Classic Ian Freeman win in his return to the cage

Pointon could be the next Imanari... forget I ever said that.

Normally, I would tell fans and readers that the British mixed martial arts scene is rather primitive in comparison to the styles we see in Brazil or the United States. In fact, most fights that I’ve witnessed over the past year in Cage Rage have featured two brutes with below average skills in the art of striking. Those fights usually escalate in what I like to call an “angry state of brawling” in which neither man is skillfully trying to put a punch precisely on one’s chin, but throwing heavy blows from their hips in a desperate attempt to crush their opponent. We didn’t see a lot of that in Cage Rage’s latest installment, and although I was disappointed to see a less exciting event, the overall skills we saw at Cage Rage 26 suggest some sort of evolution in the British MMA fighter.

Ian Freeman successfully made a return to the cage with a win over Light Heavyweight champion Paul Cahoon to obtain the title. Before the battle ensued, much of the talk from fans around the event was how Freeman looked during the weigh-ins. His physique was in surprisingly tip-top condition, almost looking like he was cast in the movie “300”. V-shaped, built like a Mack truck, and ready to destroy anyone who stood in his way, Freeman took it to Cahoon in his signature fashion, brutalizing Cahoon on the ground and neutralizing Cahoon’s strengths in the standup game. It’s nice to see that even though Freeman is definitely an older veteran of the sport, he still remains true to being a strategist. It’s likely why he’s found success in the past and on Saturday.

In what could be considered an upset, Ross Pointon defeated fan favorite Ross “The Boss” Mason via a heel hook submission in the first round of their matchup. Mason was likely the favorite as Pointon has seen a career of horrible losses, but it should have been noted that Pointon’s last loss was still an improved outing for the TUF alumnus. He showed some decent cardio, good striking skills, and an improved ability to work on the ground.

In his matchup with Mason, I expected heavy doses of toe-to-toe exchanges, but instead was surprised to see Pointon take it to the floor immediately for some ground and pound. To replace the always boring lay-n-pray tactics, Pointon moved to Mason’s leg immediately and ended it via heel hook which causes most of the people watching the event with me to gasp in amazement. Has Ross Pointon actually improved substantially enough to begin a resurgence? It’s possible considering his last two performances have been huge improvements over his past battles. His next fight should be noted as a battle to check out.

Some of the other action during the event was fairly lackluster. Matt Ewin reclaimed the middleweight belt in a battle with Mark Epstein that saw a seesaw in takedowns that ended with Ewin getting the better of the exchanges on the ground. Che Mills defeated Marius Zaromskis due to Zaromskis being cut directly below the eye. It was unfortunate because the fight was actually a good mixture of striking and ground work that definitely was getting the crowd heavily involved. Paul Daley should be able to take care of Mills if he decides to stand, but it could be a decent battle if Mills gets Daley to the floor.

James Zikic defeated Rodney “Faverus” Glunder via an armbar in round 3 of their matchup. I wasn’t too impressed with Faverus’s standup at all during this fight, and he was being touted as a heavy handed striker for most of the introductions. Melvin Manhoef’s name was tagged to his introduction as be knocked out by Faverus, but during his fight on Saturday, Faverus never seemed to unleash the power that was likely needed in a fight with Manhoef. Zikic smartly avoided exchanges for most of the fight and smartly submitted Faverus in the third after he hurt one of his arms in the second round. The commentary team figured that Faverus probably didn’t want to continue once his other arm was stuck in the armbar as he gave up quickly without the arm being fully extended. It would definitely be disadvantageous to continue with both arms hurt.

The rest of the undercard results were:

Marc Goddard draw with Henrique Nogueira
Brad Pickett def. Paul Reed via Decision
Popek Rak def. Kev Simms via TKO (strikes) in Round 1
Chris Rice def. Edgelson Lue via TKO (strikes) in Round 1
Harvey Harra def. Garry Kelly via Submission (triangle choke) in Round 1

Overall, the event was a bit below average as far as excitement and expecting some huge brawls. It does look like the MMA scene in Britain is beginning to evolve a bit more as far as ground tactics go. Most of the past fights have seen a lot of these fighters coming in with a mentality to brawl. Even better strikers end up getting tagged in those types of matchups, but the smarter fighters with a skillset to pull from are able to come out victorious in other ways. Hopefully, we’ll see some more evolution of the British market because it seems to have a solid amount of fighters in the area to pull from. I’m sure that will end up helping the UFC solidify a place in England as well.

Two of the bigger mixed martial arts promotions in the market will be holding events this weekend, and Cage Rage will provide us with some entertainment on Saturday during the daytime hours for fans in the States. Cage Rage 26 isn’t the most stacked card we’ve seen in recent months, and it really doesn’t even make a blip on the radar for casual MMA fans. Nonetheless, its MMA action, and it should provide some big knockouts that Cage Rage is usually known for producing.

Main Event
Ian Freeman vs. Paul Cahoon: Both guys could be easily labeled as ground and pound/standup fighters. Cahoon is riding a five-fight winning streak while Freeman has been retired since September of 2006. Freeman has the edge in experience and has fought much tougher competition in his career, but cage rust and age could be huge factors in this battle. Cahoon is very susceptible to the knockout, but Freeman has also shown that weakness in the past. This very well could be an evenly matched fight. I’ll take Freeman due to experience, but don’t doubt that Cahoon could possibly get the upset win here. Freeman via TKO, Round 2

Ross Mason vs. Ross Pointon: TUF alum Ross Pointon had an impressive outing in his last fight despite losing due to a horrible cut on his forehead. It wasn’t exactly the most technical bout he’s ever had, but he showed heart and threw huge blows despite being rocked a few times. Once again, both guys are bangers, but Pointon has the most abysmal submission defense. If Mason can simply get to the ground, Pointon could be in trouble. Regardless, I think this will end in a knockout. Mason via TKO, Round 2

Mark Epstein vs. Matt Ewin: Ewin will look to take this to the ground, but he’ll have some problems with Epstein’s size most likely. Epstein is the typical British fighter in that he wants to bang most of the fight. With his size advantage, he may be able to simply use top control to pound out a win here. Epstein via TKO, Round 1

James Zikic vs. Rodney Faverus: Zikic should win this one as he is much more well-rounded than Faverus. He has some good wrestling abilities coupled with some good striking skills that should present problems for Faverus’s weak submission defense. Look for Zikic to work his strikes and hit the ground for the submission. Zikic via submission, Round 2

Henrique Nogueira vs. Marc Goddard: Nogueira has already defeated Goddard once back in October of 2005, and it should go the same way this time around. Goddard just recently came back into the sport in March, but his history would indicate that he is susceptible to the submission. Has his defense improved? We’ll find out, but Nogueira sunk in a guillotine early in their last fight. Nogueira via submission, Round 1

Brad Pickett vs. Paul Reed: This fight is shaping up to be a battle between two solid combatants. Pickett has some able power and submission skills while Reed also possesses the same skillset. Pickett has more experience however, and he’s fought some better competition in his career. Reed hasn’t fought great competition at all, and I think the edge lies with Pickett. Pickett via submission, Round 1

Marius Zaromskis vs. Che Mills: I’m taking Marius here for the simple fact that he has awesome power and heavy hands that could potentially put Mills down. IN their first meeting, Mills got the best of Zaromskis, but that was nearly a year and a half ago. This one should be a great toe-to-toe battle. Zaromskis via TKO, Round 2

Edgeleson Lue vs. Chris Rice: Lue only has 3 professional bouts, but he has some heavy hands. Unfortunately for Lue, Rice also has some heavy hands coupled with some solid experience in the cage. This could be Lue’s big break to move up to some better competition. Rice may be too much to handle here however, so I’m going to stick with experience. Rice via TKO, Round 1

Gary Kelly vs. Harvey Harra: This is ultimately a pick’em fight. Harra has more experience, but he seems weak to the submission. Kelly has 3 total fights with one going to a no-contest. We can’t make any broad predictions based on his record, but Harra just isn’t that impressive to take right now. Kelly via submission, Round 1

Popek Rak vs. Kevin Simms: Simms is 1-5 with a weak chin while Rak is 1-0 with some power in his hands. Rak should take this one and remain undefeated. Rak via TKO, Round 1