Review

CALL me sick and twisted, but there is something perversely engrossing about watching two men beat each other to a pulp in a cage.

And I am not alone in this fascination, as hundreds of fans packed out the Troxy hall in east London to witness The Ultimate Challenge UK.

There were few people wincing and covering their eyes as kicks and punches connected and blood dripped on the fighters' faces like a badge of honour.

The early fights were blink-and-you-will-miss-it affairs, in particular the welterweight clash between Pablo Ben and Colin French. Ben's frizzy ponytail was in a mess by the end of the fight, as he was punished by a series of hefty blows. Ben managed to get up the first time, but French got the better of him again before the referee stopped the carnage.

The next bought between Dave Nobel versus Rafik Benziada was a traditional slugfest. It began in a frenetic pace with both fighters not looking to hang around for long as they traded blows. They both appeared worn out with the fight petering out until Nobel clinched victory in the third round.

That fight was bettered though by the clash between Azran Qausid against Scott Jansen. It was a bloody affair with Jansen's vision obscured by the blood drizzling over his battered face. But he still managed to pull off a victory with a trademark series of punches to the face.

In stark contrast, the match between Peter Yandel v Karlos Vermola was a brutal 50-second affair with the latter bulldozing his opponent, before striking him with his flabby arms before the ref jumped in.

A fight for the purists was Edgelson Lua vs John Maguire which went the distance. There was lots of grappling, technical holds, and rolling around on the canvas with Maguire snatching it on points.

There was a welcome return to violence in the heavyweight match up between Shola Adeniran versus Stav Economu. Economu won after steam rolling his opponent to the ground before beating him to a pulp. It capped off an entertaining evening which left fight fans thirsty for more.

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