With an important playoff hockey game just a few short blocks away it was unsure whether the fans would come out and support the WFF instead of their Hockey team. In the end the sports fans of Kelowna, B.C came out and those who came were in for a treat as the WFF put on a very solid show for the vibrant crowd at the Curling Club. The inaugural show saw only two decisions out of 9 fights, 3 K.O’s, 3 submissions and a No Contest on a night that saw a bit of everything including a championship bout. All in all an exciting card that was marred only by injuries and an illegal foul.

The main event saw UFC veteran Dennis "Superman" Hallman take on another Dennis, Denis Kang. After a brief clinch in the corner to start the first round, Denis Kang delivered a huge takedown slam that took the fight to the mat. Kang was able to control position and land solid strikes from within Hallman’s guard clipping him several times and cutting his lip. Hallman in for his part stunned Kang with a nice kick to the head that caught him off guard, but was unable to follow up. Visibly Discouraged, Hallman decided he wanted to take the fight to the ground and take it he did, securing the takedown and working from within Kang’s guard in round two. Kang was able to keep Hallman close not letting him get any space to strike, but when Hallman was finally able to create some space, Kang threw an illegal Leg Strike to Hallman’s chin. The kick was hard enough that it dropped him, flash knocking him out. Hallman began dry heaving looking like he was ready to throw up. It took several minutes before Hallman was able to stand up and make his way back to the corner but it was obvious that he was unable to continue. The fight was declared a No Contest. After the bout Kang publicly apologized for his illegal tactic and saying that it was unintentional. Kang fought a good fight before the foul and proved that he could compete with the upper echelon of fighters. In the minds of many fans Kang was winning the fight before he fouled out. Both Dennis’s were sportsmanlike afterwards and shook on a well fought match.

John Alessio defeated John Delao by verbal submission. After a failed takedown attempt Alessio sprawled, grabbed Delao and threw him to the mat. Discouraged but not defeated Delao again attempted to secure several takedowns before he began wincing and favoring his leg. Alessio, seizing the opportunity began kicking Delao’s legs while Delao was in the guard position (a la Sakuraba). The Ref seeing that he was in pain, asked Delao if he was O.K, and Delao informed him that he was unable to continue. Alessio wins by Verbal Submission at 1:22 of the first round.

Jason Towns takes the inaugural W.F.F Canadian Lightweight belt, defeating Frank Colcher by ref stoppage due to injury at 3:23 of the first round. Colcher looked like he dislocated his shoulder (a la Vanderlei Vs Sakuraba) after a nice takedown slam by Towns.

Shane Biever, looking very strong, defeated Paul Trudel handily by ref stoppage due to punishment at 0:34 seconds of round one.

Craig Sloan defeated Dan Shenk by decision Victory after two rounds.

Travis Galbaith Defeated "Bathroom" Eddy Ellis by armbar.
Interestingly Ellis’s Nickname came from the fact that Eddy Ellis lost his virginity in a bathroom!

Jeremy Whittingham defeated Chad Hamzeh by Ref stoppage due to Armbar at 1:40 of round one. Hamzeh in his first fight refused to tap and it nearly cost him his arm. His injury will keep him out of his next scheduled fight.

Rob Acton drew Gordon Cummings in a rugged back and forth affair.

Bob Shabaga defeated James Hanson by Armbar at 1:58 of round one.

All in all it was a good showing for the eager fans of Kelowna who came out to the event and supported MMA. Save the Illegal Kick, the WFF kicked off their first show with a good, clean showing by the fighters and the promoters. The show went off without a hitch and all the fights were fun to watch with only two fights going the distance. Small MMA shows such as this are starting to pop up around the world and for this I am grateful. Small, well organized hometown shows not only give the young practitioners of MMA a place to carve their skills, but they also give the fans who may not normally get a chance to see big MMA events such as the UFC, or Pride, a place to come and get a live look at the sport that we love so much. The WFF though small in stature was well organized and with bringing in name fighters such as UFC veterans Dennis "Superman" Hallman and "The Natural" John Alessio, it was clear that they were looking to put on a show for the fans. The more exposure MMA gets around the globe, the better it will be for everyone, and judging by today, it looks like the future is bright for the WFF and MMA in Canada.

This was "The Sushiboy" Arnold Lim.
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