Night of the Gladiators 11 Event Report
by Jay Furness

Up-and-coming local fighter Conrad Hayes was the main attraction in the headline fight in Stoke, taking on Liverpool's Dean Garnett in the only professional fight of the night at featherweight.

Hayes may have been the one people came to see, but it was Garnett that controlled the action. From the opening bell, the Next Generation fighter relentlessly pursued the takedown and was able to finish all of his attempts despite shots raining in from his foe. Hayes was aggressive even when trying to stuff the shot, but it may have been his downfall as he dropped the underhooks in place of attempting to drive his elbow into Garnett's temple.

Throughout the contest, the story on the mat was quite similar. Garnett was able to maintain his position and dominate, with Hayes trying strikes and rubber guard to not much effect. Whenever Garnett found the distance, he would let go with some heavy elbows but Hayes gritted his teeth and held on.

The first was the strongest for the Scouser, with his biggest shots and closest submission attempts coming in. His opponent proved his heart and durability without doubt as he fought off several tight rear naked chokes, and looked unfazed at being elbowed in the face.

In the second, Hayes came out firing and stuffed a shot. He looked for a guillotine that Garnett used to his advantage to get the fight to the floor. Sustaining a cut from punches, the Stoke man stayed resolute and worked his way back to his feet. Keeping one hand on the ground so Garnett was limited in his attacks, he ate a knee which the referee deemed illegal and a point was deducted. This could have been pivotal in a three round fight, and no doubt made Garnett aware that he had to keep the pressure on.

Late in the second a Hayes shot saw Garnett tumble to the mat - although I'm unsure whether it was a slip or a knockdown - and the Next Gen man seized the opportunity to search for a footlock. Hayes retorted with his own attempt, and the horn sounded to end the round (albeit almost 45 seconds early according to some sources).

You can't fault Hayes' determination as the dogged young man continued to press and try to get himself the victory in round three, but Garnett's takedowns and ground acumen were too much and he saw out the win via majority decision.

Liquid almost erupted as local hardman Anthony Bailey entered the cage to take on Team Colosseum's Michael Ferguson. Ferguson looked the more physically imposing but "Stoke's BJ Penn", as he was dubbed by commentator Ben Cartlidge, didn't care much for appearances.

A tit-for-tat first round saw them clinched on the cage with not much separating them, but Bailey opened up in the second and an early flurry sent the crowd into a frenzy as he bloodied the nose of his foe. Every small success for Bailey was rewarded with louder chants than you'd hear at the Britannia Stadium, and this spurred him on to come out strong in three. He did just that and overwhelmed Ferguson with strikes, getting the TKO in the final stanza.

Rob Leybourne's significant physical advantages led him to a win over David Connolly, as the Exeter man moved to 4-0. His opponent got to his back but was tossed off, and then Leybourne looked certain to end the fight as he brought Connolly off his feet with a gruesome looking standing guillotine. Connolly escaped and got on top but Leybourne locked on a submission to take the victory.

Another Ferguson from team Colosseum saw the more experienced "Superman" Sam take to the cage and dominate en route to a quick TKO finish. A big slam nearly drove Tim Clark through the canvas, and then Ferguson never looked like being shaken off the top. When the opportunity came, he postured up for strikes, moved to knee on belly and punished his man to get the stoppage.

A short but entertaining bout between Next Generation's Billy McCloud and UTC's Christian Taylor saw some frantic action, lots of strikes exchanged, great scrambles and a KO all inside two minutes. McCloud started well to avoid some big shots and get a takedown, relentlessly pushing through the sprawl attempts to get top position. Fast paced scrambles saw them jockey for position and McCloud worked from strikes to takedown attempts on the cage. As he stood off a failed shot, Taylor unleashed a knee that crumpled him on the spot and finished with strikes to get the win.

Elder Statesman Dave Dillion came out swinging and connected with some spinning backfists on the feet early on. It was clear his game was pretty much only stand-up though, as Kevin Achton shook off the shots, got the takedown and wasted no time in pounding him out.

Joe Greenway and Hagen Biggen opened up the night in a more plodding affair for the first two rounds. In the third, the realisation from Greenway that he could strike from top position came into play, and he finished the fight with strikes from side control.

For the full results from the night, click here.

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