2013-05-24
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ITFL Review: Week 5 Part 1

Event Review: ITFL - Week 5/1
International Team Fighting League
2013-05-12, London, Camden Conference Centre
Attendance:6,565, Event Rating:329
Author:Sean McDonnel


ITFL Review – Week 5 Part 1


International Team Fighting League came to you live on March 12th, 2013 from the Camden Conference Center for part 1 of a jam-packed weekend. This week will mark the half-way point in the tournament and it has been a great one to this point with several lead changes in both groups. Team Syndicate gave Team Reaper their first team loss last week and will look to continue the momentum as they took on Team Hells Balls. Team TFP Graphics was matched up against Team Aces of Spades as both these teams look to get back into playoff contention. Team Misfits look to stay ahead of the Syndicate who are on their heels but have a tough task this weekend when they face Team Reaper who are looking to rebound from their first team loss. Our marquee match-up of the week is Team Dinooo’s Donkeys vs. Team Kaiser in what should be a fantastic team battle. Let’s get to the action and see how this thing went down!


Biff Biffman (25-6-1) vs. I.P. Daily (8-9)


Biff Biffman makes his ITFL debut as a replacement for Deangelo J. Vickers and boy is he 1 scary opponent. Biffman has been declining in his old age and fighting mostly kick-boxing fights lately but the man has some of the most serious KO power ever seen with 24 of his 25 wins coming by way of knockout. Daily will have to look to use his superior striking in hopes to wear down his opponent and avoid the knockout power. Our first round got under-way and Daily landed a nice head kick at the beginning of the round and followed up with a nice counter right hand before moving the fight into the clinch position. The two fighters exchanged shots in the clinch for about a minute before Biffman decided to break and start trying to chop his opponent down with leg kicks. A really close round the cage-side announcer’s gave to Biffman. Our next round got underway and Biffman landed a couple strikes early in the round before a huge combination dropped Daily to the canvas. A big hook to the temple put Daily in even more trouble and after a few follow up hooks the ref was forced to step in and save Daily from anymore punishment.


Biffman def. Daily by 2nd round TKO


Rage Blade (30-17-2) vs. Kauno Kaalikorva (29-17)


Our next fight is between two fighters coming in having lost their last few fights and were looking to get back in the win column. Rage Blade came out and was looking to land powerful shots early on in this fight and was finding some success. Kauno Kaalikorva was utilizing his kicks to try to set up his takedowns. After 3 minutes in the round Blade closed the distance and engaged the clinch, but ate a nice hook from Kauno which opened up a cut and it wasn’t long after that Blade separated back to striking at a distance. After a dominating round 1 for Rage Blade, we started the 2nd round with an early takedown by Kaalikorva. Blade did a nice job avoiding damage and forced the referee to stand the fight up a little over a minute later. Rage Blade was getting the better of the striking exchanges the rest of the round, but did allow a counter takedown into side control by Kauno right before the end of the round. That wasn’t enough for the judge though as another round in the books for Rage Blade and we entered the final round with Kauno needing a finish. Most of the 3rd round was spent going in and out of the clinch, but a big 3 punch combination had Kaalikorva in big trouble with 2 minutes left in the round. He managed to survive the round but couldn’t get the big finish he needed and there was no doubt who won this fight.


Blade def. Kaalikorva by 30-27 Unanimous Decision


Boy Bubby (13-4-1) vs. Dakota Royer (30-13)


Boy Bubby is a promising young fighter with very confident management. Dakota Royer is a former Ascension champion which is an organization that has had 1 of the deepest talent pools over the last couple years. There was a bit of trash talk going into this fight including 2 bets of $100,000.00 so everyone was anxious for this fight to get under-way. Our first round got underway and Royer was getting the better of the striking early in the round but after a couple shots landed for Bubby he ducked in for a nice takedown into guard. Boy Bubby couldn’t get anything going on the ground and it wasn’t long until the ref stepped in and stood the fight back up. Dakota Royer finished the round strong avoiding almost every shot Bubby through and managing to land with a couple of his own pulling off the close 10-9 round. Bubby came out landing his strikes early in the 2nd round and managed to get a nice takedown into half-guard inside the first minute of the round. It wasn’t long until Boy advance to mount where he landed with a few nice strikes before a reversal by Royer saw him now on top of his opponent in guard. It was short lived however, as Bubby landed a beautiful sweep to full mount and proceeded to beat on his opponent for several minutes before finally cracking him with a big shot that forced Royer to cover up and the referee to step in and save him.


Bubby def. Royer by 2nd round TKO


Pete Damato (21-16) vs. Sir Jecht (13-5)


Sir Jecht made is ITFL debut last week in a tough fight he was probably winning on the scorecards until a brutal head-kick changed the fight and resulted in a late stoppage win for his opponent. He looked to rebound this week taking Pete Damato who pulled off a shocking upset victory last week. The first round got under-way and Jecht looked for the takedown early in the round but Damato was able to keep it standing with a nice sprawl. Damato landed with a nice body kick and a couple head punches early in the round, one of which opened a nice cut up on his opponent. Sir Jecht was the more accurate striker over the course of the round but it was clear that Pete was swinging with bad intentions. He didn’t land enough of his strikes in the first round though, and it was Jecht who pulled out the close round. Both fighters came out landing early in round 2, but Jecht walked into a straight right hand that knocked him flat on his back and after a few follow up shots from mount it was Damato who pulled of the 2nd straight upset win showing this old dog still has a few tricks.


Damato def. Jecht by 2nd round TKO


Viktor Kafka (20-10-1) vs. Pete Wentz (25-16)


Up next was the first fight in the showdown between Team Kaiser and Team Dinooo’s Donkey’s when Viktor Kafka took on the very durable Pete Wentz. Both fighters came out early looking to dictate the pace in this fight, but it was Wentz who was starting to get the better of his opponent with brutal leg kicks. The two fighters seemed content to stand on the feet and trade shots, and despite the frustrated look on Kafka’s face he continued to try to push forward and score points. After five minutes and a hard fought round, it was Pete Wentz who was able to win the round. Our 2nd round looked very similar to the first with both fighters seeming content to stand and trade shots on the feet, but it was clear that all the damage done by the leg kicks was starting to wear on Kafka as Wentz started to take the lead in this tango. The two went back and forth and after our 2nd round came to an end it was clear who was in control in this fight, and Kafka would need to make something happen in the 3rd to pull off the victory for his team. It just wasn’t meant to be for Viktor here tonight despite a valid effort he just couldn’t get enough going to ever put Wentz in trouble over the final 5 minutes and it was another round in the books and a convincing decision win.


Wentz def. Kafka by 30-27 Unanimous Decision


Dynamite Nixon (20-12) vs. Karl Denke (26-8-1)


The first fight on our main-card is another fight between Team TFP Graphics and the Aces of Spades as Dynamite Nixon makes his ITFL debut against the anchor for team TFP Karl Denke. Both fighters came out aggressive early in the fight but a missed leg kick by Nixon led to a takedown into side control by his opponent in the first minute of the round. It didn’t take long for Denke to advance to mount and start unleashing some brutal ground and pound on his opponent. Nixon managed to scramble back to half-guard and then quickly use that position to stand back up to his feet. Both fighters were finding success with their strikes over the next sixty seconds until Denke drove through with a takedown into side control. He was able to keep the fight on the ground for the rest of the round and easily secured round one. The 2nd round got under-way and both fighters came out looking to stand and trade but Denke was managing to get the better of the striking exchanges now. A nice jab by Karl opened a cut on his opponent and a few minutes later a big head kick sent Dynamite Nixon crashing to the floor. Nixon attempted to scramble to his feet but Denke followed him to the mat into side control before advancing to mount and landing a big shot that ended the fight.


Denke def. Nixon by 2nd round TKO


Karl Thomas (20-9) vs. Thomas Billington (26-13-2)


Up next is our 2nd fight between Team Misfits and Team Reaper Combat-wear as Karl Denke takes on the durable Thomas Billington. Our first round got underway and Billington shot for a takedown to put the thought into Thomas’ head right away. He then landed with several head punches before Thomas rushed in and engaged the clinch. The two fighters didn’t stay there very long as Thomas almost immediately broke the position and went back to striking at a distance. After a few nice counter strikes by Thomas, Billington landed a nice 1-2 combination and then countered a missed leg kick with a double leg takedown into half-guard. Thomas Billington was able to keep the fight on the ground for a couple of minutes but eventually the ref stepped in and stood the fight up. The fighters traded strikes for the last minute of the round but it was a round that clearly belonged to Billington. In the 2nd round Karl Thomas was able to keep the fight standing and really worked his opponent over with leg kicks and punches to his head over the course of the entire round to even the fight after two rounds. Billington came out and engaged the clinch early in the 3rd round and eventually used it to pull guard and try to work his submission game off his back. Thomas realized this was a bad spot for him and stood up off of his opponent making Billington stand and strike with him. The fighters traded shots over the next minute before Billington landed a nice takedown into half-guard. Thomas got back to his feet with a minute left in the round and tried to close strong but this fight belong to Thomas Billington.


Billington def. Thomas by 29-28 Unanimous Decision


Sergiy Skylar (20-4) vs. Greco Roman (12-10)


In our next fight we saw two elite grapplers square off when Greco Roman took on the man with a name I’ve spelled wrong the entire tournament Sergiy Skylar in a fight that was sure to see a significant amount of time on the ground. Both fighters came out aggressive early in the fight and Skylar landed a beautiful 4-punch combination in the opening seconds of the round, before landing a nice takedown into guard. Roman was very active off his back with his submission attempts but Skylar did a nice job avoiding them, even using an escape to advance to side control at one point. Roman managed to get back to the half-guard briefly but Skylar wasn’t having it and slipped effortlessly into side control a 2nd time where he worked some nice ground and pound. Roman again got back to the half-guard and tried to work his submission game but Skylar again avoided his attempts easily and finished the round on top in half-guard. The 2nd round got underway and Sergiy Skylar closed the distance and engaged the clinch where he picked his opponent up and slammed him to the mat landing in half-guard right before the 1 minute mark of the round. Roman went threw up a nice omoplata attempt but Skylar avoided the submission using it to slip into side control where he unleashed a barrage of punches and finished the fight with a big elbow that really hurt his opponent.


Skylar def. Roman by 2nd round TKO


Luka Beck (18-4-1) vs. Richard Lightfoot (20-8-1)


Our co-main event of the evening saw two fighters with 1 loss between them so far in the tournament as Luka Beck faced Richard Lightfoot. Our first round got under-way and Beck came out very aggressive in this fight trying to land with punches and kicks. Lightfoot managed to close the distance and engage the clinch just before the 2 minute mark of the round but Luka quickly separated from the position. Both fighters were landing over the next couple minutes in a really close fight, before Lightfoot again and engaged the clinch. Beck broke the position immediately this time, and these two went back and forth for the rest of the round, one which was given to Luka Beck by the cage-side announcer’s. Luka came out pretty aggressive in round 2 as well, but Lightfoot started to get the better of the striking in this round and it was looking like Luka Beck didn’t leave enough in the gas tank to finish this thing. After a tough 5 minutes of back and forth striking, Richard Lightfoot took a convincing round 2 and our fight was all tied up going into the final 5 minutes. Richard Lightfoot was getting the better of the striking exchanges early in round 3, and used that to close the distance and engage the clinch. Beck managed to land a takedown into half-guard but couldn’t do very much with the position and it wasn’t long until the referee stood the two fighters back up. Lightfoot looked to get the better of the striking for the rest of the round and in a close round 3, I scored the fight for Lightfoot. It was the judge’s opinion who mattered here though, and they scored this fight for Luka.


Beck def. Lightfoot by 29-28 Unanimous Decision


Katsuro Sato (20-9) vs. Dryden Mitchell (31-11-1)


Our main event of the evening is another fight in our marquee team match-up this week when Katsuro Sato represented Team Kaiser to take on Dryden Mitchell of Dinooo’s Donkey’s. Dryden Mitchell came out the aggressor in the 1st round and was very accurate with his strikes early. He was doing a really nice job at wearing down his opponent while keeping this fight on the feet. Mitchell found a lot of success early with his leg kicks and head punches and as the first round came to an end it was clear that Mitchell was up. The 2nd round was essentially a carbon copy of the first round as Mitchell was getting the better of the striking exchanges and using that to help him keep the fight on the feet. Mitchell was able to keep the fight standing the entire round and that meant bad news for Sato on the judge’s scorecards as he’d need a finish in the 3rd to get the win. Katsuro Sato gave a damn good effort in the 3rd round, landing an early takedown right into side control. He kept Mitchell in constant trouble from a variety of positions on the ground, and despite keeping the fight there the entire 3rd round he was not able to get the finish he needed as Mitchell averted danger and won the fight.


Mitchell def. Sato by 29-28 Unanimous Decision


 

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