Magnum Force 2

Post date: 29-Aug-2011 17:28:57

The Real MMA show were present this past Saturday to enjoy the second instalment of Ayrshire’s Magnum Force MMA event in Irvine’s Magnum Leisure centre. A solid semi pro undercard supported the biggest heavyweight fight Scotland has seen as Westcoast MMAs Head coach Andy Wilson took on Hostile territory’s Billie “Bedlam” Davids from Alloa. Davids held the no 1 ranking going in and was looking to cement his position atop a fairly limited Scottish heavyweight scene.

Sadly the fight ended in a manner no one would have been hoping for. After landing on bottom from a failed throw Wilson swept Davids and delivered controlled elbows and knees for several minutes whilst thwarting the Alloa mans attempt to regain position. Wilson moved to knee on belly, then, in a moment of madness stood and aimed a kick at the still grounded Bedlams head. Whilst difficult to determine how hard it landed from my vantage point it did look as though Wilson tried to pull out of it but couldn’t prevent the blow landing. Wilson was clearly angry with himself and immediately apologised.

Davids decided he was unable to continue and was therefore awarded the bout as the referee had no option but to disqualify Wilson. With the win Davids was crowned champion and must retain his number one ranking. However, a rematch is a must as neither team can be satisfied with how the fight ended and I’m sure Davids wants to earn the belt.

Injury robbed the event of several other planned professional bouts but a deep undercard of Semi Pro and amateur fights kept the fans attention throughout the afternoon. Stand outs included Paul “Sparra” Lopez who looked impressive submitting Lycans Fight Team’s Owen Longrigg in the first round of their lightweight match. Dario Campagna of West Coast MMA made an impressive debut earning a decision win over Ross McKenzie of Crazy Monkey. And Wullie McCurdie earned a dominant decision over Kilmarnock MMA’s Andy Mccolm. McCurdie worked tirelessly for submissions during the three rounds and McColm done well to survive.

The event took place in a ring, as many regional shows do. However, this is clearly not the way forward for MMA at any level. In an early Semi Pro bout between Steven Tipping and Robin Montgomery both fighters went through the ropes twice, the second time resulted in Tipping being stretchered out of the building and taken to hospital with suspected head / spine injuries. Thankfully he was ok and returned to the venue before the end of the show. Why the straps joining the ropes and mats around the outside of the ring were only added after this is a question the promoters should be asking themselves. Mistakes are easy to make but every effort to prevent this type of injury should be taken prior to anyone stepping into the ring.

In summary Magnum force 2 was a great event with some unfortunate endings to a couple fights being the only downside. The event attracted a much bigger crowd than the last time and proves Irvine has an appetite for MMA.

Going forward I’d like to see Magnum Force promote more pro fights, consider a cage, and if it’s not already happened on an other show; book the Wilson v Davids rematch, as this fight has to happen to determine who is the true number one…

TOM T