TKO 19 - Rage
by Daniel Diaz (aka Boitsu) on Team IronLife.com

Click Here To See our Trip Photos for TKO Rage 19

What would possess twelve grown men to travel six hundred kilometers to another city in the middle of a Canadian winter? Is it the allure of leaving behind the wives, girlfriends, children, and our jobs for the chance to spend a weekend frolicking in a strange foreign city, or could it be something more primal, an instinct to connect to a time when man hungered for the most basic human sport: one on one combat. It is the latter reason of course.


TKO Ring Girls

We depart from Toronto at 5:30 am Friday morning, with the hope of beating the morning rush hour traffic. It worked. Traveling down the world’s largest highway (Trans-Canada), we find the anticipation of seeing Canada’s best mixed martial artists live in action, growing stronger with every passing kilometer. It’s not often we plan trips like this, but still often enough to satisfy our thirst for the sport we like to call MMA.

12:00pm: We arrive in the beautiful majestic city of Montreal, just in time for the lunch hour traffic to take full swing. After spending an hour snarled in traffic, we finally make it to our hotel rooms but not before purchasing some much-needed cases of beer.

After relaxing for a couple of hours we decide a game of Texas hold’em poker is in order. We pool all our furniture from our rooms into one room for a game of epic proportions. Smoke hangs heavy in the room while countless bottles of beer are emptied into our bodies. The poker chips travel back and forth from player to player, until one by one people are eliminated. I find myself lying on a bed, the room spinning above me from the effects of ingesting too much beer. I pass out to the sweet sound of Heavy Metal music blaring in the background.


Team IronLife.com Reporter Daniel Diaz & David "The Crow" Loiseau

2:00 am: I awake to a hotel room that resembles nothing of what I originally remember. Furniture is strewn about the room in no particular pattern. Empty pizza boxes lay cluttered amongst the mess on the floor, and bodies lay passed out throughout the room.

Noticeably absent are four of my fellow comrades. I think to myself “those fuckers left without me”. I scramble to my feet and head for the door ready to hit the streets of Montreal in search of my friends. Before I leave the hotel I stop long enough to ponder checking our other room, my guess is right. My four missing comrades lay sleeping like a bunch of newborn babies. Pussies. I head out of the hotel in search of my own pizza, I find a place and enjoy my 99 cent pizza slice and stumble back to the room to turn in for the night.

7:00am: I arise once again, excitement flowing through my veins, as it is only twelve more hours to fight time. I wake everyone up and we go downstairs to eat our “free breakfast”. Filling up on bagels, muffins, and coffee of course. Back upstairs I open a fresh bottle of beer and announce it’s time for another game of poker. The ritual of smokes, cigars, Heavy Metal and lots of beer is repeated once again, but this time I stand victorious.


Thierry Queenville

5:00pm: After a little sightseeing of the downtown core and a 30min nap it’s time to head to the Pierre Charbonneau Center to pick up our tickets for the fights.

6:00pm: We arrive at the arena and the anticipation of the night’s festivities is rising at a climatic pace. People are starting to stream in at a steady pace. I pick up my media pass that TKO was so kind to arrange for me and head for the floor. For some reason I begin to feel a little nervous about meeting some of my favorite fighters, so I buy a nice cold Canadian beer to settle down my jitters.

Once again Stephane Patry, TKO’s President, has put together a top-notch production. From the blaring music to the excellent lighting everything is first class.


Martin Grandmont

The first fight of the night is MMA newcomer Canadian lightweight Kickboxing champ Martin Grandmont versus Eric Lacelle. The fighters spend the first minute exchanging blows and feeling each other out. Then Martin Grandmont throws a flurry of punches and kicks that leaves Eric Lacelle crumpled on the mat. TKO victory for Martin Grandmont at 1:26 in round one. An impressive showing by the newcomer.


Thierry Queenville vs. Alex Gasson

Next up was Thierry Queenville vs. Alex Gasson. This match promised to be quite entertaining.. Blow after blow was exchanged between these two fine combatants as Thierry was finally able to take the feisty Gasson down to the mat. Unfortunately Theierry could not submit or KO the resilient Gasson. In the end the judges ruled Thierry Queenville the winner by Unanimous Decision.


Dave Goulet

Third match of the night featured Dave Goulet against John Fraser. This turned out to be another slugfest that ended in a little bit of controversy. With only five seconds left n the first round the bout was stopped due to a KO. Dave Goulet was announced the winner. It appeared to me that John Fraser’s arms and legs had gone limp while being pummeled by Goulet. He quickly got up after the stoppage saying he was fine. The Referee thought differently. End of match.


Sam Stout vs. Joey Brown

Next up was Sam Stout vs. Joey Brown. This was another standup match that showed Sam Stout’s superiority. He weathered an early blow that would have dropped most men but he shrugged it off and repeatedly landed blow after blow to Joey’s head. At 2:55 of the first round Joey Brown was laid out flat on the canvass mat.


Sam Stout vs. Joey Brown

Time for a little break in the action and I find myself wandering backstage. I run into “The Crow” David Loiseau. He was extremely polite and friendly and posed for a picture with me. I also ran into one of my personal favorites Mr. Donald Ouimet, who like the Crow, also posed with me.

I wind up in a dressing room and see none other than Georges St Pierre having his hands wrapped. He looked extremely focused on his up-coming match so I didn’t want to bother him. I quietly snapped a couple of pix of him and faded away into the background.


Donald Ouimet

Low and behold who was warming up right behind me? None other than Patrick Cote, just off a disappointing loss to Tito Ortiz. He too looked extremely focused so I did the same as I did with St Pierre.


Shane Rice vs. Mark Hominick

Back at my ringside seat it’s time to return to the action. Mark Hominick comes out to a nice ovation as he awaits the champ Shane Rice. The action is fast and furious; you can tell these two don’t like each other. They trade punches, Hominick landing the harder blows. Then Rice takes Hominick down and goes for a lying arm bar, the crowd goes silent as it appears it’s over for Hominick. Then without warning Mark rolls out of the arm bar, Unbelievable!! The crowd goes nuts, Hominick clearly motivated, now moves in for the kill. Rice lays in the corner receiving kicks and punches until the ref steps in to end the carnage. Mark Hominick winner by TKO at 4:16 of the first round. Rice looks pissed and complains to the ref, it is to no avail.


Patrick Cote vs. Ricardeau Francois

Quebec’s hero now makes his way to the ring to thunderous applause. Light Heavy weight champ Patrick Cote is facing the 6ft’7” Ricardeau Francois. The two circle each other cautiously while exchanging blows. Francois’s reach is proving too much of a problem for Cote to breach. This goes on for three rounds and Cote wins by split decision. Neither fighter did much damage but Cote was the aggressor, hence the decision.


Patrick Cote vs. Ricardeau Francois

On to the main event and the loudest ovation is reserved for Canada’s prodigal son Georges St-Pierre. He will be squaring off against MMA and UFC veteran Dave Strasser.

The bell rings and the two warriors exchange a few quick blows. St-Pierre shoots in and gets the takedown, in a blink of an eye he submits Strasser with a Kimura, the arena explodes into riotous applause. End of fight and the end of another successful show put on by the TKO organization.


George St-Pierre & crew, after his win.

I would like to thank TKO president Stephane Patry for his generosity on such short notice. Also I would tell you what me and the boys did after this marvelous event, but I think our wives and girlfriends would kill us. SSSHHHH!!!!!!

For more information on upcoming TKO events, feel free to contact Mr. Stephane Patry via their website at www.TKOMMA.tv