Hook N Shoot Revolution - kobieca gala MMA, wyniki i zdjecia

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Tara LaRosa vs Shelby Walker

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Debi Purcell vs Christine Van Fleet

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'REVOLUTION' - The Women of MMA Take Center Stage!
Submitted by: ADCC NEWS
Posted On 04/16/2002

Memorial Coliseum, Evansville, Indiana


'History has been set!' whoops Jeff Osborne. 'When our show clicks, we really have a good time, and the women really seized the moment for REVOLUTION, they all fought with a higher purpose.' continues Osborne.

The arena was near full, with close to 2300 people in attendance for the first ever MMA event on American soil to feature an all female card. Few knew what to expect, and there was a lot of tension and anticipation in the air prior to the event. As the night started, the Evansville crowd responded from the opening bell and the women really cut loose and put on a show!

A video montage on current UFC Heavyweight Champion Josh Barnett got the crowd started. Then the announcer said 'Josh Barnett, please come to the ring'. Barnett was introduced to the stoked crowd, UFC gold around his waist. Then the women were introduced with a video presentation that ended with the screen catching fire - the first every pyrotechnics in HnS history - and after that - it was all in the capable hands of the athletes themselves!


PICTURE: Purcell and Van Fleet - head on! (Pic by Keith Mills)


SYNOPSIS - Match by Match:



Erica Montoya v. Ruth Mejia: Montoya by arm lock, RD 1.
Mejia was the lightest fighter, at 113 lbs. and she had the misfortune of running into the 17 year old 'protege' among the ladies, Erica Montoya. Montoya is a really interesting story, as she is now 2-0 in MMA at her young age, with the full support of her parents who back her drive in martial arts. Montoya also displayed a real schooled, aggressive style as she took it to Mejia from the outset. She punched standing, and she got the takedown. She passed the guard, throwing punches until she got mounted. Mejia ate a lot of blows as Montoya trapped an arm at one point. The onslaught ended as Montoya swung into a tight arm lock from the mounted position.

Shannon Hooper v. Olga Bakalapoulos: Olga by key lock, RD 1.
It would be Shannon Hooper and Olga Bakalapoulos that would begin to raise the level of the event. Hooper, out of AMC Pankration got the crowd worked up with a real crisp stand up game. Olga, a ground fighting specialist, was feeling the pressure, but she answered the call. Olga landed a huge haymaker that changed the pace of the fight. From there, she got it to the ground where she took it to Hooper. Olga used a mean, grinding ground game to wear out Hooper, and finished with a key lock. An inspiring victory, Olga finished 2nd in the voting for the coveted TAPOUT Fighter of the Night award.

Jessica Ross v. Jennifer Irons: Ross by Triangle, RD 1.
Ross and Irons went to the ground early, as Ross wanted to use her guard against Irons, who was over the contracted weight due to a miscommunication with her team. Ross moved from arm lock to triangle, which she used to finish in RD 1.

Angela Wilson v. Tanya Vlahac: Wilson by Ref Stoppage in RD 1 - strikes.
This was a bit of a grudge match, as the two Canadians had competed in grappling tournaments with Wilson coming out ahead. Vlahac, a very fit 44 year old came in throwing bombs, hoping to take it to Wilson, who is known for her judo techniques. Wilson had real boxing skills as well, as she answered with crisp punches of her own. The crowd reacted to the battle as both competitors let it all go! Vlahac landed a huge bomb that sent Wilson down on her butt - but not for long! Wilson got up and charged Vlahac, getting the match tot he ground. She cleared her head and ended the fight with a barrage of punches that caused the ref to stop it. Going into the intermission, the building was sky high!

INTERMISSION: The intermission was long, even by the standards of HnS, but the crowd remained pumped up. SUPERHEAVYWEIGHT Champion (in the men's divisions) Ian Freeman of Great Britain was introduced to the crowd and presented with the new HOOKnSHOOT Championship belt. Freeman talked about the pressure he faces headlining the UFC's first British show in July and he relishes it! 'Have you ever seen the Royal Albert Hall?' starts The Machine. 'It is for concert music, orchestras play there and the acoustics are incredible. You are going to hear every blow!' reveals Freeman. 'I am working on an intro to, a band is putting a production together. When I go into the UFC Octagon it will be pandemonium!'

Angela Restad v. Mayra Conde: 2 RDS - 10 Minutes, Majority Draw.
It would be the opener of the second half of the night that would electrify the crowd. This bout was a gut check that evolved into a ten minute war that had the crowd standing! Conde is a powerhouse from the BHJJ Club, while Restad had AMC Pankration's Charlie Pearson in her corner. Conde appeared to get the edge in the first round as the battle went back and forth. Conde worked top position effectively, working to attrit the her lighter opponent. In the second round, Conde would slow down, and Restad would come to life. Restad landed jabs to the face of Conde, and she made the takedowns hard with a real tight thai clinch. In the clinches she used hammering knees to eat at the sides of Mayra. Mayra responded with power, though the techniques were wearing he down a bit. Conde got the fight to the ground, and went for an armbar that Restad defended. Restad intelligently held her arm and allowed Conde to burn off a lot of energy going for the lock - when Restad pulled her arm free, she got Conde's back and applied a pounding. Retad went for the rear naked choke - but Conde resisted, showing hug heart. As the bell rang, Conde was reversing back to the guard. Restad and Conde would be a draw, and certainly this was the fight of the night. The FIGHTER of the NIGHT would be Angela Restad, an award that Conde also received heavy consideration for. 'It is an old HnS cliche' says Jeff Osborne, 'but fights like that only happen when both competitors give it their all'. Restad was given the edge by one judge, while two others called it a draw.

Shelby Walker v. Tara LaRosa: LaRosa by TKO - Strikes from the Mount, RD 1.
Another grudge match, this one from the internet. Walker and LaRosa circled as both measured each other. It was LaRosa who would close and get the takedown, and she wound up mounted. Walker appeared to give up her arm (as she did once before with Judy Neff) but LaRosa chose to close out with punches. Afterwards, LaRosa jubilant, Walker dejected.

Debi Purcell v. Chris Van Fleet:
Debi Purcell is NOT LIKE OTHER GIRLS! She looks like she has honed her skills very well under trainer Marco Ruas. Van Fleet came out fearless and both met in the middle of the ring aggressively punching. It was Purcell who landed the harder shots - Van Fleet would say afterwards 'She got me good on the very first one - I was in trouble from there'. Well she didn't show it, as the game Van Fleet clinched up and almost pulled off a real good hip throw! However, Purcell was too precise with her technique - she wound up mounted on Van Fleet. From there it was good ole RVT - Purcell threw precision punches, that Van Fleet battled. Purcell was wearing out Christine, though Van Fleet's heart showed until the end. Eventually she gave up her back, where she was punished by Purcell even more. Purcell closed with the choke, to cap off a historic card!

CONCLUSION:
'The women really seized the moment, they pulled off a historic card. Wilson, Van Fleet, Purcell, Olga, Mayra, Restad - all the compeitiors displayed attitude, professionalism and real fighting spirit.' describes Osborne. 'It was not like the men are today, the women need more opportunities to develop, but I saw skill level similar to the early UFCs - thai clinches, arm bars, triangles and we saw some skilled striking and big power shots. I saw potential - I just hope it catches on because from what we saw, the women are ready to answer the call for the sport of MMA!'

Erica vs Ruth

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