Mixed Fortunes For Wollongong's Extreme Fighting Pair
Illawarra Mercury
Wednesday March 24, 2004
WOLLONGONG'S Michael Cutajar and Max Lemme met with mixed success at the XFC (Xtreme Fighting Championships) tournament at Southport RSL Club on Queensland's Gold Coast last weekend.
Cutajar lost his first no rules fight in five years and his national XFC heavyweight title in bizarre circumstances when he was neither punched nor kicked by his Sydney opponent, Steve Thomas.
In contrast, Lemme, in his first no rules bout, stopped Toowoomba's Art Murie at the end of the second round because of a 3cm head wound that bled profusely after being opened in the first stanza when he accidentally ran into the former rugby scrum half's left knee.
In his heavyweight fight, Cutajar's plan of attack was to take it to Thomas as again his opponent was changed at the last minute.
Cutajar knocked Thomas to the ground with a right leg kick in the first round.
While Cutajar was landing a series of punches, Thomas's steel groin guard struck his knee cap and knocked it out of place.
``For a split second I thought, `This is good, I've lost without being hit at all'," Cutajar said yesterday.
``It seemed funny but that's how the fight game can end up. Now maybe others will not pull out of a match against me."
Cutajar consulted orthopaedic specialist Dr Rhys Gray yesterday and is confident he will be fit for his next fight in three months.
Lemme also has been signed for more fights after his impressive first no rules fight against the more experienced Murie.
After Murie began the fight positively, Lemme counterattacked and from the time his opponent's head was gashed, the Wollongong fighter controlled most of the gruelling bout.
© 2004 Illawarra Mercury
