The Northern Touch: Ultimate Cage Wars Wrap Up
More on Western Canada
Kelsey Mowatt Jun 23, 2005
Justin Tavernini:
Continues to Impress at UCW
Canadian Martial Arts Centre fighter Justin Tavernini managed to secure yet another victory this weekend in the young Lethbridge native’s MMA career. For Tavernini the win puts his combined amateur and professional record at 7-4 and Justin filled Sherdog.com in on his victory over Sonny Leong.
“He took me down right off the bat and ended up in my guard,” he
started. “I had a guillotine on him but I knew it was not locked in
tight enough to tap him, but I just wanted to waste a bit of his
energy as he tried to get out. He tried to sit up a few times to
try and hit me but did not have any success. As he tried to pass my
guard I spun for armbar and had it locked in. I felt it slipping
out though so I gave it up and tried to get top position on
him.
“The ref stood us up at this point and he tried to throw a few shots standing up but then went for the shoot again. This time when we ended up in my guard I went for armbar again and really pulled on his arm hard so he had to tap. I was expecting him to stand with me; I had heard that he had had some recent Muay Thai fights so I was expecting him to strike with me which is what I was hoping for.
Despite his youth Tavernini is already fairly well experienced. Training and competing in both MMA and Muay Thai, the fighter has endured some memorable bouts.
“My toughest opponent so far has been Luke Boutin, just because he out weighed me and he was one of my earlier fights when I was like 17,” Tavernini recalled. “If I fought him again I think I would do a lot better since I am stronger than I was a few years ago. I am most proud of my fight with Joy Millan, from the first Ultimate Cage Wars; he was tough but I was able to use my Muay Thai skills to stop him.”
Cody Dillman: Ready to Make Splash in Canadian MMA
Cody Dillman’s victory this weekend at the UCW over Alex Sung may have indeed been an introduction for the Whiterock instructor with many Canadian MMA fans. Dillman took some time out to fill Sherdog.com on his background, training partners and future plans.
Sherdog.com: So was this your MMA debut against Alex Sung?
Dillman: No, I am undefeated in four other MMA matches, but the last event I competed was at the Western Canada's Toughest in Vernon in 2001. So I have not competed for quite some time.
Sherdog.com: Tell us about the fight and how you won.
Dillman: The fight was fast. It was over in just under a minute. I wanted to stand and trade with him, although his corner seemed to think I wanted to take it to the ground. The fight started, I threw a kick and connected, when I went to throw a follow up roundhouse he managed to catch it, which I was impressed by. At that point he rushed me up against the fence and I think he landed a right hand at that point because I have small cut on my right eye. Anyway, he scored a takedown and had me in a headlock up against the fence for a few seconds before was able to get the sweep.
I was on top of him throwing punches, he was trying to scramble away, and I saw the opportunity to grab his head and secure the front guillotine. I put the choke on fast and hard; he was fighting it until he laid back and it sank in deep, then he tapped. I wish we could have played for a while longer on our feet, but whatever, if I see an opportunity to get a submission I'll take it. I guess he was having trouble breathing after, so the doctors came in to help. Thankfully he was fine and we had a couple beers after the fights. He seemed like a good guy, and I was very glad he wasn't hurt.
Sherdog.com: How was the overall event?
Dillman: The event was absolutely awesome. We were treated very well from the time we got there to the time we left. The venue was spectacular and the card ran very smooth. Krzysztof was working tirelessly to make the event successful and he definitely pulled it off. I would definitely compete for this event again.
Sherdog.com: What is your background in your MMA training?
Dillman: I have trained in a lot of different styles, from TKD and JKD to Muay Thai and jiu-jitsu. I just love hand-to-hand combat, so I'll take whatever I can from any art. I have been doing martial arts now in some form or another for over 15 years. I am currently the head Pankration instructor for the White Rock Combat Club, which trains out of Combat Athletics Martial Arts Studio.
Sherdog.com: You instruct at Combat Athletics, tell us about the gym, where is it, who you train with there etc.
Dillman: Combat Athletics Martial Arts Studio is in White Rock, BC. It’s a beach side community about 45 minutes south of downtown Vancouver. Our facility is located within the Pacific Inn Resort & Conference Centre. It’s a pretty amazing place to train. Our fully equipped combative room is just off the resort's pool deck, so we have access to a swimming pool, hot tub, sauna and a full size fitness centre. It’s amazing, all set within this crazy tropical setting. We are very lucky.
I run the club full time along with John Cooper who is also a nationally certified strength and conditioning specialist, specialized in combative sports. It’s a great partnership; he looks after the business side of things in addition to the athletic performance of our team and I teach our team the tactical side of things in addition to managing club operations. We have a fairly new team of up and coming fighters that you will soon be seeing a lot more of. You can see pictures and a video tour of our facility www.combatathletics.com.
Sherdog.com: You were scheduled to compete against Jason St. Louis at the Mind Body and Soul pro grappling tournament. Did they find you a replacement due to Jason's recent injuries?
Dillman: Yes, I was really looking forward to grappling with Jason, and was sad to hear about his accident. I hope he makes a full recovery. The tournament has found an excellent replacement in Tim Shears from Cocoon Athletics in Vancouver. I have known Tim for a while. He is a talented Gracie Barra jiu-jitsu Instructor. I am just going to go in and give it my best. It should be a good match.
Canadian Martial Arts Centre fighter Justin Tavernini managed to secure yet another victory this weekend in the young Lethbridge native’s MMA career. For Tavernini the win puts his combined amateur and professional record at 7-4 and Justin filled Sherdog.com in on his victory over Sonny Leong.
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“The ref stood us up at this point and he tried to throw a few shots standing up but then went for the shoot again. This time when we ended up in my guard I went for armbar again and really pulled on his arm hard so he had to tap. I was expecting him to stand with me; I had heard that he had had some recent Muay Thai fights so I was expecting him to strike with me which is what I was hoping for.
“I would really like to start fighting some bigger named guys, to
get my name out there a little bit more, maybe have some kind of
title fight someone. I still want to compete in Muay Thai as well
as MMA; I think doing both helps me out with my training and
keeping up in both aspects.”
Despite his youth Tavernini is already fairly well experienced. Training and competing in both MMA and Muay Thai, the fighter has endured some memorable bouts.
“My toughest opponent so far has been Luke Boutin, just because he out weighed me and he was one of my earlier fights when I was like 17,” Tavernini recalled. “If I fought him again I think I would do a lot better since I am stronger than I was a few years ago. I am most proud of my fight with Joy Millan, from the first Ultimate Cage Wars; he was tough but I was able to use my Muay Thai skills to stop him.”
Cody Dillman: Ready to Make Splash in Canadian MMA
Cody Dillman’s victory this weekend at the UCW over Alex Sung may have indeed been an introduction for the Whiterock instructor with many Canadian MMA fans. Dillman took some time out to fill Sherdog.com on his background, training partners and future plans.
Sherdog.com: So was this your MMA debut against Alex Sung?
Dillman: No, I am undefeated in four other MMA matches, but the last event I competed was at the Western Canada's Toughest in Vernon in 2001. So I have not competed for quite some time.
Sherdog.com: Tell us about the fight and how you won.
Dillman: The fight was fast. It was over in just under a minute. I wanted to stand and trade with him, although his corner seemed to think I wanted to take it to the ground. The fight started, I threw a kick and connected, when I went to throw a follow up roundhouse he managed to catch it, which I was impressed by. At that point he rushed me up against the fence and I think he landed a right hand at that point because I have small cut on my right eye. Anyway, he scored a takedown and had me in a headlock up against the fence for a few seconds before was able to get the sweep.
I was on top of him throwing punches, he was trying to scramble away, and I saw the opportunity to grab his head and secure the front guillotine. I put the choke on fast and hard; he was fighting it until he laid back and it sank in deep, then he tapped. I wish we could have played for a while longer on our feet, but whatever, if I see an opportunity to get a submission I'll take it. I guess he was having trouble breathing after, so the doctors came in to help. Thankfully he was fine and we had a couple beers after the fights. He seemed like a good guy, and I was very glad he wasn't hurt.
Sherdog.com: How was the overall event?
Dillman: The event was absolutely awesome. We were treated very well from the time we got there to the time we left. The venue was spectacular and the card ran very smooth. Krzysztof was working tirelessly to make the event successful and he definitely pulled it off. I would definitely compete for this event again.
Sherdog.com: What is your background in your MMA training?
Dillman: I have trained in a lot of different styles, from TKD and JKD to Muay Thai and jiu-jitsu. I just love hand-to-hand combat, so I'll take whatever I can from any art. I have been doing martial arts now in some form or another for over 15 years. I am currently the head Pankration instructor for the White Rock Combat Club, which trains out of Combat Athletics Martial Arts Studio.
Sherdog.com: You instruct at Combat Athletics, tell us about the gym, where is it, who you train with there etc.
Dillman: Combat Athletics Martial Arts Studio is in White Rock, BC. It’s a beach side community about 45 minutes south of downtown Vancouver. Our facility is located within the Pacific Inn Resort & Conference Centre. It’s a pretty amazing place to train. Our fully equipped combative room is just off the resort's pool deck, so we have access to a swimming pool, hot tub, sauna and a full size fitness centre. It’s amazing, all set within this crazy tropical setting. We are very lucky.
I run the club full time along with John Cooper who is also a nationally certified strength and conditioning specialist, specialized in combative sports. It’s a great partnership; he looks after the business side of things in addition to the athletic performance of our team and I teach our team the tactical side of things in addition to managing club operations. We have a fairly new team of up and coming fighters that you will soon be seeing a lot more of. You can see pictures and a video tour of our facility www.combatathletics.com.
Sherdog.com: You were scheduled to compete against Jason St. Louis at the Mind Body and Soul pro grappling tournament. Did they find you a replacement due to Jason's recent injuries?
Dillman: Yes, I was really looking forward to grappling with Jason, and was sad to hear about his accident. I hope he makes a full recovery. The tournament has found an excellent replacement in Tim Shears from Cocoon Athletics in Vancouver. I have known Tim for a while. He is a talented Gracie Barra jiu-jitsu Instructor. I am just going to go in and give it my best. It should be a good match.
