SOME of Jersey’s finest combat athletes graced the ring on Saturday, and what a thrilling night of action it was.
With a mix of Muay Thai and boxing bouts exceeding expectations to entertain the passionate crowds, and Jersey’s own Victoria Smith bringing a WRSA intercontinental title home for Blood Fitness, Blood Fight Series 12 was sensational on all fronts.
A special shout-out must be given to the presenter and MC, Stefan Rossi. As a former fighter himself, he was able to bring the energy to the room with his impassioned announcements, pumping everyone up for spectacular battles.
“What a brilliant event, it went incredibly well, I found myself a lot more relaxed this time around,” said Michael Blood, founder of Blood Fitness and one of the event’s prime organisers.
“Performances were absolutely incredible tonight from the home athletes, their level has gotten so much higher and that showed in the ring. With venues how they are in Jersey at the minute, this is for sure the biggest show we could put on, it was a huge success.”
There was some unfortunate news brought to Blood Fitness, as Kimberley Noel’s opponent withdrew on the 11th hour, which left everyone gutted.
However, with a title fight in two weeks’ time, it won’t be long before the explosive athlete will be back in action.
Headlining the action packed evening was a pair of title fights, as Smith and Justin Davey challenged incredibly tough European opposition, marking as milestone bouts in both their careers.
First up was Blood Fitness’ Smith, who was challenging a fearsome foe in France’s Dalila Tanzy for the 60kg B Class Pro-Am Intercontinental title.
This five round exchange had all the ingredients for an absolute barn burner of a bout, with Smith coming off a four-fight run against ranked opponents and Tanzy’s aggressive style promising fireworks.
Fans weren’t disappointed, as neither hesitated to step forward and land strikes. Even though Tanzy was known to be aggressive, Smith more than matched it, exhibiting some impactful striking.
As the fight went on, Smith fought her way more and more in control. The Jersey native especially excelled in the clinch, showcasing her strength to dump Tanzy to the floor multiple times.
It was clear from ringside that Tanzy began to tire from from the opening two rounds, which greatly contrasted to the Caesarean, who’s conditioning routine, of 29 three-minute rounds, with just 20 second rests, left her fresh until the final bell.
With exceptional striking combinations and excellent work in the clinch, Smith was crowned the WRSA intercontinental titlist.
“I feel amazing right now, so much work has gone into getting this belt,” said the newly crowned titlist. She (Tanzy) was a lot tougher than expected, very aggressive as we expected. I was really impressed with her ability, so much so that I worried she was dominating the centre a bit too much at the start.”
“But I saw her begin to tire, so she was slowing down and that allowed me to take control. With her extensive kickboxing background, I knew that she probably wasn’t going to be as proficient in the clinch, so executed a lot of elbows and dumps, which I was very happy with.”
“My strikes were a lot more impactful, and that got me the win.”
Off the back of a career-highlight result, Smith will be aiming for a bout later this year in the A-class, levelling up in competition.
After seeing the Blood Fitness athlete the home the title, hopes were high for Davey to follow suit, taking on Sweden’s Lucas Kano for the 58kg B Class Pro-Am WRSA intercontinental belt.
Much was spoken about his dancing and music in the build-up, and let’s just say he didn’t disappoint in bringing the entertainment factor, hyping up crowds in what had to be the night’s best walk-out.
It was a blockbuster entrance, but Davey started slow, allowing Kano to edge ahead, that bit more on the front foot. There were scares, as Kano drew blood in the first round, but Davey remained in the fight.
Although it was a slow start, Davey started to fight his way back into the bout, starting to press forward that bit more and make an impact.
Going into the fifth round, there was everything to fight for, and both left it all in the ring. It was a valiant effort, but Davey fell just short in his bid, resulting in the first loss of his young career.
“I know it’s part of the sport, and you do get these nights where you’re not on your A-game, but it’s absolutely heartbreaking,” said a deflated Davey.
“In the first half of the fight, I wasn’t really awake. Mikey (Michael Blood) was telling me to wake up a bit and go for it.”
“He did surprise me a bit, as he hung back more at the start, differing to his usual aggressive approach. I picked up the pace in the latter half, going into the fifth round, I knew I just had to outscore him, as it wasn’t a white-wash, but ultimately it felt like I started too late.”
“I think I’m going to take a short break, as I’ve been in camp all year, and I’ll be raring to get back into the ring for around September.”
Even though the result didn’t go his way this time around, be sure that the local phenom will take this in his stride, as he holds tons of ability.
Ashbe Construction have played a pivotal role in the Blood Fight Series, as well as Blood Fitness in general, providing important financial support.
“We have been supporting Blood Fitness for well up to five years now, and this event has grown massively over that time,” said Ben Cairney, Managing Director of Ashbe Construction.
“We’ve supported Blood wherever we can, such as buying the ring for him and helping Blood Fitness transition into the bigger gym site. We’ll definitely continue, can’t really get bigger than this though, there just isn’t the venues.”
Before that, bouts were absolutely thrilling, as fighters really showcased a warrior spirit in the ring, giving it everything.
Jersey’s athletes didn’t have the most successful win rate, with fighters hailing from Pisces Gym, Mayhem Muay Thai, LH Fitness and of course, Blood Fitness Academy, but the heart they showed was exceptional, proving more than capable to hang with some exceptional UK talent.
Plaudits must be given to Elysia Parmesan, who won her debut in style with a first round finish. Although she was hoping for a longer fight to further aid development, such an outstanding first outing will surely put her in good stead, aiming for a return in the next Blood Fight Series event.
Mayhem Muay Thai’s Edwon Asçencao and Blackrock MMA’s Freddie Upham put on an absolute war, swinging for all five rounds to make a real slugfest, in what had to be Fight of the Night. To everyone’s surprise though, Asçencao wasn’t on the right side of the result.
17-year-old Dilan De La Haye kept true to his pre-fight preparations, landing absolute bombs to control the fight wherever it went and claim a unanimous decision victory, against 22-year-old Ross Cockcroft.
It wasn’t just Muay Thai on offer, as three boxing bouts made the card. Highlights included Declan Blake, of Boxing.je from Blood Fitness, who took his opponent by storm to finish him in the second round, before LH Fitness’ Lennox Johnson delivered a thunderous knockout in the event’s dying embers.
What a night of combat action, showing the incredible heart and passion of Jersey’s fighting community.
