Gareth Keenan’s ambitions reached higher than the sun and he consequently got burned as he tasted defeat for the very first time. It was the biggest fight in his short career but the champion is ready to get his career back on track. Over two years have passed since Kira Miyata’s last title fight. Lurking in the shadows, he patiently awaited his opportunity until he felt the time was ripe to challenge for the coveted Gamma featherweight title one more time.
In a classic striker Vs grappler match-up, the more experienced Kira "Gaijin" Miyata had a lot of trouble taking this fight to the ground as he was consistently pummeled by an overwhelming plethora of strikes. And when the challenger was finally able to let his opponent’s body hit the floor, he found himself trapped in the clutches of the champion’s underestimated ground game. Like a crocodile’s jaw snapping shut over the flabbergasted Kira Miyata, the champion latched himself to the arm of the challenger and didn’t let go until the referee intervened.
Winner: Gareth Keenan by submission (armbar) after 2 minutes and 58 seconds in the fourth round.
170 title - Musta Laine (c) Vs Bruce Diehard
In quite stunning fashion this fight managed to stun fans around the globe as both champion and challenger continued to take the fight where the opponent found more success. You could see nothing but surprise on the faces of those in attendance as the champion looked to continue the trend of trading leather while his opponent more than was his match on the feet. Frustrations clearly visible on the coaches in both corners as the challenger was constantly on the lookout for a takedown where Musta Laine lurked in the shadows, like an octopus lying in wait to spring upon his unsuspecting victim and drag him into the deep end. Both fighters gave it their all in a fight that left all who watched frown with confusion.
Winner: Bruce Diehard by unanimous decision.
GAMMA#669 Obama v Goodman 2 – October 21
185 title - Russian Obama (c) Vs Saul Goodman
A rematch not to be missed as the former champion Saul Goodman made his return to the middleweight title scene. Russian Obama’s victory over the former champion was a very close one and with both of them conquering a former middleweight champion on their path to this rematch, the crowd was electric. Buzzing with anticipation the crowd roared with thunderous joy as the bell signaled the start of Obama Vs Goodman 2.
The fight started and from the get-go it was crystal clear that Saul Goodman came into this fight with a vengeance. The gameplan was simply put: overwhelm the champion with a flurry of strikes and keep hammering into him until the final bell. Russian Obama is no pushover and he kept up the pace but he was constantly in pursuit, trying to get even with Saul Goodman instead of actually gaining the upper hand.
Winner: Saul Goodman by unanimous decision.
GAMMA#670 Curry v Mencken (887716) – October 28
155 title - Mathew Ridgeway (c) Vs Vladimir Emelienko
Mathew "Deep Waters" Ridgeway barely walked away with the championship belt in his last fight so the pressure was on the newly crowned champion to blast away all his doubters with a dominant victory. Vladimir Emelienko knows full well how the nerves can get to you in your first title defense as he once lost the title in his first defense. Certainly the challenger was looking to capitalize on his experience, this combined with the fact that he has never been finished in the cage made him a tough challenger for the lightweight title. These two warriors went at it before and last time it was Mathew Ridgeway who walked away the victor.
From afar this fight would look pretty similar to their previous encounter but a close-up would reveal the intricacies that made this fight worth watching. For yes, they were trading hard shots and stiff kicks most of the time and Mathew Ridgeway was on the lookout to take the fight to the clinch and yes he did once again find success there but both their strategies had definitely changed since the previous time they met. The champion was focused on slowing down his first challenger with wood chopping leg kicks while taking his time to set up his clinch attempts. The challenger on the other hand kept his strategy quite simple as he was mostly headhunting all night long, using his kicks merely as an extension of his arsenal and keeping the champion guessing until the final bell.
