Shock N Awe 11: Main Card Review
AddictedMMA as always were there to witness all of the action as Shock N Awe once again delivered with a great card from top to bottom, and here is the AddictedMMA review of the main card:
James Pennington vs Davey Grant, Bantamweight Title Fight
A fight that started in slightly cagey fashion soon exploded in to life when Pennington shot for the takedown. With Grant managing to come down on top however, he initially chose to stay very tight to Pennington who was quickly attempting a triangle choke, but Davey proved how slippery he can be, escaping this dangerous looking position.
Still on top Davey started with punches, some finding their way through, only to be caught again by Pennington, this time in an armbar attempt. Great skill from Davey saw him spin out of this position in what was another strong submission effort from Pennington who was proving himself dangerous off his back.
A hard fought back-and-forth saw Grant take Pennington down, hold the dominant position, posture up and land a punch. Pennington forced his way back up though, only to be bullied back down again by Grant.
Again Pennington showed that he was not out of his comfort zone here, using the rubber guard to reduce Grants ability to cause damage, but Grant was applying his full weight to Pennington and the position was his to take advantage of. And that he did. Trying for a guillotine choke he looked to be making some serious headway, Pennington again managed to stand up, but with the guillotine still in and Grant applying a lot of pressure Pennington was quickly back down against the fence, forced to tap at 3:59 of the first round.
Despite the fact this battle did not last long, the Shock N Awe crowd were treated to two gifted fighters battling it out for the belt. In those four minutes we saw why Pennington has been held in such high regard and also why Grant is the new and deserving Shock N Awe Bantamweight Champion!
Alexei Roberts vs. Andy Kerr, Welterweight Title Fight
Blink and you'll miss it! A quick start saw both throwing down in the middle of the cage; Roberts sent an early right straight down the middle that toppled Kerr like a tree. As Kerr fell back against the cage Roberts stood in the centre of the cage with one arm raised. Ladies and Gentlemen, your new Shock N Awe British Welterweight Champion - Alexei Roberts.
Jason Cooledge vs Lee Taylor, Pro LW
In this intense encounter Cooledge quickly shot for the takedown only to find that Taylor was capable of troubling him from underneath. With the action being stifled the referee stood them up, only for Cooledge to again look for the takedown. With the fight on the ground again it was Cooledge who was able to take advantage, transitioning from one dominant position to another before finishing the fight with an anaconda choke. An impressive finish from Cooledge but frustrating for Taylor who must have been looking to stay on his feet as much as possible.
Colin Howells vs. Fred Harrington, Pro WW
This was one of the most eagerly anticipated fights of the evening given the weigh-in scuffle between the two men. An early low kick from Howells backed Harrington up against the cage, not backing down he responded with a 1-2 followed with a sharp inside elbow. The men clinched and Harrington worked his way to Howells' back and securing the body lock he dragged Howells to the floor. Unfortunately as he fell forward Howells' knee gave out; as he get back to his feet it was clear he couldn't continue, Harrington landed one more shot but one legged men don't win many ass kicking contests and Howells verbally submitted to save himself from further punishment.
Rocci Williams vs Danny Compton, Pro WW
There was a great buzz around this fight as Compton had brought huge support with him as he faced Shock N Awe veteran Rocci Williams. An aggressive start saw Williams come out strong with punches and kicks, taking Compton down, although ending up underneath his opponent. They were both quickly up and Compton began to show his strength, pushing Williams on the cage wall. Williams was able to force Compton across the cage from here and took him down again, taking his back in the process. The rear-naked choke was on but Compton was not prepared to go easily, waiting as long as he could before being forced to tap. Williams was the ecstatic victor at only 1:58 of the first round!
Karl Harrison vs. Joe Laurence, Pro FW
Laurence lands two or three early low kicks that Harrison absorbs and throws some shots of his own, taking the fight to the floor and in Laurence's guard Harrison lands his fair share of shots that get through, moving from half guard to mount he starts unleashing some big elbows to Laurence's head. Laurence gets Harrison back into his guard but that doesn't stop the elbows raining down. Several more open up a huge cut, with blood absolutely everywhere David Swann calls the bout off at 3:37.
Kieran Rice vs Luke Killick, Pro MW
Killick made his intentions clear very early in this fight, putting Rice straight on the cage and landing knees, but Rice was not prepared to allow Killick to dominate quite so easily, powering through this position and dragging Killick to the ground. Rice found himself underneath although he was trying to secure a kimura, stifling Killick with this attempt. Killick used his brute strength to walk Rice to cage wall, and once there methodically went to work. First of all he ensured his opponent was suitably lodged between wall and floor, and then started with the ground and pound. Heavy punches followed by heavy elbows were enough to bring the fight to an end, with the referee calling it a day at 1:59 of the first round. Killick looked like a beast in this fight, strong and powerful, a real handful for any future opponent. Rice showed how strong he was but, was unable to shift Killick once he was on top of him.
Damien Forgie vs. Paul Rocha, Pro WW
This one hits the floor almost immediately and Forgie is on top in Rocha's guard. After tying up Forgie David Swann stands the men up only for Forgie to take it back to the deck in an instant. He moves from side control to mount in a flash, looking for an opening to snatch an armbar allows Rocha to get back to his feet only to be met with a right hook that then has Rocha looking for a takedown of his own that Forgie stuffs as the round concludes. Rocha opens the second with a nice right hook that has Forgie looking for the takedown once again, Rocha defends the first attempt but using his striking Forgie sets up the second attempted takedown and this time succeeds. Rocha does a good job stalling the action that gets the fight stood back up only for Forgie to take it down once more. This time Forgie means business and he locks up an arm and locks up a tight looking kimura that has Rocha tapping.
Danny Pearson vs Paddy Moore, Pro MW
A literally cracking start to this fight saw Pearson land a crisp kick to the jaw of Moore, sending him crashing to the mat. Moore showed brilliantly recovery to spring straight back up and take Pearson down. Once back up Moore continued to press, this time with some crisp striking, leading to him once again taking Pearson down. Once down Moore began to land some nasty punches and elbows, until the referee stopped the bout at 1:13 of the first round. Very impressive from Moore who looked in danger in the opening moments, only to show he was not prepared to let that set back dictate the way the fight went.
Brett Healy vs. Brett O'Brien, Pro BW
Healy started the fight the better of the two men catching O'Brien with a couple of early strikes that caught O'Brien off balance, a right hand shortly after from Healy followed by a kick to O'Brien's body instantly bring retaliation and a hook from O'Brien drops Healy for a brief moment. With ten seconds of the round left Healy attempts the takedown that is well defended by O'Brien. The second sees O'Brien looking much more aggressive and he takes Healy down early, transitioning from half guard to mount and then taking Healy's back he looks for the rear-naked choke. Healy defends it for a few moments but O'Brien patiently waits for his moment and sinks in the fight ending choke at 2:52 of the second round.
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Published by Ruarie Farrelly - Mon, 16 Jul 2012 22:22
