Toetags & Bodybags: Freedom Fight 2005

[Johnny Toetags]

Freedom Fight 2005
EVENT REVIEW




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Hello again and welcome to this special edition of Toetags & Bodybags. This edition is special in that it marks BloodyKnux's first event coverage in our short history, and what an event it was. Featuring stella match-making despite some last minute adjustments July 9th was a night to remember. In partnership with Apex, TSN/RDS and Serious Pimp, the guys from Freedom Fight put on a hell of show, topping it off with what I beleive could be a candidate for Fight of The Year. The Team USA vs. Team Canada format captivated the fans, and the fighters fought not only for Pride but honor - there wasn't a bad fight on the card. A very special thanks goes out to Joe Ferraro from Showdown Entertainment Inc, this wouldn't have been possible without him. And now, without further ado, let's get to it -

Held in the Robert Guertin arena in Gatineau Quebec, Freedom Fight set up a very professional event. Sports media, local and not so local fighters and a ton of fans packed the arena to near capacity. Fighters were very friendly with the fans and posed for pictures and answered questions at will.

[CENTER]
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Fabio Holanda and Jonathan Goulet, members of the fast rising BTT Canada.

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A Local Hero indeed, Gary Goodridge captained Team Canada.

"Big Daddy" Gary Goodridge was especially friendly and all smiles (except when posing for pictures, you need that "evil glare" for pictures of course.) throughout the event. When asked about his upcomming K-1 bout with Wesley "Cabbage" Correira, Gary responded in reference to Cabbage's notorious thick head : "I made a living busting up cement, so that doesn't concern me."

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David "The Crow" Loiseau giving an interview.

[Johnny Toetags]

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Team Canada was introduced to rowdy applause.

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Gary "Captain Canada" Goodridge.

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Team USA takes center stage.

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Tito was pumped for his role in the night's events.

[Johnny Toetags]

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Craig Brown and Ricardeau Fran?ois got things off with a bang.

Fight 1

Craig "Farmer" Brown took on "Too tall" Ricardeau "Long Play" Fran?ois in the night's first bout. Right from the opening bell, Ricardeau used his significant reach advatange (being 6'6"!) to pepper the rookie Brown with jabs, keeping him at a distance. But in this battle of Quebec versus Ontario, the country boy Brown would not be denied. Brown fought his way inside despite taking damage. Once in the clinch, however, it was the surprising Montreal native getting those long legs in on the fun. Knees to the thighs, body and even head roughed up Brown even further until eventually the fight ended up on the ground where Long Play laid down some effective ground and pound. A clear round in Ricardeau's favor.

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Long Play ended up on top near the end of round 1.

Swollen and bloodied, Craig Brown came out swinging in round 2. The Farmer, who's claim to fame up until this point was reportedly wrestling a Cow (yes, a cow) to submission, made a statement inside with effective strikes through Ricardeau's guard. Cow subbing stories aside, Brown will now be known for his wicked uppercut that sent Long Play sprawling to the mat early in round 2. From the clinch, Craig landed the mother of all uppercuts and was awarded the clear and decisive KO victory. The crowd was on it's feet!

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Tiiimmmmberr!!!

[Johnny Toetags]

Fight 2

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"Lightning" Bolt tries to shock "The Monkey"

Richard "The Monkey" Nancoo vs. Jeremy "Lightning" Bolt was added to the card at the last minute, but you'd never be able to tell by the show they put on. The exchanges were fast and furious early on, with the fight eventually going to the ground after some clinching. Nancoo worked his slick ground game from there on. Looking for a leg lock or a heel hook, Monkey had Bolt in trouble until the quick Indiana native was able to reverse and even attempt his own leg submission. The round was Nancoo's, but Bolt was just getting warmed up.

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Trading submission attempts.


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The Monkey living up to his nickname with incredible dexterity.

Bolt came out with bad intentions and backed up Nancoo in the corner. Fighting from the clinch and with his back to the ropes, Richard propped himself up on the bottom rope and spun around to take down Bolt and almost ending the fight right then with a guillotine choke. Bolt was able to escape but only ended up locked in a tight triangle, and was forced to tap.

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Nancoo's fight ending triangle.

[Johnny Toetags]

Fight 3 - Team USA vs. Team Canada.

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With national pride on the line, the First Team Bout was a great one.

Krysztof "The Expirement" Soszynski took on Team Quester Matt "Suave" Horwich in a last minute addition to the Team USA vs. Team Canada format. The Expirement came out pumped up and swinging like a bat out of hell. He took the fight to Horwich who did an admirable job surviving the Canadian's onslaught. Matt took some heavy leather standing and even more damage via ground and pound and the referee almost stopped the bout.

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Krysztof "The Expirement" Soszynski swinging for the fences.

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Horwich never gave up.

Eventually, it appeared as if the Canadian had punched himself out and Horwich's superior technique and conditioning took over. Close to the end of round 1, Horwich was able to take Soszynski's back and nearly ended the fight with a rear naked choke. The crowd was overcome by the intense action and reversal of fortune. With time running out, Horwich was unable to finish the hold in time.

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Close, but no cigar.

Wanting no part of the punishment he took in round 1, the Team Quest fighter stuck to what worked and listened to his cornermen. Securing the takedown on the winded Experiment, he quickly took his opponent's back and finished what he started at the end of the last round.

[Johnny Toetags]

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Horwich's went back to the well and it paid off.

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Team USA up by 1 thanks to some good corner work.

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Quadros gives BK.com and Freedom Fight the thumbs up!

[Johnny Toetags]

Fight 4 - Team USA vs. Team Canada.

The highly skilled Jeff Joslin vs. the former Perdue wrestling all star Jon Fitch was the second Team bout of the evening, this time at 170lbs.

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Jeff Joslin take to the ring to wild support from the crowd.

The lifelong martial artist Jeff Joslin engaged with Fitch early and often, with both men getting their moments in the stand up department. Trading shots early, it appeared that Fitch was getting the upper hand with crisper striking that bloodied Joslin as round 1 went on.

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The crowd was loving the action in this one.

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Joslin had trouble closing the distance and getting past Fitch's fast hands.

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Joslin finally got going when he got inside.

Bloodied and battered, Jeff seemed spent as he retired to his corner. Fitch, however - looked fresh. Round 1, Fitch.

[Johnny Toetags]

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The battle rages on in round 2.

Joslin came out looking sharp in round 2, despite being cut up. After the doctor cleared Jeff to continue - he took it to Fitch with a vengeance. Fitch ate some sharp hooks, kicks and straights in a heated exchange and this time it's the American who seemed damaged and shaken.

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Fitch trying to keep Jeff at bay with leg kicks.

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This fight was trench warfare and set the tone for the rest of the evening.

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Joslin was boxing well and matching the American shot for shot, edging him out as the round went on.

Round 2, Jeff Joslin.

[Johnny Toetags]

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Round 3 was more of the same with neither man looking to take it to the ground much.

After a curious stoppage when it appeared Joslin had Fitch in trouble, round 3 went on with heated exchanges. Fitch surprised many with his striking, including Joslin who was careful not to over commit.

Once the Canadian cornered Fitch it seemed he was doing more damage. Fitch was baking up and trying to survive. Both were scoring points, however, and showing the physcial signs of a 15 minute stand-up war.

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A frustrated Jeff Joslin.

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Jeff was edging on Fitch as the fight went on, doing damage with his opponent cornered.

It appeared to the partisan crowd, and to this reporter, that Jeff had done more than enough to take the 3rd round. The bout went to the judges and all three scored it 29-28 - one had it for Jeff Joslin, two had it for Jon Fitch. It appeared Jeff had yet another controversial loss on his record, making this two in a row he's lost to questionable judging.

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A win is a win, and Jon certainly fought his heart out.

[Johnny Toetags]

FIGTH 6

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St?phane Potvin.

BTT Canada fighter St?phane Potvin fought Tyrone "The Native Warrior" Roberts in the next bout and right from the opening bell, it seemed obvious that Tyrone was overmatched. While it seemed early on that his hands would make a difference, the Iowa native couldn't get close enough to use them as Potvin assaulted him with stiff leg kicks, jabs and spinning heel kicks. Once the fighters clinched up, Tyrone couldn't effectivly overpower Potvin who worked hard knees to the midsection and face.

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Tyrone trying to connect with a hard right hook.

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Potvin mixing up his strikes.

[Johnny Toetags]

Other than a tense moment when Potvin telegraphed a spin kick which Tyrone caught and attempted to turn into some ground and pound, it was all Potvin even in the second round. A quick flurry punctuated with a sharp axe kick cut open the Native Warrior in round 2 and that led to a doctor's stoppage. Tyrone was disappointed obviously but was quick to congratulate Potvin nonetheless. That's what MMA is all about.

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Potvin going back to the well and connecting hard.

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It was a pretty bad cut.

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A shot of Tyrone's Fedor-esque gash.

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BTT Canada on the winning track!

[Johnny Toetags]

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Georges St. Pierre enjoying the action.

Fight 6

The heavyweights took the stage in the 6th bout as Gibson Kickboxing member Todd Gouwenberg took on "Big" Lavar Johnson who trains with famous "Crazy" Bob Cook. This fight was a total war with both men giving their all in a slugfest.

All the rounds went pretty much the same with both fighters having their moments in exchanges.

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Heavyweight slugfest.

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Lavar nailing some stiff knees from the clinch.

[Johnny Toetags]

As the fight went on, it was obvious that both figthers were winded. Lavar was breathing heavy through his mouthpiece and Gouwenberg was dropping his hands and leaning on the ropes. Eventually, Lavar got a second wind and sensed he could finishing things, which he did in sudden and brutal fashion.

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In round 2, Gouwenberg was looking for that 1 big shot...

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But it was Lavar who later in round 3 ended the bout with a flurry that sent Gouwenberg stagering into the ropes...

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...and crashing to the canvas.

[Johnny Toetags]

Fight 7 - Team Canada vs. Team USA.

Bill "The Butcher" Mahood vs. Tim "Wrecking Machine" McKenzie. Everyone expected fireworks in this fight. No one expected a blowout. Well, that's what we got. Just when we were getting used to 2 and 3 round affaires, The Wrecking Machine came in and did just that. Just 6 seconds into the fight, McKenzie had to be pulled off Mahood! What exactly happened to set up this shocker?? Well, Tim caught Bill. It's taht simple. A right hook and a quick flurry sent Bill to the canvas, he was out before he hit the floor. Tim quickly mounted to make sure and got a few more shots in. It was a blitzkreig, really. This was Tim's night. There were a few tense moments after the fight as Bill laid on the canvas dazed, but he seemed fine later on.

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The Butcher.

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The Wrecking Machine

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The Punch.

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Finishing flurry.

[Johnny Toetags]

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TSN's own Michael Landsberg and the Fight Professor Stephen Quadros shocked at such a sudden, a violent, upset.

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It just wasn't Bill's night.

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A true sportsman, McKenzie helped tend to the dazed Mahood.

[Johnny Toetags]

Fight 7

Wildman Richard "Cleat" Crunkilton faced the equally crazy "King" James Martinez in the final non team bout of the evening. King James came out strong and dangerous with push kicks and haymakers, to wich Cleat responded with jumping punches and big take downs.

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A wild sequence.

Wanting no part of Martinez on his feet, Rich took him down for some serious ground and pound. Martinez was elusive at first and forced the break by scooting to the ropes.

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Martinez in trouble on his back and in the ropes.

Back on their feet, Cleat secured a huge greco-roman slam and quickly mounted the Rastafarian, laying down some wicked elbows and forearms. The ref was keeping a close eye on the action but Martinez was still taking alot of damage...

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A huge slam!

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Vicious stuff here in the GNP department.

Eventually Martinez gave his back and wasn't defending which led to the TKO at the end of round 1.

[Johnny Toetags]

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A dissapointed Martinez.

[Johnny Toetags]

FIGHT 9 - MAIN EVENT TEAM CANDA VS. TEAM USA

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Fight of the year? Could be.

JOE "EL DIRKE" DOERKSEN vs. ART ?PACHUCO? SANTORE

Wow. What a main event. Both men showed tremendous skill, courage, sportsmanship and toughness. Pachuco was as evasive as a cat, but I'll tell you this - Doerksen took out at least 8 and half of his 9 lives. I'll be honest, at this point, my notepad was down and I was totally into the spectacle these two were putting on. They swapped positions more often than I could count and Joe had the Team Quester in trouble several times in each round. I'll let these pictures speak for themselves, as honestly there was just too much action going on here for me to recall. They traded standing, on the ground, everywhere. Total war. Overall, Doerksen dominated throughout though thats not to say Art didn't have his moments. Art showed some great defense, blocking submission attempts and recovering when rocked. Joe was aggressive and unrelenting with shoulder slams, armbars, kimura's, triangles, ground and pound and rear chokes.

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Art seemed to edge out Joe with the strikes early on.

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Joe secured good takedowns and slammed some hard hammer fists to Art's face.

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Pachuco managed to change positions and landed some nasty elbows.

[Johnny Toetags]

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One of many dangerous moments for Art came early in round 1 with a close kimura.

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How Art got out of this I'll never know.

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El Derke looking to finish.

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More trouble for Pachuco!

[Johnny Toetags]

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Pachuco got rocked by a series of up-kicks that almost ended the fight.

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Yet another close triangle attempt.

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Closing moments of an all-out war.

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This is what it's all about.


In the end, the judges handed Joe Doerksen a unanimous 30-27 decision.

[Johnny Toetags]

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Joe was, obviously, pleased with the fight.

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Joe celebrating in his undies, a very "slap shot"esque moment.

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Art joining in on the fun.

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A great end to an amazing night at the fights.

[Johnny Toetags]

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FINAL RESULTS:

TEAM CANADA vs. TEAM USA - TEAM USA WINS 4 TO 1.



205 LBS: BILL ?THE BUTCHER? MAHOOD vs. TIM ?WRECKING MACHINE? MCKENZIE, McKenzie by TKO. Round 1.



185 LBS: JOE DOERKSEN vs. ART ?PANCHUCO? SANTORE, Doerksen by UD.



170 LBS: JEFF JOSLIN vs. JON FITCH, Fitch by SD.



225 LBS. TODD GOUWENBERG vs. ?BIG? LAVAR JOHNSON, Lavar TKO round 3.



205 LBS: KRYSZTOF ?THE EXPERIMENT? SOSZYNSKI vs. MATT ?SUAVE? HORWICH, Horwich by rear naked choke round 2.



UNDERCARD:



185 LBS. STEPHANE POTVIN vs. TYRONE ?TRIBAL WARRIOR? ROBERTS, Potvin round 2 by Doctor's stoppage.



155 LBS: RICHARD ?CLEAT? CRUNKILTON vs. ?KING? JAMES MARTINEZ, Crunkilton round 1 by TKO.



130 LBS: RICHARD ?THE MONKEY? NANCOO vs. JEREMY ?LIGHTNING? BOLT, Nancoo by triangle, round 2.



205 LBS. CRAIG ?FARMER? BROWN vs. RICARDEAU ?LONG PLAY? FRANCOIS, Brown by KO, round 2.


Special thanks to Freedom Fight and Showdown Entertainment.

http://www.freedomfight.tv/
http://www.showdown.ca/

- Jean-F. Pag