Kingdom MMA speak to Max Nunes ahead of BAMMA Fight Night: Askham vs Nunes

Max Nunes talks to Kingdom MMA ahead of his title shot against Scott Askham

by Ben Heather @benheather

On Saturday night Max Nunes will headline the first BAMMA Fight Night event when he challenges Scott Askham for his BAMMA Middlewight World Title. The fight between Askham and Nunes pits two of the best Middleweights in European MMA against each other in a fight which may attract the attention of the UFC. Before that though Max Nunes took time out of his camp to speak to Kingdom MMA about his upcoming title fight.

Ben: Last time out you fought in Russia, how was the experience? How did the Russian fans compare to the Brits?
Nunes: It was a really cool experience and I'm very happy I went there. Everyone was very nice over there and i was treated very well but nothing compares to the British fans :)

Ben: Have you been working on any specific areas of your game since you last fought in England?
Nunes: Everything. I'm always trying to get better at every aspect of MMA.

Ben: How has the camp gone? Where have you been training for this fight and who with?
Nunes: Camp has gone really well. I've been training at Allstars Training Center in Stockholm.  Some of the people I've been training with are Magnus Cedenblad, Alex Gustafsson, Ilir Latifi. A lot of different people.

Ben: When did you find out that you would be fighting Askham? I know there were some tweets back and forth between the two of you around the time of BAMMA 15. Did you know before then you would be fighting Askham?
Nunes: I found out not too long ago. I wanted to fight him at the last BAMMA but he was injured then.

Ben: In the past Bamma have allowed you to go and fight for other promotions to keep you active. Are you hoping that now BAMMA have announced more shows with the Fight Nights that you will be able to keep more active fighting only for BAMMA?
Nunes: BAMMA is a great promotion and I love fighting for them so I'll fight every chance they give me.

Ben: In your last appearance for BAMMA you stepped in for Scott on less than a months notice. Was the reason for taking that fight to step in, defeat Pascu and then replace him as the number one contender?
Nunes: Yes.

Ben: Scott Askham will be coming in to this fight unbeaten. What do you think you will bring to the fight that his 11 previous opponents couldn't?
Nunes: We will have to wait and find out.

Ben: Askham has not fought since Sept last year. In that time you have fought and won twice. In your opinion will staying active work to your advantage?
Nunes: I don't think so. I'm sure he has been training really hard so there should not be any ring rust.

Ben: In your opinion what does Scott Askham do well and do you think he has any areas you can target?
Nunes: He's very well rounded and a great fighter, but we have been working on some stuff.

Ben: This will be the second time you have fought for a BAMMA world title, after coming up short in your first attempt. What did you learn from that experience?
Nunes: A lot of things.

Ben: What would it mean to you to become the BAMMA World Middleweight Champion?
Nunes: I would be very happy as BAMMA is a great promotion  to be a champion in.

Ben: Do you think the winner of this fight stands a good chance of getting the attention of the UFC, especially in your case with a show announced for Sweden later this year?
Nunes: Time will tell.

Ben: How do you see yourself winning the fight on June 7th?
Nunes: Stoppage in the 1st or 2nd round

Ben: Would you like to thank anyone or any sponsors ahead of the fight?
Nunes: All of my fans and my sponsors.

Thank you for your time and good luck in your fight we are all looking forward to what is anticipated to be a great fight between two of the best Middleweight fighters not in the UFC.

Arnold Allen ahead of CWFC 69 "I'll look to dominate wherever it goes"

Arnold Allen talks to Kingdom MMA ahead of Super Saturday

by Sam Heard @SamHeard_

Copyright: Dolly Clew | Cage Warriors

On Saturday night Cage Warriors will be putting on one of the biggest, if not the biggest shows UK MMA has ever seen. There will not be the usual 6 main card fights, Super Saturday will see 12 main card fights including two title fights take place in one night. Arnold Allen, the undefeated flyweight and our "One to watch in 2014" is one of the many fighters who will step foot in the cage to go to war. Before the action begins though Arnold took some time out of his training camp to chat to Kingdom MMA about that fight.

Sam: Thank you for once again taking the time to do an interview with us Arnold – particularly with the proximity to your next fight.
In the last interview you did with us you said you wanted to be hitting around “4 or 5 fights this year”. Are you pleased to be getting back on the horse relatively quickly after your last fight?
Allen: Thank you for interviewing me again, it's good to come off a win injury free and be able to get straight back in and keep the momentum going.

Sam: With just under a week to go before the big fight on what is a stacked card, how have the preparations for your fight gone? How does it feel to be a part of one of the biggest cards to ever take place in UK MMA. Would you say this was the biggest UK MMA event ever?
Allen: Fight prep as usual has gone as good as possible, it's really cool being part of one of the UK's biggest cards this year, it's definitely up there with some of the top events hosted in the UK.

Sam: Your opponent on June 7th is Marcin Wrzosek. How does it feel to be fighting a man nicknamed the Polish Zombie?
Allen: It's a cool nickname but that's all it is, so it doesn't really mean anything to me.

Sam: How much do you know about Marcin Wrzosek? With only one Cage Warriors fight to his name, has he been a hard fighter to study?
Allen: I'm not one for studying my opponents I just focus on my own skill set and make sure every time I fight I show an improved version of myself.

Sam: Despite his nickname, the Polish Zombie does have a TKO loss on his record. Will you be looking to light him up on the feet as in your fight against Tobias Huber or will you try and showcase another aspect of your game?
Allen: I'll take the fight as it comes, and look to dominate wherever it goes.

Sam: After having fought twice in Jordan, are you pleased to be making a return to our capital city?
Allen: It is an amazing experience fighting in Jordan!, but I am definitely looking forward to fighting back in London!

Sam: Is there any added pressure fighting in front of an English crowd or is it just business as usual?
Allen: No pressure at all!

Sam: Where do you believe an eighth consecutive win will put you in the promotion’s featherweight division? Do you have your next opponent in mind or are you entirely focused in the man who will be stood in front of you June 7th?
Allen: with an impressive win I should be 1/2 more impressive wins away from a title shot, as for who's next no one in particular I'm just focused on my next opponent.

Sam: Though it will only come into effect at CW70, we have recently head the big news that Cage Warriors have joined forces with Channel 4. Is this exciting news to hear as one of the promotions biggest talents?
Allen: It's a huge deal and will definitely help push MMA in the direction it needs to go! I was a bit upset that it's not going to be showing Super Saturday but I'll just have to wait.

Sam: Would you like to thank anybody?
Allen: I'd like to thank all my team mates sponsors and family! Especially the beard that is feared Sean Carter for training like a mad man to help everyone out, even through injuries and bad hair days.

Thank you for your time and we look forward to seeing you fight on Saturday night.

Scott Askham on fight with Max Nunes "I can't wait for him to be stood in front of me"

Scott Askham talks to Kingdom MMA before his fight with Max Nunes

by Ben Heather @benheather

Earlier this week Kingdom MMA caught up with Scott Askham ahead of his main event fight against Max Nunes at BAMMA Fight Night on Saturday night. That fight will mark the first time that Askham attempts to defend his BAMMA World Middlewight Championship belt. Before the fight takes place though we caught up with Scott to discuss that fight with Nunes, his recent injury and his plans for the future.

Ben: Hi Scott, Thank you for your time and for answering our questions before the fight.
It’s been nearly 9 months since we last saw you in action, what have you been working on in that time?
Askham: I've been focusing on my game as a whole and moving forward that way.

Ben: How does it feel to be the BAMMA world champion, is this the greatest achievement you in your career to date?
Askham: Yeah of course it's my biggest achievement (so far) and being BAMMA's world champion is awesome. I have massive self-belief and always believed I would become their champion.

Ben: You were supposed to defend your title against Ion Pascu before being forced to withdraw due to an injury. Max replaced you in that fight, what did you make of Max's performance?
Askham: He did just enough to get the nod  but it did not stand out as an outstanding performance or anything. He did nothing that impressed me.

Ben: How frustrating has it been to be sat on the side-lines unable to fight?
Askham: It has been slightly frustrating but I have just had a baby girl, so it came at a good time for me as well, as she has kept me busy.

Ben: How is the shoulder feeling now, when did you get the all clear on it and have you had to go easy on it during camp at all or is it 100% now?
Askham: My shoulder is 100% now and has been since around February time.

Ben: Max called you out, but decided to take a fight in Russia instead of fighting you.
Did you want to/ would you have been fit to fight Max Nunes at BAMMA 15 in April and what did you make of him calling you out then taking another fight?
Askham: I would have been fit to fight yes but he took the other fight... That's behind me now as well. Now I have had a good 4 months with Max in my mind!! I can't wait for him to be stood in front of me!

Ben: You finally will square off against Max in just under two weeks time. How excited are you to return to action on June 7th?
Askham: I can't wait!! Just over a week and I will be stepping on the scales. My weight feels good and my training camp's been awesome!

Ben: In your opinion what does Max Nunes do well?
Askham: I don't really care what he does well I will just go out there and implement my game plan.

Ben: Nunes' only loss came against Jason Jones, have you watched the tape on that fight and have you picked up on areas that you can target?
Askham: His heart! He quit in that fight!!

Ben: You have stated before that this fight is the last fight on your contract with Bamma. Do you think a win over Max Nunes will be the win required to get the attention of the UFC?
Askham: I am hoping so. I do not see any reason why not. I think I will have earned it, don't you think?

Ben: If the UFC do not come calling, can we expect you to re-sign with BAMMA and be one of their showcase fighters?
Askham: We will have to see, I do have UFC in my mind...

Ben: Names for the foreseeable future?
Askham: Luke Barnatt?? Makes sense. Me get to the UFC, clock up a  few wins and have a massive Middleweight fight in the UK. How about that?

Ben: How do you see yourself winning the fight on June 7th?
Askham: TKO, Sub or UD if he hangs in to the end, but it's still not going to be close!!

Ben: Would you like to thank anyone or any sponsors ahead of the fight?
Askham: All my sponsors as always have been a massive help; all my friends and family who are making the journey to Southampton; my team at Ludus Magnus; and all the fans for their support. Thank you very much!!

Thank you for your time and good luck in your fight we are all looking forward to what is anticipated to be a great fight between two of the best Middleweight fighters not in the UFC.

Curt Warburton on Stevie Ray "He's young, he's hungry so I think it's going to be a good fight"

Curt Warburton talks to Kingdom MMA ahead of his CWFC Title fight at CWFC 69: Super Saturday

by Chris Marzella @ChrisMarzella

In what could be described as the renaissance of his career, Curt Warburton (13-4) is on the threshold of strapping Cage Warriors gold around his waist next Saturday night. The former UFC lightweight headlines Cage Warriors 69: Super Saturday when he faces Steven Ray for the vacant lightweight title in London.

It'll be Warburton's second Cage Warriors outing and he is looking to put his UFC release in 2011 well and truly behind him. Warburton made his UFC debut in October 2010 and just three fights later found himself on the end of that dread news.

Since his UFC release Warburton has struggled to deal with the cut and the circumstances surrounding it, despite stringing a succession of wins together in promotions such as BAMMA and KSW and most recently Cage Warriors.

Speaking to KingdomMMA.co.uk Warburton said:

"It'd be nice to get back in and get a little bit more of a chance. You look at some other guys that people have fought and compared to me I don't think I was given a great chance."

"I got the chance, some people never get a chance, I got one. When you first start that's what you do it for. You think about the UFC and then you get there and you don't get your fair chance."

"I went in and got taken straight to the top. There's people on 3 or 4 fight loosing streaks yet I got beat by Joe Lauzon and got axed. I didn't think that was fair but you have to dust yourself off and get back on it."

Warburton made his UFC debut in a defeat to Spencer Fisher, he won his second fight against Maciej Jewtuszko and followed that up with a submission loss to Lauzon and was subsequently axed from the company.

Warburton added: "How many other Brits have fought someone like Joe Lauzon after three fights? Some Brits have fought ten fights and still haven't."

"That's what you dream of and when that happens and you got an email saying your contract has been terminated, end of, it sort of puts you in a bit of depression. Like all of that hard work for that and that's the way it ends."

"I came out had a few fights in BAMMA. Maybe I should just have gone straight to Cage Warriors. That's a regret not just going straight there. But I'm there now."

Reflecting on his experience in the big time, he said:

"I'm more experienced. I used to just do what I was told, 'do this, do that'. Then when the shit hit the fan you're there by yourself and you've got to cope by yourself, everyone else just moves on."

"Now I just do what I do. I do whatever I want to do. I have a bit more say in what I want to do and I want to train because at the end of the day, when the shit hits the fan I've only got myself to blame."

"You get beat and it's really lonely. Especially when you strive to get to the UFC and sort of go out the way I did."

"You think 'well why didn't I get just get a chance like everyone else?' and I did go through a bit of depression."

"One minute you're working, you're grafting, you're training all the time. You start thinking you can make a little bit of money so you can have a better life and it was no different."

"I started thinking "what's the point?" because I might as well go back to work. At least that way i can go out shopping on the weekends or go see your mates, but you can't do that because you're always training all the time."

"As a fighter people think you have a great lifestyle. Obviously it's great because you're doing what you love but you look at the other side of it and you're always skint and you're juggling things about."

"But UK MMA is growing but you're never going to earn a fortune out of it unless you're at the very top but you're just doing what you love."

Warburton and Ray are now entering the final difficult week of weight cutting ahead of the fight on June 7.

With the new Cage Warriors policy on 60-per-cent fines for fighters missing weight kicking in this weekend Warburton has expressed a desire for more weight classes in MMA. He said: "It's our job to make weight. I think something had to be done."

"Whether the 60-per-cent is going to work I don't know. I mean we're not the greatest paid athletes in the world and 60-per-cent taken off plus if you have a manager that's 20%, you're only left with 20% and people are just going to think 'well I'll just pull an injury'."

"Personally I think there should be a light-welterweight category. You look at 62kg to 66kg, that's a 4kg difference, then 66kg to 70kg, again a 4kg difference.

"Lightweights aren't big guys. If there was a light welterweight division that would be perfect for me something around 73kg or 74kg would be an ideal weight to fight at."

Saturday night will be the second time Warburton and Ray will lock horns following a fight at BAMMA 12 last March, a fight which Warburton won.

This time around though it should be a very different fight.

Warburton said:

"The last time we fought I was supposed to fight Rob Sinclair and it was only a few weeks notice we got to know we were going to fight each other."

"Obviously he's going to improve but I'm going to be a lot more physical than I was in the first fight. I'm feeling stronger than I was in the last fight."

"I've been doing a lot of strength and conditioning since that fight but like I say Stevie has improved as well. He's young, he's hungry so I think it's going to be a good fight."

Warburton is undecided as to who his win in the first fight favours heading in to this one. He said: "It's certainly going to make him hungrier to get that win back so maybe he'll be a lot more psyched up."

"I'm not going to take anything for granted. i know exactly how tough he is and I know what I'll have to do. I have to be twice as determined than the last fight and maybe twice as good."

Cage Warriors 69: Super Saturday take plane on Saturday June 7 from The Forum, Kentish Town, London.

UFC Fight Night 41 Berlin - UK Betting Odds

UFC Fight Night 41 Berlin - UK Betting Odds
by Chris Houten - @mrhouts 

The UFC is back this weekend, and with it comes a chance to make some serious cash with the right bet. Kingdom MMA have teamed up with William Hill to bring those who fancy a little flutter the latest clear cut, UFC betting odds - Good Luck, and don't miss out on your free £25 bet below!

Preliminary Card
7/4 Viktor Pesta v Ruslan Magomedov 4/9 
 7/4 Andy Ogle v Maximo Blanco 4/9
13/8 Peter Sobotta v Pawel Pawlak 1/2 
1/4 Iuri Alcantara v Vaughan Lee 3/1
EVS Magnus Cedenblad v Krzystof Jotko 4/5
4/5 Nick Hein v Drew Dober EVS

Main Card
2/5 Tom Niinimaki v Niklas Backsrom 2/1 
4/9 Luke Barnatt v Sean Strickland 7/4
4/7 Francis Carmont v C.B. Dollaway 11/8
12/5 Mark Munoz v Gegard Mousasi 1/3 
*blue denotes favourite 

Who is Alexander Yakovlev: 15 Facts About the Man who takes on Damien Maia on Saturday

Who is Alexander Yakovlev: 15 Facts About the Man who takes on Damien Maia on Saturday
by Chris Houten - @mrhouts

Professional MMA Career

On Saturday Night Russian Welterweight Alexander Yakovlev will take on legendary grappler Damien Maia, a former Middleweight title challenger turned top 10 welterweight. So who is Alexander Yakovlev, we have put together xx facts about the man who will take on the ADCC champion in his native Brazil. 

Yakovlev was initially expected to make his UFC debut against Yan Cabral on May 10, 2014 at UFC Fight Night: Brown vs. Silva. However, on April 9, Yakovlev was moved to the The Ultimate Fighter Brazil 3 Finale card as a replacement for injured Mike Pierce against Demian Maia.

Yakovlev defeated British slugger Paul 'Semtex' Daley in his last outing to earn his contract with the UFC. The bout took place this past November at Legend 2 in Russia.

Yakovlev's fight with Damien Maia will be his first professional bout outside of Russia with his previous 26 professional bouts all taking place in his homeland.

Yakovlev has only lost once in 5 years. That loss came to current UFC fighter Rashid Magomedov under the M-1 banner.

Yakovlev has finishes 16 of his 21 victories - 8 by submission, 8 by TKO / KO

Championships and Accomplishments

Alexander recently took gold at in the Mens NO-GI Expert Cruiser Weight division at the 2014 NAGA World Championships.

Yakovlev can also count medals at the Russian Freestyle Wrestling Championships, Russian Hand-to-hand combat Championships, and Russian Sambo Championship amongst his accomplishments.

Yakovlev won the 2013 Russian national Hand-to-Hand-Combat champion. He beat Alexei Nazarov, Andrey Koreshkov and Alexander Stetsurenko.

Alexander fought for the M-1 Global Welterweight Championship losing to Rashid Magomedov.

Personal Life

Alexander Yakovlev's nickname is 'badboy'.

Yakovlev grow up in one of Russia's oldest Cities, Veliky Novgorod.

Yakovlev dreamed of being an Olympic wrestler as a child but feel in love with MMA after seeing country Oleg Taktarov beat Tank Abbott at UFC 6.

Alexander Yakovlev graduated from university in 2007 with the rank of the Lieutenant of Criminal Justice. He worked in the Department of Internal Affairs before turning pro.

The Russian has recorded a rap song in his native tongue entitled 'Money Power'. The music video for the song opens with a scene from the movie Scarface and show Yakovlev hitting punching bags throughout the video. You can watch the video on Youtube here.

Video: CW69's Brett Caswell Beats Olympian Ashley McKenzie in 2006 Judo Match

Video: CW 69s Brett Caswell Beats Olympian Ashley McKenzie in 2006 Judo Match
by Chris Houten - @mrhouts

Cage Warriors 69's Brett Caswell is without a doubt one of the finest grapplers in UK MMA today. A Commonwealth and British Judo Champion you can see just how good Caswell actually is in the video below, where he makes short work of 2012 Team GB Olympian Ashley McKenzie defeating his opponent by ippon* in just under 20 second.

*Literally "one full point", it is the highest score a fighter can achieve in a Japanese martial arts ippon-wazari contest, usually Kendo, judo, karate or jujutsu.

Brett Caswell takes on BJJ Blackbelt Spencer Hewitt at Cage Warriors 69 on June 6. Stay Tuned to KingdomMMA.co.uk for all the latest on Cage Warriors 69 - Super Saturday

UFC Fight Night 41 Berlin Weigh-in Results

UFC Fight Night 41 Berlin Weigh-in Results

UFC Fight Night 41 Berlin, which is headlined by the middleweight bouts between Mark Munoz and Gegard Mousasi and Francis Carmont and CB Dollaway, airs live on UFC FIGHT PASS from the O2 World in Berlin, Germany, beginning at 5:30pm ET.

FIGHT PASS MAIN EVENT
Gegard Mousasi (185) VS Mark Munoz (186)

FIGHT PASS MAIN CARD
CB Dollaway (186) VS Francis Carmont (186)
Sean Strickland (186) VS Luke Barnatt (185)
Niklas Backstrom (146) VS Tom Niinimaki (145)

FIGHT PASS PRELIMS
Drew Dober (155) VS Nick Hein (154)
Krzysztof Jotko (185) VS Magnus Cedenblad (185)
Iuri Alcantara (136) VS Vaughan Lee (136)
Pawel Pawlak (171) VS Peter Sobotta (170)
Maximo Blanco (145) VS Andy Ogle (146)
Ruslan Magomedov (249) VS Viktor Pesta (240)

Ryan La Flare out, Zak Cummings meets Gunnar Nelson at UFC Dublin

Undisclosed Injury to La Flare forces a change to UFC Fight Night 46
by Chris Houten @mrhouts

Fresh of his UFC Fight Night 40 victory over Yan Cabral, Zak Cummings (17-3 UFC, 2-0 MMA) meets Gunnar Nelson (12-0-1 UFC, 3-0 MMA) as a replacement for Ryan La Flare who has been removed from the card for unconfirmed reasons.

UFC Fight Night 46 Dublin takes place July 19th at the The O2 Arena. Tickets for will go on sale to the general public at 10am on Friday 6th June and can be purchased from www.ticketmaster.ie and www.theo2.ie.

Originally scheduled to face Kenny Robertson at UFC Fight Night 45 on July 16 at UFC Fight Night 45 on Atlantic City, Cummings will now fight 3 days later at UFC Fight Night 46, the UFCs 3rd European event of 2014.

A former MFC middleweight champion, Cummings made his UFC debut win a submission of the night D'Arce Choke victory over Ben Alloway at UFC Fight Night 27 this past August, which his followed up with a unanimous decision victory over Yan Cabral at last months Fight Night 40. A winner of 4 straight fight, The welterweight has only lost 3 times in his career, with loses coming to Ryan Jimmo at light heavyweight, as well as Tim Kennedy and Elvis Mutapcic both at Middleweight. a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Cummings has 9 wins by submission and 4 by TKO.

Widely considered one of the hottest prospects in Europe along side SBG teammates Conor McGregor and Cathal Pendrad, Iceland born Renzo Gracie Black belt Gunnar Nelson fights for the 4th time at UFC fight night 46 on the back of an impressive, performance of the night first round victory over Omari Akhmedov. A pro since 2007 Nelson has finished all but one of his opponents inside the distance and holds UFC victories over DaMarques Johnson, former Sengoku champion Jorge Santiago and the aforementioned Omari Akhmedov.

With the addition of Nelson vs Cummings, UFC Fight Night 46 now includes:

Conor McGregor vs. Cole Miller
Zak Cummings vs. Gunnar Nelson
Ian McCall vs. Brad Pickett
Ilir Latifi vs. Tom Lawlor
Cody Donovan vs. Nikita Krylov
Phil Harris vs. Neil Seery
Trevor Smith vs. Tor Troeng

Stay tuned to KingdomMMA.co.uk for all the latest on Ufc Fight night 46.

UFC Dublin adds Parke vs Kotani

Norman Parke meets Naoyuki Kotani at UFC Fight Night 46 in Dublin

by Chris Houten @mrhouts

Northern Ireland's Norman Parke (20-2-1 MMA, 3-0-1 UFC) will meet returning Japanese lightweight Naoyuki Kotani (33-10-7 MMA, 0-2 UFC) at UFC Fight Night 46 in Dublin.

UFC Fight Night 46 Dublin takes place July 19th at the The O2 Arena. Tickets for the event will go on sale to the general public at 10am on Friday 6th June and can be purchased from www.ticketmaster.ie and www.theo2.ie.

Undefeated in 10 bouts, Norman Parke returns to fight on more familiar shores hoping to bounce back from a disappointing draw to Leonardo Santos at UFC Fight Night 38  in Brazil; a bout that Parke was docked a point without warning from the referee for grabbing Santos' shorts.

A pro since 2006, Parke burst on to the international scene when he won The Ultimate Fighter: The Smashes, a version of TUF which pit Australia vs The United Kingdom. Since beating fellow Brit Colin Fletcher in the finals of TUF: smashes, Parke put together impressive decision victories over Kazuki Tokudome and Jon Tuck before the draw to Leonardo Santos.

Currently riding a 4 year, 13 fight wins streak, Japanese lightweight Naoyuki Kotani fights in the UFC for the first time since 2007 where loses to Thiago Tavares and Dennis Siver saw him released from the promotion. A devastating submission artist with 25 of his 30 finishes coming by tap out, the 32 year old Japanese fighter has struggled throughout his career when facing western opposition with previous loses coming to Jorge Masvidal, Rich Clementi, Marcus Aurelio, Yves Edwards, and Roger Huerta.

With the addition of Parke vs Kotani UFC Fight Night 46 now includes:

Conor McGregor vs. Cole Miller
Zak Cummings vs. Gunnar Nelson
Ian McCall vs. Brad Pickett
Ilir Latifi vs. Tom Lawlor
Cody Donovan vs. Nikita Krylov
Phil Harris vs. Neil Seery
Trevor Smith vs. Tor Troeng
Naoyuki Kotani vs. Norman Parke

Stay tuned to KingdomMMA.co.uk for all the latest on UFC Fight Night 46

Bradley Scott previews UFC Berlin

UFC Middleweight Brad Scott Previews UFC Fight Night: Munoz vs Mousasi

by Ben Heather @benheather

Kingdom MMA recently caught up with Brad Scott and he gave us his breakdown of UFC Fight Night: Munoz vs Mousasi. Unfortunately Brad is currently sidelined with a shoulder injury but hopefully we will see him back in action later this year. While he is out of action we took the opportunity to see if his predictions are as good as he is in the octagon.

Munoz vs Mousasi
I'm gonna go with Mousasi, I think he will out strike Munoz and I can't see Munoz getting him down. I genuinely believe that Mousasi is sick! I really really rate him and I've seen him doing some training with Dan Henderson. His greco wrestling is sick, he's super good and his striking is phenomenal. It's just whether he gets the chance to use it.

Carmont vs Dollaway
Both are beasts and CB trains in Arizona near me, but I'm gonna go with Francis Carmont. I think Carmont is gonna play it super safe as always and will win by a boring, boring decision.

Barnatt vs Strickland
Luke will win this by TKO. I predict he will catch him coming in with a straight right going down. It will be early in the fight, trust me!!

Hein vs Dober
I don't know much on either guy so I will pass on this one.

Cedenblad vs Jotko
I'm going to go with Cedenblad. Even though Jotko is 14-0 I wouldn't care if he was 20-0. The level of Polish MMA is normally quite low and so I have to go with a guy who's been fighting in the UFC for a while.

Lee vs Alcantara
Vaughan Lee will win this. He was hard to take down, he has a great takedown defence and is good at BJJ. He famously got all those submissions in two minutes when he went to Vegas to tryout for TUF.

Sobotta vs Pawlak
I think this will be the time that Sobatta finally gets a win in the UFC.

Ogle vs Blanco
I felt so sorry for Ogle in his last fight against Charles Oliveira. I was watching it in America and the whole bar was cheering for Andy Ogle to win. Then he got locked in the triangle. He gets back to winning ways in Berlin

Pesta vs Magomedov
Again, sorry I do not know anything about these guys.

Thank you for your time Brad and we wish you a speedy recovery and look forward to seeing you back in the octagon in the near future.

Let us know below if you agree with Brad's preview and who you will be picking.

Note:
Tom Niinimaki vs Niklas Backstrom was announced after we spoke with Brad, so no breakdown was given for this fight.

BAMMA introduces Amateur bouts to prelims for BAMMA Fight Night: Askham Vs Nunes

BAMMA Introduces Amateur Bouts to the BAMMA Prelims for BAMMA Fight Night: Askham Vs Nunes

More fights have been announced to the preliminaries for "BAMMA Fight Night: Askham vs Nunes", including a first set of Amateur bouts for the British promotion. The event which takes place in Southampton on 7th June 2014 will be the first of BAMMA's regional fight nights, with the brand returning to its larger shows later in the year. Headlined by Scott Askham and Max Nunes for the BAMMA World Middleweight title, the Fight Night takes place at the O2 Guildhall.

Mo  Lasladj Vs. Mark Handley  [Pro Flyweight Bout]

Mo 'Mad Boy' Lasladj' fights out of Lion's Pride MMA in South London and stands undefeated with a professional record of 2-0. Lasladj also held an unblemished record at Amateur of 5-0-0. The 24 year old holds the "Semi-Professional" WCMMA Bantamweight Title.

Lasladj said:

"It feels great to be fighting on BAMMA and I just cant wait to step into the cage on 7th June. You can expect an exciting fight, be it on the floor or standing: Either way, Lions Eat First!. I would like to thank all my coaches, team mates and all the team at Lion's Pride MMA for all their support." 

Coming in ten years older than his opponent,  Mark 'Short Fuse' Handley brings experience to the fight in the form of a 5-11 Amateur record since 2009 against some top ranking UK names. The Shrewsbury fighter competes out of Elite MMA Shrewsbury and has fought at Bantamweight and Flyweight.  While Handley's strength is considered his stand up, his victories have come via Submission.

Handley said:

"I've spent the last 2 years chasing scalps which I think has maybe been an issue but June 7th will see me back to winning ways."

Damien Koryga Vs Ricky Mitchell [Amateur Middleweight Bout]

Fighting out of Abs gym in Andover, Ricky Mitchell brings an Amateur record of  2- 1- 0. His first fight saw a loss to Triangle Choke against Kyle Gray, an experienced judoka. Mitchell's second fight at Fusion 11 brought a 1st round win over Drew Crooney due to a TKO via knees. His 2nd victory was over Ben Griffiths at Into the Cage 9 by TKO via body kicks, just 21 seconds into the fight. The 21 year old comes from no background in any combat sport and has trained solidly for 2 years.

Ricky Mitchell said:

"I would like to say a big thanks to Bren for pushing me, and any one else who has helped to give me this opportunity." 

Damien Koryga has earned 1 decision victory at UCMMA, and 2 draws on AWOL and UWC, all at "Semi-Pro". Aged 29, Kyorga comes from a karate background and represents BST in Northampton.

Andy Hannon Vs. Josh Roe  [Amateur Featherweight Bout]

Andy Hannon is from Tidworth and fights out of Team Kyouken with a "Semi-Pro" record of 1-2-0.  All 3 fights were fought on local show, Into The Cage, with losses to Josh Skinner via Armbar in Round 2; and to Kieran Bresilan via Ground n Pound in Round 1. Hannon's victory came against Kevin Rodziewicz via 1st round Guillotine. Hannon trains in Brazilian jiu jitsu and holds an Orange belt in Japanese Jujitsu. Hannon serves in the British Army.

Hannon faces fellow Featherweight, Josh 'Tap Out' Roe who fights out of Eastleigh Boxing Academy with a background in Amateur boxing.

Tickets are on sale now at Ticketmaster: http://bit.ly/1g6nMpF or from 023 8063 2601.

Rosi Sexton returns to Cage Warriors, meets Jedrzejczyk at CWFC 69: Super Saturday

CWFC 69: Jedrzejczyk vs. Sexton
 

Photo: Dolly Clew | Cage Warriors

Former CWFC champion Rosi Sexton (pictured) will return to the promotion on June 7 for a mouthwatering flyweight clash with undefeated Polish prospect Joanna Jedrzejczyk.

The pair will collide at Cage Warriors 69: Super Saturday, CWFC’s eighth event of the year, which is set to take place at The Forum in Kentish Town, London, England.

Sexton (13-4) owns a 6-0 record under the Cage Warriors banner, including victories over the likes of Aisling Daly, Roxanne Modafferi and Sally Krumdiack.

The 36-year-old English fighter, who has also competed for Bellator, will be back in action for the first time since a two-fight stint with the UFC in 2013, which saw her drop decision losses to Alexis Davis and Jessica Andrade.

Sexton said:

“I’m really looking forward to fighting on Cage Warriors again against a very tough opponent. Cage Warriors is a fantastic promotion; I started my career with them and since then they’ve gone from strength to strength. In my experience, no promotion in the world takes better care of its fighters and I’m excited to be part of that again.”

Jedrzejczyk (5-0) will be making her debut for Cage Warriors, having carved out a reputation as one of the most exciting prospects in women’s MMA since making her professional debut two years ago.

A 26-year-old native of Poland, Jedrzejczyk recently signed with Invicta FC and goes into the clash with Sexton on the back of particularly impressive wins against Karla Benitez and Julia Berezikova.

Jedrzejczyk said:

“This is a huge fight for my career,” 

“My opponent is extremely strong and experienced but I’m very determined to win this fight and put on a great show for the fans.”

Meanwhile, injuries sustained by both fighters in recent days have forced the removal of the featherweight bout between Liam James and Nad Narimani from the CWFC 69: Super Saturday bill. Check out the finalised card below.

Cage Warriors 69: Super Saturday (order TBC)
Stevie Ray vs. Curt Warburton – vacant lightweight world title bout
Jack Hermansson vs. Norman Paraisy – vacant middleweight world title bout
Jack Marshman vs. Bola Omoyele
Jake Bostwick vs. Simeon Thoresen
Damien Brown vs. Saul Rogers
Benny Alloway vs. Mohsen Bahari
Bruno Carvalho vs. Jack Mason
Joanna Jedrzejczyk vs. Rosi Sexton
Damir Hadzovic vs. Martin Delaney
Graham Turner vs. Suleiman Bouhata
Arnold Allen vs. Marcin Wrzosek
Brett Caswell vs. Spencer Hewitt
Jason Cooledge vs. Brad Wheeler
Kerry Hughes vs. Amanda Kelly
Aaron Blackwell vs. Adam Ventre
Maksym Matus vs. Tim Wilde
Magic Sasanowskie vs. Darren Stewart

Cage Warriors and Channel 4 join forces

Cage Warriors sign a TV deal with Channel 4

Cage Warriors Fighting Championship can today confirm that it has signed a terrestrial TV deal with British broadcaster Channel 4.

The initial agreement, which begins with CWFC 70 in Dublin on August 16, covers all remaining CWFC events in 2014, bringing Europe’s leading MMA promotion to a terrestrial audience in the UK for the very first time.

Cage Warriors’ live UK broadcast deal with Premier Sports will remain in place simultaneously, with Channel 4 set to air an hour-long midweek highlights show following every CWFC event. Each programme will also be available online via 4oD, Channel 4’s free video-on-demand service on Channel4.com.

Hosting as many as 14 events per year, Cage Warriors Fighting Championship has become the dominant European MMA promotion and a hotbed of the most prolific MMA talent in Europe and beyond, producing some of the biggest names in the sport, such as Michael Bisping, Dan Hardy and Conor McGregor. Channel 4’s viewers will be treated to top international stars competing for world titles on a global stage.

Commenting on a significant deal for mixed martial arts in the UK, Cage Warriors Fighting Championship CEO Graham Boylan said:

“We’re delighted to have joined forces with a broadcaster of Channel 4’s stature and flair."

“They like to have fun and so do we. This is a really positive development for Cage Warriors, and for the growth of MMA in general in this part of the world, and I’m sure it will mark the beginning of a good relationship between CWFC and Channel 4.”

Jamie Aitchison of Channel 4 added:

“We’re thrilled to be broadcasting an exciting and growing sport and look forward to working with Cage Warriors across the upcoming events.”

Roberts vs Kotov set for BAMMA Fight Night

Alexei Roberts vs Artem Kotov set for BAMMA Fight Night Askham vs Nunes

BAMMA, has announced a further bout to "BAMMA Fight Night: Askham vs. Nunes" as Artem Kotov is set to face Alexei Roberts. The event marks the launch of BAMMA's 'Fight Night' series which brings the show to regional fans and offers a proving ground for upcoming talent. Taking place at the O2 Guildhall in Southampton on 7th June 2014 the event also sees the headline fighters clash for the BAMMA World Middleweight title. 

Alexei "Boom" Roberts is a Team Kyouken fighter with a professional record of 10-5-0 that includes losses against experienced and talented opponents. 80% of the Hampshire fighter's wins have come via stoppage; 40% by KO or TKO, and 40% by Submission. Roberts has snatched up the ITC Welterweight and Lightweight titles and is also the former Shock n Awe Welterweight champion. 

Artem Kotov holds a record of 2-2 with losses to more experienced competition that has included Ali Arish and Nathan Jones. Following a change in 2013 over to Exile gym, Ippon and Lookborai Thai boxing after three fights, Kotov took a break from MMA competition for a year to focus on training. With a background in Olympic Wrestling and a former Ukrainian Olympic team member,  Kotov has earned the accolades of British Wrestling Senior Champion and British Grappling Tournament Double Champion 2013-2014. He will be participating at the summer Glasgow Commonwealth Games 2014 also as a wrestler. Kotov has recently won two out of two Amateur boxing fights by Knock Out.

Tickets are on sale at Ticketmaster http://bit.ly/1g6nMpF or from 023 8063 2601.

Fight Card for "BAMMA FIGHT NIGHT: ASKHAM VS NUNES"
(with more fights to be announced)

BAMMA World Middleweight Title Bout
Max Nunes Vs. Scott Askham

Catchweight Bout (75.5kg) 
Alexei Roberts Vs. Artem Kotov
     
FEATHERWEIGHT BOUT
Dragan Pesic Vs. Ashleigh Grimshaw

WELTERWEIGHT BOUT
Tim Menzies Vs. Alex Montagnani

BANTAMWEIGHT BOUT
Mike Cutting Vs. Ed Arthur

Interview: Spencer Hewitt: '2014 is My Year'

Kingdom MMA talks to Spencer Hewitt ahead of his bout with Brett Caswell
by Ben Heather - @benheather

On June the 7th, flyweight Spencer Hewitt will take on Brett Caswell on the biggest domestic fight card this year, if not ever - Cage Warriors 69 dubbed 'Super Saturday'. A blackbelt in BJJ, Hewitt, a former UCMMA champion faces arguably the toughest grappler of is career in Brett Caswell, a high-level Judo black belt who was a Commonwealth Judo Champion, as well as British Judo Champion before starting his Career in MMA. 

Just two days away from jetting off to finish his training camp at Team Alpha Male in California we spoke to Spencer Hewitt about his upcoming fight with Brett Caswell at Cage Warriors 69. 

Heather: You leave for Team Alpha Male on Saturday, can you tell us how long you are going for and what has prompted you to head over to The States? 
Hewitt: The reason I'm going is I need to go out of my comfort zone.  I want to train with the best fighters in the world to develop as a martial artist.

Will this be the first time you go to The States to train as part of a fight camp?
Yes, I've trained and competed in BJJ in The States, I also went to The Ultimate Fighter trials  but never trained MMA there.

What are you hoping to gain from your time at Team Alpha Male?
New skills and knowledge to improve in all aspects of MMA,ready for Cage Warriors 69, Super Saturday

You put to bed a tough stretch of 4 losses in a row when you defeated Cameron Else at CW64. Looking back on those loses have you identified where you were going wrong?
Yes, I was chasing the win. I was over training and was fighting when I should have been taking time out to get over an operation and injures in that last year. During the fight against Else it was clear to everyone that he gassed in the fight.

Would you say that you played it safe and cruised to make sure you got the Win?
Yes, I was in control and want to get my first win on Cage Warriors. I wanted to start 2014 with the Win.

Now the losing streak is over and you are back to winning ways what can the fans expect from yourself in London on June 7th?
You are going to see very different fighter - confident, creative and exciting - 2014 is my year.

You've had a couple of fights in Cage Warriors where you opponents have missed weight, with that in mind are you pleased to see Cage Warriors increase the penalty for missing weight?
Yes if you can't make weight it means you not really that weight class. The reason there is weight class is to make it a fair playing field and for safety.
How does it feel to be part of Super Saturday? The event which is possibly the biggest event ever in UK MMA.
I'm honoured to be part of Super Saturday. The Card is stacked, and the best fight in Europe are on this card. Graham and Ian Dean have put on another great card and it's in London which makes it more fun. Love the support of my fans in London.

Cage Warriors recently announced that they have signed a contract with channel 4. This is a massive deal for Cage Warriors and UK MMA as a whole. What are your thoughts on the new TV deal and how happy are you that people in the UK will now get the chance to see your fights on channel 4?
It amazing and will grow the sport in the UK. Cage Warriors are growing MMA in the UK and Europe and it give us UK fighters more exposure.

Your fight with Brett Caswell will be the 4th of your 5 fight contract with Cage Warriors, does that put extra pressure on your shoulders going into this fight? Do you feel you need to show a little extra or win impressively to stake a claim on a new contract?
I always want to win impressively and I'm staying on Cage Warriors. I love the show and production. I will win my next 2 fights and keep my future at Cage Warriors.

With Brett being a high level Judoka and yourself a BJJ blackbelt, can fans look forward to an exciting grappling match on June 7th?
Yes maybe there will be some exciting grappling exchanges.  I have been training with some high-level guys who expertise are judo. I am a complete MMA fighter you will see all aspects from me.

How do you see yourself winning the fight on June 7th?
Submission or KO win for me

Would you like to thank anyone or any sponsors?
Lee Pearman at Bureaulogic Recruitment for the support and making America happen, Go-Recycle, Criteria Cleaning Services, Chris, my manager at Elite MMA Agency, my amazing wife - Beelia Hewitt, mother in law - Bernie Byron, all my coaches, The Origin MMA Academy,  the MMA Academy Liverpool when I go down there they always welcome me, Team Alpha Male for having me,  all the MMA fans, Cage Warriors and Ian Dean, Graham Boylan, and a major thanks to Ross Hewitt - boxing, Marc Walder - BJJ, Peter - wrestling Jez lord - Thai boxing

Tor Troeng Meet Trevor Smith at UFC Dublin

Tor Troeng Meet Trevor Smith at UFC Dublin
by Chris Houten  - @mrhouts

A battle between 2 Middleweights hoping to get back in the win column has been confirmed for UFC Dublin.

Former Utimate Fighter Season 17 cast member Tor Troeng (16-5-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) of Sweden will take on American, Trevor Smith (11-5 MMA, 1-2 UFC) at UFC Fight Night 46 in Dublin. UFC Fight Night 46 Dublin takes place July 19th at the The O2 Arena. Tickets for will go on sale to the general public at 10am on Friday 6th June and can be purchased from www.ticketmaster.ie and www.theo2.ie.

Fighting for the 3rd time in his UFC career, Troeng enters the bout looking to rebound from a disappointing decision loss to Rafael Natal at this past Septembers UFC Fight Night: Teixeira vs Bader, which snapped a 5 fight win streak.

Fighting out of Sweden's Allstair Training Center alongside top Swedish stars such as Alexander Gustaffson and newly signed UFC featherweight Niklas Bakstrom, Troeng, who has taken 12 of his 16 career victories inside the distance, earned a reputation as one of the finest Middleweight in Europe thanks to wins over current UFC Middleweight Mats Nilsson, and Mark Weir before joining the Utimate Fighter, where he was eliminated in opening round, losing to Josh Samman. A pro since 2005, the 31-year old entered the UFC with a win over Adam Cella at UFC on Fuel TV 9 - Mousasi vs. Latifi in his native Sweden.

Trevor Smith enter the octagon in need of a win to change round the fortunes which have seen him go 1-2 since joining the UFC. Fighting out of Ring Demon Jui-Jitsu in Washington, the 33-year old has arguably yet to prove he deserves to fight on the big stage having come up on both sides of two split-decision results to open his UFC career, defeating Brian Houston but falling short against Ed Herman, before being knocked out by Thales Leites at UFC Fight Night 39 in his most recent outing.

A 4-time Strikeforce vet, where he went 2-2, Smith, Nicknamed 'Hot Sauce' Smith, is a strong grappler with a strong college wrestling background. He has taken 9 of his 11 victories by submission.

Stay tuned to KingdomMMA.co.uk for all the latest on UFC Fight Night 46 Berlin.
 

Video: UFC Berlin's Niklas Backstrom KO's Max Coga at Europa MMA

UFC Berlin's Niklas Backstrom KO's Max Coga at Europa MMA
by Chris Houten - @mrhouts

With news breaking earlier today that Swedish featherweight Niklas Backstom has join the UFC, we look back at his most recent victory, a 15 second TKO victory over top German fighter Max Coga - good night!


Stay tuned to kingdomMMA.co.uk for all the latest on UFC Fight Night 41 Berlin

Niklas Backstrom Replaces Thiago Tavaras, Meets Tom Niinimaki at UFC Berlin

Niklas Backstrom Replaces Thiago Tavaras Meets Tom Niinimaki at UFC Berlin
by Chris Houten - @mrhouts

Fresh off an impressive victory at Europa MMA just 6 weeks ago, the UFC have signed undefeated Swedish featherweight Niklas Backstrom (7-0). He will step in to face Tom Niinimaki on just 2 weeks notice as a replacement for Thiago Tavaras who has been removed from UFC Fight Night 41 in Berlin for unconfirmed reasons.

A product of Allstar Training Center in Sweden, Niklas Backstom joins teammates Alexander Gustaffson, and Magnus Cedenblad on the UFC roster, on the back of an impressive headkick victory over top 10 German featherweight Max Coga, who Backstrom needed just 15 seconds to defeat.

A pro since 2009, the 24-year old has won five straight fights since a no-contest more than three years ago. A former grappling champion, the towering 6-foot featherweight has taken 5 of his 7 career victory inside the distance - 4 by TKO, 1 by submission.

Talking of ahead of the newly announced bout, Backstrom  said:

“He [Niinimaki] is very talented, but I am awesome," says the undefeated UFC newcomer. "I will let him decide how he wants to be beaten."

Currently riding a 12 fight win streak, Niinimaki (21-5) fights for the second time in the UFC having defeated Rani Yaha in his debut at the TUF 18 finale. A former Cage MMA featherweight champion in his native Finland, the 31-year old defeated former WEC bantamweight champion Chase Beebe and former UFC fighter Walel Watson in 2013 before join the UFC. A pro since 2002, Niinimaki has 15 wins inside the distance - 7 by TKO, 8 by submission.

Stay tuned to KingdomMMA.co.uk for all the latest on UFC Fight Night 41 Berlin.

Steven Siler vs Noad Lahat added to UFC ON FOX 12ufc.c

Steven Siler vs Noad Lahat added to UFC ON FOX 12
by Chris Houten - @mrhouts

UFC.com

Two featherweight looking to get back in the win column will square off at UFC on FOX 12 in July.

Although not yet confirmed by UFC officials, MMAJunkie.com spoke with sources close to the UFC that Steven Siler vs Noad Lahat has been added to UFC on FOX 12 which takes place July 26 at SAP Center in San Jose, California. Although yet confirmed it's likely Siler vs Lahat will take place on the preliminary card.

A veteran of the Ultimate Fighter Season 14, 'Super' Steven Silver began his UFC career with 5 out of 6 wins including an impressive TKO victory over former WEC champion Mike Brown. but has recent fallen on hard times dropping back-to-back losses to Dennis Bermudez by unanimous decision at UFC Fight for the Troops 3 show in November, be was ten stopped in just 77 seconds Rony Jason at UFC Fight Night: Shogun vs Hernderson 2, the same show at which is opponent Lahat made his UFC debut

A product of the American Kickboxing Acadamy, Israeli-born Noad Lahat (7-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) will be hoping his second fight in the UFC will be more successful than his debut having been stopped by a Godofredo Pepey "Performance of the Night” flying knee at UFC Fight Night 38 in Brazil marking the first loss if his career.

Nick named Neo, Lahat is the only Israeli fighter currently on the UFC roster. A black belt in both Judo and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Lahat won the 2010 No-Gi BJJ World Championships as a brown belt in the featherweight division. Lahat has finished 6 of his 7 career wins - 2 by TKO, 6 by Submission.

With the addition of Siler vs Lahat, UFC on FOX 12 now includes:

Michael Johnson vs. Josh Thomson
Anthony Johnson vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira
Noah Lahat vs. Steven Siler

Stay tuned to kingdommma.co.uk for all the latest in UFC on Fox 12

Cage Warriors 69: Super Saturday keeps getting better

Cage Warriors 69: Super Saturday adds 3 more fights

by Ben Heather @benheather

When Graham Boylan first announced that Cage Warriors 69 would be Super Saturday on twitter it left the fans wondering in anticipation for more details to be announced. It didn't take long before it was announced that Super Saturday would consist of two main cards in one night, all of which takes place on 7th June at The Forum in Kentish Town, London.

Since then 9 fights have been announced including two title fights and many more with serious title implications in a number of divisions. Now 3 more fights have been announced as Super Saturday is lining up to be the biggest event in Cage Warriors history, if not the most stacked card in UK MMA history.

The event which already includes some of the biggest names in UK MMA keeps getting better. The latest additions see undefeated featherweight and the winner of our one to watch in 2014 award Arnold Allen (7-0) take on Polish prospect Marcin Wrzosek (7-2) in what is sure to be an exciting mstch up. Allen, trained by Jack Mason at BKK Fighters comes in to the match up after making quick work of his last opponent, Tobias Huber at Cage Warriors Fight Night 11 in April. While Wrzosek makes his Cage Warriors return hoping for a better result having lost to Chris Fishgold at Cage Warriors 57 in July.

Also announced is a lightweight battle between top contender Saul Rogers (8-1) and Damian Brown (10-6). Rogers comes in to this fight off the back of the biggest victory in his career when he defeated John Maguire at Cage Warriors 65 in March. On the same night in Dublin Brown lost out in a Fight of the Night performance to Paul Redmond and will now be looking to get back to winning ways against a very tough opponent.

The third fight announced is a WMMA bantamweight fight between Scotland’s Amanda Kelly (1-1) and England’s Kerry Hughes (1-1). Both women will be looking to get back to winnning ways after decision defeats to Laura Howarth and Agnieszka Niedzwiedz respectively in their most recent outings.

Tickets for Cage Warriors 69: Super Saturday are on sale now.

Cage Warriors 69: Super Saturday (more bouts to be announced; order TBC)
Stevie Ray vs. Curt Warburton – vacant lightweight world title bout
Jack Hermansson vs. Norman Paraisy – vacant middleweight world title bout
Jack Marshman vs. Bola Omoyele
Jake Bostwick vs. Simeon Thoresen
Damien Brown vs. Saul Rogers
Benny Alloway vs. Mohsen Bahari
Bruno Carvalho vs. Jack Mason
Arnold Allen vs. Marcin Wrzosek
Liam James vs. Nad Narimani
Brett Caswell vs. Spencer Hewitt
Jason Cooledge vs. Brad Wheeler
Kerry Hughes vs. Amanda Kelly

Stay tuned to Kingdom MMA for all the latest on Cage Warriors.

Freakshow vs Winner announced for K1ngs of Glory

Andre Winner meets Colin Fletcher at K1ngs of Glory

by Chris Houten @mrhouts

A battle of UFC veterans has been confirmed for K1ngs of Glory's debut show in July.

Top UK MMA lightweights Colin 'Freakshow' Fletcher and Andre Winner will square off in a K1 bout at K1ngs of Glory, on July 27 at the Rainton Medow Arena, Houghton le Spring. K1ngs of Glory and Made 4 the Cage official Dale Percival confirmed the fight via his Facebook page earlier today:

"Wow just confirmed a awesome fight for K1ngs Of Glory on July 27th that will see 2 ex-UFC fighters square off in a K1 style bout when Andre Winner will take on Colin Freakshow Fletcher what a exciting fight with 2 top MMA fighters who like to stand and bang this should be a great fight to add to first KOG Show!!!!"

Fresh off his AON 6 tournament win where he defeated Jordan Miller, Stephen Martin, and Artem Lobov in one night to bag £15,000 prize money. A former TUF runner up, and 6 fight UFC veteran, Andre Winner fights for the 10th time since his release from the promotion having gone 7-2 since then. Widely considered amongst the best technical boxers in MMA, The Team Rough House product is on a 4 fight win streak, and Currently sits 6th in the UK lightweight rankings, 1 place above Fletcher.

One of the stars of 2012's TUF Smashes and also eventual runner up, Colin 'Freakshow' Fletcher, made two appearances before returning to Bamma where he had previously made his name. Since returning to the UK, Fletcher has extended his record to 10-4, with wins over Tim Newman and Tony Hervey and a sole loss coming to Bamma champion Mansour Barnaoui. 

A well rounded fighter, Fletcher employees a Muy Thai style and often uses his striking ability to set up submissions. He has never finished an opponent to KO or TKO in his MMA career. 

Stay tuned to Kingdom MMA for all the latest on K1ngs of Glory. 

Ashleigh Grimshaw vs Dragan Pesic Set for Bamma Fight Night

Ashleigh Grimshaw vs Dragan Pesic Set for Bamma Fight Night

A Featherweight clash between Ashleigh Grimshaw and Dragan Pesic has been announced to the card for "BAMMA Fight Night: Askham vs Nunes" which takes place in Southampton on 7th June 2014, as the first of BAMMA's regional fight nights. The event, headlined by Scott Askham and Max Nunes for the BAMMA World Middleweight title, takes place at the O2 Guildhall and tickets are on sale now at Ticketmaster or from 023 8063 2601.

Ashleigh "Cruiser" Grimshaw holds a record of 15-8-1 and brings 11 years professional experience, fighting out of Team Titan in London. Grimshaw is on a 5 fight win streak of 1st round finishes and holds past victories over solid competition that includes Phil Harris, Vaughan Lee and Paul McVeigh. He has also faced the likes of Ronnie Mann, Robbie Olivier and Graham Turner. Grimshaw is currently ranked #6 in the UK at Featherweight. Grimshaw has signed to BAMMA for a 5 fight deal.

Dragan "Little Wonder" Pesic is a former K1 champion now fighting out of Old Skool Fight Team with a professional MMA record of 3-1, that includes two 1st round finishes and one in the 2nd. All his victories have come by Submission and his sole professional MMA loss was to Jay Furness. Pesic has held the following titles and awards: World K-1 Champion 2008, World K-1 Champion 2009, RS MMA Pro Title 2007 and Ju Jitsu Balkans Vice Champion.

Dragan Pesic said:

"I can't explain my feelings when I got the information that I'm going to fight for one of the premier MMA shows in Europe. It is an emotional honour for me to be part of show like BAMMA. I know that my K-1 reputation is good, but in MMA I am still working to get my name to the highest level and the opportunity that BAMMA has given me will be definitely one of my highest achievements in MMA so far. I will prove why BAMMA has chosen me! I can't promise that I will win but I can promise a WAR and you will remember my name. BAMMA is a great show with awesome names and fighters on it and behind it; and it is just an honour to be part of UK and European MMA at this level. I just cant wait to start: Dragan Pesic is ready as hell to roll, sprawl, bleed and brawl for the BAMMA fans."

Ashleigh Grimshaw said:

"The real Featherweight champ is here and I'm set on bringing that belt back to the UK. I just have to deal with this little Serbian problem first before I invade France and take what is rightfully mine."

Stay tuned to KingdomMMA.co.uk for all the latest on Bamma Fight Night
 

Video: UFC Berlin Fight Pass Promo

Video: UFC Berlin Fight Pass Promo
by Chris Houten - @mrhouts

Martin Stapleton to Fight at FCC 10

Martin Stapleton Fights at FCC 10

by Alex Dillon - @_alexdillon_

One of Greater Manchester’s well regarded pro MMA fighters and coaches, Martin ‘50.cal’ Stapleton makes his return to the UK scene at Full Contact Contender 10 at the Reebok Stadium, Bolton on June 21st facing Bulgaria’s Stanislav Enchev.

Although currently contracted to Bellator, FCC have managed to secure Stapleton's services on loan for one fight only for a special ‘homecoming’ fight. The last time he featured on an FCC card was back in June 2012 where he submitted Shahid Hussain and this time round he will certainly be hoping for a similar feat as he looks to get a win back on his record after riding a 2 fight losing streak since joining Bellator. His last fight on FCC was momentous as it was the first pro fight the promotion had ever held so this announcement proposes a massive occasion this time round which is sure to delight the local crowd in attendance come fight night.

The signing of Stapleton, even just for one fight represents a huge coup for FCC as it is no doubt going to attract even more attention to their shows which are already highly regarded throughout the UK MMA scene both at amateur and pro level.

His opponent Enchev, has finished all of his five wins with four TKO’s and one submission but is also on a two fight losing streak so it creates an intriguing match for both fighters as they look to get back in the win column in their MMA careers.

Stay tuned for further information on amateur and pro bouts to be announced for FCC 10 in the coming weeks which will surely prove to be a great night of fights on June 21st.

Michael Page ahead of Bellator 120 fight with Ricky Rainey "I want to be the face of MMA"

Kingdom MMA talk to Michael Page before he opens up Bellator's first PPV

by Ben Heather @benheather

Credit: Keith Mills

Last week Kingdom MMA caught up with Michael Page before he started his travels to Southaven, Mississippi to open the show for Bellator's inaugural PPV. The PPV was supposed to be headlined by the third fight in the Alvarez vs Chandler saga however just after speaking to Michael this fight has now been cancelled due to an injury to Alvarez. Page talks to us about his fight on Saturday, what he has been doing on his year long lay off and his plans for the future.

Ben: Hi Michael thank you for your time, when did you find out about this fight and how long have you been training for it now?
Page: Well i have been out for over a year but i haven't stopped training. I was supposed to have a couple of fights but due to injury I wasn't able to step in for them but I was always training.

I have had a long preparation, not specifically for this fight though. For this fight my opponent got changed from Marcus Aurelio to Ricky Rainey and for Ricky I've had just over a month to prepare. In general though I've always been training.

Ben: So who have you been training with in the past year?
Page: I have trained with everyone, I've trained with so many different people because we have a lot of cross sparring and we get guys from the outside come in all the time. Obviously we've got the normal guys in the gym like John Hathaway, Claudio da Silva, Karlos Vemola and all the normal London Shoot guys but obviously i train with them all the time. Regarding extra sparring sessions we have had so many other people come in that i have had the privilege to spar with so its been good.

Ben: You mentioned you're fighting Ricky Rainey can you tell the UK fans what you know about him?
Page: From what I have seen he has got a very experienced stand up game, he has nice responses and is known as the sniper which to be honest is a very accurate name for him. He has a mean right hand but he likes to line it up so he has his front hand out a lot almost trying to line you up for that one shot.

He is very strong, I have seen a lot of guys try to take him down to no avail and he has been able to stay on his feet for the majority of his fights, even against strong wrestlers. So he is going to be a strong guy but i think it will be a good stand up fight.

Ben: Have you been able to identify any weaknesses that you will be looking to target?
Page: As snipers do, they would probably prefer a target that doesn't move as much as me so that's one thing I am definitely going to expose. the fact that he is a slow paced fighter which for me works better with my movement and how I move in and out. I think that's how I am really going to catch him out.

Ben: Like you just mentioned, your style is very unique. I've not seen too many other guys do the things you do in the cage. Do you think he will struggle to actually prepare for this fight?
Page: Yeah, I believe I have got an advantage only because I am the first person from my specific sport which is freestyle kickboxing that has crossed over to the cage successfully. That means there is not many training partners out there that can do what I am doing. So he will have to learn first hand from that first second we are in the cage.

He can analyse as much as he wants but its going to be different when he actually has to fight against my style. I think all good coaches will try and pull out things that he can try and attack but its my job to understand my own weaknesses and my own strengths so I can work on them to make sure they don't get exposed.

Ben: On May 17th you will be making history by being a part of the first ever fight on Bellator PPV event. How does it feel to be part of history and to potentially be a name for MMA quizzes for years to come?
Page: To be honest, I feel so privileged, I feel so excited, I feel like its an added weight but in a good way. I am happy that Bellator respect me and my style enough to put me along side big names like Rampage, King Mo, Tito Ortiz, Eddie Alvarez and all those guys who are big hitters in the MMA world full stop.

Now I am alongside those people, I feel massively overwhelmed and excited. I want to go out there and give it my best shot.

Ben: What are your main ambitions for the future in MMA?
Page: For me to be honest with you, I say it to everyone. A lot of people only aim for specific titles but for me I want to be the face of MMA. I want to be what Michael Jordan is to basketball, what David Beckham is to football, what Michael Jackson is to music. I want to be that face, that would mean winning multiple titles being on top for a long period, being creative, being exciting, being entertaining and winning and that's what I want to achieve.

Ben: Do you feel the next step for you to achieve that would to be involved in the next Bellator Welterweight Tournament?
Page: Yes Definitely, for me that's just progress. Its a big thing in Bellator and its something that I am definitely going to progress to do but I am in no rush to do anything. I want to enjoy my time as an MMA fighter, although I seem to take quite big steps in a short period of time. I think that they are still not too big. I want to make sure that I have a good MMA career and I gain the experience necessary to stay at the top.

A lot of people do want to rush things and make it to shows like UFC but i think its important to establish yourself outside and also pick up as much experience as you can so when you go on to big shows like Bellator and UFC you are able to really make a name for yourself.

Ben: Another example of what you said would be someone like Luke Barnatt in the UFC, he is still happy to take on lesser known guys and fight them to earn his way up and justify his place in the top end of the rankings.
Page: Exactly, its exactly that. Some people don't like the fact that fighters do that but in my opinion you have to remember that this is our life, this is our career and its not something you can take lightly. We put our bodies through a lot and nobody wants a short career after having to do so much to make it. So you have to be a bit smart about how you progress, it has to be a partnership between you and your coaches that you understand how you want to establish yourself. I think it should just be slow and steady, but if you do feel that you can jump in to the cage straight away and handle yourself then and I know people have, then that's fine. It's just a decision that you need to make with your team.

Ben: After this fight do you want to be back fighting regularly after the long lay off? Obviously if you was put in a tournament you would have two or three fights in the space of a couple of months?
Page: 100% even this year I want to try and squeeze 4 fights in if i can. So yeah I want to get active, to be honest it was a shame last year as i really wanted to do a lot more. Its just one of those things that is part and parcel with what we do. Injuries will always be around it just depends on which ones you get and how fast you can recover. If I am fit and ready, similar to my last Bellator appearance I was fine after so i went out to India to fight there a week later because I was fresh still and ready to go. After all that fight was a 10 second fight, for all of that training I definitely needed to go out and do another one.

Ben: Do you try and take the positives from having a year lay off? Using it to look at ways to improve your career rather than thinking it was time wasted not being in the cage.
Page: I think with the team I have met I feel so privileged with London Shootfighters as I seem to just click with them in regard to everything, they look after everything for me, they manage me really well. They understand my style and know how to doctor it in the correct way and not just try and turn me in to another typical MMA fighter. I really work well with them and I think that has helped right from the start.

So the silver lining for me during this year out was the fact that all of the areas i needed to improve like my grappling and wrestling I had to do a lot slower which meant I was becoming a lot more technical in what I was doing. I feel like i have got 10x sharper in my grappling, my Jui Jitsu and have improved quicker than I would have if i wasn't injured. So that's my silver lining from being out.

Ben: Like you said, you come from a freestyle kickboxing background. Have you thought about going back in to it with the recent revival of the sport thanks to promotions such as Glory in the past couple of years?
Page: No to be honest, I started at 3 and first competed at 5 and I used to travel up and down the country and across the world doing kickboxing competitions so it has kinda played out for me. Obviously if a opportunity came around and I felt I could take it then I may do it but at the moment MMA is what I am focused on.

Ben: What was it like growing up in a family which went on to produce multiple world champions
Page: When you have been surrounded by martial arts with your brothers and sisters from an early age there was always a lot of fighting, even when it wasn't in a competition.

To be honest though martial arts calmed us down, although brothers and sisters bicker all the time anyway but it kept us very grounded and made us very respectful everywhere we went. Even outside of martial arts we were naturally respectful to everybody as that's what we had been taught.

I think martial arts should be an important aspect in every day life for kids, a lot of people just see it as violence but its not its controlled aggression. I teach as well and every child that we teach needs martial arts for different reasons, some kids come in and are not very confident in themselves but after a certain amount of time in martial arts they become confident in class and confident with peers. There is so much more to it than teaching them how to punch and kick. The kids social skills improve, they learn to work better with people and everyone takes something different from it but its all positive.

Ben: Finally, how do you think the fight will go on Saturday?
Page: I think initially as he is a kick boxer hes going to want to find out who's kickboxing style is better so he is going to want to stand. I believe I am going to out do him on my feet, just from looking at his style I know where I am going to be able to pick him off so after that I imagine he is going to try and either take me down or pin me up against the cage but then he and everyone else will find out how much i have improved in that area as well.

Thank you for your time, safe travels and we wish you the best of luck in your fight on Friday.