Cage Rage 10 Report
Cage Rage 10 Report
Pedro Wrobel Feb 27, 2005
Gabriel "Gladiator" Santos is just the sort of fighter that
Mark Weir doesn't like to
fight against. Short, stocky and powerful, the Brazilian was the
visual opposite of the lean, graceful Weir.
Santos had obviously done his homework because as soon as the bell rang, he rushed across the cage and took Weir straight to the floor. The rest of the round was a continuation of this story as Weir worked to regain his feet, and Santos worked to keep him on the ground. For his part, Santos offered almost nothing in the way of offense and as the referee separated the fighters at the end of the round, it was Weir who looked the fresher, as well as the more frustrated.
Determined to recover his momentum, Weir opened the second round
with his usual explosiveness, looking for the series of machinegun
punches and kicks that has become the hallmark of his game.
Unfortunately, Santos was once again able to spoil him, taking Weir
to the ground and lying on top of him.
After a couple of frustrating and action-devoid minutes, Santos saw fit to try for an armbar. Weir defended the submission attempt and took the opportunity to move to top position. Finally we seemed to have a fight on our hands as Weir looked great, raining down his elbows and frustrations onto the face of his opponent. Once again, Weir looked fresh as the round ended, with the stocky Santos looking winded.
Although there was a stand-up due to inactivity, it came very late in the round, and Weir managed to shoot off only two punches before Santos ensured that his trademark inaction was retained.
The judges found it a unanimous decision to Santos. Although this might be justified from a point of view that the Brazilian controlled the first and third rounds, I really don't agree with this from the standpoint of aggressiveness, damage and willingness to finish the fight. Santos just lay on Weir and did nothing else.
In the minute or two that he had to attack, Weir did more damage to the Brazilian than Santos would have done in return, even if the fight were still going on now. Santos may have won, but I, for one, won't be looking forward to his return.
England's bright middleweight hopes did not have a very bright night as American Jorge Rivera wasted no time turning out Alex Reid's lights. I had been looking forward to this fight but there really wasn't that much to talk about, apart from perhaps quite how … sparkly … Reid's shorts were.
As the round opened, both fighters moved forward aggressively, looking to trade. Rivera wasted little time in taking the upper hand, forcing Reid to cover up against the cage as the American looked for the finishing strike. This came at 0:41 of the round as Rivera's relentless barrage finally dropped Reid to the floor and Grant Waterman intervened to stop the punishment.
As Rivera moved away, Reid started to spasm and Waterman tried to hold him down while the paramedics poured into the cage. Reid was groggy and disorientated and could not remember anything, with a bearded Lee Murray having to explain to him what had just happened. Reid needed about five minutes of treatment before he could stand, but was able to exit the ring unassisted.
Melvin Manhoef is big. Scary big. So big in fact that even the in-ring 'celebrity' interviewer, Richard Blackwood, was moved to comment that Manhoef was "too built to work in an office."
"I live this s__t" was Manhoef's quiet reply, and his performance certainly seemed to support his assertion.
Let's put this into context. Manhoef may have been a late replacement, but at least he had come to London expecting to fight. Well, he was expecting to fight James Zikic, but at least he was training for battle. His opponent, Matthias Riccio, just happened to be in the vicinity when the news of Zikic's injury broke. Brave to the point of suicide, he stepped up.
The Frenchman looked soft in the cage, a stark comparison to the chiseled physique of Manhoef, but he traded gamely with the Dutch destroyer. Riccio is a brawler and he was looking to box, but Manhoef is just a powerhouse.
Big punches, surprisingly crisp knees and a scarily determined ground-and-pound were the hallmarks of his game. Riccio is tough, but at 3:01 of the round he succumbed to the powerful punches of his opponent, Manhoef knocking him out against the fence.
After the fight was over, we saw a touching scene as the Cage Rage promoters took the time to honor their most courageous performer, Mark "The Beast" Epstein. This was an excellent segment as a highlight video was played that paid testament to Epstein's toughness, heart and courage. The Beast was presented with a samurai sword and a check for £2,000.
Santos had obviously done his homework because as soon as the bell rang, he rushed across the cage and took Weir straight to the floor. The rest of the round was a continuation of this story as Weir worked to regain his feet, and Santos worked to keep him on the ground. For his part, Santos offered almost nothing in the way of offense and as the referee separated the fighters at the end of the round, it was Weir who looked the fresher, as well as the more frustrated.
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After a couple of frustrating and action-devoid minutes, Santos saw fit to try for an armbar. Weir defended the submission attempt and took the opportunity to move to top position. Finally we seemed to have a fight on our hands as Weir looked great, raining down his elbows and frustrations onto the face of his opponent. Once again, Weir looked fresh as the round ended, with the stocky Santos looking winded.
The third round just demonstrated how ugly Santos' game was as he
seemed determined not to actually fight with Weir. He just took the
Englishman down and laid there, frustrating Weir's every attempt to
regain his feet. Although this obviously took skill and strength
and technique, it was also a real pity for the fans there were not
here to watch one man breathe heavily as he lay on top of
another.
Although there was a stand-up due to inactivity, it came very late in the round, and Weir managed to shoot off only two punches before Santos ensured that his trademark inaction was retained.
The judges found it a unanimous decision to Santos. Although this might be justified from a point of view that the Brazilian controlled the first and third rounds, I really don't agree with this from the standpoint of aggressiveness, damage and willingness to finish the fight. Santos just lay on Weir and did nothing else.
In the minute or two that he had to attack, Weir did more damage to the Brazilian than Santos would have done in return, even if the fight were still going on now. Santos may have won, but I, for one, won't be looking forward to his return.
England's bright middleweight hopes did not have a very bright night as American Jorge Rivera wasted no time turning out Alex Reid's lights. I had been looking forward to this fight but there really wasn't that much to talk about, apart from perhaps quite how … sparkly … Reid's shorts were.
As the round opened, both fighters moved forward aggressively, looking to trade. Rivera wasted little time in taking the upper hand, forcing Reid to cover up against the cage as the American looked for the finishing strike. This came at 0:41 of the round as Rivera's relentless barrage finally dropped Reid to the floor and Grant Waterman intervened to stop the punishment.
As Rivera moved away, Reid started to spasm and Waterman tried to hold him down while the paramedics poured into the cage. Reid was groggy and disorientated and could not remember anything, with a bearded Lee Murray having to explain to him what had just happened. Reid needed about five minutes of treatment before he could stand, but was able to exit the ring unassisted.
Melvin Manhoef is big. Scary big. So big in fact that even the in-ring 'celebrity' interviewer, Richard Blackwood, was moved to comment that Manhoef was "too built to work in an office."
"I live this s__t" was Manhoef's quiet reply, and his performance certainly seemed to support his assertion.
Let's put this into context. Manhoef may have been a late replacement, but at least he had come to London expecting to fight. Well, he was expecting to fight James Zikic, but at least he was training for battle. His opponent, Matthias Riccio, just happened to be in the vicinity when the news of Zikic's injury broke. Brave to the point of suicide, he stepped up.
The Frenchman looked soft in the cage, a stark comparison to the chiseled physique of Manhoef, but he traded gamely with the Dutch destroyer. Riccio is a brawler and he was looking to box, but Manhoef is just a powerhouse.
Big punches, surprisingly crisp knees and a scarily determined ground-and-pound were the hallmarks of his game. Riccio is tough, but at 3:01 of the round he succumbed to the powerful punches of his opponent, Manhoef knocking him out against the fence.
After the fight was over, we saw a touching scene as the Cage Rage promoters took the time to honor their most courageous performer, Mark "The Beast" Epstein. This was an excellent segment as a highlight video was played that paid testament to Epstein's toughness, heart and courage. The Beast was presented with a samurai sword and a check for £2,000.
