RIZE 1 - The Beginning

by Claire Fryer

23rd May 2009 saw the first RIZE MMA show hit Brisbane. The night showcased a range of skills within MMA, with 13 fights ranging from A to C class and featuring fighters from across Australia, New Zealand and Japan.

The first fight was a 77kg match up between Pat Shoppoff and Jared Thomlinson. This was a fast and furious start to the night, with both fighters throwing strong stand up combinations. Pat pushed the pace aggressively from the bell and showed some excellent punching combinations. The fight ended with a knock-out in 34 seconds, with Jared defending a left kick from Pat, who took advantage of the chance to land a solid right hook.

In the second fight of the night, we saw a last minute match up between Stephen Cornish and Marc Safaniev at 68kg. Taking the fight at just three days notice, Marc had a slight weight advantage and used this and his strong wrestling skills to great effect, controlling much of this three round battle. Round one was quickly taken to the ground by Marc, who concentrated on strikes to the rib in this C-Class fight. Round two began with some good stand up exchanges, with some strong punches from Steve landing Marc on the mat, before positions were reversed with a strong take-down from Marc. By round three, the takedowns were more elusive, with some good defences shown by Steve. When Marc did take the fight back down he threw some heavy knees to the body and showcased his excellent wrestling skills and strength in controlling a determined Steve. This hard battle was won by Marc Safaniev in a unanimous decision.

Our third fight was a 72kg match up between Jesse Chin and Aaron Squires. This well matched fight saw both fighters demonstrating a good range of skills. Round one was an up and down battle, with Aaron preferring to stand up and use his height and reach advantage while Jesse worked hard for the take-downs. Some good exchanges, including a well timed superman punch from Aaron, made this a close round to judge. Going into round two, Aaron worked his body kicks, while Jesse landed some solid punches, taking advantage quickly when they took Aaron to the floor. Round two saw Jesse in a dominant half guard position at the bell. Both fighters went hard to try and secure the third round, with Jesse taking the fight to the mat early on. Aaron controlled him well, keeping a high guard and attempting a triangle choke. With 20 seconds remaining the fighters were stood back up and Jesse finished strong with some heavy punches landed. The fight went to Jesse Chin in a split decision – a tough match to judge and well fought by both competitors.

For fight four we saw a female match, with Carmel King and Claire Fryer fighting at 50kg. In the first round Claire worked hard for a take-down, while Carmel showed some strong defences. Carmel held a strong position with a standing guillotine, leaving Claire fighting hard to break free while landing knees to distract. The round ended with a single leg take-down by Claire, which was reversed and left Carmel on top in half guard at the bell. Round two began a stand up fight between the girls, with punching and kicking combos from both sides. Claire made use of a straight jab to land ahead of Carmel and dominate the striking in round two. The final round saw Carmel coming in hard with flurries, but Claire landing more punches and kicks as they continued in a stand up fight. The fight was awarded to Claire in a unanimous decision.

The 70kg match up between Byron Cowell and Ryan Dunstan was our fifth fight of the evening. This match was a fast, furious, clean display of ground fighting of a high standard. After both fighters opened with striking, Ryan took the fight to the ground quickly and moved fluidly to side control, north-south position and then took Byron's back to attempt a rear naked choke. Byron moved well to turn out and escape the choke attempt, but Ryan made fast use of an unprotected arm and executed an arm bar on Byron as he attempted to stand. The fight ended via arm bar submission at 53 seconds of round one.

The weights came up to 93kg for fight six, as Andrew Profili matched up against Graeme Lawlor. Both fighters came out striking hard, looking for a fast finish.  Andrew took the fight down early in round one with an excellent double leg take-down, and moved quickly to mount. Graeme fought hard to gain a better position, but after some rolling Andrew secured a strong mount and we had the first finish of the night through ground and pound. The fight ended by referee stoppage in round one after several solid head shots were landed by Andrew.

Fight seven was a solid battle between David Deconte and Pat Crawley at 84kg. David pushed forward with heavy striking in round one, while Pat looked for the take-down. Both fighters put on pressure with some good punch combinations, but Pat managed to knock David down and land some good ground hits as round one drew to a close. Pat finished the first round very strong with some dominant striking after a referee stand up. Coming out to round two, both men were swinging hard and looking to finish. With a reversal of roles, David looked for the take-down while Pat concentrated on his stand up. At 2 minutes 8 seconds of round two, Pat knocked his opponent down once again and won by referee stoppage.

At 77kg we saw David Nicholls make his entry as our dashing sailor, led by two very popular sailor girls. His entry may have been light-hearted, but his plan for opponent Rod Staader in fight eight was anything but light. David went straight for the double leg on the bell and worked from Rod's side to mount quickly. While Rod fought to control Dave's posture and gain a better position, David worked in some strong ground and pound. At 1 minute 49 seconds of round one, David took Rod's back and finished the fight through submission by rear naked choke. An excellent showcase of working his game plan, Dave celebrated the victory on his “boat” after all.

We went back down to 60kg for fight nine between Mark O'Callaghan and Taka Kitahira. The fight began with some punching exchanges and knees in the stand up grapple. Taka was the first to get a take-down, which was reversed by Mark who took mount, but was stood back up by our referee. Mark got the next take-down and worked some ground and pound, while Taka was looking for arm submissions as the round ended. Round two saw Mark catch a body kick and take Taka down to guard. While he looked to pass, Taka looked for submissions from guard. Both fighters showed good movement on the ground, with Taka rolling out of an arm-bar attempt by Mark as the second round came to a close. The final round was more takedown attempts from Mark, who rolled into mount and again looked for ground and pound. Close of the fight saw Taka reverse position to take guard, but being tied up by Mark's high guard. The decision was awarded to Mark after this fast moving match.

One of the most memorable knock-outs of the night came from fight ten – a 77kg match between Sean Sutherland and Rod McSwain. Both fighters began by feeling each other out with most contact coming from leg kick exchanges. As the hand combos began in earnest, both men fired a left-right combo, landing simultaneously with their right.  While they both landed on the chin and were knocked down, Rod was able to stand back up, while Sean stayed down. The fight ended at 2 minutes 12 seconds into round one, with a referee stoppage for TKO awarded to Rod.

Fight eleven saw Ken Yasuda taking on Doug Higgins at 70kg. Again we saw a cautious start, with both men getting a feel for the other's striking ability. Doug landed some good kicks to Ken's lead leg before the fight moved to the stand up grapple. They both showed speed in their striking, with Doug landing some good close shots in the grapple, before Ken used a judo throw to take him to the ground. As Doug stood back up, Ken was able to jump onto his back and kick out his legs to secure a rear naked choke. Doug tapped just as both men were falling through the ropes, with Ken holding onto his choke through the struggle. The fight was won via rear naked choke submission by Ken in the first round.

Our Fight of the Night and arguably the most memorable match of the evening was Jon Leven vs Antonio Mota at 77kg. The fight began at a frantic pace, with Antonio landing some heavy punches that knocked Jon to the ground. Jon managed to reverse positions and attempt stand up, but was swiftly taken back down by Antonio. Once he worked his way out of a guillotine hold by Jon, Antonio opted for some ground and pound before being stood back up. A head kick from Jon landed him on his back, where a fight for top control saw both men taking dominant positions before being stood up to end round one. The next round began with Antonio going for the take-down from a leg kick, landing on his back but reversing to take Jon's back. Both hooks were in but with Antonio too high to submit, the fighters were stood up once again. Next was Jon's turn for a take-down, again reversed by Antonio who ended the round in side back control and landing some heavy knees to Jon's body. Our final round saw more heavy punches landed by Antonio, while Jon tried to tie him up in the grapple. Jon was able to take Antonio to the mat and mounts for some ground and pound before Antonio stood back up. As the fight neared an end, Jon caught Antonio with a right overhand, then dropped him with a cross as he bounced back from the ropes. As Antonio fell back, Jon secured a rear naked choke and was able to roll Antonio over, flatten him out and get the tap with 9 seconds remaining to the fight! This 15 minute battle showed the determination of both men and proved that a fight can change course up to the last seconds. Jon Leven won through rear naked choke submission at 4 minutes 51 seconds of round three.

The main event of RIZE was fight thirteen – Masahiro Oishi and Gustavo Falciroli at 65kg. We began with striking exchanges, before Gustavo went for a single leg shoot and managed to secure half guard. After struggling to pass Masahiro's guard, the fighters were stood back up for the remaining seconds of round one. Round two saw Gustavo working the inside and outside of Masahiro's lead leg, before shooting and landing into guard. Gustavo landed strikes to the head and body before passing the guard by throwing Masahiro's legs aside and landing a solid right cross. The fight was finished here at 2 minutes 2 seconds of round two with a referee stoppage as Gustavo landed more strikes to the head of Masahiro Oishi.

RIZE 1 demonstrated the versatility of many of the up and coming MMA fighters in Australia, New Zealand and Japan and was well received by the supportive crowd. As MMA goes from strength to strength in Australia, we are sure to see many familiar faces, as well as new fighters, appearing in the future RIZE shows. A new event to mark in the calendar for all fight fans.