MMA SPORT COMBAT SOMBO AND PANKRATION CHAMPIONSHIPS

By Sean O'Connor

THE British Sombo Federation has held a double competition in Pankration and Sport Combat Sombo.

The event was held at Swale Martial Arts Club, Sittingbourne, Kent, and feature two separate competitions, one run by the British Combat Sombo Association and the other by the newly formed PankrationUK.

First it was the turn of competitors fighting the MMA Sport Combat Sombo contest.

Organiser Martin Clarke said: "It was decide to run a trial event with just a few competitors to test whether or not the events could be a success and I pleased to say it was.

"MMA SportCombatSombo is a mixture of Grappling and striking, with the emphasis on grappling, and is a derivative of Combat Sambo which is practised throughout the world.

"Sombo style allows kicks to the groin, to the head, joints and allows punching to the head whilst on the ground, although it has a massive following it does not have mass appeal for practitioners." 

Martin, who founded the CombatSombo system, believes that the style is to dangerous for the amateur Somboist and is nearly impossible to insure people for events.

So he redeveloped it suit his own moral code and make it much safer so out go all punching to the head whilst on the ground, kicking to the groin and joints.

Kicks and punches to the head must only be done against the head guard, no elbow strikes are allowed and competitions can be done on a mat not a ring or cage.

MMA SportCombatSombo Players wear Sambo jackets, shorts and boots plus head guard, shin and instep and MMA Gloves. 

Competitors can win through scoring points. Throws can bring total victory with 4pts, 2pts, 1pts awarded depending on the type of throw used. Strikes can be 4pts for a count of 8, total victory on a count of 10, and a ground hold gains 2pt or pts. Competitors can also win by submission by strangle, arm lock, leg lock, ankle lock. A contestant also wins if the reach 12 clear pts or end of match have a majority of points.

Martin added: "This has made it a safer sport and more importantly a sport that can be insured, as its a sport not a gladiatorial conflict.

"Danny Carrott at 23-years-old was the youngest competitor and, as a highly ranked Sombo Wrestler, Kurash player and Judoka, was the favourite to win the over 80 kg section.

"Danny won with some panache with only his 51-year-old father giving him some problems. Danny realised that by taking a few strikes to his body and head guard he could get in close to destroy his opponent with a devastating throw.

"I can see that MMA SportCombatSombo will be a success if we can convince people it not another form of Cage Fighting and the Injury level is minimal and no more dangerous then Judo, it is a safe way to link Striking arts and Grappling Skills together."

Results:

Lightweights:

1^st Paul Kemp Spitfire - Grappling Folkestone

2^nd Martyn Vicary - Devon Krav Maga

3^rd Russell Dodds - Woodside Grappling Bedford

Heavyweights:

1^st Danny Carrott - Spitfire Grappling Folkestone

2^nd Colin Carrott - Warriors Grappling Academy Sittingbourne

3^rd Saul White - Warriors Grappling Academy Sittingbourne

PANKRATION

Martin said: "This was also our first try at Pankration having only being introduced to it in March of this year when we had the European President over for a course.

"The event went very well. When surveyed after the two tournament 50 per cent said their first preference was Pankration.

"But it won't survive unless we can get a supply of Pankration uniforms because no matter where we try nobody seems to be able to supply us at the moment we are using old fashion Rugby shirts and Judo Trousers!

"Initially, when you read about Pankration you think this is the same as SportCombatSombo but no the different style of scoring seems to put more emphasis on striking."

Semi Contact Rules: The rules used were 3pts for semi contact kick to head, 1pt kick and punch to body including punching on the ground. No punches were allowed to head. Contestants also gained 3pts for high throw and 1pt for low throw. A submission finishes the match and if it goes the distance, the points are totalled at the end of time and the fighter who has the most wins.

Martin added: "These rules totally change the way the same fighters from MMA SportCombatSombo fought.

"Instead of going to their strong points of grappling they all went the way of trying to gain points from striking and not one match was won on a submission. 

"It certainly made for a different type of competition as both styles were interesting. But this has convinced me that the two should be treated as different sports.

"I can see both disciplines taking of as they are different MMA SportCombatSombo will favour Judoka, Brazilian Jiu Jitsuka, Sombo Wrestlers, freestyle wrestlers who want to try an MMA style while Pankration will suit those doing Karate, Tae kwon do, Kung Fu, Kick Boxing."

Results:

1^st Danny Carrott Spitfire Grappling Folkestone

2^nd Paul Kemp Spitfire Grappling Folkestone

3^rd Colin Carrott Warriors Grappling Academy Sittingbourne

In September at the Warriors Grappling Academy East Street Sittingbourne we will have classes in Sombo and MMA SportCombatSombo on a Thursday 7.30pm and 8.30pm, On a Wednesday we will have Pankration at 7.30pm.  

More information on both sports contact Martin Clarke

Email: 

sombogb@blueyonder.co.uk

www.budo-ibf.co.uk

(Caption): One-time-UFC fighter Lee Murray who was jailed for a bank robbery

By Darren Currah

THE MMA mastermind behind Britain's biggest bank heist has been jailed in Morocco for ten years.

Lee Murray, who fought in the UFC, was sentenced in a Moroccan court for his part in the robbery which saw the gang escape with £53m.

The gang had raided a Securitas bank in Tonbridge, Kent, in 2006.

Murray, a Karate expert, fled to Morocco following the robbery but was arrested by police there for drug offences and assaulting a police officer.

During the raid bank staff and their families were held at gun point and some were lockd inside the banks's own money cages.

Five other men were convicted in the UK for the robbery.

Only £21m has been recovered so far.

Convicted robber Roger Coutts, jailed for at least 15 years, said at his Old Bailey trial: "Lee Murray has security firms, he runs doormen, he has flash cars and he is a well known drug dealer, everyone knows it. He's a gangster."

Six men have been sentenced in U.K. courts to a total of 156 years in prison in the robbery, Judge said.

Murray's first in the cage was in 1999 when he faced Jordan's husband Alex Reid. 

He later gained notoriety in MMA cicles were he knocked out Tito Otiz outside a nightclub in London.

It has been claimed he suffered at the hands of his alleged violent father while growing up in London. 

Murray stepped up to the big time in MMA when he fought against Jorge Rivera in the UFC in Las Vegas.

But it all started turning sour following his defeat at the hands Anderson Silva in 2004.

Soon afterwards Murray was convicted of committing grievous bodily harm in a road rage attack and the US refused him a visa.

He was also arrested twice in connection of the murder of a woman called Sabina Rizvi, 25, who was shot dead in Bexleyheath, Kent, in 2003. She was killed following her boyfriend becoming embroiled in an argument over a car.

Paul Asbury was later jailed for her murder.

According to evidence heard at the earlier British trial where five men were convicted, Murray hatched the Securitas raid and even enrolled an unwitting make-up artist to supply prosethetic disguises for the robbery.

He also recruited another friend who worked at the bank depot and carried out the raid with almost military precision having inside information to make sure everything went like clockwork.

Some of the gang had dressed as police officers who ambushed the depot manager and abducted his wife and child to force him to do their bidding.

After the raid Murray - whose father comes from Morocco - fled the UK to go to the North african country.

The UK tried to have him extradited but because he had dual citizenship the Moroccan court refused to send him back to Britain.

Following his arrest for assaulting the Moroccan police officer he was convicted and spent time in a prison outside of the country's capital Rabat.

Now he has been jailed for the British robbery by a Moroccan court.

ONE-LEGGED MARTIAL ARTIST WANTS TO FIGHT MMA

A ONE-legged martial artists has narrowly missed out winning a bronze medal at a major Karate competition.

Damon Goodson entered the Wakarishin and Kokoro Kai International Ju-jitsu competition, in Southend, Essex, and competed against 30 other fighters to win the bronze medal.

He is currrently doing mixed martial arts at the Cobra Academy of Kickboxing and works as NHS health trainer.

He wears a prosthetic leg and losing his real limb to bone cancer aged 19-years-old.

He said: "I want to show that having a prosthetic limb does not have to hold you back. You can achieve just as much as anyone else."

His first martial arts competition, he reached the fourth round of the contest eventually losing to the bronze medal winner.

He now plans to enter mma contests at semi-pro

He said he wanted prove that having one leg was not a barrier to taking part in sports.

Mr Goodson trains hard every week spending five hours training Ju-jitsu, four hours hitting the weights, two hours doing mma and an hour of kickboxing.

There were 500 entrants from across the UK, Europe and US. The bouts were three minutes long and contestants could strike, wrestle and ground fight.

He used to kickbox as a child but it wasn't until he had his leg amputated that he took up Ju-jitsu.

He said: "Having my leg amputated was a bit of a shock but my specialists said otherwise I risked the cancer coming back. 

"I adapted quite quickly because I was young but for a couple of years I was really low and didn't do anything.

"In the end I got fed up of being really unhealthy and started going to the gym around the same time I watched the European Fighting Championships on TV.

"I got really into it and started kickboxing again before starting jujitsu two years ago." 

* See Story 18 US LAW CASTS A DIM EYE ON AMPUTEES FIGHTING 
AN official complaint has been made against a martial arts association after it let a one-legged man fight at MMA tournament...