IT WAS a tale of two chokes for Aire Valley Martial Arts fighters this past weekend in Barnsley.

The Keighley-based gym has had a good start to the year, with a silver medal at the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu European Championship in February, then kickboxing coach Josh Crowther winning titles at professional level.

The Almighty Fighting Championship show in Barnsley saw the team's first MMA fights since before lockdowns, so it was a special occasion for Charlie Smith, making his debut against Jo Haaland, an international opponent from Finland.

Smith dominated from the bell, scoring a low kick then a right cross that rocked his opponent, forcing him to shoot desperately for the take down.

The shot was easily defended and Smith was able to apply the guillotine choke to secure the finish in under a minute of the very first round.

Later on the card, MMA and boxing veteran Jonny Greenwood came back after a huge eight-year lay off to take on a hot prospect Brooklyn Thomas.

Aire Valley star Greenwood had specifically asked for a tough opponent and he got his wish, with Thomas coming out strong in the first round, throwing punches and moving forwards.

Greenwood was able to slip the punches and make space for counter attacks.

The round ended with the hungry young fighter on Greenwood's back.

The second round saw Greenwood land a monster left hand.

That had all but dropped his opponent, who to his credit rallied and managed to secure the takedown.

After some good grappling exchanges that almost saw an escape, Thomas managed to secure the rear naked choke, forcing Greenwood to tap for only the second time in his career.

All in all, it was still a great night out for the AVMA team, led by head MMA coach Awais Farooq, who said: "Jonny did amazing just to get into shape for the bout, never mind perform the way he did.

"And the future is looking very bright for the up and coming Charlie Smith."