Ultimate Beatdown 8 - Vengence
May 5th 2012 at Ultimate MMA Academy
Once again held at the Ultimate MMA Academy at Mount Austen, Johor Bahru.
OK this is your actual (or where I come from we would say “yer actual”) good honest grass-roots MMA event.
It takes place in a gym above a pet shop, a real fighter's gym, posers need not apply, this is not a place for rows of expensive machinery, sure there are some but this is a place where people mainly get ripped by pure hard work, the old-fashioned way, with kettle weights and skipping ropes and, well you know!
But, it’s mainly about the work in the cage. Yes, that’s right this gym has a cage, in case you thought it was just another gym trying to jump on some MMA craze bandwagon another McDojo if you will. This is Malaysia’s longest established MMA gym. Unlike top ten lists and opinions from people. This simple fact is A FACT.
Melvin Yeo who runs this Gym is a full-time teaching professional who just happens to also be a pretty useful MMA fighter and all he wants to do is train people. This is like the old days of boxing when kids from the streets, the bad kids, the ones always getting into trouble would somehow find themselves in a gym, and boxing would change their lives. Well, that’s what Melvin Yeo does, he changes people’s lives.
He is an unassuming gentle man who probably could fight at a decent level yet he does not really seem to care that much whether he does or not, he just wants to train these people in his so-called spare time. Seven days a week before and after his ‘real’ job, he is in the gym.
There are bigger gyms and better equipped gyms but this is an honest gym with one aim to train people.
So what goes on in this cage? Rolling, Sparing many sweaty and often violent events. Outside of the cage you can beat up on some heavy bags and at the end of the day young men often trouble makers are turned into respectful young warriors.
They don’t have grand expectations of appearing for instance at ONE FC, but you can bet your life if they do get there, it will be the hard way and they will have earned the chance. But, that’s a long way away.
Tonight for some of these fighters after just a few short weeks of training they are going to have their first real fight in a cage. The crowd such as it is are crowded around the cage, these are family, friends and real MMA fans. there is no VIP section, no special press area for the hangers-on who don’t go to an event unless they get all the freebies, there are not even any pretty ring girls or even a microphone for the MC (who by the way is also fighting). This is it, sweaty, basic and exciting. This is the first step on the ladder. This is real Grass Roots MMA.
Bout 1:
Amateur 2 x 3 minute rounds:
Lai Long Shang Vs Yong Zhi Hao
So first fight, two beginners, two-three minute rounds and no winners or losers. It’s just about the experience of being in the cage. That does not mean this won’t be a real fight. These kids are going to go at it.
Round 1:
Hao stands very tall compared with the much shorter Shang but that is not seeming to concern Shang who just wants to fight. The first round starts off fairly even, Hao had a couple of occasions on the ground where he was on top but he failed to make it pay.
Round 2:
Again the fight sways back and forth, again Hao got top position, yet Shang from the bottom was causing problems and he soon moved the much bigger boy off of him and took top position transitioning for an attempted armbar. It looked pretty good but was obviously not quite right, that will come with more training, for now it was not quite good enough.
Hao managed to regain top position but in a reverse position facing Shangs feet and was landing punches behind his body to Shangs head, eventually Shang unmounted him and managed to sink in a rear naked choke attempt, he did not panic and worked it well especially for one with so little training. Eventually Hao had to tap at 2:30 of round 2. But as this was an amateur beginners fight there was no official winner, both fighters received a trophy for their trouble and both deserved and received our applause.
Bout 2:
Amateur 2 x 3 minute rounds:
Sina Hosein Pour Vs Chankai Cong
Round 1:
Again we had a big size difference I don’t know what the weight difference was between the much smaller Pour but Cong was significantly heavier. Again we had two first timers and frankly the size difference was too much too really learn a lot.
I suppose what we did learn is that Pour has one hell of a lot of heart as no matter what he tried to do eventually the weight of Cong was a telling point. Cong was able to bully Pour against the cage and throw him with relative ease. What he was not able to do was actually finish him and as the fight progressed Cong got very tired and Pour much the fitter was able to keep pressuring him.
Round 2:
The second round continued much the same but Cong was certainly struggling with his fitness level and Pour was in a prime position to impose himself but ultimately the weight difference really left no room for him to do any real damage to an opponent who could just lean his weight into the situation.
When the fight finished both fighters should be proud to have reached the end. A great first bout for both of them.
Bout 3:
Amateur 2 x 3 minute rounds:
A last-minute bout as two friends decided they wanted to fight each other. I am sure I don’t have the correct names but if any body wants to contact me with the correct details I will happily update them
For now lets call them Tcela Pa Vs Da Hong as that’s what it sounded like when they were introduced.
Rounds 1 and 2:
A very even fight and these guys who did not even intend fighting until this evening when having watched their friends Hao and Cong fight, they decided they wanted a go. It’s that kind of atmosphere. Two kids wanting to fight under controlled conditions. They showed no small amount of heart and put on an enjoyable show.
So that’s the beginners taken care off.
So far it’s been an enjoyable evening of fighting from kids who acted in a respectful way towards their opponents and the audience.
Main Event Fights 3 x 5 Minute Rounds
Bout 1:
Harvey Chin Yoon Kent Vs Tee Jac Yee
Round 1:
Yee came straight out with a takedown, Kent tried to get back up but Yee took him back down, Kent had him in guard. Kent managed to edge himself up against the cage. Kent then threw a kick and Yee again took him down and he was in Kents guard. Kent was defending well and overturned Yee placing some good punches, Yee again managed to unseat him and after regaining position commenced to ground and pound finishing the fight at 3:45 TKO ref stoppage.
Bout 2:
Yan Mysterious Vs Zeus (both Nickname, Zeus real name is Lin Zhee Yian, I do not have a name for Mysterious)
Round 1:
I have seen Zeus fight on many occasions. he may only be young but he is improving and his skill is growing in leaps and bounds. After losing to the vastly more experienced Allamurad “Pretty Boy” a world top 50 ranked fighter recently, he went onto a mauy thai competition and was narrowly beaten by a Muay Thai champion with over 100 fights. But this is his cage, this is him after more training and recovery fighting somebody called ‘Mysterious’.
Mysterious looked very confident a bit too confident as he was fighting with his hands down low and his chin held high, as we would see later that was a mistake.
Zeus who used to be a bit wild charging in and just swinging wildly continues to improve his game and he approached this fight as a learning experience as well as a fight. Zeus managed a couple of very solid takedowns but Mysterious defended the first one well and on the second one he sank a very tight guillotine on Zeus, very tight but not quite tight enough, even so it took a considerable time for Zeus to escape.
Once back on his feet Zeus attacked with a flurry of very good punches and some good knees. mysterious was rocked but still kept his hands low and chin high a left jab followed by a stinging straight right and Mysterious was down and out. A very solid display from Ultimate MMA’s brightest prospect.
Knock Out 4:20 of Round 1
Bout 3:
Mohd Ikan Vs Elson Na
Round 1:
Na started this round with a couple of solid kicks, then Ikam managed to get him up against the cage and use his knees. They separated and Ikan went for a takedown but Na got up easily.
Ikan takes it to the ground whilst against the cage and tries ground and pound but Na ties him up, again they separate.
Again it goes to the ground Na tries a guillotine but Ikan escapes and has top position, he looked very comfortable in mount but seemed unable to really take advantage of it, he looked to be breathing heavily, but he was in total control and Na could not shake him off.
Round 2:
Ikan came out with a different attitude and they both exchanged some solid stand up with powerful kicks and punches exchanged. It went to the ground with Ikan on top and this time his ground and pound was unstoppable and he overwhelmed Na. TTKO due to ref stoppage at 1:00 Round 2.
Bout 4:
Roger Chan Vs Mohd Faizal Bin Mohd Fazi (E-Joy)
Round 1.
This fight was nice and even for the first two minutes, Chan in an attempt to take control pulled e-joy to the ground in guard, with e-joy on top but nothing really came of it. e-joy stood up and with Chan still on his back he laid a few good kicks on Chan and then the ref stood Chan back up.
Chan got e-joy down and launched a fairly desperate flurry of very hard hammer fists which were really wearing the prone e-joy down eventually the non stop barrage brought the ref in to stop further damage. Chan had brought some real power with his blows and at 3:59 of round 1 it was TKO due to ref stoppage.
I feel I need at this point to talk about e-joy. he and his brother are from Malacca, his brother recently broke his leg while fighting at the F3 tournament in KL. These two guys are having to fight without access to any real MMA training facilities or an MMA coach. They are essentially self-taught. Whilst Melvin Yeo does try his best to help them improve from a distance, these boys are essentially teaching themselves. Some people tell me that Malays don’t ‘have it’ these boys show they do, they themselves admit many of their friends who started out with them have given up. But these two guys are triers. they may never trouble the likes of ONE FC but if they can act as a role model for other Malays and show what can be achieved maybe they can be the catalyst that gets more Malays into MMA.
Today e-joy may have lost but he is much improved from his last fight and still has the heart of a warrior.
Bout 5:
Antonio Graceffo Vs Steven Yeo
Round 1.
Graceffo came straight out with some fairly wicked kicks and punches. There is quite a difference in these two. Yeo is physically much bigger than Graceffo, it’s not muscle though, being kind you could say that Yeo is ‘soft’, Graceffo for a man of 40+ is still in very good shape. So fair play to Yeo for being prepared to tackle Graceffo who is very experienced.
So Graceffo was obviously the fitter and more experienced so what could Yeo offer to the bout beyond his size?
At this stage not enough. Graceffo has been a busy fighter recently and looked fresh and ready, he was in and out quickly, not allowing Yeo to find him long enough to hurt him. Yeo was looking unlikely to be rocked by a single punch. It was plain that Graceffos best bet was a submission, but how to take the big man down?
Well, that’s why Graceffo came to the Ultimate MMA Academy to learn these skill and eventually Graceffo took him down and mounted Yeo, it was only a matter of time, Graceffo was very comfortable on top and just before the 4 minute mark of Round 1 he announced his move as he did it calling it a can-opener. Basically he had folded Yeo own arms around his neck and then lifted his neck into them, Yeo tapped.
The great thing about this bout is, that I am sure that Yeo never really expected to win, he just wanted to give it a go and see at what level he was at. Many people have called Graceffo out and when Graceffo has accepted the fights pulled out, Yeo was not one such person, he wanted to fight.
He definitely posed some new challenges to Graceffo but, after the fight the two fighters sat down and talked. Graceffo encouraging Yeo to keep it up, train harder, giving him some tips and they were both getting on like a house on fire. MMA at this level is all about helping each other, building relationships and friendships.
The Ultimate Beatdown series are not the glamourous events that you see on the TV, the fighters are not the best quality, but they have great heart and there is no pretension and no rampant egos. This is grass-roots MMA at it’s best and I love to watch it, to see these people improve from fight to fight.
