THE TWO SHEDS REVIEW by Julian Radbourne
E-mail: twosheds316@aol.com
Website: www.twoshedsreview.com
This past Friday, The Wrestling Channel here in the UK gave their viewers something they’ve been asking for for a while, mixed martial arts action in the form of the UK-based Cage Warriors 3 show, which took place in Southampton in March 2003.
First up, welterweight action as Leon Dickins takes on Gaz Bradley. Bradley, making his cage debut, clearly dominates Dickins before making him tap to an armbar in the first round.
Next, something I haven’t seen in MMA before, the female of the species! Here, Rossi Sexton takes on Carla O’Sullivan. These two proved to be just as intense as their male counterparts, although the action was a little slow at times. After being on top for most of the fight, Sexton won with a rear naked choke.
The third bout of the evening saw Brazilian fighter Alex De Souza take on Kasha Mohammed. Mohammed literally beat the hell out of De Souza, so much so that the referee stepped in to stop the pounding. A good showing from the young Frenchman here.
Then it’s time for heavyweight action, with Will Elworthy and Ashley Wilson against each other. A good showing from both men, until the referee stopped the fight as Wilson pounded away on his opponent.
Alex Owen takes on Chris Freeborne next, with Freeborne trying to end things quickly before Owen fought back, getting the win with an armbar submission.
France v Britain follows, as James Shiavo takes on Andy Walker. Walker did well with the pounding game early on, until the Frenchman came back quickly with an armbar.
More heavyweight action afterwards, as Steve Thomas goes up against Hungarian fighter Tengiz Tedoradze, with Tengiz showing his wrestling ability to good effect. Some confusion with the ending here, before Tengiz is eventually announced as the winner.
American Paul McVeigh goes up against Chin Weakasing, the first bout to go farther than the first round, with Weakasing getting off to a fast start before McVeigh came back. A good fight which went the three round distance, with McVeigh getting the majority decision.
It’s a battle of the Grahams next, as Day takes on Connelly. The second fight to make it to the third round, with some great competitive action from both men here, with Day taking the win after the referee stopped the bout.
Lightweight action next, with Geoff Lawson and Adam Dicks, with Lawson getting the quick win with an armbar submission.
Then it’s more lightweight action, with Jean Silva taking on Lazlo Forro, Silva taking the very quick win with a guillotine choke. Fast-paced stuff here.
The final bout of the show sees Gareth Roberts against Robbie Sarcosi. Another quick bout sees the Welshman winning with an armbar.
In conclusion – while there will be obvious comparisons to their UFC cousins, Cage Warriors is a welcome addition to TWC’s schedule, and certainly a lot better than the appalling Big Brawl that had graced our screens for the previous two weeks. While it would have been better if the commentators had given more information on some of the fighters, the fighters themselves could have done a bit better in the pre-fight interviews, with the usual British reserve coming into play here. But overall, Cage Warriors 3 came across very well, and I look forward to next week’s instalment.
