Having been around combat sport for over two decades, my passion for MMA and Boxing just grows and grows. I am a former columnist for MMA Uncaged Magazine and currently contribute to Fighters Only and other leading MMA sites.
RAGED UK MMA, held their first event last night at MECA Swindon to a new breed of sports fan in the town.
The event which was billed to showcase local, amateur and professional fighters and also to highlight the growing sport of MMA in Swindon.
The night was a huge success for everyone and Promoter Gary Turland really did pull out all the stops for his debut show, so much so, RAGED 2 is now already starting to be matched for their summer show.
RAGED UK MMA
Here are the Official Results with a full event report to follow shortly:
Amateur 89kg Jake Oliver Def Tommy Taylor Via UD
Amateur 64kg Dean Hart Def Wes Thomas Via Strikes (leg) 0.54 secs Round One
PRO 73kg Guy Lewis Def Jay Thomas Via Strikes (GnP) 2 mins 31 secs Round One
Amateur 77kg Tom Enstone Def Jim Lane Via Armbar 2 mins 28 secs Round One
PRO HW Dave ‘Nemo’ Llewellyn Def Terry Webster Via TKO (GnP) 1 min 03 secs Round One
Amateur 66kg Adam Little Def Reece Pearson Via Standing Guillotine 0.45 secs Round One
PRO 73kg Alex Brunnen Def Tyler Thomas Via Power Guillotine 1 min 32 secs Round One
PRO 77kg Phil Wells Def Jesse Jarvis Via TKO (GnP) 2 mins 39 secs Round One
Phil ‘CM Punk’ Brooks sat down with Lance Allan of TMJ4 and discussed his transition into MMA, timetable for his first fight and training with Anthony Pettis.
RAGED UK MMA takes place this Saturday, March 7th at MECA in Swindon which promises to be an action packed night of amateur and professional MMA.
I managed to catch up with one of the co-main event headliner’s, 23-year-old, Alex Brunnen, who in his own unique words discusses with me his up-coming fight with Julian Kerr, fighting back in his hometown since his amateur career, training at The MMA Lab with Benson Henderson and Joe Murphy plus his coach/mentor and good friend Oz.
You’re going to be making your home town debut on March 7th at RAGED UK in a co-main event. How does it feel to be finally not only fighting in your home town but to be also co-main event?
Whatever the running order of the fights, it doesn’t matter to me. I’m looking to put on a performance whether I was fighting first or last.
You train out of SVT in Swindon under your mentor, coach and good friend Michael ‘Oz’ Osbourne. Can you talk me through what it’s been like for you having such a good friend guide you through your career thus far?
Haha Yeah! Me and Oz are close. When I was just getting into this sport at 16 years old, Oz was like a god to me Ahaha! He is a real fighter. He’s down! I mean, I remember this one time, after a fight some guy threw some beer in the ring at me and Ozzy jumped straight out of the ring and started ‘throwing down’ into a packed crowd; beast!
You went 3-0 as an amateur before turning pro with a current record of 2-2. Personally I feel people do not give you the credit you’re due; Having fought Joe Orrey in your first pro fight who is the current Painpit Bantamweight Champion for which you won; Nad Narimani who is now at Cage Warriors which resulted in a second round loss. You’re a guy who will rise to the challenge of a tough fight and not back away, why?
I know I haven’t fought as much as my teammates over the last few years due to personal reasons. I finally feel I’m at a stage now, where I can go to other MMA gyms and not feel completely out of my depth. Back then when I was younger, I suppose I used to think of myself as a kid and perhaps I felt as if I didn’t belong with these guys but that’s changed now.
Looking back I feel I rushed the start of my career and should have had at least double the amount of amateur fights that I had; ultimately it doesn’t really matter now though.
I’ve heard you’ve been over to The MMA Lab in Arizona to do some training. Firstly how was the whole experience; secondly did you get the chance to train and roll with Benson Henderson; thirdly tell me more about trainer/fighter Joe Murphy.
Yeah I spent 4 months in 2014 over at the MMA Lab in Glendale, Arizona. It’s a great place. That gym is a martial artists dream. I THINK it has the most UFC fighters training in a single room anywhere in the world. The amount of lightweights and featherweights there is, is unreal! Everyone trains hard as fuck and there isn’t anything that someone wouldn’t be real good at. In my opinion it is the very best MMA gym in the world. John Crouch is a 2nd degree BJJ Blackbelt under Royce I BELIEVE and he is a wicked coach.
Yeah I’ve rolled with Benson. It was not nice (in a good way), that guy is a physical specimen. He really is something different and I’ve yet to see an athlete that’s close to his calibre.
Joe Murphy is a cool guy! Real good BJJ and he’s also a big fella for the MMA weight he fights at. He caught me in some funky omoplata shit when we were rolling one time and I was thinking “what the fuckkkk”.
For those people who do not know you or who have never met you, how would you describe yourself as a person then as a fighter?
As a person? hmmm… That would be a bit biased hearing an opinion on myself.
I’d like to say fucking legendary but I’m sure someone will disagree somewhere haha!
Would you say that there are any similarities between you and a young ‘Nick Diaz’ at all, as in his fighting mentality, his confidence – which more than often is misconstrued into being more cocky and arrogant than what it really is and that of his ingenious fighting style?
Nah there’s no similarities that guy is insane!
Do you think the key to a successful fighter is self belief in being mentally prepared as much as physically being prepared, if not more so?
The fight game is 90% mental I’ve come to realise that if you’re not in it mentally as much as you can be, you aren’t in it at all!
Alex Brunnen
You’re facing Julian Kerr this Saturday March 7th at MECA, Swindon. Do you know much about your opponent or the challenges he could pose on the night?
If I remember right he said he had “perfect standup” We’ll see!
At the Pre-fight press conference I noted one of your quick-witted responses “You can be an inch taller but six feet under is quite low” looking back on that, what are your thoughts?
Haha I was having fun. I was chilling!
What can we expect to see from you on the night when you face Julian Kerr at RAGED UK?
A war.
As you’re the home town fighter, do you feel for once having a big home crowd will play a big part into the atmosphere and how you feel once those cage doors shut on Saturday night?
I’m hoping to draw the energy from the crowd and fire it into Julian through combat. It will be nice not be booed in my home town for once!
Lastly is there any sponsors or anyone you would like to thank?
Shout out to my team SVT, we train hard, we’ve really grown as a team lately too and there’s a good vibe. Shout out to Oz, and my kickboxing coach Daniel Hughes out of Scorpion kickboxing gym.
Thank you for your time Alex it’s appreciated.
You can keep up to date on Alex on his Facebook page here.
RAGED UK takes place this Saturday, 7th March at Swindon MECA.
Tickets are £20 and £40 VIP available from all fighters, The Forum, The Khyber; alternatively you can buy online at www.swindontickets.co.uk or click on their social media pages Facebook/Twitter.
Tickets will be available on the door (subject to availability)
Adam Little is a 26 year old amateur fighter from Swindon, who at the weekend will be making his home town debut at local MMA promotion RAGED UK.
Adam who is currently 2-0 and trains out of SVT/Scorpion Gym in Swindon and works full time, decided to push his own career one step further and co-train in London at Titan gym at his own expense to get the best out of his training, it also happens to be the home of UFC fighter Brad Pickett and Joseph Duffy, along with BAMMA fighter Ashleigh Grimshaw.
I got to speak with Adam about his up coming fight this Saturday, where we talk about his boxing, wrestling, Brad Pickett, plus some other exciting stuff…..take a look!
Adam Little and Brad Picket
It’s been a while since I have caught up with you, which was when I last saw you fight at ITC 8 against Wayne Alden where you won in a stunning 0.48 second TKO (GnP) victory. Can you talk me through what you have been doing since then.
Since ITC 8 I felt that my boxing and takedown defence was lacking leading up to that fight so I went away and worked on that area of my training.
I have had a couple of white-collar boxing fights in which I have won, in turn I feel that my stand up game has improved massively.
I now feel confident in myself in the areas that I have been working on, especially my wrestling aspect of my game. I just feel like I have managed to evolve my whole fighting style adding in a lot more technique to my arsenal of weapons, to fully complement what I already had in my skillset.
Working full-time, training here in Swindon at Scorpion Gym/SVT and finally finding another home at Team Titan in London. How do you find enough hours in the week to fit everything in?
It can be an extremely long week but I’m thankful that I have a good employer who lets me take time of when I need to, especially when I am in a fight camp. I also try to fit in my runs, cardio before work in the mornings so I can focus more on technique and actual fight training in the evening.
For you then, this ultimately is a long-term career plan?
For sure, I’m not here just to make up the numbers im here to win fights. I’m looking to get a few more wins under my belt and compete a lot more regularly.
You’re now 2-0 in your amateur MMA career. When do you think it will be a good time for you to turn pro and when do you think that will happen, realistically?
If everything goes to plan and this time next year I’m still doing well then I will speak to my coaches and see where we are all at.
You’re facing Reece Pearson this Saturday, March 7th on RAGED UK at the MECA in your home town Swindon, which will also be your first time fighting in front of a home crowd. How are you feeling?
I’m feeling brilliant leading up to this fight. My training has been the best it ever has been. I can’t wait to get in there and show everyone watching what I can do.
Adam Little Tear Up
Being the home town fighter, on home soil, how much does it mean to you to have support behind you?
The support is brilliant. My other fights have been out-of-town so it obviously makes it a lot harder for people to attend. This time I will have all my friends and family there and I’m sure they will raise the roof for all of the homes fighters on the card.
Training out of Swindon’s Scorpion Gym and SVT, you get to train with a wealth of combined knowledge in Michael ‘Oz’ Osbourne and Dan Hughes, along with Saturday night’s two main event fighter’s Phil Wells and Alex Brunnen. What is it like training with all that combined knowledge in your local gym?
It’s brilliant training with guys like that. They’re not just coaches they have been there and done it. I’m learning more with every session and I can not thank them enough, as well as the other lads for the time and effort they’ve put into my fight preparation.
You also stated Team Titan is part of your home aswell, which is also home to UFC fighter Brad Pickett, newly signed UFC fighter Joseph Duffy and BAMMA fighter Ashleigh Grimshaw amongst many other elite athletes to say the least; Is it quite fair to say that this training camp for your upcoming fight is going pretty well then?
Yes the training camp is going brilliantly. Everything has gone to plan and the lads in London are all at elite level. Even the amateurs down there are champions and as far as I’m concerned being on the mats with people like them is priceless.
Being mentally prepared for a fight I would say, is as paramount as much as the physical aspect of training, if not, more so. How much do you believe in having a strong mental attitude for your fights?
I think that mental strength and toughness is a massive part of the fight game. With the lads that I train with at both SVT and Titan I don’t think you have any choice but to be mentally tough and ready. Oz and Dan wouldn’t have it any other way.
Do you know much about your opponent Reece Pearson or the challenges he could pose on the night?
I don’t know a great deal about Reece, I leave that up to my team to research him but I do know a lot about myself!
Where do you feel that you will be stronger in this fight and where do you feel it may end up?
I know that I will be stronger and better in any area where ever this fight goes, therefore I know that I will win this fight where ever it ends up!
Lastly, is there any sponsors or anyone you would like to thank?
I’d like to say a massive thanks to Oz and Dan down at Scorpion/SVT, as well as all of the other lads in the gym. Also want to say a big thank you to Brad Pickett for looking after me and making me feel so welcome down at Titan. Dave Pixton, Pat Reeves and Jaime Murkin at Gracie Barra Swindon.
Lastly I want to say a massive thank you to Picture House Tattoo Studio in Chippenham for giving me some great tattoos, Better Option and Platinum Security for helping me out with equipment.
You can keep up to date on Adam on his Facebook page here.
RAGED UK takes place this Saturday, 7th March at Swindon MECA.
Tickets are £20 and £40 VIP available from all fighters, The Forum, The Khyber; alternatively you can buy online at www.swindontickets.co.uk or click on their social media pages Facebook/Twitter.
Tickets will be available on the door (subject to availability)
RAGED UK EVENT POSTER
Photo Credit 1 and 2: Adam Little/Tear Up
Photo Credit featured picture: Point 5 Photography
Swindon based promoter Gary Turland and Trainer Michael ‘Oz’ Osbourne are bringing Professional and Amateur MMA back to the town of Swindon.
After a long absence of the highly rated sport and to fill the gap in the market to showcase homegrown up and coming talent, RAGED UK is happening on March 7th at MECA, Swindon which will host a fight card of amateur MMA, along with professional MMA headlined by Swindon’s Phil Wells and Alex Brunnen.
RAGED UK EVENT POSTER
Full Fight Card
Tommy Taylor vs Jake Oliver Amateur MMA 89k
Wes Thomas vs Dean Hart Amateur MMA 64k
Jay Thomas vs Guy Lewis PRO MMA 73k
Tyler John Thomas vs Shane Mansfield PRO MMA 75k
Jim Lane vs Tom Enstone Amateur MMA 77k
Terry Webster vs Dave ‘Nemo’ Llewellyn PRO MMA HW
Matthew D Thorn vs Craig Rawlins Amateur MMA 80k
Reece Pearson vs Adam Little Amateur MMA 66k
Julian Kerr vs Alex Brunnen PRO MMA 73k
Jesse Jarvis vs Phil Wells PRO MMA 77k
Tickets are £20 and £40 VIP available from all fighters, The Forum, The Khyber; alternatively you can buy online at www.swindontickets.co.uk or click on their social media pages Facebook/Twitter.
Tickets will be available on the door (subject to availability)
Tonight was the night, that UFC women’s bantamweight number one contender, Cat Zingano finally got her chance to fight Ronda Rousey for the bantamweight title, just under two years in the making.
With a night filled of finishes from top to bottom from the rest of the UFC 184 card, it was of course Ronda Rousey herself who stood out in incredible style and proved again why she is the women’s bantamweight champion needing just fourteen seconds to defeat Cat Zingano.
Sign of respect from Ronda to Cat UFC 184
Here are the full results:
Main Card
Still Bantamweight Champion Ronda Rousey
Ronda Rousey Def Cat Zingano Via Armbar (straight Arm lock) 0.14 secs Round 1 Still Bantamweight Champion
Ronda Rousey wins via Armbar on Cat Zingano UFC 184
Jake Ellenberger Def Josh Koscheck Via North-South Choke 4 mins 20 secs Round 2
Winner Jake Ellenberger UFC 184Jake Ellenberger Wins Via North -South ChokeJake Ellenberger has the North-South Choke on Tight on Josh Koscheck UFC 184
Alan Jouban Def Rich Walsh Via KO 2 mins 19 secs Round 1
Winner Alan Jouban UFC 184
Alan Jouban Elbows on Rich Walsh UFC 184
Winning Elbows by Alan Jouban UFC 184
Tony Ferguson Def Gleison Tibau Via RNC 2 min 37 secs Round 1
Winner Tony Ferguson UFC 184Tony Ferguson Wins Via RNC against Gleison TibauGleison Tibau caught in Tony Ferguson RNC UFC 184
Prelim Card
Roan Carneiro Def Mark Munoz Via RNC 1 min 40 secs Round 1
On episode No. 5 of UFC 184 Embedded, women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey and challenger Cat Zingano have an intense split-screen interview after media day.
Then it’s time to work out and make-weight along with the rest of the UFC 184 card, including women’s bantamweight opponents Raquel Pennington and Holly Holm and a salsa-dancing Josh Koscheck.
UFC Embedded is an all-access, behind-the-scenes video blog leading up to the UFC 184: Rousey vs. Zingano title fight, taking place tonight, February 28th.
Bellator 134 dubbed ‘The British Invasion’ finally went down last night at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, Connecticut. Although one could argue it was not a full ‘British Invasion’ due to Michael Page and James Thompson having to withdraw from the card due to injury, it was at very best a fine result for the Brits involved.
Bellator British Invasion 134
Here are the full results:
Main Card
Liam McGeary Def Emanuel Newton Via UD 48-46, 48-47, 48-47 and the new Bellator LHW champion
Muhammad ‘King Mo’ Lawal Def Cheick Kongo by split decision 30-27, 28-29, 29-28
Paul Daley Def Andre Santos via UD 29-27, 29-28, 29-28
Linton Vassell Def Sokoudjou via TKO (punches) 3 mins 18 secs Rnd 2
Brennan Ward Def Curtis Millender via RNC 1 min 37 secs Rnd 1
Prelims
Dean Hancock Def Mike Mangan Via RNC 1 min 33 secs Rnd 1
Matt Bessette Def Josh LaBerge Via TKO (doctor stoppage) End of Rnd 2
Raphael Butler Def Josh Diekmann Via Standing Guillotine 1 min 04 sec Rnd 1
Tamdan McCrory Def Jason Butcher Via Armbar 1 min 06 sec Rnd 1
Neiman Gracie Def Bobby Flynn Via Neck Crank 2 mins 36 secs Rnd 1
Blair Tugman Def Marvin Maldonado Via UD 30-26, 30-27, 30-27
Invicta FC held their eleventh event last night, Friday February, 27th at the Shrine Expo Hall, Los Angeles, where Chris ‘Cyborg’ Justino proved again why she is the Invicta Featherweight champion, when she faced Charmaine Tweet in the main event.
Team Cyborg
The card was full of action from the very first preliminary bout, right through to the main event.
Here are the results:
Cris ‘Cyborg’ Justino Def Charmaine Tweet Via TKO (punches) 0.46 secs Rnd 1 Still Featherweight Champion Cris ‘Cyborg’ Justino
Still Featherweight Champion Cris ‘Cyborg’ Justino
Alexa Grasso Def Mizuki Inoue Via UD 30-26, 29-28,29-28
DeAnna Bennett Def Norma Rueda Center Via UD 30-27, 29-28,29-28
Irene Aldana Def Colleen Schneider Via RNC 1 min 05 secs Rnd 1
Jamie Moyle Def J.J. Aldrich Via RNC (Technical Sub) 2 mins 20 secs Rnd 1
Amy Montenegro Def Brianna Van Buren Via UD 30-27, 29-28, 29-29
Christine Stanley Def Laura Salazar Via TKO (strikes) 2 mins 59 secs Rnd 1
Aspen Ladd Def Aspen Ladd Via TKO (GnP) 4 mins 21 secs Rnd 1
UFC 184, takes place at the Staples Center tomorrow night and will see Ronda Rousey face Cat Zingano in the main event, in what is also a battle of the unbeaten females.
New signing Holly Holm makes her much-anticipated debut against Raquel Pennington in the co-main event of this stacked card.
Before we get to the fights, we have the all important weigh-ins.
Ronda Rousey Vs Cat Zingano UFC 184
Main Card
Ronda Rousey (135 lbs) vs. Cat Zingano (134.5 lbs)
Ronda Rousey Vs Cat Zingano Face Off UFC 184Ronda Rousey UFC 184Cat Zingano UFC 184
Holly Holm (135.5 lbs) vs. Raquel Pennington (135.5 lbs)
Holly Holm Vs Raquel Pennington Face Off UFC 184Raquel Pennington UFC 184Holly Holm UFC 184
Josh Koscheck (170.5 lbs) vs. Jake Ellenberger (171 lbs)
Jake Ellenberger Vs Josh Joshcheck UFC 184
Alan Jouban (170.5 lbs) vs. Rich Walsh (171 lbs)
Tony Ferguson (156 lbs) vs. Gleison Tibau (155 lbs)
Prelim Card
Mark Munoz (187.25 lbs)* vs. Roan Carneiro (184.5 lbs)
Roman Salazar (135 lbs ) vs. Norifumi ‘Kid’ Yamamoto (136 lbs)
Dhiego Lima (170 lbs) vs. Tim Means (170 lbs)
Derrick Lewis (263 lbs) vs. Ruan Potts (253 lbs)
Prelim Card Fight Pass
James Krause (155 lbs) vs. Valmir Lazaro (155.5 lbs)
Masio Fullen (145 lbs) vs. Alexander Torres (145.5 lbs)
Five Rounds with Emma 
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