Randy Springs captured the lightweight title in his last outing, a hard-fought decision victory it was. Kickboxing specialist Randy Springs might not be known for his knockout power but his high intensity work ethic puts him amongst the top of his peers. He doesn’t slow down and he never backs down from a challenge. And a challenge he once again received as his first challenger was former professional kickboxer and former EVO mainstay, Mathew Ridgeway.
From the start it was clear that these two lightweight kickboxers share a similar style as high volumes of strikes were thrown in rapid succession. Randy Springs set a dire pace but Mathew Ridgeway did a great job of keeping up and then some. Mathew Ridgeway was clearly the more accurate fighter and he wonderfully kept the champion guessing by occasionally taking the fight to the clinch. The flustered champion soon found himself in a world of hurt but he kept going after the challenger and never showed signs of slowing down.
Winner: Mathew Ridgeway by majority decision.
Vacant 135 title - Cullen Castrello Vs Nico World Citizen
Cullen Castrello just lost his lightweight title against Randy Springs but his championship ambitions were higher than ever and thus he dropped not one, but two weight classes to vie for the vacant Gamma bantamweight title. His opponent was former bantamweight champion Nico World Citizen. Nico World Citizen unsuccessfully challenged featherweight kingpin Gareth Keenan so a win was a must for the former bantamweight champion.
Considering both men were desperate for a win as they both just suffered a title loss, it didn’t come as a surprise that they pulled out all the stops. Castrello started the fight by feigning a clinch and launching a rocket of an uppercut that could have decapitated his foe had it landed. The tone was set and it didn’t take long for Nico World Citizen to respond in kind. In round 3, Nico World Citizen landed a vicious combination that had Castrello on spaghetti legs but he fought through the pain and kept going strong until the final bell. A back and forth slugfest that spilled all over the cage from these two bantamweight warriors ended in a standing ovation from the crowd as they screamed for more.
Winner: Cullen Castrello by split decision.
UGD 80:Pulkkinen Vs Defoe – October 13
205 superfight - Pena Pulkkinen (Underground) Vs Menace Defoe (GAMMA)
A clash of titans shook the earth to its core. All life seemed to have departed from the ground beneath our feet as this fight had devastating consequences. These superhumans rampaged and thrashed about all over the globe, destroying everything in their path of carnage until they arrived at a deserted place of horror. A rock infested beach where all forms of life seemed to have vanished without a trace, leaving only these larger than life freaks of nature breathing in the toxic atmosphere carried by the icy winds that tormented the seas. The waves ever-growing until they clashed against the immovable rocks that signaled land, erupting like massive volcanoes of freezing water.
In this unforgiving desolate place, two figures stood out like a sore thumb. They watched each other from a distance, exhausted from their tug of war of global magnitude. Their struggle dwarfed any fight before it and regardless of the consequences, a winner had to be crowned. They had gone too far and sacrificed too much to even consider backing down from the fight and they knew it.
Menace Defoe prepared himself for the final strike, the one strike that had never failed him. He lowered his stance, shifting his weight he drew back his hands away from his foe’s view and started rumbling from within. Collecting all the energy left in his tattered body in the palms of his hands. Pena Pulkkinen stood still like a pole and clapped his hands together as if he were calming his nerves through deep meditation but not soon after, energy started flowing from his core. Consuming his entire body, the energy flowed with gusto as Pena Pulkkinen prepared for his final stand.
A bolt of energy surged through the air as Menace Defoe fired his kill shot. The energy from the seemingly exhausted Gamma light heavyweight champion packed a punch as the impact catapulted Pena Pulkkinen towards the restless sea at the end of time. A shockwave ran through the Underground light heavyweight champion as he was flung back-first into an erupting wave, the living horror of the sea swallowing up his body like a killer whale that rose from the deep. But the wave’s eruption elevated the wave to new heights and out of the wall of deep blue sea that darkened even the brightest sunlight, a new light appeared as it shot out of the darkness like a spear. Pena Pulkkinen completely engulfed in the flames of his own energy torpedoed himself towards Gamma’s force of destruction. A tsunami followed Pena Pulkkinen’s attack and sent both legends sprawling across the boulders of the coast.
Like zombies rising from their graves they rose as the fight still had not left their mind and soul. Just as they primed their ragged bodies for another attack, thunder roared and lightning cracked the darkness in the sky. As lightning struck, the earth rumbled and the two fighters froze in their steps. A British voice from the sky lashed out as admin god Michelangelo screamed at the top of his voice: “What are you two bellends doing?” The two warriors standing on the brink of exhaustion looked at each other and decided to call it a night. As the maddened British voice still rang through the air, they each went their separate way.
Winner: Menace Defoe by unanimous decision.
GAMMA#667 Bryant v Bubba 2 – October 14
265+ title - Gerbert Bryant (c) Vs Bubba Gumption
In their first encounter, Bubba Gumption came close to an upset victory and after rising back to the top of the division he looked ready to prove that luck wasn't involved in his previous near-domination of the champion. As in their first encounter Bubba Gumption took hold of the reigns in the standup while Gerbert Bryant was always on the lookout for a takedown. These goliaths traded leather and the champion’s presence should not be underestimated but the sheer brutality and relentlessness of the challenger was what sold the judges on his victory.
