Kingdom MMA review FCC 10 - Amateur Prelims

by Alex Dillon @_alexdillon_

This past weekend I attended Full Contact Contender 10 over in Bolton at the newly named Macron Stadium. For those of you who don’t know about FCC, it’s one of the biggest domestic shows in the UK, hosting both amateur and pro bouts throughout the night with fighters coming from all over the UK and Europe to compete.

Highly regarded UK talents Brendan Loughnane and Pietro Menga hold the shows pro Lightweight and Flyweight title’s respectively and other UK names such as Matt Inman and Martin Stapleton have fought on the show before. It’s also the breeding ground for many of the north west’s up and coming amateur fighters.

Amateur Fights

Ben Singleton vs Mike McGowon

Ben Singleton def. Mike McGowon via TKO (ground and pound) at 1:20 of Round 1

Paul Maverick Orr vs Maciej Dankowski

Maciej Dankowski def. Paul Maverick Orr via TKO (ground and pound) at 1:57 of Round 1

Mick Stanton vs Tom Tynan

This one was probably the fastest knockout I’ve ever seen. I had literally just finished a tweet for the play by play and Tynan had come down crashing right infront of me in six seconds from a massive punch from Stanton.

Mick Stanton def. Tom Tynan via KO (punch) at 0:06 of Round 1

Marcin Bystron vs Chris Thomas

This fight was delayed slightly because of Thomas not having a cup when he came out to the cage I believe. Both fighters started off by swinging hard before Bystron got the fight to the ground. He landed some heavy strikes with Thomas turning to his side before sinking in an arm triangle and getting the win. It looked like Thomas lost half a tooth somewhere during that fight too!

Marcin Bystron def. Chris Thomas via submission (arm triangle) at 1:05 of Round 1

Kyle Keane vs Aaron Dwyer

As soon as the fight started Keane was on the attack with a variety of leg kicks before the fight went to the ground and he finishes it via Guillotine choke.

Kyle Keane def. Aaron Dwyer via submission (Guillotine Choke) at 0:35 of Round 1

James Winstanley  vs Reece Street

Street came into this fight as an independent fighter and a late replacement I believe. The fight started off with the two meeting in the centre before Street attempted a spectacular spinning kick to the head of Winstanley which was quite close to making contact. It was all Winstanley then as he got the fight to the ground first attempting a rear naked choke but ultimately finishing Street off with some powerful ground and pound and forcing Street to tap.

James Winstanley def. Reece Street via TKO (ground and pound/strikes) at 0:55 of Round 1

Danny McCloud vs Adam McGann 

Round One
The fight begins and both fighters meet in the centre with McCloud landing three leg kicks before McGann comes in with a combo of his own. McGann goes in again with the combo before McCloud pushes the action against the cage looking for the takedown. McGann does well to defend the takedown and lands a good left but McCloud again attempts to push him against the cage in hope of a takedown. McGann gains the dominant position and looks to land some knees in the clinch before they break into the centre but he’s back in again with a neat combo. He forces the action against the cage but McCloud replies with some knees of his own before McGann ends the round with a decent left followed by a few more shots.

Round Two
The fighters take the centre again as the second round gets underway and its McCloud looking for the first shots but misses as McGann gets in two shots of his own. McCloud goes in for the takedown and this time gets it. McCloud lands two shots on the ground before McGann's guard opens and the fight is back to the feet. The fight is again dictated against the cage as both fighters exchange knees. McGann trips McCloud, gets the takedown and gets a shot off before the second round comes to an end.

Round Three
The final round begins and both fighters meet in the centre of the cage again, McCloud ducks under a right thrown by McGann and drives the fight to the cage before McGann trips McCloud and gets the fight to the ground. McGann now starts to land his strikes with effect, uppercut, right and a leg kick. McCloud attempts to drive McGann towards the cage again but McGann answers back with another strike as he looks to defend the takedown. McCloud briefly gets the fight to the ground but McGann is straight up and the round comes to an end with McGann landing some knees to McCloud up against the cage. Good fight from both debutants.

Adam McGann def. Danny McCloud via Unanimous Decision: 29-28 (x3)

Joe Kennedy vs Mark McGoldrick

Round One
McGoldrick comes out swinging to start this fight off; he then gets the fight to the floor and looks to reign some strikes down on Kennedy. Kennedy uses the cage well to flip over and get back to his feet just as McGoldrick was looking to take the back. Kennedy now lands some decent shots before McGoldrick fires back with some of his own. As the round draws to a close McGoldrick is attempting another takedown against the cage but it doesn’t come.

Round Two
Round two gets underway with Kennedy landing some vicious strikes but McGoldrick weathers it and gets the takedown straight into side control. McGoldrick then goes into mount and looks to throw down some strikes but Kennedy defends well.  All McGoldrick as he continues to try and damage Kennedy from the top as the second round draws to a close.

Round Three
Kennedy starts the round off firing shots but McGoldrick is straight in pushing the action towards the cage before landing the takedown. McGoldrick gets into full mount and starts throwing some shots into Kennedy who tries his best to tie McGoldrick up but he powers out and lands another heavy shot. With little work going on the ref stands them up and the action resumes with Kennedy coming in with shots but McGoldrick gets him back to the cage and gets another takedown and finishes the round with more ground and pound.

Mark McGoldrick def. Joe Kennedy via Unanimous Decision: 30-27 (x3)

Jim Ratcliffe vs Craig Humphreys

The two fighters come out and meet in the centre, Humphreys throws a front kick which pushes Ratcliffe back before stepping in with a huge right hand which drops Ratcliffe, Humphreys charges in to finish with ground and pound as the referee stops the fight.

Craig Humphreys def. Jim Ratcliffe via KO (punch) at 0:09 of Round 1

Robbie Fallon vs Will Cairns

The fight kicks off with Cairns coming forward but Fallon is straight in for the takedown and gets it into side control. Cairns does his best to try and escape using his knees but Fallon is relentless hammering shots down, he then takes the back mount, reigns more shots down and the referee is forced to stop the fight.

Robbie Fallon def. Will Cairns via TKO (ground and pound) at 0:42 of Round 1

Conor Hignett vs Dominic Wooding

This fight was eagerly anticipated on the amateur flyweight scene across the UK. The winner would get a shot at the belt which would be contested in the fight after this.

Round One
The round kicks off with a touch of gloves and Hignett is immediately on the attack and Wooding fires back with a shot of his own. Hignett is lighter on the feet at the beginning where as Wooding seems to be very relaxed in his stance and not too worried about Hignett's movement. Both then fire off shots of their own in the centre with Wooding executing a head kick and Hignett replying before they separate and play the feeling out game again. Hignett lands a hard kick to the body, Wooding replies and the action is then forced against the cage by Hignett. Looking for the takedown, Hignett drops down for the single leg but Wooding defends well and the round comes to an end.

Round Two
The round starts off with both going for kicks before Wooding attempts a flying knee but slipping in the process. He makes it back to his feet with ease before firing off a jab backing Hignett up but Hignett responds and both exchange strikes again. As the round goes on, the two continue to exchange strikes with Hignett looking to land several kicks where as Wooding goes for a combo to the body. Wooding ends the round being the more aggressive fighter this time round and it’s even going into the final round.

Round Three
The final round begins with Wooding taking the centre and Hignett attempting a spinning back fist but narrowly missing. Both engage in the centre and Wooding lands a big shot which pushes Hignett back to the cage fence, Wooding goes in and ties up whilst landing a solid knee. The action separates and both land shots to the body before Wooding goes up high with a kick followed by another which is blocked. Both end the round the best possible way by trading in the final 10 seconds.

Dominic Wooding def. Coner Hignett via Split Decision 29-28, 28-29, 29-28   

Thanks for reading part one of Kingdom MMA's FCC 10 post fight review, to read our review of the amateur title fights please click here.

Craig Powell chats to Kingdom MMA ahead of ECFF Night of Champions 4

Kingdom MMA focus on the UK amateur MMA scene with Craig Powell

by Ben Heather @benheather

Kingdom MMA again are focusing on interviewing some of the top amateur talent within UK MMA and this time we take a look at Craig Powell. On Saturday night Craig Powell (@craigpowell46) will be fighting at East Coast Fight Factory Night of Champions 4 from the Epic Studios in Norwich. Ahead of that fight he took time out of his schedule to have a chat with us about his upcoming fight, how he got in to MMA and how he went from a successful musician to an amateur MMA fighter.

Ben: Hi Craig, thanks for your time. Firstly can you remember the first time you came across MMA? and what is your first memory of MMA?
Powell: I remember it well! Watching one of the early UFC'S when the Gracie's were dominating! I had been doing karate, jiu jitsu and Kickboxing and was amazed at the idea of putting it all together in competition!

Ben: I believe you train at BKK, how did you first hear about this gym and what made you decide to go train at BKK?
Powell: I decided to begin training at BKK when I was recovering from back surgery. I was told I would never be able to compete again after a bad back injury but after surgery things went well and i got strong quickly! I decided i wanted to give competing a real go so looked for the best gym i could find.

I could see there were some excellent fighters at BKK, fighters who were a similar weight to myself. Since I've trained at BKK i have not looked back. 

Ben: How long have you been training in MMA?
Powell: I have been training in MMA for a good few years but have done martial arts since the age of 7.

Ben: When did you first decide that you wanted to take the training to the next level and actually have a amateur fight?
Powell: After watching the UFC i knew i wanted to compete in the cage... mainly to test myself against other good fighters.

Ben: People may know you from your time in Uniting Nations and your songs but how did the transition from pop star to fighter come about?
Powell: After my time touring in Uniting Nations I could get back to a bit of normality and could get back into my training again. Then I really got the bug for MMA!!

Ben: Is fighting now your main goal or do you still have the desire to carry on in the music industry or both?
Powell: Fighting in MMA is my current main goal, although I still song write and still gig regularly each week.

Ben: For the fans out there who may not have seen you fight before can you tell us a little bit about yourself and what they can expect on Saturday night?
Powell: They can expect to see The Pop Sensation at his best. I'm happy to fight where ever it goes BUT I'm the dictator... so it will go where i want it to go.

Ben: On Saturday night you will be fighting at ECFF and this will be your 8th amateur fight, do you see this as a stepping stone in the progression for your transition to ultimately going pro?
Powell: I do indeed. The main goal in my head is to go pro and make an impact on the pro bantamweight division.

Ben: How do you see yourself winning the fight on Saturday night?
Powell: I predict a win via GnP!

Ben: Would you like to say thank you to anyone?
Powell: I'd like to thank my coach Jack Mason and all my training partners. We all push each other forward. I'd like to thank my wife Lisa for her help while I weight cut... eating ice creams in front of me! Also, thanks to you too for helping give us fighters some exposure. It means a lot.

Thank you again to Craig for giving up his time for this interview and we all wish him all the best going in to his fight this weekend. To follow Craig on twitter his twitter name is @craigpowell46.

Kingdom MMA caught up with Dean Simmonds ahead of his fight at ECFF Night of Champions 4

Kingdom MMA focus on the UK amateur MMA scene with Dean Simmonds

by Ben Heather @benheather

On Saturday night Dean Simmonds (@DeanoAKAbn) will be fighting PK Zadeh at East Coast Fight Factory Night of Champions 4 from the Epic Studios in Norwich and ahead of that fight he took time out of his schedule to have a chat with us about his upcoming fight and life as an amateur MMA fighter.

Ben: When did you first start training in MMA and how old were you then?
Simmonds: I first started training MMA when i was 18 years old, i went to a class at unique results and met the coach, Jack Mason and its just gone on from there.

Ben: Did you have any previous experience in martial arts before taking up MMA?
Simmonds: I think I did boxing for about 3 weeks when i was 12 and karate for about 2 and a half years when i was 7-10 years old but apart from that i spent 14 years of my life playing football. I wish i could have discovered and trained at a gym such as BKK when I was younger with a coach like Jack around to push me and the rest of the guys on to better things.

Ben: For the fans out there who may not have seen you fight before can you tell us a little bit about yourself and what they can expect on Saturday night?
Simmonds: I'm the number 1 cage fighter in Chelmsford. The hardest part of my training camp is 9 minutes on a sunbed 3 times a week and I'm brilliant with the ladies as well, ask em! 

On Saturday I'm going to bring it like I've never done before, I feel even though I won my last fight I had an awful preparation leading up to it and it showed in my performance so I want to prove to everybody what I can do on Saturday.

Ben: I believe you have a 6-3 record, how do you feel your career has gone so far, are you happy with the progress?
Simmonds: That is correct. I'm very happy with how its progressed so far, even though I've got 3 losses on my record I have learnt so much from each one. The first loss I learnt not to be a melt, the second loss was against Jack Mezzetti and I realised where I need to improve my game and that I had some tools in my arsenal I didn't know i had. That fight was without a doubt the toughest fight I've ever had! and the third loss i just froze and didn't do anything at all, and I've learnt from that as well.

Ben: How did it feel getting your hand raised for the first time after winning a fight?
Simmonds: I'm not just saying this because everybody who has won a fight will know, its the best feeling in the world knowing you've lived up to expectations and made your team proud. Having guys like Jack Mason, Arnold Allen, Sean Carter, Jason Cooledge and Craig Powell to train with me each and every day I can only improve in all areas! (sorry to everybody i didn't mention there!)

Ben: How do you expect the fight at ECFF on Saturday night to go?
Simmonds: This fight will go where i want it to go, my opponent isn't anywhere near my level on the wrestling front so I'll decide whether we fight on the ground or we stand. I don't ever have a gameplan for a fight because as soon as you get hit the gameplan goes out the window anyway.

Ben: What do you know about your opponent heading in to this fight?
Simmonds: His name is PK Zadeh but apart from that not a lot. I prefer to not look too much into what my opponents can do, i try to focus on what I'm going to do to him.

Ben: Where do you think you will have the advantage on Saturday night?
Simmonds: In all areas, my wrestling is on a completly different level to his and I'm confident I'll be better than him standing and on the ground so I'll just see how it plays out

Ben: Would you like to thank anyone?
Simmonds: I'd like to thank my coaches Jack Mason, Stephen Byerley, Russ and Stuart Barlegs. All of my training partners who no doubt I'm going to get a punch from if I miss one of them off, so here goes, Arnold Allen, Sean Carter, Jason Cooledge, Craig Powell, Matt Hughes, Joe Harding, Justin Bodj, Kerry Hughes and Tim Stokes. Also a big shoutout to Tim Stoke who without him none of the success would be possible.

My Awesome Sponsors as well:
Attack Fighter who produce the best walkout tshirts you'll ever see
(Twitter: @attackfightwear) (Wesbite: www.Attackfightwear.com)
Funkygums for keeping my teeth looking super sharp
(Twitter: @funkygums) (website: www.Funkygums.com)
There is always room on my walkout tshirts for more sponsors aswell guys :)

Thanks again to Dean for speaking to Kingdom MMA ahead of his fight and everyone at Kingdom MMA wish him all the best going in to the fight. If you would like to find out more about Dean or follow him on twitter his twitter name is @DeanoAKAbn.

Joe Harding talks to Kingdom MMA ahead of ECFF Night of Champions 4

Kingdom MMA focus on the UK amateur MMA scene with Joe Harding

by Ben Heather @benheather

On Saturday night Joe Harding (@JoeNittro) will be fighting at East Coast Fight Factory Night of Champions 4 from the Epic Studios in Norwich and ahead of that fight he took time out of his schedule to have a chat with us about his upcoming fight and life as an amateur MMA fighter.

Ben: For the fans out there who may not have seen you fight before, can you tell us a little bit about yourself and what they can expect on Saturday night? 
Harding: With me you can always expect me to explode early with some big take downs. I execute my shots with explosive power to control the pace of the fight either on the feet or grappling, people can expect to see crazy escapes, take downs and unorthodox moves its just how I fight. I like to have fun!

Ben: I believe your amateur record currently stands at 5-1, how do you feel your career has progressed so far?
Harding: I feel it's going at a smooth pace I've had some great fights, my last fight at Fury MMA I broke my arm in the first round and still managed to grind out the decision win. It seemed a bit surreal afterwards, but I'm happy with my progress so far but I still have many more to look forward to!

Ben: How did it feel the first time you got in to the cage and the door was shut?
Harding: It was a very strange feeling like "ok I'm in a cage fight now" but fell in love instantly with the sport it gave me a rush that Ive never experienced before so it was a instant connection!

Ben: Do you have any plans to turn professional and if so would that be soon?
Harding: I'd love to join the pro ranks one day for sure, I'd leave that decision to Jack Mason and the rest of my team if he feels I'm ready I'd be happy to make that jump most definitely, you have to go the distance In this sport!

Ben: At ECFF in Norwich on Saturday night BKK will be taking a few fighters along, will this extra support help spur you on to get the win?
Harding: 100% with BKK there it gives you even more drive and confidence to make them proud and bring home the W not just for yourself but for them! So yes even bigger advantage on Saturday night for me I feel.

Ben: At BKK you have UFC fighters and guys that have been in the big shows training with you. Do you have the dream that one day you will be in the big shows?
Harding: I can't see it any other way really. I think the big shows are amazing, makes you dream that one day I can be in there competing at the highest level in the world, so it's in my head quite a lot.

Ben: What are your keys to victory on Saturday night at ECFF
Harding: My keys to victory are to push the pace, explode all over my opponent with a barrage of unorthodox strikes and take downs. you might even see my version of a super kick only I jump much higher than Anthony Pettis!

Ben: Would you like to thank anyone ahead of your fight this weekend?
Harding: Id like to thank Jack Mason, all of my team mates and coaches at BKK FIGHTERS. Unique Results and my Tae Kwon Do sparing partners. Also to you, thanks for this interview guys. Much love and don't blink Saturday night!

Thanks again to Joe for his giving up his time to answer our questions and remember if you want to watch Joe fight, he will be fighting at ECFF Night of Champions 4 in Norwich this Saturday night. If you want to find out more about Joe or follow him on twitter his twitter name is @JoeNittro.

Shinobi War Adds 2 More Fights to Debut November Card

Shinobi War Adds 2 More Fights to Debut November Card

Amateur upstart promotion Shinobi War have added two more fights to its debut November card.

Craig Dransfield of Next Generation MMA in Liverpool will be taking on Fergus Williams-Tanton who is an independent fighter.  Dransfield is a BJJ Blue Belt under Head Coach, Paul Rimmer, and has a solid stand-up game to match.  Williams-Tanton has a very game fighter who has trained in many martial arts over the years including Muay Thai, Sambo and Wrestling.  

Igor Pusharskis of Team Elite has made a promising start to his MMA career and holds an amateur record of 4-0.  He will face another independent fighter in the form of Gary Tyrer.  Tyrer always comes to fight and is himself unbeaten having won both of his amateur bouts to date.

Unfortunately, as with Liam Bird has been forced to withdraw from the card leaving Bobby Pallet without an opponent. Again Team Shinobi have managed to find a more that suitable replacement in Jordan Barton from Team Elite.  Jordan has a strong striking background, which is a trademark of Team Elite and has rounded out his game by competing in and winning grappling tournaments.

Shinobi War takes place on Saturday 23rd November 2013 at the Deeside Leisure Centre, North Wales.  The full fight card is as follows:

Shinobi War Fight Card

Featherweight Bout - Wayne Hughes (HFFS) vs Reece Phillips (Beyond Black Belt)

Lightweight Bout - Paul Jackson (HFFS) vs River O'Callaghan (Silverback MMA)

Light Heavyweight Bout - Mario Data (HFFS) vs Piotr Chyska (Beyond Black Belt)

Middleweight Bout - Igor Puskarskis (Team Elite) vs Gary Tyrer (Independent)

Bantamweight Bout - Mak Mwanza (Silverback MMA) vs Jordan Chester (Reps MMA)

Welterweight Bout - Alan Hunt (Team Elite) vs Tony Hristov (Silverback MMA)

Middleweight Bout - Mark Sutton (Next Level MMA) vs Tom White (Beyond Black Belt)

Featherweight Bout - Lloyd Sweeney (ASW) vs Gav Samuels (Independent)

Lightweight Bout - Craig Dransfield (Next Generation) vs Fergus Williams-Tanton (Independent)

Lightweight Bout - Bobby Pallett (HFFS) vs Jordan Barton (Team Elite)

Catchweight 54Kg Bout - Adam Penketk (Sapphire MMA) vs TBC

Flyweight Bout - Ollie Harris (Next Level MMA) vs TBC

Featherweight Bout - Chris Pieroni (HFFS) vs TBC

Featherweight Bout - Jay Clay (Next Generation) vs TBC

Light Heavyweight Bout - Joe Cook (HFFS) vs TBC

Light Heavyweight Bout - Nathan Rigby (HFFS) vs TBC

Light Heavyweight Bout - Matt Clempner (ASW) vs TBC

Heavyweight Bout - Matt Allen (Beyond Black Belt) vs TBC