"Live in the Cage" lives up

If you've never been to a live Mixed Martial Arts event, you should go. There is definitely a "wave of events" sweeping into the lower mainland, so there is no shortage of opportunity. And they really don't cost that much--for most of the amateur events, you can get in the door for thirty bucks. Worth the money if you even kind of like fighting.

I was part of the sell out crowd for "Live in the Cage", the amateur MMA card at the River Rock this past weekend. With events such as these you can never quite be sure of the level of talent that will be on display. But usually, you can expect excitement. The event at the River Rock did not disappoint one bit on that front. I can't recall one fight that didn't at least have a few very exciting moments. Many of them didn't go the distance, with finishes ranging from the ref stopping a viscous ground and pound to a beautiful arm bar.

There was one female contest, which peaked my interest as soon as I saw the card. It was the first time I had witnessed a live caged girl fight. And no, this was nothing like GLOW of days gone by. I was told before the fight the women are usually the most exciting. I figured that was because men love to see women roll around on the ground. But as I watched the fight, which was third on the card, I realised this was not the reason. Burnaby's Sarah McLeod and North Van's Wendy Roy staged an absolute Battle Royale. Both came out swinging and both could have won the fight in the first round. Both were knocked down, and both recovered to come back for more. The bout ended up winning--and deservedly so--Fight of the Night. It was a draw by the way.

I chatted with a war-torn but thrilled Sarah McLeod afterwards, and was even more impressed. She casually mentioned it was her very first fight. And--oh yeah, she only had 12 days notice. And, she'd never been hit in the face before. And, she'd never punched anyone in the face. And, boy, did that feel great. McLeod, it seemed, learned two things after all was said and done: That you can become friends with those you fight--at least afterwards; and that she can take a good shot to the chin.

The other little nugget that caught my eye before the fight was the info on a fighter from Kelowna. While all other fighters were mentioned as coming from this gym or that gym, all it said about Nick Austin was that he was self trained. What did that mean? Did this guy practice the rear-naked-choke on the couch cushions in the rec room at home? Well, as I would find out--not exactly, but that it was probably in the family home where he honed his early skill.

As I watched this "self trained" fighter TKO his opponent--Rami Kadi of the North Van Wolf Den--I knew I had to find out just exactly how self trained this guy was. I caught up with him just as he was leaving. He pushed his dreadlocks aside to reveal a couple of facial contusions and a smile. He said he just loves fighting. Then he revealed he has three older brothers. And that if you're going to get punched in the face, you better be ready to punch back. Thank-you three older brothers for that valuable life lesson.

I should mention I did find out he had had some jui-jitsu training, but no formal striking work. And this was the guy who won Knockout of the Night. Once again, thank-you three older brothers.

The only downer of the evening was that two of the final four fights had to be cancelled due to injury. The crowd didn't appreciate this announcement, but if a fighter pulls out due to injury, what can you do? One of the fighters called that very morning. You can't really bring in a replacement on a few hours notice.

The main event was billed as your classic striker versus your classic ground guy. Versus 21's Kiarash Moghaddam was said to be very good on his feet. Unfortunately for Kiarash, he couldn't stay on them. Dynamic MMA fighter Bastien Huveneers took him down almost from the opening bell, got into top position and that was all she wrote. Fight over a minute and ten seconds in. Entertaining, but too short. Though I'm sure that was just fine with the very talented and very tattooed Huveneers.

Like I wrote up top, if you get the chance to go see a live MMA event, do it. If it's anything like "Live in the Cage" was on Saturday night, you will not be disappointed. The atmosphere is exhilarating, the entertainment is first rate, and if you are privy to them, the stories behind the scenes can be just as intriguing as the fights themselves.

Don't forget to tune into my MMA reports at the top of the "odd" (as opposed to even) hours starting at 9am only on the TEAM 1410.