Chris2K

BMMA 3: MIDDLEWEIGHT TOURNAMENT Match #1 BMMA Middleweight Title Tournament - Quarter Final #1 Omar Calvert (6-1) vs. Richard Smith (22-17) Striker against grappler, you know the drill. Calvert had the early advantage due to his striking skills and immediately landed a straight right, a left jab and a right hook before Smith could even get his bearings. Smith's plan to grapple meant that he had to get in close, but that only meant he found himself on the receiving end of a powerful right head kick from Calvert. That staggered Smith and as he stumbled back towards the cage Calvert followed up with a second head kick that sent Smith to the mat! Calvert unloads some hard punches on the ground but Smith was already done for, after a few landed the referee stepped in to stop the fight! Calvert was the underdog coming in but his stock must have risen significantly now. Winner: Omar Calvert (7-1) via TKO (Strikes) - 1:56 of Round 1 Fight Rating: Good -------------------- Match #2 BMMA Middleweight Title Tournament - Quarter Final #2 Osi Lewis (5-1) vs. Todd Prenger (2-0) Prenger is naturally a Welterweight and came into the fight 20lbs lighter than Lewis, however that didn't seem to be much of an issue as being so much lighter gave him a very handy speed advantage which he put to good use in the early rounds. Lewis came out very aggressively but his wild punches couldn't find a home, Prenger on the other hand was able to counter effectively and managed to out-strike Lewis in the first round as a result despite Lewis being more active. Maybe there's something in this karate after all. The second round was similar but with the added drama of Prenger landing a shot which opens up a cut under Lewis' eye, it even brings the doctor in to check it out but he was fine to carry on. Again the round went to Prenger purely by avoiding Lewis' big strikes and landing quick strikes of his own. The final round saw Lewis have to adapt a new strategy and he chose to grapple with Prenger, it nearly worked as he went for a takedown, but Prenger grabbed the cage to prevent that happening which drew the ire of the referee. Lewis kept Prenger against the cage for a while afterwards before eventually getting an ugly takedown to get the fight to the floor. Prenger had no clue what to do from there and although Lewis is no expert on the mat he easily took Prenger's back and applied a rear naked choke, Prenger only had to hold on to the end of the round to probably take the win via decision... but he couldn't, and had to tap out with 12 seconds left. A very dramatic finish, and a surprising method of victory for kick boxer Lewis. Winner: Osi Lewis (6-1) via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) - 4:48 of Round 3 Fight Rating: Decent -------------------- Match #3 BMMA Middleweight Title Tournament - Quarter Final #3 Humbert Gest (6-5) vs. Paxton Briscal (9-6) Briscal refused to touch gloves at the start of the fight which was enough to get the crowd behind Gest for the remainder of the fight. Manners cost nothing kids. This wasn't the most spectacular of fights, emphasised by the first round where only 14 strikes connected. Instead they spent most of the time clinched up and grappling for position, looking more like a foxtrot than the striking battle we had expected. Gest seemed to have more control than Briscal in the first, and that continued in the second as we got more clinching with Gest mainly in control of the grapple. After the first two rounds it appears to be Gest's round through the process of elimination, but you'd think Briscal would only be one big punch away from turning it around. Strangely though his tactic in the third round was to go for takedowns, something he is not particularly skilled in, and unsurprisingly they didn't work. What did work was a big right hand which sent Gest stumbling to the mat, but Brinkal's lack of stamina and ground skill actually resulted in Gest managing to take control on the ground as well, but he wasn't able to do much either. In the end the judges saw the opening rounds differently as we ended with a split decision, 29-28 to Brinkal, 29-28 to Gest, and 29-28 to... Humbert Gest, who moves into the semifinal. Should've touched gloves Paxton. Winner: Humbert Gest (7-5) via Split Decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28) Fight Rating: Average -------------------- Match #4 BMMA Middleweight Title Tournament - Quarter Final #4 Duncan Thistlewood (7-3) vs. Nelson Angelo (8-5) It's a long way from Brazil to the UK, so this fight was to see whether Angelo had made the right decision. The first round was an indication that it wasn't, as Thistlewood took Angelo down on two occasions without much in the way of defence from the Brazilian. Unfortunately for Thistlewood he wasn't able to do much despite his dominant position, and after both takedowns the referee was forced to stand the fighters back up again. The second round saw Thistlewood get another takedown, with them again eventually being stood back up again, and if they weren't grappling on the ground they were clinched on the feet with Thistlewood in control as always. No takedowns in Round 3 but a lot more clinching, when they're not in a grapple it's Angelo doing better in the striking department, and that is seemingly enough to earn him the round in the eyes of two of the judges. It's nowhere near enough though as the scores come in as 30-27, 29-28 and 29-28 to Duncan Thistlewood He did what he had to for the win but it was far from pretty. Winner: Duncan Thistlewood (8-3) via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28) Fight Rating: Average -------------------- Match #5 BMMA Middleweight Title Tournament - Semi Final #1 Omar Calvert (7-1) vs. Osi Lewis (6-1) Calvert/Lewis? Sounds incredibly close to a footballer. These two are bizarrely similar in terms of background, style and career-trajectory, and there was only a slight edge to Lewis in the odds before the fight. With two kick boxers you'd be hoping for fireworks, and Calvert provides some with another big head kick which staggers Lewis, but Lewis is able to recover before Calvert can follow up. After fighting once already both fighters were tired, that results in some clinching and it's Lewis who holds the advantage in that regard, but that head kick was enough for Calvert to be given the first round. The second round was quite bizarre as Lewis made the decision to pull guard on Calvert, given that neither man has much of a ground game it seemed more of a tactic for them both to have a rest more than anything. Unsurprisingly they were stood up after a period of inactivity, however the grappling continued as Lewis was able to smother Calvert against the cage for most of the remainder of the round. That continues into the final round, although throughout it both fighters try and fail at takedowns, neither having the wrestling skill to get their opponent of their feet. It was a tough one to judge, but three people are paid to do it, and their verdict is that it's 30-27, 29-28, 30-27 to... Osi Lewis. Apparently that first round head kick wasn't as noteworthy as it looked. Winner: Osi Lewis (7-1) via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28, 30-27) Fight Rating: Decent -------------------- Match #6 BMMA Middleweight Title Tournament - Semi Final #2 Duncan Thistlewood (8-3) vs. Humbert Gest (7-5) Thistlewood was a huge betting favourite coming into this fight, in fact finding anyone who thought Gest had a chance was difficult. As you'd expect Thistlewood immediately uses his wrestling skills and secured a takedown early in the first round, Thistlewood transitioned into a rear mount and lands some hard shots, but in doing so it gave Gest the chance to get out and back to his feet. In the second round Thistlewood gets another takedown, only at the second time of asking though after Gest illegally prevents the first one from succeeding by grabbing the cage. Thistlewood was able to land a couple of shots which opened a slight gash on Gest's cheek, but nothing more. The final round was highlighted by, you guessed it, a takedown by Thistlewood, but again he did very little on the ground other than control Gest, perhaps at this point conserving his energy for the inevitable final he was about to enter. The fight went the distance again, and Thistlewood took a decisive unanimous decision victory, 30-27 across the board. Winner: Duncan Thistlewood (9-3) via Unanimous Decision (30-27 x3) Fight Rating: Good -------------------- Match #7 BMMA Middleweight Title Tournament - Final BMMA MIDDLEWEIGHT TITLE MATCH Osi Lewis (7-1) vs. Duncan Thistlewood (9-3) Two very tired fighters walked back into the cage, Thistlewood may as well have never left given the quick turnaround. Perhaps unsurprisingly the fighters were clinching almost immediately, and Thistlewood was able to secure a takedown within the first minute. On the ground Thistlewood got through to half guard but no further and they were stood up after a couple of minutes. On the feet both fighters looked utterly exhausted and barely able to stand which made the striking utterly ineffective, and soon they were clinched against the cage for the remainder of the opening round. The opening half of the second round was all on the feet and Lewis was able to put his striking advantage to good use with some good punches and kicks landing, however the second half saw Thistlewood get another takedown and back into Lewis' half guard, which is how it stayed until the round ended. I can't stress enough how much Round 3 was like Round 2, I wouldn't be surprised if the strikes that were thrown were identical as well. As before it's Lewis who dominated the striking, but halfway through the round Thistlewood scored a takedown despite Lewis' best efforts to stop it. Lewis tried to scramble back to his feet but only succeeded in giving up his back to Thistlewood, however despite having side control Thistelwwod wasn't able to do anything meaningful. Into the championship rounds we went and within seconds the fighters were clinching due to their lack of energy, but once they were separated we were treated to an exciting round of action with both fighters throwing everything they had left into their strikes. That gave the advantage to Lewis who certainly landed the better strikes throughout the round including a hard kick to the ribs and some good straight right punches. That left us at Round 5 with a likely scorecard of 38-38, so the winner of the final round would take home the title. Thistlewood immediately went of a takedown but had to settle for a clinch, not that it mattered much as he soon was able to get Lewis down to the mat from that position instead. Lewis however showed some impressive technique to reverse Thistlewood's attempt to improve his position to take the top position himself, and then even moved through into side control. The striker was out-grappling the grappler. Lewis landed some punches from side control, Thistlewood took the opportunity to try and escape but could only end up turtled up with Lewis on top of him, Lewis then landed a series of hard punches to Thistlewood, some only connecting with the shoulder but a lot catching him on the side of the head. Thistlewood was able to escape back to his feet but absorbed a few more punches in the process. With a minute left Thistlewood secured another takedown and spent the remainder of the fight landing some small punches from the guard. I wouldn't have liked to have scored that fight, but evidently my belief of how close it was wasn't shared by the judges. Two scored it 49-46 and one even 50-45 all to the winner, and first BMMA Middleweight Champion.... Osi Lewis. I have no idea how they got those scores but I think the right man still won. Winner: Osi Lewis (8-1) via Unanimous Decision (49-46, 50-45, 49-46) Fight Rating: Good ---------------------- SHOW DETAILS Critical Rating: 69% Commercial Rating: 30% Attendance: 102 (-10) Popularity Change: UK +0.3% Fight of the Night: Osi Lewis vs. Duncan Thistlewood Submission of the Night: Osi Lewis Knock Out of the Night: Omar Calvert Income Gate: $7,191 Sponsorship: $5,337 Merchandise: $1,938 Expenditure Fighters: $30,989 Drug Tests $3,200 Production: $2,496 Overall: -$22,219 -------------------- Post Show News - Lots of cuts from other companies following their latest shows, major names gone from GAMMA include Jack Humphreys, Lloyd McAllister, Moss Gilbert, Carl Ratcliffe and Eric Hughes. - Meanwhile the BCF have had a major clearout, former Light Heavyweight champion Garry McSweegan is gone, as are Perry Barr, Tucker Plumm, Vic Millican, Linton Renn, Scott Gillespie, Keith Jolly and Cyril Kamoze. - In nicer news, Armen Sarkisian and Jaromir Grygera have come good friends. D'aww. Other Shows Sunday, Week 3 of February XCC: Bassett vs. Wickham Willy Bassett def. Roddy Wickham to retain the XCC Bantamweight title Lemont Banner def. Sammy Gaffigan David James Diggle def. Luiz Machado Aubrey Bassington-Bassington def. Brian Claremont Shuler Eigenberg def. Ivan Bokhour WEFF 28: Sadoraa vs. Due II Daniela Sadorra def. Honey Due to retain the WEFF Flyweight title Pamela O'Neill def. Michelle Addams Sandy Oliver def. Jenny DeNeuve Alyson Aroway def. Rachel McGuiness Tabitha Cameron def. Anna Thompson KDM FC 21: Takeuchi vs. Akita II Tomohiro Takeuchi def. Kenji Akita to retain the KDM FC Featherweight title Veronika Sablikova def. Saya Ikegami to retain the KDM Women's Featherweight title Chan Kim Huat def. Taufik Wijaya Norberto def. Greg Chiang Masahiro Maeno def. Chan Wan Wah Saturday Week 4 of February GAMMA 50: Watson vs. LeToussier Anthony LeToussier def. Mike Watson to win the GAMMA Light Heavyweight title Nathan Chambers def. Jack Humphreys Petey Mack def. Carl Ratcliffe Josh Aldarisio def. Alan Kendall Kel Ryan def. Lucius M Banks BCF: Baines vs. Olsen Rob Baines def. Henning Olsen to retain the BCF Middleweight title Percy Catcher def. Stafford Alois Danny Akabaro def. Garry McSweegan Dave Lennon def. Perry Barr Mark Bicknell def. Vic Millican

Sunday, Week 3 of February 2002 Harry: "Another big money loser then." Jim: "Again it's to be expected, we're paying a lot to these fighters with so many fights on the card. But let's look on the bright side too, we lost a lot less than last time." Harry: "I'm sure the bank will love to hear that." Jim: "OK, fine, but the attendance was also up, we were able to secure more sponsorship and we started to sell some merchandise. Give it time and I think we'll be OK." Harry: "Time? We don't have a lot of time here. Most MMA companies that aren't making money within their first six months are done for. And let's not forget, this is all my money invested in here." Jim: "We'll get there, but if we want to save some more money, we're going to have to cut the buffer fights from the next few tournament cards. By my reckoning that will save at least $5,000." Harry: "*Sigh*... fine, if we have to. It's really not ideal though." Jim: "Maybe it will encourage the tournament fighters to be more urgent. I've been really surprised at how laid back they're being about the fights, very few of them are going for an early finish. It's like they're trying to show off their conditioning or something." Harry: "I don't know, new generation or something. Speaking of that, how about that Hayden Ellery guy? Were you expecting him to come out and win like that?" Jim: "Not really, no. He actually rang me before I had a chance to contact anyone about being Phipps' replacement and desperately wanted the shot. I guess Bowen underestimated him and paid for it. The guy's very entertaining so I hope he can score some more victories." Harry: "Yeah, he seems like a character. Anyway, you've got some fighters to tell they're not on the next shows anymore. Make sure you book them on a future card by way of an apology." Jim: "Will do. Speak soon." -------------------------------------------- Press Release BULLDOG MMA'S THIRD TOURNAMENT IN AS MANY WEEKS, THIS ONE FOR THE MIDDLEWEIGHT TITLE by Mike Thomson Hi, I'm Bulldog MMA. You may remember be from such shows as "BMMA 1: Heavyweight Tournament" and "BMMA 2: Light Heavyweight Tournament". At least you should remember them as they were on the last two Saturdays, and this week we are back in Wigan again, this time the Middleweights are in the spotlight as they battle to be the first BMMA Middleweight champion. The third show will be slightly different to the previous two in that there are only tournament matches on the card, with no buffer fights between the quarterfinals and semifinals, or the semifinals and final. It's going to be a tough time for the fighters who get through to the final, and for the fans who will likely be experiencing some delays between fights. Introducing the tournament competitors, and in the first quarter final we will see two of the favourites for the tournament collide when Omar Calvert (6-1) takes on Richard Smith (22-17). Calvert made his name in the British scene by scoring 6 consecutive knockout victories, all of them by knockout. That record caused SIGMA to offer him a contract, but things didn't go to plan when Ezio Gnocchi knocked him out. Or Gnocchied him out. Smith is a good friend of BMMA owner Harry Milne and has been fighting for a long, long time, just never on anything resembling a big stage having left the BCF before they became televised. He is a grappler predominantly but has been known to struggle to finish a fight after getting it to the ground. The second quarter final is Osi Lewis (5-1) against Todd Prenger (2-0), two young English fighters looking to take a big step in their careers. Lewis has followed a very similar career progression to Omar Calvert, he won lots of fights in the UK, got signed by SIGMA, and lost decisively in his first SIGMA fight. He is a very quick striker with a lot of stamina but doesn't have a whole lot of power behind his punches. Prenger is a karate practitioner, a martial art that hasn't exactly covered itself in glory in MMA so far, and Prenger is perhaps a good example of why. His technique is flawless, but power strikes are rare and he's likely to struggle to finish fights. The third quarter final has two fighters who could best be described as "journeymen" as Humbert Gest (6-5) takes on Paxton Brinkal (9-6). Both actual names, apparently. Gest is another karate fighter, although not the 90s toys by Milton Bradley, who has shown very little in his 11 fights so far. He is very one-dimensional relying on his striking, with no grappling or ground game to speak of. Speaking of one-dimensional, Brinkal may not actually qualify for the "one" as his only game plan is to come out swinging and hope that one of his power punches connects. I think it's fair to say that if these two are taking part in the tournament then the BMMA were desperate for numbers. The last quarterfinal will be Duncan Thistlewood (7-3) taking on Brazilian import Nelson Angelo (8-5). Thistlewood is from the Peak District, which I think passes for high altitude training conditions in the UK, his game plan is very much wrestling based and he is very good at keeping control of a fight if he can get the fight to the ground. Nelson Angelo only arrived in the UK a few weeks ago and has already been coerced into taking part in this tournament, he's yet another karate practitioner as well because apparently this is what we do now. There's not a lot known about Angelo other than his record doesn't speak of someone who has been a dominant force in Brazilian MMA. BMMA 3: Middleweight Tournament Fight Card Middleweight Tournament Quarter Final #1 Omar Calvert vs. Richard Smith Middleweight Tournament Quarter Final #2 Osi Lewis vs. Todd Prenger Middleweight Tournament Quarter Final #3 Humbert Gest vs. Paxton Brinkal Middleweight Tournament Quarter Final #4 Duncan Thistlewood vs. Nelson Angelo Middleweight Tournament Semi Final #1 Calvert/Smith vs. Lewis/Prenger Middleweight Tournament Semi Final #2 Gest/Brinkal vs. Thistlewood/Angelo Middleweight Tournament Final Calvert/Smith/Lewis/Prenger vs. Gest/Brinkal/Thistlewood/Angelo

BMMA 2: LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT TOURNAMENT Match #1 BMMA Light Heavyweight Title Tournament - Quarter Final #1 Hardy Tristan (4-5) vs. Liam Spurling (1-0) If lessons were there to be learned from the Heavyweight tournament then these two were evidently not paying attention, as instead of the quickfire opening round win that helped Aston Merryman march to the title, they opt for the more "waste lots of time and energy jabbing and not engaging" approach. Spurling, despite having a significant advantage on the ground, only attempts one takedown in the fight which works without much effort. Spurling does very little on the ground though with the referee eventually deciding to stand them up. Other than that, it's three rounds of jabs, jabs and more jabs with Spurling landing the most throughout. The small crowd aren't particularly happy about the lack of action but seem to cheer up a bit when the judges scores are announced, all three scoring it 30-27 to the youngster Liam Spurling. At least the show can only get better after this, and Spurling will have at least one more chance to impress. Winner: Liam Spurling (2-0) via Unanimous Decision (30-27 x 3) Fight Rating: Poor -------------------- Match #2 BMMA Light Heavyweight Title Tournament - Quarter Final #2 George Brabazon-Plank (1-0) vs. Michael Dali (0-0) Only one fight of professional experience between them, although Dali has more amateur/illegal fighting experience than every MMA fighter in Britain combined. This was a similar story to the first fight in that neither fighter was willing to go all out with big shots looking for the early victory, but thankfully both fighters worked a bit harder than Tristan and Spurling did. GBP was the favourite coming in but it's Dali who uses his more unorthodox style of striking to do the most damage. The final round was where the most action was as both fighters stepped it up looking for a finish, GBP's low kicks started doing some damage to the left leg of Dali, and GBP is also eventually able to land some knees to the body against the cage, but whenever the fight is in the centre it's Dali in control, including the accidental eye poke that stops the action for a bit. The judges concluded that Dali won every round with a 30-27 score, Dali advances but it remains to be seen if the damage to his legs causes him trouble in the next round. Winner: Michael Dali (2-0) via Unanimous Decision (30-27 x 3) Fight Rating: Poor -------------------- Match #3 BMMA Light Heavyweight Title Tournament - Quarter Final #3 Erik Cunniford (0-0) vs. Mick Curran (15-11) It's the battle of Swansea, taking place in Wigan, and Cunniford debuting against someone he openly admits to being a fan of must be a bit weird. What is probably even more weird is getting punched in the face by your hero, Curran caught Cunniford with a straight right just over thirty seconds into the fight and went crashing to the mat, Curran was soon to join him and nailed some powerful shots before the referee stepped in to stop it. Curran is the first veteran fighter to have won in the tournaments so far, probably showing why the BCF still keep him around. Winner: Mick Curran (16-11) via TKO (Strikes) - 0:47 of Round 1 Fight Rating: Good -------------------- Match #4 BMMA Light Heavyweight Title Tournament - Quarter Final #4 Dennis Gallagher (14-7) vs. Pierce Jeeler (6-5) These two guys are no strangers to a cage, but despite Jeeler being the one to have fought in the BCF he came into this fight as a major underdog. Gallagher proved why that was the case as he dominated the fight from the start, hitting Jeeler with big shots which stunned the Englishman, and seemingly being able to get takedowns whenever he felt like it. What Gallagher couldn’t do was finish the fight as quickly as he wanted, as Jeeler dragged himself through the first two rounds, merely surviving more than anything else. He couldn't hold on forever though, as in the final round Gallagher nailed a right hook that stuns Jeeler before an uppercut knocked him down. Jeeler was probably out before he hit the ground, but Gallagher got a few more shots in to be on the safe side before the referee pulled him away. Gallagher advances to face Curran, but he probably wishes he had been able to finish off Jeeler a lot sooner to conserve some energy. Winner: Dennis Gallagher (14-7) via TKO (Strikes) - 0:59 of Round 3 Fight Rating: Good -------------------- Match #5 Heavyweight Division Moray McWhirter (0-0) vs. Henry Hooper (0-0) Two debuting fighters squared off to give the tournament fighters a break, and everyone in attendance was thankful that McWhirter had a slight goatee to differentiate the two of them. As with both the non-tournament fights in the first show this one also went the distance, much to the relief of the semi-finalists, and throughout the fight it was Hooper's grappling advantage that made the difference. Whilst Hooper couldn’t get McWhirter to the ground at any point, he was able to control the fight by tying him up in a clinch or keeping the Scot trapped against the cage. Hooper was able to land some decent knee strikes in the clinches, one of which was able to open a cut under the eye of McWhirter, but nothing too serious. McWhirter was able to land a couple of decent shots during the fight, apparently enough for one to judge to give him a round, but the others both gave it 30-27 to Cooper for a win in his first MMA fight. Winner: Henry Hooper (1-0) via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) Fight Rating: Good -------------------- Match #6 BMMA Light Heavyweight Title Tournament - Semi Final #1 Liam Spurling (2-0) vs. Michael Dali (1-0) Both fighters went the distance in their quarterfinals, so energy was at a premium, and it showed from the speed the fighters were moving at. Spurling was able to get a takedown in the first round which certainly gave him the advantage, even if he couldn’t move out of Dali's guard at any point. The second round was all on the feet and Dali showed his striking advantage throughout, some decent shots land thanks to some quick hands and tight combinations, and that left us with a third round where the fight was very much in the balance. Dali continued on the feet with some more good shots, but just over a minute into the round it's a brutal uppercut that lands flush under the jaw of Spurling that sends the man from Newcastle crashing to the mat and crashing out of the tournament. Dali came into the fight a surprisingly big underdog, so I guess this has to be classed as an upset, and he moves through into the tournament final. Winner: Michael Dali (2-0) via Knock Out (Punch) - 1:25 of Round 3 Fight Rating: Great -------------------- Match #7 BMMA Light Heavyweight Title Tournament - Semi Final #2 Mick Curran (16-11) vs. Dennis Gallagher (15-7) The two veterans collided to see who would take the second spot in the final where they would be favoured to win. Evidently being over 30 isn't great for your conditioning as both fighters struggled to get through the fight as we went to another decision. Perhaps the most noteworthy event was in the opening round when a left cross from Gallagher opened up a cut over Curran's right eye. It seemed to effect Curran throughout the remainder of the fight as Gallagher had no issue getting in close to clinch with him and wearing Curran down with punches and knees. This is the pattern for the second and third rounds and given that Gallagher was able to out-strike Curran in the first round as well it was little surprise when the judges all scored the fight 30-27 to Dennis Gallagher. The Irishman moves into the final, an impressive feat given that he's usually a Middleweight and is only fighting up due to BMMA's lack of Light Heavyweight. Winner: Dennis Gallagher (16-7) via Unanimous Decision Fight Rating: Good -------------------- Match #8 BMMA Light Heavyweight Title Tournament - Semi Final #2 Hayden Ellery (2-0) vs. Lachlen Bowen (12-7) You must admire Ellery's courage for stepping in with six days’ notice, against someone with 17 more professional fights than him. Bowen started the fight going in for a takedown, bit I don't think anyone expected what happened next. Ellery was able to block the takedown with a sprawl, and Bowen foolishly left himself exposed on his knees with Ellery able to land some hard shots to the side of his head. One of the shots was hard enough to drop Bowen fully to the mat, and Ellery landed a few more punches before the referee stopped the fight! Ellery was ecstatic at his victory and ran straight out of the cage and into a group of people, believed to be his family and friends. I'm not sure the commission is going to like that very much, but oh well. Winner: Hayden Ellery (3-0) via TKO (Strikes) - 0:53 of Round 1 Fight Rating: Good Post-Fight: They wrangled Ellery back into the cage for a post-fight interview and he very emotionally thanked his training partners for getting him ready in such short time. This guy could be a star if his talent is able to match his personality. -------------------- Match #9 BMMA Light Heavyweight Title Tournament - Final BMMA Light Heavyweight Title Match Michael Dali (2-0) vs. Dennis Gallagher (16-7) To think, Dali started the evening with no professional fights and now he's fighting for the title. Of course, the previous fight only going 53 seconds meant that Gallagher had very little time to rest after his semi-final. That didn't seem to matter in the first round as Gallagher was able to secure a quick takedown, he got into side control and almost got an arm triangle secured, but Dali was able to survive. The second round was a lot closer with Dali able to get some of his striking game working, however Gallagher took control of a clinch in the latter half and landed a big elbow strike which opened up a cut under Dali's left eye. The third round was similar to the second with Dali landing some strikes, but Gallagher's grappling again made the difference as he was able to control the action. Into the championship rounds we went for the first time in Bulldog MMA history, and it really looked like Dali needed a finish at this point. Both fighters are gassed at this point and not able to do anything other than clinch up which gives the advantage to Gallagher once again. And you'd never guess it, but the final round was the same again, Dali just could not keep out of the grasp of Gallagher, and the experience of the Irishman was too much for the newcomer to handle. The judges score the fight 50-45, 49-46 and 50-45, with one judge giving Round 2 to Dali, however the winner and the very first BMMA Light Heavyweight Champion is Dennis Gallagher. Winner, and NEW BMMA Light Heavyweight Champion: Dennis Gallagher (17-7) via Unanimous Decision (50-45, 49-46, 50-45) Fight Rating: Great Post-Fight: Dennis Gallagher gives an interview after being crowned with the championship belt, he calls it the best moment of his life which is concerning given that he has a wife and family, obviously this cheap piece of metal and fake leather means a lot to him. -------------------- Show Details Attendance: 112 Critical Rating: 72% Commercial Rating: 35% Popularity Change: UK +0.5% Fight of the Night: Dennis Gallagher vs. Michael Dali Knock Out of the Night: Hayden Ellery Submission of the Night: N/A Income Gate: $7,896 Sponsorship: $5,476 Merchandise $1,922 Expenditure Fighters: $31,755 Drug Tests: $4,800 Production: $2,659 Overall: -$23,920 -------------------- Post Show News - Liam Spurling broke his jaw during one of his two fights, but he doesn't know when it was or how it happened. Most people think it was when Michael Dali knocked him into the next continent. - Two more signings, Owen Hyde and Rich Robinson, both moving from Canada where there are no active MMA companies. -------------------- OTHER MAIN CARD RESULTS No other major shows since BMMA 1. OTHER NEWS - GAMMA have made some signings for their fledgling Super Heavyweight division, MA Parker, August Pennell, Jethro Munter, all the big names. They also cut some fighters after their last show, most notably Nicholas Bretton, Kendall Tracey and Bud Brockett. They've also signed international jiu-jitsu star Jonathan Huang.

I was going to ask a similar question about TV ratings, is there a way to see the number?

Sunday, Week 2 of February 2002 Harry: "WE LOST HOW MUCH?!" Jim: "Nearly 40 grand. Weren't you expecting that?" Harry: "No! And I wasn't expecting only 58 people to show up!" Jim: "Well there were more than 58 people, it's just 58 people that paid." Harry: "Oh well that's much better. Thank you for reassuring me." Jim: "OK, settle down. Look, it was the first show, it was to be expected. The greater MMA world knows we exist now, something that couldn't be said before, and our next show will attract much more attention. Plus we have Fritz Phipps on the card so he will bring some more people through the door." Harry: "Yeah, about that... I had a call from Fritz this morning. He's pulling out of the show. Injury, not some kind of BCF power play. He was riding his bike and fell off, popped out his collar bone." Jim: "You're kidding me. Well that's buggered up things good and proper. Can't be helped I suppose, it could have been worse in fact." Harry: "Well it was an exercise bike, not an actual bike, so it probably could have been helped. See if you can find someone to replace him, we've marketed him as appearing so we're already going to be in the bad graces of those people who bother to show up." Jim: "I doubt anyone's going to want a fight on six days notice, but maybe one of the young lads will want a shot. I'll let you know. Any other surprises for me before I go?" Harry: "No, but we can't keep losing money like that. We won't survive the year if we do, and all those chumps who were laughing at me for trying this will never let me here the end of it. Is there any way of cutting costs?" Jim: "Not really. Everyone's on a $1,200 per show contract, the only way to keep the costs down is to get rid of the buffer fights between the tournament matches." Harry: "I don't think we can. We both know how hard tournaments are, and even youngsters like Merryman and Lamping were struggling to get through three fights. Any break they can get is desperately needed. And we can't just have nothing happening for half an hour or the fans'll go mad." Jim: "So... you want us to cut costs, but don't want to cut any fights from the card." Harry: "Correct. I'll be honest with you Jim, running an MMA company isn't as easy as I thought it was going to be." Jim: "You're telling me. I'll speak to you later Harry." -------------------------------------------- Press Release BULLDOG MMA'S SECOND SHOW TO CROWN LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION by Mike Thomson Coming hot on the heels of their first show last week, Bulldog MMA return with another one night tournament to crown their first Light Heavyweight champion. Aston Merryman and Laurence Lamping showed last week that it's the younger generation of British fighters who are making a name for themselves in this tournament format, whilst the veterans struggle. The show is the same format as before with the tournament taking centre stage; the four quarter final matches start the show, then a non-tournament fight to give some rest time. After that it's the semi-finals, followed by another non-tournament fight, before the final of the tournament main events the show. The first quarter final sees Hardy Tristan (3-4) take on Liam Spurling (1-0). It's another example of the foundation of MMA, a brawler taking on a grappler, Tristan being the brawler who knows little more than how to throw punches and hope for the best, whereas Spurling is a student of "hooking", having trained with BMMA CEO Jim Carpenter in the past and being especially dangerous on the ground. This match is likely to come down to either Tristan scoring a knockout, or Spurling working his way to a submission. The second quarter final is George Brabazon-Plank (1-0), who we'll be calling GBP, taking on Michael Dali (0-0). Not a whole lot of experience in this one. GBP is as posh as his name sounds and is certainly not someone who falls into the stereotypical MMA fighter mold. He's a decent kick boxer, and his 6'4" inch frame gives him a reach advantage over most opponents. Michael Dali is a real character, nicknamed Salvadore for his surname, he is a former prison inmate known for his violence against prison guards on the inside, a trait which saw him sent to solitary confinement where he exercised intensely and now holds world records in many strength and fitness disciplines. Outside of prison he was known for bare-knuckle boxing fights, but now moves into the more legalised form of fighting. The third quarter final has another MMA debutant in Erik Cunniford (0-0) as he goes up against veteran Mick Curran (15-11), with both fighters coming from the town of Swansea in Wales. Cunniford is a student of catch wrestling who will be looking to get the fight to the ground ASAP. Curran has 26 fights under his belt, many of which are in the BCF where he still holds a non-exclusive contract, and it's unclear if the BCF know about him fighting for this upstart promotion. Curran is very much a brawler and a hard-hitter but isn't nearly as useful if the fight goes to the ground. The last quarter-final sees two veterans collide as Dennis Gallagher (14-7) from Ireland takes on Pierce Jeeler (6-5). Gallagher comes into the fight a significant favourite, although he hasn't set the world on fire during his career so that may say more about Jeeler than Gallagher. He is a well-rounded fighter but much prefers brawling than trying to do anything technical. Jeeler is a one-dimensional kick boxer recently released from the BCF after three successive losses, he will be hoping this is the opportunity he needs to get back into the win column. There will be two non-tournament fights in the Heavyweight division, the first of which sees two more fighters making their MMA debut, Moray McWhirter (0-0) and Henry Hooper (0-0). McWhirter from Edinburgh is one of the new breed of fighters who has come into MMA learning every facet of the game, in addition to that he is said to have a very tough chin making him a tough challenge for anyone. Henry Hooper, not Henry Cooper, or Hank Hooper from 30 Rock, is a young man from Manchester who is known to be a very jovial character outside of the cage, but still has the killer instinct to throw hands and utlilise his training in shoot wrestling. The second non-tournament fight was due to feature Fritz Phipps, one of Britain's premier heavyweight fighters and a BCF mainstay, however a collarbone injury following what we are told was an horrific bike accident that he was lucky to only suffer the injury he did. Replacing him is Hayden Ellery (2-0), an 18 year old who is never short of a word or two, or willingness to step up on short notice it seems. His opponent, Lachlan Brown (12-7) is a Canadian who recently moved to the UK due to the lack of opportunities in his homeland. Bowen is a powerhouse wrestler whilst Ellery is a kick boxer, so it's another grappler/striker battle, however given the massive experience advantage and the fact Ellery wasn't even scheduled to fight until last Sunday, you have to think Bowen is a strong favourite. BMMA 2: Light Heavyweight Tournament Fight Card Light Heavyweight Tournament Quarter Final #1 Hardy Tristan vs. Liam Spurling Light Heavyweight Tournament Quarter Final #2 George Brabazon-Plank vs. Michael Dali Light Heavyweight Tournament Quarter Final #3 Erik Cunniford vs. Mick Curran Light Heavyweight Tournament Quarter Final #4 Dennis Gallagher vs. Pierce Jeeler Non-Tournament Fight - Heavyweight Division Moray McWhirter vs. Henry Hooper Light Heavyweight Tournament Semi Final #1 Tristan/Spurling vs. Brabzon-Plank/Dali Light Heavyweight Tournament Semi Final #2 Cunniford/Curran vs. Gallagher/Jeeler Non-Tournament Fight - Heavyweight Division Hayden Ellery vs. Lachlan Bowen Light Heavyweight Tournament Final Tristan/Spurling/Brabazon-Plank/Dali vs. Cunniford/Curran/Gallagher/Jeeler

BMMA 1: HEAVYWEIGHT TOURNAMENT Report by Mike Thomson for Blurcat.com Match #1 BMMA Heavyweight Title Tournament - Quarter Final #1 Kevin Portman (13-8) vs. Aston Merryman (1-0) The first fight in Bulldog MMA is not a long one. The veteran Portman started off well enough, connecting with a couple of jabs, but Merryman was able to bully him back against the cage and soon enough takes him down. From there Portman offered very little defence as Merryman slams down some hard punches, Portman merely turtles up and after the two heaviest shots land on the side of the head the referee pulled Merryman away to stop the fight. It's an anti-climactic way to kick off BMMA's existence, but an impressive win for Merryman nevertheless who goes into the semi-finals after barely drawing a sweat. Winner: Aston Merryman (2-0) by TKO (Strikes) - 1:43 of Round 1 Fight Rating: Good -------------------- Match #2 BMMA Heavyweight Title Tournament - Quarter Final #2 Terry Bull (5-2) vs. Kieran Morgan (3-0) The first fight in the tournament ended up being an epic compared to the second. Bull came into the fight as two things, 20 pounds heavier than Morgan and a significant betting underdog, and that latter point was made fairly clear within ten seconds when Morgan dodged a left hook and hit a powerful right to knock Bull back against the cage. Bull tried to cover up, but Morgan got two powerful punches through his defences, before a big right uppercut almost took Bull out of his metaphorical boots and on to the mat. The referee stepped in to stop the fight then and there giving Morgan the win in a mere 39 seconds. That sends Morgan through to face Merryman in the first semi-final, with both fighters almost completely unscathed from the opening round. Winner: Kieran Morgan (4-0) via TKO (Strikes) - 0:39 of Round 1 Fight Rating: Good -------------------- Match #3 BMMA Heavyweight Title Tournament - Quarter Final #3 Jesse Singh (18-6) vs. Laurence Lamping (2-0) After two short fights the third one proved to be a longer contest, however it would be hard to say it was any less one-sided. Lamping was thought to be the much more skilled fighter coming in, and he put that to good use in the first round by controlling the fight, first against the cage and then by taking Singh down. Unable to get the finish we went to the first ever Bulldog MMA second round, again Lamping dominated and with a minute left in the round he was able to knock Singh down with a powerful combination. Singh was able to weather the storm to survive the second round, but the damage was done. 45 seconds into the third and final round Lamping unleashed a vicious right hook which knocked Singh out cold, complete with a proper stiff fall to the mat. Lamping advances to the next round, but he's exerted a lot more energy than the previous two winners. Winner: Laurence Lamping (3-0) via KO (Punch) - 0:51 of Round 3 Fight Rating: Good -------------------- Match #4 BMMA Heavyweight Title Tournament - Quarter Final #4 Graham Goodbody (20-10) vs. Nimrod Wickhammersley (4-0) Goodbody was the only veteran in this tournament who was considered a favourite by the bookmakers, possibly due to his experience and weight advantage, and possibly because nobody would back a fighter called Nimrod. The first round was fairly even, Wickhammersley landed the most strikes but the shots that Goodbody landed had more power behind them. The lanky Wickhammersley was able to keep Goodbody at range for the most part which was enough for the judges to score the round in his favour. The second round fell more into Goodbody's strategy as he was able to grapple Wickhammersley against the cage for a solid two minutes, landing some good shots on the inside in the process, however you wouldn't know it was Goodbody's round when the bell rang as he stumbled back to his corner with a cut over his eye and completely exhausted. Having to cut down to 265 pounds will do that to you. The final round saw Goodbody's fatigue become a defining factor as he barely had anything to offer, and Wickhammersley came out kicking - literally. A big head kick caught Goodbody and left him on rubbery legs, and a second head kick from Wickhammersley moments later sent Goodbody to the mat. At this point Goodbody was probably relieved for the lie down, and a few shots from Wickhammersley was enough for the referee to stop the fight. Wickhammersley moves through to the semi-finals against Lamping, both having fought for a similar amount of time. Winner: Nimrod Wickhammersley (5-0) via TKO (Strikes) - 1:17 of Round 3 Fight Rating: Great -------------------- Match #5 Heavyweight Division Glen McBeam (0-0) vs. Norman McAskill (3-0) With the tournament fighters having a break before the semi-finals it was a chance for two young Scottish fighters to make their mark. MacAskill came in the favourite, had more experience, and had a weight advantage, so it was perhaps unsurprising that MacAskill was able to dominate the fight from start to finish, albeit in a not particularly exciting fashion. Most of the fight was spent either stood up against the cage or seated against the cage if MacAskill was able to secure a takedown, which he in every round. McBeam never looked to be in much danger of being finished, the closest MacAskill came was from some attempted guillotine chokes which McBeam was able to defend. The fight ended up becoming the first instance of the judges having to make a decision, they all scored in favour of Norman MacAskill, two 30-27s and one 30-28 from a very generous judge who evidently saw more in McBeam's performance than everyone else in attendance. Winner: Norman MacAskill (4-0) via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-28, 30-27) Fight Rating: Good Post-fight: MacAskill spoke to the crowd to celebrate his victory but said nothing of any note. -------------------- Match #6 BMMA Heavyweight Title Tournament - Semi Final #1 Aston Merryman (2-0) vs. Kieran Morgan (3-0) The two fighters who breezed through their quarter final matches had a much more gruelling time of it when they squared off with each other. The drama of the first round stemmed from a cut that opened up under the left eye of Merryman from a Morgan punch, it was sufficient enough for the referee to have the cage side medical team look at it but Merryman was deemed fit to continue. The first two rounds were both entirely standing and despite the cut Merryman was able to land significantly more strikes than Morgan, but both fighters seemed to be cautious about committing to any big punches. The final round changed things significantly as Morgan was able to secure a takedown and spent most of the round inside Merryman's guard. Despite his best efforts Morgan was unable to get to a more dominant position and had to resort to weak punches from the guard, until the referee eventually stood them back up. Was the final round enough for Morgan to wrestle back the fight? Not quite, as all three judges scored the fight 29-28 in favour of Aston Merryman to send the 19-year-old Londoner into the Heavyweight title fight in the tournament final. Winner: Aston Merryman (3-0) via Unanimous Decision (29-28 x 3) Fight Rating: Good -------------------- Match #7 BMMA Heavyweight Title Tournament - Semi Final #2 Laurence Lamping (3-0) vs. Nimrod Wickhammersley (5-0) Seriously though, if you had the name Nimrod you would just go by your middle name instead, right? Both fighters went into the third round of their quarter finals and the effort they put in previously is evident in the lack of action we see throughout this semi-final. The first round is all Lamping, he secures two takedowns to have control throughout, however a lack of energy meant there was very little action on the ground to the annoyance of the crowd. The second round continued the lack of action but there was a moment of interest when Lamping was cut open on the forehead by a Wickhammersley right hand. There's a fairly large amount of blood but the referee didn't get it checked with the doctor. Other than that the second round is pretty forgettable due to their fatigue, however the third round was more entertaining with both fighters giving their all to try and take the win, as with the previous rounds though it was Lamping that was able to land the most. The judges didn't have much to go on other than Lamping's takedowns and striking advantage, so it was an unsurprising 30-27 scores across the board to the winner, Laurence Lamping, who moves into the final to face Aston Merryman. Winner: Laurence Lamping (4-0) via Unanimous Decision (30-27 x 3) Fight Rating: Decent -------------------- Match #8 Heavyweight Division Chris Hollands (1-0) vs. Nelson Kenney (1-0) The excitement of the tournament was put to one side again as another relief bout was slotted in to give the finalists a breather. Luckily for Merryman and Lamping they got the longest break possible as this fight went the full three rounds, unfortunately for everyone else this fight was not fun to watch. Hollands proceeded to jab the ever-loving goodness out of Kenney throughout the fight, and outside of a failed takedown attempt at the end of the third round there was nothing else to write home about. Hollands got the win with scores of 30-27 from all three judges, but the performance wasn't one that will have people eagerly awaiting his next one. Winner: Chris Hollands (2-0) via Unanimous Decision (30-27 x 3) Fight Rating: Average Post-fight: Hollands is very happy with his win, although the crowd don't seem particularly interested in sharing his moment given the lack of excitement. -------------------- Match #9 BMMA HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE MATCH BMMA Heavyweight Title Tournament - Final Aston Merryman (3-0) vs. Laurence Lamping (4-0) One has what looks like a ginger afro with roots that need re-doing, the other is bald, but it's MMA skill that will decide the first BMMA Heavyweight champion, not hair styles. Both fighters had been through a lot this evening but Merryman's quick quarter final win gave him a slight energy advantage, and it appeared to have made the difference. Merryman was able to get a takedown early in the first round and despite Lamping's best efforts he was unable to stop Merryman moving through into a dominant position. In attempting to defend Merryman moving to the mount Lamping gave up his back to the Londoner, and Merryman was able to secure the back mount with both hooks in. The rear naked choke was almost academic at this point, and an exhausted Lamping could do nothing to prevent the submission getting locked in and quickly tapped out, making Aston Merryman the very first BMMA Heavyweight champion!* Winner, and NEW BMMA Heavyweight Champion: Aston Merryman (4-0) via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) - 3:43 of Round 1 Fight Rating: Good Post-Fight: Merryman gave a very good post-fight interview despite working his butt off during the night, his charisma shone through and he looked genuinely delighted at becoming the champion. -------------------- Show Details Attendance: 58 (Yikes) Critical Rating: 69% Commercial Rating: 31% Popularity Change: UK +0.7% Fight of the Night: Nimrod Wickhammersley vs. Graham Goodbody Knock Out of the Night: Laurence Lamping Submission of the Night: Aston Merryman Income Gate: $2,726 (which covers 2 fighters) Sponsorship: $969 Expenditure Fighters: $34,894 Drug Tests: $4,800 Production: $500 Overall - -$36,499 -------------------- Post Show News - BMMA rose in size, from "Nothing" to "Low Level Regional". Maybe that will bring in more than 58 people next week. - Jesse Singh suffered a broken jaw when he got knocked the F out, so will be out of action for the next six months. - Lots have new signings have been made, many of whom are new to the MMA world, others are some experienced fighters from South America and Canada. * = New to MMA Evan Pizzarro Danny Gibson* Eric Riggs* Vincent Cooper* Clarence Gibson* Earl Turnbull* Oldano Kalil Tuck Durdell Vitor de Mello Thom Billings Edu Gattai -------------------- OTHER MAIN CARD RESULTS GAMMA Battle Lines 6: Keane vs. Lermontov Fiyero Lermontov def. Jake Keane to win the GAMMA Lightweight title Spencer Rubenstein def. Raul Hughes Gabriel Gallego def. Yevgeni Sipatov Sutton Ripley def. Adam White Bruce Steven def. Bud Brockett OTHER NEWS BCF sign SIGMA Light Heavyweight champion Niko Soldo to an exclusive deal, causing the title to be vacated and giving the BCF a top-level fighter to replace the departed Curt Kitson. Woody Fierstein, having lost to youngster Ethan Sutton at the aforementioned GAMMA show, fails his post-fight drug test for good measure. Fierstein denies the allegations but must still serve a year-long suspension. Other bad news for SIGMA came when their Lightweight champion Luis Basora was poached by GAMMA. GAMMA were obviously interested in champions as they also signed Bosco Curbeam, the now former XCC Lightweight champion.

<p><strong>Sunday, Week 2 of January 2002</strong></p><p> </p><p> Jim: "So, what's the plan Milne. We've got all these guys ready to go..."</p><p> </p><p> Harry: "OK, here's what I'm thinking. I know the bloke who runs the St. Peters Pavilion, and he says they're not booked for anything on Saturday nights in February and March. We need shows, we need fights, we need champions."</p><p> </p><p> Jim: "Sure, but what's the plan?"</p><p> </p><p> Harry: "Hold up, I'm getting there. What's the best way to crown a champion?"</p><p> </p><p> Jim: "A title fight?"</p><p> </p><p> Harry: "Alright smart arse. But to get there, I've got three words for you; One. Night. Tournament."</p><p> </p><p> Jim: "Are you joking? It's not 1993 anymore Harry, commissions aren't going to like it, fighters won't want to do it, fans won't even know what's going on..."</p><p> </p><p> Harry: "The commission won't be a problem, I've got some friends there that will greenlight it, and if the fighters are as tough as they say they are they won't back down from a bit of a challenge. Back in our day these tournaments were our bread and butter, it's how we made a name for ourselves. I'm not saying it's a regular thing, just to crown the first champions so we can get off-and-running right away."</p><p> </p><p> Jim: "OK, fine, I'll see what I can do. Getting the fighters on board is going to be tough..."</p><p> </p><p> Harry: "If they want more, give them it. Don't lead with that though obviously, they should be doing it for their..."</p><p> </p><p> Jim: "Wait, did you say February?! That's two weeks away."</p><p> </p><p> Harry: "They should be ready for then, these blokes are going to realise there's no handouts in this game, they've got to work for it."</p><p> </p><p> Jim: "You're not making this easy for me."</p><p> </p><p> Harry: "Well I'll give you a hand, twist the arm of anyone who needs convincing maybe. Also, do you speak Portuguese? We signed all those Brazilian guys and I can't understand a word they're saying..."</p><p> </p><p> Jim: "No Harry, I don't speak Portuguese. Not a lot of need for it in the Greater Manchester area."</p><p> </p><p> Harry: "Fine, find someone that can then. In the meantime, let's start off with the Heavyweight tournament. Get the big names in, Portman, Goodbody, Singh, but leave Fritz Phipps out. Let's set him up to be the first challenger if we can keep him out of the BCF's hands."</p><p> </p><p> --------------------------------------------</p><p> </p><p> </p><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="jE0FSHq.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/jE0FSHq.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><p> Press Release</p><p> </p><p> <strong><span style="font-size:18px;"><span style="font-size:14px;">BULLDOG MMA ANNOUNCE FIRST SHOW, BRING BACK ONE NIGHT TOURNAMENTS</span></span></strong></p><p> </p><p> <strong>by Mike Thomson</strong></p><p> </p><p> New British MMA promotion Bulldog MMA have announced their first show for Saturday, Week 2 of February, to be held at the St. Peter's Pavilion in Wigan, and in a controversial move they are bringing back the old-school "One Night Tournament" to crown their first Heavyweight champion. The intention is to run five shows in five consecutive weeks in the same building, all with one-night tournaments to crown champions.</p><p> </p><p> The plan for the first show looks to be the blueprint; the four quarter final matches start the show, then a non-tournament fight to give some rest time. After that it's the semi-finals, followed by another non-tournament fight, before the final of the tournament main events the show.</p><p> </p><p> The first quarter final, and first ever BMMA match, will be veteran Kevin Portman (13-8) taking on newcomer Aston Merryman (1-0). Portman, from nearby Manchester, is nearly twice the age of Merryman, but of course has a huge amount more experience than his young opponent from London. It's very much old-school vs. new-school with Portman a brute force boxer and Merryman a more-rounded fighter. Portman has the body of an Adonis but that hasn't been the key to success during his career, some would point that carrying that muscle is more of a hindrance to his stamina than anything.*</p><p> </p><p> The second quarter final is Terry Bull (5-2) against Kieran Morgan (3-0). This one seems more balanced in terms of experience, but the younger fighter Morgan is many people's favourite to advance. Bull's best chance is from his striking, it's both his major strength and Morgan's biggest weakness, but Morgan has notoriously heavy hands to make up for his lack of technique.</p><p> </p><p> The third quarter final is another youth against experience battle, Jesse Singh (18-6) bring a 12-year age advantage into his fight against 21-year-old Laurence Lamping (2-0). Singh has been around the British MMA scene for many years without any real success, he has also stayed away from the BCF preferring to be the big fish in a smaller pond. Lamping is from Swindon in Wiltshire and many people see him as a future star due to his elite physical gifts, he is however taking a big step up in competition in only his third fight.</p><p> </p><p> The last quarterfinal will be another of the different generation matchups as the ironically named Graham Goodbody (20-10) takes on the horrifically named Nimrod Wickhammersley (4-0). Goodbody has fought, and probably lost to, every major British Heavyweight at some point, however he is moving back into the Heavyweight division after being a Super Heavyweight for many years. Wickhammersley is from Harry Milne's hometown of Bolton who is 6'6" with a huge reach to match, some are looking at him as a dark horse for this tournament due to his improved grappling and ground game.</p><p> </p><p> There will be two non-tournament fights, the first of which sees two Scottish youngsters clash, Glen McBeam (0-0) makes his pro debut against Norman MacAskill (3-0). MacAskill is a well-rounded fighter without any major strengths or weaknesses to note, on the other hand McBeam is an all-out striker known from his amateur fights to come out swinging fists and feet right from the opening bell.*</p><p> </p><p> The second non-tournament fight will be the semi-main event bridging the second semi-final and the final of the tournament, and again it's two youngsters battling as Chris Hollands (1-0) takes on Nelson Kenney (1-0). From a physical standpoint Hollands looks like your typical MMA fighter and Kenney looks like a pub brawler, but Kenney has power in his hands and it will be up to Hollands to either find a way to avoid Kenney's punches, or find a way to get through them to enforce his game plan.</p><p> </p><p> <strong><span style="font-size:14px;">BMMA 1: Heavyweight Tournament Fight Card</span></strong></p><p> </p><p> <strong>Heavyweight Tournament Quarter Final #1</strong></p><p> Kevin Portman vs. Aston Merryman</p><p> </p><p> <strong>Heavyweight Tournament Quarter Final #2</strong></p><p> Terry Bull vs. Kieran Morgan</p><p> </p><p> <strong>Heavyweight Tournament Quarter Final #3</strong></p><p> Jesse Singh vs. Laurence Lamping</p><p> </p><p> <strong>Heavyweight Tournament Quarter Final #4</strong></p><p> Graham Goodbody vs. Nimrod Wickhammersley</p><p> </p><p> <strong>Non-Tournament Fight</strong></p><p> Glen McBeam vs. Norman MacAskill</p><p> </p><p> <strong>Heavyweight Tournament Semi Final #1</strong></p><p> Portman/Merryman vs. Bull/Morgan</p><p> </p><p> <strong>Heavyweight Tournament Semi Final #2</strong></p><p> Singh/Lamping vs. Goodbody/Wickhammersley</p><p> </p><p> <strong>Non-Tournament Fight</strong></p><p> Chris Hollands vs. Nelson Kenney</p><p> </p><p> <strong>Heavyweight Tournament Final</strong></p><p> <strong>BMMA Heavyweight Title Match</strong></p><p> Portman/Merryman/Bull/Morgan vs. Singh/Lamping/Goodbody/Wickhammersley</p><p> </p><p> </p></div><p></p><p></p>

<p></p><div style="text-align:center;"><img alt="jE0FSHq.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/jE0FSHq.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /><p> </p><p> <img alt="kTqDZUM.png" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/kTqDZUM.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p> <strong>Jim Carpenter, Bulldog MMA CEO</strong></p><p> </p><p> Jim: "Did you just find the first picture of a bulldog you could find and stick "Mixed Martial Arts" under it?</p><p> </p><p> <img alt="I1Iq6U0.png" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/I1Iq6U0.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p> <strong>Harry Milne, Bulldog MMA owner</strong></p><p> </p><p> Harry: "Eh, settle down, alright, I'm not some fancy-pants design guy. You're lucky you got anything at all."</p><p> </p><p> Jim: "Well with that level of know-how we can't fail right?"</p><p> </p><p> Harry: "Ha, you know full well that what I'm bringing to this isn't my skills on a computer, if nothing else I'm the one putting all the money into the business."</p><p> </p><p> Jim: "And as a reward you get to name the company after yourself, isn't that every Lancastrian's dream?"</p><p> </p><p> Harry: "Pipe down with your sarcy comments and give us a hand. I've somehow got to use this email thing to contact a load of guys to come and work for us."</p><p> </p><p> It all started on one typically rainy day in the town of Wigan, home of such iconic landmarks as the "Carnegie Library", the "Trencherfield Mill" and the "Donate just £2 to keep Wikipedia free for everyone around the world". Sports-wise it had long been dominated by its successful Rugby League team, Wigan Warriors, and it's also existing football team Wigan Athletic. But in recent times a fresh breed of sportspeople had come out of the town, that being tough, rugged MMA fighters.</p><p> </p><p> Jim Carpenter was the most successful of those, having forged a 49-11-2 record in his long career, and retired as a fan-favourite in the prestigious GAMMA organisation. Also from Lancashire, Bolton to be exact, Harry Milne had been a dominant figure in the British MMA scene and perhaps the most recognisable MMA figure in the country. He had also retired from fighting, although unlike Carpenter he went out with a spectacular victory to finish his career in style. His nickname, "The Bulldog" is the basis of Bulldog MMA's name, mainly because Carpenter didn't ever use a nickname.</p><p> </p><p> Like all people retiring in their 40s the thought of "what to do next" was very much on their mind. Unfortunately for both men, fighting was all they knew having done nothing but compete in MMA since their early years, and when the next step in their lives had to be decided they could only stick to what they knew. So, like most normal people, Milne decided to form an MMA company and brought Carpenter in to be his CEO.</p><p> </p><p> There was no doubting their MMA knowledge, but could either of these middle-aged men run a company with no financial background, organisational experience or even knowing how to send an email?</p><p> </p><p> Even if they had those skills, opening an MMA promotion in the UK is a bold move. The MMA scene is dominated by Milne's former promotion the BCF, currently ranked as the #3 MMA promotion in the world behind only juggernauts GAMMA and ALPHA-1. They are however in the same position as most MMA promotions around the world, in that as soon a potential superstar emerges they are snapped up by one of the aforementioned big gun companies.</p><p> </p><p> It will be a tough road for Milne and Carpenter to make Bulldog MMA profitable, let alone a success in the MMA scene. Let's see how they get on...</p><p> </p><p> <img alt="jE0FSHq.jpg" data-src="https://i.imgur.com/jE0FSHq.jpg" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p> <strong>Bulldog MMA</strong></p><p> Location: North of England</p><p> Initial Budget: $250,000</p><p> </p><p> <strong>ROSTER</strong></p><p> </p><p> <strong>Lightweight Division</strong></p><p> </p><p> Cullen Skink (1-0)</p><p> Graeme Spark (9-1)</p><p> Guilherme de Barros (8-0)</p><p> Jazz Snide (3-0)</p><p> Jefferson Mndawe (7-0)</p><p> Jonjo Whiteley (5-0)</p><p> Nathan Wyles (1-0)</p><p> Neil Entopolski (0-0)</p><p> Nigel Collett (6-2)</p><p> Ryan Fenniman (5-0)</p><p> Scotty Griffiths (1-0)</p><p> Shawn McCarthy (2-0)</p><p> Stephen Conti (1-0)</p><p> Swithens Corcoran (4-0)</p><p> Tim Oldacres (9-0)</p><p> William Powell (12-9)</p><p> </p><p> <strong>Welterweight Division</strong></p><p> </p><p> Brian O'Flaherty (4-0)</p><p> Geraint O'Connell (3-0)</p><p> Javid Khan (6-5)</p><p> Julian Banham (4-5)</p><p> Paul Duffell (22-15)</p><p> Roger Quince (1-0)</p><p> Ron Chuckle (8-2)</p><p> Roy Lynch (9-8)</p><p> Teco (15-6)</p><p> Thomas O'Cann (5-5)</p><p> </p><p> <strong>Middleweight Division</strong></p><p> </p><p> Duncan Thistlewood (7-3)</p><p> Edu Gattai (8-0)</p><p> Humbert Gest (6-5)</p><p> Nelson Angelo (8-5)</p><p> Omar Calvert (6-1)</p><p> Osi Lewis (5-1)</p><p> Paxton Brinkal (9-6)</p><p> Richard Smith (22-17)</p><p> Thom Billings (9-0)</p><p> Todd Prenger (2-0)</p><p> </p><p> <strong>Light Heavyweight Division</strong></p><p> </p><p> Dennis Gallagher (14-7)</p><p> Eoghan Behan (7-4)</p><p> Erik Cunniford (0-0)</p><p> George Brabazon-Plank (1-0)</p><p> Hardy Tristan (3-4)</p><p> Liam Spurling (1-0)</p><p> Michael Dali (0-0)</p><p> Mick Curran (15-11)</p><p> Pierce Jeeler (6-5)</p><p> </p><p> <strong>Heavyweight Division</strong></p><p> </p><p> Aston Merryman (1-0)</p><p> Chris Hollands (1-0)</p><p> Fritz Phipps (9-1)</p><p> Glen McBeam (0-0)</p><p> Graham Goodbody (20-10)</p><p> Hayden Ellery (2-0)</p><p> Henry Hooper (0-0)</p><p> Jesse Singh (18-6)</p><p> Kevin Portman (13-8)</p><p> Kieran Morgan (3-0)</p><p> Lachlan Bowen (12-7)</p><p> Laurence Lamping (2-0)</p><p> Malcolm Stew (1-0)</p><p> Moray McWhirter (0-0)</p><p> Nelson Kenney (1-0)</p><p> Nimro Wickhammersley (4-0)</p><p> Norman MacAskill (3-0)</p><p> Simon Youngman (0-0)</p><p> Terry Bull (5-2)</p><p> Tommy Cowan (0-0)</p><p> </p><p> <strong>Analysis</strong></p><p> </p><p> The make-up of BMMA's roster is very much an indictment on the British MMA scene and Harry Milne's way of thinking, load of the Heavyweight division with the vast array of talent that is available at that weight class, some young, some old. In fact Milne's old rivals Graham Goodbody and Kevin Portman are a sign that the BMMA are not aiming to be the youth development company many people expected them to be.</p><p> </p><p> A lack of Light Heavyweight and Middleweight fighters required some reshuffling to balance out the division, but help was also at hand with an influx of fighters from South America moving to the UK to seek out opportunities to fight. The BMMA were quick to snap anyone available up, and their Latin names stand out in the sea of British ones.</p><p> </p><p> Milne's focus on the big men is also evident in the Lightweight division where a number of Featherweight fighters have been brought in, with Milne adamant that a Featherweight division isn't necessary at the moment so has just thrown the 145lbers in with the 155lbers. As for female fighters, let's just saw the concept of that hasn't quite caught up with the two northerners yet...</p></div><p></p><p></p>