This was my first look at Cortez and he was right on Grey's level. Their early grappling sequences felt really hardfought instead of smooth, and I liked the way they kept teasing that a brawl might break out. Walton seemed positively shocked when Grey fired a forearm to break one of Cortez's holds. This was well on the way to a strong nomination. But instead of trading falls, they went right to the end and closed it with Cortez injuring his leg after he got it caught in the ropes. I hate these copout finishes. What a disservice to the effort these guys put in. I guess I'll still nominate it so others take a look, but it's not one I'll fight for.

 

WOS V2 14

This was awesome. It was everything you'd expect from Grey vs. Cortez with the added bonus of being extremely heated. Grey was British Lightweight champion at the time and Cortez European Lightweight champion, and the winner was due to get a shot at Johnny Saint's World Lightweight title so the bout was super competitive. Cortez wound up playing the subtle heel and Grey got testy as well, particularly when Cortez attacked after the bell. Later on, Grey threw a forearm smash which Cortez was unhappy about and this built until an injury finish that actually worked. Cortez claimed it as a KO victory and got some nice heel heat for doing so (usually the faces turn down the win in this situation and the match is ruled a no contest.) Really great stuff this. One of the best World of Sport matches I've seen