- Written by Paul Battison
- BBC Sport at Newcastle's Utilita Arena
image source, Octagon MMA
Aaron Abbey (right) defeated Christopher Daniel by unanimous decision in Newcastle
As part of a new series titled 'Fight Night', BBC Sport is shining a light on British and European MMA promotions, their fighters and the characteristics that make each unique.
The series kicks off with a cageside night with Octagon MMA, a European promotion that holds €1 million tournaments and persuades fighters to fly around the world to fight under its banner.
At Newcastle's Utilita Arena, a dancing monkey mascot pauses to take a selfie with some children as yellow and white spotlights illuminate around 3,000 fans singing karaoke.
The crowd noise subsides as the lights dim and a video plays on the big screen promoting the upcoming fight.
One of them is American flyweight Christopher Daniel.
The 33-year-old, who is competing overseas for the first time, told BBC Sport that although the show was the biggest payday of his career, he was fighting for a bigger cause.
One night in 2015, Daniel returned home from his shift as a mechanic to find his 5-year-old son, Jaden, had fallen into his backyard pool and drowned.
Daniel's mother, who was babysitting him, fell asleep, leaving Jayden to wander unsupervised.
“My mother always looked after the kids when I went to work, but she had a full-time job as a nurse. Being a nurse is stressful,” Danielle said. said.
“My fear faded when I got home and saw the back door open. I ran to the backyard and just saw him floating there. I jumped in and grabbed him. Unfortunately, I didn't know how to perform CPR at that time.”
Daniel sinks into depression, hating himself and his mother, but a promise he makes to Jaden shortly before his death inspires forgiveness and new purpose.
One night while watching the UFC with Jaden, Daniel promised his son that someday he would watch Jaden fight on TV.
Now, Daniel is fighting to keep that promise.
“I have a bigger reason to fight. More than money, more than fame. I made a promise, and that promise keeps me alive every day,” Daniel said.
In the opposite corner is Welshman Aaron Abbey, his team holding a banner behind him that reads: “Cystic Fibrosis – Fighting to Breathe''.
Abby, 33, was born with a disease that affects her lungs and digestive system, but in 2019 she also beat stage three testicular cancer.
The match between Abby and Daniel shows why Octagon, whose shows have attracted around 20,000 spectators in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, believes it can succeed in the UK MMA market.
Their vision is based on promoting fighters with unique backstories that viewers will find interesting.
“It doesn't matter if you're Slovak, German, Czech or British, we're all human beings and from an early age we like stories,” Octagon co-founder Pavol Neruda told BBC Sport.
“We want to bring the story and the human side of the sport, rather than promoting bloodshed and powerful punches when someone gets knocked out.
“What we want to promote is [that] It's good to achieve goals, be healthy and strive towards something. ”
“One day we'll fill this arena.”
image source, Octagon MMA
Octagon's open scoring system differs from other promotions' more traditional scoring approaches.
Familiar faces including British UFC stars Paddy Pimblett and Lerone Murphy supporting their teammates, experienced referee Mark Goddard and personalities from British reality TV series Geordie Shore will be on hand for the show in Newcastle Sprinkle stardust on.
The Octagon is also innovative, implementing open scoring between rounds, something rarely seen in MMA.
The judges' scores are displayed on a large screen, letting spectators, fighters, and coaches know the winner or loser of each bout.
While this provides transparency, fighters are divided, with some feeling that it can take away the excitement and anticipation of close fights.
Neruda co-founded Octagon with Ondrej Novotny in 2016 and began promoting it as a reality TV show similar to the UFC's The Ultimate Fighter as a soft introduction to the sport for the general public in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. did.
The promotion has become so popular that it has begun hosting tournaments worth €1m (£854,000) and expanded to Germany last year, with 19,000 fans attending a show in Cologne.
January's show in Newcastle signals Octagon's ambitions to woo British fans, having held their debut UK show in Manchester two months earlier.
However, there were quite a few empty seats at Utilita Arena when Abbey defeated Daniel by unanimous decision, proving that the Octagon still has work to do to woo British fans.
But it's a challenge the promotion's owners are relishing.
“Our dream is to be in the European MMA Champions League, but we knew this would happen before we came here. We are ready to bleed here until we win,” Novotny said.
“This is our passion and we believe that one day we can fill this arena. We want to do crazy things here. We're going to try, try, try, but maybe… Then it could happen or you could die.”
