It’s a Saturday night and the location is the plush surroundings of the Radisson Edwardian Hotel in Heathrow for the latest MMA event organised by Extreme Brawl. A mix of punters, high profile celebrities and fighters/trainers rub shoulders and the atmosphere is buzzing as the night kicks off with a series of fights culminating in a quality contest which befitted the Chris Ballard cup presented to the eventual winner.


Rocci Williams Vs John Donnelly

The opening bout of the night saw local boy Rocci Williams taking on John Donnelly. Having seen Rocci beaten in the cage a couple of times, it would be fair to say his confidence would take a boost from a good win. With just over 90 seconds of the bout gone Williams had Donnelly in a rear-naked choke hold forcing his opponent to tap out. Williams’ reaction to the win showed just how important this one was to him.


Eddie Whiteoverson Vs Tony Giles
While the actions of fighter Tony Giles later in the evening marred what was an excellent night, inside the cage this was a man who obviously took his fighting very seriously having no problems in coming out blazing and quickly taking the game to his opponent. Another quick contest, there was little time to breathe with Giles opponent Whiteoverson, another fighter who entered the cage with only victory on his mind, coming out on top executing a Guillotine choke and forcing a submission from Giles after one minute twenty seconds of the first round.

Earl Brown Vs Kev Burkhardt

This contest raised the crowd off their feet with a huge support for Earl Brown who didn’t disappoint his following. Again, as seemed to be the case this evening, his opponent gave him a good run for his money with both fighters trading a series of bone-crunching blows with both fighters seemingly evenly matched as the fight was taken to the ground for some energy-sapping grappling. Eventually Brown came out on top with the sight of his opponent on his knees with a swollen eye showing how punishing this contest was.


Luke Sines vs Sergio Stelitano

This middle weight fight went the duration as Sines and Stelitano showed that, following the brutal battle between Brown and Burkhardt, tonights event had just upped a gear. With both fighters giving a good, solid account of themselves, it took a points decision from the judges to confirm Sines had come out on top. Considering the quality of fighting on show, it must have been a tough call for the judges to make and you have to feel sorry for Stelitano for coming second in a fight that didn’t deserve a runner-up.


Gareth Carder Vs Paul Ramos

“Look out for this one,” advises one of the cage side Judges as the two fighters make their way into the cage, “it’ll be a cracking contest.” In the early stages Gareth, who had brought a fiercely vocal following with him, looked the stronger of the two fighters as his opponent began to tire. Surprisingly though, his opponent found a second wind with only a points decision separating the two at the end.


Frazier Opie vs Dan Edwards

Another fight with a lot of interest, this light heavy weight fight looked odds on for going the course but the advantage soon switched to Edwards who forced Opie into submission following the impressive execution of a Kimura choke with just under two minutes of the first round on the clock.


Brett Bassett Vs Chaz Scott

Bassett strode down the runway to the cage looking calm and composed listening to his Ipod. An interesting and confident way to enter the cage. His opponent Chaz Scott followed shortly behind him looking equally as calm and composed before both fighters battled it out in another gruelling, evenly matched contest. As quickly as it started Scott took the fight to his opponent forcing him to tap out with a rear naked choke and, as a defeated Bassett embraces his trainer, it was clear how tough of a bout this was.

Neil Mcleod Vs Neil Serry

The second to final fight of the night saw Neil Mcleod taking on Irishman Neil Serry for the title of Extreme Brawl British Champion. This highly anticipated contest saw the two fighters give each other a run for their money in this evenly matched bout with both fighters trading a series of well connecting punches between periods of powerful grappling. While it was clear that Macleod was a favourite amongst the crowd and a favourite for the event, it was the sheer strength of Serry that saw the Irishman come out on top in a contest that lived up to its billing winning with a inescapable arm bar after just over a minute of the third round.


Pete Mercer Vs Dave Rintoul

Fighting for the Chris Ballard Cup and the Light Heavyweight Kickboxing British Title Fight, Pete Mercer paired up with Dave Rintoul for the final event of the night. Mercer entered the cage with trainer Alex Reid and looked focused on the job ahead. As the bout commenced it started as an evenly fought contest with both Rintoul and Mercer trading a series of powerful blows. As with Mercer’s previous contests, his sheer strength soon saw the fight swing in his favour as he felled Rintoul with flurry of hard-hitting punches and knees. The smile on Mercer’s face as he is deservedly presented with the Chris Ballard cup shows a man whose confidence is sky high as he rapidly becomes one of the most respected and feared names on the MMA circuit.


While events at the aftershow tainted what was an excellent evening of quality MMA, the reality of this scene is that it is a world of athletes who deserve utmost respect for constantly pushing themselves to keep at the top of their game. Trust me when I say to ignore the biased, sensationalist, bullshit press coverage that followed this night because, as anyone who sat through each of the bouts tonight will testify to, this was a breathtaking night of top quality MMA.);