PRINTBattle at the Blue Note XII Review
Fans gathered at The Blue Note Friday night for blood, punches and drinks
December 5, 2009 | 10:10 p.m. CST
By 9:15 p.m. Friday night you could hear cash registers quickly clinking at The Blue Note. Underscored by a crowd less dense than usual, Battle at The Blue Note XII, the twice-annual cage fighting event hosted by local trainer and gym owner, Rob Hulett, failed to attract the venue-packing audience the spectacle had previously experienced.
Related ArticlesDuring the first 13 fights, camouflage and flat-billed donning spectators routinely slurred that better fights could be seen outside a local bar. Despite blood-laced towels and lengthy holds, the diverse crowd seemed unenthused throughout the early rounds. Although cheer-arousing moments such as local Team Hulett fighter Curtis Hile’s knock out punch in the eighth fight jarred the crowd, the fights, which started around 8 p.m., didn’t earn the fans’ respect until later in the event.
Excitement reached its peak when the feature fights rolled around. In a lightweight title- defending bout, local fighter Eric Ward squared off against independent fighter Brent Applegate. The crowd cheered heartily upon the announcement of the match — Ward undoubtedly supplied a hefty helping of fans to the event. Ward and Applegate demonstrated knowledgeable technique, unlike messy fights earlier in the night, nimbly evading grasps and exchanging blows. Mid-way through the second round, after landing multiple solid blows to the face, Ward put Applegate in a tight triangle hold and was declared the winner by tap-out. Ward modestly thanked the crowd and helped Applegate up, epitomizing the element of respect and camaraderie demonstrated after every fight.
Although Ward received the loudest fan welcoming of the night, the surprising highlight came in the fight that followed. In a sport that rings masculinity, two scrappy young ladies had the crowd standing, wildly spilling drinks as they enthusiastically encouraged harder hits. From the first sound of the horn (there wasn’t a bell to ring) Ashley Cummings and Brittney Marshall shocked the crowd. The ladies came out swinging, landing solid hits to the face and invoking primal howls from the revived fans.
The fans weren’t the only ones impressed by the ladies. Fighter Jason Hartinger said, “The girls’ fight has been better than the dudes.’” Cummings and Marshall took the tumultuous bout to four rounds, ruthlessly beating one another the entire way. Cummings had the upper hand throughout the fight, positioning herself on top of Marshall in almost every round. After 12 action-packed minutes of fighting, the final horn blew and the judges declared Cummings the victor by split-decision.
The final fight of the night was a regional lightweight title-defending stretch between E.J. Brooks and Carlos Moore. An air of expectation filled the venue, and the fighters delivered. The two men demonstrated flawless technique and unfaltering resilience as the fight sped through the four allotted rounds. Moore passionately defended his title, but in the end, Brooks took the belt by a 40:36 decision from the three judges.
At the end of the night, Beatles’ tune “Let It Be” Beatles’ rang throughout the venue. The same crowd that had started the evening docile and uninterested left the venue excitedly reflecting on the final fights.
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