Three Bulldog Fight Team MMA warriors were in the cage this past weekend for ACF7 Breakout.
Nathan "Roadhouse" Swayze, James "The Haitian Devastation" Pratt and Dustin "Disorder" Porter were in Victoria to rep the Bulldogs and the Comox Valley. "This being the first show that the AFC were using amateurs as well as pros, we jumped on the chance to put a couple of our tougher amateurs athletes on the card," said Bulldog coach Jonny Mac.
First up was Porter against Sanjeev Sharma from Island MMA in Victoria. "Going into this fight we were aware of Sharma's great kickboxing skills so we had Porter working what he does best – take down to ground and pound," Mac said. And that was exactly what he did right from the opening bell. Sharma didnt have a chance to throw more then a jab at Porter before he was on his back eating leather. After three rounds of this it was easy for the judges to make the call." Porter won 30-27 by decision after the third round.
Next up was one of the best fights of the night where Pratt faced Jean De Groot. Mac said these two warriors did not disappoint as the action was fast at 130 pounds. It took Pratt a round to find his range because he had never fought a southpaw or a guy his own height. "When he did he took over control of the fight, landing vicious blows and putting 'The Flying Tomato' on his (butt)."
Pratt moved in and landed a couple of huge bombs, but De Groot had latched onto Pratt's arm and went for the arm bar. Unlike pro MMA, the referee can stop the fight without the athlete tapping if he thinks the submission is on tight, and that is what happened in this occasion for the safety of the fighter.
"What the ref doesnt know is that 225-pound guys at the gym slap arm bars on Pratt all the time and he can pick them up and throw them accross the ring," Mac said. "Rules are rules though and we appreciate the fact that safety of the fighters is at the forefront. Pratt was disappointed but will be ready to fight again real soon," Mac said.
Swayze was on the "pro" card of the evening where he squared off against the 6'7" giant Brad Robbinson from Vancouver. Robbinson is the former light heavyweight Canadian amateur champion at 205 pounds. This was Swayze's first bout at this weight so he had his work cut out for him fighting a bigger, stronger athlete.
In the first round Swayze landed some punishing body shots that set the pace for the rest of the fight. "Having our new wrestling coach Matt Sparling working with our team paid off as Swayze took down the giant whenever they ended up in the clinch," Mac said.
The second round was a lot like the first with "Roadhouse" dictating where the fight ended up. In the third conditioning set in and Robbinson was not letting down a bit, moving forward. But every time he advanced he received a damaging leg kick.
Late in the third Swayze took his man to the ground once again and finished the fight with some ground and pound. The judges scored the fight 30-27 in the favour of Swayze. "I doubt Robbinson will walk without a limp for a least two weeks," Mac chuckled.
"I would like to thank all the coaches, athletes and sponsors that got these warriors ready for their bout. Without them these fine young gentlemen would not be able to live out their dream of stepping into that cage," said Mac.
"I would also like to thank all of our supporters and fans that travel with us, stop us on the streets, send us e-mails and stand behind us. Your support is appreciated. We don't get any government funding for equipment of facilities like most sports. Some guys have to work three jobs and find the time to train on top of that as well.
"If you are interested in joining our team or becoming a sponsor you can reach us at www.cvboxingclub.com or at 250-898-7444."
– Bulldog Fight Team