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 SLAUGHTERHOUSE 7 REVIEW
UNDERCARD
Ryan Genningsunit v Dominick Snooze – 135 lbs
This was a slightly bizarre fight with most of action taking place in the clinch. Genningsunit's plan seemed to revolve around persistent use of elbow strikes (98 attempts over the course of the fight), however the vast majority of them either missed their target or were blocked. Meanwhile Snooze seemed content to stay in the clinch despite being clearly outworked and outscored in that department. With most of his takedown attempts stuffed, Snooze may well have been better off sticking to the outside where he looked the more dangerous of the two. Similarly Genningsunit might have been able to finish this fight earlier if he had worked in more body shots from within the clinch; he had a 100% success rate when he targeted the body with punches. With neither fighter showing a particular willingness to adapt their gameplan this one went to decision with Genningsunit clearly taking all rounds on the judges scorecards.
Result: Genningsunit by decision.
Dawid Dzingis Han v Joe Johnson – 265+ lbs
For those of you not familiar with Dawid Han, this man is a skilled wrestler with a penchant for finishing fights via submission. Unless you are a particularly skilled ground fighter, you probably don't want to be taking him to the ground. Yet that is precisely what Joe Johnson did in his MMA debut, shooting for the takedown less than fifteen seconds into the bout. Somehow he managed to avoid getting submitted in the first, but when Johnson took the fight to the ground yet again it seemed to be only a matter of time before the Polish wrestler would be able to apply the finish. And sure enough just over a minute into the second round Han managed to secure the armbar and Johnson was tapping out in pain. Han will no doubt be absolutely delighted that this matchup played right into his hands as he celebrates his fifth successive victory.
Result: Han by second round submission.
David McFadden v Walter Black – 185 lbs
Credit to McFadden for at least attempting to make this bout entertaining. For reasons unbeknownst, Black decided he would spend the majority of this fight lying on top his opponent and proceed to do nothing from dominant positions. Presumably he was having an existential crisis and was contemplating the meaning of existence or other such esoteric matters because as far as fights go this was a snooze fest. Admittedly things picked up in the third round as McFadden managed to stuff three successive takedowns and connected with some nice hooks, however sure enough Black eventually took the young Scotsman to the floor yet again at around the two minute mark. With Black showing a distinct lack of activity on the ground this one went to the score card and the American took the decision with all three judges scoring the contest 29-28 in Black's favour. We sincerely hope that Black's manager will be having words with him lest we see a repeat of this performance (if you can call it that).
Result: Black by decision.
Billy Bulge v Neil Murray – 205 lbs
Neil Murray showed his versatility and surprised onlookers by taking this fight to ground early on in the first; after landing with a well-timed uppercut he launched a double leg takedown into Bulge's guard. From there he successfully avoided several attempts from Bulge at a guillotine submission and controlled the position eventually moving to mount and attempting an arm triangle of his own. The second round started in much the same way with Murray punishing Bulge's bid to try and take the fight into the clinch with another nice uppercut which landed flush. Again, Murray immediately followed up with the takedown and managed to advance into mount as Bulge tried to secure a kimura. However, this time the Ulster man sprang back to his feet perhaps concerned at Bulge's persistent attempts to go for the submissions. This looked like it might backfire as the American then succeeded in a takedown attempt of his own and proceeded to rain down some nasty blows on Murray. But just as the round looked to be swinging in Bulge's favour, Murray showed some effective Jiu Jitsu and escaped to his feet. By the third round both fighters seemed to have tired somewhat and the pace of the action slowed; Bulge looked like he had secured the takedown but this time Murray immediately escaped back to his feet and took the fight back down to the ground on his terms. With neither fighter able to secure the submission we went to the judges scorecards and Murray secured the victory with a unanimous decision thanks to a dominant grappling performance throughout.
Result: Murray by decision.
Cappy Christian v Jared Tillion – 170 lbs
This bout went more or less as expected with Christian looking to operate inside the clinch and Tillion doing his best to bring the fight to the ground. Christian managed to get the Norwegian up against the cage early and rocked him with a series of knees and elbows; Tillion's endeavours to take the Muay-Thai practitioner down proved unsuccessful and soon he looked clearly winded from the damage being inflicted by Christian. A knee to the body dropped Tillion to the floor and although he managed to regain his footing Tillion soon found himself back in the clinch. A cut opened up above the Norwegian's right eye and soon Christian was targeting the laceration with elbow strikes. Tillion eventually did manage to obtain the takedown but Christian immediately sprang back to his feet and resumed his onslaught. With blood now streaming down Tillion's face the doctor was eventually forced to bring this fight to halt leaving the winner by TKO, Cappy Christian. The 37 year old Australian is clearly still at the top of his game and if he continues to perform like this it will only be a matter of time before he gets another shot at the welterweight title.
Result: Christian by first round (T)KO (doctor stoppage).
Harley Crowe v Howard Stern – 185 lbs
Well exactly as predicted this Jiu Jitsu battle went down to a decision. Both of these fighters are well versed at defending against submissions and of the thirty eight combined attempts throughout neither opponent was able to make the other tap. Stern connected well with his kicking but with most of the contest taking place on the ground the decision went to Crowe who was the more active fighter throughout. Stern did well to secure several reversals to take the third round, but with all three judges scoring the bout 29-28 the result was probably a fair reflection of proceedings. Crowe was able to secure the takedown throughout and although Stern managed to connect with some strikes of his own it was Crowe who had the more effective ground and pound. Despite being unable to secure the submission, the newcomer will no doubt be delighted with his debut performance as he looks to move on up in the middleweight division.
Result: Crowe by decision.
Kezz The Convict v Sweet Jones – 170 lbs title fight
At Kezz's last title defence he looked exposed in the clinch despite managing to snatch a victory with a late submission in the fourth round; Jones decided to follow the exact same blueprint here, repeatedly forcing Kezz up against the cage at the start of every round. The strategy worked to perfection with Jones controlling the action and successfully landing with a series punches from inside the clinch. Most of Kezz's attempts to pull guard proved unsuccessful; he managed to take the fight to the ground towards the end of the first but was unable to secure the submission and for the rest of the bout the fighters remained standing. With Kezz's takedowns attempts (41 over the duration) stuffed, Jones clearly dominated the action and when the final bell rang it was no surprise to see all three judges score the contest 50-43 in Jones' favour with rounds two and four being scored 10-8. The new welterweight champion was delighted to pick up his first belt and thanked the fans profusely before catching his flight back to London; his next bout is currently unconfirmed but there will no doubt be some tough competition coming up in this top heavy division.
Result: Jones by decision.
Peyton Rudger v Eli Frankham – 265+ lbs
What had been billed as a close battle turned into swift exercise in brutality; Rudger immediately countered a missed leg kick from Frankham by taking him into the clinch. On paper these two are very evenly matched in this department, however it was the sheer level of aggression showed by Rudger which swung this one in his favour. With effective elbow strikes mixed in with some well timed hooks, Rudger had soon opened up a cut on Frankham's forehead. With Rudger delivering strikes with precision the doctor was eventually forced to call this fight to a halt as Frankham's cut progressively worsened over the course of the first round. Fans will no doubt be disappointed with the early stoppage but in all fairness Frankham showed little ability to cover up from the American's onslaught. A win on his Slaughterhouse debut now puts Rudger in good contention to start moving towards a challenge for the title; Frankham was one of the higher rated fighters in the division and this performance here will have some of the bigger names looking over their shoulders in concern.
Result: Rudger by first round (T)KO (doctor stoppage).
CO-MAIN EVENT
Andriy Kuzmenko v Reijo Rento – 265 lbs
Stylistically this was always going to be an intriguing matchup; as predicted Kuzmenko looked to keep this standing while Rento was happy to trade blows but was also actively looking for takedowns. On this occasion Kuzmenko showed excellent takedown defence and was able to fight this bout on his terms. Both fighters connected well with their strikes but it was the Ukrainian who edged the standup battle landing 54.7% of his shots to Rento's 48.3%. With both opponents' striking on point it seemed to be only a matter of time before a KO was forthcoming, and sure enough one minute into the second round Kuzmenko delivered a massive right hand which put Rento to the canvas, the Finn managed to get back on his feet but Kuzmenko followed up with a big uppercut which put Rento back onto the mat. Rento did his best to cover up but a hail of strikes from the Ukranian soon forced the referee to bring this bout to a halt. This is a big victory for Kuzmenko in his first appearance back after losing his title bid against Magnus Cross; Rento is a reputable opponent at the top of his game and this win will no doubt be a great morale boost for the Ukranian as he seeks to work his way back into title contention. Rento will be disappointed to suffer defeat on his Slaughterhouse debut but the experienced heavyweight will no doubt be back as he looks to establish himself in the division.
Result: Kuzmenko by second round (T)KO.
MAIN EVENT
Magnus Cross v Connor Mac Burns – 265 lbs title fight
This title fight started out with a cracking display of boxing with both fighters showing some excellent footwork and head movement to avoid the wild shots that were being thrown. We talked about the possibility of Burns playing away from his natural tendencies and testing Cross on the ground prior to the bout and sure enough at just past the minute mark Burns feinted and suddenly dived in for the takedown. With the champion now on the floor, Burns started to look for submission opportunities but Cross showed some good defensive grappling to prevent the challenger from controlling the position and eventually the referee was forced to stand the two fighters back up. More wild strikes ensued, most missing their target but both fighters managing to connect on occasion. As we approached the four minute mark Burns managed to take the fight to the floor twice in quick succession; the first time Cross quickly escaped but on the second occasion Burns secured the double leg takedown and transitioned into side control. However, Burns was unable to secure the submission due to the bell and we went into the second round. Again, both fighters came out swinging wildly – Burns connected with a few shots but it was a monster right hand from Cross which finally swung this bout in the champions' favour. Burns dropped to his knees and soon Cross was in his guard loading up on shots looking to finish the fight. A desperate Burns tried to find the guillotine but the champion avoided it easily and continued to rain down some vicious strikes on the challenger. Soon Burns had resorted to just covering up and the referee had to step in, calling this bout to a halt.
A much closer fight than many had anticipated. Burns' takedown strategy at times looked like it might pay dividends but ultimately the champion showed his versatility in avoiding submissions and was effective in limiting the amount of damage Burns was able to inflict on the ground. At the age of 23 it may be the case that the best is yet to come from Cross, but yet again he showed us why he remains dominant at the top of the heavyweight division. This is Cross' ninth victory in a row and his third successive title defence – quite the accomplishment for one so young. If he continues his winning ways we may well be seeing a legend in the making.
Result: Cross by second round (T)KO.
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