It has now been almost a week since Almighty FC 25 went down. A stacked card with plenty of action, now the dust has settled we thought we would take a retrospective look at the event as a whole. Breaking the event down, here are our five takeaways from the night.
Two Draws
Not something you see every day in the MMA world, a draw is quite rare to see nowadays. With scoring criteria as divisive as ever, many scorecards differ across the board. However, it was a huge surprise to witness two draws at the same event.
The first of two was Charlie Hodgson vs Cole Gifford. A majority draw which saw the judges score it (29-28, 28-28, 28-28). Probably a fair result given the competitive nature of the fight.
The second was slightly further up the card when Sheldon Ryan took on Malik Basahel. The judges scored this contest 28-28 across the board. After an intense first round, Ryan was unhappy with something and took issue with the ref. Clearly, in a manner the official was unhappy with, he deducted one point from the fighter. As the fight continued it turned into a cracker with both men showcasing their skills.
Competitive Fights
On this particular night, the judges were extremely busy. With the two previously mentioned draws a further 12 fights went the distance. Out of the 14, only two were scored with one fighter winning all three rounds across the board. This was an indicator of how competitive the night was as a whole.
Lots of back and forth action this show was full of great matchmaking. Pairing talented amateurs against one another allows us fans to get the best possible action.
Submissions Rule the Finishes
20 fights in the night, we already know 14 went to decisions. That leaves us with six finishes, five of which came by way of submission. A grapple heavy show it’s no surprise the ground game stole the show.
Obviously, as an amateur contest, there aren’t as many strikes available to throw, thus leading to more people aiming to use their superior ground game to get the win. Of the five submissions, four were chokes and the remaining one was a Kimura. Despite being a mainly amateur event, the level was extremely high and led to some top finishes.
Teddy Adlington-Stringer
In the co-main event, was Teddy Adlington-Stringer. The reigning AFC Lightweight champion took on Kyle Davies. Teddy won the fight 2:05 into round one, with a Rear Naked Choke. Defending his belt in incredibly impressive fashion, left many wondering what was next to come.
Now with an amateur record of 13-6, Teddy has some excellent experience. At only 21-years-old with 19 fights under his belt, is it time to go pro? No one could argue after his electric display at Almighty FC 25, so make sure you keep an eye.
George Staines
Another champion topped the card, this time at Featherweight. Moving to 9-0 George put on a clinic in five rounds of domination against a tough opponent in Aaron Givens. Unblemished as an amateur the 21-year-old has had the perfect career start and looks full of potential should he take it to the pro scene.
After winning his last fight comfortably, what else is there for George Staines on the amateur scene? 9-0, beating a whole host of top competition, it really might be George Staines’ time to take over.
What did you make of Almighty FC 25?
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Featured image credits to @almightyfc on Facebook
