BFL 50 takes place on July 8 from the Vancouver Convention Centre in the city’s downtown core. We are just 10-weeks away from the massive all amateur event and that means MMASucka.com has a huge series in store for the British Columbia promotions marquee event.
Each and every weekday for the next 10-weeks, MMASucka will bring you a different article. They won’t be your average fight story. Instead, we will have 50 of the most memorable moments in Battlefield Fight League history. Just so you know, these are in absolutely no particular order.
Check back daily for a new article leading up to BFL 50.
36. A cage side perspective
What’s up MMASucka, Facebook and the ENTIRE MMA World? It’s Certified MMA Media O.G. & BFL Broadcaster/Analyst Darcy McBride back in the writing saddle…
So here’s the task at hand, in light of this trip down memory lane known as the Top 50 Countdown of Battlefield Fight League’s Greatest Moments I was asked to get into some of my FAVORITE memories, whether good, bad, CRAY CRAY or just flat out scary.
This is after all fist fighting we’re talking about here kids.
So here we are. I’m going to lay down five in no particular order, let’s get started!
5. Glimpses into the future
At BFL I have had the chance to call fights involving some of the sports’ best, sometimes a long while before they become the sports’ best.
Michael Chiesa, Matt Dwyer, Ryan Janes, Jeremy Kennedy, Arjan Bhullar have all found their way to the big show (Gary Mangat is next). I am sure many more will follow when you look at Bukwas, Cole Smith, Jared Revel & young guns like Gwyn Berry & Matt Lepper, who still owe each other a date for the Ammy Strap. Then of course there’s Taylor Christopher too, one of my personal favourites to call.
These guys have potentially Diamond Futures in the fight game…To ALL of them I say thank you for the honour to sit front row & mend your work with our audience!
4. Going back home with my new family
I am from Nanaimo BC, as is my small but close family. I’d been living in Vancity a while, prior to BFL 8 Island Beatdown I returned to Nanaimo to find news of my Uncle falling ill & being hospitalized following the weigh ins the evening prior to the fights…I had been living away, though him & I were very close…
I lost myself emotionally in the hotel room, with only my newly acquired clients for my budding MMA Athlete Management business Echelon FM around me. ‘Clients’ but not exactly ‘Old Friends’. Ryan Chiappe, Kajan Johnson & Gary Mangat. Ryan & Gary were fighting the next day…Kajan was coaching…Of course he was…
They suggested I joined them for a spiritual alignment exercise in the park across the street from our hotel. I thought, ‘Uh, ok?’
The release & support I felt while Kajan overseen the proceedings changed my life, in essence unlocking a strength & coping mechanism I never knew I had inside me.
Two years later I would lose my Uncle Phil to Diabetes. The strength those guys gave me that day kept me strong throughout & BJJ has continued to instill that in me. I knew that day I had an MMA ‘Family’ I could trust alongside my blood family.
The next night, another of my clients, Graham Spencer & his opponent fell through the cage door in the co-main event while Ken Tran & Lelo Aurelio put on a WILD showcase of striking. That weekend was INSANE for the nervous system.
3. Well this is interesting?
Speaking of managing MMA Fighter clients while doing Play by Play, let’s run it back to BFL 13 Feb 11 2012 where Graham Spencer was to face Mike Adams to both avenge his lone loss & claim his Pro 145 Strap in Penticton BC. Well as fights tend to do, his opponent was lost a couple weeks before the fight.
Enter BFL Prez Jay Golshani with a clever idea.
“Hey you have your client Shawn {Albrecht} on the card {at 145 pounds}, how about he gets his own chance to avenge his loss?” (Graham had an earlier victory over Shawn)
“Uhhhh Sure…Have 2 of my clients fight each other FOR A TITLE WHILE I CALL THE FIGHT?! Sounds like a treat for me.”
Graham came away Victorious & went on to win the 155 Title with the MFC before retiring & now operating ‘The Fitness Academy’ in Victoria BC. Shawn continues to coach, among others, Jeremy Kennedy through his young but white hot UFC career. My clients for a couple years, but my brothers for life thanks to BFL & MMA.
2. Mama said knock you out!
At times this game has glorious emotional moments of triumph & the overcoming of adversity can be truly admirable. For every 50 or so of those moments, there are some scary ones as well…
I look back to BFL 26 when Jer Kornelsen was given his third and probably final shot at Amateur Gold, having twice come up short vs Micah Brakefield & Ryan Allen respectively. This time though, it was a rematch of a fight he had lost prior to Revolution BJJ Ace Jared Revel.
I was friends with Jared having spent time at Rev with Kajan, Chiappe, Bibiano and the guys, while Kornelsen and I knew each other since we were almost fist fighting each other over girls in our late teens, though we had become buddies, and I probably did good to avoid most of that mess anyway given the video below
What ensued after that 9 seconds was the scariest 8-10 minutes I’ve witnessed BFL cageside & Top 3 I’ve seen in person as Jer connected with an early uppercut rendering Jared motionless for what felt like an eternity. Thankfully he has since not only recovered but is undefeated as a Pro & on a roll in both the MMA & BJJ communities…”The Rebel” will even challenge Chris Bukwas for vacant MW Gold at BFL49 next weekend!
Others that come to mind were Micah Brakefield KOing Justin Lansing for that same Amatuer MW Belt way back at BFL 9 only seconds after telling my Broadcast Partner Craig Nielsen and I ‘he doesn’t look that big?!’ following him over hearing our comparison of physical attributes.
Listen for yourself at 8:12 in the video below…Not the only time he’s spoken to me mid fight either, prior to this fight he apologized for being tired vs Jer Kornelsen, he even told Lansing he’d be better trained for him as Justin sat in to Guest Commentate with me that evening in Nanaimo.
Micah Brakefield may not win every fight, but he’s ALWAYS entertaining.
This also marks some of my worst work, as ‘big right hand, big right hand, big right hand!’ became my equivalent of Jim Robson’s ‘Adams shoots scores, Adams, Adams, Greg Adams scores!’ call back in ’94 ahhhh, even the best have an off call, right Jimmy? (He’s not reading this)
Finally I’ll mention Marcus ‘Lelo’ Aurelio’s KO of Matt Dwyer in Nanaimo… A Rampage style slam KO that had me out of my seat about 18 inches away, again you can see me yelling ‘he’s out’ in the direction of Kevin Dornan as to avoid Matt absorbing unneeded strikes…Thankfully Dwyer not only made a full recovery, but went on to collect bonus Cheques in the UFC while Lelo is killin the Capoeira game.
The fact is, BFL Fighters have been protected by a stellar crew including Adam Ryan, John Cooper, Kevin Dornan & so many more Referees who make fighter safety paramount…Thank YOU gentlemen too!
1. The MMA Community
I was asked to join BFL’s team right out of Broadcasting School in late 2010 (I think?), shortly after BFL 1 at The Station…Since then my life has taken different turns, I missed a handful of events while I was ‘finding my way through life’ but MMA, BJJ & my friendships in both worlds have made me a better person. Now I’m back for good!
Sadly I & we have lost 2 of those warriors who are now angels in the form of Dillon Brown & Cam Deleurme. Cam’s name is forever immortalized inside the BFL Cage, it’s something I touch & say my peace to prior to each show. Quietly I say hi to him & ask him to enjoy the show…
He lives on through us now.
Dillon’s legacy, however, shines on in the form of his little boy. It’s no secret we miss him greatly on Vancouver Island & wish Nicole all the strength to raise his little ones without him.
We loved them both, just like we do all of each other in this extended family called Mixed Martial Arts in BC, we are all fighting the same fight to have this sport appreciated.
See you all at the Vancouver Concention Centre for what will be our greatest show to date for BFL 50, a show I will be dedicating to both our late warriors Dillon & Cam.
Lastly, and most of all, THANK YOU to the FANS of BFL, the people who support me, my Broadcast Partner Craig Nielsen & the guys & gals behind mics & cameras who make me look & sound good, it’s no easy task!.
Thanks to Jeremy Brand and MMASucka for allowing me to spew this many words out for a ‘short piece’ cuz I mean listen. I LOVE this game. Plus. I’ve flat out never kept a job this long.
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