Redemption.
The word just really has been sticking out to me lately, especially since I have arrived in England for this event. It seems that this time around many fighters had a chip on their shoulders, something to prove and that started when I met Robby Nitro for the first time.
Robby Nitro was tasked with trying to knock off the former Union GP heavyweight champion, Brock Quarry. He lost by submission via a third round kimura and wasn't at all pleased with his performance, he told me how much he knew he could do better. Well, he's got an opportunity to prove himself against a well known entity in the MMA world in Ross Hanson.
Robby Nitro
Trait 1 >>> This fighter will look to counter his opponent and avoid takedowns.
+80 stamina, +60 consistency
Sigurd, he's an interesting new addition to the GCC roster. He like many other new recruits has begun training at the HILITE FC facility in Toronto, Canada but the once chill, calm, laid back gym environment seems to be gone and replaced with a more strict, militant demeanor. With the absence of Brock Quarry and Takeshi Kato from the company, it seems Misty DeMeans has been tasked with leading the camp but that seems that it will naturally bring on new problems.
All things considered, the guy looks like an absolute beast and should have his way with this Alwin fella.
Sigurd Bjarnason
Trait 1 >>> This fighter will look to clinch with his opponent at a higher rate
Trait 2 >>> This fighter will try to grapple and push his opponents against the cage in order to wear down their stamina.
Trait 3 >>> This fighter will try to get the fight onto the ground and keep it there.
+100 stamina, 90 consistency
Man, it's a beauty to watch Jack Nation roll. He was drilling all over the mats (which are black and golden because that's how the Khan family rolls) and has some of the slickest submission transitions I have ever seen. He looks to be in pretty decent shape too so his cardio should hold up well enough.
Jack Nation
Trait 1 >>> This fighter will constantly look for the takedown.
+80 stamina, +60 consistency
His opponent Johnny Graves looked to be in similar shape and his new team at TW Combat Sport has done a great job assimilating him into the core of their team. The media seemed to be drawn to Graves as he has the pro-wrestling cross over crowd on his side cheering him on.
Johnny Graves
Trait 1 >>> This fighter will look to counter his opponent and avoid takedowns.
+80 stamina, +60 consistency
I must say, TW Combat sports a whole is really starting to grow on me. In the days of Rob Jones running his own twitter account the MMA team was hard to get behind but since adding the likes of Juanita Sanchez and fan favorites like Anaquin Adams to their ranks the crew has a much more personable approach especially since lead trainer Jay Williams has taken over the teams twitter account. The image clean up seems to be working well for the team long term as several members prime themselves for big title runs.
I spoke to Jay Williams while Reggie was doing some pad work and this is what he had to say.
Reggie is one of the greatest Middleweight fighters to come out of the U.K and if he can finish Clive in his home state of Manchester the roof is guaranteed to blow off that arena. Just listen to this crowd right now. -Head Coach Jay Williams
Hard to argue, the crowd was red hot for the hometown hero. Dare I say it, we ALL might have to get used to cheering on TW Combat sports.
Reggie Martin
Trait 1 >>> This fighter will look to clinch with his opponent at a higher rate
Trait 2 >>> This fighter will look to lock in triangle chokes at a higher rate.
+100 stamina, 90 consistency
Tristan McPeak is another new member of the TW Combat Sports team led by Jay Williams. While Jay spent most of his time talking up Reggie Martin, he seemed to infer that Tristan McPeak was on a trial period of some sort and that they would be evaluating his performance carefully. A win over Agustin Gates will likely be all the evidence they need to prove that Tristan is a viable threat in the middleweight division. Although there is obviously a hierarchy in the TW Combat system, Tristan was in good shape and the rest of the team seemed to be just as invested as getting him prepped for his debut.
Tristan McPeak
Trait 1 >>> This fighter will look to lock his opponent in a Muay Thai Clinch at a higher rate.
+80 stamina, +60 consistency
Remember when I spoke about redemption earlier in this article? Well, Clive has one heck of a redemption story if he can beat Reggie Martin. The two notably faced off in Union GP several months ago and Clive got the breaks beat off of him until he was eventually TKO'ed in the second round. The beat down was so one sided that it's actually hard to imagine the second one ending any differently but Clive is a workhorse and with DeMeans screaming in his ear in between corners it could be exactly what he needs to turn the tide in his favor in this second fight and advance in the tournament.
Clive Hicks
Trait 1 >>> This fighter will constantly look for the takedown.
Trait 2 >>> This fighter will look to land ground and pound on his opponent over position advances and submissions.
Trait 3 >>> This fighter will try to jump to guard while clinched.
+100 stamina, 90 consistency.
At the open workouts, Kali was the rebel of the night and outright refused to put on for the crowd and fans in attendance in a form of soft process. She expressed dissatisfaction with the way her last fight had ended specifically with the added shots Sophie Anderson threw at her after the bell. While it has since been announced that Sophie Anderson was stripped off her knockout bonus, Kali doesn't feel the punishment fit the crime.
Kali is looking forward to moving past her 0-2 rough start and stated she knows Anya is a tough opponent, so she wants to try to outlast her to get a win off, she needs it. She is tired of being pushed around by people and disrespected despite being vicious killer herself.
Kali Black
Trait 1 >>> This fighter will look to out counter-strike her opponent.
+80 stamina, +60 consistency
The highlight of the night was watching Gaia Galanos work. She had cardio for days, was ripped, quick and she felt confident. I left the arena that night with no question in my mind that it would be her who walked out with the GCC featherweight championship on Saturday night.
Heck, it seems that Gaia has even kind of won over Rupika's favor based on her work ethic in the House of Khan. Gaia tends to represent her gym well and trains without complaining. Galanos is known for being a woman of few words, but she chooses her time wisely for them even in training.
It's worth noting that Gaia Galanos had a lengthy stint in the United Kingdom during her career in wrestling and the fans are feverishly on her side and will be on Saturday Night.
Gaia Galanos
Trait 1 >>> This fighter will throw low leg kicks at a higher rate.
Trait 2 >>> This fighter has a higher chance of locking in Guillotine chokes.
Trait 3 >>> This fighter will look to lock in the Muay Thai Clinch at a higher rate.
+100 stamina, 90 consistency
#OOC: If you have any questions about your scores or traits, please email or message me on twitter. Thanks!