|
Newsflash
Sunday, 31 January 2010
Class was in Session for “School of Hard Knocks 5”; Recap and photos
By Administrator
|
 David Stanford - Yet again Calgary's Hard Knocks Fighting Championship managed to take their show to a new level of professionalism last night with their "School of Hard Knocks 5" event at the Silver Dollar Casino. A highly improved production value combined with very competitive and exciting fights demonstrated that Hard Knocks has positioned itself as the premier local MMA promotion in Calgary.
With the hype building for their first grand prix tournament set to begin at their next event in April, Hard Knocks FC treated the sold out crowd to a highly entertaining show.
Professional Bouts
Aaron "The Gift" Armstrong VS. Curtis Chambers 155 LBS
In a move that took tremendous balls and deserves to be commended, Curtis Chambers kept
this fight from falling through by taking it on just one week notice and travelled all
the way from Winnipeg for it, after the original opponent suffered a concussion in
training. That said, it showed. Although Chambers had Armstrong's head locked in for
some time and almost got choke, it was Aaron Armstrong who dominated the first round with
takedowns, ground and pound, and at one point almost finished the fight with a rear naked
choke that Chambers deftly defended.
As the second round began, Chambers was sporting several deep purple welts on his back
from where Armstrong had been bashing him in the previous round, and while Armstrong
still looked fresh Chambers was definitely weakened by the abuse he suffered in the first
round. Aaron landed some big blows to start things off which slowed his opponent
significantly and then landed a huge shot that left Curtis staggering down queer street,
but in a great show of heart he continued on. Armstrong though showed extreme patience as
he stalked his prey, finally going in for the takedown and slamming Curtis to the canvas.
From there, Armstrong went about finishing Chambers with strikes to the head.
(Aaron Armstrong def. Curtis Chambers via TKO - Round 2, 2:26
Troy "T Bone" Sorensen VS. Pierre Dumont 155 LBS
Fight cancelled due to an undisclosed injury to one of the fighters.
Amateur Bouts
Sumeet Gill VS. Matt Krayco 170 LBS
This was the fight that many Hard Knocks fans were looking forward to as two young
fighters that have been developing within the promotion with great success went head to
head in the nights headline amateur fight.
Matt Krayco demonstrated throughout the first that his fists are indeed to be feared as
he landed several powerful strikes to Gill head, however Gill showed he has a good chin
by shaking it all off. Krayco kept Gill on the back pedal for most of the first although
Gill did work his opponent with several nice kicks. Krayco managed to take Gill down and
mount him, but with no ground and pound to turn to and limited submission skills at his
disposal, he was stymied there as the round ended.
The second round started with some great back and forth action that saw Matt taking it to
Sumeet again for the first half of the round with great striking. However just when it
appeared Krayco smelt blood, launching in with a superman punch, Sumeet roared back with
a couple powerful kicks to the body and then a flurry of strikes that pushed Matt back to
the opposite side of the cage. While there, these two warriors swung like berserkers
battering each other with strikes in an awesome display of striking and counter striking.
After the round had ended, Matt Krayco had to retire as his jaw had been broken in the
final exchange. Meanwhile upon removing his mouth guard, Gill realized he was missing a
front tooth. These two fighters showed great heart and have grown tremendously since they
started fighting with Hard Knocks FC, both serve as testaments to the fighter development
that HKFC aims to foster in mixed martial arts.
(Sumeet Gill def. Matt Krayco via corner retirement - Round 2, 3:00)
Kurtis "Kujo" Little VS. Chris "Auto" Mattock 170 LBS
Chris Mattock used his huge height advantage to reach in and clinch up with Little right
off the bat and almost sunk in a standing guillotine in the process, however Kurtis
started to deliver some brutal knees to the Mattocks inner thigh that loosened his grip.
Still clinched up, Mattock again went for a guillotine again but this time he jumped up,
pulled guard and forced Kurtis to the mat where somehow Little managed to slide out of a
very deep choke. Mattock though, a product of Gracie Barra Calgary black belt Josh
Russell's tutelage, instinctively transitioned seamlessly to an arm bar as Little pulled
out of the guillotine. Kurtis began to tap almost immediately looking to be in serious
distress for some time after the match ended.
(Chris Mattock def. Kurtis Little submission (arm-bar) - Round 1, 2:04)
Jarod Milko VS. Mark Morales 175 LBS
This was a solid three round affair that saw two evenly matched opponents both have their
moments to shine. At the beginning of the first round Jarod Milko lashed Mark Morales
with a kick that awoke the giant as afterwards it was Morales who used nice footwork and
speed to take the fight to his opponent. Both displayed excellent takedown defense as
they clinched along the cage trading trip attempts. Jarod was finally able to get a
takedown and got on top but was reversed. Most of the rest of the round was spent
grappling. Milko managed to control Morales from top position for the majority of the
second round, although Morales was able to reverse the situation just before the end of
the round, but neither fighter was able to do much damage.
The final frame saw Milko again getting the dominant top position on the mat where he
used a series of hard knees to Morales’ body to wear him down before trying to end the
fight with a kimura. Milko was ultimately unsuccessful in his submission attempt so he
worked around for a rear naked choke but again was unable to finish a game Morales. The
fight was a great back and forth battle that saw Milko edge Morales in all the rounds
with perhaps the exception of the first. As the decision was read apparently the judges
had similar impressions as they handed Jarod Milko a decision victory.
(Jarod Milko def. Mark Morales via unanimous decision)
Gerrit "Kleinbul" Straus VS. Dave "The Head Hunter" Hollet 145 LBS
Straus and Hollet started their bout with a fierce intensity, each landing solid leg
kicks and strikes. Hollet took the action to the ground but only momentarily, as they got
back to their feet Dave Hollet landed a vicious kick to the body that even people in the
back row heard. Dave used the kick to set up a takedown but lost position on the ground
giving up his back in the process. Gerrit Straus showed very nice ground skills by
locking in a tight body triangle after taking Hollet's back. Straus tried to work in a
choke but was unable to and the round came to an end.
Shortly after Gerrit Straus returned to his corner his corner man signaled that he would
be unable to continue. Apparently the body triangle he used was indeed a little too tight
and his cup cut him, ?!?. It was a good fight that ended in an unfortunate way.
(Dave Hollet def. Gerrit Straus via corner retirement - Round 1, 3:00)
Shad Potts VS. Tory Bleackley 185 LBS
The two fighters warmed up by trading a few punches but it is not until they clinched up
that the action really got going. Shad Potts landed several damaging knees which he used
to set up a trip that took Bleackley to the ground. Once on the mat Potts used his speed
and agility to take Tory Bleackley's back. From there he sunk in his hooks, stretched
Tory out and patiently worked in a fight ending rear naked choke hold.
(Shad Potts def. Tory Bleackley via submission (rear naked choke) - Round 1, 2:23)
Gareth Jones VS. Aaron Barnes 155 LBS
Aaron Barnes got the action going with some nice strikes and a beautiful, albeit illegal,
head kick that earned him a warning from the referee, as they aren't permitted. After
they re-started Barnes landed a couple powerful knees to Jones' body from the clinch
however that was about all the offence he would be able to muster as Jones immediately
turned up the gas putting Barnes on the defensive for the rest of the round. Jones
eventually connected and dropped Barnes. He then followed up with some nice shots to the
body but knowing he was not in a good position to finish the fight, as ground and pound
to the head are not allowed either, he allowed Barnes to return to his feet. Once on
their feet Jones continued his onslaught finally dropping Barnes with a hard right. That
was all the ref needed to see as he quickly jumped in and stopped the fight, preventing
Jones from delivering any more punishment.
(Gareth Jones def. Aaron Barnes via TKO- Round 1, 1:34)
Justin Wong VS. Rob Park 170 LBS
Justin Wong opened the fight with a couple crisp leg kicks while Rob Park used precision
head strikes to greet his opponent. Having tasted enough leather, Wong went for a
takedown but ended up on the bottom once they hit the mat. On the ground Rob Park used
his superior speed and wrestling ability to control Wong. However, Wong eventually worked
his way back to his feet but again the foul taste of Park's fists inspired him to shoot
for another takedown which Park stuffed nicely. As the two fighters separated upon
returning to their feet, Park was ready and unloaded with a huge right hook that
immediately dropped Wong to the canvas, putting an end to the fight in the process just
as the bell rang to end the first round.
(Rob Park def. Justin Wong via KO- Round 1, 3:00)
Cory Knipe VS. Rick "The Silverback" Neuman 205 LBS
R1
Cory Knipe used Rick Neuman for boxing practice as his heavy hands battered his opponent,
noticeably rocking him. Neuman finally took Knipe down but was unable to do anything from
the guard and although he managed to pass to side control it was too late as the round
ended. Rick got up at the end of the round looking a little worse for wear as he returned
to his corner and sure enough was he unable to continue the fight, handing the victory to
his opponent.
(Cory Knipe def. Rick "The Silverback" Neuman via Corner Retirement - Round 1, 3:00)
Chad Nielson VS. Sean "The Grinder" Grimes 185 LBS
This match ended quickly as after loosening up with a couple of punches and low leg kicks
Chad Nielson sprawled to defend a takedown attempt and in the process sunk in a arm in
guillotine. Sean managed to trip Chad to the mat but it was not enough to break loose
from the hold and within seconds Grimes was tapping for relief.
(Chad Nielson def. Sean Grimes via submission (guillotine) - Round 1, 0:54)
Cole Fetzner VS. Meelad Hashtee 185 LBS
Cole Fetzner used accurate striking to land some sweet shots on Meelad Hashtee throughout
the first round. Meelad, who's masochistic tendencies had him encouraging Cole to keep
throwing, seemed to be enjoying it though. Unfortunately for Hashtee his endless series
of wild haymakers in response were of little effect as they rarely found their target and
by the end of the first his face was swollen and bruised.
As the second round began Cole clinched up with Meelad and delivered a series of vicious
knees to the body that took the remaining wind out of Hashtee's sails, eventually
dropping him to the canvas. But when Meelad went to the ground Cole , without thinking
punched him in the face causing the ref to deduct a point from his score. It didn't
matter though as it was just a matter of time before the overmatched and overconfident
Hashtee fell victim to Cole's assault. As the blows continued to come in bunches Hashtee
twice just dropped to the ground, where heads strikes are outlawed under Calgary's
amateur rules, to prevent the barrage Of blows from continuing. Finally he simply just
fell to the canvas unable to continue, giving the victory to Fetzner.
(Cole Fetzner def. Meelad Hashtee via TKO - Round 2, 1:02)
|
News Flash Hard Knocks Fighting Championship held the weigh-in on Thursday for their “School of Hard Knocks 8” event which is scheduled to take place in Calgary at the Silver Dollar Casino Friday, Sept. 10. The fight card will be a pro/am mix featuring some of Southern Alberta’s top up and coming talent. See inside for complete weigh-in results. Read More The Fight Club held the weigh-in for TFC 11 "Full Force" Thursday night in Edmonton. Most of the fighters were on weight for the event with the notable exception of Markhaile Wedderburn who for at least the second fight in a row failed to make the contracted weight and will thus forfeit 20% of his fight purse. See inside for the results. Read More Edmonton, AB – MMACanada.net was on scene for today's official "MFC 26: Retribution" fighter weigh-ins, where all 18 of Friday's competitors successfully made weight for the show. Read More Are you ready for Radio TKO at 6pm? Today’s guests include UFC Welterweight John “Doomsday” Howard, Local MMA Talent Robb Woodock and possibly a very LARGE third guest… Along with some BIG announcements regarding future guests and events. Read More With MFC 26: Retribution just a day away, it’s time to take a peek at more prognostications. Next up first it’s a fight that is a true clash of styles – the classic striker in brash Brit Tom “Kong” Watson and the old-school wrestling of American Jesse “JT Money” Taylor. Read More Josh Oliveira - First there was “The Big Bang,” then we experienced “Aftershocks,” which set the wheels in motion for “Evolution,” and now comes “Revelation.” Read More
|
|
|
Upcoming Events
-
 Fight Quest 14
Skratch - Laval, QC
Sat, September 11, 2010
-
XCW CageFighting # ...
Odeon Events Centre - Saskatoon, SK
Sat, September 11, 2010
-
UFC Fight Night 22
Frank Erwin Center - Austin, TX
Wed, September 15, 2010
-
Extreme MMA 3- B.C ...
Red Robinson Show Theatre - Coquitlam BC
Fri, September 17, 2010
-
Elite 1 MMA "High ...
Casino New Brunswick - Moncton, NB
Sat, September 18, 2010
-
King of the Cage " ...
Energy Centre - Cold Lake, AB
Sat, September 18, 2010
|
|
