His hand might not have been raised, but there were certainly reasons to be cheerful for Tom Crosby after his promotional debut at Oktagon 53.
Crosby made his return to competitive MMA after a two-year hiatus and pushed Czech brawler Miroslav Broz to the limit in Oberhausen, Germany. His performance was good enough to earn the nod from one of the three cageside judges at the Rudolf Weber Arena. Unfortunately, he was edged out on the other two scorecards as he fell to a split-decision defeat.
Despite finding himself on the wrong end of the decision, there were plenty of positives for the Leeds man to take from his MMA return.
For starters, he has shaken off any cage rust he may have had from his time away from MMA. In the time since Crosby’s previous MMA outing, Broz had fought, and won, four times, meaning that he entered the bout with Crosby on a seven-fight unbeaten streak. The Czech had activity and momentum in his corner on fight night, but Crosby hung with him throughout the 15-minute battle.
Oktagon MMA
The bout also gave Crosby the chance to show off his grappling skills. He had spent much of his time away competing in submission grappling competitions, and those mat skills were on show during the matchup, with the Englishman showing his impressive control on the ground during a dominant second round.
Crosby’s signature mullet gives him an instantly eye-catching look when he steps out under the lights, and the man known as “The Viking” showed the sort of toughness you’d expect from a fighter with that moniker. He stood in the pocket and took everything Broz could throw at him, then fired back with shots of his own.
In the end, he may have spent a little too long in those stand-up exchanges, but regardless, he showed exactly the sort of toughness and fighting spirit that have endeared other fighters to Oktagon fans across Europe.
Oktagon MMA
Throw in the fact that the matchup represented the highest-calibre matchup Crosby has had in his pro MMA career, and it would seem there are plenty of positives for the Leeds man to take from his Oktagon debut.
Speaking during the post-fight press conference, Crosby said he thoroughly enjoyed competing in front of a packed house.
“That was amazing tonight,” he said.
“I’ve had two years out, and then to come back and fight in front of the biggest crowd I’ve ever fought in (front of), it definitely spurred me on. It was just an unbelievable experience.”
That experience could have been even better if the split decision verdict had gone his way. After such a narrow decision, Crosby’s thoughts understandably turned to what might have been, but he said he’s ready to move on to his next challenge inside the Oktagon cage.
“I thought I could have done enough (to win it),” he admitted.
“I thought I might have just edged it. But it is what it is, and we just go on to the next one now.”
With the promotion looking to continue growing in the UK, it seems more than likely that we’ll see Crosby in action on British soil in the not-too-distant future. Oktagon are returning to England for Oktagon 56 on April 20, but after a three-round war that pushed him to the limit, that event might come a little too soon for Crosby. But if they plan on a third UK show later in the year, he’d surely be a shoo-in for a homecoming bout.
