Double Dragon - UCMMA 26 & CWFC FN3

To say it's been an insane few days would be an understatement but having a bit of time to think has given me some clarity.

This year is likely to be yet another crazy one so I'm going to use this blog to record every show I go to this year. Last year I went to over 30 shows in a wide variety of places so I like the idea of using the blog for something like this.

February 4th - UCMMA 26

Crazy night in every way imaginable.

It was snowing a bit on the way down but I, in typical English fashion, adopted the 'it'll be alright' mindset and got to London ok.

The real drama, however, happened on the drive home.

The show finished at 11:20ish and I set off with Alison huddled up in the passenger seat.

We usually go m11,m25,m1 but this would proved costly.

It took about an hourish to get out of London but that's nothing unusual. I managed to get to the m11 but it was crawling. It took about 40 minutes to do 5 miles but when I pulled onto the M25 I could tell something was wrong.

There were abandoned cars on the motorway and, as I pulled up under a bridge, I was ready for a bit of a stop but this felt different.

I pulled up at around 1am but I didn't move from that single spot for 4.5hours. Junction 25 was closed but, in that time, I shuffled close to the exit onto the A110.

We got some petrol but there were so many A roads closed that we kept running into problems.

In the end it was a 2006 AA Road Atlas that was my mums that saved the day as Alison navigated us to the A406 then up the M1/A50. The problem with technology is that, when it comes to the crunch, there's usually a reason why people used more traditional methods for hundreds of years.

I'd set off from the Troxy in East London at 11:30 pm and I rolled into bed at 9:30 am.

It was the closest thing to a horror film I've ever seen. People were wandering up and down the carriageway like zombies and there were abandoned cars everywhere.

The problem with this bubble of society we surround ourselves with is that we're painfully ill equipped to deal with the simplest of asks from Mother Nature.

It's like we share a sphere with an unreasonable landlady who, at any point, could turf us out and leave us with nothing.

Cage Warriors Fight Night 3 - February 11th

Judging this time and it was my first time working for Cage Warriors.

I met the likely lads Dean Weir and Neil Hall at Manchester Airport on Thursday AM and we spent the bulk of the day flying, eating and generally chatting. The guys were really easy going and great to chat to so the hours soon flew by as we arrived in Lebanon.

After a grilling at passport control we were picked up by a suited gentleman with a clipboard that read "Cage Fighters."

We got to the hotel, although the neighborhood we drove through looked like Cabal, and I was shocked with just how luxury this place was.

My room was big enough for at least four and the dressing gown made me look like the Cristo Redentor, and the view from the top of the hotel was like the start of Streets of Rage 2.

Friday was a haze of naps, weigh ins, Rice Krispies, near death road crossings, more naps, tea, smoke, sunshine and naps. An enjoyable day.

Saturday saw it all come together as the fights went out all over the world and I sat cageside with my trusty pen and kept score.

I spent the bulk of Sunday travelling, chatting and preparing to see my lovely girlfriend Alison. It was like an 80's film somehow and driving home felt like an early date. All in all it was quite cute and the trip was a fantastic one.

I'll be continuing in this fashion for the bulk of this year so I hope you'll join me as I try to take in a HUGE number of shows and spend great times with good friends watching awesome fights.

Take Care
Ben