Fight Force | Cage Rage | fight report

Despite a few technical glitches, delays and last minute changes, Fight Force Cage Rage delivered the goods on 19 August at the Durban Exhibition Centre. The 9 amateur bouts were hot and cold, but the action rose to red hot for the 7 pro bouts.

Unfortunately three fighters from Pretoria did not make it to the event and did not let the organisers know, which led to cancellations and last minute replacements. Credit must go to the fighters who stepped in on short notice to help the show go on!

Amateur lightweight

The first fight of the night was an opportunity for two fighters to break in the new 9m Fight Force cage. This honour went to Clinton van Rensburg and Dillin West, infamous on-line enemies who had been waging a war of words on the Fight Force blog. The fight went straight to the clinch where van Rensburg locked in a guillotine and took West to the floor. However, West soon got his head free, passed van Rensburg’s guard and caught him in a fight-ending guillotine as he tried to get to his feet. It would seem that West got the last word and put their argument to an end, at least for now.

Amateur welterweight

Nyide’s original opponent did not arrive, but Bricknell stepped in to take up the challenge. Nyide’s heavy hands immediately went to work and shook Bricknell, who was rattled twice in the opening moments of the round but managed to recover enough to take Nyide to the floor and tie him up. Nyide escaped a triangle and regained his feet, but was quickly faced with punches and knees in the clinch. Again Nyide shook Bricknell with a right hand, and Bricknell got one last takedown to end the round.

In round 2 Nyide opened with a front kick and tried to lead Bricknell across the cage to where he could hear his cornermen. This fight was the first to show that the fighter who took advantage of the new, larger cage and kept his opponent in enemy territory had a tactical advantage because only he could hear his corner’s advice. Again Nyide’s right connected, but so did Bricknell’s knees, until Bricknell got some momentum going and started landing punches. Unfortunately a power surge caused the lights to dim and confusion ensued, but the fight was immediately resumed. Nyide continued backing off and Bricknell’s corner was heard shouting for him to chase Nyide, but this turned out to be exactly what Nyide wanted, as he countered with a single right hand that knocked out Bricknell at 2:59 in round 2.

Amateur bantamweight KZN title fight

The bantamweights weighed in at about 55kg and immediately went to work in a frenzied display. De Vries opened with a few flashy but ineffective spinning back kicks which allowed Mavundla to get in close, take the fight down and get a few ground ‘n pound shots in, until de Vries did the same. De Vries tried an armbar, then a triangle, then an armbar, but Mavundla’s escapes were excellent.

In round 2 Mavundla was the aggressor and landed more kicks and punches than de Vries, and when the fight went to the floor Mavundla again escaped an armbar by stacking de Vries easily. By the end of the round the few hammer fists de Vries managed to drop on Mavundla did little damage.

In round 3 de Vries attempted an ankle lock but again Mavundla escaped, and it appeared de Vries was either discouraged or tired, because he did very little but defend for the rest of the round. During the interval Mavundla danced in his corner and seemed to be having a ball.

Round 4 consisted of a clinch against the cage and a flurry of foot stomps from both fighters, and de Vries’ corner shouting at him to work. De Vries did land a good roundhouse kick and a hook, but was taken down to end the round.

Round 5 was more stomps, then a tied-up affair on the floor, then a lacklustre finish. However, fighting for five rounds was no joke and it was obvious both fighters were tired, but Mavundla still had the energy to move to the music as the judges scored the bout unanimously in his favour. Mavundla is now the KZN amateur bantamweight title holder.

Amateur light heavyweight

Apparently Fourie had been out of action due to injury and this was his first fight in a while. He did not disappoint, taking the fight on one hour’s notice and giving a very dominant performance. Fourie came tearing out of his corner into the clinch and succeed in taking Vorster to the floor with a huge slam. After a wild scramble he passed Vorster’s guard and executed a tight armbar to finish the fight in just 59 seconds.

Amateur welterweight

For some reason there was a short delay before this fight. Allen was in very good condition as he entered the cage, and his speed was evident as his fast left hand it de Jager twice to get the fight going. After trading a few shots Allen landed a powerful knee to de Jager before going into the clinch. De Jager took the fight to the floor and Allen worked for an armbar. However his attempt was in vain as de Jager stacked him expertly against the cage. After straining for a few moments Allen gave up and scrambled to his feet, leaving de Jager on the canvas. Allen timed a diving punch perfectly and the ref decided it was heavy enough to end the fight at 2:28 in round 1.

Amateur lightweight

Both fighters went at it with very high intensity. After trading a low kick and a punch they rolled around the cage at light-speed fighting for position. Groenewald managed to pick an arm out of the tangle and cranked out an armbar, but Maharaj refused to tap and tried to roll out. Unfortunately for him this did not go according to plan and he ended up needing medical attention 45 seconds into round 1.

Rory Daniels vs Warren du Toit

Amateur light heavyweight

For someone fighting out of Gauteng, Warren du Toit was extremely popular with the Durban crowd. He charged forward and swapped big punches with Daniels before the fight went to the floor and, after a brief struggle, managed to land ground ‘n pound from mount. Daniels tried his best to tie up du Toit but did not impress the referee, who called a TKO very quickly indeed at 1:10 in round 1.

Amateur middleweight

This was a hugely anticipated fight, with Sinclair rated perhaps the top amateur middleweight in SA. Facing him was ‘Mr Humble’ a fighter who had impressed greatly at Fight Force Overload. Neither fighter had suffered a loss before this fight, so the stakes were huge. Unfortunately there was a delay before this fight because Mwale’s gloves had to be changed, which clearly irritated Sinclair, who was standing waiting in the cage. When the two did face off, it was Mr Humble vs Mr Popular, because at least 80 percent of those in attendance started shouting for Sinclair.

Sinclair opened with a big front kick that practically bounced off Mwale. He then tried a few more high kicks with little success. Mwale used the opportunity to take the fight down, but Sinclair was soon on his feet again. Sinclair continued to use kicks and knees, but when he got in close Mwale gave him an illegal elbow to the head and was cautioned. When the fight resumed Sinclair landed huge hooks to Mwale, who returned a few shots but seemed to be chasing shadows. Eventually he caught up with Sinclair and managed to end the round on the ground. Sinclair appeared very tired and sat in his corner, a sign that Mwale may be getting the upper hand.

Round 2 opened with Sinclair diving for a takedown, before attempting to take Mwale’s back. However, Mwale escaped and landed huge ground ‘n pound shots through Sinclair’s guard that ultimately shot Mr Humble’s popularity sky high. The fight was stopped 1:05 in round 2.

Pro welterweight

Singh started with tentative low kicks which Parker avoided. Parker had an awkward style of freezing in place, waiting for an attack, but managed to land a solid right that stunned Singh. Parker dived in and took Singh’s back, locking in a rear naked choke to win a very swift victory.

Pro welterweight

This fight was a real contender for fight of the night. Nzirawa brought his A game and Chelin was a very well-rounded fighter whose only fault was gassing too early. Chelin wasted no time moving in with low kicks, then a big axe kick that fell short. Nzirawa returned a short right hook before the fight went to ground, where Chelin landed ground ‘n pound and threw knees to Nzirawa’s rump. The referee stood the fight up and Chelin continued with big kicks and a takedown. Chelin attempted an armbar, then another, but Nzirawa brutally slammed his way free and got into half guard where he rained at least 15 punches, but did not do too much damage to Chelin. Eventually Chelin was able to bridge and roll out, but Nzirawa caught him in a triangle and continued hitting him in the face. Chelin managed to sweep Nzirawa and took the opportunity to catch his breath until the end of the round.

Round 2 saw Chelin pick his kicks again, while Nzirawa countered with a superman punch. The fight went to the clinch against the cage, then the floor, with Chelin landing good shots from the bottom and attempting a triangle, then an ankle lock. Nzirawa was the aggressor and landed punches while Chelin defended and worked from his back, much like he did in his previous fight against Wesley Hawkey. Chelin managed to escape and throw a low kick and some punches, but they were ineffective due to his fatigue.

Round 3 allowed Chelin to make a comeback, landing good points-scoring kicks while Nzirawa landed good punches. It seemed both fighters had nothing left in the tank, but Nzirawa dug deep and put all his energy into a final charge that pushed Chelin back across the cage until he fell down and Nzirawa was able to mount him and rain down punishment. Chelin was unable to roll out like he did in round 1 and the referee stopped the fight, allowing Nzirawa a TKO victory.

Pro welterweight

Van Niekerk did not look impressed as Fourie enterred the cage. He looked like a wild animal about to pounce and he soon did, launching into the air for what looked like a flying knee but may have turned into a superman punch. He then followed this with a massive round kick to Fourie’s body, and then rushed in and took the fight to the floor where he mercilessly hammered Fourie. No matter what Fourie did, van Niekerk had a punch to the face waiting. Even when presented with Fourie’s back he chose to ignore the choke and continue punching. At 1:54 the fight was stopped, with Fourie lying battered on the floor. In a great display of sportsmanship Fourie got up and lifted van Niekerk in the air, then they did a circuit of the cage saluting each other. A very impressive TKO win by van Niekerk.

Pro lightweight

There was a delay before this fight due to a mix-up on the fight card, but as soon as Hawkey got in the ring no one seemed to mind the wait, they all started shouting support. With just 2 pro fights (wins) under his belt, he seemed on his way to a reputation like that of his older brother, the legendary Donavin Hawkey. However, first he had to get through the K1 and extreme striking champ Amos Hlatswayo on his MMA debut. Both fighters moved in to start trading punches, but the first real damage was done by Hawkey, who controlled the clinch and scored a heavy slam. Hawkey then capitalised on this with ground ‘n pound, but was hit under the eye by a perfect, powerful up-kick from Hlatswayo. The fight went to the feet where it was Hlatswayo’s turn to pull off a bone-crunching slam, but Hawkey had the guillotine locked in before he hit the floor, and the fight was over in 57 seconds by way of submission.

Pro middleweight

Opperman went straight for a slam, and it looked like a huge one, until he froze in mid air with Cunningham practically choking him out on his feet with a guillotine, while he was still being hoisted. After a few seconds of Opperman’s face going purple he decided the only way out was to put everything into the slam, and it worked, as Cunningham released the hold on impact. From there Cunningham improved his position, but Opperman did a remarkable job tying up the jiu-jitsu specialist. The fight was stood up and Opperman came in with a huge flurry forcing Cunningham to shoot for a takedown. Cunningham mounted Opperman and dropped shots, then took his back as he tried to roll out. It looked to be over as he got his hooks in, but Opperman miraculously rolled out and started pounding Cunningham! This reversal was short-lived, as Cunningham got an armbar, but Opperman grabbed on with his other arm and made sure the joint could not reach full extension, straining every fibre in his body until the referee stood them up as the bell sounded.

Round 2 opened with Opperman’s kicks, and Cunningham charging into the clinch. Cunningham pulled Opperman to the ground and attempted a triangle, but Opperman snuck out into side control and dropped hammer fists. The momentum then switched as the two swept each other and fought for position, until Cunningham finally got his triangle in place and cinched it tighter and tighter until Opperman had no options left. Opperman’s improved ground game was very impressive but it was Cunningham’s persistence and technical expertise that allowed him to take a very hard-fought win.

Pro light heavyweight

Thumelo Maphutha threw two big right hands that connected and made van Vuuren very angry indeed. Van Vuuren shot in for the takedown and almost immediately got an armbar which ended the fight at 26 seconds. At this point Martin van Staden invaded the cage and challenged van Vuuren to a fight (at any weight van Vuuren wants) as soon as van Staden’s biceps tear is fully healed. Van Vuuren accepted.

Pro middleweight

Once again it was the last fight of the night, the main event, that brought the house down. There were massive expectations riding on Rennie, who had made a successful return to the cage at Fight Force Redemption after many years off. Similarly, Scheepers badly needed a win after two consecutive losses to Paul van Vuuren. To add more fuel to the fire, Scheepers made the cut to middleweight for this fight, and looked somewhat shaky at the weigh-in. For 30 minutes before the event started Rennie was found sitting against the cage, staring in. Whatever he was listing to on his headphones obviously worked, because he was in full attack mode when he entered the cage. Scheepers, on the other hand, got in the cage squinting, and had apparently suffered an eye injury back stage while warming up. Appearances can be deceptive, however, and this has never been more true than on 19 August. Scheepers ran in swinging, landing hooks that stunned, then dropped, Rennie. Scheepers, known for his punching power, got mount and delivered clean shots to Rennie’s unprotected face. Incredibly, Rennie was not knocked unconscious, or even flustered. It looked more like he was trying to headbutt Scheepers’ fists! Rennie forced Scheepers off him and got to his feet, but was immediately dropped again by Scheepers’ devastating hooks. This time Scheepers got Rennie’s back and went for the choke but was unsuccessful. As Rennie escaped, Scheepers locked his legs around Rennie’s head and dropped hammer fists to the top of his head, while cutting off his air with his legs. Rennie managed to squeeze his head out but was met with an elbow to the face as they scrambled to their feet. Rennie took every shot Scheepers had to give, but started landing uppercuts, turning the fight into a toe-to-toe slugfest. Scheepers moved into the clinch with a frenzy of knees, but Rennie’s uppercuts broke things apart, and it was Scheepers who ran away, literally sprinting a few metres before turning to face Rennie, who caught him on the fence and beat him into submission, just as the referee jumped between them. Scheepers seemed to shake his head in disbelief, but there was clear mutual respect as Rennie thanked Scheepers for the unbelievable fight.

By Jack Birch