February 2001
NARRATOR
Roger Trint, CEO of XCC, had suffered serious financial setbacks in his first month in control.
VINCE WHITEMAN
(XCC owner)
We were three months away from another show and the kitty was already very low.
WYATT SULLIVAN
(XCC announcer)
What’s worse is ten different fighters had their contracts come up for renewal after fighting in January.
VINCE WHITEMAN
These guys were going to expect signing bonuses, and that would eat into the available funds even
further.
STEVEN SEAGAL
(actor, XCC color commentator)
Trint had also made an offer to GAMMA cast-off Aaron McBroom.
ROGER TRINT
The Lightweight division was down to 16 guys. We needed more fighters to keep it viable. I scouted
some debuting fighters, but I wasn’t prepared to hire anyone until they got a fight or two under their
belts at local shows.
VINCE WHITEMAN
The economy was not in the best shape at the time, and it looked to be getting worse. We needed to
establish ourselves as quickly as we could.
STEVEN SEGAL
Within a week McBroom had signed and Trint has locked down the other fighters he needed to
renegotiate with. Brian Claremont, the Bantamweight champion was the key one to secure.
ROGER TRINT
We were still looking at Lamont Banner, he won a fight at an independent show around the time we
were wrapping up other contracts, which meant he wouldn’t be fighting again for at least a month or so.
That bought us some time but with only $25,000 in the bank it didn’t seem likely we’d hire him any time
soon.
VINCE WHITEMAN
One advantage of taking time off was we were still earning money from our sponsors.
STEVEN SEAGAL
I was passing Roger’s office just days after he’d locked down the roster and heard him swearing like a
sailor.
ROGER TRINT
It seemed like GAMMA was out to destroy us. Now they had made an offer to our Lightweight
champion, Glen Siemaszko. As usual, there was no way we could compete.
WYATT SULLIVAN
Glen was scheduled to defend his title in April, but GAMMA had already signed his opponent as well!
VINCE WHITEMAN
Now, no matter who won the fight, the champion would be leaving the company.
ROGER TRINT
I spent days considering what to do. I could strip Siemaszko and find two other guys to fight it out for
the title. Or I let them fight and strip the winner after the show. Hell, I was considering just scrapping the
division entirely.
VINCE WHITEMAN
I convinced Roger getting rid of the lightweights would be a bad idea. Not that he was ever that serious
about cutting them, but what would we do next?
ROGER TRINT
We had a grand total of two scouts on our staff. I’d heard of a guy by the name of Carl Chenoweth, who
called himself ‘The Karate Kid’ in a flagrant breach of copyright. I sent one of our scouts to check him out
but I had a sense he could be a future star.
VINCE WHITEMAN
We needed at least one more guy on our roster in the meantime and Roger and I settled on a street
brawler known as ‘Flaming Fury’ Gene Oakley.
ROGER TRINT
We were halfway through February when Glen made it official. He had signed with GAMMA.
STEVEN SEAGAL
Roger and Vince looked over the April card and the rest of the lightweight division. There just didn’t
seem to be a replacement main event available.
VINCE WHITEMAN
We finally agreed. The title match would go ahead, and someone would leave the company as its
champion.
WYATT SULLIVAN
It wouldn’t have been fair to rob these guys of a chance to go out on top. There would be time to find a
replacement later.
ROGER TRINT
It was the last day of February when Oakley signed.
VINCE WHITEMAN
As March dawned, we awaited the financial report for the month.
STEVEN SEAGAL
A lot was riding on this.
VINCE WHITEMAN
In the end, things weren’t terrible. Sponsorship about covered our administrative fees. We sold some
merchandise and some DVDs. That covered the rest of our incidentals.
ROGER TRINT
It was the signing bonuses that hurt the most. Almost 4 grand. And, in the end, we lost a little less than
that for the entire month.
VINCE WHITEMAN
We could make it to April, in fact, with fewer fighters to re-sign we might even be able to break even.
But that just wasn’t good enough.
ROGER TRINT
The next show grew closer and closer.
VINCE WHITEMAN
I put my foot down. We had to spend less on marketing. It would be a tough balancing act to keep the
gate up without spending as much. Roger didn’t put up much of a fight, but he asked me for more about
once a week. I held firm. $10,000 was the limit.
STEVEN SEAGAL
We were reduced to using flyers, print and some local TV and radio spots.
VINCE WHITEMAN
April dawned; we lost a “whopping” $518 in March. That was due to starting April’s marketing blitz just
at the tail-end of the month.
ROGER TRINT
Melvin Custard, our #10 ranked Lightweight, came up for contract renewal. I turned things over to HR to
handle but I made it clear I wanted to keep him. Losing more lightweights at this time could spell
disaster for the division. He re-signed days later with no issues.
VINCE WHITEMAN
Marketing costs were climbing every day. Roger was in touch with all 16 fighters on the card every day.
WYATT SULLIVAN
Our biggest fear was someone getting injured and having to drop to fewer than eight fights. That would
bother the crowd and the critics as well.
STEVEN SEAGAL
Thankfully, we made it. The weigh-ins even came out fine.
WYATT SULLIVAN
Steven and I were all set to cover the new show.
NARRATOR
Once again held in LA, the next show looked to be make or break for Roger Trint.
XCC: Siemaszko vs Weatherly
VINCE WHITEMAN
It was easy to forget we had some world ranked fighters on our roster. ‘Rowdy’ Roddy Wickham, as an
example, was the #6 Bantamweight in the world and he wasn’t even fighting in one of the main events.
WYATT SULLIVAN
Siemaszko and Weatherly had both main evented for XCC twice before. Losing both of them was not a
pleasant thought.
STEVEN SEAGAL
The two had never fought before. Most of the pundits picked Siemaszko to win in the main event.
WYATT SULLIVAN
The first match on the card was Kyle ‘The Guillotine” Sagal against Bosco ‘Bad Attitude’ Curbeam.
ROGER TRINT
With all the focus on the main event, people had almost overlooked that Curbeam was also leaving for
GAMMA after this fight.
STEVEN SEAGAL
Curbeam brought a 6 and 0 record to the table. Sagal was 5 and 2. They were both wrestlers, although
Curbeam was the more freestyle of the two.
NARRATOR
Freestyle wrestling, like collegiate wrestling, has its greatest origins in catch-as-catch-can wrestling and,
in both styles, the ultimate goal is to throw and pin your opponent to the mat. Freestyle wrestling is the
most complete style of standup wrestling and brings together traditional wrestling, judo, and sambo
techniques.
(Shots of the fights accompany the description)
WYATT SULLIVAN
The first minute or so was just an exchange of strikes, few of which landed. But then, Sagal managed to
take Curbeam down. They fought on the ground for quite a while until Sagal got Curbeam’s back.
STEVEN SEAGAL
That led to a rear naked choke attempt, Curbeam was lucky to avoid it.
WYATT SULLIVAN
Curbeam couldn’t get free as Sagal threw some strikes at him.
STEVEN SEAGAL
I was a little surprised the referee didn’t step in to separate them. In the end, the round ran out.
ROGER TRINT
I’d seen more exciting fights in playgrounds.
WYATT SULLIVAN
Sagal had clearly won the round. Maybe only 10 to 9, but there was no question he was ahead.
VINCE WHITEMAN
We were all hoping for the upset.
WYATT SULLIVAN
Round two started in a familiar fashion. Sagal moved in for a clinch and underhooked Curbeam’s arms. A
quick sweep of the legs and Curbeam was on his back, pulling guard.
STEVEN SEAGAL
The ground game went nowhere. The pair ended up in a scramble that ended with Curbeam pressing
Saga into the cage.
WYATT SULLIVAN
Sagal got in a nasty foot stomp as he smothered Saga against the cage. Several strikes later the ref finally
broke them up.
ROGER TRINT
There was only 90 second left in round 2 and they still weren’t setting the place on fire.
WYATT SULLIVAN
More stand-up wrestling followed.
STEVEN SEAGAL
Now Curbeam pinned Sagal against the cage.
WYATT SULLIVAN
He got in a nice uppercut as they fought, but time ran out before he could do any real damage.
ROGER TRINT
The round was a little better than the first, but it was hardly the exciting opener I was hoping for.
WYATT SULLIVAN
By my scorecard the pair were now tied at one round apiece. That said, we’d see the judges disagree
with me before.
STEVEN SEAGAL
Sagal, who spelled his name wrong as far as I was concerned, went for an early takedown yet again. This
time Curbeam fought free.
WYATT SULLIVAN
Curbeam took control, again pressing Sagal into the cage.
STEVEN SEAGAL
Curbeam through some solid knee strikes as he kept Sagal trapped. The pair traded close punches for
about a minute.
WYATT SULLIVAN
Perhaps scared the ref would break them up, Curbeam went for a takedown, only to be fought off.
ROGER TRINT
There was only half a round left and it was looking like Curbeam would win if it went to decision. I did
not want Curbeam to win.
WYATT SULLIVAN
No matter how the boss felt, he couldn’t affect the fight. Curbeam tried another takedown and this time
he was successful.
STEVEN SEAGAL
Sagal pulled half guard and hung on for dear life. Neither one could gain ground on the other.
WYATT SULLIVAN
Curbeam threw some strikes as he caught his breath.
ROGER TRINT
It looked like he was holding on and hoping the judges would win.
STEVEN SEAGAL
Don’t misunderstand; he clearly wanted to win to look good heading into GAMMA. After all a career
undefeated record is not something you just let slip away.
WYATT SULLIVAN
He had 30 seconds left and all he did was throw some basic strikes. Now he was really counting on the
judges. The problem was he was probably right.
ROGER TRINT
The first judge gave a definitive 30-27 to Curbeam. Then, to my surprise, the next ruled 29-28 for Sagal. I
crossed my fingers. It didn’t help. The last judge went for Curbeam, 29-28. Bosco Curbeam would remain
undefeated as he headed to our competitors.
VINCE WHITEMAN
The match was best described as “decent” which made it a bitter pill to swallow on more than one level.
WYATT SULLIVAN
Up next was David James Diggle versus Wallace ‘All Night Long’ Everett. Both were members of the
same training camp. I’d talked to both of them before the fight and they were both excited to face a
friend and earn bragging rights back at the Halvorsen’s camp.
NARRATOR
According to the odds makers, this was the most evenly matched fight on the card. Diggle had a slight
edge, but not much of one.
WYATT SULLIVAN
The fight got off to a good start. Diggle got in a good jab and a crunching kick to the thigh. Everett fought
back with a jab of his own and a right hook.
STEVEN SEAGAL
Everett took the advantage, landing a few strikes while Diggle’s went wide.
WYATT SULLIVAN
Diggle’s Muay Thai and Everett’s boxing background were combining for a stand up brawl.
NARRATOR
Muai Thai, is a combat sport of Thailand that uses stand-up striking along with various clinching
techniques. This physical and mental discipline includes combat on shins is known as "the art of eight
limbs" because it is characterized by the combined use of fists, elbows, knees, shins, being associated
with a good physical preparation that makes a full-contact fighter very efficient. Muay Thai became
widespread internationally in the twentieth century, when practitioners defeated notable practitioners
of other martial arts.
STEVEN SEAGAL
Everett was coming out ahead, landing considerably more shots than Diggle.
ROGER TRINT
This was more like it. Hard hitting action.
WYATT SULLIVAN
From out of nowhere, Diggle landed a head kick that left Everett on rubber legs.
STEVEN SEAGAL
Diggle went for a Muay Thai clinch and Everett couldn’t fight it off.
NARRATOR
Clinch fighting is the primary focus of many combat sports such as Judo and it is also a fundamental part
of Amateur Wrestling, Sambo, Muay Thai and Mixed martial arts. The nature of the clinch is fighting in
each sport depends on the rules involved. Muay Thai, Kun Khmer put much emphasis on strikes from
the clinch, while Judo focuses on throws.
WYATT SULLIVAN
In the clinch, Diggle blasted Everett with a devastating elbow strike. Everett was out!
STEVEN SEAGAL
All Everett needed to do was avoid that shot for another 9 seconds and the round would have ended.
ROGER TRINT
I admit, I cheered the finish. This was why I loved MMA in the first place, the unexpected.
WYATT SULLIVAN
The fans loved it. Despite ending in the last ten seconds of round 1, the match was a great one.
ROGER TRINT
Marcus Waller was one of those guys who didn’t feel like he needed a nickname. At 25 he was proving
it. He was 4 and 0 in his career and was ranked #19 Bantamweight in XCC. I had faith he could go farther.
The question was could he get past Stefan “Stealth Ninja” Champion.
STEVEN SEAGAL
These two were both Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu fighters. They both had great ground games but neither was the
total package yet.
NARRATOR
Brazilian jiu-jitsu is a martial art, combat sport, and a self defense system that focuses on grappling and
especially ground fighting. Brazilian jiu-jitsu was formed from Kodokan Judo ground fighting (newaza)
fundamentals that were taught by a number of individuals including Takeo Yano, Mitsuyo Maeda and
Soshihiro Satake. Brazilian jiu-jitsu eventually came to be its own art through experiments, practices,
and adaptation of judo knowledge. BJJ promotes the concept that a smaller, weaker person can
successfully defend against a bigger, stronger assailant by using proper technique, leverage, and most
notably, taking the fight to the ground, and then applying joint-locks and chokeholds to defeat the
opponent.
ROGER TRINT
Having two guys in the Bantamweight division with the potential of these two was reassuring. After all,
there was no way GAMMA would steal guys too light for their lightweight division.
WYATT SULLIVAN
Waller was actually the favorite in this fight, despite Champion’s 6 and 1 record making him the #24
ranked Bantamweight in the world.
VINCE WHITEMAN
I made sure I had popcorn ready for the fight. If it was as exciting as the last one we’d go a long way
towards winning over the critics. The last thing I wanted to think about right now was the audience size
and the gate.
WYATT SULLIVAN
As soon as the bell rang, Waller went into a clinch. Second later he had Champion down and was in side
control.
STEVEN SEAGAL
If this fight lasted more than thirty seconds I was expecting a lot of ground work. Both these guys had
the skills it took to end a match from the top or the bottom.
WYATT SULLIVAN
Waller went for a kneebar.
STEVEN SEAGAL
Champion fought it off, but couldn’t get free. Waller tried the kneebar again.
WYATT SULLIVAN
As they struggled, Waller moved into a mount. He grabbed Champion’s arm into an arm triangle and
moved to the side for leverage.
STEVEN SEAGALL
Champion held on as long as he could, long enough he risked an injury, but he had to tap out from the
pain.
ROGER TRINT
It was a good match, but not as good as the previous one. Waller kept his undefeated record. I made a
mental note to give him some tougher competition and see if he could climb the rankings.
WYATT SULLIVAN
Match 4 also featured an undefeated fighter, ‘One Minute’ Ollie Rockmetteller. His 7 and 0 record was
even more impressive than Waller’s, and he was still only 25.
STEVEN SEAGAL
‘Rowdy’ Roddy Wickham was a 28-year old with a strong 10 and 2 record of his own. He was the
underdog, but it was far from a sure thing he’d lose.
WYATT SULLIVAN
Ollie was one hell of a striker. His nickname was well earned; he’d finished his first four opponents in
under 60 seconds. Wickham was tough as nails, he could stand and strike but his true strength was
submission wrestling. His kimura was considered among the best in MMA.
NARRATOR
Kimura (Brazilian jiu-jitsu), chicken wing/double wrist lock (catch wrestling), or reverse keylock are terms
used to specify a medial keylock known in judo as gyaku ude-garami (reverse arm entanglement) or
simply as ude-garami. The application is similar to the americana, except that it is reversed. It needs
some space behind the opponent to be effective, and can be applied from the side control or guard.
Contrary to the americana, the opponent's wrist is grabbed with the hand on the same side, and the
opposite arm is put behind the opponent's arm, again grabbing the attacker's wrist and forming a figurefour. By controlling the opponent's body and cranking the arm away from the attacker, pressure is put
on the shoulder joint, and depending on the angle, also the elbow joint (in some variations the
opponent's arm is brought behind their back, resulting in a finishing position resembling that of the
hammerlock outlined below).
ROGER TRINT
Wickham was the number 6 ranked Bantamweight in the world. I was surprised Ollie was the favorite. If
Ollie could pull off the win his stock would rise considerably.
WYATT SULLIVAN
A respectful touch of gloves started the fight. Then the strikes started.
STEVEN SEAGAL
Ollie hit a beauty of a scything kick to Wickham’s leg.
WYATT SULLIVAN
They traded more blows, nothing significant though.
STEVEN SEAGALL
As the clock marched on, Ollie hit a big right then closed in. Two lefts, a leg kick then an exchange of
blows from both.
ROGER TRINT
Ollie was pressing hard. I was impressed.
WYATT SULLIVAN
Wickham changed tactics, moving in for a clinch then trying a takedown. It didn’t work as Ollie took
control of the grapple.
STEVEN SEAGALL
Ollie pinned Wickham against the cage.
WYATT SULLIVAN
With a minute left in the round, Ollie dominated with knee strikes and punches. He hit a nasty foot
stomp just before the bell.
ROGER TRINT
The crowd had come alive; they were louder than ever before.
WYATT SULLIVAN
Ollie looked to have won that round.
STEVEN SEAGAL
Round two started with some back and forth blows. Ollie was coming out ahead as Wickham tried for a
few clinches. More strikes, then Wickham finally managed to clinch. He got underhooks and lifted Ollie
off his feet, blasting him with a Greco-Roman slam. Ollie managed to pull half guard but it was
Wickham’s biggest move of the fight so far.
WYATT SULLIVAN
Wickham threw some minor strikes as Ollie fought to sweep him off. A mistake in his attempt let
Wickham move into side control. Even from there he couldn’t capitalize, landing some weak shots and
fighting just to keep out of full guard.
ROGER TRINT
The clock was about to run out.
WYATT SULLIVAN
With ten seconds left, Wickham went for an Americana hold.
STEVEN SEAGAL
He got the hold in, just as the clock ran out!
ROGER TRINT
That round had everything, action, drama and effort.
VINCE WHITEMAN
This was what MMA was all about. For now all my worries about money were gone. What mattered was
putting on more matches like this.
WYATT SULLIVAN
As far as I could tell the fighters were tied going into the final round.
STEVEN SEAGAL
A few more strikes before Wickham tried another takedown.
WYATT SULLIVAN
Another Greco-Roman slam, this time Ollie was able to pull full guard. But no one wants to be on their
back against a submission expert, especially not a striker like him.
STEVEN SEAGALL
Wickham kept them close together, throwing some weak strikes but giving Ollie no room to move.
WYATT SULLIVAN
Suddenly, Ollie grabbed Wickham’s arm and lifted his legs. He was going for a triangle choke!
STEVEN SEAGAL
Wickham defended well and kept in tight until the referee separated them and brought them back to
the center of the octagon.
ROGER TRINT
Time was about up and Ollie’s undefeated record was looking to be in jeopardy.
WYATT SULLIVAN
Ollie landed a few blows, and a nice kick to the leg, but he was out of time.
ROGER TRINT
It was going to the judges, Wickham had landed so many ground strikes in the third round I couldn’t see
him losing it. So I was surprised when the first judge went 29-28 for Rockmetteller.
VINCE WHITEMAN
Wickham got a 29-28 score from the second judge.
ROGER TRINT
And then the third. Wickham had won by split decision. Later, I heard people calling the match good. I
thought it had been better than that, but I could be considered biased.
VINCE WHITEMAN
An undefeated record only takes one loss to end. And our next match featured another one.
WYATT SULLIVAN
Match 5 of the night was between Rory “Maradona” McEnterry and ‘First Strike’ Marcus Speed. Rory
was 4 and 0 in his short career. Speed was a little more seasoned and boasted only 1 loss in 8 fights.
Rory was a kickboxer while Speed’s background was in Muay Thai.
ROGER TRINT
Speed was the favorite. Neither of these two were stars, but they both had potential.
WYATT SULLIVAN
Rory’s kickboxing and Speed’s Muay Thai had the potential to be an interesting matchup. Rory had
great kick power but was in need of more cross-training since that was almost the extent of his arsenal.
Speed packed a mean punch and had a better overall game. He’d previously fought as a lightweight but,
now that he was with XCC, he had dropped to featherweight. It was a much better fit.
STEVEN SEAGAL
As soon as the bell rang, Rory came out swinging. His jab missed, but he scored with a leg kick.
WYATT SULLIVAN
Speed came back with an immediate takedown attempt that Rory managed to counter.
ROGER TRINT
Rory did not want to be taken to the mat. It would not go well for him.
WYATT SULLIVAN
Rory hit some strikes, including a high kick to the head, but Speed shrugged them off.
STEVEN SEAGAL
Rory landed a few strikes but closed in too close and wound up with Speed catching his leg. Speed drove
Rory against the cage, looking to neutralize his opponent’s strength by keeping close.
ROGER TRINT
It was a good strategy.
WYATT SULLIVAN
Speed finally got a takedown and, even though Rory got full guard, Speed had the advantage.
STEVEN SEAGAL
Speed threw a few weak punches until Rory tried to break free and Speed could take advantage by
moving into side control.
WYATT SULLIVAN
With less than a minute left Speed went for a kimura. He locked it in!
STEVEN SEAGAL
Somehow, and to this day I’m not sure how, Rory got his arm free or the match would have ended then
and there.
WYATT SULLIVAN
Rory couldn’t get out of side control.
STEVEN SEGAL
With less than ten seconds left, Speed shifted to mount. He raised his fist back – just as the round
ended.
ROGER TRINT
I wonder what Speed could have done with ten more seconds. Still, I figured he was ahead on points.
WYATT SULLIVAN
Speed started round two off like a bullet, shooting in for a takedown.
STEVEN SEAGAL
It failed.
ROGER TRINT
Rory knew he had to stay on his feet and was doing everything in his power to do just that.
WYATT SULLIVAN
Rory’s strikes went wild and Speed tried to take him down yet again. Rory managed to sprawl well then
move out of range. A few more strikes back and forth went nowhere.
STEVEN SEAGAL
Speed shot in again, only to have Rory cut him off with a jab and a body kick.
WYATT SULLIVAN
Speed could not get a takedown attempt off this round.
STEVEN SEAGAL
After a few more attempts, Speed did manage to catch a leg, drive Rory into the cage and go for a trip.
ROGER TRINT
Rory grabbed the cage, a blatantly illegal move, but the referee didn’t see it! I cursed out loud. Vince
looked upset too. What was far worse was he did it again and still the referee missed it!
WYATT SULLIVAN
Speed only grew more determined and he finally managed to trip Rory and get him down. Rory was able
to pull half guard.
STEVEN SEAGAL
Speed landed some weak punches, only to have time expire before he could truly take advantage.
ROGER TRINT
Rory needed a finish or he was going to lose this fight. After cheating twice I felt he deserved to lose
anyway.
WYATT SULLIVAN
As soon as round three began, Rory took the initiative. He pressed in, hitting a few strikes and kicks.
STEVEN SEAGAL
Speed was on the defensive as more shots landed. Speed tried for another takedown; Rory fought him
off. Another attempt was foiled then, to my surprise, Rory went for a takedown.
WYATT SULLIVAN
I was baffled too.
STEVEN SEAGAL
We’ll never know what he planned to do if he did get Speed down, as Speed fought him off and took
control of the grapple. Speed was far more effective at takedowns and soon Rory was on his back with
Speed in side control.
ROGER TRINT
There were only two minutes left or this was going to the judges.
WYATT SULLIVAN
Knowing he was running short on time, Speed went for an arm triangle. Rory got caught. Speed sunk the
hold in deep, and Rory tapped out!
VINCE WHITEMAN
It was easy to see how pleased Roger was.
ROGER TRINT
There was only a minute left in that fight. I won’t say cheaters never win, but today justice had
prevailed. Plus, a finish always thrills the crowd more than a judges’ decision.
VINCE WHITEMAN
It was another good match, but Roger and I were both hoping to see a truly spectacular one in the next
three.
ROGER TRINT
Another featherweight match was next.
WYATT SULLIVAN
‘The Archer’ Ivan Bokhur, put the “mixed” in Mixed Martial Arts. At just 25 he was trained in a number
of disciplines and boasted an 8 and 1 record.
STEVEN SEAGAL
‘The Highlight’ Harvey Ripa was almost the opposite. A kick boxer by trade he was a one-dimensional
fighter, a throwback to the early days of the sport. His knockout power was unquestionable, as his 11
and 6 record showed. Neutralize his one strength though, and he was in deep trouble.
ROGER TRINT
Bokhur was a pretty heavy favorite.
WYATT SULLIVAN
I really did not know what to expect from this fight. It could end in an eye blink or turn into a gruelling
back and forth.
STEVEN SEAGAL
It started with an exchange of strikes. I hadn’t expected Ripa to throw more punches than kicks but that
was the case early on.
WYATT SULLIVAN
After more than a minute, Bokhur managed to trap Ripa in a clinch. Then he muscled him into the cage
and tripped him to the ground.
STEVEN SEAGAL
Ripa was lucky to even pull half guard.
WYATT SULLIVAN
Bokhur hit an elbow strike that opened a noticeable gash above Ripa’s hairline.
STEVEN SEGAL
Ripa’s lack of ground defence showed as Bokhur swiftly moved into a mount.
ROGER TRINT
I watched as Bokhur just opened up on Ripa.
STEVEN SEAGAL
He was barely defending himself.
WYATT SULLIVAN
The ref pulled Bokhur off, it was definitely the right thing to do.
ROGER TRINT
It was a TKO, rather than a true KO, but it was still exciting to watch.
VINCE WHITEMAN
Despite lasting only 3:28 it was memorable, a great match really.
ROGER TRINT
The co-main took us back to the Bantamweight division.
WYATT SULLIVAN
This was a fight between two undefeated fighters. D’Arcy Spode was a Canadian with a 9 and 0 record.
Jez Worplesdom fought out of Northern Ireland and was 6 and 0.
ROGER TRINT
Given our size, getting a European to fight with us had been tough. I wasn’t entirely sure he’d re-sign
when his contract was up.
STEVEN SEAGAL
Spode was the more talked about of the two, and the most lopsided favorite on the entire card. He was
the #10 Bantamweight in the company. A win would improve that.
ROGER TRINT
Spode made a show of refusing to touch gloves at the start of the match. That ticked off some people in
the crowd. I wasn’t one to get hung up on the ‘honor’ of the sport, but I also wasn’t sure showboating
would keep the crowd happy.
WYATT SULLIVAN
Spode’s first jab looked like it was thrown by a kitten, but Jez missed his next two.
STEVEN SEAGAL
The crowd was already restless after Spode’s antics, this lack of big hits only made it worse.
WYATT SULLIVAN
They engaged again, Jez missed with two more shots and it left him open. Spode hit a left jab and a
vicious right cross. Jez wobbled, then fell.
ROGER TRINT
A knock down less than a minute in was making Spode look great, which much of the audience was
against. MMA was not pro-wrestling. There aren’t supposed to be good guys and bad guys. Yet some
fighters either had a personality that went one way or the other, or thought it would be good for their
career to fake it.
STEVEN SEAGAL
Spode moved fast, kneeling beside his opponent and raining punches down on him.
WYATT SULLIVAN
It was another ugly scene as shot after shot landed hard. Jez was getting hammered and the referee had
a choice to make.
ROGER TRINT
Just like the last match, the referee stopped the fight. Another TKO finish was in the books, this time in
57 seconds.
VINCE WHITEMAN
It wasn’t a bad match, but the crowd never quite got into it. I think Spode’s antics played a part in that.
ROGER TRINT
It was time for our main event, a lose-lose situation.
WYATT SULLIVAN
Glen Siemaszko was 30 years old and boasted a 7 and 1 record. A former marine, he wore camouflage
shorts, gloves and a headband for all his appearances.
ROGER TRINT
I could have done so much with this guy if he had only stayed.
VINCE WHITEMAN
You have to realize, he had just won the title. This was his first defense ever.
WYATT SULLIVAN
Duane ‘The Weatherman’ Weatherly had been with XCC from the beginning. He was 34 at the time and
had 26 fights under his belt, 18 of them wins. The Quebecois was a very good kick boxer, just like Glen. It
looked to be a great match and the odds were damn close, Glen just edging out Duane.
ROGER TRINT
Like all XCC title matches this one could go five 5-minute rounds.
VINCE WHITEMAN
I bought Roger and myself a beer as we sat to watch these two for what would be the last time.
WYATT SULLIVAN
The two touched gloves. Pretty much everyone in the crowd knew what was going on, but they
remained respectful as they match unfolded.
STEVEN SEAGAL
It was an upright start but both men stayed on the defense so not much landed. A minute passed with
only a few jabs landing from either man.
WYATT SULLIVAN
They tried both punches and kicks, but still nothing significant landed.
STEVEN SEAGAL
Almost a minute and a half in, Glen hit a brace of jabs. Duane fought back with a right roundhouse kick
to the body.
ROGER TRINT
I could feel the audience getting restless as blow after blow missed the mark.
WYATT SULLIVAN
It was a stand up brawl in the center of the cage but neither seemed able to build any momentum.
STEVEN SEAGAL
Occasionally there would be a blow worth noting, but nothing seemed to do any lasting damage.
Eventually the round ground to an end.
WYATT SULLIVAN
Glen Siemaszko had landed a few more hits than ‘The Weatherman’ and looked to have won the round.
ROGER TRINT
Round 2 was more of the same. In the first 2 minutes Glen hit one good kick.
WYATT SULLIVAN
Of the few shots that did land, Glen was landing more. By the end of the round it looked like Glen was
up 2-0.
STEVEN SEAGAL
Round 3 launched with more stand up striking, only now more shots were landing. Glen was starting to
dominate.
ROGER TRINT
Glen hit a beauty of a right cross in the final seconds of round 3. Duane was rocked, stumbling
backwards just trying to protect himself.
WYATT SULLIVAN
Glen pressed forward with a big right hand shot and Weatherly went down hard. But that was it, the
round was over. There was no way you could question Glen had won that round. He was cruising to a
victory at this point.
STEVEN SEAGAL
Round 4 saw Glen systematically taking Duane apart. Just over a minute in he rocked Duane with a hard
right hook. Glen pounced with another huge right that took his opponent to the cage floor once again.
This time, the clock was not going to stop him.
WYATT SULLIVAN
Glen started unloading with shots.
ROGER TRINT
Weatherly wasn’t even defending himself and the referee stopped the fight within seconds. It was the
third TKO in a row.
VINCE WHITEMAN
Credit where it’s due, it was a great match and both these guys gave it their all despite knowing they
were on their way to bigger and, hopefully, better things.
NARRATOR
Critics were generally positive about the show and more fans tuned in to SportTube than for the
previous broadcast.
ROGER TRINT
The main event was the fight of the night, which always helps mollify the armchair bookers out there.
Speed got the submission of the night award; KO of the night was an easy choice since there was only
one.
VINCE WHITEMAN
Giving out $1000 in bonuses might not seem like much but in our financial shape it was significant.
ROGER TRINT
Then came the moment of truth. Even watching from where we were I could see the crowd was about
the same as last time.
NARRATOR
The final numbers came in late that night.
VINCE WHITEMAN
The show made a profit of about $23,000. That wasn’t much better than last time; except that this time
our marketing budget was $10,000 instead of $75,000.
NARRATOR
When all the numbers for the month came in Trint was in for better news.
VINCE WHITEMAN
We weren’t in the black; we’d lost a little over $3,500. But we had $22,000 left in the bank. More
importantly, people were talking about us. I actually heard one sports jockey refer to us as a ‘Mid-Level
Regional’ company. No one had even called us that before.
ROGER TRINT
I wasn’t finished yet…
TO BE CONTINUED