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 Fighter profile of Mr Azure by INSIDE THE ENIGMA
"Bluey" Mr.. Azure
(Never take anyone for granted we are all beatable)
28 wins 16 (T)KOs 8 Subs 4 Decisions
5 loss 1 (T)KOs 0 Subs 4 Decisions
1st 2nd 3rd in weight class
2 x HOF
22 Title fights
18 Fight of the night awards
At 29 he can't be called a legend quite yet but Azure is slowly carving his place in MMA Tycoon History.
So lets take a look at the man and his record
Azure started his career off on the 17th March 2011 in front of a 1,000 strong crowd at UKMMA16.
All the months of training we being put on test on that rainy Monday night in London ,What happened in 1.34 of the first round that night sounded alarm bells in the London fight community ,Total Destruction of an opponent with a new style of ground and pound never seen before, it wasn't perfect but Azure was just beginning....
Jump forward five months and Azure wins his first belt stopping Keast Kann in 2.05 of the first round at UFC11 Azure then had an active few months cleaning out UFCs 145lbs division ,the talk was rife about this boy could be something special!...
With no opponents left to decimate at his fighting weight he moved up to 170lbs and met the very good Andrew Jones for once Azure was in with a fighter that wouldn't go to sleep, in a brutal five round bloodbath Azure lost a close decision ,somehow Jones survived the ground assault and won the fight 48-47 ,but this was a lesson learned in retrospect.
Azure had another go at 170lbs in his next fight beating his opponent with an arm triangle in the first round ,but it was clear that the weight difference was telling a story, the time had come to search out new victims and move orgs.He was inducted in to the UFC Hall of Fame and left on good terms.
Around about the same time the then up and coming VERSUS org. In London was searching for new blood , Azure signed a contract to fight in the very tough 145lbs division , it was make or break time and there wouldn't be no easy fights for the duration of his contract. It took azure three fights to win the title and he looked to reign for a long time ,but that's when he met Heavy Damage in the first of two brutal battles ,Azure failed both times to beat Damage and to this day he still holds the fighter in the greatest esteam.
It was back to the drawing board for Azure and a change of style ,Damage had shown him that if you are not able to finish on the ground you need a plan B ,so began an intense striking program ,which was displayed in his next three fights knocking all three opponents out cold ,this was a new side of Azure that had not been seen before that was noted and gained him another shot at the VERSUS 145lbs title.
On the 25th of Aug 2012 at Versus Vendetta 13 Azure reclaimed his title with a points win over Lindack he was now ranked in the top five in the world at his weight.He decided to stay at Versus and defend his belt and signed a new long term contract pledging his loyalty to the org. That had done so much for him.
Very good fighters were brought in to face Azure but none of them managed to get to the final bell ,azure was finishing anyone put in front of him ,he had developed in to a very good rounded fighter able to take the fight where ever it was fought.
It was then that the Exceptional good Versus 155lbs champion Kauko Partio dropped down to 145lbs for a truly epic meeting of champions ,this fight was going to be Azures biggest test to date and first time in a long while he found himself the underdog ,0.44 seconds of the first round Azure subs Partio ,the first and only defeat via sub the fighter has ever suffered in his glittering career. A deal was quickly struck for a rematch at 155lbs ,Azure had never fought at the weight before but it was a chance of holding two belts at Versus.The rematch came to a brutal ending at 0.05 of the second round this time Azure knocking Partio out,both belts were now his.
Then came the chance to own three of the Versus belts with a fight against the 135lbs champion Sun Ra this would be the first time Azure would fight at the weight and proved a costly mistake ,for the first time in his life Azure got knocked out with a headkick ,This rocked him to the core and seen him loose his next fight to the twice beaten Partio via decision ,the weight cuts and gains were effecting him so he decided to stick to his own weight with three more title defenses.
Then came the offer to represent Versus in a super fight at TTFC PPV5 his opponent would be Chris Mullen the world no1 ,only there was a catch , the fight was at 135lbs azures only other fight at that weight had seen him get KOd so this would be a real test,the fight took place on the 25th May this year ,again Azure gets caught in the standup and is rocked by the hard hitting Mullen ,but taking things into his own hands he took the fight to the floor and at 02.57 of the first round Azure finally overcame his demons ground and pounding to a victory.
The future is the future so nobody knows what will happen ,but one thing is certain ,anyone facing Azure needs to be able to defend thierselves at all times and in any situation be it standing and banging or on the ground and dirty ,Azure will find a weakness if you have one.
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