Brave fighters impress the crowd in tough contest (From Penarth Times)

Brave fighters impress the crowd in tough contest

THREE young fighters from Penarth's mixed martial arts club showed their skills in a contest on Sunday, October 3.

Daryl Earl, aged 17, won his fight by forcing his opponent to submit; Adan Cole, aged 16, drew in his contest; and late entry Michael Poole, aged 19, won by referee decision.

In testament to the high regard these boys have earned, 36 members of the club travelled to the show to support them.

The atmosphere was electric with Penarthians being only about a 20th of the audience but certainly making more than half the noise.

All three fights were under semi-pro rules: two rounds of five minutes with strikes only to the body when wrestling on the ground. These rules are designed to allow new fighters to develop their skills while minimising the risk of injury.

First out was Adan. In a well-matched fight they both fought creditably and Adan earned the respect of the audience for his quick movement on the ground and ability to turn difficult situations around.

Despite this, he looked the loser after the first round. However his fitness and character showed. He settled into the fight in the second round and controlled his opponent throughout and came out with a draw.

Nevertheless, it was one of the best fights of the night and a hard act to follow.

Next up was Mike (Pooly) for his first ever fight. He had stepped in at the last moment and so had little time to prepare (he hadn't even told his mum!).

Despite this and having been unable to train for much of the year following a serious rugby injury, he turned out more than fit to fight. Using his legendary strength, he dominated his opponent for the two rounds, winning by unanimous decision of the referees.

It is fair to say that our final warrior Daryl took a beating in the first round and was looking to be losing the second as well. As he later explained though, he was just angling for position for his killer move.

When it finally came it was so fast some people missed it. Seeing that his opponent was overshooting his strikes and allowing his arm to straighten, Daryl waited for the perfect moment to capture the arm.

In a second he had his opponent arm locked and forced him to submit. Daryl won his bout outright.

Some 39 ecstatic Penarthians made their way home. Victorious we may be but Pooly still has to break the news to his mam!