. The blink and you’ll miss it affair. Both men threw some wild kicks at the beginning, before McGlade applied a standing guillotine, quickly pulling guard, with Lodge tapping seconds later. A really good performance by McGlade here.

Malcolm Maize against Keith Kennedy followed that rather quick affair. Slugfest is probably the best way to describe this one. A big left from Maize sent Kennedy down early on, and although he looked like he was going to win the fight there and then, Kennedy came back strongly. Maize’s mistake was that he kept looking for another big left, and this one dimensional approach played right into Kennedy’s hands as his combinations saw him getting the TKO victory.

Then it was on to Thomas Izzett against Oobie Rahman. Another nice back and forth affair saw Rahman throwing some good kicks in the first, only for Izzett to take him down, dominating whenever the fight went down to the mat. The roles were reversed in the second though as Rahman was able to get the take down early in the second, quickly moving to side control so he could apply an arm bar for submission victory.

Michael Young was next, taking on Shaun Crawford. This one went to the ground immediately, as we got an entertaining exchange of submission attempts, before Young went for his second guillotine attempt. Crawford fought it at first with a few fists to the ribs before the inevitable tap out. If only all ground work was like this!

The penultimate fight saw Peter Biggins going up against Rob Hughes. This fight went downstairs quickly when Hughes pulled guard after a clinch against the cage. He then went straight for an arm bar, and although Biggins tried to slam his way out three times, Hughes managed to synch the hold in fully for the submission win, another fight with some very good ground work.

The final fight of the show saw Ian Cooper tackling Gary Firby. Another quick fight saw Cooper knocked on his backside early on, but he soon took the guard after Firby followed him to the ground. Cooper quickly established control, with the referee quickly stepping in after Cooper’s relentless ground and pound, a good fight to round off the show with.

The only extras come in the form of a musical photo montage.

In conclusion – a very enjoyable release from A1 Productions here, a good blend of kickboxing and MMA action. There was some really good talent on display here, some to keep an eye out for in the future. However, I do feel somewhat disappointed again by the lack of on-screen graphics when the fighters entered the cage, so unless you’ve got a print out telling you the results for review purposes, those watching this may get a little confused.

But then again, this is the only downside of this release, and I’m once again able to recommend a slice of British MMA action.

With thanks to Tom Tailford for supplying a copy of this release. To purchase a copy of Closed Combat Arena: Put Up or Shut Up, contact Tom via www.fight-factory.co.uk.

Review courtesy Julian Radbourne @ www.twoshedsreview.com

UFC & MMA blog by Duane Farr

duane@bluraymma.com

UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar

Fantastic news, Brock Lesnar has recovered from his illness, likely returning to the octagon in the summer defending his belt.

Click here to see the ESPN video featuring Lesnar alongside UFC President Dana White.

UFC & MMA blog by Duane Farr

Back in October 2007 I reviewed my first ever mixed martial arts book, Clyde Gentry’s No Holds Barred. The book really opened my eyes up to the history of this great sport, and how it had developed since that November night in 1993 when the UFC held their first ever show. I gave the book a rave review, the proverbial thumbs up if you will.

But the thing is, fourteen months later, I’ve found a book that’s even better.

Total MMA: Inside Ultimate Fighting is the latest offering from former lawyer and soldier Jonathan Snowden, and like Clyde Gentry before him, Snowden tells the story of the history of mixed martial arts from the beginning.

But here’s where Snowden veers away from Gentry as it were. While Gentry told a tremendous story in his 2002 release as he delved into the sport, Snowden delved a hell of a lot deeper. The amount of detail that this book goes into is absolutely incredible. It’s as if Snowden wanted his readers to know just how mixed martial arts began, how the early companies such as Pancrase came out, how the original UFC came into being, and much, much more.

This book does really tell the story of mixed martial arts, and then some, and I know that this may sound clich�d, but it really does make for compelling reading. As well as stories of how promotions came and went, there’s tons of material about the feuds that developed along the way, most notably the feud between Ken Shamrock and Tito Ortiz.

Hand on heart, I really can’t speak too highly of this book. Snowden has done a great job in documenting what is the fastest growing sport in the world today, and it’s a great read. In fact, I have to admit that I felt a little sad when I finished reading it.

So if you are a true MMA fan, then, if you can, go out and buy this book as soon as is humanly possible.

Total MMA: Inside Ultimate Fighting by Jonathan Snowden is published by ECW Press, and is available to buy online and wherever books are sold.

Review courtesy Julian Radbourne @ www.twoshedsreview.com

Having read a number of books on professional wrestling over the past few years, I thought it was time to break my duck as far as mixed martial arts books are concerned, and I do so with Clyde Gentry’s book, No Holds Barred: Ultimate Fighting and the Mixed Martial Arts Revolution.

First published in 2002, Gentry takes an overall look at the way the mixed martial arts phenomenon has developed, but doesn’t start with the first Ultimate Fighting Championship show held in November 1993. He goes back even further, thousands of years in fact, to the sport of pan ration, held in the ancient Olympics. Skipping forward a few centuries, he also takes a look at how the late, great Bruce Lee envisioned a form of fighting skill, jeet kune do, and, of course, in infamous fight in Tokyo between World Heavyweight Boxing Champion Muhammad Ali and Japanese wrestling legend Antonio Inoki.

Gentry then takes an in-depth look at the formation and early years of the UFC, how the promotions was originally conceived, and how it was perceived in the mainstream media, gaining almost immediate condemnation from both politicians and the press.

Gentry’s look at the world of mixed martial arts, at it’s fighters and it’s political machinations is a tremendous read. The interviews conducted with the likes of Tank Abbott, Ken Shamrock, Dan Severn, and various members of the Gracie family certainly add to the overall flavour of the book, and it’s obvious that without their input, this book just wouldn’t have been the same.

But the good thing about this book is that Gentry doesn’t confine himself to the American MMA scene. There is an extensive chapter on the worldwide MMA scene, so fans of the various Japanese promotions, including Pride and K-1, will be pleased.

In conclusion – if you’re a keen follower of the mixed martial arts world, and you’re interested in finding out about it’s history, then this is the book for you. It’s extremely well written and researched, and is a great read. It’s one of those books that you just can’t put down once you’ve started reading it, and trust me, you won’t be disappointed.

No Holds Barred: Ultimate Fighting and the Martial Arts Revolution by Clyde Gentry is published by Milo Books, and can be purchased from any good book store, or from the usual on-line outlets.

Review courtesy Julian Radbourne @ www.twoshedsreview.com

Over the past few years I’ve read and reviewed countless professional wrestling books, but only one on mixed martial arts. You see, living in a small English coastal town means that it’s quite unlikely that you’ll see an MMA themed book in our branch of Jarrolds. Which is why I was both surprised and pleased that I saw Chuck Liddell’s biography screaming at me from the shelf.

Iceman: My Fighting Life is the first MMA biography I’ve ever read. From the proverbial humble beginnings in a one parent family, it tells the life of one of the greatest fighters in MMA history. Ever since he was a young child abandoned by his father (or sperm donor as Liddell refers to him), he only wanted to do one thing – fight.

And fight he did, taking karate lessons, competing in countless wrestling tournaments during his educational years, through to his early days as a poorly paid kick boxer, right up to the moment where he made his MMA debut in the struggling Ultimate Fighting Championship. Well, it was struggling until Dana White and his pals saved the sinking ship.

Without a doubt Liddell is one of the most well-known and respected fighters ever to grace a mixed martial arts cage/ring/whatever, that much is apparent just by reading the great man’s words. He respects everyone he meets, unless their name is Tito Ortiz that is.

You see, Chuck and Tito just don’t get on, and it’s this part of the book which is the most intriguing, how the then-light heavyweight champion kept telling everyone how great he was. Great he may have been, but he was quite reluctant to defend his title against the up-and-coming Iceman, until both fighters lost big matches and both fighters had something to prove.

I can always tell how good a book is when I hear the author’s voice in my head while I’m reading. That’s just what happened to me while reading this book. Ghost written it may have been, but these words come straight from the Iceman’s heart and mind.

In conclusion – Iceman: My Fighting Life is a great read, it really is. If the only Liddell you know is the guy who lost fights to Rampage Jackson and Keith Jardine, then you won’t know much about his early days. This book will help you fill in those blanks. It’s the story of a man who’s life has been defined by his fighting, the story of a man who’s had to fight for everything in his life.

Chuck Liddell – Iceman: My Fighting Life is available wherever books are sold.

Review courtesy Julian Radbourne @ www.twoshedsreview.com

This video has surfaced online over the past few days, basically a small teaser of an documentary planned to document Jens Pulver’s next WEC fight, scheduled for March against veteran Javier Vasquez.

It’s hard not to root for Little Evil, despite having a tough couple of years i don’t think it’s too late to count the former UFC Lightweight Champion out. The documentary itself looks like it could be fantastic, it shows Pulver again reminiscing about his troubled past and explaining why it is he fights.

If anyone’s unaware of Jens’ past, i highly recommend you seek out his book, also entitled Little Evil. It’s kind of gotten forgotten as it was released before the boom of Mixed Martial Arts, and i barely see it get mentioned along with the books of Chuck Liddell, Randy Couture etc. Jens’ is a different beast altogther, i recommend everyone seeks out a copy.

I’ll be rooting for Little Evil come March.

its being reported that internet street fighting phenom come unlikely UFC fighter Kimbo Slice will fight fellow TUF 10 cast member and Marcus Jones slayer Matt Mitrione at UFC 113 in Montreal.

Great matchup in my opinion, Kimbo’s a guy who needs to be matched up correctly, he’s a cash-cow and the UFC knows it. It’s a winnable fight for Kimbo and ultimately you know that’s what the UFC wants.

That’s not to say former NFL Star Mitrione isn’t dangerous, despite having clear mental lapses during the show and a horrible gas tank, what he did prove was that he had a jaw of iron and hit like a truck, if Kimbo isn’t careful he could end up flat on his face…I’m still hoping we end up seeing Kimbo/Paul Buentello at some point.

UFC 113 is shaping up!

UFC & MMA blog by Duane Farr

duane@bluraymma.com