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 SMASH: Sanchez vs Colucci
The H20 Arena - London
Fans flocked to The H20 Arena in London last night to guzzle expensive beer, cheer acts of extreme violence and hurl obscenities at concession stand employees. Ticket holders brought their A Game, as the packed house of 19,620 in attendance ripped the roof off the place and shattered the decibel levels for the arena!
265lb CONTEST: Japa Koniu vs Cedric De Boise
Japa Koniu enters this fight trying to secure his position within the SMASH rankings and insert his name into the title shot conversation. New contract in hand, Cedric De Boise enters this bout riding a 5 fight win streak and ready to make a statement.
Both men came out unafraid and ready to test the others striking prowess. While Koniu entered the fight with considerably more experience, it was De Boise looking very much the more refined fighter. Cedric De Boise cuts Koniu at the 2 minute mark, knocks him down at 2:30 and flips the switch 12 seconds later. The newcomer, De Boise, puts on a clinic in this one and possibly breaks himself into the top 10. Koniu will have to recover from this and go back to the drawing board.
WINNER: Cedric De Boise (KO)
265lb CONTEST: Frank Granger vs Eron Saunders
Frank Granger and Eron Saunders both enter this fight looking to solidify their names as potential contenders to the Heavyweight Crown. Sitting at #3 and #7 respectively, this bout has obvious ramifications on the title picture.
These two came to bang and this fight had all the ingredients for fireworks - a high output fight with not a takedown in sight. Both men let the hands fly from the opening bell, however it was Granger landing with consistency. Neither fighter ever had the other seriously hurt and this one goes the distance. Convincing win by Granger.
WINNER: Frank Granger (UD)
265lb+ CO-MAIN EVENT: John Smith vs Ross Barkley
When two fighters of this stature enter the cage, brain damage is on the menu. With a combined 49 finishes to their credit, these monsters definitely prefer to keep it out of the judges hands.
We open the first with Barkley attempting to get this one to the mat and avoid getting into any life altering exchanges with Smith. He doesn’t have any luck, seeing 3 shots stuffed in the first minute alone and settles for the clinch. Snuggle up because we’re in for 4 minutes of dirty boxing. A notable takedown by Barkley midway through the 2nd round has fans on their feet, but Smith works the butterfly guard and escapes to applause from the crowd. The rest of the fight is generally spent back in the clinch, as both fighters seem content to lean on one another for support and hit each other when the opportunity arises. The judges play rock, paper, scissors on this one and we end with an uninspired split decision. The fans still seemed to enjoy themselves.
WINNER: John Smith (SD)
185lb CHAMPIONSHIP - MAIN EVENT: C - Yes Man Sanchez vs Michel Colucci
This is the moment everyone has been waiting for! With the Middleweight Belt on the line, the current Champion, Sanchez, looks to defend against former Champion, Colucci. Both men have fought a who’s who in the 185lb division, most notably Harry Winston and Ibrahim Camara. The four fighters have played hot potato with the strap in recent times.
Sanchez enters the cage looking to stand and trade, while Colucci preferred to get this fight to the ground and work his submission game. Both men saw some success with their approach and switched from clinch fighting to striking distance repeatedly. Sanchez seems stronger here and comes out on top of the striking exchanges, until Colucci flips the script and throws the Champion to the mat. Colucci grasps the opportunity to land with some GNP while looking for an Americana, which is defended comfortably. Colucci uses the sub as a distraction to transition to mount and has Yes Man in some serious trouble to close out the round.
Colucci opens the 2nd with momentum. He secures another takedown - then another - and has gone limb hunting. He’ll have to settle for more GNP as Sanchez defends the assault. The Challenger dominates the entire round. Colucci heads into the 3rd a little frustrated and seems to have slowed a bit until the midway point where he scores another takedown. The first 3 rounds have ended with Colucci in dominant position.
In the Championship rounds, Sanchez really starts to show his mettle, moving in and out of the clinch with ease and testing his opponents stamina. Sanchez doing damage on the feet, as he cuts Colucci with an inside elbow and is leading with crisp jabs and loading up on hooks and crosses. By the time Michel Colucci gets it back to the mat, he is too tired to lock in the submissions or land GNP with precision. Yes Man Sanchez calmly defends the assault and rides this one out for a unanimous decision win. Still, this fight shows that it’s dangerous at the top of the SMASH 185lb division.
WINNER: Yes Man Sanchez (UD)
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