Mixed Martial Arts is the on planet earth. In the beginning it was all about the style-clash. Boxers being pitted against Jiu Jitsu practitioners, Wrestlers vs Kick boxers, Sumo fighters taking on Karatekas. The aim was to find out which was the best style. Team Tear Up Over the past couple of decades MMA has undergone in incredible evolutionary process. Tear Up is the South West’s premier MMA promotion These days, MMA is a blend of all of the above and more, with fighters cross-training in various disciplines, becoming more well-rounded, and more of a threat to their opponent in every phase and position of the fight. At the top level, the modern MMA athletes are becoming household names. George St Pierre, Jon Jones, and Anderson Silva to name a few, but tonight we’re not in Las Vegas, we’re at the City Academy in Redfield, Bristol, to watch Tear Up 12. Tear Up is the South West’s premier MMA promotion. Founded and run by Jake O’ Hagan (son of local legend Kevin, and top class martialartist in his own right), and former World Champion Kickboxer (and best dressed man in the room) Andy Cleeves. AC Sportscentre at Tear Up 12 Although still a young organisation, Tear Up has gone from strength to strength over the last few years, and this is reflected in the feverish crowd – which incorporates pretty much every demographic you could imagine – and the overall slickness of the event itself, which is impressively professional in every way, except for the last fight (we’ll get to that later). Whether amateur, semi pro, or professional, the fights are of a very high standard. Some of the fights are incredibly close; Adam Maximen and Leon Gears bring it and fight their hearts out to a draw, which shows how well matched the majority of the fights are; credit due to Andy and Jake in that regard. Adam Maximen and his seconds 3 out of the 5 amateur fights end in tapouts; Ed Ferris in particular showing great technique to take down Chris Smith, pass to the mount position, & securean armbar in just a few smoothly executed moves. Chris Smith and Ed Ferris The amateur card is topped by a clash between Dan Ball and Chris Fone, with both fighters greeted by loud receptions from the crowd. The big men battle for 3 hard rounds, with Dan Ball grinding out a decision with effective knees, and good top control. Kicking off the main card, semi-pro fighter Alex Smith-Warren shows beautifully fluid technique to submit Ash Atkinson via arm-triangle choke in the 1st round. Sam Richards and Billy Gibbs put on a thrillingly competitive bout; equal parts grappling clinic and frenetic scramble, there are at least 5 different submission attempts from these young fighters over the course of the 3 rounds, with Gibbs getting the decision in the end. Paul Livingston-Sprite and Pablo Soto Vidal put on a enthralling 2 rounds of grappling, featuring slams, sweeps, and submission attempts, finishing with Vidal capitalising on a mistake from his opponent, who until then seemed to beenjoying a strength advantage. Again, a very well matched pairing producing some excellent action. By the end of the night we’ve witnessed armbars, arm-triangle chokes, rear-naked chokes, and 2 breath-taking knockouts.  The vast majority of the crowd seem very MMA-educated, with no-one booing extending periods of grappling. They cheer when the fighters sweep each other, or manage to escape a submission attempt, which shows that MMA in the south-west doesn’t just have good fighters; it enjoys good fans as well. The support for the local fighters in particular is almost deafening at times. Scott Dunscombe absolutely scorched Mike Waldon with a huge left hook 3 seconds into their 61kg Semi-pro match up, setting a new record for the promotion. The roof of the City Academy almost came off due to the crowd reaction, and while Dunscombe bounded around the cage, experiencing what was undoubtedly the biggest adrenaline dump of his life, it was heartening to see the medical staff entering thecage swiftly to attend to Waldon, who recovered to stand for the decision and embrace with his opponent, in one of several great shows of sportsmanship on the night. Picture story: Scott Dunscombe knocks out Mike Waldon You would have been forgiven for thinking that nothing could surpass what we had seen, but you would have been wrong. In what turned out to be the final fight of the evening, Wojtek Rudnik knocked out Mark Jones with a front kick to the face, a technique , highlight-reel stuff indeed. It speaks volumes for the calibre of fighters that Tear Up are showcasing, and that’s the important point, that while we might not be watching household names, if they keep on producing sublime moments like this it only a matter of time until the promotion and the fighters themselves are afforded more exposure. And so to the last match up, the fight that never was. Craig Bale vs. Azi Thomas. While the crowd was still reeling from the head-kick knockout just minutes earlier, it became clearthat Craig Bale had bailed (sorry). Azi Thomas was brought to the cage and awarded the victory via disqualification. Tear Up 12 deserved a better ending, but the fighters, the crowd, and all involved in the night can look back and disregard the actions of one in the knowledge that the event was well executed from start to finish, as we’ve come to expect from this outfit. That’s why you can see Tear Up 12 on Sky in the coming weeks, because Tear Up is the best platform for the Mixed Martial Artist in the south west, and they’re getting better. Keep an eye out, and don’t blink.