Great to see the Absolute MMA fight and competition teams finishing up November 2018 with a bang! Saturday saw our Muay Thai team head to Powerplay 39 and our Mixed Martial Arts team fly up to the Gold Coast for Eternal MMA 39. On Sunday we kept up our momentum, with six of Coach Pradeep Singh’s boxers heading to the VAMMA Interclub Training Day in St Albans and Susy Ferri from the BJJ competition team competing in NSW at the 2018 NSWBJJF Summer Cup. We’d also like to congratulate all our students who competed at the Dominance Sub Only No Gi Round Robin on Saturday!
Smokin’ Joe Coverdale (UFT Playgrounds/Absolute MMA) was up first from the team on Powerplay 39 against opponent James Hackett in a 3×3 round, 62kg match up. Looking relaxed and confident in the ring, Joe set the tone for the team, taking away a win via split decision. Congratulations on a great finish to the year Joe! We’ll see you back in the ring in 2019.
Albert “Timorese Assassin” Xavier was next up for the team, in a rematch against Quan Trinh, having previously faced off against him on Warriors Way and lost. After three rounds of back and forth, the judges awarded Alby the win in a unanimous decision. Great to see Alby super composed in his bout, throwing some slick combinations and showing great sportsmanship in the ring! Congratulations on a well deserved win!
Joe Boobyer stepped up to join the Powerplay 39 card for the semi-main event on just ONE DAY’S notice against opponent Chris Bradford (105+ kgs). What followed was five rounds of absolute war, in an bout that was truly legendary. Joe got knocked down multiple times, but got back up every single time, consistently giving back and throwing combinations! Despite losing on points, the crowd and the team were won over by Joe, who showed an immense amount of heart, lasting throughout all five rounds despite not having prepared for this fight at all. In the words of the commentator on the night, “reckon that was the best fight I’ve ever called”, and we couldn’t agree more! This was a truly inspiring performance and we couldn’t be prouder of Joe!
On the same night, but up on the Gold Coast, four of our Mixed Martial Arts team prepared to step into the Eternal MMA 39 octagon! Adi Canimovic was first up for the team, setting the tone for the team against opponent Christian Lapham. Looking cool, calm and collected, Adi secured a win via a first round TKO at 0:28! Congratulations on your win Adi!
Ben Higgins was up next against opponent Rafael Vilches, looking super comfortable and experienced in the cage! Ben showed off his diverse skill set, securing a win via split decision. Great performance Ben! We can’t wait to see you in the cage once again.
In bout number three for Absolute MMA and finishing up for the team on the amateur card, Tyrell Woollcott faced off against opponent Jayden Binnie. After a tough fight camp and working with injuries, Tyrell sustained a loss in the third round via submission at the 2:08 mark. Lots to take away from the experience and to work on for next time!
On the co-main event of the night on the professional section of the card, Coach Sam Hibberd finished up for the team against opponent Michael Tobin. Sammy began well, starting aggressively and landing an overhand right before it went to the ground. Sam scrambled on top, but got stuck in a triangle choke. Showing a lot of heart, Sam tried to slam his way out of it about 5 or 6 times, but eventually tapped. Sam will be back stronger for the experience, and we’re looking forward to what 2019 brings for him!
Sunday rolled around, and it was time for the VAMMA Interclub Training Day in St Albans. Up first for the team, Linnea Victoria emerged victorious from her match, landing some good hits against a strong opponent! Congratulations on a well deserved win Linnea!
The boys finished up for the team, with Ben, Pin and Avinash showing great improvement from their first inter club bouts. Congratulations to Franky and Louis on two great first performances in their inter club debuts! It’s been great seeing you all train so hard to prepare, keep up the hard work.
In the Female Novice Adult 61kg(64kg) Gi (White Belt) of the 2018 NSWBJJF Summer Cup, Susy Ferri took away a double gold! Congratulations Susy! It’s been great seeing you put the hard work in on the mats and we can’t wait to see what you achieve in 2019.
Written and compiled by Emilie Yap. Photos: Scarr Photography/Powerplay Promotions, Eternal MMA, Pradeep Singh and Thiago Stefanutti.