Ainsley Walters, Staff Reporter
Jamaica Combined Martial Arts team member Kenneth Edwards lands a clean kick to the face of his Cuban opponent during last Friday's Busta Challenge showdown in Cuba. Edwards won his bout to help Jamaica defeat their Caribbean neighbours. - CONTRIBUTED
JAMAICA'S COMBINED Martial Arts Team, the Busta Fighters, rounded off their 2005 campaign in fine style last Friday in Havana, completely dominating rivals Cuba in a nine-man showdown.
Such was Jamaica's performance, their next scheduled opponents, the Dominican Republic, promptly called off their match-up, which was set for later this month, postponing the event until next March.
Coach Claude Chin said the Cubans, unbeaten by Jamaica since 2001, underestimated the Combined Team and lost seven consecutive matches in the two-group contest before drawing the last two bouts.
"We fought them from outside," he said. "Cubans are pretty good inside but we frustrated them and counter-attacked. We totally got them out of their rhythm."
Jamaica, led by captain Jason McKay, fielded a super squad with five new invitees Nicholas Dussard, Sean Cummings, Frank Otto, Jermaine Lue and Onar Rose.
Dussard, Kenneth Edwards, Bruce McFarlane, Lue and Rose led a clean sweep of the first group to face Cuba before Cummings and Otto made it
7-0 in favour of Jamaica from four-man Group Two.
McKay and Dwayne Brown guided home Jamaica with draws in the remaining Group Two bouts, ensuring a 16-2 victory for the Combined Team.
HAPPY WITH NEW MEMBERS
McKay said the Combined Team will focus on Asia next year and was happy with the new members' contribution to the big victory.
"Of the five, it's hard to say who did best," he said. "They all did well in their own ways but who surprised me most was Rose.
"I knew of his record but had never seen him fight for an extended period. He totally swept me off my feet with his performance."
Coach Chin was particularly impressed with 16-year-old Dussard, who was presented with the Prime Minister's Youth Award for Excellence Sunday night after returning home.
"He's still a junior and did pretty well being first fighter out," he said. "He completely dominated the Cuban junior."
Cuba had first sent out a junior fighter, hoping to surprise Jamaica but Dussard outclassed his opponent to give the Combined Team a flying start. Still stalling, Cuba next sent out their smallest fighter, hoping to storm Jamaica in the later bouts.
However, McKay called out Edwards, who used strength, speed and deadly accuracy to take out his opponent despite not being totally fit.
Sensing disaster at 2-0, Cuba sent out 6' 3" Juno Viaro, who found his match in 6' 2" Euro Seido champion Bruce McFarlane, with whom he had battled to a draw in 2003.
McFarlane made no mistrake this time around, beating Viaro to put Jamaica up 4-0.
With Jamaica three-up in Match One, the other two bouts went to the Combined Team with Jermaine Lue defeating Manuel Sagaro, who was previously unbeaten by Jamaica in five years of competition after stopping the likes of Joel Ellis and Arthur Barrows.
Combined Team newcomer Seido karate's Omar Rose, a former middle weight world champion and veteran of Cuban competition, called on his experience to round off Jamaica's domination of Group One.
Cuba started Group Two determined to turn the tide, sending out super heavyweight Jesus Ali to take on Sean Cummings of Shai-Tai Kickboxing.
The match ended after 15 seconds when a hostile Ali attacked Cummings off the match and was
disqualified.
The hosts sent out another heavyweight and Jamaica answered with Frank Otto, who was on his second trip with the Combined team. Otto beat his opponent in a fist-fight, showing absolute superiority.
With Jamaica two-up in the four-man Group Two encounter, McKay fought a captain's bout, safely holding Cuba's Manuel Peranza to a draw.
Super heavyweight Dwayne Brown, for academic reasons, fought the final bout, which also ended in a draw.
