CONTENDER CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES
PREMIERE
SUNDAY 10th December 2006

The Contender Championship Series Semi Contact and Light Continuous competition promised many things and for the most part I think they delivered.
The competition aimed to offer something different to what people had grown used to on the current complacent light continuous circuit. Fair matches, Non political / Non bias decisions and pre matching to cut down on the waiting around and also indicate to the fighters on when they could expect to be getting in the ring.
The competition's aim was also to increase the technical standard of the fighters with the scoring criteria of rewarding fighters for defence as well as offence. After all the name of the game is to hit and not be hit and this way the scoring rewarded the competitor for both equally increasing footwork and defence awareness.
Wouldn't it be great if the days of just running forward throwing leather for 30 seconds until the fighter got tired and barely survived the round due to lack of fitness were a thing of the past. Wouldn't it also be great if the days of instructors calling from the corner 'forward forward forward' 'kick, kick, kick' 'kill him!' were just a distant memory as well.
This is what this tournament aimed to do and instructors, coaches and fighters alike were told what was expected from them before the first fight began.
Solihull Combat Sports Centre in Solihull was the venue and on the 10th December after a busy night before in Matlock with three full contact fighters on the bill a full squad of 22 USKA fighters turned up kit bags in hand and ready to rumble.
The squad consisted of the usual suspects and also this time the addition of no less than 10 first time fighters.
On arrival it was evident that we were going to be in for a busy one with many other clubs in attendance, Newark Kickboxing, Jesters Kickboxing, Solihull Combat Centre, ACE Kickboxing, Baggies Warriors IFA, MACK, Garth Porters Ying Yang, Aero Kick, Colin Glasford's Ying Yang, Wins Kickboxing, Tamworth Kickboxing, ASBBA, Stoke Lau Gar,
Tao Centre and Black Country Combat making up the nucleus of the fighters.
With most of the pre matching done in advance the competition started pretty much on time and it was very apparent from the first couple of bouts that the matches were very close and a testament to the time and effort that had gone into the match making before hand.

First into the ring for USKA was first time fighter Zain Rafiq matched against Faizaan Mahmood from Ace Kickboxing Gym in Derby. Zain showed no first time nerves out punching and kicking his opponent to get the nod from the judges.
Well done Zainey, The first win of many for you Insha-Allah

Zain punches and Faizaan kicks in their debuts

Next up we had Megan Kelly in against Newark Kickboxing's Sophie Webb
Sophie started well putting Megan under pressure and although Megan was covering up well was not getting her own offence off in response.
The second round saw Megan come back well landing more cleanly with her kicks and just edging the round. The judges however were impressed by Sophie's aggression and work in the first to earn her a narrow points decision. Keep on keeping on Megz, I guarantee you will get there with your dedication and determination.

Megz legz working well against Newarks Sophie Webb

Finding her target Megz round kicks to Sophie's head

Third into the ring for USKA was Haris Khan matched against Newark's Bailey Sugden.
Both fighters were coming off a run of bad luck regarding decisions before this bout and fought like they both wanted to prove something to themselves as well as everyone else.
Both lads went at it none stop and you couldn't have put a piece of paper between them it was that close. I could watch these two fight all day. Kicks just being the deciding factor for Haris when the judge made his ruling earning him the win.
One that will definitely make a good rematch sometime in the future.

That would be a tough fight to follow but USKA's next competitor Adam Ejaz would attempt to do just that against Ace Kickboxing's Hassan Akhtar. This would be both fighters first time in the competitive ring.
Adam and Hassan both had the same thing in mind going into the first round, forward fighting and relentless pressure. Nothing to split them in the opener.
Hassan looked like he tired slightly in the second round and Adam managed to maintain the pressure to earn himself the victory on the strength of the second round.

Another USKA first timer in now with Adil Khan taking on IFA Baggies warriors fighter Junaid Afzar. Adil was blocking and moving well landing counters and Junaid the aggressor with the higher workrate. Hard one to call with an interesting clash of styles between the two lads hence the judges decision of an even contest.

The next match of the day saw yet another first timer Issa Hanif do battle with another Ace Kickboxing fighter Sameer Ahmed. Sameer had had 3 previous contests but the weights and ages matched up well and coach Kelly was confident that his charge could look after himself against his more experienced opponent.
Issa put up a very good account of himself not taking a backward step but running onto some good counters of Sameer. The decision was another tough one for the judges and with them feeling it was too close to call they awarded a draw for both fighters efforts.

Next up Noor Muhammed giving away 2 years in age and a little weight fighting yet another Ace kickboxing fighter Zeeshan Khan.
Noor negated Zeeshan's advantages well landing the cleaner punches and kicks over the two rounds and using the ring well to make Zeeshan miss.
Noor is an improved fighter of late and had his hand raised in victory again here with this good performance.

Noor lands a straight left hand on route to his win over Zeeshan Khan

Another fighter giving away age, weight and experience was Khayam Khan against late replacement and unbeaten Black Country Combat fighter Danny Davis. First time fighter Khayam's original opponent had failed to show on the day and Danny was the only replacement willing and available to take the match.
Khayam's baptism by fire was a positive experience for him though and although not doing enough to get the decision put in a good account of himself learning loads from the encounter. No doubt this will serve him well for next encounter when facing someone his own experience level.

Another fighter giving away experience was USKA's first timer Serina Larvin matched against the unbeaten and talented Chelsea Wood from Newark Kickboxing.
Nothing to split these two in the first round with both girls exchanging some great punch combinations with neither wanting to take a backward step.
The second round saw Chelsea the more experienced of the two just sustaining more pressure and land the more eye catching punches to the head but Serina right in the fight punching and kicking back until the final bell.
A very close one to call with neither coach knowing which way the contest would be scored.
The judge however had the eye catching punches being enough for Chelsea to have her hand raised in victory. Well done to both girls on a really good fight.

Neither Serina Larvin or Chelsea Wood took a backward step in their dust up

A big test now for Usmaan Ali who pitched in against WKA British Champion Chad Sugden from Newark was on paper out of his depth. Usmaan's coach Neil however has alot of faith in his charge and knew that although giving away the experience he would put up a good account of himself.
Neil's judgement proved correct in the first two rounds with both lads putting together a great technical display Chad seemingly the better puncher with Usmaan having the edge with his scoring kicks.
The third round saw Chad's superior fitness take over and turn the kicking tables on Usmaan catching him with a body kick that had him in trouble and fighting for survival
until the final bell. The third round being the one that had helped to make the decision an easy one for the judges scoring the win to the young Newark fighter. If Usmaan could get himself a little fitter this would definitely make for a good rematch somewhere down the line.

So three loses on the bounce for the USKA team and it was the job of Azad Khan to try and turn things around in his bout against IFA Baggies warriors Rafaqit Ali. Both Azad and Rafaqit had met many years ago for the Midland Area championship at 25kg (over half the weight that they are competing at now) and on paper it looked to be a good match with Rafaqit with a significant weight and height advantage but Azad having the better form of late.
Azad was punch and kick perfect in the first two rounds. Az hitting cleanly and making his opponent miss as he returned fire.
Going into the third round the instruction from Rafaqit's corner must have been 'turn this thing into a dog fight' because he came out aggressive trying to physically impose himself on the lighter Azad. These tactics made for a scrappy final segment that neither fighter got the better of.
Two rounds to Azad with one being scored even leaves the USKA fighter with the victory in fight that really highlighted this young mans skill.

Former title contenders square up for their long awaited rematch

And it wasn't long before Azad was dropping that axe again

It was the turn now of Reiss Larvin to step in and face recent Tyler Shakespeare opponent Tom Carroll from Solihull Combat Sports Centre.
Interesting one this one with Reiss with the experience advantage but
Tom outweighing him by 5kg. Tom put up a good account of himself but the experience of Reiss was a little too much for him to deal with over this three round clash winning the fight at mid to long range.

Fresh off his full contact debut win the night before Tyler Shakespeare was in with another older opponent in the form of 19 year old Black Country Combat fighter James Jepherson. James also had a 5kg weight advantage over Tyler but was less experienced although having a fair few years of martial arts training behind him.
Tyler used his know how to put his shots together effectively and again showed real maturity to take the Black Country Combat fighter to school.
Tyler who only turned 15 last week is now starting to develop real man strength which is just as well because what 15 year old in his right mind would want to face him in the light continuous or full contact ring.

Two first timers in the ring now. Nathan Walker representing USKA against IFA Baggies warriors Sukhjot Brainch. Sukhjot the heavier of the two but squared up in the centre in the ring it was Nathan who looked to have the height advantage over his man.
The fight ended prematurely with Nathan proving too much for Sukhjot winning by 1st round corner retirement after a controlled kick caught Sukhojot on the chin and took the steam out of him. A bright future lies ahead of Nathan who for a big guy moves well and is extremely technical given the fact that this was only his first fight.

Another USKA Vs IFA clash now with first timer Akbar Khan taking on Baggies Warriors Arron Aulakh. Akbar early into the first round realised that he had too much for his outgunned opponent and on the request of the referee he was asked to take his punches to the body in an attempt to not kill the IFA mans confidence.
This he did and showed great control in easily outscoring Arron over the two rounds.
Really good debut for Akbar and the start of hopefully a promising fighting career.

An eagerly anticipated match now between Ridwan Khan and Newark Kickboxing's Danny Swanwick. These two fighters boasted impressive records going into the bout with only 3 loses between them in 23 fights and it was looking like being a tough battle in prospect.
Ridwan the underdog on paper against Danny who had been nominated by his coach Dean Sugden to be considered for a title bout at the nearest possible opportunity.
Both lads over three rounds put on a really good show with the bout swinging backward and forward with the USKA corner feeling they had done just enough to win it.
The judge however sat on the fence and decided to call the bout a draw, a decision that neither camp were complaining about feeling it was fair enough.

Ridwan following Azad's lead & dropping the axe onto opponent Danny Swanwick

Next up another good match in prospect with fighters from the two host clubs. Jake Richards representing USKA and Tom Banks representing Solihull Combat Sports Centre.
Tom's main tournament experience had come from the mat circuit but his coach Paul Gilmore had faith enough in him to pitch him in with a fighter of Jake's experience.
Tom gave Jake plenty to think about over the three rounds with a very leggy style that Jake had not faced very often in the past.
Jake's strength and ring experience however started to take over mid way through the second round and scored well through to the final bell.
This is another fight that would make a good rematch in the future when Tom has had a few more fights and found his feet a little more in the ring.

Jake Richards and Tom Banks in an interesting clash of styles

Haroon khan for USKA was next against Ace Kickboxing gyms Razah Basheir. Razah a full 5kg heavier but Haroon with a marginal experience advantage.
Two talented operators pitched their skills against one another over two rounds and the only thing separating them and impressing the judges slightly more was Haroon's scoring kicks and work rate.
A good victory for Haroon given his opponents weight advantage.

Haroon Khan measuring his man with his lead leg.

and fires it off when in striking range

Haroon Khan's legs earn him a victory against Razah Basheir

Next up another classic on paper with Azad Khan taking on unbeaten Newark prospect Lewis Fallon. Newark coach Dean Sugden had taken this match for Lewis to find out his level and although having complete faith in his fighter he knew Azad would be a major step up in class and a real test.
Lewis although very sharp was always one step behind Azad and seemed slightly intimidated by his step up in class.
Azad utilised his unorthodox movement and confident defence to pick his man off and comfortably outscore him over the three round contest.
Lewis will have learned from the experience though and will know now what is required at the very top level of his weight and age division.

Azad find another victim to drop his deadly axe kick onto in the form of Lewis Fallon

Time now for Mark Sedgwick to take on Ace kickboxing's Shamaan Alyas.
Mark proved too much for Shamaan landing a controlled body kick early in the first round that robbed the Derby fighter of all his confidence.
The ACE corner sensing their overwhelmed mans distress pulled him from the contest and Mark was awarded the win by first round stoppage.

The killer Kicker Mark moments before landing (surprise surprise) a killer kick

A bit of a mismatch on paper now but due to no other matches being found for first time fighter Yusuf Barry it was agreed that he would take on a fighter with 17 fights experience from IFA Baggies warriors. Rasaqab Ali had also had full contact experience but would concede over 10kg in weight to yusuf in an attempt to even the playing field a little.
The first round seen Yusuf turn in a good performance not looking out of his depth and clipping Rasaqab with an impressive head kick on the bell that left the scoring of the round up in the air.
All to fight for in the second round Rasaqab stepped through the gears using his experience to outwork and out hustle Yusuf to cleanly take the round.
Although the judges had it one round a piece the decision was awarded to Rasaqab for his superior work in the second round.
A good debut for Yusuf and even in defeat one that earned him some stripes and experience.

After a long wait all day it was eventually time for USKA first time fighter Alysha Farrell to take to the ring against Tao Centre's Tanisha Parma.
Alysha Farrell turned in another contender for fight of the day totally outclassing and dominating Tanisha over two rounds to win an impressive points decision. A great debut for Alysha showing excellent variety and confidence to the appreciation of the ringside spectators.

Alysha listening to instructions from cornermen Sean Quinn and Qasim Nisar

The advice seems to be working as she lead hooks Tanisha Parma to the body

And in a contender for USKA fighter of the day gets a well deserved win

Fresh of his English National full contact win the night before and bruise free it was time now for USKA golden boy Qasim Nisar to climb through the ropes once again this time to take on the experienced Stoke Lau Gar fighter Raheel Asif. Word had got back to us that Raheel was a good boxer and on paper this fight had the potential of being fight of the day.
Qasim turned in a master class showing exactly why he is being touted as being one of if not the best prospect in the UK right now.
Three rounds of excellent technique and skill treated the crowd to a showcase featuring two really talented and experienced guys but the quality work from Qas stole the show and the judges nod winning him the decision.

The Dream slips and counters Stoke's Raheel Asif

And for the second time in two days the winner is.........Qasim 'The Dream' Nisar!

Last fight of the day now and the job was given to Noor Muhammed to once again tread the canvas to take on Black Country Combat's Luke Perks.
Noor continued his winning streak from earlier in the day hitting and moving his way to victory and again showing extremely good kicking technique to outscore his man.
Noor even earned himself some high praise indeed from W.K.A Light Middleweight Champion of the World Dean Sugden when he said that he could really see elements of his older brother Qasim in his fighting style. Who knows, maybe 8 years from now it will be Qasim who is carrying Noor's belts into the ring.

Closing the show in style with a win, Noor Muhammed with his opponent Luke Perks

So almost 70 fights later and it was time to pack things up and go home.
USKA having a good day winning 15 fights, drawing 2 and losing 5 all it has to be said to more experienced opposition.
Without exception all the USKA contingent of fighters performed excellently winning, losing or drawing and would have learned a great deal from the days competition.
Let's hope this extended squad of fighters continue to venture to other competitions in the new year because without a shadow of a doubt the already scary USKA squad on the 10th December just got a whole lot scarier.
The futures bright....................