Knuckleup

Rundown and results from our 3rd installment of "The New Breed" written by Pierre Guillet

Bath is a historic city known for its medieval baths, Roman architecture, beautiful scenery and was, for a time, home to the great 19th century author Jane Austen. However, it will now be known as the city that hosted New Breed 3. The event boasted nine amateur and three professional MMA bouts. The evening was a total success –the intimate and elaborate venue, a beautiful 24-foot cage and top-notch sound system all contributed to a thrilling evening. The show was described by one fan as “... the best night out ever!”

There was plenty of excitement as none of the fights went to a judge’s decision. This reflects directly on the hunger and determination of all fighters; each bout was warmly received with the roar of approval from the audience. Statistically speaking five fights (45%) ended by way of strikes and six fights (54%) by way of submissions. The results of the entire card can be seen at www.mmauniverse.com/eventarchive/SS14523

The stand-out amateur bout was Maximus Witkowski versus Tom Bradley. This fight provided fireworks from beginning to end. There was no feeling-out process as both fighters were in each others' faces from the bell. Maximus Witkowski seemed to be in a little trouble at the beginning of the bout as he was bloodied early from strikes. Looking to take the fight to the ground he attempted two take-downs, both of which Bradley was able to stuff with a whizzer (over hook of the arm). After these two failed attempts Witkowski was able to complete the take-down and from there it was a master class exhibition on the ground by both fighters. There were smooth transitions, reversals, and of course submission attempts. However, the evening ended for the Trojan fighter when Witkowski locked in a deep triangle choke.

There were three professional bouts on the card - the first being Matt Jones versus Ross Mould. This fight was ended in the first round as Matt Jones never let Ross Mould recover from his devastating stand-up. He continuously closed down the distance and showed effective use of the dirty boxing within the clench. The fight ended up on the mat with Jones swarming Mould and the tap-out due to ground and pound came shortly after. As Jones celebrated Mould was on the mat clutching at his ribs. The injury could have come from a number of punches, knees, or kicks from Jones. Jones, ever the sportsman, went to check on his opponent. To everyone's relief Mould was able to walk out on his own two feet which brought applause from the crowd.  

The second to the main event was the much anticipated Grant Harris versus Ben Styles. Many thought this had the potential to be fight of the night but unfortunately it was not to be. The bout started with both Harris and Styles posturing and getting a feel for the other's strengths and potential weaknesses. As the tempo quickened with both fighters trading lightning-fast strikes it ended up in the clench. Both fighters were able to land small short strikes and it seemed fairly even, until Harris was able to land a knee that cut Styles. The bout was stopped with the cage-side physician checking the cut. At this point the physician called the bout in the interest of fighter safety. It was obvious that both fighters were skilled, in peak condition, and had so much more to show. This is definitely a fight that I would like to see and I am sure matchmaker Matt Hand will look to put this on a future card.

The main event showcased Wesley Murch versus Liam Bennett. The fight started out once again with a feeling-out process that ended up in the clench. The clench was a chess match with both fighters finding their backs up against the cage. Bennett was able to score the take-down but the veteran Murch did not panic and defended intelligently and patiently waited for an opening. That came shortly after with a reversal that utilized kicking off the cage. From the explosive reversal Murch stacked his opponent and proceeded to throw punches with power and pin-point precision. The ever game Bennett weathered the storm initially but unable to defend himself the bout was called due to ground and pound. Murch was able to come back after a ten month lay off, shake off the cobwebs and post an impressive first round victory. The night was capped off with the victor giving a seemingly well practiced and comical speech at the end.

Overall the event went off without a hitch and the staff at Knuckle Up would like to thank the fighters and of course the fans. With the continued support we look to bring more MMA action to a city near you. Don't forget that Knuckle Up will be hosting 'Kings of the North' at the Bolton Arena, Bolton on September 4th. Fighters on the card include: world renowned fighter Jeff Monson, heavy hitter Neal Wain, Johnny Phillips and Deniston Sutherland. This is an event that you will not want to miss!

RESULTS

1. Owain Gulliford def Kristian Hutt via Guillotine choke in 1.42 of round 3
2. Mike Plestor def Dan Barlow via ground & pound stoppage in 2.21 of round 3
3. Danny Poulsom def Dan Evans via KO in 2.33 of round 1
4. Marc Allen def Shane Mansfield via Armbar in 2.26 of round 3
5. Tony Cogzell def Adam Drescher via Triangle choke in 1.33 of round 1
6. Kriss Barras def Wayne Davies via Rear naked choke in 0.51 of round 1
7. Dave Perera def Lorcan Curtis via Guillotine choke in 2.57 of round 1
8. Maximus Witkowski def Tom Bradley via Triangle choke in 3.25 of round 1
9. Matt jones def Ross Mould via Ground & Pound in 1.02 of round 1
10. Grant Harris def Ben Styles Stoppage due to cut from knee in 1.17 of round 1
11. Wesley Murch def Liam Bennet via Ground & Pound in 1.30 of round 1

You can also watch streaming of the show now exclusivley on www.mmabay.co.uk