MMA: The Side That You Don’t See

On Saturday July 30, I headed to the Olympia in Liverpool, which is a thirty minute drive from my home, to watch SHINOBI WAR 8. This was the first time in months where I attended an event genuinely excited for a fight. That fight was Adam Ventre vs. Dylan Tuke. The build-up wasn’t as exciting as many thought it would be as the two fighters didn’t talk much, but there was still a huge buzz come fight night. This was the test that people wanted Tuke to have, to see if he is a real fighter, to see how skilled he really is.

The night progressed at a steady pace, and it was finally time for the main event. I stood in the locker room of Adam Ventre moments before he made the walk. Ventre paced around, occasionally glancing up at the TV screen, he looked calm. I had realised earlier in the night that Tuke would have to come through Ventre’s locker room to make the walk, and I was waiting for him to step into the room to see the reception he got. Then I heard a call: “Tuke, come on,” was shouted and moments later the Irishman came running into where Ventre was. Tuke was looking straight for the few seconds he was in the room. As he jogged towards the exit, Ventre locked his eyes on his opponent, staring at Tuke until he left the room. Ventre then continued to pace. Now it was Ventre’s time to walk.

I stood near the exit, and gave Adam a pat on the back as he walked out, before waiting for his team to walk. I then left the room and stood behind Adam, Paul Rimmer, Ellis Hampson and Patrick Pimblett as they waited for Ventre’s name to be announced. The announcer bellowed Ventre’s name and he started the walk. I decided to stand, not sit, because I didn’t want to miss a thing. Ventre entered the cage second, and he went straight to the centre as Tuke was dancing around the cage. Both men were in the cage, the announcer was doing what he was payed to do, this was happening.

Neil Hall called the fighters to the centre, and asked them to touch gloves. They obliged. They backed up and Hall clapped his hands together, saying the word “Fight”. It was officially started. Tuke instantly tried to overwhelm Ventre, but the Liverpudlian did as he says and didn’t back up. He circled off, and then he landed the first shot. From then on, I really don’t remember much, but I’ll document what I do remember. The first time Tuke was stunned, I believe it was a straight right, he got cracked with it and the crowd roared for a moment. Then I remember Adam feinting a right and nailing Tuke with a left hook. I was shocked, the so-called grappler was outstriking the striker. Then came the knockdown. A stiff straight right down the pipe from Ventre, and Tuke buckled. He fell back, and landed back-side first. Ventre came in for the kill and as Tuke tried to cling on, Ventre went for a guillotine. He couldn’t finish get the finish, and they stood up again. Ventre hurt Tuke again and again but the next thing I remember is looking up from my phone and seeing Tuke crumbling to the canvas. I thought it was over. He looked dazed, hurt, and out of it. The Irishman somehow managed to stay in the fight. The next thing I remember is Tuke backed up against the cage, barely managing to stand on his own two feet. His eyes were wide, he was in trouble. Then the horn sounded to signal the end of the first. I actually don’t remember anything from the second round, other than when Tuke ended up with Ventre’s back. There was a little bit of hand fighting before Tuke managed to secure the choke. It wasn’t on for long, but then I watched Neil Hall break Tuke’s grip and stop the fight. At the time, I was confused as to why Ventre had tapped to quickly, then I made my way closer to the cage, to see him lying face down, unconscious.

I realised Ventre had gone out, and it was an unforgettable moment. To see how much he wanted to win that fight, and that he was never going to give up. Then I headed back into the locker rooms, awaiting Dylan Tuke’s arrival, as I didn’t think Ventre would be in the right state of mind to do an interview. I stood there for a few minutes, and as I looked over towards Ventre’s team, this whole thing dawned on me. I’m not going to say names, but there was tough, high level, seemingly unbreakable fighters in tears, broken almost. It was a sobering sight. I was shocked to see such people like that. I felt like I shouldn’t be there, so I decided to give them a bit of time on their own, but as I headed for the exit, Ventre came storming through the door.

I froze, scared of what was to happen. Now that I look back on it, what I was thinking is stupid, but I felt for a moment like I was in danger of being attacked by Ventre. I froze as Ventre lunged for a chair, and launched it across the room, then he walked past me without acknowledgement, I headed to the exit, but as I turned to take one final look, I saw Ventre throwing items off of a table in the corner. I wanted to stay, but I felt it was right to get out of there and give Adam and his team a few minutes together. I went back out to see where Dylan Tuke was, and as I saw he was speaking to family and friends, I left him to it. I walked back through Ventre’s locker room headed to Tuke’s room. I waited for Tuke to come in, but as he was passing Ventre, he walked over, and had a chat with him. I couldn’t make out much but I heard him say “You will be back, stronger and better, 100%”. He then walked into his own locker room.

While changing, Tuke expressed his disappointment, saying that was the worst he could possibly fighting, and assuring everybody he never gets hit with ‘them sloppy hooks’. I won’t lie, I was slightly saddened that Tuke still said a few insulting things about Ventre and Next Generation Liverpool, but it was all in the heat of the moment. At this point, Ventre had calmed down. It was about ten minutes since the conclusion of the fight, and he walked into Tuke’s locker room, gave him a pat on the back and then the two men spoke for a few moments. As the conversation was drawing to a close, I decided to ask Adam for an interview. ‘If you don’t ask, you don’t get,’ is what I was thinking at that moment. As Adam looked over at me I said, “Do you want to do an interview or do you want to leave it?” Ventre kindly obliged, and asked for a few minutes to just think things through. I was shocked he had said yes, but after all, that’s the type of man Adam Ventre is.

My dad, who comes along as a ‘cameraman’ but is mostly just there to keep me company as I suffer with social anxiety, turned to me and said “Wow.” You have to understand, my dad doesn’t watch MMA, doesn’t know anything about MMA, and he was jumping up and down with a smile on his face after the fight. As I spoke to my dad at how great that fight was, Adam walked up to me to do the interview.

Yes, it was a great fight, yes, I conducted an interview I’ll never forget with Adam Ventre, but they are not the important things. The important thing is that is the first time I’ve been around somebody following a loss like that. I’ve talked to fighters after wins and losses but that was different. It was almost a do-or-die moment for Adam Ventre, and it was heartbreaking to see him like that.

After I wrapped up the interview, I thanked Adam again and he said: “Thank you, I know how hard it is do to this with your anxiety,” and that really touched me. For a fighter to go through a tough camp, participate in possibly the greatest fight in UKMMA history, and after all of it remember one little thing like that is incredible. It really solidified how good of a person Adam Ventre is. He told me last night that he doesn’t know whether he is going to return or that was his last fight, but I hope that he does come back, even if it is just for one at Cage Warriors alongside his teammates Chris Fishgold and Patrick Pimblett. If not, Adam can hang up his gloves knowing that he is a true fighter and has had a fantastic career.