Mixed success for predators

Longson made short work of his opponent, Will Cairns, ending the fight in the opening thirty seconds.

And with the shell-shocked Cairns out for the count, the referee was forced to call a halt to proceedings as Longson landed his coveted prize.

It was thrills and spills all the way at Audley Sports Centre as the fans were treated to caged boxing fights, a professional mixed martial arts bout and eleven amateur match ups.

"The atmosphere was electric, and to see a packed house for the show was amazing," said spokesman Rob Freedman.

"It has been a few years since the Mixed Martial Arts show was staged in Blackburn, but it was a wonderful opportunity for competitors to test themselves against some tough opponents and they did just that with some mighty performances."

Predators fighter Chris Price, who was returning to the cage after a lengthy spell on the sidelines, also turned in a five-star show.

Price opened with a big head kick - which his opponent Aaron Fyfield caught - and then turned into a take down.

But Price used his excellent Ju Jitsu skills to devastating effect by placing his opponent in a Triangle choke.

He then turned this into an arm lock, causing his foe to tap out.

Dermonia Cantrill also claimed a fine win, using his superior size and strength to dominate the contest and his tough opponent Conner Spence-Hill.

There was a thrilling fight in the caged boxing bout between Martin Chester and Wayne Tierney, with Chester landing the fight on a majority points decision.

The Caged Predators Welterweight title also went down to the wire with Predators fighter Matt Williams dominating the exchanges on the floor.

He too won a unanimous victory on the judges' score cards to land the title.

Predators Corey Fry also produced a sensational show, beating Dave Turner.

Fry dominated the fight, landing plenty of high kicks to the head of his durable opponent, before eventually overpowering him.

The final fight of the event saw Tarro Grogan lock horns with Workington's Carl Ward for the vacant Caged Predators Middleweight title - and it was all over in double quick time.

Tarro opened the fight with a flying knee, landing flush on his opponent.

And encouraged by the enthusiastic home crowd, Grogan moved in for the kill, stopping his rival in the first minute of the fight with a devastating onslaught to lift the crown.