ICNZ11

*Note: The original can be found at http://www.nzfighters.com/homenews.php?id=1

June 27, 2010

From The Auckland Boxing Association

The A.B.A was packed full of MMA enthusiasts for ICNZ11. The first ICNZ card was held at the Auckland Boxing Association in November 2007 and, due to the surging popularity of mixed martial arts, they have always been a rousing success. The latest instalment would prove no different as the A.B.A was bursting at the seams!

The patrons would be delivered 12 high class mixed martial arts bouts which included 7 ‘B Class’ bouts, 4 ‘A Class’ bouts (all 3*3 minute rounds) and then the ICNZ Featherweight title contest between Doug “Dynamite” Higgins and Adam “Soldier” Calver which would be contested over 5*3 minute rounds.

B CLASS FIGHTS SPONSORED BY MMAGEAR

Lightweight:

Daman Saini (Carnage MMA) v. Tristan Watson (Maai Hyoshi)

Round 1

Saini comes out pawing with the jab but looks jittery. Watson fires a leg kick and shoots for the clinch. They both wrestle but Watson manages to take him down. From there he shows great jiu-jitsu as he manages to transition into the mount. Saini tries to tie up Watson’s arms but his grappling is proving to be ineffective. Saini rolls over, to his detriment, as Watson now has back control. A couple of softening blows later and Watson has a rear naked choke. Saini taps out with 1:47 left in the opening round.

Lightweight:

Daniel Pritchard (Integrated Fighting) v. Richard Wong (Fury MMA)

Round 1

The match starts furiously and Wong manages a take down, he works himself into a mount. He escapes Pritchard’s guillotine but finds himself back in guard. He works back into the mount but Pritchard bucks and they end up in the ropes where the referee has to stand them up, narrowly escaping a rear naked choke. Wong immediately goes for the clinch and lands a right hand as they break. Pritchard rallies with strikes as Wong appears to tire. Wong attempts another takedown and gets into his opponents half-guard before the round ends.

Round 2

Wong lands a right hand and takes Pritchard down right off the bat. He is, by far, the superior grappler and he works back into half-guard. The referee stands them back up as they move into the ropes and a huge Pritchard right hand buckles Wong. They clinch and Wong attempts to deliver some knees. Pritchard shows the power in his hands and is hurting Wong, who responds by shooting for the legs and eventually takes Pritchard down. The referee gets them back on their feet where Pritchard drops another right hand. Wong achieves a take down but Pritchard sweeps from the guard and the bell saves Wong from Pritchard, who has mounted him and winging shots.

Round 3

Round 3 starts and Pritchard’s hands are on fire. A one-two makes Wong aware of the striking disparity. Pritchard drops Wong with strikes and Wong’s resolve is starting to look thin. Wong gets another takedown but is lacking in energy to do anything offensive. He tries for the back and Pritchard is slippery in escape. The bout ends and Wong wins a majority decision with his superior grappling and successful takedowns.

Middleweight:

Geoff Speedy (Journey MMA) v. Danny Wairasi (Faith MMA)

Round 1

Wairasi comes out with fire in his belly and loads up a right hand. Wairasi’s hands are wrecking balls and another right has Speedy dazed. Even though Speedy is responding, Wairasi is just throwing everything with bad intentions. Another dynamite right hand drops Speedy and the referee has seen enough. An impressive Wairasi wins by big KO in 33 seconds of the opening stanza.

Lightweight:

Brayden Goldring (Team Submission) v. Gareth Carter (AMMA)

Round 1

Goldring lands kicks to the legs and mid and eludes a takedown attempt. They clinch and Carter pushes them to the ropes where he works for a takedown, Goldring’s resistance is strong but eventually succumbs to the attempts. Carter transitions from side control to north-south and works for an arm bar. This is stifled, and Goldring gets back onto his feet. Carter clinches and is going for another take down. From his back, Golding attempts an arm bar but Carter escapes and finishes the round in his half guard.

Round 2

Golding gets home with a jab but Carter responds with a right hand lead. They clinch and both look for a takedown. Goldring rolls onto his stomach with Carter on top. Carter works back into Goldring’s guard, postures and starts raining down blows as the round ends, he is clearly the dominant fighter on the ground at this point.

Round 3

Carter starts the third by going for the takedown but can’t get it. They clinch and Carter takes him off his feet and slams him to the mat where he is in side control. He transitions into north-south and attempts another arm bar. Golding escapes and goes after an arm bar of his own with everything. He extends Carters arm but is lifted and slammed. Now in Golding’s guard, Carter works his ground’n’pound game but can’t seem to progress into anything more dominant. He postures and is throwing the kitchen sink as the round ends.

The judges’ scorecards read a majority draw, meaning a deciding round will be fought much to the delight of the appreciative audience.

Round 4

Carter shoots but is caught in a standing guillotine. A huge Carter slams and the crowd erupts. Carter goes back to his ground’n’pound then transitions, first into half guard and then north-south where he tries for another arm bar. Golding escapes and returns the attempt before the round ends.

In a hugely crowd pleasing performance, Carter wins a majority decision.

Super Middleweight:

Paora Smith (Integrated Fighting) v. Dean Gray (Fightclub Taranaki)

Round 1

Gray shoots early but is caught in a guillotine figure-four. Smith must be a mechanic as he is just wrenching Gray’s neck. Gray drops Smith on his back but can’t escape the python like grip. The referee steps in and Gray is completely out. Paora Smith wins as the referee stops the fight with 2:13 left in the first round.

Super Welterweight:

Bash Tahu (Independent) v. Toby Fitzpatrick (Ground Control, Hamilton Hawks)

Round 1

Wasting no time, Fitzpatrick shoots and lands a takedown. Tahu has no answer for Fitzpatrick’s grappling and, in blink, he is subjected to side-control, north-south and then is tapped out with an arm bar. Fitzpatrick shows his awesome jiu-jitsu skills in making Tahu tap out in 36 seconds.

Lightweight:

Eddie Davis (East Coast BJJ) v. Ev Ting (AMMA)

Round 1

Ting immediately takes Davis down and mounts. He hurriedly attempts an arm bar but Davis gets back to his feet. Davis shows good hands as they both exchange. They clinch where Ting lands a couple of knees, he has Davis in the corner and Davis is attempting a guillotine. Ting lands a kick to the leg but is missing the fancier kicks in his arsenal. Ting slips a punch and lands punches to the body and head. Davis takes him to the deck and is working for his back but Ting sweeps into side-control.

Round 2

Both land punches at the beginning of the second and they clinch in close. Ting takes Davis down, is in his half-guard and working his ground and pound. Davis escapes and rolls into side control. The referee stands them up but they immediately clinch. The both fall onto the matt where Davis ends up in Ting’s guard. Ting attempts a triangle choke but Davis works free and they both stand up. Ting whips another leg kick and gets a take down.

Round 3

They both clinch straight away and Ting bulls him against the ropes and lands in side control as it goes to ground. Ting gets caught in Davis half-guard but transitions to side-control and postures up. Davis escapes, they both stand up where Ting lands another stinging leg kick. They again go to ground after a clinch where Davis attempts an armbar. He is still trying to free Ting’s arm as the bout comes to an end.

The referee’s cards all read a draw and a fourth round is called.

Round 4

They exchange hands immediately and Ting lands a right of note. From a clinch, they tumble to the deck where Davis mounts Ting. Ting is very aware of Davis attempts to get his back and manages to sweep into guard. Davis attempts a triangle choke, where he is lifted and slammed. Ting just can’t loosen Davis’ grip and pushes Ting’s head onto the matt. The referee deducts a point which may prove to be vital in such a close contests. Ting tries to make up for it by landing a right hand and taking Davis down from a clinch but it is simply not enough as Davis comes away with a unanimous decision.

A CLASS FIGHTS SPONSORED BY SUPPLEMENTS.CO.NZ

Welterweight:

Simon Mence (Huntly Kickboxing) v. Andrew Craven (GroundControl)

Round 1

Mence comes out furiously winging shots and looks like he is simply trying to overpower Craven. It goes to the deck, with Mence in Craven’s guard but the latter, a purple belt, seems comfortable on his back. Mence is attempting to posture and drop punches but not much is landing. Craven gets back to his feet but Mence, the far better striker, catches him and sits him back down. On the deck, Craven gets in Mence’s guard and then transitions to mount where he starts dropping punches. Unfortunately, there is not much heat in Craven’s hands. Mence gives up his back and Craven attempts a rear naked choke. Mence escapes, and manages to get to his feet where he takes Craven down. He backs off Craven and implores him to stand and trade with him as the round ends.

Round 2

Mence starts the second showing all the fire he has in his fists. Craven ties him up, tosses him to the mat and attains mount but Mense is hanging onto his neck which prevents him posturing up. Mense uses his hips to sweep and ends up in Craven’s guard, who himself sweeps and ends up in side-control. Mense rolls over exposing his back whilst Craven has worked himself onto his back and is trying to soften Mense up with punches so that he can apply a rear naked choke. He just can’t extend Mense enough. They both get to their feet however Craven knows that he is outgunned. Mense is back to winging heavy shots but nothing of note lands as Craven covers up and sneaks in a lazy right counter. Mense responds with a leg kick and left hand upstairs. Craven connects with another right hand but, due to his obvious lack of power, it is of little effect. Mense shoots and Craven takes him to ground, who ends the round in side-control.

Round 3

Mense begins the third by landing a right hand after missing a jab. He lands some more wild punches which has Craven covering. Craven does the wise thing and takes Mense to the ground where he is in his opponents guard and can drop punches. Mense’s defence means that Craven can attain mount however his follow up barrage of punches have little on them.

All three judges scorecard read a draw, so a fourth and deciding round will be contested.

Round 4

Craven shoots for a takedown but is met with knees. The fight goes to the ground with Mense on top. Mense gets back to his feet and Craven has a hold of one leg, looking to take it back to the deck whilst Mense punishes him with punches. Craven finally brings Mense down where he gets on his back and starts throwing punches. You really wish Craven’s punches had a little more heat, he would have surely have ended the fight as he was always in great position. Mense is trying to work out of the mount but is eating shots for his efforts. Craven wins unanimous decision on the back of his dominant grappling position in the fourth round.

Super Middleweight:

Nassah Steed (East Coast BJJ) v. Phillip Lindsay (Gracie Oceania Dunedin)

Round 1

Steed wastes no time in dishing out a huge right hand which has Lindsay in trouble. Lindsay shoots for the takedown and is caught in a guillotine but he breaks free and ends up on his back in the guard position. They both make it to their feet briefly before the fight returns to the mat. Steed is in Linday’s half-guard until Lindsay sweeps himself into his opponents guard. Steed positions himself for an arm bar and Lindsay postures out of it. Lindsay now has side-control which he transitions into mount, then back-control and attempts a rear naked choke. Steed manages to turn himself around but he is mounted and takes a couple of shots. Steed can’t escape the mount and gives up his back as the round ends.

Round 2

Both go to the ground where Lindsay goes from side-control to north-south. Steed gives up his back where Lindsay attempts sink in a choke. He spends some time on Steeds back finding openings to land punches. Lindsay is able to isolate an arm, applies an arm bar and Steed taps out with 46 seconds left in the round.

Super Lightweight:

Simo Postings (Team Submission) v. Mark Andrew (Fightclub Takanini)

Round 1

Both trade hands early and Andrew has the straighter shots that utilize his advantage in height and reach. “Slammin’ Simo” shoots for a takedown, picks Andrew up and slams him to the mat. Postings is in Andrew’s half guard where Andrew unsuccessfully tries to sweep. Postings is back on his feet and drops a big right on Andrew before getting back in his guard. He wings looping shots from on top to end the round.

Round 2

The both clinch early and Postings throws wild punches on the break before shooting, picking Andrew up and slamming him. Postings is attempting to posture up for much of the round however the defensively minded Andrew is hanging onto his neck. He manages to posture briefly but Andrew is covering and hangs onto Postings when he gets near.

Round 3

Andrew gets home with straight shots before then clinch and he is on top when it goes to the ground. Postings attempts to stand up but Andrew is hanging on and clinching. They bounce off the ropes and when they land on the mat Postings is in Andrew’s half-guard where they remain. It’s difficult for Postings to progress with any offense as Andrew is only playing defence. So defensive, in fact, that it’s difficult to score any of the rounds for him as he is just not being proactive in engaging. Postings lands some knees to the body on the ground before ending up back in Andrew’s half-guard. Postings postures up and gets home a big right hand at the bell. Even with Andrew’s defence stifling most of the action, Postings gets a unanimous decision due to his takedowns and proactivity.

Note: Postings did not make weight and was deducted a point as a result

Super Middleweight:

Kingi Williams (East Coast BJJ) v. Nick Daly (Southern Tribes)

Round 1

Daly loads a right hand to say hello and he is the stronger fighter in the early exchanges. He uses his extensive wrestling (as a former New Zealand rep) to control Williams early. Williams wriggles free and is back on his feet but brought back down to the deck courtesy of a great double-arm overhead suplex. Daly ends up in Williams’ guard and lands right hands to the body and head however this is caught by his opponent and Williams attempts an arm bar. Daly has some novel escapes and uses his knees from side-control.

Round 2

The both clinch at the start of the second and Daly tags him with a right when they break. Daly’s wrestling is really keeping him dominant and he transitions from half-guard to north-south. From any position Daly looks comfortable and dangerous and he attempts to mount Williams who catches him in a Kimura. Daly resists and wriggles free however now Williams has mounted him and raining shots down. For the first time in the bout, Daly looks without an answer.

Round 3

The both clinch and Daly attempts a hip toss. He wrestles Williams to the ground and is on his back. Williams’ jiu-jitsu comes through as he rolls out of it but takes punches in the process and is now in Daly’s half-guard. Daly attempts to roll but Williams gets his back. Daly sweeps himself into his opponents guard then, in a flash, Williams swings his leg over Daly’s shoulder isolating an arm and applies an arm bar. He extends himself, and Daly’s arm, which is too much pressure and Daly taps out with only 8 seconds left in the bout.

PRO CLASS TITLE FIGHT SPONSORED BY NZMMA.TV

Featherweight:

Adam Calver (Fightshop) v. Doug Higgins (SMAC)

Round 1

Former New Zealand kickboxing champ Higgins tries to assert his pedigree early with stinging kicks to Calver’s legs and mid. They exchange punches and Higgins looks the far sharper striker. They clinch however Higgins hip tosses Calver and ends up in his guard. Calver tries for a triangle choke but can’t sink it in as Higgins lifts him clear off the matt and slams him until he lets go. On their feet, Higgins showcases the power in his hands before taking down Carver hard. Higgins is back on his feet and lands a big right hand on a downed Higgins. Both stand where Higgins, once again, lets the dynamite in his knuckles do the talking. The disparity in class is more than apparent at the end of the round.

Round 2

Carver starts the second by whipping a pair of leg kicks. He eats a right hand for his trouble. Higgins replies with his own leg kick before returning to his fists. Why Carver continues to strike with this man is beyond me, if anything, you can’t say that he is not game. Higgins gets home with a left that staggers Carver back to the ropes, Higgins leaps in with a flying knee which hurts Carver and has him buckling against the ropes. The follow up assault politely relieves Carver of his senses and the referee steps in. With a powerful performance, “Dynamite” Doug Higgins wins the ICNZ Featherweight title with a second round knockout. Official time was 52 seconds.

Another quality event at the A.B.A! All fights provided the patrons with excitement and there wasn’t a dull moment. Danny Wairasi was particularly impressive on debut and has the kind of hand power to be very successful. One can only feel sorry for the future opponents that face him when he has had some experience in the ring. Phillip Lindsay hung tough against some heavy fire and managed to submit his opponent in showcasing some great jiu-jitsu and Doug Higgins looked near unstoppable in destroying Adam Calver. Higgins looked the most rounded fighter of the night and will undoubtedly be savouring his time as champion. Congratulations.