In the run up to May 8th, 2010, Neil Grove was a big favourite going into his Heavyweight Title defence. UK-side, Grove only holds one loss; that being to Rob Broughton who was recently snapped up by the UFC, and his heavy striking has seen him emerge victorious over the likes of Martin Thompson, James McSweeney and James Thompson.
However, determined not to roll over for the striking specialist, challenger Stav Economou put in an excellent performance, only for it to merit a split draw, therefore meaning Grove retained his crown.
Main Event: Grove vs. Economou
At the start of the first, he knocked Grove (130kg) down with a left. Grove recovered well, but this was a statement of intent from the 'Crazy Bear.' In the clinch Economou (128kg) worked hard towards the end of the session, earning him the round.
UFC-veteran Grove landed some decent overhand rights in round two, and his general workrate won him the round. He connected with hard, punishing blows, and while Economou landed some, 'Goliath' was the more effective.
Stav got cut under the left eye in the third, and up to the last minute, it was razor close, with both having their moments. However, when both were exhausted, Economou poured it on in the last minute, landing massive shots. If the round had lasted thirty seconds longer, the contest may well have been stopped.
As it was though, the judges had to be called upon. One scored it 29-28 in favour of Economou, another by the same margin to Grove, and the final judge called it 29-29, thus resulting in a split draw. Economou, now 10-1-1, was fuming, while Grove, whose record now stands at 8-2-1, looked relieved. A rematch to settle this is an absolute necessity.
Undercard at 'Never Back Down'
The co-main event starred Jimi Manuwa, who successfully defended his UCUK Light Heavyweight Title against late replacement Reza Mahdavian.
Apart from showboating from Mahdavian (93kg), the opening was tentative. The fight finished abruptly though, as a precise left from Manuwa (93kg) put the TSG man down, and before the 'Poster Boy' brutalised him with ground and pound, the referee halted proceedings after 3:19. This takes Maunwa to 8-0, while Mahdavian falls to 5-3.
Paul Cahoon (84kg) returned to action, taking on the overmatched Earl Brown (84kg). Early on, Cahoon scored a knockdown from a right straight, before taking side control. A bizarre turn of events saw Brown require a long break citing an eye injury, but once the bout got going again, a left hook caused him to hit the deck once more.
Brown continued to be battered in the second, as Cahoon was the superior fighter. The 36 year-old found himself in a leg-lock at the end of the round, and despite tapping, was saved by the bell. However, his corner decided they'd seen enough, and after round two, the bout was stopped.
This was the correct choice. Brown, now 5-5, wasn't going to pull off the victory, and would have continued to take more punishment. Cahoon improved to 12-12.
The fight of the night had to be Jamaine Facey's (77kg) scintillating win over Dyson Roberts (77kg). Both swung for the fences standing, and on the ground, both battled for top position viciously. The difference maker proved to be Facey's improved BJJ, as shown by his fight winning rear-naked choke. Roberts tapped after 2:37 of the second, ending a vocal rivalry. Roberts dropped to 4-2, while Bandogs' Facey improves to 5-4.
'Never Back Down' staged two UK-1 bouts with a twist. Instead of the usual boxing gloves, combatants would wear 4oz MMA gloves, with the hope of more knockouts. Ironically, both went the distance.
Luke Sines (84kg) came close to stopping Mark Epstein (84kg) though. After two scrappy rounds, Sines showed his class in the third, flooring his foe with a left body kick, before relentlessly attacking him until the bout was over. The unanimous decision he earned was certainly fair.
Dan Smith's (66kg) UK-1 contest with Brad Wheeler (66kg) was fought at a frantic pace, with the former doing the better work throughout. The Semtex product was rewarded for his cleaner efforts with a unanimous decision.
Standing, Scott Jansen (70kg) was doing well against Djo Lema (70kg), but a mistake cost him dearly. The Keddle's man dropped down for a guillotine, only not to get it, and Lema to work his way to an armbar. This forced Jansen to tap after 3:05 of the first and fall to 5-8, while Lema gets his record off to a good start, moving to 1-0.
Colin French (77kg) remained undefeated after beating Jody Cottham in one round. To do this, he had to remain patient in a Cottham guillotine, but after that scary spell, it was all French. He maintained posture well, en route to the referee calling the bout off due to a mass of ground and pound after 3:51. French takes his record to 3-0, while Cottham decreases to 2-9.
Lee Wieczorek (77kg) did all was asked of him in getting the win over Dean Bray (77kg). After a takedown, he took side control and worked his way to a north-south choke. This marked the end, and after 2:52 of round one, Bray, 3-6 after this, was forced to tap. Wieczorek took his tally to 7-3.
Titan's Andy Gooch (77kg) moved to 2-0 by beating Michael Brown (77kg). Brown landed a good right uppercut early, but this caused Gooch to look for the takedown, with which he had success. From here, he took mount and unleashed relentless ground and pound. After 4:47, the referee called it off, consequently decreasing Brown to 2-4.
Two debutants collided as Carl Kinslow (77kg) squared off against Luke Newman (77kg). Kinslow initiated a clinch, but after being unsuccessful in scoring the takedown, when given space, Newman opened up, forcing a referee's stoppage after 2:09.
In the show opener, Tom Dixon (66kg) came through a slam and ground and pound from Dan Shortman (66kg) to earn a submission win via triangle in his pro-debut. The submission came after 2:38 of round one, and caused Shortman to drop to 0-4.
