Emma Bramford

Invicta FC 8 targets Cris ‘Cyborg’ Santos vs Ediane Gomes

Accoring to a report by MMAJunkie.com Invicta FC President Shannon Knapp is looking to hold the next instalment of the all female fighting promotion sometime in March this year, exact date to be confirmed.

In the past, Invicta FC have avoided going head-to-head with the UFC, this being said the UFC have events on March 1st, 8th, 15th and 23rd already booked. However Invicta FC officials could do what they did for Invicta FC 7, by booking a show on the same weekend as one of the UFC’s international shows, China, Brazil and of course here in the UK on March 8th.

Invicta FC are seeking to have hard-hitting knockout artist Cris ‘ Cyborg’ Santos (12-1-,1 NC) in defending her featherweight title against Ediane ‘India’ Gomes (10-2) as the Main Event, again this is yet to be confirmed.

This will be ‘Santos’ first defence of her inaugural featherweight title under the Invicta FC banner since winning the title against Marloes Coenen in July last year.

Shannon Knapp also hinted that they may also hold the next Invicta FC outside of Kansas City, Missouri where the promotion has been home to the previous last seven outings.

Revisiting Season One.. Episode Ten.. Mark ‘The Hand Of’ Godbeer

It will be one year ago to the day on October 5th that Mark Godbeer was due to make his Bellator debut against Ron Sparks, but a Career threatening injury kept his debut waiting. I spoke to Mark about his injury, training and his Debut Bellator Main Event fight against Cheick Kongo one year on.

Keeping myself involved in MMA kept me going.

EB. You have not always been a heavyweight fighter have you?

MG. Early on in my amateur career I was a heavyweight fighter. I also had a few catch weight fights then I started cutting and cutting and dropped down to light heavy then went back up to heavyweight.

EB. We saw your first Pro fight at Heavyweight for the promotion BAMMA 9 back in March 2012, when you fought Catlin Zmarandescu, where you picked up a win in the first round due to TKO (corner stoppage). How was it for you stepping up in weight and gaining the all-important win in the new weight division?

MG. It was great. After coming of a loss at my previous weight division of Light Heavyweight to Anthony Taylor, I felt that I was really cautious in that fight but I kept my cool, picked my shots and got the job done, so to get the Win was great it all paid off.

EB. Was it your intention to move up to Heavyweight for a few fights before Bellator came knocking, or was it a choice made with you and your coach to move up a weight division way before thinking anything big was coming your way?

MG. After my last weight cut at light heavyweight I felt I was skinny as a rake, you see the likes of Max Nunes, they are big and they have a lot of muscle; I also being of a certain age was finding it a bit harder to cut those last few pounds so I had decided it was time to go back to my old days to Heavyweight. I talked it over with my manager and he agreed, but I am still today walking around at 240-242llb.

EB. You train out of Trojan Free Fighters in Cheltenham which is home to a lot of great UK & European talent and it is safe to say it is firmly putting their name on the Map. What helps make Trojan Free Fighters one of the best contended gyms to be a part of today in producing top athletes such as yourself?

MG. Trainers without a doubt Paul Sutherland is one of the best coaches the UK have to offer. Team bonding, there are no egos in the gym, everyone pushes each other and all so competitive, everyone helps one another, were like a family unit.

EB. How did your fighting nickname ‘The Hand of’ come about?

MG. It’s ‘The Hand’ I just tied the rest of it into my name, but after my first professional fight against Sam Hooker a couple of my friends started to call to me ‘The Hand’ after seeing the fight that I landed a couple of monstrous right hands and it’s been that ever since.

EB. You were due to make your Bellator Debut back on October 5th 2012 against Ron Sparks, but due to a career threatening Neck and Back Injury you had to withdraw, how did this injury occur?

MG. I was driving home from wrestling training when I had real bad pains in my neck. I then lost complete feeling in my hand and was rushed in for an emergency MRI, then rushed in for an emergency operation. I cannot pin point how as such it occurred, just accumulation of training which did result in a crack in my vertebrae and herniating the disc.

EB. Going from an all-time Career high, being signed to one of the best organisations in the world Bellator, then to have to deal with something that could off quite easily been the end of everything you had worked so hard for, how was it in those months after your injury for you?

MG. Horrible, worst time of my life, I was depressed. I became reliant on painkillers for a brief time it was a real horrible part of my life. I could not do nothing for six months, for five of those months I was in a neck brace. Going from training every day to doing nothing it really got to me as everything I liked doing before I was unable to do, to make matters worse when I had my operation that went wrong so I had to end up having another one!

EB. What kept you going through the darkest days to motivate you, to give you strength and determination, when at some points you could off quite easily given up?

MG. After the initial six months I just couldn’t sit around and do nothing anymore so I started teaching at one of the local clubs, although I could not join in, I was still part of the MMA community, it then progressed from there. I decided to put all my effort and energy into opening my own club in my home town of Brigwater, Sommerset, keeping myself involved in MMA kept me going.

EB. It was announced on Sunday September 9th that you are making your long awaited Debut for Bellator on 4th October against ex UFC Heavyweight fighter Cheick Kongo, not a bad start to Bellator 102, what do you think? (I’m smiling)

MG. It’s a great fight, great main event, and exposure but Bellator know what they are doing. A lot of people have already wrote me off, he is just another man, forget about his UFC career, forget who he has fought, look at him as a fighter, I know I can truly beat him.

EB. Does it usually bother you, who your opponent is when it’s been decided on a fight for you (obviously you agree to the fight as well as your coaches and management team), or is it just a case of getting on with the job in front of you?

MG. I’m at the level now where we don’t turn down fights, we are there to be tested and that’s the good thing with Paul Sutherland we’re professional fighters and if the fight is there we will fight who is put in front of us.

EB. Being out for 18months, does that bother you mentally? Will there be any ‘cage rust’ so say when you step into the cage to face Cheick Kongo? Or will Head Coach, Paul Sutherland will have made sure you have been prepared for this fight 100%, facing the famous ‘Meat Day’ sessions full on every Sunday to make sure you are prepared?

MG. Without a doubt I am ready for this fight, I don’t believe in the term ‘Ring Rust’, the nerves are different on fight day which are good nerves. If I have prepared for every situation in the gym and had the right training for this fight (for which I have), then I am not going to be shocked. I’ve been in with some big guys over my fight career so far and I know what to expect.

EB. You bring an astonishing record of 8-1 into the cage and not only that but you have also never seen the third round in any of your 9 professional fights with 6 of them coming via TKO/KO which again is also impressive. How are you going about preparing for what I imagine is your biggest challenge to date as in Cheick Kongo?

MG. It is going to be the biggest fight of my life, but I cannot look at this fight as it’s ‘Cheick Kongo’ I am looking at it as he is another man who has hole’s in his game and I will exploit them, also being prepared for his strong points, as there will be times when he will be stronger, but also times when I will be stronger.

EB. Although a lot of people would only be looking at your opponent’s name and career record which is 18-8-2 and then looking at your name and career record 8-1, they probably won’t be looking at the bigger picture, which is when you actually break down Cheick Kongo’s win’s, his KO win is 10 and submission is 3, put that together with yours, KO wins 6, submission 2, I call this a very even fight, what can Bellator fans expect to see on October 4th?

MG. It will be an entertaining fight, we have very similar styles, take away his name, who he has fought, look at our styles and how we have fought, we are similar. The fans will get an entertaining fight.

EB. Anyone you would like to thank?

MG. Pound Out, Sci Max, Rolling Big Power, Lexani, Club Rio Brigwater, Smuggling Dudds, Paul Sutherland, all my team mates, coaches, Trojan free fighters.

5 Quick FUN Questions

EB. If you could change 1 rule in MMA what would it be?

When they purposely put their hand down to stop a knee coming

EB. Favourite International Fighter?

Dan Henderson

EB. Favourtie Food?

Anything – I’m a heavyweight now!

EB. What song do you usually sing in the shower?

A bit of Neil Diamond

Mark is fighting live in the Bellator 102 series on Friday October 4th visit http://www.spike.com for more information.

Photo courtesy of Huw Fairclough (c) Short & Round

Revisiting Season One.. Episode Nine.. Faisel Ghazghazi

In early September 2013 I spoke with Faisel Ghazghazi, you maybe thinking who but this interview will leave you wanting to know more.

‘Training has allowed me to find the real Faisel and understand who and what I am about’.

Faisel Ghazghazi admits life is not easy. Growing up on the wrong side of the Law, he finally turned to Martial Arts to keep fit and to stay out of trouble. Little did he know he would enjoy the sport as much as he has done. After turning pro on 7th September 2013 I talked to him about his past, present and future.

EB.Tell me a bit about yourself?

FG. I am 31 years old. I have only been training in MMA around 18 months. I wanted to simply find something that would keep me fit, introduce me to some new people and help me stay out of trouble.

I decided to go pro as I wanted to have a career in something I enjoy doing although it would be great if I could make a living so I could look after my son Diesel.

EB. You mentioned you wanted something to keep you out of trouble, can you just briefly explain what you mean by that?

FG.I started drinking alcohol at the age of 12, by 15 I was drinking heavily every day, which lead to me dabbling with substances, mainly speed and cannabis. Being high helped me cope with the stress I was under and I got into a lot of trouble, with the end result which was my freedom, I ended up in prison.

EB. Do you now feel, that having that time to reflect, it has taught you a lot about yourself?

FG. I know that if I pick up another drink it wouldn’t be long before my old behaviour slipped back in and I started getting into trouble again, so upon my release I knew I really wanted something to help with my confidence and I was introduced to Arthur Meek who has years of experience training fighters, he also has a unique ability to relate and gain the respect of troubled guys like myself.

I don’t go around creating victims anymore, now I’m helping young guys who have similar backgrounds to myself, helping them to stay on the right track. I believe that training has allowed me to find the real Faisel and understand who and what I am about.

EB. You do voluntary work at YMCA in Bridgwater, can you tell me a bit more about this and what it means to you?

FG. The work I do with kids is a constant reminder that prison is only around the corner if I choose to drink, take drugs or return to my old offending behaviours. I work very hard to maintain a good self-esteem by helping others and I am always thinking about them rather than myself.

I want to give back to the community and the aim of the programme I run which is called BoxFit is to help guys boost their self-esteem, reduce offending behaviour, encourage team work, discipline and channel their energy and aggression in a positive way. My classes are disciplined and the guys do work but they also feel that they are ‘someone’ and know that they can come to me with any issue as I have their best interests at heart.

EB. Tell me about where you train out of and the club and what it means to you?

FG. I train out of All or Nothing Gym in Bridgwater, my coach is Arthur Meeks, it is what it is really, All or Nothing.

MMA showed me there is another way to live, I could never have dreamed of having the support that I have from the guys at All Or Nothing Gym they genuinely want me to do well and all put themselves out to help me get to where I need to be, if it wasn’t for martial arts I would be back in prison for sure, I would not have the success that I have had and would seriously lack that discipline and drive that I now have and crave.

EB. You have a very short but impressive Amateur record, can you tell me about it?

FG. Its four Wins one NC one DQ. I am unbeaten in the cage, having only started my Amateur career back in August 2012 it feels great to have had six fights and to be fighting regularly but also to be unbeaten in the cage.

EB. You recently made your Pro Debut on September 7th which saw you win in 44 seconds of Round one, did this go as planned?

FG. Yes, I was straight in there, got the all-important Win on my Pro Debut, although the fight was stopped by the Doctor due to my opponent sustaining a cut above his eye, but props to my opponent as he was fighting a good fight.

EB. Your next fight happens to be in my hometown of Swindon on October 5th against Phil Wells, do you know much of your opponent?

FG. I’ve seen a couple of his fights on you tube but have not really watched a lot, I tend to let my team do that and I concentrate on what they tell me do and get on with the job in hand, which is fighting.

EB. How are you expecting the fight to go?

FG. I will expect the un-expected but it will be G-Man for the win.

EB. How did you get your nickname ‘G-Man’ and what does it stand for?

FG. After one of my fights one of my friends said to me “Good fight G-Man” and it has stuck ever since, so unfortunately no big story to the name or what it stands for!

EB. Anyone you would like to thank?

FG. Trainers Arthur Meek, Richard Weatherall, Tattoo man Scott Thomas, Photographers Christian Dalton and Peter Huish, my son Diesel for giving me the drive to keep going and team mates at All or Nothing in Bridgwater.

Faisel’G-Man’Ghazghazi is fighting on October 5th against Phil Wells at the CAGED Event Swindon M.E.C.A Tickets are £20 and VIP £40 full details http://www.swindontickets.co.uk

Photo (c) D J Welsh Photography

Season One.. Episode Eight.. Female UFC Fighter Rosi Sexton

Before making history as the UFC’s first ever female fight to happen in Europe and UK. I caught up with UK MMA pioneer and Cambridge graduate Dr Rosi Sexton ahead of UFC® MANCHESTER back in September 2013.

EB. You’re a pioneer for women’s UKMMA, starting your professional career back in 2002.Was it ever in your own thoughts that one day women would be in the UFC and you would be here in the UFC representing the UK now?

RS. I always thought it would happen one day. I think early on I hoped it would happen in time for me, but as the time went on I kind of gave up hope it was going to happen to me a few years ago as it wasn’t looking very likely, then the first women’s fight came around very quick, it happened very fast with the Ronda Rousey and Liz Carmouche fight and a lot of opportunities opened up and took me by surprise it wasn’t something I anticipated, but embraced it.

EB. Having said that if the UFC were an option back in your earlier career, would you have also taken the opportunity back then?

RS. I’m in a better position now and the division is better on a whole as it’s a lot more competitive, to be honest it happened just at the right time.

EB. How close were you to throwing in the towel and hanging up this side of your career before being signed to UFC?

RS. You have to remember no Professional athlete goes on forever and I didn’t actually say I had retired from the sport; I had reached a stage where I had done most of what I wanted too, and also it was getting difficult to justify the financial terms that go hand in hand with the sport, along with being a single parent to my son, I guess you can say I was just waiting for a bigger opportunity whatever that may have been, and for me, thankfully it was the UFC.

EB. Can you talk me through your feelings, emotions and pressures of being the UK’s sole Female representative in the UFC; fighting in the UK on October 26^th in Manchester which is also the UFC’s first ever female fight to happen in Europe and UK in your home town?

RS. Very excited as it is huge. It will be the first women’s UFC fight in Europe, and I will be fighting in my home town for the first time in my whole fighting career. There will be pressure, but I feel it will be a kind of good pressure and I will rise to the occasion.

EB. How easy has it been to get back into training on the back of your loss to Alexis Davis? Can you talk me through the fight and your own opinion of your performance?

RS. It was a good fight, very competitive, good performance. I could have done better and some things cost me the fight. A lot of people were expecting me to get beaten before I went into the fight, no one was talking about me before the fight, they were all talking about Ronda Rousey and how Alexis Davies would walk right through me, but she didn’t. I think she did win it, but it was really close, I was pleased with what I did, not satisfied, pleased. If I could do again I would.

EB. It is no secret this is not your usual fighting weight division, but when an opportunity such as the UFC comes knocking on your door (when you have been a UK MMA pioneer in the sport for just over 10 years, you’re not going to turn it down) – How are you finding the higher weight division?

RS. Good question, 125lb is my best weight class, 135lb I would say I am a bit on the small side but I will give any 135lber a good run for their money in this division , win or lose they will know they have been in a fight when faced against me. Jessica Andrade is a good fight and we have similar styles, I belong in this weight class, I am strong at this weight, I can hang with the other girls; other girls are bigger, that maybe a factor, it depends on the individual, I have upped my game slightly as I cannot rely solely to power through in this weight division.

There are some good fun fights for me in this division, having just recently fought and in my own opinion held my own against the worlds ranked #4 or #5, I belong in this weight class and of course on the flip side I am enjoying being able to eat more. (Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream).

EB. How is your training camp going for this fight? Are you implementing anything new into your training schedule or is it a case of drilling everything you know?

RS. Going real well, had a good week, feeling sharp, have great training partners in flyweights, bantamweights at Next Generation. I’m currently training with a World class Olympic Judo athlete Sophie Cox, who is very solid and has dangerous throws. I am very fortunate in that I also have Laura Howarth helping me out, who has a great striking background. Come October 26^th you will see a better version of me.

EB. Now that the sport is evolving and there are more females, how has this helped you and is helping you in your current training as I’ve seen you’ve got the likes of Laura Howarth and Sophie Cox training with you? It must be nice to mix things up and have females involved in a training camp?

RS. It is important to have men, having always trained a lot with men, women are also important, they are different in a whole other way, which is also a whole other question as they really go at you, it is great to have a mix, you can judge where you are at with the females as in size and strength; both females are great to work with as previously mentioned, Sophie is a World class Olympian and Laura comes from a great striking background with a great future ahead of her.

EB. What are your thoughts on the current season of TUF18 with it being a mixed household?

RS. It’s interesting, I’m not up to date as I’ve been training but what I’ve heard is that it is going well, people are talking about it, the women are great and are serious athletes. The women’s fights are great and this is what needs to be showcased for people who are not familiar with women in the sport.

EB. What can the fans expect to see come October 26^th at The Phones 4U Arena in Manchester?

RS. Exciting, fast paced fight, with fast paced rounds, combining powerful striking, good grappling; from what I see Jessica also has a strong background in Judo with some Jiu Jitsu skills; she is a dangerous fighter and if you’re not ready for her intensity she can catch you out, but I am ready.

EB. How did you get into MMA? I heard that you watched a TV documentary and was hooked from there?

RS. (Laughs) I was watching a TV documentary back in 1999 which had UK Pioneer Leigh Remedios in and now recently retired ex – UFC veteran Ian Freeman, I thought I wanted to do that, little did I know where it would lead to and that I would end up being the first UK female fighter in the UFC.

EB. Besides the fact that you are on the Manchester card, which fights in particular have caught your eye and you are looking forward to watching?

RS. Michael Bisping Vs Mark Munoz, Ross Pearson Vs Melvin Guillard and of course my fellow midget Phil Harris, all the fights have great UK talent on them.

EB. Anyone you would like to Thank?

RS. My team coaches Paul Williams, Danny Rimmer, Steve Campbell, Mike Leng my Nutrition coach, PhD Nutrition, Funky Gums, Ainsley Fry, Global Therapy for keeping me in one piece, Strength and Performance gym, Rev Gear and Next Generation Gym.

Rosi Sexton takes on Jessica Andrade at The Phones 4U Arena in Manchester on 26^th October. Tickets for UFC® MANCHESTER 2013: BISPING vs. MUNOZ are available from www.ticketmaster.co.uk and www.phones4uarena.co.uk.

This interview went to print before it was announced Michael Bisping had to withdraw from the event, therefore Lyoto Machida replaced him to face Mark Munoz.

Season One.. Episode seven..Jorge ‘Michelan’ Bezerra

With his BAMMA World Middleweight Title fight against Scott Askham being tomorrow night (September 14th), I managed to catch up with Jorge ‘Michelan’ Bezerra at London Fight Factory for a brief chat about it.

Everyone knows that my greatest weapon is my jiu jitsu I can now show the true value of jiu jitsu ,what I learned from the Master Leo Vieira’

EB: You’re managed by U I Management who manage a whole host of predominantly UK-based fighter’s such as Che Mills, Mark Godbeer and Matt Ewin who are a little more ‘known’ to us here, how did UI Management and yourself first become involved?

JB: A friend of mine, Mauro Chimento who is also managed by U I Management who are affiliated with Checkmat BJJ here where I train in Sao Paulo, mentioned it to me so to cut a long story short I am now managed by U I Management. It is a great pleasure and I am very happy to represent them. It is the start of a great working relationship together.

EB: Growing up in Brazil was not easy for you, yet alone trying to gain a MMA career for yourself. How does it feel for you to be fighting in Europe and gaining more recognition?

JB: Growing up in Brazil I come from a humble family and my childhood was as normal as it could be, with thanks to God as a saviour. I started Jiu jitsu and Karate at a young age then I was introduced to MMA, for which I have never looked back on. It is really good to see that I am finally making my way and name over here in Europe.

EB: You began your professional fighting career as a Welterweight fighter and went to Middleweight in April 2012. What made you decide to move up a weight division?

JB: In Brazil I have fought in almost, all of the divisions, but now I have found the correct division for me that suit’s me a lot better, to my natural height and build. I feel this is the right move for me in this division.

EB: You hold a Black Belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Leo Vieira, an impressive record of 18-9, it’s no wonder you’re fighting on BAMMA 13 against Scott Askham for the Middleweight World Title bout. How much do you know about the unbeaten Scott Askham?

JB: Scott Askham is a very dangerous athlete, he has a very strong striking power with his knees and kicks, also some Jiu Jitsu skills but he is standing out too much here in Europe at the minute and we will make this a good fight. I’m the biggest black belt of all time in jiu jitsu, thank God for all these years, I can now show the true value of jiu jitsu I learned from the Master Leo Vieira, my record speaks for itself and it’s the result of good jiu jitsu I learned.

EB: Having had 27 professional career fights to date, you have only seen the third round six times (last time was back in 2009) most of your wins have come by way of submission, 16 to be exact, is it safe to say that the ground game is second nature to you?

JB: Although predominately, yes I am a BJJ specialist, I train for every aspect in this sport but the ground game is as you would say is second nature to me.

I have trained and workout a lot to be a champion . I have my failures and limitations as do all athletes, but I ‘m trying to evolve in all areas. Everyone knows that the greatest weapon is my jiu jitsu, people avoid falling into my game, so I’m trying to evolve in everything else.

EB: Scott Askham complimented you on your BJJ skills in a recent interview he did and also hinted he would stand and trade with you, this said though, in his last fight with Jack Marshman he also stated he would stand and trade, but this did not happen, do you feel this could just be part of his “Game Plan”?

JB: I am not worried about his Game Plan, I will concentrate on what I have come here to do and that is to put on a great fight for you fans and of course to win the fight by whatever way I can.

EB: How do you feel now that your fight has been moved from the Prelims to the Main Card on BAMMA 13?
JM:I am training for everything for this fight. I am very well prepared and I will embrace the opportunity that BAMMA is giving me to be able to make the main event card, it is a great opportunity, I truly am thankful.

EB: How did you get your nickname ‘Michelan’ and what does it mean?

JB: When I started training with Leo he had some people who loved giving nicknames to people , and I was chubby, so he began to call me by the name ‘Michelan’ I looked the Toy spreading the ‘Michelan’ tyre brand so that nickname stuck with me, and now they call me ‘Michelan’ for more than 10 years.

EB: Being the “away” fighter, what impact if any does that have on you?

JB: I don’t feel it has an impact on me as such, it just makes for a more interesting fight, one person always has to come out to be the not so favourite one I guess.

EB: What can BAMMA fans expect to see on Saturday 14th September?

JB: All the fans, whether they are supporting me or Askham, can expect a very busy, full night of action, I like my fights to be fast paced and ready from the off, I will give a great show come fight night.

EB: Is there anyone you would like to thank?

JB: Yes I would like to thank my many Sponsors, Paul Sutherland and Dan Richards for they’re giving me the greatest strength.

5 Quick fun Questions

If you could change 1 rule in MMA what would it be?
I would have Pride rules back, because those rules do not favour anyone, the time of the pride days was so much better.

Favourite Food?

I love Japanese food, and Italian

Walk Out Music?

I ‘m evangelical, and like to hear praises to Christ.
Favourite UK Fighter?

Paul Daley

If you held a dinner party and could invite 3 guests past or present, who would it be and why?

You may call me crazy, Call God the Creator of the universe and our lives , Jesus Christ, who gave his own life for love , and the Holy Spirit. I would gather all 3 and be very Blessed… Jesus Christ loves you!

Season One.. Episode six.. Lew Long

Ahead of his bout on Cage Warriors 59, I caught up with Lew Long, and here is what we talked about.

EB: Your last fight for Cage Warriors was at The Motorpoint Arena, Cardiff, against Mark Glover, which was great to watch, we got to see a different Lew, more focused and not getting drawn into Mark’s own game plan that night, what was your own personal highlight from that fight?

LL: Probably my head movement, I felt like something out of the Matrix!

EB: In your last fight with Mark Glover you said

“I can take a fight anywhere, but I knew he wanted to stand, so I decided to showcase what I’ve been working on.”

Was this in reference, to you working with ‘The Locket Man’ Gary Locket?

LL: I’ve always been a striker, Glover gave me the freedom of me not having to worry about defending the take down so I can use what Gary has worked on.

EB: This is will be your third outing under the Cage Warriors promotion and also your third time fighting on home soil. Do you consider yourself pretty lucky to be still having the home crowd advantage?

LL: Almost all my other fights have been fought in Wales, I love fighting in Wales, what fighter does not like having a home advantage!

EB: You will be facing Tommy Maguire on September 14^th at The Motorpoint arena, Cardiff for Cage Warriors 59. Would you say this is your hardest fight to date?

LL: Don’t know, haven’t fought him yet, but if i win it would be my biggest scalp, if that’s what you mean!

EB: Is there anything different that you are implementing into this training camp for Tommy Maguire or are you just training like you usually would?

LL: My BJJ coach Rob Tylor just got his black belt, that’s the only thing that has changed really. Congrats Rob.

EB: Coming from a Judo and Wrestling background, do you feel this puts in a good position to showcase your ground skills with Tommy Maguire?

LL: Depends if he can take me down; Judo and wrestling techniques are usually fought from standing and the clinch, so if he can’t take me down I highly doubt that you will see my ground skills.

EB: What can the fans expect to see on the night?

LL: Twelve+ fantastic fights, Featherweight Title Fight, Four man bantamweight tournament to decide the new champion and myself of course.

EB: Anyone you would like to thank?

LL: No, I always forget someone and they always complain, they can f**k off this time.

5 Quick questions

If you could change 1 rule in MMA what would it be?

I’d love to be able to head butt.

Favourite International Fighter

Chael Sonnen

Walk out music

Depends how I feel on the day

Favourite Food

Chinese

If you were to hold a dinner party and invited 3 guests past or present, who would you invite and why?

Two is company three is a crowd, I eat alone!

Photo Credit (c) Huw Fairclough

Here’s to 2014……

It’s a New Year and with every New Year comes a new start – or so they say!

Well for me I will be seeing what it is this year has install for me, I mean I didnt extactly plan for any of last year, so i’m just going to go with the flow, and ‘what will be will be’!

I still have ‘Season One Interviews’ for you all to be catching up on, there are another five more to be uploaded from last year, that much I am sure about, the rest is ‘a work in progress’.

Happy New Year

Last post for 2013 – A lot of Thank You’s and some pictures :)

It’s been a challenging year for me but I wouldn’t change it for one second, after all I got to do what so many of you still want to do and I have achieved all of it in the six months that I started this harsh challenge – which fell into my lap purely by coincidence (you will have to refer back to my very first blog read about that one)!

I will however give a big shout out to the person who got me started not only in writing my own blog but who introduced me to what I currently do, and that is Jonathan Millard, for whom I am forever grateful to.

What alot of people, more than likely do not know about me, is that I have been in the ‘combat sport industry’ for just over 20 years now, so I have legitmately worked my way up the ladder – although, it’s fine for you to believe whatever you choose to believe, I personally don’t give a shit, again those that really know me, know that also!

I got to cover local grass root shows, which to me I have always been a great fan of and will always take time out of my schedule to go cover them as much as I can, I covered Pain Pit 3 times, Ultimate Impact, Into The Cage, Neilson Promotions White Collar Boxing then I also covered Cage Warriors, BAMMA and UFC Manchester, not bad even if I do say so myself!

Then a great event happend for UKMMA – The UKMMA Expo in Manchester and I got to be part of the only Media Team that had Access All Areas and when I say that, I truly mean that; not like all the other Media people that came in, the team I was with we were set up in the ‘Green Room’ with all our equipment and at one point their was one great surreal moment that I for one will never ever forget 🙂

It was a great run event by Darren Sherlock and Paul Crossley and of course Darren’s wife Michelle, all timed perefectly for when Michael Bisping would be in the UK, Manchester as it happens (his own town) and just after being announced he would be facing Mark Munoz, here also in Manchester in October (unfortuntaly due to Michael needing eye surgery he was forced to withdraw from the bout and Lyoto Machida replaced him)!

There were UFC athletes, Guest athletes, Guest speakers, Seminars to train with some of the Guest athletes and stalls for the MMA community to come together and show there products of to the public; also there was the stall for SAFE MMA – for which I personally went over to Izzy Carnwath and spoke to her to see SAFE MMA was all about, how promotions could get involved and WHY they should. I had such a better understanding afterwards.

Here is mine and Izzy’s SAFE MMA interview we also talk BAMMA 13

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBGFMXpvdHE

There was also a big NoGi BJJ competiton on, running throughout the Sunday which was awesome and six females took part amongst the hundreds of men.

At the show I managed to Video Interview (yes that was a very first for me) The Legend Ian ‘The Machine’ Freeman straight after his MMA Seminar – let me tell you know this guy is 100% gentleman when talking to him, Ian made my first video interview effortless (well I thought) 🙂

Here is mine and Ian’s interview:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLO5WYrGcCM

I would however like to say a very big thank you to all the athlete’s I have worked with (so far) without you giving up your time I would not of had your stories/journeys to write about and some very memorable moments to say the least, so in list of when they were interviewed here they all are:

Leigh Remedios

Alexei Roberts

Mario Saeed

War Machine

‘Rowdy’ Bec Hyatt

Ian ‘The Machine’ Freeman

Hector Lombard

Colin ‘Freakshow’ Fletcher

Bryony Tyrell

Aaron ‘Smackwell’ Blackwell

Jack ‘The Hammer’ Marshman

Lew Long

Jorge ‘Michelan’ Bezerra

Rosi Sexton

Faisel Ghazghazi

Mark ‘The hand of’ Godbeer

Lauren Murphy

And of course it would not be me, if I did not add in afew pictures of me with some of the athletes I had met 🙂

Have a great New Year.

Emma

PS I’ve kept all my boxing ones out of this one but look out for it next year 🙂

Cage Warriors #63 Weigh-in Results and How to watch

Cage Warriors 63 take place tomorrow night – December 31st (New years eve) – at The Helix, Dublin, Ireland.

Headlining the event is Scotlands Stevie ‘Braveheart’ Ray making his defence of the inaugural lightweight belt against Ivan ‘Buki’ Buchinger,which also happens to be Cage Warriors 150th professional bout for 2013 and what a way to end the year for the promotion.

John ‘The One’ Maguire makes his anticipated debut for the promotion since being released by the UFC after making five appearances for them, he faces Philip ‘The Honey Badger’ Mulpeter.

Jim ‘The Beast’ Alers will be putting his featherweight belt on the line for his second defence when he faces Graham ‘ Afterburner’ Turner.

Full card details:

Main Card 9pm GMT (4pm ET/1pm PT)

Stevie Ray (C) VS Ivan Buchinger CWFC Lightweight Title Bout

John Maguire VS Philip Mulpeter

Jim Alers (C) VS Graham Turner CWFC Featherweight Title Bout

Paul Redmond VS Mateusz Teodorczuk

Karla Benitez VS Aisling Daly

Facebook Prelims 7.30pm GMT (2.30pm ET/ 11.30am PT)

Sean Carter VS Myles Price

Catherine Costigan VS Morgane Delagnau

Kieran Davern VS John Redmond

Amanda English VS Slavka Vitaly

Unstreamed Prelims 6.15pm GMT

Chris Boujard VS Peter Queally

Gavin Kelly VS Dylan Sheehan

Mick Brennan VS Kieran O’Brien

How to watch

Live Streaming

MMAjunkie.com – USA and Canada ONLY

JOE.ie – Ireland ONLY

Sportube.tv – Italy ONLY

CageWarriors.tv – Rest of the world (EXCLUDING THE UK)

Live TV

Premier Sports – United Kingdom

Sentanta Sports – Ireland

Fight Now TV – USA

The Fight Network – Canada, Portugal, Turkey, Angola

Fight Klub – Poland

Sentanta Action – Africa

ESPN International – Brazil, Latin, America, Pacific Rim

WEIGH-IN RESULTS

Mick Brennan 146.1lbs *(145.9lbs) * (Featherweight Bout)

Kieron O’Brien 144lbs (Featherweight Bout)

Gavin Kelly 134.5llbs (Bantamweight Bout)

Dylan Sheehan 134.3lbs (Bantamweight Bout)

Chris Boujard 157.4lbs (Catchweight Bout)

Peter Queally 158.8lbs (Catchweight Bout)

Slavka Vitaly 125.1lbs (Flyweight Bout)

Amanda English 125.4lbs (Flyweight Bout)

John Redmond 169lbs (Welterweight Bout)

Kieran Davern 169.9lbs (Welterweight Bout)

Morgane Delagnau 103.5lbs (Atomweight Bout)

Catherine Costigan 105.5lbs (Atomweight Bout)

Myles Price 155.5lbs (Lightweight Bout)

Sean Carter 155.5lbs (Lightweight Bout)

Karla Benitez 115.6lbs (Strawweight Bout)

Aisling Daly 116lbs (Strawweight Bout)

Paul Redmond 156lbs (Catchweight Bout)

Mateusz Teodorczuk 157.3lbs ** (Catchweight)

Graham Turner 143.7lbs (Featherweight Bout)

Jim Alers 144.9lbs (Featherweight Bout)

John Maguire 162lbs (Catchweight bout)

Philip Mulpeter 160.7lbs (Catchweight bout)

Ivan Buchinger 154.8lbs (Lightweight Bout)

Stevie Ray 154lbs (Lightweight Bout)

** Mateusz Teodorczuk Failed to make weight therfore Paul Redmond will receive 25% of his purse and is now a catchweight bout instead of a Lightweight bout.

* Made weight 2nd attempt

Season One..Episode Five.. Jack ‘The Hammer’ Marshman

On August 31st I sat down with Jack Marshman before he headed off for cornering duties at South Wales prestigious event Pain Pit.

There will be a drop to Welterweight on the cards in the future, not this year more than likely next year I will be looking at doing that.

EB: We recently got to see you fight in Doncaster, unfortunately the decision did not go your way; firstly looking back did you personally feel that was the right decision? And secondly how was it to be fighting in an outside stadium in our unpredictable British weather?

JM:The decision was definitely a right decision; he won the rounds with his wrestling. I went into the fight thinking he was coming to stand and I was coming to stand, as soon as I landed a straight right on him in the first round and put him down he went for the takedowns for the rest of the rounds, which fair enough he played the game really well I thought, he definitely took the decision, but it’s the type of loss I’d definitely like to avenge because I think my wrestling is much better than I showed. As for fighting outside, I didn’t know if the fight was going to go ahead, two hours before we was told it was going to rain and I wouldn’t of gone out there in the rain to be honest with you, because there was too much at stake as there was no cover for the cage, so you could imagine what would off happened if it had rained, there was no fighter safety with no cover for the cage so it spoilt the show a little bit for me.

I don’t think I could ever bring myself to sit there and not try and finish a fight, that’s not what I am about, that’s not why I do this game; it’s to fight and to see who is the best fighter, not who can give the best ‘cuddles’!

EB: You’re returning to BAMMA 13 on September 14^th to face Ion Pascu, a Romanian fighter who has recently fought on UCMMA 33 and UWC 23, do you know much about Ion?

JM: I know a little bit about him, I know he is from a kickboxing background, he is from Valentino Petrescu gym which is predominantly stand up fighters, I’ve seen a couple of bits of him on video, I’ve not studied him too much, I’m just going to do what I’m going to do, not what he’s going to do, I know his record, he’s got some wins against some guys that are not really rated, and some losses against some really good guys, so a guy like that is hard to judge really, because he’s lost too good guys, but been beaten too good guys, so you don’t really know where he is at level wise, but I’m confident I will be a bit too much for him.

EB: It is safe to say that you are a BAMMA fan favourite, having appeared on BAMMA since show 7 through to 11 and now back at 13, what can the fans expect from you this time around after the great performance at BAMMA 11, how do you top that?

JM: I’ve had a hard time fighting in Birmingham, the Noon fight was Birmingham, I won but I got beat up pretty bad, Watson and Professor X both were real hard fights and I did not come away with those decisions, but I have always had a good scrap there, I have been the distance there, I think you will see the same again but with me definitely coming out on top like it was against Noon.

EB: You train out of arguably one of the best MMA gyms to come out of the valleys in South Wales, Tillery Combat, owned and run by Richard ‘Shaky’ Shore, what do you think makes the gym so respected and having high calibre of fighters such as yourself come out of the gym?

JM: We come from a tough area in Abertillery, high in drugs crime, general crime and no jobs , it seems that naturally it generates tougher fighters, as you are brought up tougher; like me and Martin McDonough used to be nightmares , we always used to be in trouble with the police and if it was not for Shaky, he was the one that got us out of all of that, same as a lot of the boys, same as all the young ones coming through now, the way people are brought up where we are, are tough, so when they jump up into the gym they’ve been fighting since they were kids, so they just learn how to do it properly. I think what sells the gym is the way Shaky trains people, he gets you mentally prepared and it’s like a big family at the gym and that’s on a serious note, we all get along so well it’s such a laugh and that’s what I think makes better fighters, we got a good team behind us, it’s not just one individual fighter, it’s a full team every time we go out.

EB: Is it getting any easier for you fitting in your full time day job as a serving paratrooper in the armed forces, and the training needed for a full fight camp when a fight is upon you?

JM: Recently I have moved back to Wales due to my regiment giving me time off, 3 paras give me a lot of time off now, all I have to do is some bits and bobs at work, as long as I’m representing them and I’m heading to where they want me to be I’m keeping them happy, and I’m training full time so I’m in the best place I’ve ever really been because I’m training full time , fighting regular; I’ve had 3 fights in the last 4months, and I’m hoping to get another 2 in before the end of the year, and next year I will fight every month if I can, as far as fitting in with my job for the next 2years at least I’m on to a winner as I’m in the best place I could ever be really.

EB: How do you feel the weight management is going now? Do you feel you got the right mix of the weight cut spot on or is there still some tweaking to make things go a bit more smoothly for you? (In reference to not making weight in Dec 2012 and having a hard weight cut for Askham fight).

JM: I always make the weight cut hard for myself towards the end because I like to cut quite last minute, but I make Middleweight quite easy really, the only time I ever missed weight was the BAMMA fight, to be honest, the it was to do with logistics involved, I turned up to the pre-weigh in 5mins late, and they would not let me step on the scales, and I thought I was on weight, then I had to go to the actual weigh in, I came in 1lb over, being in Wembley they gave me a postcode of a gym to go to, so I could cut the weight, bearing in mind they only give you 1 hour and the gym was 20 mins away I would not of made it there and back in time to be honest with you, so I pulled the car over and started running round the streets to lose the weight, and that is the only time I have missed weight not through anyone’s fault other than mine, I should have been earlier to check the official scales but I thought I was on weight and I felt comfortable; so definitely there will be a drop to Welterweight on the cards in the future, not this year more than likely next year I will be looking at doing that.

EB: Is there anything new in this training camp you have been working on, or is it just improving on everything that there is to improve on?

JM: Just improving, I’ve been working on so much more wrestling, from my takedown defence, if people are going to be happy to take me down and grind out a win and not actually really truly fight me, why shouldn’t I actually do it, so if I look to put someone on their back why shouldn’t I, but to be honest I don’t think I could ever bring myself to sit there and not try and finish a fight, that’s not what I am about, that’s not why I do this game; it’s to fight and to see who is the best fighter, not who can give the best ‘cuddles’!

EB: Anyone you would like to Thank?

JM: All my sponsors, Icon Nutrition, Top Ten, British Military Martial Arts, Vibram, Impact LPA, The Railway Inn, My coaches, Richard Shore, all the boys at Tillery Combat, Martin McDonough, Kris Edwards, Owen Parry, everyone that helps me get ready for my fights.

Quick Questions

If you could change one rule in MMA what would it be?

You could Tickle

Favourite food?

Pizza

If you held a dinner party and invited 3 guests past or present, who would it be and why?

The Banker from Deal or No Deal as he seems like a Top bloke, Gordon Ramsey so he can cook and Frankie Boyle because he is awesome.

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