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It’s time to step into the world of British MMA again as we take a look at the latest offering from the British Association of Mixed Martial Arts, with former UFC stars Frank Trigg, Paul Daley and Andre Winner featuring in BAMMA 7, shown live on SyFy this past Saturday night here in Britain.

The broadcast began in the lightweight division as Jason Ball faced Andre Winner.

This all British affair proved to be a rather intriguing battle. Nothing much happened in the first round apart from a clinch against the cage in which Winner delivered a series of hammer fists to Ball’s thigh. It was as if they were treating it as a sparring session.

Things were turned up a notch in the second as both men seemed to fight with a little more intensity, with Winner getting the take down before Ball managed to reverse later on.

Ball really needed to do something big in the final round but he just couldn’t get out of first gear. He managed to get a take down but it wasn’t long before Winner took the guard and opened up a cut above Ball’s right eye.

So with the fight going the distance the judges were called into action, with all three giving everything to Winner.

Title action followed as Carl Noon faced Jack Marshman for the vacant Lonsdale British Middleweight title.

Now this was more like it. Noon dominated the first round, throwing a punch then scoring with the take down and unleashing with the ground and pound. His attack was relentless as he bloodied and swelled Marshman’s left eye. It was a dominant performance.

Until the start of the second round that is. After the doctor checked Marshman’s eye and allowed him to continue he gradually took control, unleashing with some great shots in the stand up game, and as the round went on Noon began to tire drastically, so much so that at the end of the round his second had to lift him into his stool.

The third round saw Marshman continue his onslaught. Noon was exhausted, and there were a few points where he put his hands on his knees and took in some deep breaths. Marshman soon took Noon down, and it wasn’t long before the referee finally stepped in to save Noon from Marshman’s ground and pound, giving Marshman the title winning TKO win.

It was down to welterweight for the next fight as Jordan Radev faced Paul Daley.

Given Daley’s past weaknesses in the ground game you would have thought that Radev would have taken him down early on. But that wasn’t the case.

For two rounds we had what could only be described as a brawl. Daley threw everything bar the kitchen sink and the Bulgarian, but not matter what he did Radev kept coming back for me, and at times he gave as good as he got. It wasn’t pretty but it certainly was intriguing to watch.

It wasn’t until the third round when Radev decided to take the fight to the ground, and once there Daley looked like fish out of water again, seemingly unable to do anything as Radev went for the ground and pound. Daley managed to kick his man off when he postured up but Radev was soon back in Daley’s guard seconds later, and even though he dominated on the ground it just wasn’t enough.

That’s the way the judges saw it as well, with Daley earning the unanimous decision in one of his toughest fights over the past few years.

The main event featured middleweight action as Frank Trigg went up against Jimmy Wallhead.

Originally Trigg was meant to be challenging Tom Watson for the BAMMA Middleweight title, but when Kong was injured in training Wallhead was called in as a replacement.

The big money was on Trigg to win this one. Unfortunately for him Wallhead hadn’t read the script. After a lengthy feeling out period at the beginning of the first round Wallhead rocked Trigg with a big left hook, and the ensuing ground and pound opened up a cut underneath Trigg’s right eye.

Trigg came back in the second round with some crisp striking, but Wallhead was more than able to keep up with him, and it made for great viewing as they unleashed with their combinations.

Wallhead put in some more good work in the third round, and to the surprise of many he finally got past Trigg’s defence and scored with the take down. The ground work didn’t last that long but as the fight came to an end it was apparent to everyone in attendance that Wallhead was getting the better of the veteran.

The judges were called into action once again, and while one of them scored in favour of Trigg the other two gave the fight to Wallhead, giving him the majority decision.

In conclusion – once again the BAMMA crew have given us another good show, and while some of the action wasn’t exactly pretty it was great to watch, with the three rounder between Trigg and Wallhead the highlight of the night for me. I have to admit that I thought Trigg would take the fight, and I was pleasantly surprised to see the Brit take the win, leaving me to wonder if he’s next in line now for a shot at Tom Watson’s title when the Kong man is fit again.

Production wise it was as good as ever, although they did come back slightly late from a commercial break before the third round of the main event, and it would have been nice if they’d had an on-screen countdown clock.

So in all BAMMA 7 gets the thumbs up from this particular writer, and hopefully they’ll continue to deliver the quality at their next show in December.

Don’t forget to check out my website at twoshedsreview.blogspot.com.

The second of my British MMA double bill sees us going back to Wembley Arena in London this past Saturday as Murilo “Ninja” Rua challenged Tom “Kong” Watson for the Middleweight title at BAMMA 6, shown live on Syfy here in Britain.

The broadcast began with action from the middleweight division as Matt Ewin faced Ivan Salaverry.

Salaverry took this fight at two week’s notice after a three year absence from the fight game, and he certainly looked like a man who’d been out of it for a few years.

Ewin, one year old than Salaverry at 41, looked in great form as he stalked his man around the cage, connecting with a series of crisp blows.

Ewin fought the perfect fight, taking his time as Salaverry looked to get rid of the rust.

The only real ground action came in the third when Ewin took the take down. They didn’t stay there for long though, and although Salaverry upped his game a little towards the end of the fight it wasn’t enough as all three judges scored in favour of Ewin.

The middleweight action continued as John Phillips took on Frank Trigg.

Trigg was looking to make a big statement after being cut by the UFC last year, and make that statement he did, scoring with the early take down and going for the ground and pound immediately.

It was a brutal performance from Trigg as he quickly opened up three deep cuts on Phillips’ head. The red stuff was soon flowing into Phillips’ eyes, so the referee stepped in, checked with the doctor, and called the fight off, giving Trigg the TKO win.

The main event saw Murilo Rua challenging Tom Watson for the Middleweight title.

This proved to be a tremendous fight. As soon as the action began Watson went to work, rolling off a series of combinations and devastating kicks to Rua’s lead leg.

It was brutal watching Kong going to work like this. Rua scored with only one take down but didn’t have much time to go to work.

The end came in the third round. Rua’s left knee and face were swelling up badly, and as a flurry sent Rua crashing to the mat his corner threw in the towel as the referee stopped the fight, both coming to the same conclusion at the same time, giving Watson the tremendous TKO win.

Filler material rounded out the show as Che Mills faced Marcio Cesar in the welterweight division.

This one featured some nice grappling from both men, first from Mills and then from Cesar.

The Brazilian looked the stronger when on the ground, but when Mills re-established control a sustained period of ground and pound saw the referee stepping in to give Mills the TKO win.

In conclusion – another strong and very enjoyable show from the BAMMA crew here, with four very good fights show, topped off nicely by the excellent main event.

Tom Watson’s demolition job was certainly the highlight of the night and must certainly put the Kong man up with the likes of Michael Bisping and Dan Hardy as Britain’s top MMA fighters.

So in all BAMMA 6 gets the big thumbs up from me.

British Association of Mixed Martial Arts.

There’s a good chance by time you read this you’ve heard the huge story in the mixed martial arts industry – UFC buying out Californian based competitors Strikeforce. From what I’ve heard so far Zuffa (UFC parent company) is not planning amalgamate Strikeforce with Ultimate Fighting Championship, instead the established brand popular with fans will co-exist as a feeder fight promotion, keeping all branding in place.

It was meant to happen last December, but bad weather meant that Stav Economu never got the chance to take on the mighty Bob Sapp. But with former UFC star Paul Daley replacing the Beast and the Crazy Bear in the main event, the British Association of Mixed Martial Arts (BAMMA) returned to live action this past Saturday night with their fifth show, broadcast live on Syfy here in Britain.

The broadcast began with middleweight action as Alex Makhonin faced “Professor X” Xavier Foupa-Pokam.

Many predicted that Xavier would get the win here, but one mistake turned this fight in an instant.

For the majority of the first two rounds Xavier looked good with his strikes and knees in the clinch, although one did stray south of the border.

But then Xavier made an error while going for a take down, with Makhonin landing on top. He quickly took the mount and went to work with the ground and pound, with several busting him open. The referee had no choice but to stop the fight, giving Makhonin the TKO win.

It was up to heavyweight for the next fight as former Ultimate Fighter contestant James McSweeney faced former UFC Heavyweight Champion Ricco Rodriguez.

A nice three round affair saw some early success from McSweeney as a right hand sent Rodriguez down.

But that was his only real success. From then on Rodriguez dominated on the ground, going for a number of submission attempts, and whenever McSweeney managed to get to his feet Rodriguez took him straight back down again.

So after three rounds it was down to the judges, with all three scoring in favour of Rodriguez.

The main event saw welterweight action as Paul Daley took on Japanese star Yuya Shirai. Originally this was meant to be for the vacant Welterweight title, but when Daley just failed to make the weight it was changed from a five round to a three round affair.

It wasn’t long before Daley went to work in this one, knocking Shirai down with a simple jab. From there it was only a matter of time, with Daley’s trademark left hook sending Shirai crashing for a third time, the referee stopping the fight just seconds later.

The show rounded out with filler material in the form of the welterweight clash between Leeroy Barnes and Mohsen Bahari.

A quick one here which saw both fighters testing the waters a little before a left/right combination sent Barnes down. A short period of ground and pound followed before the referee stepped in after just 40 seconds.

In conclusion – the disruption followed the cancellation of December’s show, as well as the closing down of their previous television home meant that BAMMA had to come back strongly.

They achieved this with their fifth outing. Although we only got to see three live fights, and although it wasn’t as hyped as much as the Alex Reid/Tom Watson affair at BAMMA 4 this show certainly delivered.

Production-wise it was okay, although given a few errors with regards to camera angles it may have been better to put out a two hour highlights show instead of going live. Hopefully they’ll learn from their mistakes when BAMMA 6 takes place in May.

So in all BAMMA 5 gets the thumbs up from me, a worthy edition to British television’s current MMA content, although, like Ultimate Challenge, I do wish they’d consider releasing their full events on DVD. If it works for Cage Wars why couldn’t it work for them?

Keeping a careful eye on the Sky TV guide, I’ve spotted Fight Club – K1 World GP Final from Japan, on Eurosport 2 for kickboxing fanatics this evening (February 1). Eurosport have also announced via their website to be the new home for Strikeforce in the UK.

Extreme Sports (Sky 419) list WEC cards: 44 – Brown vs Aldo on Wednesday night and 45 – Cerrone vs Ratcliff for this coming Thursday.

Premier UK mixed martial arts promoters BAMMA reportedly have a deal with Sy Fy channel. Hopefully we’ll confirmed details soon.

UFC & MMA blog by Duane Farr

duane@bluraymma.com

British Association of Mixed Martial Arts.

Following Alex Reid’s performance at Birmingham’s NIA, Saturday September 25 , against BAMMA Middleweight Champion  Tom ‘Kong’ Watson, humble pie is what a lot of people will be eating, who slated him as a fighter.

Reid and Watson both put on an epic performance, in what many fans and pundits alike are calling Britain’s version of  Griffin v Bonnar. Brilliant fight, well done to both fighters and BAMMA for matching them up. Had me on the edge of my seat all the way through.

Now it’s clear to see why he’s called The Reidernator – he takes the punishment but just keeps going like an unstoppable machine.

KNOCKOUT VIEWING FIGURES!

The figures are now in, Reid v Watson was clearly a huge draw for BAMMA and Bravo. Knock-out viewing figures just released show BAMMA 4 gained the highest ever viewing figures for a sporting event on the channel, plus some of the highest viewing figures Bravo has ever seen.

Live coverage of the main event between Tom Watson and Alex Reid at 10pm-11pm on Saturday 25th September delivered the following figures:

A Peak Audience of 835K adults during the live fight

Averaged 598k adults across the entire show

58% 16-34, 33% ABC1 and 61% male / 39% female

During the live fight, BAMMA was listed as a tweet trend on Twitter and even peaked the interest of the current WBA World Heavyweight boxing champion David Haye who tweeted:

“One of the most entertaining fights I’ve seen all year! Huge respect to both warriors, can’t wait for the rematch!!”

MMA Referree Marc Goddard also tweeted:

“I have travelled the World with MMA, but what I witnessed at BAMMA between Tom Watson and Alex Reid will stay with me forever.”

And ex Celebrity Big Brother housemate and MMA fan Dane Bowers added:

“What a great event for UK MMA. BAMMA was amazing!”

BAMMA’s next event, BAMMA 5 at The Metro Radio Arena in Newcastle on Saturday 4th December will feature the American heavyweight legend Bob “The Best” Sapp, former NFL, PRIDE FC and K1 superstar. BAMMA will also present a further 5 live events at arena sized venues all across the UK throughout 2011.

So it’s onwards and upwards for BAMMA and the UK MMA scene.

duane@bluraymma.com

It was billed as the biggest fight in British MMA history as Tom “Kong” Watson defended his Middleweight title against the darling of the tabloid press Alex Reid in the main event of BAMMA 4, shown this past Friday night on Bravo here in Britain.

The broadcast began with three fights in the lightweight division, beginning with David Round against Harvey Harra.

Fast paced back and forth action was the order of the day here. Both men went for numerous submission attempts in the first round.

They continued the pace into the second, only this time Harra had some success after Round took him down, securing the win with a guillotine to end a very entertaining affair.

Then it was on to Scott Jansen against Stuart Davies.

Another nice back and forth battle saw Jansen going for the ground and pound early on, but Davies wasn’t put off one bit, always working with his legs, always looking to escape.

Halfway through the first round his work paid off as Jansen left himself open for an arm bar, giving Davies the submission win.

A.J. Wenn against Tim Newman followed.

This was another good fight which saw both men put in some good work in the first round. Newman in particular looked very good.

But as the Welshman began to up his game in the second Wenn  suddenly countered, turning a rubber guard into a triangle choke for the very impressive submission win.

Welterweight action in the form of Gunnar Nelson against Eugene Fadiora followed.

Both fighters came into this one undefeated, and the highly regarded Nelson put on another good display of ground fighting, overwhelming Fadiora as soon as they went down.

Fadiora tried to fight back, but it wasn’t enough as the Icelander took his back. Fadiora tried to stand up, but as he did Nelson synched in a neck crank for the great submission win.

It was up to the middleweight division for the next encounter as John Phillips went up against James Zikic.

Given that the majority pf Phillips’ wins had come by TKO it was pretty obvious how this was going to play out.

Phillips went to work with the heavy leather early on, and although Zikic was able to counter with some shots on the inside it was a body shot from Phillips that sent Zikic down. The referee quickly stepped in and called a halt to proceedings as Phillips took home another TKO win.

The highly publicised main event saw Alex Reid challenging Tom Watson for the Middleweight title.

This fight certainly lived up to the hype. Nobody, myself included, thought that Reid had a chance against someone as skilled as Watson.

Reid came forward from the opening bell and rocked the champion a number of times in the first, opening up a cut above Watson’s right eye.

But Kong was able to fight back and as the fight progressed it became clear that Reid wasn’t going to back down.

Reid’s good performance continued throughout the fight, but it wasn’t enough to put Watson away as he slowly asserted his authority, and as the fight entered the fifth and final round Reid’s face was a mess, and his left eye was almost closed.

Watson took control in the firth with a big shot. Brief trips to the ground followed, but neither man could get the job done, especially as the fatigue factor came into play.

So after five outstanding rounds the judges were called into action, with Watson getting the unanimous decision, setting up a future date with John Phillips.

In conclusion – this was British MMA at it’s best, a strong undercard with an outstanding main event between two men who gave their all.

I really can’t speak too highly of this fight, and even though I was critical of Reid getting a title shot, especially has he hasn’t had an MMA fight since 2007 and a win since 2005 he put in a hell of a performance, the best I’ve ever seen from him.

But the main event wasn’t the only big news, as the BAMMA 5 main event for December 4th was announced, with “Crazy Bear” Stav Economu taking on none other than “The Beast” Bob Sapp, and after he pulled out of his last proposed British fight a few years ago let’s hope he actually turns up for this one!

Week 2

Hear Alex Reid’s reactions to the news that his opponent Tom “Kong” Watson has lost his bout between Jesse Taylor.

Week 3

Final words from Alex Reid before the title tilt with Tom Watson, at Birmingham NIA on September 25 2010.

Both videos courtesy of WhoaTV. Subscribe to WhoaTV on youtube and follow on Twitter.

UFC & MMA blog by Duane Farr

duane@bluraymma.com

Watch this excellent video with Alex Reid, courtesy of Whoa TV. Seems to be the first of Reid’s video diaries, look out for more, leading towards the September 25 middleweight title challenge.

The winner of Celebrity Big Brother 7 and husband to Katie Price is clearly focussed on the target.

In case you’ve missed it click here to read our exclusive interview with The Reidenator’s BAMMA 4 opponent Tom ‘Kong’ Watson.

UFC & MMA blog by Duane Farr

duane@bluraymma.com

BAMMA champ: Tom 'Kong' Watson

Thanks to that marvellous idea – Facebook, I was fortunate enough to ask Tom ‘Kong’ Watson a few questions, gaining an incite into the world of the BAMMA Middleweight Champion.

What’s your current favourite song?

Cloudburst by Eric Whitacre.

How do you relax between training?

I relax eating flavoured cheese.. French is the best.. Roquefort,  and sitting in the hot tub smoking a Cuaba figurado. Magnifique.

Tabloid rumours circulating at the moment are of your BAMMA 4 opponent and challenger to your middleweight crown, Alex Reid having done a deal  to appear on Ultimate Big Brother for large sum of money. How do you feel about him doing it, considering the timing?

The Reidenator should and will go into the house for around 2 weeks. Most of his sparring will already be complete. With the media attention on him presently I actually believe he can get in great shape (cardio wise) being in the house. What else is there to do when your locked in a house. Unless it is the Foursome House on Playboy.

What impact do you feel being booked to fight Celebrity Big Brother 7 winner and husband of Katie Price has on your career?

It has given me the chance to defend my belt at BAMMA.

In the previous Bravo programme following Alex in training, he tried martial arts not specific to an MMA contest. Do you think he’ll be more focussed training-wise this time around? He’s been pictured with Chuck Liddell…

Who have you been training with? Where?

What does a picture mean? I’ve been pictured with Tamara Witmer, does that mean I’m sleeping with her… I’m training in Montreal with my coaches here Eric O’Keefe, Firass Zahabi, Bruno Fernandes, Howard Grant, Mr Chaimberg and the squad at Bikram yoga. The previous Bravo filming was done much earlier than people realise. Alex wasnt rolling around trying new styles the month before he was due to fight, the show was filmed at the beginning of the year. He’ll be at London Shoot as usual training hard.

You have a fight booked for MFC in Canada, September 10, against TUF veteran Jesse Taylor. Is it wise to fight so close to your BAMMA middleweight title defence? Or do you feel keeping active in MMA competition gives you an edge over Alex?

No my wish is to eradicate poverty and suffering worldwide, fighting Jesse taylor is a chance for me to test my skills up against one of the top guys in the world. BAMMA isnt even relevant until after that fight.

Are there any specific areas you have trained in preparation for the September 25 showdown at the NIA, Birmingham? Which areas do you feel Reid’s a threat?

I train the same for every fight, I just simply try to improve in every area and make sure I am ready for whatever happens in the fight.

What is your prediction for the fight?

I will leave the cage BAMMA champion.

Where do you see yourself ranking internationally?

Maybe top 50. There are still many guys in the middleweight division who are rightly above me.

A-Team or The Expendables?

Expendable as the A-Team would have been better with Rashad as BA.

Couture or Toney?

James Toney… Come on this isnt UFC 1?? Really…

Penn or Edgar?

Baby Jay, but I think the fights the same as last time just this time Penn gets the nod from the judges.

Do you have any websites you recommend the fans visit?

Check out www.tomkongwatson.com and from there you can follow me on twitter and Facebook. Check out Vas.tv for innovative footwear, Headrush for the latest styles in MMA, Tapout because its Tapout baby and go gamble at Full Tilt Poker for the chance to become a legend.

Watch Alex Reid: Fights Back, coming soon on Bravo, for all the build up to Tom’s highly anticipated cage clash with Alex on September 25.

Interview by Duane Farr

duane@bluraymma.com