Revamped Goddard Out for Revenge
In late 2007, Marc Goddard
(Pictures) dispelled the demons that
follow defeat for so many fighters.
The full-time pugilist, who is also one of the United Kingdom's most recognized referees, stormed back onto the scene with an impressive win over tough Italian wrestler Ivan Serati (Pictures).
Beating Serati is no average feat. The stocky brawler has incredible skills in the clinch that have seen him score perfect takedowns on even his biggest, most capable opponents. In fact, Serati once out-muscled 350-pound monster Keith Dace (Pictures) in one of his most notable performances.
Goddard reflects on the stoppage win over the Italian with genuine pride, having survived a beating from one of the U.K. scene's finest European imports before going on to seal the victory with a gutsy, aggressive performance.
"I always knew what his strengths were," Goddard said. "And anyone can tell by looking at him that he's a very powerful guy, but he is technical as well. He got through with some heavy shots. He broke my nose really badly after about a minute, but again, like I say, it's sucking it up from there."
The fighter from Birmingham, England, escaped to his feet and ate an additional series of hard shots against the fence. He then scored a takedown and turned the fight in his favor with an equally brutal ground assault of his own.
"As the fight went on, I could tell that it was ebbing out of him," Goddard said. "It was slipping from him. I was there to break his spirit and I think that's what I managed to do."
Goddard has another fantastic opportunity Saturday at Cage Rage 26. He will face Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Henrique "Chocolate" Nogueira in a highly anticipated rematch at Birmingham's massive National Exhibition Centre, which will host the London-based promotion's first excursion to the Midlands.
Clearly the submission specialist is looking forward to another meeting with his old rival.
"I'm dying for revenge!" Goddard said. "But I mean that in the nicest possible way. I get on with the guy; he's a sound guy. I get on with all of the guys at the Wolfslair."
In their first encounter, Nogueira sprawled on Goddard and then leaped into a tight guillotine choke in one fluent motion to score an impressive submission win.
"Choco caught me fair and square," Goddard said. "He set a trap. I jumped in -- no excuses. He's a good guy on the floor. He got the win, hands up, and I'm obviously looking to correct that with a completely different game plan."
Since that defeat Goddard has taken drastic steps to address what he saw as glaring holes in his arsenal.
"I parted company with Gracie Barra in Birmingham a few years ago," he said. "I realized that MMA is called mixed for a reason. You can't survive with one area in MMA now.
"To be honest with you, I think the area I was best in was the least important to me. In the evolution of the sport, I see two areas as being fundamentally important. Firstly, you've got the wrestling side of it, and for the second bit is the striking. And for the past few years that's what I've stuck to really, the wrestling and the boxing."
Goddard has cut no corners in preparation for the biggest fight of his life.
"I'm sparring with big pro boxer heavyweights, former world champs, former British champs," he told Sherdog.com "You've got to push yourself. I know it's an old cliché, but if you can make it as hard as possible outside, hopefully inside it will be just that little bit easier. Or if you get caught in a tight spot or if you get rocked or whatever, it's not going to be new to you because you've had it so many times in the buildup to the fight."
Cage Rage has long been known for its loyal London fan base. Some commentators have questioned whether Saturday's event in Birmingham can expect to succeed in a large arena so far removed from its traditional home.
However, as a promoter of his own amateur Birmingham-based MMA organization, Goddard is better placed than most observers to assess the show's chances of success.
"People know the NEC. Obviously it's a massive venue, but Birmingham is crying out for a big show," said Goddard, whose bout against Nogueira could be another step back down the road toward the Cage Rage British heavyweight title. "They've got Ross Mason (Pictures) [on the card], and between us we will sell a lot of tickets, both personally and [to] people we don't even know. It's going to be a great night."
The full-time pugilist, who is also one of the United Kingdom's most recognized referees, stormed back onto the scene with an impressive win over tough Italian wrestler Ivan Serati (Pictures).
Beating Serati is no average feat. The stocky brawler has incredible skills in the clinch that have seen him score perfect takedowns on even his biggest, most capable opponents. In fact, Serati once out-muscled 350-pound monster Keith Dace (Pictures) in one of his most notable performances.
Goddard reflects on the stoppage win over the Italian with genuine pride, having survived a beating from one of the U.K. scene's finest European imports before going on to seal the victory with a gutsy, aggressive performance.
"I always knew what his strengths were," Goddard said. "And anyone can tell by looking at him that he's a very powerful guy, but he is technical as well. He got through with some heavy shots. He broke my nose really badly after about a minute, but again, like I say, it's sucking it up from there."
The fighter from Birmingham, England, escaped to his feet and ate an additional series of hard shots against the fence. He then scored a takedown and turned the fight in his favor with an equally brutal ground assault of his own.
"As the fight went on, I could tell that it was ebbing out of him," Goddard said. "It was slipping from him. I was there to break his spirit and I think that's what I managed to do."
Goddard has another fantastic opportunity Saturday at Cage Rage 26. He will face Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Henrique "Chocolate" Nogueira in a highly anticipated rematch at Birmingham's massive National Exhibition Centre, which will host the London-based promotion's first excursion to the Midlands.
Clearly the submission specialist is looking forward to another meeting with his old rival.
"I'm dying for revenge!" Goddard said. "But I mean that in the nicest possible way. I get on with the guy; he's a sound guy. I get on with all of the guys at the Wolfslair."
In their first encounter, Nogueira sprawled on Goddard and then leaped into a tight guillotine choke in one fluent motion to score an impressive submission win.
"Choco caught me fair and square," Goddard said. "He set a trap. I jumped in -- no excuses. He's a good guy on the floor. He got the win, hands up, and I'm obviously looking to correct that with a completely different game plan."
Since that defeat Goddard has taken drastic steps to address what he saw as glaring holes in his arsenal.
"I parted company with Gracie Barra in Birmingham a few years ago," he said. "I realized that MMA is called mixed for a reason. You can't survive with one area in MMA now.
"To be honest with you, I think the area I was best in was the least important to me. In the evolution of the sport, I see two areas as being fundamentally important. Firstly, you've got the wrestling side of it, and for the second bit is the striking. And for the past few years that's what I've stuck to really, the wrestling and the boxing."
Goddard has cut no corners in preparation for the biggest fight of his life.
"I'm sparring with big pro boxer heavyweights, former world champs, former British champs," he told Sherdog.com "You've got to push yourself. I know it's an old cliché, but if you can make it as hard as possible outside, hopefully inside it will be just that little bit easier. Or if you get caught in a tight spot or if you get rocked or whatever, it's not going to be new to you because you've had it so many times in the buildup to the fight."
Cage Rage has long been known for its loyal London fan base. Some commentators have questioned whether Saturday's event in Birmingham can expect to succeed in a large arena so far removed from its traditional home.
However, as a promoter of his own amateur Birmingham-based MMA organization, Goddard is better placed than most observers to assess the show's chances of success.
"People know the NEC. Obviously it's a massive venue, but Birmingham is crying out for a big show," said Goddard, whose bout against Nogueira could be another step back down the road toward the Cage Rage British heavyweight title. "They've got Ross Mason (Pictures) [on the card], and between us we will sell a lot of tickets, both personally and [to] people we don't even know. It's going to be a great night."
