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.
It has just been announced that Europe’s flagship Mixed Martial Arts promotion, BAMMA, is proud to announce a British Welterweighttitle fight to the BAMMA 15 card, as Leon ‘Rocky’ Edwards challenges reigning champion, Wayne Murrie.
BAMMA 15 takes place at the Copper Box in London’s Olympic Park on 5th April.
Fighting out of Doncaster’s Ludus Magnus, Wayne ‘The Caveman’ Murrieboasts a record of 17-5-1 and the BAMMA British Welterweight belt. BAMMA 13 saw Murrie win the championship against Michael Johnson via Rear Naked Choke in just 3:23, gaining him his 13th 1st round victory. 59% of his wins have come via Submission and 29% by TKO/ KO, while Murrie has also proved he can go the distance against some of the best. Murrie comes from a decorated Thai-boxing background
Rising talent Leon ‘Rocky’ Edwards has never been beaten. With a professional MMA record of 5-1-0 achieved since 2011 and an Amateur record of 7-0-0, Edwards’ sole loss came via disqualification for an illegal knee. Edwards debuted at BAMMA for BAMMA 11 with a victory over Jonathan Bilton via TKO, just 1:11 in to round 2. He then clinched a Submission win at BAMMA 13 when he defeated Adam Bousif via Arm-Triangle choke. Edwards returned for BAMMA 14 where he notably devastated striker Wendle Lewis at 1:20 into the 1st round. With a 60% KO/TKO victory rate, Rocky Edwards has been cited among British talent to watch in 2014 by Fighters Only magazine. Edwards fights out of Birmingham’s UTC.
It was announced yesterday that Europe’s flagship Mixed Martial Arts promotion, BAMMA, is proud to announce that BAMMA 15 will take place at the Copper Box in London on 5th April. Located in London’s Olympic Park in Hackney Wick, the iconic Copper Box Arena is a multi-sport venue which was famously used for the Summer Olympics in 2012. The fight card is to be announced shortly and tickets go on sale this week.
BAMMA’s Director, Ashley Bothwell said:
“It’s exciting for BAMMA to be holding an event in the Olympic Park at the Copper Box, as it carries a huge sporting legacy. 5th April will see the coming together of months of preparation for the fighters as all their hard work and sacrifice boils down to a few explosive, intense minutes. It is fitting that these crucial minutes should share a home with so many elite and aspirational sporting memories.”
BAMMA IS ALSO PROUD TO ANNOUNCE:
OLI THOMPSON VS GZIM ‘ALBANIAN PSYCHO’ SELMANI WILL HEADLINE FOR BAMMA 15 AT THE COPPER BOX ARENA, LONDON (UK) 5TH APRIL 2014
Europe’s flagship Mixed Martial Arts promotion, BAMMA, is proud to announce Oli Thompson vs Gzim Selmani as the Heavyweightheadliner for BAMMA 15 at the Copper Box in London’s Olympic Park on 5th April.
Oli Thompsonoriginally made his name as a strongman, peaking in 2006 when he won the TWI Britain’s Strongest Man contest and reached the finals of the IFSA World Championships, in which he came 8th. Thompson also notably attained 2nd and 3rd places in IFSA British Championship contests. The 34 year old debuted professionally in Mixed Martial Arts in 2009, and went on to become UCMMA’s Heavyweight Champion in 2011, before competing in the UFC then KSW. Training out of 1st Generation in Sussex with a professional record of 12-5, Thompson has gone 3-1 since fighting in the UFC and has won his last two bouts via TKO in the first and second rounds. 50% of Thompson’s wins have come via Submission and 42% via KO or TKO. Thompson weighs 248lbs at 6ft1.
Gzim ‘The Albanian Psycho’ Selmani fights out of Golden Glory and Tatsujin Dojo in the Netherlands with a MMA record of 5-1* and a kickboxing record of 1-0, the victory scored via a flying knee KO. The Kosovo Albanian stands at 6ft 3 and weighs 263 pounds. He started training in Judo at the age of 5, then started kickboxing at the age of 12 before taking up MMA at the age of 15 with his older brother Egzon Selmani. Gzim debuted professionally in MMA at the age of 18.
BAMMA‘s matchmaker, Jude Samuel, said: “Selmani is mainly considered a striker. However at 19 years of age he has not yet had his patterns laid down which makes him unpredictable, dangerous and exciting to watch.”
Indeed, 2 of his MMA victories have come via TKO and 3 via Submission. The ‘Albanian Psycho’ is also the Dutch Heavyweight Grappling Champion 2013, and the Rough Diamonds Kickboxing Champion 2013 in Germany. None of his fights to date have cleared the 2nd round.
Oli Thompson said:
“I have been looking to fight on BAMMA for a long time. The show always has a great look. I am bringing an intensity and athleticism that is not seen in many heavyweights, and I will put my body on the line to get the win at all costs. I want to become the first BAMMA Heavyweight champion”
You can Follow @OliThompson_Fit and @GzimSelmani on Twitter
*Gzim Selmani – MMA Fight Record
1: Gzin Selmani def. Kaan Postaci
KO, 1st RND
July 8th 2012, Shaolin Ryu – Fight Club Den Haag 2012
Video: http://youtu.be/EItC4crmcLs
2: Gzim Selmani def. Jorrit Leemans
Armbar, 2nd RND, 2:32
13th October 2012, Shooto Holland
Video: http://youtu.be/XXgGNs4qrWI
3: Gzim Selmani def. Tolea Ciumac
TKO (Corner stoppage), 2ND RND
24th November 2012, Super Pro Romania: “KLASH – Road to Glory”
Video: http://youtu.be/ZpJywRz3Oyo
4: Ante Delija def. Gzim Selmani
TKO (punches), 1st RND, 3:09
24th May 2013, FFC – Final Fight Championship 5
5: Gzim Selmani vs. Mario Milosavljevic
Guilotine Choke, 1st RND, 0:35
9th November 2013, BFC – Bosnia Fight Championship 1
Video: http://youtu.be/PaRWKXIVYLw
6: Gzim Selmani def. Thomaz Simonic
Arm Triangle Choke, 1st ROUND, 1:54
13th December 2013, FFC – Final Fight Championship 10
Video: http://youtu.be/-Q3w-JeFPsE
Please see below for the BAMMA 15 Teaser Trailer [VIDEO]: ” He is Coming”:
BAMMA IS BROADCAST ON 5* IN THE UK, AXS-TV IN THE US, KIX IN ASIA, ABU DHABI TV IN THE MIDDLE EAST, THE FIGHT NETWORK IN CANADA, EXTREME SPORTS CHANNEL IN EUROPE, SETANTA IN AFRICA, SONY IN RUSSIA & TRANSYLVANIA MEDIA IN ROMANIA.
BAMMA is brought to you in Association with: Lonsdale & Sports Direct – The Official Equipment Partners of BAMMA Safe MMA – Independent British Medical Organisation
`Ultimate Impact 11 held their first event of 2014 Benskin VS Cook 2 at their new location of GL1 Leisure Centre in Gloucester on Saturday 22nd February to an electrified, pumped up full house.
With six K1 fights on the card including four female K1 fights and seven MMA fights, Paul Sutherland and Dan Richards had definitely pulled this one out of the bag yet again with each show just getting better and better.
The main event was all about the Middleweight Title re-match between Lenny Benskin and Tommy Cook, after the first outing ended in a DQ for Lenny Benskin in which Tommy Cook gained The Middleweight Title; it was there in the centre of the cage both men agreed to an instant re-match and tonight was the night.
Referee’s Ron Frith and Leon Roberts were the third men in the cage and MC for the night was Darren Rees.
It was time to get the first fight underway and the atmosphere of the crowd in the new home of UIC, you could already start to feel the warm, electric vibe.
UNIFIED AMATEUR MMA 70kg 3X3 MINS
JACK PRICE FURY MMA 0-1 JACK ‘THE LORD’SHORE TILLERY COMBAT 2-0
Rnd 1 Both men are straight of out the cage but it’s Shore who gains the TD and quickly moves into side control and then top position raining blows on Price who is trying to defend the flurry of shots and whilst doing so turns onto his stomach. Shore is controlling the action from the outset, and then sealing Price’s fate with a RNC at the 2min 3sec mark of Round 1.
Rnd 1 Elkova straight in with kicks in this fast paced opening few seconds. Malina pushing forward as the aggressor and drops Elkova, then Malina comes in with a lovely superman punch using her clean timed punches well. Elkova moving forward using her punches and making good use of her sidekicks.
Rnd 2 Both women come out fast, Malina coming forward with her punches and starting to use more of her leg kicks, Elkova Is starting to come into her own as both women trade alike, Malina with a great spinning back fist, Elkova moving forward and making this a two-sided affair.
Rnd 3 Elkova straight in with a one, two combination followed by Malina landing a spinning back fist and a flying knee in this fast paced round. Both women have a sense of urgency about them in this final round with neither giving an inch as the sound of clappers go for the last ten seconds Malina drops Elkova. WINNER VIA DECISION PAULINA MALINA
(c) NJFPhotography.com
K1 AMATEUR FEMALE 55KG 3X2MINS
ZOWIE TREVENA REVOULTION GYM 0-2 LEA FENDT EAST WEST MUAY THAI 0-1
RND 1 Both women come out fast; Trevena making use of angles whilst Fendt is stalking down her opponent, Trevena is in and out, circling off to the side as Fendt is still finding her range and rhythm but also landing some awesome kicks and punches in the process. Trevena has landed her own shots this first round and it is definitely not a one sided affair.
Rnd 2 Trevena is out first and lands with a front kick for which Fendt replies with a brutal sidekick, Trevena drops to her knees in agony. Referee Ron Frith checks Trevena is able to carry on – all the while Fendt’s corner are shouting at the ref for allowing ‘too much time’ and Trevena’s corner are telling her to ‘suck it up’ but the look on Trevena’s face tells a different story! With Fendt knowing she had done damage, she finds her rhythm coming forward landing brutal knees and kicks just as it signals for the end of the round.
Rnd 3 Fendt having found her earlier momentum and rhythm she is straight back where she left off throwing some brutal leg kicks and knees then threw an awesome head kick which KO’d Trevena at 1min 01 sec Rnd 3. WINNER LEA FENDT VIA KO
UNIFIED AMATEUR MMA 72KG 3X3MINS
CADRE ‘CJ’ ABDULAFUR GLOUCESTER MARTIAL ARTS 0-1 MATT FIGLAK TROJAN FREE FIGHTERS 2-1
Rnd1 Abulafur is straight out with punches, Figlak attempts an TD but Abdulafur pulls guard, Figlak in side control then gains top position where both men are working battling it out, Figlak being the dominant one with top position but Abulafur also working hard from bottom position.
Rnd 2 Figlak straight out and gains the TD, working hard from mount only for Abulafur to get back to his feet briefly and Figlak take him down again although whilst doing so Abulafur has made the error in leaving his arm out and Figlak capilatizes on this but to no avail. Figlak gains another TD and continues to control Abulafur from mount.
Rnd 3 Figlak comes out punching and gets the TD, working from mount controlling Abdulafur this is far by means a one sided affair as Abdulafur is holding his own in this well evenly matched fight.
WINNER MATT FIGLAK VIA UD
K1 MENS 68KG 3X2MINS
MATT HARTHILL FURY MMA 1-0 MATT SANSOM EAST WEST MUAY THAI 0-1
Rnd 1 Both men come out fast and are going for this like there is no tomorrow, it is constant action from the beginning with neither man not backing down. Both men are looking fierce but i’m sensing Harthill is just wanting it a bit more in this very even first round.
Rnd 2 Sansom comes out and lands an awesome high kick but its Harthill that is like a man possessed, then at 1min 16 secs Harthill KO’s Sansom. WINNER MATT HARTHILL VIA KO
UNIFIED AMATEUR MMA 59KG 3X3MINS
DARYL GRANT LIONS DENS MMA 4-1 EUAN WALLACE TROJAN FREE FIGHTERS 1-0
Rnd 1 Both men opened up with exchanges of kicks, Wallace gains the TD whilst Grant is working of his back looking for a submission, sees a small opening for an arm triangle and attempts to secure the position but to no avail.
Rnd 2 Grant opens the round with kicks and Wallace returns the favour an awesome sidekick as he does Grant comes rushing forward, there is a scramble of some sorts, I am yelling Wallace watch for the guillotine, next you know, Grant seals the deal with the Guillotine at 0.25 secs Rnd 2.
WINNER DARYL GRANT VIA GUILLOTINE
K1 AMATEUR FEMALE 55KG 3X2MINS
SAMMY DONNELLY COMBAT WARRIORS 2-2 HELEN HARPER ANDY ROBERTS BJJ DEBUT
Rnd 1 Both women come our fierce, with pure intention, working there kicks and solid knees whilst in the clinch position, Donnelly lands a lovely spinning back fist whilst Harper appears to be keeping it basic and trying to find her range in this first round.
Rnd 2 Both women come straight out firing shots at one another; Donnelly is really mixing it up well, Harper has now found her range and is landing more of her strikes on target but that is not to say Donnelly is not in this fight, quite the opposite. Donnelley is coming back with counter punches and knees of her own, making this a very even fight at this point.
Rnd 3 Harper has found her rhythm and Donnelly appears to have been caught in Harpers clinches and been dealt some of Harpers knees, just when you think Donnelley is backed up against the cage she comes back and dominates the last 15 seconds or so of this very evenly fought fight.
WINNER VIA SPLIT DECISION HELEN HARPER
UNIFIED AMATEUR MMA 60KG 3X3MINS
MICHAEL JONES TILLERY COMBAT 1-1 AMAN SAKHIZEDEH TROJAN FREE FIGHTERS 2-0
Rnd 1 Great opening round for both men, both men are feeling each other out, Sakhizedeh teeps Jones straight in the face but this does not faze Jones, he is still moving forward throughout the first round and neither man is not backing down.
Rnd 2 Sakhizedeh straight in and shoots, gains the TD, working in top position as Jones is moving back to his corner against the cage on his back then is back to his feet. Sakhizedeh shoots in for another TD just before the end of the round finishes.
Rnd 3 Sakhizedeh comes out and get Jones in a great Arm Drag Wrestling move for which the crowd go wild, Jones is straight back to his feet, Sakhizedeh has Jones against the cage working for a position but to no avail. The action moves towards the centre of the cage, Sakhizedeh shows more of his great pedigree background in wrestling. Jones puts up a terrific fight but he was just out wrestled on the night. WINNER AMAN SAKHIZEDEH VIA UD
PRO MMA 68KG 3X5MINS
KARL EVANS FURY MMA DEBUT MARK FINNEY TROJAN FREE FIGHTERS DEBUT
Rnd 1 Finney straightin with a one, two combination and knocks Evans down Finney on top raining blows. Evans manages to get back up and both men are going back at it, there’s a scramble and Evans attempts an guillotine, Finney escapes by cage walking – but you really had to see this ‘technique’ he pulled off to escape back to his feet. As soon as they are back to their feet neither man is backing down, it again goes back to the ground and both men are fighting hard for Top position, Evans sees Finney has his arm out during one of their many ‘roll’s to gain Top position and takes it at 4min 24 secs Rnd 1
WINNER KARL EVANS VIA ARMBAR
K1 MENS 3X2 MINS
STEVE SMITH GLOUCESTER MARTIAL ARTS 2-0 MATT KAUFMAN TROJAN FREE FIGHTERS 2-0
Rnd 1 Both men come out with a striking clinic and neither man is backing down. Kaufman drops Smith in the last seconds of the rounds with a brutal leg kick.
Rnd 2 Smith lands a brutal leg kick that drops Kaufman who does a celebratory jump, which is a bit premature as Kaufman recovers and comes back fighting with a lot more intent.
Rnd 3 Smith lands a great right that dropped Kaufman but Kaufman is not shying away and is still pushing the action forward in this action packed fight.
WINNER STEVE SMITH VIA UD
PRO MMA 77KG WELTERWEIGHT 3X5MINS
ADAM BOUSIFF TEAM FORCE 3-2 CHRIS ASTLEY TROJAN FREE FIGHTER 1-0
Rnd 1 Bousiff straight out and catches Astley with a left hook which drops him, Bousiff is straight on Astley to finish the job in hand, landing several shots before referee Leon Roberts calls a stop to the fight at 0.19secs. WINNER ADAM BOUSIFF VIA TKO
K1 FEMALE 58KG TITLE ELIMIATOR FIGHT 3X2MINS
LAURA HANDY FURY MMA 2-0 ANYA BAKER THE MAT ACADAMEY 2-1
Rnd 1 Both women come out fast, Handy finding her target with her long reach and constant jabs and punches early on. Baker being the more cautious fighter and using her kicks to start with. Handy gets Baker with one of her awesome knees and drops Baker in this opening round.
Rnd 2 Baker is out first and is using her kicks to reach Handy and it’s clear you can see Baker’s kicks have been damaging as I notice a big red mark on Handy’s left outside thigh. Handy is pushing forward with her awesome punching making Baker work against the cage; this is a great display of who wants this title eliminator the most in this second round.
Rnd 3 Handy straight out and in with a one, two combination followed by her awesome knees and even more punches, making Baker work off the cage. This is not a one sided affair Baker is giving Handy her own share of kicks and punches which seems as Handy is coming under fire a little in the dying seconds of the final round, as she has Baker against the cage wall. Both women give it their all in this all-out war and leave everything in the cage.
WINNER LAURA HANDY VIA UD
PRO MMA 84KG MIDDLEWEIGHT TITLE
LENNY BENSKIN BROTHERHOOD MMA 0-1 TOMMY COOK IRON MANN GYM 3-0
Rnd 1 Cook shoots in and gets Benskin down, Cook on top and looking for a position all the while Cook is grinding out punches to Benskin, it gets back to their feet and Benskin is raining in some short sharp elbows to Cook’s head. Cook then gets Benskin to the ground and throws his own punches on Benskin, showing just how much this Title fight means to both men. Benskin has managed to stop quite a few of Cook’s TD’s and only two have been successful in this opening, exiting round.
Rnd 2Cook again shoots in and Benskin defends the TD perfectly and replies with short harsh elbows to Cook’s head. Cook has Benskin against the cage and is throwing knees, and for a brief, second it did appear Benskin was in a bit of trouble but Benskin rolled out of it, Cook got straight back on Benskin raining blow after blow and even some nasty elbows. Benskin is covering up at this point and Cook rolls him over and attempts a RNC to no avail. Benskin turtles up and weathers the storm and the remainder of the round.
Rnd 3 Cook comes straight out and in for the TD for which he briefly gets as Benskin is straight out into side control against the cage. Benskin trying to land punches but Cook has hold of his wrist and therefore gains wrist control although a few of Benskin punches manages to get through, Cook gets out and gets Benskins back only for Benskin to roll to his front. Cook now in Top position, both trying to gain punches, Benskin gets Cook rolled over and he is now on Top in this ‘topsey turvey’ last few moments of this exciting Title Fight. It is clear to say that neither man wants to lose this fight. This fight had everything from start to finish and both men left everything in the cage.
WINNER AND STILL UIC MIDDLEWEIGHT CHAMPION TOMMY COOK VIA UD
UIC 11 Middleweight Champion – Tommy Cook (c) Emma Bramford
Gilbert Melendez and Anthony Pettis have both been named to coach the female Strawweights on this season’s TUF 20, yes you heard right.
Gilbert Melendez has now accepted a new offer from The UFC and one it appears he just could not refuse (again), exact contract details were not revealed but here is the Press Release from The UFC.
The Ultimate Fighting Championship announced tonight that No.2 ranked lightweight contender Gilbert Melendez has agreed to a new contract with organization. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Melendez will now coach against UFC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis on season 20 of The Ultimate Fighter. The two will then meet for the UFC lightweight title later this year. The show, which will begin filming in May and premiere on FOX Sports 1 on Sept. 10th features the launch of the UFC women’s 115-pound weight class. The winner of this season of The Ultimate Fighter will be crowned the UFC strawweight division’s inaugural champion.
We last saw Melendez in a toe-to-toe all out war with Diego Sanchez at UFC 166 last October in arguably one of the best fights of 2013, with Melendez coming away with the unanimous decision and ‘Fight of the Night’.
The coaching stint on TUF 20 will more than likely give Pettis the extra time for his injured knee which forced him out of his title defense against Josh Thomson back at UFC on Fox 9.
I’m going to have a guess that Melendez will bring in Nate Diaz somewhere along the line, which will make interesting viewing if you know the history of the two training camps involved!
It’s all about the women come September 10th when we can watch TUF 20 and I for one cannot wait.
Amateur Female Fighter Zowie-Marie Trevena currently works as a Personal Assistant for her niece and mother in-law to help them with everyday tasks, as they are both disabled her niece also has health problems as well as ADHD and Asperger’s she is also a self-employed beauty therapist who can work between 30-40 hours a week with both jobs. Has two children and her partner Scott lives with her, but life was not so Rosie for Zowie. Here we get to find out about whom ‘Zowie-Marie Trevena is, but first we start at the beginning.
“It just goes to show you can achieve anything you put your mind too” Zowie -Marie Trevena
EB. You are from Cornwall originally, what was it like for you growing up in what I would call a place I would go for a ‘British beach holiday’.
ZT. I was a typical tomboy. Growing up on an estate I spent most of my time playing football, building camps or riding my bike to the beach to go surfing or my favourite past time… Cliff jumping!
EB. You were also quite into your sports and very active during your teenage days. Can you tell me about what other active sports you did?
ZT. I have always participated in football, rugby, rounder’s’, gymnastics, dance just to name a few, the only thing I could not do was long distance running, but that was back then!
EB. It was not all ‘fun’ for you growing up, you went through a ‘rebellious’ stage in your life. Can you tell me a bit more about this time?
ZT. I was quite rebellious back then and always strived to be different from everyone else. Quite often, I would go home with a new piercing, tattoo, random coloured hair and some new crazy hobby!
EB. This is when you came across a love of mine as well ‘Modified Cars’, ‘Racing’, ‘Drifting’. Can you go into more detail?
ZT. I first got into modified cars when I learnt to drive in an Mk 2 Astra GTE at the age of 15, my ambition then was to get my licence and first car ASAP. Over the years I’ve had cars such as Peugeot 106 GTI’s to Nissan Skylines, Subaru Impreza’s and a few Japenese RWD cars that I used to drift or do track days in.
EB. You also came across the well-known 90’s Rave scene and went off the ‘Rails for a while’. Do you think this was due to your ‘addictive personality’ and wanting to be ‘different’ from everyone else?
ZT. When I was 16/17 I got in with a bit of a tougher crowd and started going to all night parties and raves in Plymouth and Newquay, but to be honest, some of those moments were the best days of my life. The feeling of oblivion and dancing the night away was immense… It was all about “One Love”. To be honest I do not regret any of it.
EB. In 2002, you gave birth to a gorgeous Son, then in 2004 a gorgeous Daughter. Life must have felt quiet complete for you at this moment in time, two gorgeous children?
ZT. It was after the birth of my daughter that I suffered in the hands of a physically and mentally abusive partner. I lost my confidence, my zest for life and my self-esteem. The only thing that kept me going was the children and the fact I was studying at college.
EB. Was it as this point you decided you wanted to try out kickboxing?
ZT. Yes it was. I joined WAKT (West Area Kick Thai) run by Al Oakley in Camborne Cornwall. I spent six months training at WAKT and during that time, I met and married a soldier, which meant I moved from Cornwall to Hampshire. I wanted to continue my love for kickboxing and joined Impact Martial Arts run by Wayne Timlin. I spent 3/4 years training with them and was only two belts away from black belt before yet another disaster struck.
EB. Can you elaborate about this time in your life?
ZT. My marriage crumbled and my children and I found ourselves homeless.
For some reason, I had a gut feeling to move to Devizes in Wiltshire; to this day, I cannot explain it other than it felt right. It meant moving to an area where we had no family or friends, I had to change my job, the children had to move schools. It was a very hard and depressing time. However, it also gave me time to reflect on my life choices, the way I treated others, and a chance to put my children first before anyone else, including myself.
EB. You joined a new martial arts club, how was that?
ZT. I joined a local martial arts school, made new friends, my children also joined and we trained together. I then progressed to an instructor I’d already won gold and silver medals in the national and southern championships, however, I did not believe in the ethics of the club so left and joined Revolution Gym in Trowbridge which is run by my now coach Scott Clist.
EB. What changed for you being at Revolution Gym?
ZT. It is here that I began to think about fighting, and felt that even though I was 30 I had more to give. What also spurred me on was my ex said I would never be good enough to fight! Scott Clist is my coach at Revs, I joined Revs as the atmosphere was more relaxed and I could be who I wanted to be. Scott, has actively encouraged me to push myself, and never allows any self-doubt! Being part of Revs is like having an extended family! Sometimes with the hard training he gives us, it is nice to know you are not the only one vomiting at the end of a session!
EB. Sunday February 3rd 2013 was a huge achievement for you, can you tell me why?
ZT. I entered my first inter club, at Spartans, then in May 2013 I had my first K1 fight, and then I fought K1 again in August 2013 again.
EB. You have another fight coming up this Saturday February 22nd at Ulitmate lmpact Cagefighting 11, GL1 Leisure Centre in Gloucester against Lea Fendt, do you know much about your opponent?
ZT. I believe Lea, istrained by David Willmot, who has a fantastic reputation, so I expect my opponent to be tough! However, I am ready I have been training hard It has not been easy between working, running a home and spending time with my kids, but my partner and kids have been very understanding and a great support!
EB. The fight also co-insides the day before your 32nd birthday, how excited are you about this?
ZT. Pretty excited about fighting on my birthday. I Could not ask better people to spend it with. I have made many friends through fighting; these are people I admire and respect.
EB. You have a female fighter that you really look up to as your ‘Hero’ can you share this with us?
ZT. My hero is ‘Rowdy’ Bec Rawlings, she is also a mum of two who has overcome a Domestic Violent relationship. She has fought in the Invicta championships and has now signed to UFC in the straw weight women’s division. It just goes to show you can achieve anything you put your mind too!
EB. Anyone you would like to Thank.
ZT. I’d like to thank my coach Scott Clist, the guys and gals at Spartans Gym for the additional training, Marc Smith at Pure Warrior for his support and last but not least, my partner Scott and my children. Without their support and understanding I wouldn’t be able to train so much. Oh and I’d like to thank my training partner and corner “man” Polly Beauchamp for teaching me to push past those barriers!
Quick Fun Questions
EB. Favourite Food?
Got to be a Cornish Pasty!
EB. What song are you usually singing in the shower/bath?
You will never catch me singing… I’ll leave that to my daughter!
EB. Most inspirational person?
There isn’t one person who particularly inspires me… I seem to admire many people for different reasons.
EB. Dream Car?
If I could have my dream car … It would be an Skyline R32 GTS-T , I love my old skool jap turbos!
I would like to thank Zowie for her time given to myself to do this Interview. Thank you.
FULL FIGHT CARD
Tommy Cook v Leighthan Benskin MW Title Laura Handy v Anya Baker k1 title eliminator
Terry Doyle v Ryan Legge
Chris Astley v Toby Harman
Shane Riley v Jamie Richardson
Mark Finney v Karl Evans
Undercard:
Sammy Donnelly v Helen J. Harper k1
Aman Sakhizadeh vs Michael Jones
Matthew Kaufman v Steve Smith k1
Matt Sansom v Matt Harthill k1
Paulina Malina v Katie Elkova k1
Daryl Grant v Euan Wallace
Jay Grazier v Matt Michal Figlak
Lea Fendt v Zowie Trevena k1
Jack Shore v Jack Machete Price
VENUE GL1 Leisure Centre, Bruton Way, Gloucester, GL1 1DT
At the weekend, Shannon Knapp President of the all- female fighting organisation Invicta FC went on a signing spree and signed up 15 new fighters.
Ranging from Atomweight up to the Featherweight divison, with the biggest chunck of new signee’s coming into the Strawweight and Flyweight Division having 5 new signings each.
Here, you can meet all 15 new Invicta FC Fighters and read a little bit about their ‘Fight’ history courtsey of sherdog.com.
You will notice that Roxanne Modafferi will now be fighting at 125lbs not 135lbs.
Invicta FC continue to strive to be the forefront of Female Mixed Martial Arts and has been doing so since 2012 by President and CEO Shannon Knapp and not forgetting former Match Maker Janet Martin.
The new signee’s will give new Match Maker Julie Kedzie something exciting to put together for everyone involved with Invicta FC and more importantly keeping the fans wanting to see more from WMMA.
Neilson Promotions was set up in June 2008 by Eddie, Tony and Mark Neilson, with the intention of providing White Collar Boxing / Semi-Professional boxing Events in the Swindon Area.
In the past Neilson Promotions have put on a couple of local shows purely in aid of charity. Now they have stepped up the game to make each show as close to a professional show as they possibly can, as you will have seen from their last few events; in doing so their last event made it into Wikipedia
On 13 October 2012, Neilson Promotions, a Swindon-based white collar boxing promoter, put on the largest show of its kind to date. A venue verified attendance of 1398 watched ten contests at the Oasis Leisure Centre in Swindon with the main event seeing Dave ‘Bam Bam’ Gregory retain his NP Heavyweight title against Rich ‘The Tank’ Loveday over three rounds.
Looking at Brad Pickett’s Twitter this morning, (UK Time) it was news that he deep down, was expectpting, but probably hoping it would not become a reality.
Today at 14.54pm he tweeted the following :
Although nothing else was stated and ‘Uncle Creepy’ Ian
McCall himself had not put anything at all on Twitter, this still led everyone to believe that the problem lies with McCall.
That has now been confirmed by Dana White that Ian McCall is infact out injured and will NOT be fighting UK’s Brad Pickett who also was making his 125lb debut in the Flyweight divison.
The UFC are still working on a replacment; I mean we do still have time on our side, especially since what has just happend to Daniel Cormier, who’s opponent Rashad Evans also fell injured, with only one week to go, despite DC tweeting ‘Chael.P.Sonnen and Anthony ‘Rumble’ Johnson to fight him; His new opponent is 4-0 fighter Patric Cummins.
Looking forward to see who the UFC bring in to replace ‘Uncle Creepy’.
There is plenty of time for The UFC come up with a suitable replacement to fight Brad Pickett on March 8th at The O2 arena in London.
Last week the news broke that UFC Bantamweight athlete Jessica ‘Evil’ Eye had her first UFC win against Sarah Kaufman overturned to a No Decision. Eye was said to be punished with a year-long probationary suspension and a fine of $1875.
The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulations revealed that the change came as a result of a failed drug test by Jessica Eye after her controversial split decision win against Sarah Kaufman at UFC 166.
Finally on Wednesday night in the states the UFC released the following statement:
“The UFC received word of the fully probated suspension and fine issued to Jessica Eye by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. The UFC intends to honor the probation, which will not force Eye to miss her scheduled bout at UFC 170.”
Jessica Eye released this statement:
“I was recently alerted to the fact that I was issued a fully probated suspension and fine by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. While I intend to discuss with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation the overturning of my victory at UFC 166, I have accepted the terms of the probation and intend to compete at UFC 170 on Feb. 22. I pride myself on following the rules and representing my family, teammates, sponsors, and fans in the best light possible. I apologize for any distractions this has caused.”
Not letting this take any focus of Eye’s humbling appreciation and the love of her father she tweeted the following:
Jessica Eye will take on Alexis Davis at The Mandalay Bay Center in Las Vegas as planned in two weeks time at UFC 170 on February 22nd showing on the prelim card on Fox Sports 1 network.
GASTONIA, NORTH CAROLINA
BRAGANCA PAULISTA, SAO PAULO
NETHERLANDS
LODZ
TOKYO
MONTREAL, QUEBEC
BELGIUM
GUADALAJARA, JALISCO
PAPAMOA
Five Rounds with Emma 
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