I was up at 8:00am and very excited unusual for a non morning guy.  We grabbed some bananas and juice at Spar and caught the bus outside Trinity College to University College Dublin.  Everyone on the bus must have been from out of town and worried about missing their stops, because they kept going up to the driver and ask him at every stop if they should get off. It was to the point the driver was getting frustrated the entire lower level of the bus started laughing.  We arrived at UCD and walked across campus, the campus is very nice. Of course, we knew this was Irish-time and things wouldn't likely get going until 12 at the earliest. But being the punctual Americans we still showed up at 9:45. 

I didn’t know anything about my opponents and the fighters could be from any style. About the only fighters I had any clue about were the Muay Thai guys because they were wearing the wild looking shorts. Some of the matches were very brutal.

They called my name,  the ref pointed me to my corner then my opponent Andrew Dwyer from Melborne Australia to his corner.  Then the referee called us to the center and refreshed us on the rules.  My body was surprisingly calm, no running sweat, my heart rate seemed almost too low but my mind was racing a million miles an hour.   He sent us to our corners then asked each one of us if we were ready, then “fight!”  I came to the center, circled a bit side-hop.  I struck first with a round house kick to his right leg he partially defended by lifting his leg.  My shin hit his knee.  When he blocked the kick I dropped my foot to the mat and shot into clinch.  I got double under hooks.  I tried to duck under for the back but he blocked it.  I picked him straight up to slam him but he wrapped his legs around my waist and I couldn’t slam, in guard it’s against the rules to slam.  His weight pulled me down but I was able to stay on my feet, but bent over.  He started to grab my arms but I pulled up and back and was now standing in his open guard.  I hooked my arm around his right ankle and dropped back.  On the way down, I put my foot on his hip and arched hard.  He rolled onto his right side.  The referee moved around and all three of us stopped when we heard a crack.  The ref put his hands on both of us to stop the match.  I won fight #1via ankle lock. 

My second match was against Ryan Smyth of Sligo, a very popular town in the Northwest of Ireland.  My wife for some reason felt the need to tell me a couple minutes before my second fight she had seen Ryan’s first match and he looked very good, thanks honey!  Again I circled, then shot in and had double under-hooks.  I tried to get a technical take down but I ended up falling on top of him getting mount.  He covered tight to his body and I couldn’t separate his arms, so I hit him with five punches to the right side.  Then he bumped his hips so I had to post my hands out, I regained my position and came back and hit him with seven punches on the left side and then back to the right side with two punches.  I was trying to separate his arm for upward shoulder lock, but he kept bumping, so I kept hitting him on, both sides.  Having no success getting his arm, I popped up to knee on stomach and hit his left side ribs with punches.  As he started to escape I moved to knee on chest and sort of North South I continued to hit his ribs with punches and hammer fists 12 total.   He turned to his side, escaping the knee on chest, then turned to his knees.  I was facing him on my knees in north-south but had no contact. I put my arm around his neck for a guillotine, but before I could lock my second arm up he spun dynamically into the arm around his neck.  We both rolled a few times, sort of on and off his back.  At this point we were close to the edge of the mat.  I was standing crouched over in his open guard.  He tried to get my arms. I passed his guard on the outside, grabbed his arms, and pulled him away from the edge of the mat.  I took knee on stomach, then mount.  I got his right arm separated before he was able to defend.  I tried to set up the arm-bar, but he bumped and got his arm back.  Two more strikes to the ribs and then a shot to the mouth.  His mouthpiece was out, but I hadn’t noticed until I saw his slightly bloody mouth. I paused for a second, grabbed his mouth guard, and put it in his mouth from mount.  I wasn’t trying to be funny, but the crowd thought it was. He protected his arms well and was good at off balancing me by bumping his hips all the time. So back I went to knee on stomach.  He escaped it and I ended up in across-side.  He rolled away from me onto his side. I reached under his neck with one arm and over his body with the other grabbing tightly. I rolled back attempting to get his back.  He escaped well by kicking his legs back over his head and using the momentum I created when pulling him back.  I was on his side legs and arms locked up on him I punched his back a few times.  He worked to a good knee base and worked me flat on my back.  I tried to arm-bar from the bottom but he pulled his arm out and rolled as I was still driving my leg for the arm bar. Looking back I think I should have slowed down a bit at this point and used more technique.  I stood up and he kicked both legs up at me from his back.  I grabbed his ankles, hooked my arm around one and dropped back for ankle lock.  He came up, was able to overpower my foot on hip, and slickly stepped over me escaping the ankle lock.  He then rolled-scrambled away, sort of on his hands and feet.  I chased and shoved him on the lower back while he was bent over and trying to get to his feet.  He rolled and ended up on his back.  I pounced on top of him ending up in half guard and starting to pass.  I punched him twice and the referee yelled, “Time!”  I was very disappointed because the only way you can win is by TKO or submission.  Then the referee said the match wasn’t over, my opponents gum shield had come out again.  He warned my opponent about keeping his gum shield in and that we had 35 seconds left.  It wasn’t until we stopped that I realized how winded I was.  The referee started us in the center of the ring, and me in across-side.  I had a second chance and I wanted to win the fight.  On the restart I popped up to knee on stomach.  I got partial control of his near side arm.  He rolled away from me to his side.  I swung my leg over his head and dropped back.  On the way back, I put my second leg over his body.  I went back for arm bar and win #2.  

I was extremely proud to win both my fights by submission.  Its not as easy as they make it look on ADCC or Pride. I can’t even imagine how good you would have to be to submit a fighter of that caliber.   After leaving the ring I asked if I could have another fight, they said no only allow 2 fights per tournament, I might be hooked.  Out of the 22 fighters for the 2005 league season only thee other fighters were able to get more than two wins. 

I have been in Ireland for only 2 months, so with out a doubt a majority of the credit for these wins goes to all my training partners on the competition team and my instructors at the Warrior’s Cove back in Minnesota.  I didn’t change anything from what I learned at the Cove.  With my leg injury I had to modify my game plan and the knowledge I brought with me from the Cove allowed me to do that successfully.   Having trained in phases of fighting I was comfortable standing or going to the ground.  All those tough free form fighting intervals and sparing matches with Josh and Mr. Arnebeck were huge advantage for me. Now go train at the Cove! Why? Because you can! I miss you guys. 

Your friend,

Scott