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 EVENT REVIEW
RFC rolled into Paddy O’Malleys Bar in Amsterdam for its tenth event. Another thrilling night of fights was promised and that’s exactly what those in attendance got. The judges may well have stayed at home as not one fight went the distance, a first in RFC’s short existence. Here’s how the night unfolded.
FIGHT 1 – MARTIN ROBERTSON (2-2-0) V MICHAEL FISHER (1-2-0) – 185LB
Both fighters made their RFC debuts back in October at RFC 3-A Fighters Scorn with differing results. With Fisher coming in off a hard fought decision victory over Muranda Kibawa, it was Robertson, suffering a first round (T)KO loss, it was Robertson who needed to get the W to get back on track. As Fisher has a vastly superior muay thai game, it was expected that he would grind out another W using a clinch heavy approach, and that’s how it looked like it was going to go.
Straight at the opening bell, Fisher tied Robertson up in the clinch where was able to control Robertson and pick his shots. He winded Robertson early on with a pair of knees to the mid-section that had him gasping for air but despite his obvious pain, Robertson managed to pull guard and give himself time to recover. After a brief struggle for position, Robertson managed to reverse Fisher and end up in his guard. Having superior position, and not wanting to lose it, Robertson was content to control Fisher and methodically advance his position to side mount. Unaware he was being set up, Fisher did little to prevent Robertson from advancing position and was to pay for it seconds later. Hearing the ten second warning to bring the first round to an end, Robertson let go with a couple of shots on the ground and as Fisher defended, he grabbed his right arm and sinched in an Americana. Fisher did put up a struggle but it was too late, he was unable to hold out and tapped with just a second of the round remaining. An ecstatic Robertson leapt from the floor and began gyrating in front of the ring girls. Before he could make a further fool of himself, his corner men ran into the cage and hoisted him onto their shoulders to celebrate his W.
RESULT – MARTIN ROBINSON – W – SUBMISSION (AMERICANA) 4M 59S RND 1
FIGHT 2 – ART CROCKER (2-3-0) V RICK VAN BUUREN (1-1-0) – 205LB
Netherlands own Rick Van Buuren was up next against RFC debutant, Art Crocker. A crowd favourite in the QFC, Crocker was clearly overmatched tonight and was unable to deal with the power of Van Buuren. Cheered on by his countrymen, Van Buuren opened the fight with a punishing shot to Crockers liver and despite the smile on Crockers face, you could see he was hurt, he was also visibly shaken by the partisan crowds hostility toward him. Van Buuren took full advantage and scored with a beautiful one two followed by a nice left hook which cut Crocker above his right eye. Not giving his opponent a second to think, Van Buuren connected with a devastating head kick which turned Crockers legs to jelly and sensing the finish, he rushed in with a barrage of punches that left Crocker crumpled on the floor against the cage, out cold.
A devastating display of striking accuracy from the hometown hero had the crowd going wild and Van Buuren leapt onto the cage to celebrate with them. after being submitted in his RFC debut, Van Buuren showed what he is actually capable of and was awarded KO OF THE NIGHT for his nights work.
RESULT – RICK VAN BUUREN – W – KO (PUNCHES) 0M 31S RND 1
FIGHT 3 – FELIPE FREITAS (0-1-0) V TERRY McCANN (2-2-0) 205LB
Coming in on a two fight skid, Terry McCann was matched against seventeen year old wrestling sensation, Felipe Freitas, who was making his MMA debut. Not excelling in any particular aspect of the fight game, McCanns weakness is in his grappling and having been submitted in his last two fights, Freitas was hoping to exploit this. After a successful collegiate wrestling career, the big question surrounding Freitas was whether he would be able to adapt his wrestling skills to suit MMA.
Instead of using his advantage, Freitas chose to trade with McCann and was made to pay early in the first. After landing with a straight right, Freitas was floored by a beautiful McCann one two and not wanting any part of Freitas’ ground game, McCann motioned him to his feet. With a nasty gash now above his eye, Freitas still insisted on trading with McCann and after absorbing a couple of leg kicks, he landed with a one two of his own before cracking McCann with an uppercut. Obviously confident he could hang on the feet with McCann, Freitas chased him down but McCann was proving to be elusive and after sidestepping a Freitas combination, McCann let rip with a devastating round kick that landed flush to Freitas’ temple. This time, McCann had pounced on him before he’d even hit the floor and wasted no time in landing a barrage of unanswered punches. The referee, having seen enough, pulled McCann off and called the fight. Clearly distraught, Freitas left the Octagon before the official announcement. McCann meanwhile got a much needed W to get his career back on track.
RESULT – TERRY McCANN – W – (T)KO (STRIKES) 0M 53S RND 1
FIGHT 4 – JEFFERY CROCKER – (3-2-0) V LEE HEADING (2-0-0) 265LB
Both fighters promised a stand up war in this heavyweight clash, and Jeffery Crocker went as far as to promise to knock Lee Heading out. With Crocker being the more accomplished muay thai fighter, it was surprising to see Heading take the fight into the clinch early in the first. After jostling for position, heading pulled guard and immediately went looking for submissions. Crocker proved able to match anything Heading could do on the ground and after a lull in the action, the referee stood the fighters backup. Upon standing, Crocker instigated a clinch and immediately pulled guard himself, where he managed to sweep and ended up in Headings guard. It was Heading who was more active though, constantly probing for submissions while waiting for the opportunity to get back to his feet. Once on the feet, Crocker again pulled guard and with just less than a minute to go in the round, neither fighter did anything of significance and the round ended to boos from the crowd.
Round two was as uneventful as the last minute of round one. The first three minutes were spent with both fighters looking for takedowns without throwing much in the way of strikes. Just on the four minute mark, Crocker surprised Heading when he quickly pulled guard and isolated an arm. With both fighters now really slippery, Crockers attempt at a kimura was easily defended by Heading and with the crowd now really on the fighters backs, the round petered out.
With the boos from the crowd still ringing around the arena, a visibly dismayed Lee Heading opened the third with a matter of urgency. He rushed Crocker at the opening bell and rammed a straight right into his face which burst his nose. It appeared Crocker wanted no part in a striking match with Heading (In fact, it appeared he wanted no part in a fight) and he immediately instigated a clinch where he again, looked to get the fight to the ground. Heading, to his credit was trying to make a fight of it and began to unload with some short shots from the clinch while stuffing Crockers attempts at pulling guard. Frustrated by Crockers unwillingness to engage with him on the feet, Heading took Crocker to the ground where he found him just as unwilling to make a fight of it and it wasn’t long before the fighters were back on their feet.
After blocking a stiff jab with his nose, the writing was on the wall for Crocker. Clearly stunned, he again looked to drag Heading into the clinch or take him to the ground. With Heading now headhunting, Crocker was forced to throw a punch and when he did, BOOM!!!!! Heading ducked under it an came back up with an uppercut which, had the cage not been there, would have sent him flying into row ten of the arena. The referee did everyone a favour and jumped in and stopped the fight and in muted celebration, Lee Heading turned away and raised his hand. Asked about the fight later on, Lee heading expressed his frustration at his opponent for not wanting to fight and this is backed up by the fact that Crocker threw one punch in the whole fight! It just so happened that this one punch got him knocked out.
With the RFC 265lb division taking shape, it’s hard to see where either of these two fighters fit in. For sure, Crocker would be at the foot of the pile but it would be unfair to judge Heading by tonights fight. That being said, Heading keeps himself undefeated and a more willing opponent next time out should give us a better idea of what he’s capable of.
RESULT – LEE HEADING – W – (T)KO (STRIKES) 3M 46S RND 3
FIGHT 5 – ALEX BOOK – (1-3-0) V LANDON McKINNY (1-0-0) 170LB
Picking up two defeats and one win in his previous fights, muay thai wrecking machine, Alex Book has failed to live up to the hype surrounding him, despite the ‘cans’ he’s fought, when he entered the sport of MMA. His opponent this time out was fellow muay thai wrecker, Landon McKinney. McKinney was making his MMA debut after a mega successful career in muay thai, holding the belt in his weight class and ‘retiring’ from muay thai undefeated. After the snoozefest that preceded it, there was no way this was going to be anything other than an all-out war. On the feet, In the clinch, or wherever it took place, the fans wanted to see some action and these guys didn’t disappoint.
Straight from the opening bell, the fighters got down to business. McKinney scored with a lovely left hand that got Books attention and seemed to stun him a little. After taking the shot, Book instigated a clinch but it was McKinney again who landed with a thudding shot to Books mid-section. Book momentarily broke the clinch and threw a rapier like headkick that narrowly missed before going back into the clinch and only thirty seconds in, the crowd were loving it. It was becoming obvious that McKinney was the far stronger of the two fighters as he controlled Book with relative ease. Outmuscling him and putting him where he wanted him, McKinney began working Book over with clinical efficiency. Book was by now breathing heavy as McKinney was using his size and weight to make Book work constantly in order to protect himself and for the next thirty seconds, McKinney pounded on Book like he was a punch bag. McKinney was now finding a home for some head snapping short uppercuts and crunching shots to Books ribs.
Just under a minute in, McKinney worked himself a little space and belted Book with a pair of uppercuts that had Book doing an involuntary Elvis impersonation. After landing with a few more unanswered blows to the head, McKinney planted another uppercut on the chin of Book and to save him from further punishment, the referee jumped in and halted the fight. Holding Book up against the cage, it was clear Book did not know where he was, a good call by the referee. McKinney swaggered back to his cornermen to celebrate and after dispatching his opponent with devastating precision, he had every right to be pleased with himself and can expect bigger named opponents from here on out. McKinney meanwhile, slides further down the pecking order in the stacked RFC 170lb division.
RESULT – LANDON McKINNY – W – (T)KO (STRIKES) 1M 25S RND 1
FIGHT 6 – ERLING KOCH (2-0-0) V CRAIG THE METH ADDICT (0-1-0) 265LB
Making his RFC/MMA debut, Craig The Meth Addict was hoping to make a name for himself by taking the scalp of one of RFCs top heavyweights, Erling Koch. Koch, a (T)KO of the Night winner in his RFC debut, made damn well sure he left with his scalp intact. After dispatching his previous opponent in under two minutes, Koch made himself a hard act to follow for his second RFC fight but against Craig The Meth Addict, he didn’t even break a sweat.
At the opening bell, Koch calmly walked to the centre of the Octagon to meet CTMA, his first punch, a cracking left hook to CTMA’s ribs made a sickening thud and had CTMA looking like he was going to throw up. Not letting up, Koch walked CTMA down with a smirk on his face. CTMA threw a couple of half-hearted leg kicks to try to stop the advancing Koch who countered with a stinging jab followed by a one one three combination band then….THUD!!!! another body shot. Wincing in pain, CTMA was rooted to the spot and, unable to move, Koch, bobbing side to side landed a lightning fast series of four punches and then cracked CTMA with an uppercut that left him face first, out cold in the Octagon floor. WOW…twenty five seconds in and six punches later, Koch had just sent a warning to the other RFC heavyweights on the eve of the championship tournaments. An awesome display of raw power and pinpoint accuracy has surely made Erling Koch one of the favourites to take the 265lb belt.
RESULT – ERLING KOCH – W – (T)KO (STRIKES) – 0M 25S RND 1
FIGHT 7 – TYRONE SPONG (2-0-0) V KIM TORESSON (1-1-0) 185LB
Two of RFCs brightest young stars went head to head in what was billed as typical striker v grappler contest. Both fighters won their RFC debuts at RFC 2, Spong, and RFC 3, Toresson, back in October but it was Spong who was making all the noise. Threatening to clown his opponent and break him, Spong took a reality check when he was taken the distance and won a close decision against Rafa Luis Mendoza Ramos. Promising to come back meaner and sharper, tonight would be the night we got to see if this kid was all talk or could walk the walk. Toresson, on the other hand made short work of Martin Robinson in his debut, submitting him in under four minutes of the first round. Quiet and unassuming, sleeping on Toresson would be a big mistake for Spong.
Spong opened the fight looking like a completely different fighter. Already known for his crisp boxing, he dazzled Toresson with a flurry of jabs and hooks that left Toresson chasing shadows and with a busted nose. Toresson knew he was no match for Spong on the feet and as soon as he got his hands on him, down he went. Toressons superior grappling was evident in the way he controlled Spong and advanced position and before Spong knew it, Toresson dropped back for a leglock. It looked like Toresson had it sinched in but Spong rolled and managed to kick out but Toresson jumped straight into his guard. Not wanting any part of a ground fight, Spong stalled on the ground until the referee stood them back up where he went back to work, popping Toressons head about with some beautiful boxing. The improvement in Spongs already crisp boxing was apleasure to watch and the crowd showed their appreciation by chanting his name.
Taking a beating on the feet, Toresson countered a wild punch from Spong with a well-timed double leg but Spong showed cat like agility and use the cage to get straight back to his feet. Tied up against the cage, Spong was constantly shifting to create space where he would land with some short hard shots to Toressons body and after taking a shot to the ribs that seemed to knock the wind out of him, Toresson pulled Spong back to the floor. Winded from the body shots he’d taken, Toresson seemed unable to control Spong and after a period of inactivity, the referee stood the fighters back up. Sensing his opponent was hurt, Spong went headhunting and after landing a couple of jabs, Spong faked a body shot and came over the top with a devastating overhand right that landed flush on the temple of Toresson that removed him from his senses. Spong hit Toresson with a left to the head that KO’d him before he hit the floor but the referee seemed not to notice and waved Spong on. Reluctantly, Spong followed Toresson to the floor and threw a couple of half-hearted shots while shouting at the referee to stop the fight. Shockingly, after some convincing from Spong, the referee stepped in and stopped the fight. A furious Spong ran to Toressons corner and seemed to apologise for having to carry on before walking back to Toresson and helping him to his feet. Toresson threw his arms around Spong and raised his hand. Spong showed his class tonight and also silenced any doubters out there, at only eighteen years old, this kid could go on to great things in the fight game.
RESULT – TYRONE SPONG – W – KO (PUNCH) – 4M 59S RND 1
CO-MAIN EVENT
FIGHT 9 – PAUL HUNT – (2-0-0) V KYSON DALE (2-2-0) 205LB
Both coming into the fight off wins in their RFC debuts at RFC 3, Hunt and Dale were looking to make a final statement to secure a spot in the 205lb title tournament. Submission specialist, Paul Hunt was riding high after picking up Submission of the Night in his last fight whereas Dale eked out an underwhelming decision against Peter Lake. When the fight got underway, people were surprised to see Hunt willing to trade with Dale in the centre of the Octagon and even more surprising, he was getting the better of him. With Dale coming forward throwing shots, Hunt was countering beautifully with shots of his own. Working nicely behind his jab, Hunt moved in and out of range and scored with some nice shots to Dales head and body. Unable to get any sort of coherent offence together, Dale was looking a bit desperate and confused by Hunts gameplan, so much so, that he felt he had a better chance by grappling with the superior grappler.
Just over a minute in, all technique out the window, Dale rushed Hunt and instigated a clinch that would prove to be his undoing. In his eagerness to assert himself, Dale left himself open to an uppercut from Hunt that stunned him and before he’d gathered his senses, Hunt had pulled guard. In his panic, Dale tried to power out but left an arm in there which Hunt wasted no time in grabbing a hold of. In the blink of an eye, Hunt rolled over and pulled off a stunning armbar. Beautiful jiu jitsu from Hunt. Dale was sat in the centre of the Octagon for a few minutes when his cornerman came over and whispered something in his ear. Perking up straight away, Dale jumped up and took the microphone and announced he’d made the 205lb tourney and would be facing none other than wrecking machine, Marc Charbonnier on 6/12/2015! Based on tonights display, if Dale doesn’t work on his grappling, he’s going to be in for a long, or short night against Charbonnier. Peel Steel entered the Octagon and also announced that Paul Hunt would face Rick Van Buuren on the same night. Hunt earned SUBMISSION OF THE NIGHT for his nights work.
RESULT – PAUL HUNT –W- SUBMISSION (ARMBAR) – 2M 59S RND 1
MAIN EVENT
JUAN DIMAGUIBA (2-1-0) V OLE FRED RAY (2-1-0) 170LB
Our main event featured two fighters making their RFC debuts. Ray was riding a two fight win streak, submitting both opponents in the first round so you could forgive him for feeling confident about tonights fight. Despite losing his MMA debut, Dimaguiba went on to score a devastating KO win in his last outing which led to him being snapped up by RFC. From the opening bell, Dimaguiba immediately put his muay thai to work, chopping at the legs of Ray and landing a body shot that knocked the wind right out of his sails. Clearly uncomfortable on the feet, Ray shot in and took Dimaguiba to the floor and immediately went searching for submissions. With Dimaguiba holding on and Ray unable to advance position, the referee put the fighters back on their feet and for the next minute, Dimaguiba put on a beautiful display of striking. Mixing leg kicks with punches to the head and body of Ray, Dimaguiba seemed to hurt Ray every time he landed. Well and truly outmatched on the feet, Ray shot in for a takedown but no sooner had they hit the floor, Dimaguiba pounced straight back to his feet.
Ray now seemed lost and lethargic, the body blows from Dimaguiba had obviously taken their toll on him. Not letting him off the hook, Dimaguiba punished Ray with some powerful shots to the body before switching it up and using his kicks to dazzle and confuse Ray. Not knowing what was coming next, Ray was caught with a spinning back kick and a kick to the head before a push kick sent him stumbling backwards into the cage. In desperation now, Ray attempted several times to take Dimaguiba down but with his legs and ribs clearly bruised, he was unable to follow through and Dimaguiba stuffed his attempts with ease. Out of nowhere, Dimaguiba threw a roundkick that glanced the side of Rays head, it took a second to take effect but when it did, Rays legs turned to jelly. Dimaguiba, sensing a finish, dipped his shoulder and cracked Ray with an uppercut that sent him crashing to the floor. Smelling victory, Dimaguiba pounced on him and pounded away until the referee pulled him off.
A battered and bruised Ray was inconsolable after the fight, saying he’d let himself and his coaches down and vowed to never let it happen again. Dimaguiba on the other hand looks set to take on the best in the RFC 170lb division after putting on a masterclass in precision striking. The fighters were awarded FIGHT OF THE NIGHT.
RESULT – JUAN DIMAGUIBA – W – T(KO) (STRIKES) 4M 30S RND 1
Another event in the books now and RFC move on to a busy period in their schedule. With what is possibly RFCs deepest card to date coming up, RFC 10 – Cortez v Wakahisa promises the thrills and excitement we’ve come to expect from Europes premier MMA organization.
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