As the promoter all I can say is WOW. I knew we had a great line up of fighters but I was totally blown away by the fact that the quality of every single fight being amazing.

Let me take a step back.

I know for some of the fighters it was your first time on camera and that the weigh in day when you all filmed interviews and training sessions was both nerve racking and difficult for some.

To add to the pressure the schedule was very tight and some fighters slots got changed due to international flights being cancelled and other fighters (though no fault of their own) being late for their slots.

Three fighters stood out in my mind on this day they were Di Skudder who was in the mid of a personal tragedy but sat there and made me very proud by giving an interview which showed females who fight have both heart and guts, good on you Di.

The other two were Stu Chambers girls who got thrust in front of a camera the second they walked in the door. Both Paula and Angela seemed very quiet girls but didn’t complain sucked it up and did their best, thanks girls I am grateful for your spirit, it was a tough job but you did well.

On this day I also have to thank three other women Melodie my second who I couldn’t ever live without, Sandy Remiens (freedom fitness) and Penita Davies (Davies Karate) who helped out and kept things running as smooth as it was possible. I don’t think the women in this sport realize how much their support keeps me going so cheers again.

Now to the weigh in.

I must say I am gutted the film crew didn’t stay to see this as there were some very entertaining moments.

There were several fighters who had to skip a bit to make weight, I would love to have had that on film as it shows the public what you go through to be a part of this sport. The weight categories are limited and female fight events are few, so it isn’t the fault of a naturally taller girl who is trying to fit into an impossibly light 55kg weigh group when she struggles. Again no-one complained about having to work hard to get there.

Then you all opened your envelope which told you who you were fighting. I held my breath for this moment.

I have total faith in Neil Swailes and Hamish Robertson who did the match ups, they did a great job.

Having said that as a human being there were several fights I knew the girls had a hard ask in front of them again I am talking about Stu’s girl Angela. Angela was against (Now Champ) Michelle Preston in round one, I felt for you girlfriend……..but as it turns out I need not have worried as you did a mighty fine job and stood up well to Shell, you go girl I will be watching for you in the future.

The other tough call was Justine Kalane (who replaced Margaux last minute) against Fiona Muxlow, Fiona is amazing and im looking forward to putting her up against some internationals one day, so poor Justine had a tough job, but she did ok too.

Event Day

You were all so calm and focused. Excitement was evident and some nerves but all I got from you were smiles and grateful thank-you’s (you were an awesome friendly bunch to work with).

Fight one Leighann VS Karen (Kick boxing) on one hand I have to apologise (I did this on my knees to Karen) as the timing got messed up and it was my fault, on the other hand you two set the standard for the night. Karen being an underdog against Leighann who has an amazing fight history and it looked very competitive with both fighters putting heart into the fight and in spite of the mess up fighting well till the end. Win going to Leighann.

Anna Sisson VS Paula Davidson (KB) Due to there being a lot of technical difficulties I missed part of this fight (the stadium were not my friend on this night) but from what I seen it was close with the win going to Anna.

Dianne Skudder VS Peta Radnidge (MMA) this was the first women’s MMA fight to be fought in NZ, so I was very excited. These two were evenly matched and I thought the win could have gone either way, but went to Peta by submission.

Carla VS Shona (MMA) both fighters put on an awesome display. The fight was short as Shona got knocked out but in the time they were in the ring I could see Shona had some great power in her punches and Carla is not a former world KB champ for nothing. Shona showed real heart after being knocked on her bum by standing up and trying to come out fighting again (not sure she realized she had been knocked out) but I  thought to myself “you go girl” im proud of you. I think both these fighters are worthy of watching for in the future.

Michelle Preston VS Angela Bennett (KB) WOW. I think Michelle is a fighter of the highest quality but I have to say there were moments when I thought the champ was going to be beaten by the new comer with a big heart and a lot of fighting spirit.

Michelle won but I think Angela proved she shouldn’t be taken for granted in the future, good on you girl.

Natasha Bevan VS Bronwyn Wylie, this fight went into overtime with the crowd yelling from two sides of the stadium. One side yelling Natasha and one side yelling Bronwyn.

Close Close Close is all I can say and DAMN you girls showed us how exciting female fighters can be…….thanks girls that will be amazing footage. The win went to Bronwyn in the overtime.

Sue Glassey VS Rebecca Attwood (MMA) Sue is a four times world KB champ and Bec is an ADCC trail rep for Aussie. So this equals a fighter who is great standing and a fighter who is great on the ground.

It was going to be interesting.

Sue came out all confident, she shone on the catwalk and again this will create great footage. From the moment Sue entered the ring you could see her experience was going to put her in a great place. Bec came out tough, she looked fit and strong.

The fight was all Sue from moment one, Sue kept it standing mostly (she had to as she only has nine hours training on the ground and Bec is a champ) Bec’s game plan didn’t seem to work and the fight was dominated by Sue. The win was to Sue.

Fiona Muxlow VS Justine Kalene (MMA) as mentioned earlier Justine was a replacement for a fighter who didn’t get her med’s in on time, so I think the game plan for Justine had to be just to survive and get through it. Fiona is awesome and Justine was brave to get in there. The win to Fiona.

END OF ROUND ONE

I had a lot of problems with the stadium through this round and it has had some effect on the footage, however I was at this stage really buzzing at the quality of every fight. I am very happy with how every fighter “Left it all in the ring” this was your moment girls and you really showed all who were there what you are made of. I was honored to be the one to bring you together and look forward to showing all those people who said “Girls can’t fight” how bloody wrong they are.

SEMI FINALS

Ring Karate. Amon and Rod were in the ring showing the audience where our fight styles come from. This is important in the bigger picture of educating the audience. Also we needed the ring karate and CSF fights as all the MMA fights ended early and we will have to fill the TV slots with previews of these.

 Fight One Leighann Banham VS Anna Sisson win to Leighann

Two Michelle Preston VS Bronwyn Wylie win to Michelle Preston

CSF (Combat Submission Fighting) NZ VS Japan Alex VS Kinya, win to NZ Alex. Alex is a very talented fighter one to watch for on the MMA circuit.

Fight Three (MMA) Peta Radnidge VS Carla Meyer. Peta put up a great fight and took some mean blows to the face but Carla came out on top with a very powerful fight. I was very impressed with Peta’s heart she didn’t give in easily and fought hard till the end. Win to Carla.

Fight Four Sue Glassey VS Fiona Muxlow, now I got to admire Sue she gave it her all but Fiona is again a ground champ and Sue just couldn’t keep it standing. Fiona fights very smart and she had a good game plan going in she got Sue to the ground and in a heart stopping end to the fight dislocated Sue’s arm. Sue left Fiona with a nice shiner so she did get in some good shots but the win goes to Fiona.

CSF fight between Tabitha and Kate win to Tabitha.

CSF Japan VS NZ Neil VS Satoshi win to Satoshi of Japan.

FINALS

(KB) Michelle Preston VS Leighann Banham this fight was very close and exciting. Michelle seemed to find her groove after a slow start and Leighann came to win. I was on the edge of my seat and am still now blown away by how amazing both these fighters are. They are a great advert for female fighters and I am excited about the opportunity to show NZ and hopefully the world, what you are capable of. The win was to Michelle our new WKB1 champ (Under 55kg) and Primetime champ.

MMA finals. Carla Meyer VS Fiona Muxlow, Carla has a mean punch on her and is a KB champ and Fiona fights smart and is an ADCC finalist. This was a great match both fighters are going to be successful at an international level if they choose to go further. The win went to Fiona our first female MMA champ but both these fighters I am proud to have had in my ring and will watch with interest in the future. Great work girls being first isn’t easy and you are leading the way for the women of MMA who will follow.

WHERE TO FROM HERE

We are in the process of editing the footage which in spite of the lighting and sound difficulties promises to be a great showing of female fighters and I am looking forward to showing the wider audience how athletic and entertaining female fighters are.

There couldn’t have been a better group for this first series, you all showed great sportsmanship, fought fantastic and were entertaining and full of personality. Thanks girls I will keep you updated as to when it all goes to air and will let you know when you can buy the footage.

BIG NEWS

Melodie and I are creating a new section to our site.

Since the event many fighters have asked us to look out for future opportunities for them. I am also being approached on a regular bases for fighters for other events (some internationally).

So as a result we are creating a “LOOKING FOR A FIGHT” page to show fighters who would like to be matched. This will enable us to keep you fighting between the Primetime events and to create more opportunities both nationally and internationally.

So if you want to be on this page get your details to us ASAP.

If you are a promoter also please let us know when your events are on and if you are open to having female competitors in your ring.

NEXT COMP

Details are to be confirmed but so far Mel, Scotty and I would like to see the next 8 women comp (Primetime and also WKB1) in May next year and the weight will likely be 55-60 for KB. We will look at the possibilities for MMA but it is thought there will be two weights and two four women comps.

It is very early days so these plans are no where near confirmed but we also hope to have Michelle defend her title and Fiona. Plus there may be another WKB1 title on the line.

So you can see the female fight arena is getting stronger and even more exciting.

Between now and then Mel and I hope to have at least one smaller qualifying event, but this will depend on sponsorship. So if you know any companies who might be keen to get involved with the exposure offered from this new series please let me know.

We hope also to see some of our fighters get some international experience and we plan to look at bringing international fighters here, so stay tuned things look very promising and the choices of directions and opportunities are endless.

Thanks again to the AMAZING fighters of “Australasian Knockouts”