Across the course of a 4 round war, Damon Donald found repeated success and eventually defeated Tony Dodds for the belt at Unity Fighting Championship this weekend.
Damon Donald: Unity Champion
Tony Dodds entered the cage with his crowd-friendly music and personality as the walkouts commenced. He was determined to leave with the belt, looking loose and prepared while awaiting his opponent.
Next out was the soon-to-be champion. Entering the cage with attitude, Damon Donald circled the cage before squaring off with Dodds. The two exchanged words before heading to their corners. On the referee’s signal, they were off.
The two combatants exchanged kicks and strikes in the first round, with neither man prepared to give an inch. Donald eventually gained control of the cage and took Dodds down, who showed resistance on the mat and was not making it easy. Both fighters looked to assert their dominance on the feet by peppering the other with strikes. It was a battle for position on the ground as two fighters are known for their striking battled it out.
As the fight went on, Damon continued to pick up the pace on the feet. Between rounds, a doctor came in to check on Dodds, but there was no quit in him with a title on the line. Donald only upped the punishment as he came out for the next round.
Having learned some tough lessons in the past year or so, Damon was determined to return to the win column on the night. Hammering body shots at Dodds throughout helped him massively with his pace control. He also worked away at the kickboxer’s legs, taking away his biggest weapons that weren’t his hands. When the headshots arrived, they came in brutal force, landing clean and crisp.
In the fourth round, both men had the crowd on their side. Fighting an entertaining fight spent both on the mat and in the stand-up exchanges, their performance was worthy of the title fight billing. Donald noticed Dodds was slowing on the floor and picked his moment, taking his back and distracting him with strikes before sinking a choke. The only option was for Dodds to tap out and fight another day with nowhere to go. With that, the Scot was declared champion minutes later.
What Is Next for the Champion?
In a post-fight interview, Damon Donald declared his intention to stay active. His sights are set on potentially fighting in June before representing Scotland at the EMMAA Four Nations Tournament this July. Donald is on top of the world with a title belt around his waist and plans to remain active this year before potentially considering that professional switch.
With performances like the one at Unity FC, his reputation will only grow while he continues to develop as well. Watch out for Damon as he plans to fight as often as possible to pick up key experience.
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Featured image credits to Unity FC
