All the gladiators were introduced to the crowd before the competition began, with Area, British and European Titles up for grabs.  Everyone was in for a night of action.

Fighter’s had weighed in the night before and had all met their weight categories.

With MC Tony Deane travelling down from Leeds on the day, Andy from Photo Every Event and Dave from Tiger Productions.

Guest referee was Dave Faulkner who conducted the pre-fight meeting, including the drawing of rounds for amateur bouts, professional bouts being drawn in the ring prior to the contest start.

Enough of this, lets get on with the action.

To start the evening and get everyone in place Ben Holcroft (Merseyside Kickboxing & GBH) took part in a 5 x 1.5 demonstration in Thai Boxing against a very talented Shaun Evans (Kirkby Muay Thai).

Thank you to both lads for such a controlled display.

Fight 1
Golden Belt Hardcore Amateur North West Area Title – 72-75kg
Kostodin (Co-Co) Toychev (Huyton MMA) V Dave Howard (Merseyside Kickboxing & GBH)

Everyone knew that as a return fight this was going to be a cracker, having brought the house down last time they met.  With the added attraction of a Title for grabs, this was going to be action all the way and we certainly were not let down.  The round order drawn during the pre-fight meeting was as follows:

Round 1 – Full Contact (6 kicks minimum)
Round 2 – Thai Boxing
Round 3 – Low Kicks
Round 4 – MMA
Round 5 – Boxing

Round 1 – Both fighters got off to a blistering start, with Howard receiving damage to his nose.  This didn’t seem to deter him in any way, but Co-Co had certainly put the training in for this fight and he was firing on all cylinders.  Both fighters completed the 6 kick rule and more, for the full contact round.

Round 2 – Mid round Howard managed to rock Co-Co who was stunned for a moment, just as the bell was sounding for the end of Round 2.

Round 3 – Co-Co regained his composure and once again gave it his all.  At this point Howard’s nose began to bleed badly and had to be checked out by the paramedics in attendance.

Round 4 – This was an all action round, with both fighters having their moments.  Co-Co finally forcing a tap out after 40 seconds.

Congratulations to Kostadin Toychev, our new Golden Belt Hardcore Amateur North West Area Champion.  Respect to both fighters, as I am sure there will be a return fight in the future, the score now being 1-1.

Fight 2
Golden Belt Hardcore Professional British Title – 67-69.5kg
Karl Ryan (Next Generation MMA) V Mike Egan (Dragonz Den)

As this was a professional bout, the round order was drawn from a hat at the start of the fight.  The results of which were as follows:

Round 1 – MMA
Round 2 – Low Kicks
Round 3 – Boxing
Round 4 – Full Contact
Round 5 – Thai Boxing

This was a closely contested fight throughout each round, with both fighters showing great ability in each discipline.

After the full distance of five rounds, the decision was given to Mike Egan on points, making him the new Golden Belt Hardcore Professional British Champion.  Well done to both fighters.

Fight 3
Junior Thai Boxing – 48-50kg
Sascha Elmsley (Kirkby Muay Thai) V Leonie (Girl) Hardman (Merseyside Kickboxing & GBH)

This was a cracking fight by two novice thai boxers.  Going the full five rounds the decision was given to Girl by unanimous decision.  Well done to both girls, we are sure you will meet again in the future.

Fight 4
Golden Belt Hardcore Amateur North West Area Title – 69.5-72kg
Glyn Kevan (Next Generation MMA) V Rob Johnson (Merseyside Kickboxing & GBH)

The round order drawn during the pre-fight meeting was as follows:

Round 1 -Boxing
Round 2 – Thai Boxing
Round 3 – MMA
Round 4 – Full Contact
Round 5 – Low Kicks

Once again this was a closely fought competition.  Glyn seemed to be the stronger on the day, with Rob having his moments.

The deserved win going to Glyn Kevan from Next Generation MMA after five rounds, our new Golden Belt Hardcore North West Area Champion, congratulations.

Fight 5
Golden Belt Hardcore Professional European Title – 81.5-85kg
Rafael Silva (Team Loio, Portugal) V Steve Reeves (City of Liverpool Kickboxing, England)

As this was a professional bout, round order was drawn in the ring as follows:

Round 1 – Boxing
Round 2 – Full Contact
Round 3 – Low Kicks
Round 4 – MMA
Round 5 – Thai Boxing

This was not the original fight lineup, due to unforeseen circumstances (i.e. a missed flight).

Steve Reeves was originally to fight Malcolm Griffin of Ireland, but due to a no show, he stepped up to take the challenge and fight for the Professional European Title in Golden Belt Hardcore.

Rafael Silva who is no stranger to these shores and had fought under these rules previously, winning an Amateur European Title, was looking forward to the match up.

Round 1 – Rafael got off to a blistering start, attacking Steve right from the bell.  I think everyone was taken back from the fast start of the Portugese gladiator, and Steve received a standing count.

The Referee signalled fight on and Rafael was on Steve again like a tornado.  Sensing that Steve had not recovered it gave the referee no opportunity but to stop the fight.

Congratulations to Rafael Silva, the new Golden Belt Hardcore Professional European Champion.

It must be said, to take nothing away from Rafael, that Steve Reeves had indeed taken the fight at short notice, and that as well as being a gladiator, he is a total gentleman.

Congratulations again to Rafael who will be back to defend his title in November.

Fight 6
Golden Belt Hardcore Amateur European Title – 72-75kg
Pedro Salgado (Team Loio, Portugal) V Jay Bimpson (Merseyside Kickboxing & GBH, England)

The round order as drawn at the pre-fight meeting was as follows:

Round 1 – Thai Boxing
Round 2 – Full Contact
Round 3 – Low Kicks
Round 4 – MMA
Round 5 – Boxing

The final fight of the evening to end a great show couldn’t have been better, with local celebrity Jay Bimpson, who had recently won a World Title in Kickboxing in Trinidad & Tobago, was making his home debut in front of his fans.

His opponent Pedro from Portugal was certainly on a high after seeing his team mate’s success, but Jay was not to be out done, and expecting a fast start he took the fight straight to Pedro in Round 1, with Pedro receiving a count of 8.

Round 2 – Jay started as he had finished the previous round, with an onslaught of kicks and punches.  Pedro seemed to have the fight knocked out of him, and Jay was looking for another belt to add to his collection, he was not going to be denied.  Referee Dave Faulkner stepped in and Pedro indicated that he no longer wanted to continue, making Jay the new Amateur European Champion to add to his World Kick Boxing Title.

The Golden Belt would like to say thank you to all the staff at Skelmersdale Sports Centre, and to all the back room staff that made the show run so smoothly, along with all the Officials and all the Clubs which took part.

We are looking forward to Initiation IV in November, the date for which will be announced soon.

Thank you to Pete and Andy of Photo Every Event for the use of their photographs.  You can see (and purchase) more photos here.

The show had excellent support from local club such as Next Generation MMA, Huyton MMA, Capital Punishment (Ireland), City of Liverpool, Kirkby Thai Boxing and Merseyside Kickboxing and GBH (Skelmersdale and Haydock)

With the help and support of the above, the show was an absolute cracker.

It started with a demonstration to explain the concept and rules of GBH to the crowd.

This was between Emma (Blondie) Pennington and Mandy Cullen, and was commentated by the one and only Steve Gentleman Taberner, our MC.

This set out five rounds of GBH as follows:

Round 1 – Boxing
Round 2 – Full Contact
Round 3 – Low Kicks
Round 4 – Thai Boxing
Round 5 – MMA

The MC explained to the crowd that in amateur and professional bouts, neither fighter would know the round order of their fight until the night.

The Demonstration over, the show began:

Fight 1

Jack Birkett (Huyton MMA) V Aaron Robertson (Next Generation MMA)
Junior (12-17) GBH – 5 x 1.5 minutes

This was a junior GBH competition, and it was agreed between corners that there would be a change of gloves.

The round order was drawn during the fight meeting prior to the start of the show and was as follows:

Round 1 – Boxing
Round 2 – Low Kicks
Round 3 – Full Contact
Round 4 – Thai Boxing
Round 5 – MMA

The fight got off to a fantastic start by both fighters and in round 4 the Referee stopped the competition in favour of Aaron Robertson from Next Generation MMA who took the decision by TKO, Round 4, 10 seconds.

Fight 2

Paulie Godfrey (Merseyside GBH) V Joey O’Brien (Capital Punishment)
Amateur GBH – 5 x 2 minutes

The round order drawn during the rules meeting was as follows:

Round 1 – Low Kicks
Round 2 – MMA
Round 3 – Thai Boxing
Round 4 – Boxing
Round 5 – Full Contact

As both fighters were introduced to the ring, Paulie Godfrey received what can only be described as fantastic support from his home crowd.

Paulie had an explosive first round, with Joey doing his best to keep Paulie off.  Unfortunately Paulie had other ideas in mind, catching Joey with an over-hand right which put Joey down for a full count of 10, to the delight of Paulie and his supporters.

Paramedics wee straight into the ring to check on Joey’s condition, and on standing Joey was given a round of applause by all the supporters.

Both fighters embraced after the decision, Paulie Godfrey winning the fight by KO in Round 1.

Fight 3

Neil Rawlinson (Merseyside GBH) V Joe Niell (Next Generation MMA)
Amateur GBH – 5 x 2 minutes

The round order drawn in the pre fight meeting was as follows:

Round 1 – Thai
Round 2 – Full Contact
Round 3 – Low Kicks
Round 4 – MMA
Round 5 – Boxing

This was an absolute cracker of a fight, with Neil taking the first 3 rounds on all judges’ cards.

Round 4, the MMA round came, where Joe came into his own  forcing a tap out from Neil after 1 minute 22 second.

This was to Neil’s dismay after his hard work in the previous three rounds, but that is GBH for you.

This should make a great return fight, and congratulations to Joe Niell from Next Generation MMA Liverpool.

Fight 4

Rob Johnson (Merseyside GBH) V Lewis Niell (Next Generation MMA)
Amateur GBH – 5 x 2 minutes

The round order was determined as follows:

Round 1 – Full Contact
Round 2 – Low Kicks
Round 3 – MMA
Round 4 – Thai Boxing
Round 5 – Boxing

What an excellent display of technique from two first timers who had the crowd on their feet on a number of occasions.

And with blood coming from Lewis Niell’s nose it still didn’t put him off, with his corner doing an excellent job in-between rounds.

The judges got it spot on with all three making it a draw, as no one deserved to lose this fight.  An excellent fight, and congratulations to both fighters and corners.

Fight 5

Danny Skelhorn (Merseyside Kickboxing) V Thomas Tolcher (Kirkby Muay Thai)
Amateur Thai Boxing – 3 x 2 minutes

Again a first fight for both competitors, who after weighing in at the exact same weight entered the ring with great support from both sides.

The bell rang for round 1 and both fighters came out with their all, neither wanting to back off with some excellent techniques.  The judges had this round even, but in round 2 Thomas caught Danny with a  combination sending Danny to the canvas for the count of 8.

The fight continued and Thomas really turned on the pressure putting Danny down for his second count.

The referee stopped the fight at this point, as two knock downs in one round is an automatic stoppage.  Danny was disappointed, but I am sure he will be back even stronger now he has had a taste for it.

Congratulations to Thomas Tolcher from Kirkby Muay Thai.

Fight 6

Mick Shipley (City of Liverpool) V David Roc (Capital Punishment)
Amateur GBH – 5 x 2 minutes

The round order was determined as follows:

Round 1 – Low Kicks
Round 2 – Boxing
Round 3 – MMA
Round 4 – Thai Boxing
Round 5 – Full Contact

This was an absolute cracking competition, evenly matched right up to Round 4, Thai Boxing, where Shipley was caught with a combination of techniques thrown by David Rock.  Shipley went down for the count of 10 making David Rock from Capital Punishment the winner by TKO in Round 4, 1 minute 26 seconds.   The Paramedics were once again straight into the ring to attend to Mick who rose to the applause of the crowd.

Congratulations David.

Fight 7

Dave Howard (Merseyside GBH) V Kostodin Toycher (Huyton MMA)
Amateur GBH – 5 x 2 minutes

The rounds were drawn as follows:

Round 1 – MMA
Round 2 – Low Kicks
Round 3 – Full Contact
Round 4 – Thai Boxing
Round 5 – Boxing

This was a change of opponent for Howard, as his original opponent was forced to pull out due to broken ribs during training.  Total respect to Kostodin, who took the fight on the same day, and what a fight this was.

This had everything that GBH is about, with the fight going the full five rounds distance, and the fighters receiving a standing ovation before the decision was announced.

The decision was given to Howard on points to the delight of his supporters, and respect must again go to Kostodin and his corner, who were total gentlemen.

A big thank you must go to the all the GBH Staff, Referees, Judges, Corner Men, Clubs, Fighters and supporters who made this a great show, the next of which will be announced soon.

Steve Reeves, the Liverpool Legend, was also scheduled to fight on this bill.  Unfortunately his opponent withdrew due to hand injury, and a replacement could not be found at short notice.  Steve was a total gentleman on receiving this news and said that he would definitely be fighting on the next show.

Steve received his rightful purse as this was no fault of his, and we would like to thank him once more for his understanding.

We would also like to thank and commend the Irish supporters and fighters who were great ambassadors for their country, and a big thank you to Dylan Scally our Irish Representative for GBH for arranging his team.  Unfortunately Dylan could not make it over for this show, but we look forward to seeing him for the next show.

Thank you to Event Photography for the use of their photographs.  You can view the full gallery here.

Round 1 – Low Kicks

Round 2 – Thai Boxing

Round 3 – Full Contact Kickboxing

Round 4 – Boxing

Round 5 – MMA / Ju-Jitsu

We had the lights and the one and only MC, Lawrence Allen.  We had the cameras with filming from P4 TV.  And most importantly we had the non stop action.

Initiation was the first time ever that a concept with five different disciplines had been brought together into one competition in one ring.

With teams from Ireland, Wales, Trinidad & Tobago, Portugal and England, this was going to be a night to remember and the start of a new era.

Read on for more.

Thank you to Event Photography for the photographs below.

First into the ring was Emma Jones from Widnes Kickboxing (Trainer – Paul Lund) against Emma Pye from Dublin Thai Boxing (Trainer – Darren Dowdall), under amateur thai rules across 3 rounds of 2 minutes duration.

Emma Pye took the decision on points after a closely contended competition, Emma Pye managing to edge each round with her excellent combinations.  Well done to both fighters.

Fight two had been eagerly awaited, as this was the first ever Golden Belt Hardcore amateur fight (5 rounds, 2 minutes duration).  What a great way to start a new era in martial arts and kick off Golden Belt Hardcore with the first time in the world that this concept had been seen in action.  Five disciplines consisting of one round of boxing, one round of full contact kickboxing, one round of low kick kickboxing, one round of thai boxing and one round of Ju-Jitsu.  And if that wasn’t enough, the fighters were not aware what order the rounds would be drawn from the hat until they had both reached the ring.

Both fighters stood in the ring with their cornermen, eagerly awaiting the draw for the round order of this new and exciting concept.  The draw was made and the round order was as follows:

1. Full Contact
2. Ju-Jitsu
3. Low Kicks
4. Boxing
5. Thai Boxing

And with the honour of being the first competitors in the world to fight the Golden Belt Hardcore system, were Jay Bimpson of Merseyside Kickboxing in England, and Tiago Sa of Portugal.

What a fitting start this was with each round being closely contended.  Going the full duration of five rounds packed with non stop action, the Judges could not separate them, making the first Golden Belt Hardcore amateur competition a draw.

Both fighters, along with their corners and the crowd applauded the decision, knowing that both fighters had given their all whilst abiding by the rules of each discipline.

Respect to both fighters, and congratulations on being the first to demonstrate the future.

Golden Belt Professional European Title – Thai Boxing – 64.5-67kg
Matty Smith (Merseyside Kickboxing, England) V Matt Sheedy (Welsh Eagles, Wales)

Fight three saw the Professional Golden Belt European Title in Thai Boxing come up for grabs between Matty Smith of Merseyside Kickboxing, and Matt Sheedy of Welsh Eagles, across 5 rounds of 3 minutes duration.  This was going to be a cracking fight.

In round 1 Matt Sheedy set out to make his presence known, as from the bell sounded he took the fight to Matty Smith with some excellent techniques.  Not seeming phased by this, Matty Smith used his defence to soak up most of the attacks.  However, Matt’s quicker start took the round.

After the initial feel out of the first round, the pace upped in round 2, with combinations of knees, elbows and kicks.  At one point it seemed that Matt Sheedy had made contact with an excellent elbow strike to the face followed up with kicks.  At this point Matty Smith started to squint as something had caught him in the eye.

We assumed at this point it was the elbow thrown by Matt Sheedy, and at the end of the round the paramedics were called into check over Matty Smith’s eye.  They ordered the fight to be stopped and for Matty Smith to go straight to hospital to have a scratched eyeball treated (at this point Matty was unable to see from his left eye).

We are pleased that after speaking to Matty, Matty’s eye has been checked and that he is experiencing no problems.  He was disheartened at the fight being stopped, but says that it was a toe which caught him in the eye accidentally, and is looking forward to a return fight in the future.

This is to take nothing away from our new Golden Belt Professional European Champion in Thai Boxing, Matt Sheedy, who is an excellent professional fighter, with a great attitude.  We are proud to call him our champion, and respect must go to his trainer, Lee Powers, for producing such an excellent athlete.

Fight 4 was a demonstration under Low Kicks rules between Donald Snaggs of Trinidad & Tobago and Michal Noga of Merseyside Kickboxing.

Donald Snaggs had travelled from Trinidad & Tobago to compete for a Professional Golden Belt Intercontinental Title under Low Kick rules.  Unforeseen circumstances were to take their toll and his opponent was instructed to work away by his employer, a matter he had to adhere to.  Donald understood the situation and was a gentleman regarding this.  The Golden Belt paid Donald his purse and later awarded him the Title Belt with a promise of a defence at a later date, as it was of no fault of his own, after travelling all this way.

Donald went on to perform a demonstration with Michal Noga of Merseyside Kickboxing, who kindly stepped in at the last moment.  Thank you to both Donald and Michal who demonstrated a great display of control and techniques.

Fight 5 was a boxing demonstration between Paul McCarthy and Ste Cullen, in aid of the Francesca Bimpson Appeal.

Paul entered the ring with a great flip over the top rope (show off) to the crowd’s applause and the start of 3 rounds of 1.5 minutes duration.

With Paul being a former Swedish boxing team member, and Ste being a former army boxing champion, we knew that a great exhibition of boxing techniques would follow.  We were not disappointed, much to the appreciation of the crowd.

A brilliant display lads, and for such a well deserved local appeal.  Respect to you both.

Fight 6 saw Eugene Valerio of Dragonz Den in Wales get into the ring to face Malcolm Griffin of Capital Punishment, Ireland, under Professional Golden Belt Hardcore rules over 5 rounds of 3 minutes duration.

Respect to Eugene Valerio who is one of the great veterans of our sport, and who will already go down in history for his achievements, and so deservingly was the first to compete under Professional GBH rules.

Again the round order was drawn randomly once both fighters reached the ring, announced by Lawrence Allen.

1. Thai Boxing
2. Boxing
3. Ju-Jitsu
4. Full Contact
5. Low Kicks

This order certainly pleased Eugene, as he is the former World Thai Boxing Champion, but Malcolm did not seem phased at all, he had been training across disciplines and was prepared for all round orders.

Round 1 saw Eugene taking the fight straight to his opponent with some of the old Eugene magic still being there.  He pushed forward but once again did not phase Malcolm, who was giving back as good as he was taking.

Round 2 saw boxing rules come into force, and Eugene seemed to have picked up great confidence after the first round.  He started the second by chasing his opponent with flurries of boxing combinations which was too much for his opponent as he was caught with some heavy blows.

The referee called a half after 1 minute 59 seconds of the second round, deeming Malcolm Griffin unable to continue.

Once again Eugene Valerio has made history being the first Professional Golden Belt Hardcore winner.

Thank you to Eugene for your help and your enthusiasm for this great new concept.

Fight 7 – Golden Belt Hardcore Amateur European Title – 81.5-85kg – 5×2
Dean Robinson (Kirkby Thai, England) V Rafael Silva (Team Loio, Portugal)

Both fighters entered the ring with confidence, each knowing that at one point during the competition their strengths would come into play with their favourite discipline and round.  I do not believe either cared at this point, what order the rounds would be drawn.

1. Ju-Jitsu
2. Full Contact Kickboxing
3. Thai Boxing
4. Boxing
5. Low Kicks

Rafael seemed pleased with this round order, as he came from a ju-jitsu background.

The bell sounded for round 1 and Dean threw kicks at the Portuguese fighter, who smiled and went straight in for a take down, successfully getting an arm bar and a tap out from Dean Robinson.

This was met with delight from the Portuguese corner and total frustration by Dean.

The announcement was made that Rafael Silva from Portugal was the new Golden Belt Hardcore Amateur European Champion.

Respect to both fighters, and I am sure that we will see a rematch in the near future.

Fight 8 – Golden Belt Amateur English Title – Thai Boxing – 60-62kg – 4×2
Luke Smith (Merseyside Kickboxing) V Thomas Davies (Kirkby Thai)

This seemed to be a frustrating fight, as neither opponent seemed to get going, with the fight swinging from round to round and both fighters throwing a repertoire of combinations.

The fight was judged as a draw with a return planned for the near future.

Respect to both fighters.

Fight 9 – Golden Belt Hardcore Professional 4-Nations Title – 98+kg – 5×3
Rob Salmon (Bridge Road, England) V Dylan Scally (Capital Punishment, Ireland)

Rob Salmon accepted the fight at just a couple of day’s notice due to a pull out of Dylan’s original opponent, Jamie MacDonough (Mersey Thai).

Rob being on the lighter end of the scale, eagerly accepted the challenge, which seemed to be a good choice when the round selection was made and announced by the MC.

1. Boxing
2. Thai Boxing
3. Low Kicks
4. Ju-Jitsu
5. Full Contact Kickboxing

The round order seemed to favour the lighter opponent, as his corner gave him the right instructions using hit and run tactics.  This worked excellently, but you seemed to know that Dylan was biding his time and waiting for the ju-jitsu round where his weight would be the advantage.

And that is exactly what he did, pinning Salmon to the canvas and unleashing a barrage of punches in which Salmon was unable to move his heavier opponent.

The referee called a halt in round 4, making Dylan Scally of Ireland the new Golden Belt Hardcore Professional 4-Nations Champion and a worthy winner.

Total respect to his opponent Rob Salmon, who in a lighter weight category will be giving a lot of people problems on the Golden Belt Hardcore circuit.

Fight 10 – Golden Belt Hardcore Amateur World Title – 56-58kg – 5×2
Bryan Crighton (Kirkby Thai) V Joey Brincat (Welsh Eagles)

This fight truly demonstrated the concept and idea behind Golden Belt Hardcore, with perfect displays of technique being demonstrated across all disciplines and rounds to the fullest of the fighters’ ability.

The round order as drawn was as follows:

1. Low Kicks
2. Thai Boxing
3. Full Contact Kickboxing
4. Boxing
5. Ju-Jitsu

Neither fighter appeared to be put off by the fight order, and both had trained to the highest level in each of the five disciplines.

Proof of this was the fight going the full distance across the rounds, and had the whole crowd on its feet at times.

I strongly suggest you watch this fight on P4 TV, and you will certainly see what Golden Belt Hardcore is about.

When both fighters were brought together at the end of the fifth round, they received a standing ovation, and Bryan Crighton was awarded the Golden Belt Hardcore Amateur World Title on points.

Respect was shown by Joey Brincat of Wales by placing the Title Belt around the waist of Bryan, who returned back to the army victorious the next day with the World Title.

Golden Belt and Golden Belt Hardcore would like to thank all the officials – Master Ronnie Green, Dave Faulkner, Paul Beaty, Steve Reeves.  And just as importantly the Gladiators from England, Ireland, Wales, Trinidad & Tobago, Portugal and not forgetting the gladiator girls, boys and soldiers (Paul, Court, Michal, Tash, Danielle, Alex, Claire, Joey and Bronson) who did an excellent job with the guidance of the one and only Jo who was commended how smoothly everything ran (with the valued help of Nikki).

Thank you also to P4 TV and the commentators Steve Taberner and Martin McClashie.  And to Event Photography for the photographs taken at the Event.

If I have missed anyone out I apologise.

The feedback we have received from this show has been 100%, and please keep checking the sites for information on Initiation II planned for later this year.

The build up was tremendous with the Golden Belt Head Office receiving phone calls and emails from across the world.

And now the time had come to put everyone out of their misery, and to contribute towards putting the art back into martial arts. And the Golden Belt couldn’t have picked two better people to demonstrate Golden Belt Hardcore. A man and wife team and also Chief Instructors of Reigate Kickboxing Club, Mandy and Steve Cullen who have been involved in martial arts from juniors.

And now to Golden Belt Hardcore, what is it and why will it help martial arts and those with an open mind? As opposed to those filled with negativity, the small minded people who do not like change which seems to be rife within martial arts at the moment. Change is why we are here today.

Enough of that, Golden Belt Hardcore is a combination of martial and arts. Each competition being scheduled acrous 5 rounds. Four of these rounds will cover stand up arts and the final round having the possibility of going to the ground.

Round 1 – Boxing
Competitors will be judged soley on their boxing skills. The rounds will vary in times depending on their experience.

Round 2 – Full Contact Karate
All kicks above the waist, the number of kicks would depend on the experience of the competitor. Kick counters will be used.

Round 3 – International Rules
Kickboxing which will include kicks to the inside and outside of the legs.

Round 4 – Thai Boxing
To include elbosws and knees, target areas differ depending on age and experience.

Round 5 – Jujitsu Judo
Submissions and pin downs depending on age and experience.

All rules in full are explained in the rules section.

Thank you to Mandy and Steve for demonstrating the above to an excellent standard. You can view the DVD below or request your own copy for promotional purposes from the Golden Belt Head Office on 01744 739043 or jo@gbhardcore.com.