Extreme Brawl 3

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MMA

MB3 - McVeigh captures McLeod’s title as Moore issues his challenge

Bracknell Leisure Centre, 29^th July 2003

By Hywel Teague with extra notes from SFUK

The great thing about Extreme Brawl is due to Andy Jardine’s unique weight classes, we get to people fight for titles every event, guaranteeing some classic match-ups. EB 3 was no exception with 5 titles being fought for.

Tonight saw titles won and lost- and none more so dramatically than the Super Light Weight (64.4kg) title. After one of the gutsiest, hard-fought yet technical battles I’ve seen in a long time, Paul "Mad Dog" McVeigh (Cagewarriors under 65kg champ) took defending champ Neil "Hurricane" McLeod almost the full distance before scoring a submission win over the wily veteran. Titleholders Tengiz, Matt "JR" Ewing (making his first defence since beating former champ Alex Evans) Paul Ramsdale and Ricky Moore were all in attendance and ready to defend their belts. Paul Jenkins and Stuart Barrs also squared off for the vacant Super MW title.

Ok, to begin with I’ll explain a little about the rules. There was a rule change that was brought in that made it legal for fighters to grab on to the fence. Safety concerns were raised and fighters were warned against the move, but were told they would not be penalised for it. Asking the fighters what they thought about it, some shook their heads in disapproval, some simply said it would change the game plan a little. The spectators I spoke to however, were more vocal in expressing their dissatisfaction, claiming it stalled the action too much- now the referee was pretty much on the ball in separating fighters who weren’t working enough, but still it did seem to break up the action a little. *note according to Jardine, this rule will be reviewed for the next EB)

In all EB shows, elbows and kicking or stomping on a downed opponent are illegal. Also, no judges are present in Extreme Brawl events, meaning a champion can only relinquish his belt by being KO’d or submitted. An exception was in place for Jenkins/Barrs, as the title was vacant it was said that a decision would be in place if the fight were to go the distance.

"Mad Dog" McVeigh victorious and new titleholder!

Don't be fooled, no rest in this fight

McVeigh has burst onto the scene in a blaze of glory in the last few months, coming from relative obscurity to take on familiar faces Chin Weakasingh and the person often (but not universally) ranked as the UK’s top u70kg fighter Leigh Remedios. McVeigh wanted this fight badly, admitting he thought that his opponent was seen as the top fighter at his natural weight.

A calm looking McVeigh entered the ring, looking similar in height but not as stocky as the lean Englishman. McLeod has a reputation for being very strong, and looked confident as referee Alex Reid briefed the two.

The fight began with McLeod opening with some hard looking punches, forcing a clinch. A takedown attempt from Paul saw the two fighters whirling around the ring until McVeigh launched himself in the air for a flying triangle! The move seemed locked in, but somehow McLeod wormed his way out and passing to take top position. McLeod seemed to have some difficulty holding McVeigh down, having to work hard to keep control of the slippery Irishman, but remaining on top for much of the first, until a late spurt saw McVeigh come back strong.

Round two opened with McVeigh tossing McLeod over his hip, but perilously landing in mount. He didn’t stay there long; he quickly shrimped out to take half-guard, and a quick scramble ensued with McLeod trying an armbar. McVeigh had to defend hard against the tight looking submission, stacking Neil against the fence to nullify his hip movement and working short shots at the same time. A stalemate saw a restart from standing, with McVeigh going straight for double leg and landing in side mount. McLeod showed he could also be slippery by escaping and getting half guard and once again a restart was called. A brief period of clinch saw the end of the round, with an even score for both fighters.

The final round will go down in UK MMA as a truly epic battle. Both fighters traded strikes, submission attempts and reversals, leaving everyone on the edge of their seat as the final bell loomed. Suddenly from nowhere, the young Irishman pulled off a triangle attempt from the bottom with only seconds to spare… McLeod tried to defend by pushing McVeigh against the cage but to no avail- despite gallantly trying his hardest not to submit, McLeod tapped with approximately 8 seconds left in the final round. McVeigh knelt on the floor in the centre of the ring in a mixture of elation and exhaustion. Ecstatic corner man John "King" Kavanagh rushed in to congratulate his man, and McVeigh stood to a huge reception from the crowd.

This win is a major scalp for McVeigh- McLeod is widely tipped as one of the toughest men at his weight in the UK, and even after dominating the fight in some eyes he was humbled by the Team Cagewarriors fighter.

Prior to the fight, McLeod had a plan - "I've heard he's a great at submissions but his striking isn't too hot" . The plan was, or at least should have been to keep it standing and strike instead of submission. But the Hurricane doesn't fight like that. McLeod fights "balls-out" - so when he saw an opening for a submission he took it, often giving up a superior striking position to go for the tap-out. Wrong move. McVeigh is slippery as an eel in vaseline and he can take a pounding. The brilliant, but battered, McVeigh acknowledged that McLeod had beaten him up pretty good (The Hurricane on the other hand looked unmarked post-fight). McLeod on the other hand resigned himself to the loss of his cherished EB belt. McLeod fights again on 13 July at Extreme Force 1.

Yet another epic Neil McLeod fight. They say 'styles makes fights' and this one certainly proved that theory. The Rock n Roll style of McLeod & the way McVeigh chased submission after submission was a joy to watch. And an incredible Extreme Brawl debut for Paul McVeigh. McVeigh definitely started as the underdog, and faced an awesome opponent in McLeod. Great win. Worthy champion.

Moore celebrates with entourage

Importantly, McVeigh’s next opponent Dave McLaughlin (to be fought on Cagewarriors 4, July 27^th) faced Ronin fighter and Welterweight champ (66.7 kg) Ricky Moore. McLaughlin has a reputation of being cool as a cucumber- but Moore melted the icy exterior showing that McLaughlin’s heart beats warm blood like the rest of us. Seconds into the match a failed takedown attempt by Cambridge based-fighter McLaughlin land with Moore in a firm and secure mount. A few hard punches saw a cut open up early- McLaughlin tried his hardest to escape but had nowhere to go, trapped against the fence and suffering some real punishment. Seeing his chance, Moore rolled off to take a triangle submission that McLaughlin had no chance of escaping.

Moore told me afterwards that he was aware that Dave has the reputation of being "the thinking-mans fighter", so he had the plan of not giving him time to think. The plan worked well, as McLaughlin told me afterwards that he saw the triangle coming, was but was too banged up to defend against it. Moore also made clear his desire to fight McVeigh at some point. With Moore holding a defeat over Paul’s next opponent, it makes sense to explore a possible showdown between the two after McLaughlin and McVeigh face off.

Possibly Moore's toughest opponent yet, Dave McLaughlin is a multi-title holder with one of the best records of all UK fighters (and a worthy candidate in anyone's list of "the best UK lightweights"). Post-fight McLaughlin admitted he'd made a mistake..."I sfuked up my shoot, got pushed up against the cage and couldn't do anything", he shrugged, "I gave Ricky an opening and he took it - all credit to him".

Ricky Moore has proved himself. He's got the rush, a surge of power, that characterises the Ronin guys ( Alex Evans & Ricky Salhan being great examples). He's a finisher.

-70kgs look out

In the other title fights of the evening, Irish BJJ Purple belt Dave Roche took on the brawler Paul Ramsdale for the EB Middleweight (72.6kg) belt. Ramsdale is a hard man; he has fought many times and took on some of the biggest names in the UK at his weight. In contrast, Roche was making his debut on UK soil, but proved his worth by beating Ramsdale in approximately 63 seconds with a heelhook. Roche is destined for bigger and better things, and a showdown with Brazilian sensation Jean De Silva at CW4 (that’s July 27^th for all those who missed it first time) will see him try to cement his place at the top of the 70kg division.

Dave Roche was The Man many of the pre-fight pundits had come to see. Much talked about, much hyped (thanks, largely to Droc) - Dave was reputed to have it all. Great submissions, super-strength and a stand-up titan. However Roche has been jinxed. Previous efforts to fight had always ended arse-up due to opponents dropping out etc. Roche is also notable for the flexibility of his bodyweight. I'm pretty sure I've seen him about 80kgs and apparently he can drop to -70kg. (Judging on this performance it's also quite feasible that he can hold all the belts from 70-80 too!)

Word had it that Rammie Ramsdale was in the best shape of his life. An absolute monster in the gym, tearing a hole out of each and every training partner. Tonight Rammie was undone by his choice of attire. The wrestling boots he had chosen to wear gave Roche an easy grip for the heel hook. Despite twisting and turning like an alligator, Rammie was caught. Maybe without boots the result would have been different. Maybe not.

Roche now wants to fight at -70kg. Believe the hype, he's superb and the -70kg catagory is in for an almighty shake up. (SFUKers - remember the names of Dave & Andy Butlin too - word is that these 2 lightweight fighters rock, and coming to an event near you soon)

Tengiz Tengizzing

Tengiz Tedoradze displayed his familiar blend of Greco-Roman wrestling and sheer animal instinct by mauling Buster Ward in the first round of his title defence. A verbal submission due to strikes saw Tengiz claim the victory- the "tap" forced by pinning his weighty opponent on his back against the cage and unleashing a barrage of huge right hands that opened up a large cut over the eye of Ward. A jubilant Tedoradze showed his lighter side soon after by congratulating his opponent Ward and lifting him into the air (not an easy task!).

Tengiz is a cult hero. Everyone loves him. They love the cloaked-in-legend gossip about his background. "He doesn't even train MMA!" - the most common exclamation. They love the way he fights. Throw 'em. Hammer 'em. Go home.

In Buster Ward, Tengiz had found an opponent who every loves as well. And rightly so. Ward is an affable giant. Even UFC legend Remco Pardoel had made the trip over to support Buster. "Buster's great. He gave Dan Severn a real hard time. A real hard time" repeated the giant dutchman approvingly.

As it turned out it was business as usual for Tedoradze. Buster was "Tengizzed" and our Georgian Cult Hero is top of the food chain again.

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