Fernandez victorious over Butlin with one second to spare, new featherweight champ crowned
Frenchman Emmanuel Fernandez was crowned the CW Featherweight champion last Sunday night after defeating Yorkshire resident Ian Butlin in dramatic fashion. Ground specialist and Brazilian jiu-jitsu brown belt Fernandez showed great patience and a solid game plan in attaining victory in one of the most thrilling finishes in UK MMA. Not giving famed striker Butlin a chance to fire anything off, Fernandez took an early takedown from the clinch before methodically working his way to a submission.
Using the cage to nullify Butlin’s guard Fernandez avoided any submission attempts, peppering in short punches until stepping up the pace later in the round. On a signal from his corner, Fernandez went up to fifth gear with his ground strikes before passing to side control- Butlin almost escaped the pin but found himself defending an armbar. Stacked near the cage, the De La Riva brown belt smoothly transitioned to a triangle choke, forcing a tap with only one second left on the clock.
Butlin was disappointed with the result but displayed great sportsmanship in congratulating his opponent. Fernandez was ecstatic with his win, and rightly so. He has defeated all of his opponents with the same move, yet handled his toughest test yet with relative ease. While Butlin is a dangerous grappler, the difference in skill was evident, as the talented Frenchman found himself in little danger throughout the fight.
Butlin will certainly go away with a valuable lesson from this loss, and undoubtedly come back hungrier than ever. A possible rematch later down the line would be a mouth-watering prospect, but I feel there may be more than a few u65kgs fighters eyeing up Fernandez’s belt.
Ian "M16" Butlin vs Emmanuelle Fernandes
Featherweight Title
Fernandes via submission (triangle) 4:59 round 1
