On paper it didn’t look great.
Mike Ekundayo (0-0) made his professional debut at Rise of Champions 3 at the City Pavilion, Romford on October 15. Welcoming him to the pro ranks was a 20-fight veteran in John Spencer. Ekundayo had competed numerous times as an amateur, but even there the experience gap was vast with Spencer having racked up at least ten more fights as an ‘ammy’. Unfortunately for Spencer, the reason for the apparent mismatch had nothing to do with cage time and everything to do with his record entering this fight: 2-18.
As is so often the case with regional MMA shows, the card that played out on fight day bore only a passing resemblance to that announced months prior to the show. Aside from the numerous switches (and eventual cancellation) of the main event, one pullout of note was that of Ekundayo’s original opponent, Mathew Williams. Leaving it until the night before weigh-ins to withdraw from the fight, Williams left his opponent with practically zero chance of finding a replacement. And that’s where John Spencer steps in.
The word ‘journeyman’ has negative connotations in MMA, and not without good reason. In a sport where brain cells are lost every second, the notion of an athlete taking a fight he or she will almost definitely lose is unfathomable. Professional mixed martial artists, or at least those on the bigger stages, are subject to regular health checks and post-fight examinations that often result in suspensions. On the regional level, no such restrictions come into play. If somebody wants to compete every weekend, they can. There’s always an open slot available for those willing to risk life and limb at the drop of a hat.
It’s difficult to have a definitive stance on these fight-saving underdogs. On the one hand, they take the fights nobody else wanted to, ensuring that up-and-coming prospect didn’t just waste months of training only to get ‘no-showed’ again. But how much resistance can they really put up? Spencer has been out of the first round only a handful of times in his career, amateur and professional. As a last minute stand in, the journeyman/woman serves a purpose, albeit to the detriment of their health. As a platform to pad a record, they’re a reminder of just how shit boxing can be.
At RoC 3, Spencer lasted just two minutes, spending the majority of that time in precarious positions. The fight ended as expected, quick and painfully. That’s not to say Spencer rolled over and died, he was just outclassed by superior opposition, something he’s experienced all too often in his relatively short career. A quick glance at his record reveals a number of familiar names: Aaron Blackwell, Diego Barbosa, even welterweight Nathan Jones.
Though his impact on the fight itself was minimal, Mike Ekundayo will tell you just how much it meant to have John Spencer step into the cage with him. It might not have saved the card, but it gave meaning to hours and hours of training and ensured a young prospect made the transition from amateur to professional. While the story of the night was the triumphant return of Corrin Eaton, Spencer’s efforts were a worthy footnote.
There were far better fights that night (Andres Roldan vs. Camilo Petkoff and Kingsley Crawford vs. Nik Bagley spring to mind), but it was a notable contribution from the tried and tested journeyman – even if it probably seemed insignificant on the night. Thanks, John Spencer.
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