2013-06-01
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ITFL Review: Week 6 Part 2

Event Review: ITFL - Week 6/2
International Team Fighting League
2013-05-26, London, Wombley Arena
Attendance:11,954, Event Rating:432
Author:Sean McDonnel


ITFL Review – Week 6 Part 2


Welcome back to the second half of our re-cap, when ITFL came to you live from the Wombley Arena in London, England. Team Kaiser brings an impressive 3 to 0 lead from part 1 of our weekend. Our first event also saw Team Reaper take a 2 to nothing lead against Team TFP Graphics, Team Aces jump out to a 2 to nothing lead over the Misfits Team, and the replacement team jumped out to a surprising 2 to nothing lead over Team Syndicate Nutrition. Let’s take a look at how the rest of the action went down.


Karl Thomas (21-9) vs. Rage Blade (30-18-2)


Our 2nd event kicked off with Karl Thomas taking on Rage Blade as Team Misfits would need to get to work if they had any hope of winning the team showdown this week. The first round got under-way and this fight should be a good one with both fighters looking to stand and trade. Thomas came out swinging with bad intentions early in the fight and left him-self open to a few counter strikes.  Karl Thomas landed a big shot 30 seconds into the opening round that opened up a cut on Blade. Rage pushed forward landing several shots over the next minute before closing the distance and engaging the clinch. The two fighters took turns trying to work their opponent over against the cage but after Blade separated, he ate a few damaging leg kicks that were really slowing him down. Thomas capitalized on that opportunity to unleash a devastating head kick that dropped Blade to the canvas and after a few follow up strikes the referee was pulling Thomas off his opponent’s unconscious body.


Thomas def. Blade by 1st round TKO


Viktor Kafka (21-10-1) vs. Pete Damato (21-17)


Team Kaiser already had the team match-up in the bag for this week but Kafka would be looking to help get his team back in the group lead with a sweep when he faced off against Pete Damato. Viktor Kafka came out finding success with his strikes early in the round but it was a big shot by Damato that opened a cut up on his opponent in the first minute of the round. Kafka weathered the big power shot by Damato though and began to wear his opponent down with plenty of leg kicks and head punches over the course of a dominating first round. Damato came out in round 2 finding success early in the round with big power shots but got a little sloppy and walked right into a cross that hurt him. Kafka showed great killer instinct immediately following up with a devastating uppercut that sent Damato tumbling to the mat. He did his best to recover but several follow up shots from Kafka forced the referee to jump in and save him and Kaiser moved to 4-0.


Kafka def. Damato by 2nd round TKO


Dan Smith (18-8) vs. Dakato Royer (31-13)


Team Misfits came into this fight down 2-1 after the win earlier on the card by Karl Thomas. They would need Royer to come through in the clutch here if they had any hope of winning the team match-up this weekend. Dan Smith would step up to the plate for Team Aces of Spades in hopes to seal the deal for his team. Dan Smith landed a nice jab to start the round and a little blood trickled from Royer’s nose. He’d get even with a nice head kick that opened up a cut on Smith a few seconds later, and it was clear this fight was going to be exciting. After another nice shot landed by Royer, Smith closed the distance and engaged the clinch but it was immediately broken by his opponent. The two traded strikes for the rest of the first round, but after another head kick and a nice combination by Royer the cut on Smith was really getting nasty and his corner-men would have a lot of work between rounds. The 2nd round was a lot closer with Royer looking to land heavy counter shots while his opponent was desperately trying to finish the fight knowing that the cut was leaving him in danger of the fight being stopped. That moment would come in the 3rd round after a nice counter shot from Royer opened up the cut even worse, and then another counter had Smith rocked. For some reason the referee moved in to have the doctor check the cut when it looked like Royer could’ve finished the job himself but either way a win is a win, and this was a much needed one for Dakota Royer.


Royer def. Smith by 3rd round TKO (cut)


Dynamite Nixon (20-13) vs. Dirk Diggler (23-7)


After two big wins on this card by Team Misfits it would come down to this 5th and final fight when Dynamite Nixon took on Dirk Diggler. The first round got under-way and Nixon would immediately close the distance and engage the clinch. He’d keep that position for close to a minute before Diggler separated and we were back to striking at a distance. A nice head kick landed in the first half of the round that opened a cut on his opponent. Diggler would really dominate his opponent with heavy shots on the feet for the majority of the round. Nixon managed to get a nice trip takedown into side-control with 30 seconds left in the round but it wasn’t near enough to help his case with the judges. Diggler would come out finding success on the feet early in the 2nd round but this time Nixon was able to get a takedown much earlier in the round. Diggler did a nice job avoiding damage however and forced the referee to stand the fight up. Nixon would immediately land a nice combination when they were back on the feet and it opened up a cut on Diggler. Dynamite Nixon would attempt to get the fight to the ground a few more times but Diggler was sprawling well and landing heavy shots in the process. One of those heavy shots sent Nixon to one knee for a moment but it was a jab that rocked him, and then Diggler followed up with a brutal spinning back-fist that knocked Nixon out cold.


Diggler def. Nixon by 2nd round KO


Dennis Wise (26-9) vs. Si Robertson (21-3)


Si Robertson would look to get his team on the scoreboard when he makes his debut against Dennis Wise in a fight that looked like a blow-out on paper. The first round got under-way and Robertson landed a strike early in the round, but Wise quickly closed the distance and engaged the clinch. Wise showed a lot of patience as he worked his opponent over against the cage with brutal head and body punches. Wise showed he’s not just a dirty boxer though by mixing in heavy knees to the body and knees and elbows to the face. One of those heavy knees rocked Robertson, and after a short right hand Wise unleashed another brutal knee that crumpled his opponent against the cage. Two more unanswered shots landed for Wise before the referee was able to get in and pull him off Robertson.


Wise def. Robertson by 1st round TKO


Edward Richtofen (7-2) vs. Dragon Slayer (9-3-1)


Team TFP Graphics would look to their up and coming young star to stop the bleeding of a 3-0 deficit when he’d face off against 1 of Reaper’s promising young fighters in Dragon Slayer. The first round got under-way and Richtofen would start strong by landing a nice leg kick and uppercut, as well as two counter strikes in the first minute of the round. Dragon Slayer was throwing strikes with bad intentions but he was having a tough time finding his range early in the fight as his opponent walked forward and was fairly accurate with his punches and kicks. Dragon Slayer did land a nice jab that opened up a cut on Richtofen and then after faking an overhand closed the distance and engaged the clinch. He’d decide to break that position after a while and the two traded strikes until the end of the first round. In round 2 Dragon Slayer started to find his range and land big power shots on his opponent and just after the two minute mark of the round he feinted with a jab and landed a monster overhand right that sent Richtofen to the canvas. Edward tried to scramble back up to his feet but a barrage of ground and pound by Dragon Slayer forced the referee to step in and stop the fight in the interest of fighter safety.


Slayer def. Richtofen by 2nd round TKO


Thomas Billington (27-13-2) vs. Biff Biffman (25-7-1)


Thomas Billington would look to close the deal on a sweep for his team this week when he took on Biff Biffman. The first round got under-way and Biffman immediately closed the distance and engaged the clinch position. Neither fighter would find much success from this position and Billington circled out a minute later and we were back to striking at a distance. After a missed body shot by Biffman, his opponent shot in and landed a nice takedown right before the two minute mark of the round. Biffman would do a nice job at avoiding damage and force a ref stand up but Billington immediately shot in again and landed another takedown. This time Thomas Billington would advance to the mount position and start landing heavy shots on the ground. After a big right hand hurt his opponent, Thomas followed up with a nasty elbow and a few follow up shots that forced the ref to step in and save him. Team Reaper would pull of a surprising sweep against Team TFP Graphics.


Billington def. Biffman by 1st round TKO


Luka Beck (19-4-1) vs. Helio James (25-12)


Team Kaiser would also be looking for a sweep when Luka Beck took on a debuting Helio James who was a late replacement for retiring MMA manager Bankrupt. The first round got under-way and after a failed attempt to clinch by James his opponent would land a nice counter takedown into guard. James was very active off his back with submission attempts but Beck used that aggression to pass into half-guard and then immediately into the mount position. James did a good job with being desperate to get out of the bad position and eventually forced a scramble that ended with him being on top. Beck did a nice job controlling from the bottom though and forced the referee to stand up the fight. Luka landed a nice combination that opened up a cut on his opponent and then got a nice counter takedown into side control. He quickly passed to the mount again but James once again forced a scramble that ended with him on top and that’s how the round ended. Our second round saw Luka close the distance and get a takedown in the first minute. The two fighters stayed on the mat the entire 2nd round with James trying to work submissions from his back while Luka tried to land the ground and pound from the top. The 3rd round looked very similar to the 2nd with Luka landing an early takedown and managing to maintain the top position as his opponent worked his submission game from the bottom. Luka was able to avoid any danger and finished the position on top in side-control in a fight that would be easy to score.


Beck def. James by 30-27 Unanimous Decision


Sergey Skylar (20-4-1) vs. Jarrod Batchelor (11-4-1)


Up next is our co-main event of the evening and Sergey Skylar would look to help his team save face having already lost the team match-up this week. His opponent Jarrod Batchelor would be making his debut as a replacement for the exiting Donkey’s team. This fight looked to be a striker vs. grappler match-up. Batchelor would come out the aggressor early in round 1 and after landing a few of his strikes Skylar took the fight to the mat with a nice takedown. Batchelor did a nice job avoiding damage and forced the referee to stand the fight up and he would push forward and out-strike Skylar for the rest of the round. Batchelor would come out accurate again in round 2 and his opponent was starting to hobble a little on that front leg from the succession of leg kicks. After a missed leg kick by his opponent, Skylar would manage to land a nice counter takedown at the 90 second mark of the round. Batchelor would again do a nice job of avoiding damage and force the referee to stand the fight back up where he eventually closed the distance and engaged the clinch. The two fighters would go back and forth in the clinch until Sklyar used that position to drag the fight to the ground with under a minute left and that’s where they’d stay until the end of the round. It looked like we had an even fight going into the final round so the early takedown Batchelor gave up really took the wind out of his sails. He did force a ref stand up two and half minutes into the round but it didn’t last long as Skylar immediately got another takedown and kept him down until there were only seconds left in the fight. A very close fight that went the distance and the verdict that came back from the judge’s let everyone down.


Skylar and Batchelor fight to a DRAW


Tweedle Dee (25-5-1) vs. Nick Fury (26-5)


Our main event of the evening was sure to be an exciting one and was this writer’s pick for the individual tournament finale if Fury wasn’t exiting the tournament. Tweedle Dee would look to make an individual statement as the team outcome was already decided before the start of this fight. The first round got under-way and a nice hook from Fury opened up a cut in the opening moments of the fight. The two would go back and forth in a pretty even fight for the first 4 minutes of the round before Dee would close the distance and engage the clinch, and that’s where the first round ended with both fighters against the cage. Tweedle Dee landed a takedown early in round 2, but Fury did a nice job controlling his opponent and forced the stand up before the 1st minute passed. Dee really started to open up with his strikes in that second round and was turning the tide by evening things up going into the 3rd round. Tweedle Dee was backing his opponent up landing a high percentage of his strikes in round 3 before shooting in from a long way out but somehow landing a takedown just past the 3 minute mark of the round. Fury did a nice job controlling and forced the stand-up but with less than a minute left in the fight he would have to finish strong. It was Dee who closed the fight just slightly better than his opponent and it looked like his statement was made as we went to the judges.


Dee def. Fury by 29-28 Unanimous Decision


 

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