With both Path to Hex and Roots/Rebellion taking place on Saturday, our coaches and fight teams were busy rallying around our Muay Thai and MMA competitors. We had Rebecca Cerra and Pippa Shaw representing for the girls at Path to Hex, and our boys Andre Nguyen, Fei Yen, Vaughn Young and Joe Coverdale on Roots/Rebellion.
Andre, Fei and Vaughn kicked things off at Roots Muay Thai 12: Satisfy My Soul (every Roots show is named for a Bob Marley song) in the daytime with fights beginning at 12.30pm, St Kilda Town Hall. First up on the card for the Absolute MMA team was Andre “Bang” Nguyen up against opponent Jake Heavey in a 3×2 minute round bout at 65kg. Andre showed off his boxing skills throughout all three of the rounds, rocking his opponent several times to come away with a well-deserved unanimous points win. Great to see Andre back in the game and killing it in the ring with an aggressive performance after his previous bout was ruled a no contest. Congratulations Andre!
Up second for the team on fight 9 of the card was Fei Yen in a 3×2 minute bout at 66kg against opponent Andy Mallinson. Fei went to war for three rounds, keeping his composure well and landing a spinning back fist with big knockout potential. Losing balance when he went to kick in the second round, the points were stacked against him when this counted as an 8 count. Fei showed great sportsmanship in the ring despite sustaining a loss via points, and we know he will take this experience and come back stronger in future bouts for it. Looking forward to seeing you back in the ring in the future!
Vaughn Young closed up the Roots card for the team on fight 10 of the card against opponent Robert Wiley (who teammate Fei Yen has come up against in the past) in a 3×2 minute match up at 66.68kg. This was a great fight, with both sides displaying an extremely technical clinch game. Some tidy boxing from Vaughn, who made use of his jab and landed some big right hands, also throwing brutal leg chops to secure a split decision win over a tough opponent. Leg kicks on point! A great result for Vaughn in his first fight for Absolute MMA, and in Australia!
Smokin’ Joe Coverdale represented for the team and UFT Playgrounds on the night show at Rebellion Muay Thai 22, kicking off the professional card as fight number one against opponent Nick Keros in a 3×3 minute bout at 61.5kg. Joe was up against a tough opponent with good hands, and strong leg kicks. The fight ended up going the distance, and it was an even match up with plenty back and forth happening. This bout concluded in a unanimous points decision loss for Joe, however we would like to commend Joe on his effort, and congratulate his opponent on his win! A massive thank you to Rebellion Muay Thai and their team for having us on their show, and to all of our coaches and teammates who came down to support on the day.
With Rebellion over, our team’s focus turned to Path to Hex 10, with fights starting at 6pm at the Matthew Flinders Hotel in Chadstone. Starting the night for the Absolute MMA Mixed Martial Arts amateur team, Rebecca Cerra faced off against opponent Anne Wilson on fight three of the card. Round one saw both girls start off in centre cage, with Bec throwing combinations and solid leg kicks to the front leg of Wilson. Bec displayed a tight guard and defended her opponent’s strikes well. Rounds two and three saw the two competitors trade strikes, with Bec continuing to work the front leg, land body shots and evade take down attempts. With the fight conducted wholly in stand up, Bec emerged the winner after a great display of striking technique via unanimous points decision. Congratulations to Bec on her triumphant return to the cage, having last fought in February this year.
Closing up for the Absolute MMA team, Pippa Shaw stepped into the octagon in a bout against opponent Annie Thatcher on fight ten of the card to defend her title as Bantamweight Champion. Pippa kept her guard tight in round one, walking down her opponent and trading strikes, with the fight going to the ground towards the end of the round. Pippa looked to secure an arm bar but her opponent managed to escape and get Pippa into a triangle, opponent was unable to secure this and the round ended on the feet for both competitors. Early in round two, Pippa got a takedown and secured a mount position, moving to ground and pound. Her opponent gave up her back, but managed to stand to escape an attempt at RNC by Pippa. Losing her balance, Pippa got rocked with a big right hand by Annie, fighting to regain her composure, and attempted to get a single leg takedown on Annie, forcing her up against the cage. The third round saw both girls come out strong, with heavy strikes flying back and forth. In an ultra competitive match, that could have gone either way, Pippa came up just short, sustaining a split points decision loss (29-28). An amazing performance, and a hell of a fight!
Written by Emilie Yap.
Photography: W.L Fight Photography, Path to Hex and Rebecca Cerra.