Cage Rage 21

Wembley Arena – London - Saturday 8th March was the setting for a sold-out Cage Rage 25. With Pro Elite now the parent company of the Cage Rage you could see the change in the event. It was a new slicker Cage Rage but still with the British flavour it prides it self on. Andy and Dave the faces of Cage Rage looked to be very happy and at home with the event that went out live to a much bigger audience than ever before. They even had their own ticker tape parade as they entered the ring! With Ken Shamrock headlining the event it was like Cage Rage was earning its place in the world of MMA by having one of the most well known original MMA stars on the show.

Ryan Shamrock vs. Georgio Andrews
I can’t begin to think the pressure it must add to a young fighter if your father is one of the most well known names in MMA. So, with that in mind 18 year old Ryan Shamrock showed a lot of guts to step and fight at a big show in only his second fight. Georgio Andrews is an aggressive London fighter so this was set to be a tough match up. It was a punch up as expected. Both fighters showed their toughness, trading punches and pressing back and forth. But after the first round, Shamrock could not continue due to a broken hand. This was a shame as the fight was going to come to a head at some point.

Winner – Georgio Andrrews

Aisling Daly vs. Aysen Berik
The first female MMA fight to take place in the Wembley Arena. I must say knowing that Aysen Berik had not fought MMA. I did think that fighting on a big show like Cage Rage was a lot to take on. Aisling Daly has a purple belt in jiu-jitsu from Matt Thornton via the Straight Blast Gym under well-respected teacher John Kanvangh. She also has Pro MMA record of 4-0. Aysen Berik being the sister of tough London fighter Sami Berik has the bloodline (that’s their team name), but was that enough.
On paper I said before the fight that either Aysen is going to be a surprise hidden talent which would make a good fight or she would be completely out of her depth with Aisling, who would strike hard and takedown Aysen and control position, strike to TKO or finish with a submission. The latter was the case only difference was that her brother and cornerman Sami Berik had to throw in the towel, as Aysen did not give up. Aysen showed heart but she did not have the skill to give a fighter like Aisling any problem. I am sure Aisling will be a name to look for as she has a very well rounded game. Well done to Aysen for having the guts to test herself.

Winner - Aisling Daly

Henrique Santana vs. Michael Johnson
Brazilian Santana was a late replacement for this fight, but I would think he would be ready to set up for a big stage fight. Some of my guys have trained with him in the past and had good things to say about his ground game. He’s not know for his stand up so the tough well conditioned London Shoot fighter Michael Johnson would be a fight of who can dictate the style of fight. Santana showed he had improved his fitness for this fight, as it was an intense battle between these two tough guys. Santana was able to repeatedly take Michael Johnson down, which in the end was control enough to give him the unanimous decision. Johnson did land some heavy strikes in the fight but was controlled on the ground by Santana. It was only Johnson’s excellent condition that allowed him to fight off the submission attacks.

Winner - Henrique Santana

Ivan ‘Il Terribile’ Serati vs. Roman ‘The Hybrid’ Webber

This was a quick and aggressive fight between two fighters who would loose no sleep on bringing on the pain. Both strong light heavyweights collided in the ring and Serati took Webber down and unleashed a barrage of punches to finish the fight in a quick 48 seconds. A rematch between these guys would be good to see and they clearly have unresolved issues with each other.

Rob ‘The Bear’ Broughton vs. Neil ‘Goliath’ Grove
Grove was in charge for the first round. He worked the low leg kick so well that Broughton looked to have no answer. You could see that it was not going to be long before his efforts paid off. But in the second round Grove slowed down and stopped working the low leg kick which was a big mistake as it allowed Broughton the chance to find his pace and start landing some hard shots. Grove did deal with the new counter attack well in terms of taking the pressure, but it was not enough to win rounds. Therefore Broughton was able to brawl away as the bear to win the fight. It was still a close fight in the end and I am sure if Grove had have pushed a bit more in the last round he could have held on to the fight.

Winner - Rob Broughton

Tom ‘Kong’Waston vs., Pierre ‘Professional’ Guillet
Watson has been spreading time training with Greg Jackson's dream team, so he would be well rounded and in good condition for this fight. This was an exciting fight with a twist. Guillet was able to take the fight to the ground at the start and looked to be ready to unleash hell. But as he leapt in the air to deliver which would have been a brutal flying superman punch on his downed opponent, he got tagged with a up kick right on the jaw from Watson. He landed right into the arms of Waston gift wrapped.

Winner - Tom ‘Kong’Waston

Mustapha Al Turk vs. Gary Turner
Top level grappler Mustapha al Turk vs. former K-1 fighter Gary Turner. A classic grappler vs. striking match up. It was to be Al Turk’s night as he took the fight to the ground off a kick from Turner. He then applied the pressure with good base and hard strikes until Turner gave his back, only to then allow Al Turk to open up fully to stop his opponent.

Winner – Mustapha Al Turk

Jean ‘White Bear’ Silva vs. Masakazu ‘Ashikan Judan’ Imanari
Masakazu Imanari was defending his Cage Rage World Featherweight Title. Both excellent grapplers, this fight was set to be a submission war.The fighters entered the ring and both sat in a Zen pose, which set the mental chess match in action.Masakazu started with powerful leg kicks.The Japanese Imanari is known as a leglock expert and he showed why in this fight. After ending up working from his guard Masakazu forced the action with his guard attacks. Both fighters went to battle with a leg lock war and like two crocodiles they were locked into a death roll across the ring until Masakazu tightened his inside heel hook that forced Silva to tap out in agony. The heel hook will actually damage the knee more than the ankle in most cases. Silva had to be carried out of the ring.

Winner -Masakazu Imanari

Ken Shamrock vs. Robert ‘Buzz’ Berry
The crowd were wild for this fight, it was like going back in time as Shamrock entered the ring in great shape. Berry also looked lean and mean for this fight. He gassed in his last fight against Neil Grove and would not want to make the same mistake again. Berry is a big guy and started using his reach well controlling the distance with heavy jabs. Shamrock seemed to be okay and looked tough. It looked set to be an interesting chess match. Berry started to relax and land more one twos, which prompted Shamrock to shoot in for a body lock and press Berry to try and take the big man down. Berry managed to defend the attack and get back to using his jab.

The younger Berry then overcame Shamrock with a hurtful stiff jab and a glancing right to drop the veteran at 3:26 of the first round.

Winner - Robert ‘Buzz’ Berry

MMA has changed and grown a lot in the last few years. Even at the age of 44 Shamrock may have no problem with us mere mortals, but with the up and coming guys now, father time is not on his side anymore.

Good to see Cage Rage grow into the show it is now.

Alan Orr is a disciple of Robert Chu Sifu and the European representative of the Chu Sau Lei Wing Chun system.

Teacher of Tui Na Chinese Massage Therapy

He is also the UK representative for Guro Mark Wiley in the Filipino martial arts and Sensei Eddy Millis of Shark Tank in NHB/Grappling.

Web:
www.alanorr.com
www.thechinesemedicineacademy.co.uk
www.warriorfunctionaltraining.com

For further information Tel: 07958 908 196 or email: info@alanorr.co.uk