UFC 184, Bellator 134 and Invicta FC 11 betting guide

by Will Martin @WillMartinMMA

So after last weeks underdog triumph's in Brazil the UFC returns to Los Angeles as the ladies take center stage and dominant champion Ronda Rousey takes on her stiffest challenge in Cat Zingano. There is also Invicta and Bellator to bet on as well but I'm here to give you a few bets you may like the look of. As always go with your own gut feeling when you're betting with your own money. 

Bet 1 Stake £10 Returns £80

James Krause 8/15
Dhiego Lima EVS
Derrick Lewis 2/9
Tony Ferguson 4/9
Jake Ellenberger 4/9
 
So here is one of my Parlay bets I like for this weekend picking mostly favourites but you do get a decent pay out for your 10 quid. Starting off in the Lightweight division with James Krause taking on Valmir Lazaro. This is a great fight for Krause coming off his tough loss against Jorge Masvidal, Lazaro is all about striking and is just your typical muay thai striker with a pretty weak ground game. He has gaps in his games that the Veteran Krause will look to capitalise on and I can just see a Krause Decision here.
 
On to the riskiest pick I think of this parlay and that is Dhiego Lima taking on Tim Means this match up is close and will come down to who gets into there rhythm first. Lima who has a very iffy chin will look to take this to the ground and Means, who has a terrible defence of the takedown will look to keep it standing. For me I just think Lima will have more to offer and will squeak out a close decision victory.
 
The third leg of the bet is in my eyes one of the easiest fights you may ever see in a UFC Octagon as Heavyweight beast Derrick Lewis taking on the human punch bag that is Ruan Potts. Potts who has shown nothing since coming into the UFC  is in for a tough night here as the hard hitting Lewis will rip the chin of his face in the first round. This I guarantee.
 
On to the main card, we have streaking lightweight Tony Ferguson who is looking for his fifth straight victory over grizzled veteran Gleison Tibau. Now I think this has the potential to be close but I think Ferguson's hand speed and long reach will be the defining key for him to winning this fight. He does have decent takedown defense to stop Tibau's takedowns, which he will look for eventually but I like "El Cucuy" in this one.
 
So when we get to our last fight for all the dosh we have two veterans slugging out here as Jake Ellenberger takes on Josh Koscheck. Now these guys have faded and faded bad in the last 2-3 years but out of the two I think Ellenberger has a lot more of a chance of the victory. He has some scary power which he has been scared to show recently but when he stops Koscheck's attempts at a takedown he will have to stand and bang a little and I fancy Ellenberger to use his jab and get a decision victory. 

Bet 2 UFC/Bellator/Invicta parlay Stake £5 Returns £60

Alexa Grasso 4/6
Irena Aldana 3/10
Cheick Kongo 4/5
Liam McGeary 8/15
Alan Jouban 1/4
Tony Ferguson 4/9
Holly Holm 1/8
 
With all the fights this weekend it was only right to throw on a bet across all three promotions and this is what I liked. 

Bet 3 Stake £5 Returns £144

Mark Munoz via KO/TKO 7/4
Jake Ellenberger via Dec 11/4
Holly Holm via KO/TKO 9/5
 
So I have three Method bets on and this one I really like, so if you're going to put on a bet similar to this it may not be a bad bet to put on. 
 

Bets to keep an eye on 

Kid Yamamoto via submission 7/1
Holm/Pennington under 2.5 rds 11/8
Rousey/Zingano over 1.5 rds  5/4
 
There are a few bets I like, if you're having a bet this weekend I hope you win big. All the best!

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BCMMA 10 card set, headlined by Cooledge vs Leary for the lightweight title

Ben Heather @benheather

BCMMA returns with its first show of 2015 as BCMMA 10 takes place on March 28th at the Charter Hall, Colchester. It will be a night full of some of the best amateur and professional MMA fighters the UK has to offer. So far the card has been set with over 20 amateur fights on the prelims and five professional fights.

The pro card includes two title fights as Jason Cooledge battles Charlie Leary in the main event for the lightweight belt, while Steve Aimable squares off against Scott Hunt in the co main event for the featherweight title. Then in one of the stand out fights on the card Jack Mason makes his return to action as he battles former UFC welterweight Simeon Thoresen in a 175lb catchweight battle.

On the amateur card another three titles are on the line as the Heavyweight, Middleweight and Flyweight titles will all be contested.

The card for BCMMA 10 as it currently stands can be found below:

Main Card

Main Event For the BCMMA Lightweight Pro Title
Charlie Leary (8-6-1) Team Crossface Vs Jason Cooledge (10-7) BKK Fighters

For the BCMMA Featherweight Pro Title
Scott Hunt (6-1) Team Crossface Vs Steve Aimable (5-2) BKK Fighters

175lbs Catchweight Pro MMA bout
Simeon Thoresen (17-5-1) Frontline Academy Vs Jack Mason (28-14) BKK Fighters

Welterweight Pro MMA bout
Martin Hudson (1-0) Team Crossface Vs Mareks Belevics (1-1) BKK Fighters

Middleweight Pro MMA bout
Nathius Frederick (Pro Debut) UTC Vs Thomas Robertson (Pro Debut) Sarpsborg Chi MMA

Amateur Prelims

For the BCMMA Amateur Heavyweight Title
Jamie Willets UTC Vs Jack Burton BKK Fighters

For the BCMMA Amateur Middleweight Title
Dom Harris Carlson Gracie Essex Vs Kristian Lapsley Sarpsborg Chi MMA

For the BCMMA Amateur Flyweight Title
Marianne Eriksen Honefoss Fight Gym Vs Ameesha Bhudia Combat Company

Amateur Featherweight bout
Lucas Cox The Bat Cave MMA Vs Niyal Jones Blackdog MMA

Amateur Flyweight bout
Charlie Gosden Bandogs Vs Mark Wade Gods of War

Amateur Light Heavyweight bout
Charles Stephenson Bridgeman Martial Arts Vs George Neague Southend Combat Academy

Amateur Middleweight bout
John Sayers Dungeon MMA Vs Espen Espenes Sunnfjord MMA

Amateur Welterweight bout
Darren Foster MMA Clinic Vs Luca Senatore Tsunami Gym

Amateur Welterweight bout
Oliver Paske UTC Vs Sean Flynn Premier MMA

Amateur Strawweight bout
Stephanie Quaile Team Ryano Vs Wendy Mckenna BKK Fighters

Amateur Flyweight bout
Sohaib Ajban MMA Clinic Vs Jake Hadley UTC

Amateur Flyweight bout
Craig Powell BKK Fighters Vs Gareth Ingham Force MMA

Amateur Lightweight bout
Michael Mavciniak MMA Clinic Vs Alex Curcudel Premier MMA

Amateur Welterweight bout
Jason O'Donovan Premier MMA Vs Daniel Haynes BKK Fighters

Amateur Light Heavyweight bout
Rafal Cejrowski Team Crossface Vs Matthew Byfield UTC

Amateur Welterweight bout
Karlos Kaminskas MMA Clinic Vs Jorgen Indsetviken Honefoss Fight Gym

Amateur Featherweight bout
Laura Drayton UTC Vs Paula Donnelly BKK Fighters

Amateur Lightweight bout
Jamie Colgate Independent Vs Jack Wright Southend Combat Academy

Amateur Bantamweight bout
Nikita Rancev Bridgeman Martial Arts Vs Christoffer Darre Sarpsborg Chi MMA

Amateur Middleweight bout
Matthew Bardsley Independent Vs Tom Mowle BKK Fighters

Amateur Lightweight bout
Anton Bray Independent Vs Luke Butler TIW

Amateur Lightweight bout
Rob McAdam Urban Kings Vs Adam Spalding Dynamo Muay Thai

Amateur Flyweight bout
Sam Diplock Combat Sports Academy Vs Dan Hunt Monster BJJ

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UFC 184 Rousey vs Zingano Weigh In Results

by Ben Heather @benheather

Tomorrow night the UFC returns with a huge womens bantanweight battle as two undefeated women step foot in to the Octagon to face off in what has to be the toughest test of Ronda Rousey's career. Cat Zingano has been tested before in previous fights but has always found a way to come through them and not only win but come back to finish her opponents. Also on the card is the UFC debut of world champion boxer Holly Holm who is being lined up as a potential future opponent for Rousey should they both win tomorrow night.

Ahead of the event all fighters except Mark Munoz made weight, Munoz has two hours to lose the final 1.25lbs. It took Jake Ellenberger the help of a second weigh in using the towel to make the 171lb limit, originally coming in at 171.5lbs.

The Classified Weigh In Results can be found below:

Main Card (BT Sport 1)

Ronda Rousey (c) (135 lbs) vs. Cat Zingano (134.5 lbs)

Raquel Pennington (135.5 lbs) vs. Holly Holm (135.5 lbs)

Jake Ellenberger (171 lbs) vs. Josh Koscheck (170.5 lbs)

Alan Jouban (170.5 lbs) vs. Richard Walsh (171 lbs)

Tony Ferguson (156 lbs) vs. Gleison Tibau (155 lbs)

Preliminary Card (BT Sport 1)

Mark Muñoz (187.25 lbs) vs. Roan Carneiro (184.5 lbs)

Roman Salazar (135 lbs) vs. Norifumi Yamamoto (136 lbs)

Dhiego Lima (170 lbs) vs. Tim Means (170 lbs)

Derrick Lewis (263 lbs) vs. Ruan Potts (253 lbs)

Preliminary Card (UFC Fight Pass)

James Krause (155 lbs) vs. Valmir Lazaro  (155.5 lbs)

Masio Fullen (145 lbs) vs. Alexander Torres (145.5 lbs)

The fights take place at the Staples Centre in Los Angeles, California.

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Bellator 134 Weigh In Results

by Ben Heather @benheather

All of the fighters have now weighed in ahead of The British Invasion which is headlined by the Light Heavyweight world title fight between Emanuel Newton and the UK's own Liam McGeary. Also on the card is possibly the UK's best pound for pound MMA fighter Paul Daley and also former title contender Linton Vassell.

The event has everything on paper to make it a spectacle for the fans and hopefully with three good results in the fights involving the Brits it will force Bellator to finally come over to the UK and hold an event.

Classified Weigh In Results

MAIN CARD

Emanuel Newton (204.5) vs. Liam McGeary (204) – for light heavyweight title
Cheick Kongo (239) vs. Muhammed Lawal (217)
Paul Daley (171) vs. Andre Santos (171)
Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou (205) vs. Linton Vassell (205)
Curtis Millender (170) vs. Brennan Ward (171)

PRELIMINARY CARD

Dean Hancock (155.5) vs. Mike Mangan (155.25)
Matt Bessette (145.75) vs. Josh LaBerge (145)
Raphael Butler (260) vs. Josh Diekmann (238.25)
Jason Butcher (186) vs. Tamdan McCrory (185.5)
Bobby Flynn (170.5) vs. Neiman Gracie (171)
Marvin Maldonado (136) vs. Blair Tugman (136)

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Zara's MMA social buzz #3: Mjolnir perform Chandelier, Amirkhani beats sister's husband up, Faber fights at charity event, Brandao acts like an idiot

By Zara Barry

Welcome to Zara’s MMA social media roundup, where I sift through the best social bravado to bring you Mjolinir MMA's version of Chandelier by Sia  , Makwan Amir Khani beating up his sister's husband, Diego Brandao acting like an idiot at the Brazilian Carnival, Urijah Faber fighting Jason Ellis at a charity event and BJ Penn dressing up as Elvis!


The guys over at Mjolnir MMA made their own version of Sia’s ‘Chandelier’ this week and we see a very rare sighting, a smiling Gunni Nelson. You have not entered the Twilight Zone, you did in fact read that correctly.



Word to the wise, if you’re married to Makwan Amirkhani’s sister do not forget to buy a Valentine’s Day gift. In fact get the date tattooed onto your arm so you never forget, along with her birthday, anniversary etc.

Sister's husband had forgotten to buy a Valentine's Day gift for my sister #family @tyffish

A video posted by Makwan Amirkhani UFC Fighter (@makulaku) on Feb 18, 2015 at 6:36am PST

“Do you know who I am?” Here we have Diego Brandao sounding like a complete dildo, “You better not make me look bad” and we have him acting like one too during Carnaval on the streets of Brazil.


Urijah Faber got in the ring with Jason Ellis this weekend at Ellismania. Faber is seen here sporting jeans in the ring, seems like something I’d actually expect Nick Diaz to do.

@urijahfaber going HAM on @wolfmate at #ellismania #ellismania10

A video posted by Michael Mardones (@layziethesavage) on Feb 22, 2015 at 12:05am PST

I must say BJ Penn makes one damn fine out of shape older Elvis. Penn headed to his dad’s costume party this week with his wife, I have no idea who she’s meant to be, the one from Lazy Town?

My dads 70th birthday costume party

A photo posted by @bjpenn on Feb 22, 2015 at 7:01pm PST

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Bellator 134: Newton v McGreary Preview

By Josh Hall @josh_hall66

Whilst most of this weekends focus is fixed on a certain PPV in Los Angeles this Saturday night, Bellator have an intriguing card on Friday. Featuring lots of British talent & a title shot as the headliner, let's take a look at the main card.

Brennan Ward vs Curtis Millender

Ward comes into this fight on a two-loss streak. After a good start to life in the promotion (going 5-1) he looks to return to winning ways here. Millender, undefeated, makes his debut for Bellator here. Not known as a finisher (although his two stoppages came within the first minute), he'll have to be wary of Wards' heavy hands and try and keep him smothered.

Prediction: Ward by Unanimous Decision

Linton Vassell v Rameau Thierry Sokoudju

This fight has 'AWESOME!' written all over it. Sokoudju likes to knockout people but has a questionable chin on him (eight of twelve losses by TKO/KO). Vassell also has some heavy bombs, but also a great ground game. Losing only one of his last ten (last time out against Emmanuel Newton for the title), both will be looking to add another finish to their resumé.

Prediction: Vassell by TKO

Muhammed Lawal v Cheick Kongo

Winning two of his last three, 'King Mo' looks to get back into the title picture by finishing ex-UFC veteran Cheick Kongo. 'Mo' will undoubtedly stand and throw haymakers, such is his will. Since joining Bellator Kongo's looked good, going 4-1. With his last two wins both being finished well inside the distance, he'll want a hat-trick to get into title contention.

Prediction: Kongo by TKO

Paul Daley v Andre Santos

Simple. Daley: 6 of last 7 won by TKO/KO/doctors stoppage. Santos is a submission machine (22 wins by sub). It'll come down to this: can 'Semtex' KO Santos before the Brazilian takes him down? One things for sure: this fight will NOT be left to the judges...

Prediction: Daley by TKO

Bellator Light-Heavyweight Title
(c) Emmanuel Newton v Liam Mcgreary

Title time! This is intriguing to me. Newton is on a streak of seven wins including avenging his loss to Attila Veigh (just). But now he comes across the dangerous McGeary. The man from Hampshire has finished all but two of his fights in the first round, so it'll be interesting to see how his cardio goes if they hit the championship rounds.

Prediction: Newton by Unanimous Decision

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UFC 184: Rousey vs Zingano Preview

By Josh Hall @josh_hall66

This weekend the UFC returns to US soil, with a Womens Bantamweight title affair the headline act at the Staples Centre, Los Angeles this Saturday night. The main card looks very interesting, including the debut of a much talked about, and potential future title challenger, for the very title defended on this card. Let's take a look!

Tony Ferguson (17-3) v Gleison Tibau (33-10)

Ferguson is currently tearing through the lightweight division, with eight of nine wins inside the Octagon, and only two of those were decisions. Tibau, meanwhile, has three straight decision wins. Considering he went the distance with  Norman Parke last month, I can't see an upset for the Brazilian. Ferguson just looks unbeatable at the moment. Everything is clicking into place. Hard and  fast hands, a terrific submission game (although Tibau's no slouch on the mat). If he's victorious, I can't see why he wouldn't be in the title picture.

Prediction: Ferguson by Third Round TKO

Alan Jouban (10-3) v Richard Walsh (8-2)

There's a few similarities heading into this fight: both will be their third UFC fight, both come off decision losses last time out. And both like to knock people out. Unfortunately both have durable chins, so I fear this maybe a turgid affair with plodding jabs. Prove me wrong chaps!

Prediction: Jouban by Unanimous Decision

Jake Ellenberger (29-9) v Josh Koscheck (17-8)

This is simple: I fear the loser of this fight will be released. Two stalwarts of the UFC, there recent records are identical (no win in three, lost four of last six) and in a stacked division like welterweight there is no way you can get away with four straight defeats. Look for Koscheck to try and drag this to the floor and use his wrestling to smother Ellenberger. I don't believe 'Kos' wants anything to do with Jake's striking. This really is a toss up.

Prediction: Ellenberger by Split Decision

Holly Holm (7-0) v Raquel Pennington (5-4)

You'd be forgiven for thinking that with all the hype surrounding Holm that this fight is as good as won. Granted, Pennington doesn't have the best record, but she's a very capable fighter, particularly on the mat. Like Koscheck above, she really doesn't want to try and outstrike Holm, because her boxing is elite level. That's the advantage of being a former 18 time boxing World champion. There's only one outcome here.

Prediction: Holm by Second Round TKO

Womens Bantamweight Championship
(c) Ronda Rousey (10-0) v Cat Zingano (9-0)

For nearly 2 years, Cat Zingano has been waiting for her shot at Ronda Rousey and the Womens Bantamweight Championship. After 18 months out after knee surgery she finished Amanda Nunes last time out. Her striking is excellent, and also has a very good ground game. But will that be enough to stop Rousey? Undoubtedly the best out there. 'Rowdy'seems to get better every time she fights. Olympic-level Judo, striking that is getting better and better. And then there's that armbar... I'm really looking forward to this fight. This really will be the biggest test of arguably the UFCs brightest star.

Prediction: Rousey by Second Round Submission

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Did you see it coming?

by Simon Rushton @Simon_Rushton

I like to start with a cliché or a sound bite; this is my thing and normally somebody, whether a fighter, a fan or a journo has given me the ammunition to unload so to speak and it’s allowed me to go off on a one man diatribe. This week however, has been a little different. It’s not through the lack of news, it’s just that sometimes the news is not something I want to dramatise or go to town on. 

As said, this is the position I find myself in this week and it’s one of the more difficult articles I’ve had to write. That’s not an overly emotive statement I hasten to add; I’m not sat here thinking woe is the world. It’s just that it’s much easier to write an article with the intention of dramatisation or targeting a particular piece of nonsense than it is to write something that is concise, meaningful and yet attention retentive. So where do I start? I’ll start with a thought that’s been going through my head…

It’s strange that while the UFC has already had several events this year, cutting a swathe across the globe with not only events but it seems weekly scandal as well, UKMMA has been polar opposite with only UCMMA, BAMMA and WFS hosting a single event each. Cage Warriors unfortunately have had to postpone their event again and the growing promotions such as FCC, BCMMA and Shinobi have events coming up in March. 

Whilst we’re on the subject of the different franchises; I realise there is an obvious rivalry between promotions especially when you consider Bellator and UFC. What I’ve never really understood however, is why it exists in UKMMA. Of course I understand it from a business perspective but there is a real partisanship within the fan base especially. I don’t know if it’s an innate sycophancy that embeds in some fans and journo’s because they think it might endear them to the favoured promotion or if it’s akin to the same madness we see on ‘the terraces.’ I’m showing my age a bit there. Oh while I’m on that note; I really do hope those wankers from the metro in France have the proverbial book thrown at them. In this day and age there is zero room for racism, it’s abhorrent and inexcusable. 

Anyway, back to point and regardless of stand point or particular inclination towards a promotion the one thing hopefully all UKMMA fans will agree on is that a promotion hitting the rocks is not a good thing. Unfortunately, this is what is looking ‘apparent’ with one of UKMMA’s leading promotions. 

No doubt everybody has heard the rumours about Cage Warriors since Graham Boylan announced his resignation as CEO and normally I pay little attention to anything that’s not fact. However, in this instance whether credible rumour or not the very thought of a promotion as big as Cage Warriors potentially going out of business must send shockwaves through the industry. Not because it’s not possible, of course it is, but it’s because of the implications or should I say ramifications of that happening which ring alarm bells.

Now you’ll have to forgive just how close a sentence that is to ‘Sources say…’, we all know my view point on that kind of crap, but in this instance whether true or not and I do hope it’s not, the idea of a leading UK promotion hitting the rocks is not one I like to dwell on. In the UK we have a relatively fledgling industry; we’re not a multibillion dollar behemoth such as our American twin, we’re more like a really angry ‘…moth’? that punches well above its weight and as such there is sod all money in it. Some promotions do better than others, no surprise there, yet the one constant throughout all these promotions is that very few of the fighters make any decent kind of money. Let me give you a comparison; in the UFC the lower paid fighters are on between $8-10,000, in the UK the highest paid are probably on that kind of money and might get in two or three fights a year. These figures were accurate as of 2012 and I’m led to believe that there’s not any great difference, if any. Again, this isn’t sources say bollocks, this is a fighter telling me what he earned. 

My point? My point is that a lot of the fighters on our domestic scene work every day jobs as well, if they’re lucky, and their fight purse either boosts their day to day income or is their sole income. Consider losing £12,000 a year based on 3 x £4,000 fight purse and imagine the effect this has on a household? Could you afford to lose £12k a year? It might even be that this money is put aside for a rainy day or for a retirement fund, you’ve then got to consider the money earned from your daily wage now has to incorporate savings. Talking about economics in MMA, what a cracker?!

Consider now that if a promotion goes out of business – I remind you that this is hypothetical – not only are the back room staff suddenly out of a job but an entire roster of fighters is also. While the back office staff can go on to apply for jobs with other companies, it’s unlikely they burnt bridges to work for CW. This, however, cannot be said for some of the fighters. I know for a fact that at least a half a dozen fighters burnt bridges to join Cage Warriors and would likely find it difficult to go back to former promotions. If they did the former promotion would have a much better hand to deal from at the negotiation table than perhaps previously. Again this reverts back to my previous note on money earned by fighters; that hypothetical £4k per fight now reduces further.

So where did all this come from? Well, the first announcement we heard was that Graham Boylan is stepping down as CEO of Cage Warriors. This was surprising to all but a few. First shockwave; not monumental but enough to raise a few eye brows. However, the source of the rumours about troubles at CW came from the fact they then postponed CW75 which was further followed by an announcement that all fighters would be given a one fight sabbatical from their contracts. At this point people starting adding 2 + 2 together; let’s hope the answer is 5 and Cage Warriors rise again.

Rushy out.

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James Pennington to headline Fight Night Finland 9 against Timo-Juhani Hirvikangas

by Ben Heather @benheather

Copyright: Dolly Clew | Cage Warriors

Following on from a successful night headlining Shock N Awe 18 at the end of 2014 James Pennington (10-2) makes his return to the cage for the first time in 2015 as he meets Timo-Juhani Hirvikangas (10-2) in the main event of Fight Night Finland 9 on April 25th.

Pennington will come to the cage having won four of his last five fights, only losing to former Cage Warriors title contender Cory Tait in that time. Holding notable wins over James Doolan and Kris Edwards Pennington is known as one of the top bantamweights in the UK.

The submission specialist has picked up eight of his 10 wins by submission with five wins by rear naked choke, three by armbar and two by guillotine choke.

Pennington's opponent on April 25th is Timo-Juhani Hirvikangas, a fighter who has a very similar record to Pennington with seven of his ten wins by submission. This is bound sure to be a fight which fans of BJJ and grappling should enjoy.

Hirvikangas comes in to the fight having only lost once in his last 10 fights and riding a five fight win streak. In that time he has finished each of his previous eight opponents who he defeated with his only loss in that time coming by split decision.

This will be the first time Pennington has fought outside the UK and will be a very tough test for the Brit.

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Fights to make after BAMMA 18

By Alex Dillon @ADillon__

BAMMA are fresh off of another solid event in BAMMA 18 this past weekend in Wolverhampton. There was an array of great fights and now we look at the potential match ups for some of the nights winners.

Tom Duquesnoy (c) vs Brendan Loughnane

France's Duquesnoy (10-1) successfully defended his BAMMA featherweight title Saturday night against Krzysztof Klaczek as he emphatically finished his foe in the final round via TKO stoppage. Duquesnoy has made a name for himself on these shores and a potential #1 contenders match is set for BAMMA 19 between Ashleigh Grimshaw and Orestes Betran but there is another big name UK featherweight who wants the fight with the champion and rightly so. Brendan Loughnane (9-1) has fought in the UFC, been FCC champion and made a successful debut in BAMMA as he gained a first round TKO finish at BAMMA 17 in December. Loughnane took to Twitter after Saturday's main event to call for a shot at the belt and with the two fighters style's matching up so well, this fight is a no brainer. Loughnane has the skill and credentials to potentially bring the belt back to UK shores.

Alexei Roberts vs Kane Mousah

Alexei Roberts (12-6) defeated Hayden Critchfield this past weekend as he TKO'd the latter in the first round. The only blemish hanging over the performance was the fact that Roberts missed weight the previous day by some margins and as he has missed weight before, it begs the question should he fight at lightweight? If he can Manchester's Kane Mousah (6-0) is waiting in the ranks. Originally scheduled to fight Marc Diakiese at BAMMA 17, Mousah had to withdraw due to knee injury and now surgery. Diakiese is booked against Jack McGann for BAMMA 19 so Roberts vs Mousah is the next logical step given that both men have defeated Hayden Critchfield this matchup makes sense.

Cheick Kone vs Karlos Vemola

Cheick Kone (13-3) was signed to BAMMA recently and put the whole middleweight division on red alert in his debut at BAMMA 18 as he took out SBG Ireland's Chris Fields with ease. Displaying powerful stand up, Kone quickly rocked Fields in the opening round before finishing him in the opening 30 seconds. With that kind of performance against the former Cage Warriors champion Fields it would be good to see Kone fight for the BAMMA belt next as he's clearly at that level. Karlos Vemola (14-4) would be the ideal opponent for a title fight. Vemola is a UFC vet and is somewhat of a submission specialist, Since his last UFC fight he has gone 5-0 so provides the perfect resume for a world title fight and a strong opponent for Kone.    

Chris Miah vs Danny Missin

Chris Miah (6-0) made a statement in his BAMMA debut this past Saturday as he finished off Mick Gerrard with a brutal one punch KO in an enthralling fight. Miah has an array of skills picking up three submissions wins in his pro career and two KO's which makes him one of the most exciting flyweights in the country. A solid match up would be Miah vs Danny Missin (5-3). In his last outing at FCC 11, Missin brutalised Aaron Aby and put his career right back on track after going 0-3 previously. Missin has fought on BAMMA twice before and although losing both to top flyweights Mike Berry and Rany Sadeeh, he wants in again on a high profile fight. With both fighters showcasing finishing pedigree's this fight would be a barn burner.    

Regis Sugden vs Michael Cutting

Sugden now 2-0 in MMA put away Manuel Belic at BAMMA 18 with a slick submission victory which now means he has two finishes from two pro fights, both on BAMMA. Sugden comes from a K1 background and an exemplary one at that but his latest victory shows how well he has transitioned into MMA and on the big stage in the UK. At such a young age he shows huge promise. Michael Cutting (6-3) did what he does best at BAMMA 18 as he submitted prospect Nathaniel Wood with a hugely impressive display. Cutting's main problem is the weight cut as he more or less weighed in for featherweight rather than bantamweight. If he can get the cut done, this match has fireworks all over it. Sugden is the striker, Cutting is the grappler it would be intriguing to see who can use their strengths to nullify the others. Doing this matchup for the BAMMA British Lonsdale bantamweight title would add more prestige also.  

 

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ONE FC Heavyweight Chi Lewis-Parry Signs for Glory World Series

ONE FC Heavyweight Chi Lewis-Parry Signs for Glory World Series

by Chris Houten - @ChrisHoutenMMA

Explosive British heavyweight Chi Lewis Parry has signed for Glory World Series and will make his Glory Debut against Xavier Vigney at Glory 20 Superfight Series 20 in Dubai.

GLORY 20 DUBAI takes place on Friday, April 3 at the Dubai World Trade Centre in Dubai, United Arab Emirates and his headlined by Robin Van Roosmalen vs Andy Ristie for the Glory Lightweight World Title. Former UFC Heavyweight Pat Barry will also feature on the card.

A professional mixed martial artist since 2012, following a successful career as a pro basketball player, 31-year-old Chi Lewis-Parry made a name for himself on the domestic scene with a string of dominating performance with promotions such as UCMMA, and Heat Sports (formerly UCW) finishing all five of his opponents before joining leading Asian MMA promotion ONE FC.

6’10”, 265lb Lewis-Parry made his promotional debut for ONE FC against Alain Ngalani at ONE FC 16 where an accidental low blow landed by Lewis-Parry resulted in the bout being declared as a no contest when Ngalani could not continue. Lewis-Parry and Ngalani squared off again at ONE FC 18 where the Brit made no mistake and finished Ngalani by TKO in the first round. The fourth finish from strikes in his career.

Lewis-Parry, who has recently been lobbying for a fight with former UFC star Brandon Vera, will now try fight under Glory Kickboxing rules against Californian talent Xavier Vigney who holds a 6-1 record, with all of his wins coming by KO / TKO.

Standing 6'8" and weighing in at 255lb, Vigney has fought twice under the Glory banner before winning both his fights. The sometime training partner of Nick Diaz, will represent one of the largest fighters Lewis-Parry has faced to date. 

Stay tuned to kingdomMMA.co.uk for all the latest on Glory 20.

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Jim Walhead Returns to Action, Meets Rodrigo Ribeiro at Abu Dhabi Warriors 2

Jim Walhead Returns to Action, Meets Rodrigo Ribeiro at Abu Dhabi Warriors 2

By Chris Houten - @ChrisHoutenMMA

Leicester’s Judo Jim Wallhead returns to action at the star studded Abu Dhabi Warriors 2 where he will take on Brazilian Rodrigo Ribeiro on the events main card.

Abu Dhabi Warriors 2 takes place March 26th at FGB Arena in Abu Dhabi UAE and features an all-star line up including former Strikeforce heavyweight title challenger Brett Rodgers, Japanese MMA legend Ryuta Sakuri, BAMMA vet Max Nunes, and former UFC and Cage Rage fighter Professor X - Xavier Foura-Pokam.

Fighting for the first time since his win over Juan Manual Suarez at Cage Warriors 73 last November, Jim Wallhead returns to action in Abu Dhabi as part of a one fight release all Cage Warriors fighter have been granted while the promotion regroups following the resignation of former CEO Graham Boylan.

One of the UK top welterweights, 30-year-old Jim Wallhead returned to Cage Warriors, the promotion where he made a name for himself following a stint in Bellator and UK promotion BAMMA. He fought rising prospect Danny Roberts in his return fight with Cage Warriors losing by first round knockout at Cage Warriors 68, before bouncing back with a KO of his own later in the year over Surez at Cage Warriors 73.

A blackbelt in Judo, Wallhead brings a 26-9 record into his fight in Abu Dhabi, with 19 finishes – 9 submission, 10 TKO/ KO’s.

His opponent, Rodrigo Ribeiro fights for the first time in nearly 2 years where he lost to Wallhead’s former teammate Paul Daley at Dubai Fighting Championships 4. A black belt in Brazilian Jiu-jitsu, 38-year-old Ribeiro enters the bout with a 9-12 record, losing his last 3 fights to Paul Daley, Phil Baroni, and Rustam Khabilov respectively.

With the addition of Wallhead vs Ribeiro, Abu Dhabi Warriors 2 now includes:

Brett Rogers vs Alexei Kudin
Svetlozar Savov vs Ryuta Sakurai
Ole Laursen vs Mateusz Teodorczuk
Rodrigo Ribeiro vs Jim Wallhead
Pavel Doroftei vs Xavier Foupa-Pokam
Vaso Bakocevic vs Tamirlan Dadaev
Max Nunes vs Alexander Dolotenko
Gadji Zaipulaev vs Jesse Ronson

Stay tuned to KingdomMMA.co.uk for all the latest on Abu Dhabi Warriors 2.

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Jack Mason vs Simeon Thoresen to square off at BCMMA 10

by Ben Heather @benheather

Jack Mason (28-14) will be making his long awaited return from injury on March 28th at BCMMA 10 against Simeon Thoresen (17-5-1) at the Charter Hall, Colchester.

Jack Mason, fighting out of BKK Fighters will be looking to return to winning ways in front of a home support after a leg injury cut short his fight against Jonatan Westin at Cage Warriors 71 in August 2014. Before that Mason was building momentum riding a two fight winning streak with big wins over Patrick Vallee and Bruno Carvalho. 

For most fighters having a seven month lay off isn't uncommon but for Mason that is not the case. In the seven months before his injury he fought four times going 2-2 in the process. 

Thoresen comes in to the fight having lost his last three fights but two of those were in the UFC and his most recent was at Cage Warriors Super Saturday against Jake Bostwick, who is on a tear at the minute. So this fight will be a big test for both fighters who will be looking to return to winning ways.

The fight will take place at a catchweight of 175lbs.

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UFC Fight Night 61: Bigfoot v Mir Review

By Josh Hall @josh_hall66

This past Sunday night the UFC hosted it's first Brazilian event of the year in Porto Alegre, the joyful harbour. With a card full of home-country favourites, can they give the fans something to cheer? Or did we get a few upsets? Let's see!

Ivan Jorge v Josh Shockley

The opening fight was interesting. Shockley came out early with some knees before Jorge hit a couple of takedowns. The second time he locked in a nasty head and arm triangle and Shockley almost tapped. But the American showed great defence in escaping it, getting back to his feet. Round two was all about Shockley's speed and ability to counter-punch. Jorge looked for more takedowns but was unable to convert. In the third he started aggressively, hitting a takedown only to finish on the bottom with Shockley reigning some ground and pound on him. Back standing, the Brazilian landed a nice combination, forcing a single-leg attempt from his opponent. Jorge finished the fight stronger with body shots, and finally landing one last takedown to seal the deal.

Result: Jorge by Unanimous Decision

Wendell Oliviera v TJ Waldburger

Unfortunately this fight was cancelled on Saturday afternoon. Waldburger fell ill whilst cutting weight and was withdrawn. Both were paid their appearance fee.

Douglas Silva de Andrade v Cody Gibson

Another interesting fight. Gibson came out and looked to use his jab early, pressuring Silva early. But the Brazilian kept calm, countering effectively. In the second he floored the American with a counter right. A guillotine attempt followed, and while it wasn't enough to finish, it certainly helped. Into the third and Cody looked desperate. He got a takedown but the scramble that ensued saw Silva end up on top. When they got back to their feet, Silva looked tired but still came forward, relentless with his will to win. With one last push he managed to counter Gibson's late flurry before the bell.

Result: Silva by Unanimous Decision

Tiago Trator v Mike de la Torre

Well. This was short but sweet and the first big upset of the night. Both came out like they'd missed a flight. de la Torre rocked Trator early with a left that briefly stunned the Brazilian, who proceeded to clinch on the cage. When they broke apart, de la Torre dropped him with a left hook, finishing with some extra punches. Personally, I believe ref Leon Roberts should have stepped in earlier. Trator received a fair few shots on the mat when he was clearly not defending himself intelligently.

Result: de la Torre by First Round TKO

William Marcário v Matt Dwyer

Another short fight. Another upset. Kicks were exchanged early, with some strikes also exchanged evenly. Then came the end. Dwyer kept throwing the front kick and Marcário kept reacting by leaning his head forward. So the American faked the kick and landed a spectacular Superman punch, knocking the home-country favourite out.

Result: Dwyer by First Round KO

Jéssica Andrade v Marion Reneau

This was a massive shock. As usual, Andrade came out the gates strong, landing some big shots. Then she knocked down Reneau with a lovely combination, and looked to finish. But all of a sudden, she found herself caught in a triangle choke. There was nothing she could do but tap. Very impressive.

Result: Reneau by First Round Submission

Santiago Ponzinibbio v Sean Strickland

This was a war. Ponzinibbio came out and unleashed some right hand bombs throughout the first frame, with Strickland seeing unperturbed. Into the last two rounds, Ponzinibbio brought his A-game throwing kicks to the face of the American. Then some crisp counter striking dropped Santiago, marking Strickland's most effective offensive offering of the fight. Unfortunately he couldn't capitalise on the few chances he had throughout. But by God does Strickland have a chin!

Result: Ponzinibbio Unanimous Decision

Iuri Alcantara v Frankie Saenz

Big upset here, with Saenz taking it to Alcantara with relentless pressure. Saenz used good movement and feints against the almost statuesque figure of the Brazilian. When Alcantara attempted a kick, he was caught and taken down. When he tried to get Saenz's back, the former Arizona State wrestler eluded the submission attempt and took top position, using effective ground and pound. Another takedown in the second round by Saenz left the American doing damage from the top,whilst landing knees to the body and legs. A good performance by the 7/1 underdog.

Result: Saenz by Unanimous Decision

Rustam Khabilov v Adriano Martins

Another upset here. It was a very close fight, and Khabilov really didn't find his rhythm to start with and didn't really get going till round two, throwing some unorthodox elbows mixed in with body shots although his output dropped significantly. Martins started by trying to keep away from the Russians power shots and making light of his takedown attempts. The Brazilian threw some nice counters. Into the final frame and Martins landed takedowns, moving from half-guard to back mount then back again, constantly wearing down Khabilov till the bell.

Result: Martins by Split Decision

Cezar Ferreira v Sam Alvey

The start of this bout had Alvey being kicked all over the shop. Legs, torso, arms. All targeted by Ferreira. But then it changed in the blink of an eye. 'Mutante' went for a lead elbow giving Alvey the chance of a right hook over the top that crashed into Ferreira's temple. A left hook to the chin and the Brazilian was out before he hit the canvas.

Result: Alvey by First Round KO

Edson Barboza v Michael Johnson

Johnson came out aggressively, forcing Barboza to back-peddle early on. Barboza landed some nice counter hooks on occasion, sidestepping the onslaught and using Johnson's aggression against him. This didn't really slow the American down, and Barboza succumbed to the pressure as the fight wore on. Johnson kept pace throughout and really showed some great offense, opening a cut above both his opponent's eye early on. Even Barboza's patented leg kicks failed to put a stop to Johnson, who finished the fight with a takedown.

Result: Johnson by Unanimous Decision

Antonio 'Bigfoot' Silva v Frank Mir

Mir did what he had to do and snapped a four fight skid by knocking 'Bigfoot' out early in the main event. Mir employed the jab early on, keeping Silva out of range. Then he threw a left hook that floored the big Brazilian, following up with punches and a couple of vicious elbows bouncing 'Bigfoot's head off the canvas before Mario Yamasaki stepped in. Stunning.

Result: Mir by First Round TKO

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Warrior Fight Series 2: Official Results

In the main event, local fighter Mike Neun came up short in his heavyweight debut against top ranked Lukasz Parobiec. Lukasz now becomes champion of the WFS heavyweight division and vowed to take out whoever is put in front of him next.

The co main event saw a star born. Daniel Crawford took a step up in his career as he took on recent viral star Theo Michailidis. Although it was the toughest test of the undefeated 21 year old’s career so far, he put on a skillful display to ease the win. There’s some interesting fights out there for him and he vowed to be on the next show in May.

Straight out of New York, USA, Richie Edwards shortened his record to 3-4. Recently training and being taken on by Team Blackhouse, he came into this fight confidently. It didn’t run perfectly smooth though as he had to escape a tight guillotine on the way to a submission victory himself.

Mark Harris became the amateur welterweight champion using some slick stand up combination and nice BJJ. After rocking Reedman with a shot that clipped the temple, he went on to gain a submission victory.

Matt Findlay and Jay Whyte put on a show. Both guys gave it their all and left it in the cage. There’s nothing more you can ask a fighter for. Findlay’s wrestling was the difference.

Dominic Wooding announced himself back on the domestic amateur venue as he took out the highly touted Matt Haunton with a beautiful head kick followed by GNP.

Gregor Jurcic took the win over late replacement Rayko Levitchi. It was a composed performance and it sets up a fight between he and Charlie Howard which was meant to happen on this event.

There was a whole bunch of amateur non-title fights which may go under the radar, but this was an extremely well matched fight card and one that puts a lot of other domestic shows to shame.

Below is a list of all results:

Professional Heavyweight Title Bout
Lukasz Parobiec def Mike Neun – TKO – 1.24 round 1

Professional Featherweight Title Bout
Daniel Crawford def Theo Michailidis – Unanimous Decision

Professional Featherweight Bout
Richie Edwards def Garry Duffy – submission (rear naked choke) – 2.16 round 1

Unified Amateur Welterweight Title Bout
Mark Harris def James Reedman – Submission (triangle choke – 2.29 round 2

Unified Amateur Middleweight Title Bout
Matthew Findlay def Jay Whyte – Split Decision

Unified Amateur Flyweight Title Bout
Dominic Wooding def Matt Haunton – KO – 2.12 round 1

Unified Amateur Lightweight Title Bout
Gregor Jurcic def Rayko Levitchi – Unanimous Decision

Unified Amateur Featherweight Bout
Michael Ekundayo def Tanvir Boora – Unanimous Decision

Unified Amateur Lightweight Bout
Eddy Cook def John Reid – Submission (guillotine choke) – 0.28 round 2

Unified Amateur Welterweight Bout
Nick Manik def Patrick Kavanagh – Unanimous Decision

Unified Amateur Lightweight Bout
Michal Marciniak def Jack Wright – Unanimous Decision

Unified Amateur Welterweight Bout
Chris Hill def Ben Conway – Submission (Chest compression) – 2.12 round 2

Unified Amateur Featherweight Bout
Jimmy Yardley def Gary McNeil – Submission (rear naked choke) – 1.51 round 3

Unified Amateur 82kg Catchweight Bout
Karlos Kaminskas def Jake Thompson – Submission (Triangle choke) – 2.47 round 2

Unified Amateur Lightweight Bout
Ryan Mairs def Rob McAdam – Split Decision

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OFFICIAL BAMMA 18 RESULTS

On Saturday night BAMMA opened up its account for events in 2015 with a great night of action at BAMMA 18.The event which was hosted in the Wolverhampton Civic Hall was headlined by a Featherweight world title clash betweeen Tom Duquesnoy and Krzysztof Klaczek. Below you can find the full classified results and some clips of the finishes from the event.

MAIN EVENT For the BAMMA World Featherweight Title

Tom Duquesnoy (c) Def. Krzysztof Klaczek Via TKO (Strikes) 1:37 Rd. 3 

Lightweight Co-Main Event

Alexei Roberts Def. Hayden Chritchfield Via TKO (Strikes) 2:19 Rd. 2

Middleweight Bout

Cheick Kone Def. Chris Fields Via TKO (Strikes) 0:23 Rd. 1

Heavyweight Bout

Artur Gluchowski Def. Stuart Austin Via Split Decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

Bantamweight Bout

Mike Cutting Def. Nathaniel Wood Via Submission (Arm Bar) 3:26 Rd. 1

Flyweight Bout

Chris Miah Def. Mick Gerrard Via KO (Punch) 4:37 Rd.2

Featherweight Bout

Mike Grundy Def. Mamadou Gueye Via Submission (D'Arce Choke) 3:35 Rd.1

Bantamweight Bout

Regis Sugden Def. Manuel Bilic Via Submission (Triangle Choke) 1:18 Rd. 1

Heavyweight Bout

Tom Aspinall Def. Ricky King Via Submission (Heel Hook) 0:49 Rd. 1

Amateur Welterweight Bout

Nathan Clayton Def. Josh Abraham Via KO (Punch) 1:45 Rd.1

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Roundtable: Is Tom Duquesnoy Ready for the UFC

Roundtable: Is Tom Duquesnoy Ready for the UFC

 
Since defeating Krzysztof Klaczek with an impressive third round body shot TKO, fans have taken to twitter to declaring current BAMMA featherweight champion Tom Duquesnoy as the next European export set for the UFC. While Duequesnoy certainly is one of the best featherweight prospects in Europe, at 21-years-old the question remains if Duquesnoy is actually ready for the UFC.

We take a look at whether or not the UFC should be looking at Tom Duquensoy following his win over Krzysztof Klaczeck, and if the fighter himself is in fact ready for the big stage.

Ben Heather - @Benheather

I think the best move for Duquesnoy now is to stay put for a couple more fights at least. He is in a division that once you move on to the next stage is full of killers.

At his age he certainly has time on his side and as with guys like Arnold Allen a couple more fights on the regional circuit will help them out a lot more than a step up to the UFC right away. After all, if he was to go up and lose a couple of fights it's going to be harder to get back in the UFC later than it will be if he wins a couple more fights for BAMMA before going to a big American promotion.

There is no doubting the guy is a massive talent but let's not get carried away just yet. Last night he struggled to get back to his feet after being taken down in the first round and as he moves up in the ranks and opponents this will certainly be tested more.

Chris Houten - @ChrisHoutenMMA

At 10-1, and with 2 BAMMA featherweight title wins under his belt, Tom Duquesnoy is without a doubt one of the best prospects in Europe but at just 21-years-old I feel Duquesnoy would benefit from racking up a couple more wins on the European MMA circuit before making the move to the UFC.

Duquesnoy is no doubt a talented fighter, who is certainly capable of picking a wins in MMA's biggest promotion, and while the UFC have certainly signed worse fighters in recent years, I feel Duquesnoy hasn't full reached his potential yet and would be more successful in the UFC should allow himself more time to develop before moving.

If the UFC does call for Duquesnoy, I expect him to make the move however as a fighter (one who has enjoyed success) I suspect he feels he can't be beaten by anyone, where as a journalist I don't share the same confidence as he does... yet.

Josh Hall - @josh_hall66

I think the UFC would love to have him fight for them, he is a proven finisher, and that's what fans want. It's good business, especially in the European market. He definitely has the quality, even if he loses a round like last night, he goes on to finish strong. I do think though that starting him gently is the best option as he is still only 11 fights into a, potentially, championship career.

Will Martin - @WillMartinMMA

Straight after beating Krzysztof Klaczek last night I was like "YES, the time is now" and being a fan I got greedy as I hope to see him fight on the UFC Glasgow card this summer but upon watching back some of his fights I was thinking to myself what is the rush in doing so at this point. He is only 21 years old and there is a glutton of talent he could face within the European circuit to get more experience before he makes the jump to the UFC, so should Tom Duquesnoy be called to the UFC just now I will say no.

Give us your thoughts on whether or not Tom Duquesnoy should be in line for a shot in the UFC in the comment sections below, or join the discussion over on our Facebook page.

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Brendan Loughnane gunning for title shot against BAMMA featherweight champion Tom Duquesnoy

By Alex Dillon @ADillon__

Last night at BAMMA 18, Tom 'The Fireball Kid' Duquesnoy successfully defended his BAMMA featherweight world title against Krzysztof Klackzek by finishing him in the third and final round. The champion came through adversity to retain his title but lying in wait for the champion are a number of featherweights who want to take that gold for themselves.

A name that stand's out among all of the featherweights is Brendan Loughnane.

Loughnane (9-1) has fought in the UFC, appeared on TUF and held the FCC lightweight title as well as recently successfully debuting on BAMMA 17 with a first round TKO victory. Not only is he a spectacular fighter, he also isn't afraid to call out people and ask for what he wants and last night he took to social media to challenge the champion:

Let's give these people what they want to see. Me and this @TomFirekid fight has to happen.. Let's make it @BAMMA
— Brendan Loughnane (@Brendan264) February 21, 2015

Following this up, Kingdom MMA decided to get Brendan's thoughts on a possible match up with the BAMMA champion and the would be challenger couldn't be more enthusiastic

"Yeah that's the fight I want! I fight for Bamma and he's at the top of the pile therefore he is the target" 

Loughnane certainly isn't messing around with a statement like that and he believes himself and Duquesnoy match up well and have styles that will ultimately see the fans win.

"I like his style" He said. He's young and exciting I think we match up great. Fans will definitely win on this fight. 

He continues by adding "We are both born finishers we finish fights. Guaranteed somebody is getting knocked out!" 

Although supremely confident in his own skillset, Loughnane recognizes Duquesnoy's ability as well as what he brings to the table "Yeah he stands out. He's making a lot of noise on the scene. I'm here for big fights and he's the biggest deal right now"

Finally, Loughnane had no more to say other than "Let's just get this fight signed and answer all the questions. I'm free around April time..."

There are so many good reasons to put this fight on not just because Loughnane has called for it which adds excitement but stylistically, it's awesome on paper. A match up would also give Loughnane the chance to bring a world title back to UK shores. The Manchester fighter is ready for April and there happens to be BAMMA 20 taking place that month...

Over to you BAMMA.

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Mohsen Bahari Steps in as Late Replacement for Michail Tsarev, Meets Borys Mankowski in KSW 30 Main Event

Mohsen Bahari Steps in as Late Replacement for Michail Tsarev, Meets Borys Mankowski in KSW 30 Main Event

by Chris Houten - @ChrisHoutenMMA

Cage Warriors / Dolly Crew

One time Cage Warriors title challenger Mohsen Barari has agreed to step in as a late replacement for Michail Tsarev at KSW 30 meeting Borys Mankowski in the main event on just 3 days notice.

One of Europe's leading MMA promotions, KSW 30th numbered show takes place tomorrow evening at Arena Poznań, in Poznań, Poland. Fans in the UK can watch the show live via online pay-per-view. The event begins at 18.00 GMT and can be purchased from www.kswtv.com for just £4.

Originally scheduled to defend his welterweight title against Michail Tsarev, Mankowski will now face Norway's Mohsen Bahari due to Tsarev falling ill upon arrival in Poland where he was not cleared by doctors. The bout will take place at a catchweight of 176lb.

A pro since 2008, Mankowski has put together a 16-5 record beating a slew of Europe's finest welterweight on route to capturing the KSW welterweight title. The 25-year-old has won 6 of his last 7 fights with his only loss during his current run coming by leg injury. The Polish star holds a split decision victory - later overturned by promoter and declared a draw, over current UFC welterweight Peter Sobatta.

Fighting for the first time since his loss to Nicolas Dalby for the Cage Warriors welterweight title at Cage Warriors 74, Mohsen Bahari is one of Scandinavia's finest prospects. A 5 fight Cage Warrior vet, The Frontline Academy fighter was ridding a 3 fight win streak which included wins over UFC vet Benny Alloway before loss to Dalby. He enters the bout with a 8-2 record with 3 KO/TKO victories and 3 submissions.

With the Addition of Mankowski vs Bahari, KSW 30 now includes:

Borys Mankowski vs. Mohsen Bahari
Aslambek Saidov vs. Rafal Moks
Karolina Kowalkiewicz vs. Kalindra Faria
Mateusz Gamrot  vs. Rodrigo Cavalheiro Correia
Anzor Azhiev vs. Kleber Koike Erbst
Michal Wlodarek vs. Szymon Bajor
Jakub Kowalewicz vs. Lukasz Rajewski
Kamil Gniadek vs. Mateusz Zawadzki

Stay tuned to KingdomMMA.co.uk for all the latest on KSW 30.
 

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UFC Fight Night 61: Bigfoot vs Mir Preview

By Josh Hall @josh_hall66

After last weeks entertaining card in Colorado, we find ourselves in warmer climes for Fight Night 61 coming to Porto Alegre, Brazil this Sunday night (don't get confused!). The main card gets underway at 1am UK time (Monday morning) on BT Sport with prelims at 11pm. Anyway, here's my preview and predictions for the main card:

Santiago Ponzinibbio (19-2) v Sean Strickland (15-0)

We start in the welterweight division with two fighters looking to move up the ladder. Ponzinnibio comes off the back of an impressive finish of Wendell Marques after disappointing on his Octagon debut, dropping a unanimous decision to Ryan LaFlare. 'El Rasta' came to the UFC with a lot of hype behind him, particularly because of his striking prowess. Strickland isn't averse to striking though, although he has the superior ground game to Ponzinibbio. It'll be interesting to see if 'Tarzan' goes for the takedown, or tries to go toe-to-toe with his opponent.

Prediction: Ponzinibbio by unanimous decision

Iuri Alcantara (31-5) v Frankie Saenz (9-2)

Into the bantamweight division we go with Alcantara, riding a three fight win streak, taking on Frankie Saenz. This could be an interesting one. Both have a tendency to finish fights,  although you'd give the advantage to Alcantara. Also the fact that the Brazilian has fought ten times for Zuffa promotions against quality opponents (he beat Ricardo Lamas in WEC and had a decision loss against Urijah Faber) cannot be discounted. Sorry Frankie.

Prediction: Alcantara by 2nd round TKO

Rustam Khabilov (17-2)  v Adriano Martins (26-7)

Lightweight time. This one is simple. If Khabilov gets hold of Martins, he will ragdoll him with ease and wrestle him to death. His takedowns are vicious. Martins only hope is to come out like a house on fire and finish the fight early. The Russian is looking to bounce back after his submission loss to Benson Henderson last time out, while Martins put his most recent loss behind him with an early finish of Juan Puig.

Prediction: Khabilov by unanimous decision

Sam Alvey (24-6) v Cezar Ferreira (8-3)

Middleweight time. Alvey has a history of finishing fights with his fists (4 of last 6) while Ferreira has 2 losses by TKO. This one has knockout written all over it. Although the Brazilian has fought the higher calibre of opponent, Alvey has real power in those fists. If even just one catches the jaw of 'Mutante', I think we'll see Alvey swarm and look to finish it early.

Prediction: Alvey by 1st round TKO

Edson Barboza (15-2) v Michael Johnson (15-8)

Another lightweight encounter in the co-main event, and this could be a barnstormer. Barboza's striking is top drawer. Be that punches or crippling leg kicks (Rafaello Oliviera anyone?) you don't want to take him on in the stand up. Unless you're Michael Johnson. Although maybe not quite on Barboza's level, Johnson should still be respected. It'll be interesting to see if he tries for the takedown, but he'd be careful to avoid the front kick the Brazilian throws.

Prediction: Barboza by 3rd round TKO

Antonio Silva (18-6) v Frank Mir (16-9)

In the main event we have a battle of the heavyweights. The former champion and submission ace Mir, on a four fight skid, takes on 'Bigfoot' who hasn't won in three. This is Mir's first fight in over a year and the first without the use of TRT. It'll be interesting to see how he copes, and if he can manage to get Silva down to the ground. On the ground the big Brazilian is no match for the excellent wrestling of Mir. But I don't think that's how it'll play out. Silva, on his day, can knock out anyone. The destruction of  Travis Browne is a prime example. And sometimes he can get finished himself (Arlovski?). But he's never been submitted. Mir doesn't have anywhere near the power to finish 'Bigfoot' on the feet, with only two KO's since 2008. Either way I look at it, I don't think this goes the distance. With both on skids, and the loser potentially being released, they'll both want to put on a great fight.

Prediction: Silva by 4th round TKO

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UFC Fight Night 61: Bigfoot vs Mir - UK Betting Odds

UFC Fight Night 61: Bigfoot vs Mir - UK Betting Odds

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 
2/5 Ivan Jorge v Josh Shockley 19/10
19/10 Douglas Silva de Andrade v Cody Gibson 2/5 
8/11 Wendell Oliveira v TJ Waldburger 11/10
8/15 Tiago Trator v Mike de la Torre 6/4
2/5 William Macario v Matt Dwyer 19/10
2/5 Jessica Andrade v Marion Reneau 19/10

Main Card
7/5 Santiago Ponzinibbio v Sean Strickland 5/9 
1/5 Luri Alcantara v Frankie Saenz 7/2
1/4 Rustam Khabilov v Adriano Martins 3/1
1/3 Cezar Ferreira v Sam Alvey 9/4
4/6 Edson Barboza v Michael Johnson 6/5
1/3 Antonio Silva v Frank Mir 9/4

 *Blue denotes Favourite

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Brad Scott Returns After a Year Long Lay Off, Meets Dylan Andrews at UFC Fight Night 65

Brad Scott Returns After a Year Long Lay Off, Meets Dylan Andrews at UFC Fight Night 65

by Chris Houten - @ChrisHoutenMMA

After a year long lay off due to a shoulder injury, the UKs Brad Scott returns to action against Dylan Andrews at UFC Fight Night 65.

UFC Fight Night 65 takes place at Adelaide Entertainment Centre in Adelaide, Australia. The event which takes place in South Australia's capital city is headlined by top 10 heavyweights Mark Hunt and Stipe Miocic.

Fighting for the first time in over a year, 25-year old Brad Scott returns to the country where he made his UFC debut, losing to Robert Whittaker at The Ultimate Fighter Finale. The charismatic Brit who made a name for himself on TUF Smashes, making it to the final of the show, was defeated by Whittaker in a close contest where the Somerset born fighter made an excellent account for himself.

Following the loss to Whittaker, Scott defeated Michael Kuiper at UFC Fight Night 30 in Manchester before losing to Claudio da Silva at UFC Fight Night 37 in March 2014. Scott went in to that fight injured, having hurt his shoulder during the end of his training camp at The MMA Lab in Arizona. Following his fight Scott looked to repair his shoulder and was told it was an injury which would require surgery, keeping him out of action until now.

1-2 in his UFC career and 9-3 overall, Scott has won all of his fights inside the distance, showing a diverse skill set which has seen him earn five wins by TKO and four wins by submission.

His opponent, Andrews is in desperate need of a win having lost his last two fights by TKO to Clint Hester and Sam Alvey respectively. A pro since 2006, Andrews earned a place on the UFC roster by defeating Jimmy Quinlan by TKO at Ultimate Fighter 17 Finale, a show which Andrews made it to the semi final before losing to Uriah Hall. Following his victory over Quinlan, Andrews defeated Papy Abedi by TKO before slumping to back-to-back losses to Hester and Alvey.  

Andrews has also fought another Brit during his time in the TUF house, defeating fellow middleweight Luke Barnatt in the quarter finals of the show.

Originally from New Zealand but now fighting out of Australia, Hard hitting Andrews has stopped 12 of his 17 wins with strikes, and holds a notable victory over former WEC champion Shonie Carter before joining the UFC.

With the addition of Andrews vs Scott, UFC Fight Night 65 now includes:

• Mark Hunt vs. Stipe Miocic
• Brad Tavares vs. Robert Whittaker
• Sean O’Connell vs. Anthony Perosh
• Jake Matthews vs. James Vick
• Seohee Ham vs. Bec Rawlings
• Dylan Andrews vs. Brad Scott
• Alex Chambers vs. Kailin Curran
• Vik Grujic vs. Brendan O’Reilly

Stay tuned to KingdomMMA.co.uk for all the latest on UFC Fight Night 65.

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Zara's MMA Social Buzz #2: 'President Griffin, Jo Jo on PEDs, Mike Swick Fights Monkey, and Barbie'

 by Zara Barry

Welcome to Zara’s MMA social media roundup, where I sift through the best social bravado to bring you President Griffin, Jo Jo on PEDs, Mike Swick Fights Monkey, and Barbie.
Today is President’s Day in America and Forrest Griffin is celebrating in style. I must say Griffin is looking pretty damn hot in his George Washington costume but it’s nowhere near as sexy as his Supergirl costume. 

Happy Presidents' Day bitches

A photo posted by Forrest (@forgrif) on Feb 16, 2015 at 7:33am PST

With people being popped for PEDs left, right and centre it looks like Jo Jo has been modelling herself after Cyborg lately. Jo Jo clearly making light of the situation posted up this pick of herself behind a cut-out with the caption “If you can't beat them....join them right??” 

If you can't beat them....join them right?? ������...Pfft aye right, no way! ���� #ufc #ohnatural

A photo posted by Joanne calderwood (@badmofo_jojo) on Feb 11, 2015 at 12:16pm PST

Looks like Khabib Nurmagomedov has started drawing up his own contracts for fights and I must say I’m a little disappointed in Khabib’s artistic skill, maybe add some colour into it and at least stay inside the box. 

Hey @Cowboycerrone don't lie that you sign the contract! This is mine,where's yours? @ufc @danawhite @lorenzofertitta pic.twitter.com/NcSxKFVgGd
— khabib nurmagomedov (@TeamKhabib) February 10, 2015

Paige Vanzant is one of the latest UFC fighters to sign a deal with Reebok and Rowdy Bec has taken a little dig over it. I can see why Esparza should have gotten a Reebok deal but don’t see why Bec should and it’s a no brainer that Vanzant got it over he looks and she’s marketable. 

Yo @CarlaEsparza1 you think we can land that @Reebok deal now? ���� #justsaying #sorrynotsorry pic.twitter.com/IB85SmDbMK
— 'Rowdy' Bec Rawlings (@RowdyBec) February 12, 2015

I’m not a fan of the ‘Thug Life’ videos but one of the latest people to be featured in one is Mike ‘Quick’ Swick. Quick is seen just chillin’ giving a monkey some water and then the little primate goes to attack Quick and then like a gangster grabs the bottle and walks off.  The monkey actually reminds me of myself when I drink spirits.

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