my sex is artsy
04-30-2006, 09:48 PM
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With over five years of planning, April 29th was a special night in the history of Halifax, Nova Scotia, as it saw its first ever mixed martial arts competition. Combat Productions, led by bar manager and Brazilian jiu jitsu brown belt Peter Martell, brought Extreme Cage Combat to Halifax, amidst much fanfare. While many in the media panned it, and city councillors sought to ban it, the event went on unfazed, and at 6:30 pm, it was clear why: the line up to enter the Halifax Forum ran from the doors of the building, down Windsor Street, around the corner, down the other side, behind the venue, across the parking the lot, onto the sidewalk, and half way down Young Street.
As the doors opened, the Halifax Forum quickly filled up. General seating in the Halifax Forum holds 5000, which was quickly occupied. The floor saw 120 VIP tables set up with six people per table. Nearly six thousand people backed the Halifax Forum, a venue which hasn’t seen a crowd of that magnitude in a very long time. The crowd wasted no time making its presence felt, cheering deafeningly loud as the evening got under way.
The first bout of the evening pitted Dave Scholte nout of Vancouver, a student of "The BJJ Encyclopedia" Marcus Soares, against another jiu jitsu practitioner in twenty four year old Nino Bezerra, a BJJ brown belt under Fabio Holanda at BTT Montreal. Both men opened up with kicks, as Bezerra scored with a good low kick. Scholten quickly took Bezerra down, however, and began to posture up in Bezerra's guard and throw punches while pressing Bezerra into the fence. Bezerra's cornerman and trainer Fabio Holanda sat just outside the cage, inches from his student, giving instruction for Bezerra to move his hips up and look for submissions. When Bezerra finally got his hips up and looked to grab the arm of Scholten, Scholten pulled away, and reentered the guard of Bezerra, and continued to throw hard strikes down on the Brazilian. Scholten continued to flurry with strikes in the guard of Bezerra, who was helpless to defend himself against the cage, and the referee stopped the bout at 3:56 of the first round.
The up and coming Boreland's Combat Team, based out of Georgetown, Ontario, was featured prominently at Extreme Cage Combat, lending five young athletes to the fight card. The first of these fighters, Daniel Hardstaff, took on local fighter Adam MacDonald out of Titans MMA in Halifax. The favorite in MacDonald gained even more fan support during the staredown, as the energetic MacDonald turned spastic, and looked ready to jump out of his skin. Both men felt each other out in the early moments, before Hardstaff threw a straight right hand that connected with MacDonald, whose head jerked straight back from the punch's impact. Instinctively, MacDonald shot in for a double leg takedown, and secured top position, throwing hard punches to the head and body of Hardstaff. The raucous crowd cheered MacDonald through his ground and pound, as he continued to land with great frequency on Hardstaff, who was relegated to defending himself, rather than mounting offense from his back, until the first round ended.
The second round began exactly as the first did, with Hardstaff landing another straight punch which connected flush with MacDonald, who again instinctively sought to take Hardstaff down. However, it appeared that MacDonald, who had cut a considerable amount of weight for the fight, had tired himself in the first round with his zealous ground and pound attack. MacDonald's hands dropped, and Hardstaff nearly missed on several occasions with punches. MacDonald's takedown attempts were reduced to pedestrian attempts of charging and grabbing. Finally, MacDonald scored a single leg takedown, but was not able to mount strong offense from the top as he did in round one. This time, Hardstaff was active from his back, and secured the arm of MacDonald, wrenching a kimura from the bottom, and sweeping MacDonald into the full mount. The gassed Titans fighter rolled to his stomach and turtled up as Hardstaff attacked with punches, before grasping MacDonald's arm, and rolling him onto his back, in cross position. MacDonald clasped his hands together firmly, refusing to give up the armbar, but Hardstaff began a vigorous attack on MacDonald's exposed face with hammerfists. MacDonald offered no defense to the strikes, as he kept both his hands together, defending the armbar. After several unanswered hammerfists to the face, the referee stopped the bout at 4:43 of the second round, for the winner, Daniel Hardstaff.
The evening's third bout saw grappling stalwart Bryan Edge of Team Joslin, take on Corey Knapp, out of the Real Self Defense Center in Edmonton, Alberta. Edge, a stand out and superfight winner at the Ontario Submission Wrestling Invitational, trains with one of Canadian MMA's unsung heroes in Jeff Joslin. The fight started with both contestants circling and pawing at one another, neither man willing to engage on the feet. As the crowd showed their distaste for the passivity of the fighters with a chorus of booing, Knapp sprang to life and charged Edge with a barrage of punches. Edge moved back on his heels quickly, dodging the punches, and then ducked under and burst forward, getting a hold of Knapp's legs, and lifting him up in the air for am emphatic slam, which revitalized the crowd who exploded in cheers. Edge's ground game was like clockwork, as he smoothly transitioned to side mount from the slam, and began to control and strike Knapp effectively. As Knapp tried to roll and escape, Edge calmly took his back, sank his hooks in, and secured the rear naked choke, forcing the Edmonton native to tap out at 2:08 of the first round.
The theme established in the bout between Adam MacDonald and Daniel Hardstaff continued, as again, a Titans MMA fighter in Robert Colbourne took on a Boreland's Combat Team fighter in Matt Hall. Unlike the first fight between members of Titans MMA and Boreland's Combat Team, this fight was quick, efficient, and wholly one sided. The short, stout Colbourne immediately sought out a takedown, and secured a quick single leg, putting Hall on his back and swiftly moving to side control. Colbourne immediately began to attack Hall with punches and hammerfists, as he moved into scarf position. Colbourne flurried with punches from the scarf position, and then tried to get his legs around Hall's nearside arm, and apply a shoulder wrench. While Hall was able to slip his arm free of Colbourne's grip, Colbourne was relentless, and again went back to applying hard ground and pound from the scarf position. The second time, Colbourne would not be denied, as he triangled his legs around Hall's near arm, and executed a shoulder wrench and neck crank combination, submitting Hall at only 1:48 of the first round.
The fight between Jason McKay and Mike Large was the third and final fight pitting a Titans MMA fighter against a member of Boreland's Combat Team. The first ten minutes of the fight were marked by repetition and dominance for the Titans-based McKay, as he secured takedown after takedown, and was able to damage Large with barrages of strikes to the head. The doctors were brought in twice to check cuts on Large, first on his forehead, and second on his scalp. Large was able to mount no considerable offense for the first ten minutes of the fight, as he was taken down repeatedly and pounded. McKay also nearly ended the fight with an armbar that Large was able to escape, allowing him to survive the second round, and giving him a chance to regroup.
The third round looked as though it may offer a new face to the fight, as Large came out looking comfortable and ready to work his game. Large shot a double leg takedown on McKay, taking him to the mat. In the process however, Large overextended himself, offering his neck to McKay, who made no mistake in securing a tight guillotine choke on McKay, and closing his guard to finish the choke. McKay secured the submission victory at 0:10 of the final round.
Kosovan immigrant Stjepan Vujnovic from Boreland's Combat Team put on one of the night's most impressive performances in his midcard tilt against Tony Lagnaro. The tall, rangy Vujnovic scooped up Legnaro in the early stages of the fight and slammed him to the mat, as Vujnovic passed to the side, using strong control and movement on the floor to prevent Legnaro from regaining guard. Legnaro was able to scoot his hips and sit up, and Vujnovic quickly grabbed his neck, and pull guard, looking to sink a guillotine choke. Legnaro escaped, and began to mount offense, throwing down punches as he bent over into the guard of Vujnovic. Vujnovic was unfazed, however, as he worked his hips up, and cast his long legs around the neck of Legnaro, pulling his foot down and sinking in a deep triangle choke, which netted him the submission victory at 2:02 of the first round.
Offsetting the slick grappling which permeated the entire fight card, Chris Carroll and Ray Penny served up a brief but powerful tilt which resulted in the expected conclusion of any heavyweight battle: the knockout. Both Carroll and Penny came out of their corners in the first round looking to trade punches with each other, but neither man was able to connect with a solid punch. Penny backed Carroll into the cage, and dropped for a single leg, working diligently to take the bigger Carroll down, before switching to a double leg and yanking him to the mat. Penny began drop powerful punches on Carroll which echoed through the Halifax Forum, garnering a loud response from the crowd. Penny continued to pound, while Carroll showed fluid movement on his back for a heavyweight, getting his hips up into position for an armbar, but Penny slipped his arm out, and continued to work from Carroll's guard. In the middle of the cage, Penny again postured up in Carroll's guard, and dropped a heavy flurry of strikes which landed flush on the Carroll's jaw. The referee intervened and stopped Penny, who recorded the knockout via punches from the guard at 2:36 of the first round. Chris Carroll stayed down on the mat for two minutes while he was examined by ringside medical personnel, but exited the cage under his own power and was back later in the evening, to corner his teammates.
After intermission, the crowd immediately had their spirits reignited, as Haligonian standout TJ Grant took on Craig Skinner. Grant overwhelmed Skinner from the opening bell, chasing him with strikes, and slamming him to the mat. Grant backed away from Skinner in his guard, perhaps looking to shuck his legs by and dive into side control, and Skinner attempted to roll away and get to his feet. Skinner's plan backfired, as Grant pounced on him, pressing him into the cage and attacking him with punches. After surviving Grant's flurry and getting back to his feet, the prone and ineffective Skinner was again slammed, this time more emphatically, by Grant. Grant quickly worked on the ground, securing Skinner's arm for an armbar attempt. Skinner quickly tried to roll out of the hold, but Grant swept him with control of his arm, as Skinner wound up mounted, with Grant cinching in a tight vertical armbar. Skinner was forced to tap, as one of Halifax's bright young talents scored the submission victory at 3:00 of the first round.
The fight of the night in many fans eyes was the match up of Marcus Soares' student Garrett Davis, and Rowan Cunningham, one of Canada's best grapplers. Cunningham sported a 2-0 record coming into the fight, as well as extensive grappling laurels including two Pan Ams appearances and two Advanced Division NAGA silver medals. His opponent Garrett Davis brought four years of MMA experience, and thirteen professional fights. While Davis' 7-6 record may appear pedestrian, he had won his last four fights by submission. Consequently, it was no secret that the fight would be a grappling match, as both men battled hard on the cage, looking to secure underhooks, and take one another down. The turning point of the first round came when Cunningham attempted a drop seoi otoshi throw. Davis defended it perfectly, and as Cunningham dropped for the throw, Davis jumped on his back, and secured a rear naked choke. A collective gasp escaped from the audience, as it appeared that Cunningham was done for. Cunningham was able to escape the position, and took Davis down at the end of the round, mounting him as the bell rang.
The second round saw more of the same standing grappling battle, with both Davis and Cunningham trying to secure takedowns. Finally, Cunningham jumped guard on Davis while standing, pulling him to the mat. Opening his guard, Cunningham tried to work for submissions, but was neutralized by Davis who was able to effectively ground and pound through the round. Going into the the third round, the sense of urgency was strong for Cunningham, as he dug for a double leg takedown immediately. As Davis hit the mat, he scrambled back to his feet, and Cunningham again drove forward, bringing him to the mat. As they went to the mat however, Davis shrewdly sunk a deep guillotine choke on the desperate Cunningham, forcing him to submit. At 1:58 of the third round, Marcus Soares' student had his fifth consecutive win, which like all four before it, was finished with a choke.
The second last bout of the evening was one of particular interest for local fans, as it featured Roger Hollett, the son of former Canadian Middleweight Boxing Champion Ralph Hollett. The fifty three year old former champion was also scheduled to compete at the event, but his scheduled opponent failed to submit his medical paperwork, thereby cancelling the bout. The twenty seven year old Hollett was given the loudest roar from the audience of any fighter on the card. The deafening crowd stayed behind Hollett as he stepped into the cage against Peter Rogers. Hollett didn't let down his home crowd, as he peppered Rogers with standing combos with punches, and knees in the clinch. Hollett got double underhooks and tripped Rogers to the mat, and sat in his half guard. When Hollett past the half guard and took the mount, the Halifax Forum exploded in cheers, spurring him on to finish the fight. Hollett did just that, spinning out of the mount and extending the arm, as Rogers tapped, giving Hollett a win in his pro MMA debut at 3:50 of the first round.
The much awaited main event between two time UFC veteran Gideon Ray and Canadian talent Jason MacDonald perfectly punctuated the evening. The first round saw an intense and exciting ground battle, in which MacDonald got the early takedown off of an errant Superman punch thrown by Ray, and worked strikes on the ground, before being swept by Ray. MacDonald reversed Ray, getting his back, and nearly securing a rear naked choke. Again, Ray was able to dodge defeat, by escaping and turning back into MacDonald's guard. Late in the round, Ray stood up in MacDonald's open guard, secured a leg, and rolled back, looking for a heel hook. Ray worked hard to finish MacDonald with the leg lock, but came up short as the first round bell ended his submission attempt.
In the second round, Ray opened with a spinning back fist which MacDonald partially dodged, but Ray's elbow wound up slashing MacDonald at his hairline, resulting in a steady stream of blood down MacDonald's face as he took Ray to the mat again and worked with punches from top position. Ray was able to offer no offense in the last two rounds of the fight, as MacDonald took him down repeatedly, advancing position and grounding and pounding him against the fence. Ray proved game however, as while MacDonald won a decisive unanimous decision, Ray became the only fighter not to be submitted in defeat to "The Athlete".
Undoubtedly, the first mixed martial arts event in the history of Halifax, Nova Scotia was a definite success. On a night which saw events such as the International Fight League in New Jersey and RAZE Fight Night in California in the United States, Extreme Cage Combat in outdrew them both, scoring a crowd in the neighborhood of six thousand people. Not a single fight on the card disappointed the energetic audience, who cheered from Dave Scholten's opening ground and pound, to Jason MacDonald's hand being raised in victory. For promoter Peter Martell, and Combat Productions, his years of work paid off richly, being able to bring mixed martial arts to a very receptive Haligonian crowd. Martell cannot sit back and enjoy the fruits of his labor quite yet, however, as Combat Productions will bring Extreme Cage Combat to the Moncton Coliseum in New Brunswick on June 17th, and return to the Halifax Forum on July 22nd.
-Jordan Breen
With over five years of planning, April 29th was a special night in the history of Halifax, Nova Scotia, as it saw its first ever mixed martial arts competition. Combat Productions, led by bar manager and Brazilian jiu jitsu brown belt Peter Martell, brought Extreme Cage Combat to Halifax, amidst much fanfare. While many in the media panned it, and city councillors sought to ban it, the event went on unfazed, and at 6:30 pm, it was clear why: the line up to enter the Halifax Forum ran from the doors of the building, down Windsor Street, around the corner, down the other side, behind the venue, across the parking the lot, onto the sidewalk, and half way down Young Street.
As the doors opened, the Halifax Forum quickly filled up. General seating in the Halifax Forum holds 5000, which was quickly occupied. The floor saw 120 VIP tables set up with six people per table. Nearly six thousand people backed the Halifax Forum, a venue which hasn’t seen a crowd of that magnitude in a very long time. The crowd wasted no time making its presence felt, cheering deafeningly loud as the evening got under way.
The first bout of the evening pitted Dave Scholte nout of Vancouver, a student of "The BJJ Encyclopedia" Marcus Soares, against another jiu jitsu practitioner in twenty four year old Nino Bezerra, a BJJ brown belt under Fabio Holanda at BTT Montreal. Both men opened up with kicks, as Bezerra scored with a good low kick. Scholten quickly took Bezerra down, however, and began to posture up in Bezerra's guard and throw punches while pressing Bezerra into the fence. Bezerra's cornerman and trainer Fabio Holanda sat just outside the cage, inches from his student, giving instruction for Bezerra to move his hips up and look for submissions. When Bezerra finally got his hips up and looked to grab the arm of Scholten, Scholten pulled away, and reentered the guard of Bezerra, and continued to throw hard strikes down on the Brazilian. Scholten continued to flurry with strikes in the guard of Bezerra, who was helpless to defend himself against the cage, and the referee stopped the bout at 3:56 of the first round.
The up and coming Boreland's Combat Team, based out of Georgetown, Ontario, was featured prominently at Extreme Cage Combat, lending five young athletes to the fight card. The first of these fighters, Daniel Hardstaff, took on local fighter Adam MacDonald out of Titans MMA in Halifax. The favorite in MacDonald gained even more fan support during the staredown, as the energetic MacDonald turned spastic, and looked ready to jump out of his skin. Both men felt each other out in the early moments, before Hardstaff threw a straight right hand that connected with MacDonald, whose head jerked straight back from the punch's impact. Instinctively, MacDonald shot in for a double leg takedown, and secured top position, throwing hard punches to the head and body of Hardstaff. The raucous crowd cheered MacDonald through his ground and pound, as he continued to land with great frequency on Hardstaff, who was relegated to defending himself, rather than mounting offense from his back, until the first round ended.
The second round began exactly as the first did, with Hardstaff landing another straight punch which connected flush with MacDonald, who again instinctively sought to take Hardstaff down. However, it appeared that MacDonald, who had cut a considerable amount of weight for the fight, had tired himself in the first round with his zealous ground and pound attack. MacDonald's hands dropped, and Hardstaff nearly missed on several occasions with punches. MacDonald's takedown attempts were reduced to pedestrian attempts of charging and grabbing. Finally, MacDonald scored a single leg takedown, but was not able to mount strong offense from the top as he did in round one. This time, Hardstaff was active from his back, and secured the arm of MacDonald, wrenching a kimura from the bottom, and sweeping MacDonald into the full mount. The gassed Titans fighter rolled to his stomach and turtled up as Hardstaff attacked with punches, before grasping MacDonald's arm, and rolling him onto his back, in cross position. MacDonald clasped his hands together firmly, refusing to give up the armbar, but Hardstaff began a vigorous attack on MacDonald's exposed face with hammerfists. MacDonald offered no defense to the strikes, as he kept both his hands together, defending the armbar. After several unanswered hammerfists to the face, the referee stopped the bout at 4:43 of the second round, for the winner, Daniel Hardstaff.
The evening's third bout saw grappling stalwart Bryan Edge of Team Joslin, take on Corey Knapp, out of the Real Self Defense Center in Edmonton, Alberta. Edge, a stand out and superfight winner at the Ontario Submission Wrestling Invitational, trains with one of Canadian MMA's unsung heroes in Jeff Joslin. The fight started with both contestants circling and pawing at one another, neither man willing to engage on the feet. As the crowd showed their distaste for the passivity of the fighters with a chorus of booing, Knapp sprang to life and charged Edge with a barrage of punches. Edge moved back on his heels quickly, dodging the punches, and then ducked under and burst forward, getting a hold of Knapp's legs, and lifting him up in the air for am emphatic slam, which revitalized the crowd who exploded in cheers. Edge's ground game was like clockwork, as he smoothly transitioned to side mount from the slam, and began to control and strike Knapp effectively. As Knapp tried to roll and escape, Edge calmly took his back, sank his hooks in, and secured the rear naked choke, forcing the Edmonton native to tap out at 2:08 of the first round.
The theme established in the bout between Adam MacDonald and Daniel Hardstaff continued, as again, a Titans MMA fighter in Robert Colbourne took on a Boreland's Combat Team fighter in Matt Hall. Unlike the first fight between members of Titans MMA and Boreland's Combat Team, this fight was quick, efficient, and wholly one sided. The short, stout Colbourne immediately sought out a takedown, and secured a quick single leg, putting Hall on his back and swiftly moving to side control. Colbourne immediately began to attack Hall with punches and hammerfists, as he moved into scarf position. Colbourne flurried with punches from the scarf position, and then tried to get his legs around Hall's nearside arm, and apply a shoulder wrench. While Hall was able to slip his arm free of Colbourne's grip, Colbourne was relentless, and again went back to applying hard ground and pound from the scarf position. The second time, Colbourne would not be denied, as he triangled his legs around Hall's near arm, and executed a shoulder wrench and neck crank combination, submitting Hall at only 1:48 of the first round.
The fight between Jason McKay and Mike Large was the third and final fight pitting a Titans MMA fighter against a member of Boreland's Combat Team. The first ten minutes of the fight were marked by repetition and dominance for the Titans-based McKay, as he secured takedown after takedown, and was able to damage Large with barrages of strikes to the head. The doctors were brought in twice to check cuts on Large, first on his forehead, and second on his scalp. Large was able to mount no considerable offense for the first ten minutes of the fight, as he was taken down repeatedly and pounded. McKay also nearly ended the fight with an armbar that Large was able to escape, allowing him to survive the second round, and giving him a chance to regroup.
The third round looked as though it may offer a new face to the fight, as Large came out looking comfortable and ready to work his game. Large shot a double leg takedown on McKay, taking him to the mat. In the process however, Large overextended himself, offering his neck to McKay, who made no mistake in securing a tight guillotine choke on McKay, and closing his guard to finish the choke. McKay secured the submission victory at 0:10 of the final round.
Kosovan immigrant Stjepan Vujnovic from Boreland's Combat Team put on one of the night's most impressive performances in his midcard tilt against Tony Lagnaro. The tall, rangy Vujnovic scooped up Legnaro in the early stages of the fight and slammed him to the mat, as Vujnovic passed to the side, using strong control and movement on the floor to prevent Legnaro from regaining guard. Legnaro was able to scoot his hips and sit up, and Vujnovic quickly grabbed his neck, and pull guard, looking to sink a guillotine choke. Legnaro escaped, and began to mount offense, throwing down punches as he bent over into the guard of Vujnovic. Vujnovic was unfazed, however, as he worked his hips up, and cast his long legs around the neck of Legnaro, pulling his foot down and sinking in a deep triangle choke, which netted him the submission victory at 2:02 of the first round.
Offsetting the slick grappling which permeated the entire fight card, Chris Carroll and Ray Penny served up a brief but powerful tilt which resulted in the expected conclusion of any heavyweight battle: the knockout. Both Carroll and Penny came out of their corners in the first round looking to trade punches with each other, but neither man was able to connect with a solid punch. Penny backed Carroll into the cage, and dropped for a single leg, working diligently to take the bigger Carroll down, before switching to a double leg and yanking him to the mat. Penny began drop powerful punches on Carroll which echoed through the Halifax Forum, garnering a loud response from the crowd. Penny continued to pound, while Carroll showed fluid movement on his back for a heavyweight, getting his hips up into position for an armbar, but Penny slipped his arm out, and continued to work from Carroll's guard. In the middle of the cage, Penny again postured up in Carroll's guard, and dropped a heavy flurry of strikes which landed flush on the Carroll's jaw. The referee intervened and stopped Penny, who recorded the knockout via punches from the guard at 2:36 of the first round. Chris Carroll stayed down on the mat for two minutes while he was examined by ringside medical personnel, but exited the cage under his own power and was back later in the evening, to corner his teammates.
After intermission, the crowd immediately had their spirits reignited, as Haligonian standout TJ Grant took on Craig Skinner. Grant overwhelmed Skinner from the opening bell, chasing him with strikes, and slamming him to the mat. Grant backed away from Skinner in his guard, perhaps looking to shuck his legs by and dive into side control, and Skinner attempted to roll away and get to his feet. Skinner's plan backfired, as Grant pounced on him, pressing him into the cage and attacking him with punches. After surviving Grant's flurry and getting back to his feet, the prone and ineffective Skinner was again slammed, this time more emphatically, by Grant. Grant quickly worked on the ground, securing Skinner's arm for an armbar attempt. Skinner quickly tried to roll out of the hold, but Grant swept him with control of his arm, as Skinner wound up mounted, with Grant cinching in a tight vertical armbar. Skinner was forced to tap, as one of Halifax's bright young talents scored the submission victory at 3:00 of the first round.
The fight of the night in many fans eyes was the match up of Marcus Soares' student Garrett Davis, and Rowan Cunningham, one of Canada's best grapplers. Cunningham sported a 2-0 record coming into the fight, as well as extensive grappling laurels including two Pan Ams appearances and two Advanced Division NAGA silver medals. His opponent Garrett Davis brought four years of MMA experience, and thirteen professional fights. While Davis' 7-6 record may appear pedestrian, he had won his last four fights by submission. Consequently, it was no secret that the fight would be a grappling match, as both men battled hard on the cage, looking to secure underhooks, and take one another down. The turning point of the first round came when Cunningham attempted a drop seoi otoshi throw. Davis defended it perfectly, and as Cunningham dropped for the throw, Davis jumped on his back, and secured a rear naked choke. A collective gasp escaped from the audience, as it appeared that Cunningham was done for. Cunningham was able to escape the position, and took Davis down at the end of the round, mounting him as the bell rang.
The second round saw more of the same standing grappling battle, with both Davis and Cunningham trying to secure takedowns. Finally, Cunningham jumped guard on Davis while standing, pulling him to the mat. Opening his guard, Cunningham tried to work for submissions, but was neutralized by Davis who was able to effectively ground and pound through the round. Going into the the third round, the sense of urgency was strong for Cunningham, as he dug for a double leg takedown immediately. As Davis hit the mat, he scrambled back to his feet, and Cunningham again drove forward, bringing him to the mat. As they went to the mat however, Davis shrewdly sunk a deep guillotine choke on the desperate Cunningham, forcing him to submit. At 1:58 of the third round, Marcus Soares' student had his fifth consecutive win, which like all four before it, was finished with a choke.
The second last bout of the evening was one of particular interest for local fans, as it featured Roger Hollett, the son of former Canadian Middleweight Boxing Champion Ralph Hollett. The fifty three year old former champion was also scheduled to compete at the event, but his scheduled opponent failed to submit his medical paperwork, thereby cancelling the bout. The twenty seven year old Hollett was given the loudest roar from the audience of any fighter on the card. The deafening crowd stayed behind Hollett as he stepped into the cage against Peter Rogers. Hollett didn't let down his home crowd, as he peppered Rogers with standing combos with punches, and knees in the clinch. Hollett got double underhooks and tripped Rogers to the mat, and sat in his half guard. When Hollett past the half guard and took the mount, the Halifax Forum exploded in cheers, spurring him on to finish the fight. Hollett did just that, spinning out of the mount and extending the arm, as Rogers tapped, giving Hollett a win in his pro MMA debut at 3:50 of the first round.
The much awaited main event between two time UFC veteran Gideon Ray and Canadian talent Jason MacDonald perfectly punctuated the evening. The first round saw an intense and exciting ground battle, in which MacDonald got the early takedown off of an errant Superman punch thrown by Ray, and worked strikes on the ground, before being swept by Ray. MacDonald reversed Ray, getting his back, and nearly securing a rear naked choke. Again, Ray was able to dodge defeat, by escaping and turning back into MacDonald's guard. Late in the round, Ray stood up in MacDonald's open guard, secured a leg, and rolled back, looking for a heel hook. Ray worked hard to finish MacDonald with the leg lock, but came up short as the first round bell ended his submission attempt.
In the second round, Ray opened with a spinning back fist which MacDonald partially dodged, but Ray's elbow wound up slashing MacDonald at his hairline, resulting in a steady stream of blood down MacDonald's face as he took Ray to the mat again and worked with punches from top position. Ray was able to offer no offense in the last two rounds of the fight, as MacDonald took him down repeatedly, advancing position and grounding and pounding him against the fence. Ray proved game however, as while MacDonald won a decisive unanimous decision, Ray became the only fighter not to be submitted in defeat to "The Athlete".
Undoubtedly, the first mixed martial arts event in the history of Halifax, Nova Scotia was a definite success. On a night which saw events such as the International Fight League in New Jersey and RAZE Fight Night in California in the United States, Extreme Cage Combat in outdrew them both, scoring a crowd in the neighborhood of six thousand people. Not a single fight on the card disappointed the energetic audience, who cheered from Dave Scholten's opening ground and pound, to Jason MacDonald's hand being raised in victory. For promoter Peter Martell, and Combat Productions, his years of work paid off richly, being able to bring mixed martial arts to a very receptive Haligonian crowd. Martell cannot sit back and enjoy the fruits of his labor quite yet, however, as Combat Productions will bring Extreme Cage Combat to the Moncton Coliseum in New Brunswick on June 17th, and return to the Halifax Forum on July 22nd.
-Jordan Breen