Mixed martial arts: Chester’s Dave Newbrook makes cage fighting debut at Chester Racecourse

Feb 13 2009 by Alec Doyle, Chester Chronicle

DANGEROUS Dave Newbrook emerged from his first ever competitive cage fight unscathed and already looking forward to his next contest.

Chester’s 31-year-old world champion kickboxer had a baptism of fire against Blackpool mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter Colm Guillame.

Their two-round semi-professional bout, the headline act of a night of MMA action at Chester Racecourse on Sunday, finished as a split-decision draw in front of an enthusiastic crowd which included former Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight champion Rampage Jackson.

And Newbrook, who took a while to settle into the 67kg match, didn’t want his first experience of MMA to end.

“I was too cautious in the first round,” he said.

“It was partly because it was new and partly because I knew he was going to try to get me on the ground as he came in comfortably over his weight.

“In the second round, though, I came into it and I was irritated that he was able to slip out of my chokes and my triangle [a choke is where the opponents’ head and arm are squeezed by hooking your leg around their head]. But by the end I wanted another round.”

The judges rightly scored the contest evenly and Newbrook, fighting for Liverpool’s Team Kaobon, wants to get right back into the cage.

“I’m meeting the Kaobon guys this week,” he said.

“We’ll discuss the fight and the future.

“I’ll definitely have one more, maybe two more fights in MMA before my next world title defence in May.”

Newbrook will defend his light welterweight kickboxing title at the Reebok Stadium in Bolton before devoting himself to MMA.

He is also running a school of Thai boxing on Mondays from 6.30pm and an MMA class on Saturdays from 2pm at the Chester Martial Arts Academy on River Lane in Saltney.

For further information, contact 0800 7569413.