BAMMA Preview
After their false start in 2009, BAMMA are back. BAMMA 2 takes place at the Roundhouse in London’s fashionable Camden on Saturday. This will give the Noel Fielding clones who populate that area to the chance to see some top class match ups.
The main event is a cracker: Paul Reed v Alan Omer. Reed needs no introduction to UK fans. Famous for dominating opponents on the ground and entertaining forum posts, the Scot is ranked 4th in the Gnp European featherweight rankings. Omer was born in Iraq, but his family fled the country to settle in Stuttgart. The 20 year old has quickly emerged as one of the hottest prospects in German MMA. A born crowd pleaser, he mixes solid stand up with an all action ground game (Check out how he starts this fight for proof). Omer’s two defeats have both come when he has fought out of his weight class. Now settled at featherweight, he has his eyes on a prized ginger scalp that will help him in his quest to sign for one of the major international shows. This is a step up for Omer and a tough test for Reed. A fascinating match.
Other reliable faces fill the card, with the domestic scrap between Rob Sinclair and Nathan Beer standing out. Sinclair is one of the stars of the UK scene. After being outstayed by Greg Loughran, he came back looking the complete fighter. Rob put on a series of dazzling displays, picking up the Cage Gladiators lightweight belt along the way. That run ended against Paul Sass but his reputation remained intact as he dropped a razor thin split decision in the UK MMA fight of the year. Up and comer Beer tasted defeat for the first time in when he was also on the wrong end of a split decision against Matt Sellars. He will be keen to utilise his strong clinch work and impressive submission game to get back to winning ways. Both men have quality and guts to spare, so this one could be special.
With reliable home grown performers like Mick Sinclair, AJ Wenn and Taz McCoombe in the mix, plus Renzo Gracie black belt and star of the ADCC championship Gunnar Nelson, there is plenty to look forward to.
Looks like BAMMA mean business this time around.
For Details, Tickets etc. visit
Fight Stars
Fight Stars, the new show designed to unearth the next wave of UK talent, hits the road next week. It’s the brain child of Chris Zorba, the man behind the never less than excellent Cage Gladiators promotion. Check out the press release.
Showsport International in association with CZ Sports Ltd two of the most successful fight sport promotion companies in the UK will launch a new MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) brand in 2010. Fight-Stars will kick-off a ten date UK tour on the 28th February 2010 stretching from London to Leeds. Fight-Stars events will be hosted by Oceana and Liquid night clubs which are operated by Luminar PLC the largest operator of licensed late night venues in the UK.
This is a talent search we want to discover the next generation of UK MMA Stars and give them the opportunity to develop their careers with regular competition in a fair and safe environment. Fight-Stars events will present Professional and Semi-Pro matches featuring mainly novice to B class fighters.
Chris Zorba (CZ Sports Ltd.) is a very successful MMA promoter, the producer the UK’s highest rated MMA TV show Cage Gladiators which was broadcast by ITV 4. Chris is still attracting large audiences to the Liverpool Olympia to watch some of the best fights on the UK circuit with his latest brand OMMAC (Olympian MMA Championships).
Paul Hennessy (Showsport International) in the UK leading Martial Arts promoter who’s events have included K-1 Battle of Britain, K-1 UK MAX, PAIN & GLORY and MUAYTHAI SUPERFIGHTS and has had events and highlights broadcast on Channel 4, Channel 5, Skysports and Eurosport. Showsport International also has a management division which currently represents MMA fighters Terry Etim, Paul Taylor, Stefan Struve and James Te Huna amongst others.
Tour dates:
28th February 2010 Oceana Kingston
28th March 2010 Oceana Leeds
25th April 2010 Oceana Milton Keynes
23rd May 2010 Oceana Wolverhampton
27th June 2010 Oceana Manchester (TBC)
25th July 2010 Liquid Wrexham
26th September 2010 Oceana Nottingham
17th October 2010 Liquid Rotherham
14th November 2010 Oceana Birmingham
5th December 2010 Oceana Leeds
Fighters or Gyms who want to be part of the tour please contact:
Chris Zorba 07973 429909
Paul Hennessy 07931 835923
Rob Broughton: UK #1
On Saturday night, Rob Broughton confirmed what most people thought. He is the #1 Heavyweight in the UK.
The Bear’ defeated Neil Wain, James Thompson and Oli Thompson to take the ZT Tournament and a cheque for £10,000.
In our preview, we outlined why Rob was the man to beat. Surely he is now on the way to the big show. Following on from his heroics in the M-1 Challenge, Broughton’s work at Hove Town Hall means he has nothing to prove domestically. A major international promotion is the logical next step. With its links to M-1, Strikeforce would appear the obvious choice, but It would make a lot of sense if the UFC were to snap him up.
Heavyweight is the weakest division in MMA and the UFC is no exception. Rob Broughton would bring some kudos. His tournament win means he is a close a thing as a bona fide British champ we’re ever going to get. With a light heavyweight tournament already arranged for May- ZT could become an unofficial UFC play off. Everyone would be a winner. The UFC would get a proven UK champion to market. Tournaments aren’t perfect, but they’re a more exciting method of talent scouting than that tired old reality show.
ZT are in no way a threat to the UFC. By embracing them, the UFC would be giving a massive boost to the UK scene- encouraging the best in each division to take each other on. Sol Gilbert and the ZT team have done a great job in putting together the concept and performed unbelievably to get the show on against the odds. Cage Rage used to pose as a competitor to the UFC. The UFC responded by treating them with hostility- staging UK shows on the same dates etc. Sol Gilbert, on behalf of ZT, has repeatedly stated that he has no ambition beyond providing a platform to help domestic fighters to make the move up to organisations like the UFC. It would make perfect sense for the UFC to gratefully put the winner on their books.
Hopefully, this will happen. Until then, the hurtbusiness would like to congratulate Rob Broughton, Sol Gilbert and all at ZT for a job well done.
Read Dave Lethaby’s full ZT report here
From Monday night (Feb 1st), you will be able to download the action for £10 from CageFilm
ZT Tournament Preview
Read our guide to the ZT Heavyweight Tournament at the main site:
Read why it may already be out of date here
At Last
Jimmy Wallhead has finally got what he deserves. An international promotion has snapped him up at last.
U.S. based MMA organization Bellator Fighting Championships continued its active off-season Monday with the announcement that top British welterweight star Jim Wallhead (18-5) has signed a multi-fight deal with the promotion. Bellator Fighting Championships is a Mixed Martial Arts promotional company with offices in Los Angeles and Chicago. Each of Bellator’s 24 fights during Seasons 2 and 3 will be distributed live in primetime on Thursday nights on FOX Sports Net and its regional sports network affiliates. The top moments from each week’s live events will then be condensed into an action-packed 30-minute highlight show, broadcast every Saturday night, late night, on NBC. A one-hour highlight show will air in Spanish on Telemundo every Saturday night from midnight to 1 a.m. Each of the three broadcasts will be aired in high definition. “Judo Jim” joins a star-studded eight-man welterweight tournament that kicks off on April 8, 2010, and also includes Dan Hornbuckle, Jacob McClintock and former NCAA wrestling champion and US Olympian Ben Askren.
There will be some who sneer and moan that this is not the UFC or the like, but check out the names in the tournament. Bellator are building a rep for treating fighters right and their welterweight roster is extremely healthy. All Jim has ever wanted was the chance to show what he can do on the world stage. With the calibre of opposition he’ll meet and the exposure he’ll receive- he can make a real statement with Bellator. Hopefully, this is only the start of the good news. There is no reason why Jim Wallhead can’t go on to emulate the success of his Rough House team mates.
hurtbusiness would like to congratulate Jimmy and his management team for hanging in there and getting this done. A win for the good guys.
OMMAC 3 Report
There is full OMMAC 3 report on the main site:
OMMAC 3: Only the Brave
Next Saturday sees the third helping of MMA goodness from OMMAC. “ Only The Brave” features many of your usual Olympia favourites plus a couple of juicy title fights.
Paul ‘Boom Boom’ Cahoon is the star attraction. Cahoon is a significant figure in the sport. Without him, in the UK in general and Merseyside in particular- MMA would not be as big a deal as it is. No Cahoon – maybe no Wolfslair. No Wolfslair- maybe no Bisping. No Bisping winning TUF: maybe no UFC expansion into Europe. As well as being a historical figure, the good news for those heading to Liverpool is that Paul can still mix it with the best of them. Cahoon looked like he was about to get some long overdue recognition after his destruction of Elvis Sinosic, but it didn’t quite work out. He dropped two decisions in a row. First a rejuvenated Ian Freeman put on career best performance to beat him at Cage Rage then Kazuhiro Nakamura got the nod from the judges at Sengoku – Fifth Battle. After over a year away from the cage- Paul Cahoon will have his work cut out against tough Swede Matt Makela.
Icelander Arni Isaksson takes on Luis “Besouro” Dutra Jr for the vacant world welterweight title.
OMMAC (and Cage Gladiators before it ) is as good as it gets when it comes to domestic MMA. Do yourself a favour and get down to the most majectic venue in combat sport.
MAIN EVENT
PAUL CAHOON V MATTI MAKELA
Tony Moran v Shaun Lomas
Lee Chadwick v Ronan McKay
Arron Wilkinson v Tim Newman
Jay McGuiness v Carl Harrison
WORLD WELTERWEIGHT TITLE
ARNI ISSAKSON (ICE) V LUIS “BESSOURO” DUTRE JR (BRA)
Richie Ryder v Chris Cooper
INTERVAL
Jay Gladden v TBC
Chris Oban v Tom Morris
Jay Manning v Tom Thorneycroft
Mick Solomons v Ash Pollard
David Hill v Afsul Miah
semi pro
Uche Ihiekwe v Ben Eastwood
Dan Abbott v Frazier Opie
Pietro Menga v TBC
Barnsley Shorts
The Metrodome show was tremendous. Some local stars to pull the crowds backed by some of the most competitive semi pro fights I’ve ever seen. That’s mainly down to good matchmaking, but also to intelligence on the part of the fighters and their teams. Too often in semi pro, you see lads who put all their energy into mounting their opponents. Once they achieve their objective, they realise it’s not that great a position to be in. They spend the rest of the round dropping ineffective body shots and the audience get a parody of a real fight. Friday’s semi pro fighters took the smart option- looking to pass to side and look for subs. This meant- they got the most from the semi pro experience as they were making the best of the rules and the crowd saw a real fight. There are solid arguments for shorter rounds and other rule adjustments but the current ones are fine if the combatants use their heads. Friday night fighting is the way forward. Obviously, it’s a hassle for fighters with work commitments, but the hall was sold out and the crowd were determined to have a good time. To succeed, especially in these tough economic times, you’ve got to give the punters what they want.
***
Outcast MMA T Shirts bear the legend: WE TRAIN TOGETHER, WE FIGHT ALONE. Wouldn’t it be better training alone and being backed up by your mates in a fight?
***
The crowd were well behaved on Friday. On security duty was none other than local hero Tengiz Tedoradze. I was secretly hoping it would kick off a so we could see a suplex from the Barnsley Gladiator.
***
Unlike other shows, the MC didn’t announce the fighters’ nicknames. Without explanation, Billy “The Kid” Glossop wearing a cowboy hat on the way to the cage looks a little eccentric.
***
Barnsley Fight Night
Top quality MMA returns to the Barnsley Metrodome on Friday October 16th.
(Quick quiz- What landmark in MMA history took place at the Metrodome. Answer at bottom)
The event has been put together by Paul Murphy and features many of the fighters who shone on the great Ultimate Force cards.
The always entertaining Wayne Murrie takes on Bryan Moore. Also on the card are Lanus Jones and Luke Dalton, both coming off spectacular wins at the recent 10th Legion show. Ultimate Force always delivered with well matched bouts from start to finish and this show should not disappoint.
Wayne Murrie v Brian Moore
Lanus Jones v Daniel Sliwowski
James Bateman v Leeroy Barnes
Jules Willis v Billy Glossop
Jason Ball v TBA
Pete Hill v TBA
Ross Price v Martin Stocks
Tom Whitaker v Nick Slack
Louie Chapman v James Green
Sean Fells v Grant Kyles
Luke Dalton v Mathew Stocks
Josh Harrop v Keith Lorenz
Daniel Dwyer v Joe Patrick
Quiz Answer: On 9th May 2004 at Cage Warriors 7: Showdown, Gerald Strebendt won his fight against Dave Elliot with a Twister. This was the first ever submission by way of Twister in MMA history.
Sass v Sinclair Preview
Rob Sinclair and Paul Sass finally meet on Saturday. No need for hype- this is a fight everyone really has been waiting for. The two lightweight princes duelling to see who is the king of the Olympia.
Sass has plenty in his favour. Forget the record breaking triangle run- just check the names on his record: Jason Ball, Ian Jones, Harvey Harra, Martin Stapleton. With a CV like that, you have officially graduated from promising youngster to player. Obviously, he is exceptional off his back and people keep falling for it. You have to be pretty smart to get lucky that often.
The closest he has come to defeat was against Jason Ball last November. Ball kept the fight standing with some neat footwork and sly fence holding. Daddy Cool was on his way to a decision victory before his discipline slipped. Unloading from half guard and looking for the finish, he was the last person in the Olympia to know he was the latest victim of the Sass triangle. Everyone knows what Sass has got, but it seems he is unstoppable.
Rob Sinclair is the toughest challenge Sass has faced. Like Sass, his win column is full of top names, but it’s his solitary defeat that made Rob Sinclair the fighter he is. At Cage Gladiators 8, Sinclair and Greg Loughran fought a war of attrition. On my card, Sinclair was edging a gruelling clinch and ground war against one of the best guys in the domestic game. One slip, Kimura on and the old fox Loughran is volleying his mouthpiece into the crowd in celebration while Sinclair kicked himself.
To quote from the hurtbusiness report:
A good learning fight for Rob Sinclair and confirmation that there’s no substitute for experience.
Wise words if I say so myself. Before that fight, Sinclair was good. Since then- he looks on another level. He dictated the shape and pace of his fight against Tim Radcliffe to earn a unanimous decision. Next, he relentlessly pounded the tougher than your toughest pair of old boots Aidan Marron then played a mature waiting game before clinically taking out Alexandre Izidro.
Whatever the result; Sass and Sinclair are both on the way up. Both are improving and should be making waves on the international scene shortly. Right now, I think that Sinclair is the more complete package, with a definite edge standing. With his mature attitude- I don’t see him making the fatal mistakes that others have when facing Sass. Taking into consideration his power, hurtbusiness picks Rob Sinclair to win by stoppage.
