Budo 68 was nothing short of extraordinary! 32 amateur fighters showcased a prodigious display of MMA action in Neath sports centre this weekend.
Blood, sweat, and tears dripped onto the Budo octagon reflecting the passion and dedication these fighters have for MMA.
Our main event Harrison Coventry (Mannaz MMA) vs Ellis Clement (Draig) put the icing on the cake for a successful night, with Harrison being glorified the new Budo Bantamweight Champion.
With Harrison bouncing off a big win on Raged Uk via round 1 submission, we knew his ground game would be mastery. Facing him we had Ellis who has recently expanded his craft competing in K1, proving to be a threat standing.
As expected, Ellis opened the fight with forceful strikes, leaving Harrison no choice but to take the fight to the ground. Harrison used his Grappling IQ to full advantage, moving from one dominant position to another. This pattern stayed consistent throughout round 1 and 2, but then came round 3. Ellis landed a skull crushing head-kick in round 3, followed by a series of combinations beautifully executed. This had the crowd going crazy, with railings shaking and ear piercing screams echoing through the hall. Ellis had a strong comeback in round 3, but unfortunately wasn’t enough to outshine Harrison’s outstanding technical ability demonstrated in rounds 1 and 2.
Previous to this, we had our co- main event; Salvo Guidice from Marseille FC vs local favourite Callum Davies fighting out of Draig. What a war this was! From the opening of round 1, the crowd quickly adjusted to the edge of their seats, starstruck by the explosive action inside the cage. Throughout round 1 and 2, both fighters exchanged punch for punch, kick for kick- each strike landing with force and precision. However, it was evident that Callum had the upper hand, taking control of the centre hunting Salvo down like a lion hunting its prey. When it came to the third round, the game plan changed after Callum landed a savage cross, dropping Salvo to his knees. From there on, Callum kept the pressure on Salvo pinning him against the cage until eventually taking the fight to the ground in attempt to submit.
After going the distance, Callum Davies was rightfully declared the new Budo Welterweight champion.
As for the rest of the main card…WOW! we were either on a tight time-schedule or just had some very talented prospects on the card, with 5 stoppages!
2 fighters that caught my eye were Aimad Hadiqa and Wouter Van Bussell.
Aimad Hadiqa gets the job done in round one via a brutal TKO. Aimad hit a bullseye on every strike, ricocheting off Dan Amners nose. After a thorough inspection of the damage, the doctors make the executive decision to stop the fight. Aimad celebrated his win with the blood of Dan Amner pouring down his back.
Then we had Wouter Van bussell from the Netherlands face Danny Hand from Wales. The dangerous Dutchman locked Danny in a firm guillotine in round 2, holding the submission until the Welshman lost consciousness. Respect to Danny for showing true persistence, but unfortunately health is more important than any decision. And respect to Wouter Van Bussell for showing true sportsmanship on top of a clinical performance.
Now a fight show wouldn’t be successful without a good undercard to get the crowd going!
Budo 68 was blessed with 8 remarkable performances for the undercard.
The show opened with a bang featuring Dan Parker from ‘Craig Ewers Academy’ vs Dainton Harris from ‘Olympus Martial Arts’.
Both only 16 years old and new to the MMA scene, performed like it was second nature. With both representing highly accomplished academies, it was evident that valuable knowledge has been passed down to the younger generation of fighters. With both young Welshman hungry for glory, Dainton Harris walks away with the win by split decision. Remember the names, these kids are killers in the making!
Fight 3 into the undercard, we had Alfie Parker (SMMA) vs Karim Abdessamad (Marsielle FC). The young Welsh prospect, Alfie Parker, entered the cage oozing confidence ready to make his first headshot debut.
After a few strikes had been exchanged, Karim immediately looks for the double leg which unfortunately for him, was falling into Alfie’s advantage point. Alfie captured Karim in a devastating triangle, leaving him no choice but to tap out in round 1.
Wrapping up the undercard we had Odin Wouters who travelled overseas to face fan favourite Tate Groves. As a result, Odin left his mark on the Welsh turf defeating Tate via TKO in round 3.
However, despite Odin’s admirable performance, this fight caught my eye in a different perspective. It’s important to understand that what happens under the limelight and within the walls of the cage, does not define the fighter as a person. Whether it’s a win, loss, draw, submission, TKO, or KO; the performance and result still doesn’t define fighter as a person. Tate Groves is a perfect example of this. Tate has had 7 fights in the short space of 8 months; and despite putting his body under immense pressure with training and dieting, he takes any opportunity he can get to make his way back in the cage to do what he loves most. Now, 7 fights in 8 months is impressive, but for 17 years old? That’s monumental. I think a few of us can take a page out of Tates book when it comes to mentality and dedication towards goals!
As a summary, it may have been a temporary setback, but the comeback is going to be even bigger for this young Welsh prospect, you watch!
With all that being said, it’s fair to say Budo 68 was a hit despite having difficulties in multiple aspects. Thank you for providing opportunities for our little nation 🏴 you’re a stepping stone to creating future prospects🙏🏻
Article written by Teah Vowles of MMA Wales
