BFC Kick Off

The British Fighting Championship is finally here. After the predictable lies, pull outs and backstabbing that we associate with UK MMA, the BFC is going ahead with a much stronger roster than many would have predicted.

The three first round megacards take place in Nottingham (16 May), Newport (30 May) and Barnsley (26 June). Before that, a tasty aperitif, as two of the brightest youngsters in the UK clash for the honour of a place in the Bantamweight first round proper. James Saville and Dan Korbley have been tipped for big things for a long time. A fight between the two would be a big deal any time. The fact that it is the official kick off of the BFC makes this even more significant.

The winner will get a shot at Steve “Taz” McCombe. A dubious honour: the chance to eat punches from a hard hitting veteran in your second pro fight. On the other hand: it’s the chance to catapult yourself up the rankings by claiming a big scalp. In other words; this is the perfect example of why the BFC is the best idea to come out of UK MMA in ages.

Another reason to be cheerful this week is the debut of the UK M-1 team. Rob Broughton, Tom Blackledge, Matt Thorpe, Simon Phillips and Ian Butlin fly out on Saturday and fight in Japan on Wednesday. hurtbusiness has always been a huge fan of the M-1 Challenge and can’t wait for the UK team to get started.

You will be able to see the fights streamed live on cagewarriors.com next Wednesday morning.