Interview – Page 3 – Five Rounds with Emma

“I’m not here just to make up the numbers I’m here to win fights” – Adam Little

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.

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.

Adam’s Twitter 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)

Photo Credit 1 and 2: Adam Little/Tear Up

Photo Credit featured picture: Point 5 Photography

‘If this fight goes to the ground I think I will dominate it’ – Bryony Tyrell

Bryony Tyrell will be making her fifth amateur MMA appearance tomorrow night, Saturday, February 21st on UIC 14 at GL1 Leisure Centre in Gloucester.

Bryony trains out of Exile Gym in Southampton; is a working mum with two children and competes up and down the country. Here I get to find out what Bryony has been achieving since I last spoke with her 18 months ago and I for one can say WOW!

It has been awhile since I have last caught up with you [July 2013] and since then you have been one busy lady. Can you talk me through the last year of your achievements for which I know you have achieved a lot.

It’s lovely to catch up with you again, I can’t believe it’s been that long! Yes it has been a very busy couple of years.

In October 2013 I fought on Extreme Cage Championships – Banned 1 in Blackpool and won by split decision. A few weeks later I was asked to do a white-collar boxing match at short notice in Andover which I won by decision.

In November I fought on the Muay Thai World Series in Bournemouth and lost by decision.

In December I fought Main Event (MMA) on a small local show in Andover and won by first round rear naked choke.

The day after that I competed in the Grapplers Showdown Strike and Grapple UK Championships in Watford winning Gold in my weight division (-60kgs) and Silver in the absolute (NoGi).

In February 2014 I competed in the Hampshire Open Grapplers Showdown and won Silver in both my weight division (-60kgs) and the absolute (NoGi).

In April, at the Grapplers Showdown London Open in Watford I won Gold in my weight division (-55kgs) and bronze in the absolute.

In May I was lucky enough to fight on Cage Warriors 68 in Liverpool and lost by decision.

In September I competed in the Grapplers Showdown London International NoGi Open and won silver in my weight division (-55kgs) and amazingly won the absolute!

The week after I competed in the British NoGi Open in Birmingham and won Gold in my division (-56kgs) and Bronze in the absolute.

The week after that I fought on Warrior Fight Night in Bournemouth (Muay Thai) and won by decision.

Last but not least (lol) in November I fought on Shock ‘n’ Awe in Portsmouth (MMA) and won by TKO second round.

That’s a lot of achievements for a working mum of two, to fit all of those achievements into your ‘spare’ time. How do you do it?

I’m not really sure how I managed to do all that. My life is absolute chaos for the most part to be honest, but I love it! I couldn’t do it without the amazing support of my husband, coaches and teammates.

You train out of Exile Gym in Southampton, alongside Arthur Frost who is another top amateur MMA fighter and also Pro fighter Benny Carr. How does it feel to train alongside Arthur and Benny when it comes to a fight camp?

Benny and Arthur are a massive inspiration to me. Arthur in particular has helped me out immensely; I’m very lucky to train side by side with someone of his calibre.

Your’re now 2-2 in your amateur MMA career; have been on one of the biggest shows as in Cage Warriors, when can we see you make the move to the Pro ranks?

My aim was to turn pro at the end of this year if I do well in my next two amateur fights. My concern with turning pro though is the lack of opponents at my weight. The amateur scene for women is definitely expanding but the pro level still seems to be very scarce in the UK.

Bryony Tyrell at 'Shock N Awe' — Bryony Tyrell at ‘Shock N Awe’

You’re facing Jemma Jacques at UIC 14 at GL1 in Gloucester this Saturday February 21st in an Amateur MMA bout; do you know much about your opponent or the challenges she may pose on the night?

I know quite a lot about Jemma because I’ve been matched against her before. I’ve never met her but I like her. She seems savvy and a bit fiery, good characteristics for a fighter . We’re both from a kickboxing background so I’m quite familiar with her fighting style. She has powerful striking which I’ve got no doubt could cause me serious problems if I don’t keep moving (lol).

Where do you feel that you will be stronger in this fight and where do you feel it may end up?

To be honest I’m not sure what will happen on Saturday, I’m quite comfortable standing and on the ground, although I think my grappling is stronger. I expect this fight to go to the ground at some point where I think I’ll dominate.

Are you still part of ‘Rosi Sexton‘s’ mentoring scheme? If so, how is that going?

I’m not part of Rosi’s mentoring scheme anymore. She was understandably very busy when she got signed to the UFC so I think that went on the back burner. I will always be very grateful for the help and advice she’s given me. She’s a true icon for WMMA.

What did you think of TUF 20: A Champion will be crowned?

I really enjoyed TUF 20. It was quite interesting to have an insight into some of my favourite fighters. It’s a shame they gave so much airtime to the more unpleasant characters in the house. Angela Magana was particularly vile. It was nice to see Jo Jo and Aisling coming across so well, both a true credit to WMMA.

After your fight will the ‘Gazelle’ be eating lots of cake?

Haha…yes I’ll definitely be eating lots of cake after the fight, I might even indulge in a cheeky cider too! I can’t relax too much though because I’m fighting again in March.

Lastly, is there any sponsors or anyone you would like to thank?

I don’t have any sponsors, only my brother who spoils me with random MMA related pressies..lol. So obviously I would like to thank him and my beautiful sister-in-law Lisa who are always there for me. I’d also like to thank all my fantastic coaches and training partners at Exile and Look Borai, in particular Daniel Bourne, Gareth Blair, Dean Kendall, Janis Meiksans, Trevor Birmingham, Jarrod Speed, Rich Harding and Arthur Frost. I’d also like to thank my Mum for being brave enough to come and watch me and last but not least my husband for enabling me to chase my dreams and only complaining a little bit..lol.

Thank you for your time Bryony it is very much appreciated.

Bryony is next fighting on March 28th on Phoenix Fight Night XXV at the 02 Academy in Bournemouth.

You can follow Bryony on her Twitter here.

Bryony’s Facebook page here.

If there are any sponsors out there that would like to sponsor Bryony (every little helps) you can contact her via her Facebook. I for one know she would be very grateful.

Photo Credit 1: Vandal Panda Photography

Photo Credit 2: http://www.grahamfinneyphotography.co.uk

Photo Credit 3: Grapplers Showdown

Fightcard:

SHANE RILEY V ADAM BOUSIFF 77.2kg Welterweight Title
MARC ALLEN V TERRY DOYLE 70.4kg Lightweight Title
STEVE SMITH V DAVE CONLON 78kg Catchweight k1
IAN DALBY V LEE RUSSELL 56.8kg Flyweight pro
LAURA HANDY V FFION DAVIES 61.3kg Bantamweight ammy
PAULINA MALINA V AMY O’MARA 52.2kg Strawweight ammy
HARRY DAVIS V OLLY MYERS 77.2kg Welterweight ammy
JEMMA JACQUES V BRYONY TYRELL 56.8kg Flyweight ammy
ANDREE WARBRICK V ASHLEIGH JOHNSON 54kg Catchweight k1 ammy
POLLY BEAUCHAMP V CHARLOTTE FREEMAN 52.2kg Strawweight ammy
JORDAN PATEY V WILL JONES 90kg Catchweight ammy
MACK STEVENS V JOSH OZANE 74kg Catchweight ammy
BARTOSZ RUSIECKI V LAURENCE COATES 72kg Catchweight k1 ammy
DAVE TIBBETS V PAT BENSON 90KG Catchweight ammy

‘THERE’S NO OTHER FEELING LIKE FIGHTING IN THE CAGE AND I WANT AS MANY FIGHTS AS I CAN GET!’ – FFION DAVIES

Ffion Eira Davies is a name that should firmly be on everyone’s lips in the world of MMA. If you have not heard of this bright, talented,upcoming, future star, then please let me introduce you to her.

Making her second amateur MMA appearance on Saturday, February 21st at UIC14, GL1, Gloucester. The 20-year-old from Wales, who trains out of Chris Rees Academy in Swansea is no stranger when it comes to competition, having been competing in Judo since age 9 and BJJ for the last 18 months.

I managed to speak with Ffion to find out more about her, her achievements in the world of Judo and BJJ, MMA and Ronda Rousey.

You maybe ‘new’ on the MMA scene but you’re not on the BJJ scene. Can you talk me through all your achievements please.

I started BJJ about a year and a half ago now, originally just as a hobby. It’s quite funny because I always hated groundwork in judo and avoided it at all costs! But I ended up falling in love with it, and since then I’ve won the British gi and no gi, Paris gi and no gi, the Welsh gi and no gi, NAGA at my own weight and the absolute (blue and purple belt) and most recently the European championships in Portugal all at blue belt. So far I’ve not lost a BJJ match.

Not only contempt in BJJ, you started out in Judo; at what age did you start training in Judo, then competing? What achievements have you achieved in the world of Judo?

I started judo when I was about 9 years old, and started competing 3 months later. I won the Welsh a few times and the British twice as a Cadet/Junior. I trained full-time for a year in Sophia Gardens with the Welsh National Coach Craig Ewers, but I noticed my passion for judo was dwindling after so many years of competing and decided I wanted something fresh. That’s when I found BJJ which led me to MMA.

You train out of Chris Rees Academy who trains many up and coming champion MMA athletes, along with arguably one of the best Bantamweights Wales have seen in a long time, Brett Johns, who also comes from a judo background and who also was the Cage Warriors World Bantamweight Champion. How does it feel to train with another high level Judoka who has made the transition into MMA?

It’s quite funny because one of the main reasons I started MMA was because of Brett! We were in the same comprehensive school, he was in my brothers year, and we also did judo together growing up! I saw his posts on Facebook about MMA and I was amazed by it, at the same time Ronda Rousey had become big on the scene and I saw that the transition from a judo background would be pretty ideal for me! It’s amazing to have such a high level fighter as a teammate and friend, it’s very motivating. I’m looking forward to him claiming another world title!

Was it always the ‘plan’ to make the transition to MMA, having had the Judo and BJJ background, or was it something that just progressed organically?

No not really, BJJ and MMA were supposed to be fitness hobbies. But I’m hugely competitive and couldn’t resist competing in the end!

Are there any other disciplines you are quite well versed in? Was you already doing Kickboxing, K1, Muay Thai, Karate etc whilst you were competing at Judo/BJJ?

Nope, I started learning striking in the MMA class, and have taken so many punches to the face it’s hilarious. Chris (my coach) then arranged for me to start doing pad work with Sam Thomas who’s one of the Thai boxing coaches at the academy. He’s really helped me a lot with my striking the past few weeks and invested a lot of time in helping me. I’m extremely grateful to him and all my teammates.

You finally had you’re first amateur MMA fight at SnA for which you won via Kimura Keylock in the first round. How did that finally feel to get that first MMA fight out the way with all the false starts you’ve had previously due to scheduled fights being cancelled through opponents being injured?

It’s been very frustrating the past few months because of pull outs. If you don’t want to fight don’t sign up to it, amateur is all about gaining experience whether you win or lose. When I finally did get to fight on SnA I was ecstatic; especially against a good opponent who I knew wouldn’t pull out due to ‘injury’. Jade was a decorated fighter who I knew wouldn’t pull out as she was confident in her abilities so it made it all the more nerve-racking. There’s no other feeling like fighting in the cage and I want as many fights as I can get!

Can you talk me through the experience you finally felt achieving your first amateur MMA fight? Was it any different to what you had ‘thought’ it would be like? Once at the venue knowing the crowds are there, walking out to the cage and into the cage and of course the fight itself.

I loved every minute of fighting, but the nerves are like nothing I’ve ever experienced. I spewed the day before and a few times on the day of the fight due to nerves, I’ve never been that bad before! Then in the last half hour before the fight everything changed and I became this aggressive psycho who just couldn’t wait to get in the cage! And then after the win I felt on top of the world, there’s really nothing else like it.

You’re competing on UIC 14 at GL1, Gloucester, this Saturday, February 21st in your 2nd amateur MMA fight. How are you feeling this time?

I feel just as nervous, but also excited. I have more self belief this time round and I’ve been training hard.

You’re facing the UIC K1 Flyweight Champion Laura Handy, do you know anything about your opponent? do you watch your opponents fight video’s or do you leave that to your coach/team and you take their instruction in what you need to focus on?

Yeah I’ve had a look at a few of her fights, but it’s always down to what my coach Chris wants me to do. He has so much experience in coaching that I know he knows what’s best for me and so I put my trust in him to decide! At first that was hard as I’m stubborn, but after so many grappling comps where I’ve followed his instructions and won that stubbornness quickly went away!

This is a classic ‘striker vs grappler’ fight and it’s fair to say with Laura being a K1 Champion and yourself a BJJ champion, for the fan watching this is a great match-up made by Paul Sutherland. Where do you see the fight going yourself?

Naturally were both going to want to go where we feel our strongest. I’ve been putting in a lot of effort to round-up my game. Obviously we are both going to imagine ourselves winning, nobody steps into the cage expecting to lose. I’ll do my best, and she will do her best, and whoever is the better fighter will win.

Has anybody ever referenced you to ‘Ronda Rousey’ at all with your Judo background and your Arm bar submissions in BJJ along with your sleek ground game?

Chris says I have a moody face like her! I get where it could come from but not really.. We both did judo but she was Olympic standard whereas I was very very far away from that standard!

Is there any sponsors or anyone you would like to thank for this fight?

Tatami Fightwear for providing me with free BJJ kit! And although obviously they aren’t sponsors but they buy me snacks and give me lifts, I’d like to thank my teammates, coaches and family!

Thank you for your time today Ffion it is much appreciated.

You can keep up to date with Ffion on her Twitter page here.

Ffion’s Facebook page here.

If you still require tickets for Saturday’s event click here.

Photo Credit 2 and 3: Marc Moggridge

Photo Credit 1: BJJStyle.com

Fight Card:

SHANE RILEY V ADAM BOUSIFF 77.2kg Welterweight Title
MARC ALLEN V TERRY DOYLE 70.4kg Lightweight Title
STEVE SMITH V DAVE CONLON 78kg Catchweight k1
IAN DALBY V LEE RUSSELL 56.8kg Flyweight pro
LAURA HANDY V FFION DAVIES 61.3kg Bantamweight ammy
PAULINA MALINA V AMY O’MARA 52.2kg Strawweight ammy
HARRY DAVIS V OLLY MYERS 77.2kg Welterweight ammy
JEMMA JACQUES V BRYONY TYRELL 56.8kg Flyweight ammy
ANDREE WARBRICK V ASHLEIGH JOHNSON 54kg Catchweight k1 ammy
POLLY BEAUCHAMP V CHARLOTTE FREEMAN 52.2kg Strawweight ammy
JORDAN PATEY V WILL JONES 90kg Catchweight ammy
MACK STEVENS V JOSH OZANE 74kg Catchweight ammy
BARTOSZ RUSIECKI V LAURENCE COATES 72kg Catchweight k1 ammy
DAVE TIBBETS V PAT BENSON 90KG Catchweight ammy

‘YOU CAN NEVER PREDICT A FIGHT; YOU’RE ALWAYS LEARNING AND DEVELOPING’ – ‘THE BEAST’ LAURA HANDY

‘The Beast’ Laura Handy

Hey Laura Thank you for your time today.

You’re currently undefeated in the UIC cage [under K1] and the current flyweight K1 champion [Congratulations]. Why the change now to compete on the show in MMA when you are clearly having a great career in the K1 scene?

I’ve always wanted to compete in MMA, my strongest point was striking so I used K1 to gain experience in the cage. I’ve had 6 k1 fights now so I just feel the time is right to make the step to MMA.

Does this mean that you will not be competing in K1 for the time being and the focus is more on MMA or will you do both [K1 and MMA] side by side?

The plan is to see how this first fight goes. I know I have a lot of work to do with regards to my ground game and the last few months have been a big learning curve. I’ll still fight k1 to keep my striking strong and hopefully do both side by side.

How has the transition been going in learning all aspects of MMA?

It’s been a tough couple of months trying to bring everything together but I’ve been having 1-1’s with my coach Ryan Norwood and working with people like Wayne Drake and Chris Hipkiss to help pull it all together.

Have you had any ‘taster’ tournaments such as any ‘interclubs’ or ‘BJJ’ tournaments to gauge yourself how you feel you are progressing or are you leaving it all in your capable coaches hands?

No I haven’t done any interclubs etc but it is something I want to do after this fight just to gain more experience.

I know from when we first spoke in your first interview with me that it has always been your aim to evolve into the MMA scene. Can you tell me what it is about the sport in whole that appeals to you and why?

MMA is appealing to me basically because you can never predict a fight, you’re always learning and developing.

Have you got a new ‘training’ addiction? [Last time we spoke it was weight training].

I’m still a big fan of weight training and have added in lots of Hiit and circuit training to this camp too.

You’re going to be fighting Ffion Davies who trains out if Chris Rees Academy in Wales at UIC 14 on February 21st. Do you know much about Ffion?

I know that Ffion fought last year and won via submission, and I know she’s coming in to the cage with a high level grappling game but I haven’t watched any videos.

This is a classic ‘Striker Vs Grappler’ fight. It’s fair to say with Ffion being a BJJ champion and yourself a K1 champion, to the fan this is a great match up made by Paul Sutherland. Where do you see the fight going yourself?

Yeah it’s a great match up, albeit a tough one. I know Ffion will want the fight on the ground; without giving too much away I’ve been working on all areas so I have to just stick to what we have been working on.

Laura Handy just after her winning her K1 Flyweight Title Fight

How do you think you will adjust to the time of the rounds in MMA being longer than K1?

In all my fights I tend to feel more comfortable as the rounds go on so I think the longer rounds will suit me better and give me time to adjust to my opponent.

With each fight is the nerves getting any better? If so how are you dealing with them now?

No, I’m still a bag of nerves on the day lol! It’s just something I have to deal with and once we’re in the cage the nerves just have to go!

Has this training camp been a lot harder in trying to manage the quality time you still spend with your daughter Ayva and of course absorbing all the new training techniques?

To be honest it’s ok, most of my training is at night-time and most nights Ayva is usually in bed by the time I set out for the gym. I have two days off work in the week which I spend doing things with her!

After this fight on February 21st will you be indulging in Ayva’s ‘Chocolate Freddo Bars’ with her?

Yes I will be eating my body weight in chocolate and ice cream lol!

You’re known for bringing a crowd with you, how much does the noise of your own supporters help you when you’re in the cage?

It helps a lot to hear everyone shouting! During the last fight against Linzi Edwards our supporters were having a shout off which was quite funny! But yeah it does help to keep me going and keep me focused and I’m grateful that they want to come and support me.

Lastly, is there any sponsors or anybody you would like to thank?

Yes big thanks to Warrior Fightwear for all my training and fight gear! And thanks to Ryan Norwood and everyone else at FuryMMA for helping me through this fight camp and helping with my ground work!

Thank you for your time Laura.

You can keep up-to-date on everything Laura is doing on her athlete Facebook page or her Twitter page.

Laura Handy 'Fight Page' Banner Credit: Mack — Laura Handy ‘Fight Page’ Banner Credit: Mack

If you have not done so yet, you can purchase tickets to see Laura make her MMA debut at UIC 14, GL1, Gloucester on February 21st here, or contact any of the fighters to see of they still any.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5FqPHQl6cA

Date: 21st February 2015

Venue: GL1 Leisure Centre, Gloucester, GL1 1DT

Fightcard:

SHANE RILEY V ADAM BOUSIFF 77.2kg Welterweight Title
MARC ALLEN V TERRY DOYLE 70.4kg Lightweight Title
STEVE SMITH V DAVE CONLON 78kg Catchweight k1
IAN DALBY V LEE RUSSELL 56.8kg Flyweight pro
LAURA HANDY V FFION DAVIES 61.3kg Bantamweight ammy
PAULINA MALINA V AMY O’MARA 52.2kg Strawweight ammy
HARRY DAVIS V OLLY MYERS 77.2kg Welterweight ammy
JEMMA JACQUES V BRYONY TYRELL 56.8kg Flyweight ammy
ANDREE WARBRICK V ASHLEIGH JOHNSON 54kg Catchweight k1 ammy
POLLY BEAUCHAMP V CHARLOTTE FREEMAN 52.2kg Strawweight ammy
JORDAN PATEY V WILL JONES 90kg Catchweight ammy
MACK STEVENS V JOSH OZANE 74kg Catchweight ammy
BARTOSZ RUSIECKI V LAURENCE COATES 72kg Catchweight k1 ammy
DAVE TIBBETS V PAT BENSON 90KG Catchweight ammy

Jon Jones one on one with Fox Sports 1’s Charissa Thompson

UFC light heavyweight champion, Jon Jones, who was found to have traces of the illegal drug cocaine in his system on December 4th last year, prior to his title fight against Daniel Cormier on January 3rd 2015, at UFC 181 in Las Vegas, Nevada has now done a ‘stint’ [one day] in rehab.

UFC fined Jones $25,000 for violating its code of conduct policy and will still to continue to support the champ.

Here is the one on one video interview that was aired as a special on FOX SPORTS 1 Monday night in the states.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8A6F5XOTl8

‘I LIKE BEING THE UNDERDOG’ – LAUREN MURPHY ON UFC DEBUT

On August 16th, Lauren Murphy will make her long-awaited UFC debut where she will take on former UFC title contender Sara McMann in the women’s Bantamweight division.

McMann [7-1, 1-1 UFC] is an Olympic Silver Medalist who will be looking to seek to put herself back into title contention again after her last outing with Ronda Rousey ended in a 66 second defeat.

Murphy, who is 8-0 in her MMA career, with six of those wins coming by T/KO victories and two via decision wins. Murphy’s first, five fights never made it into the third round and were all T/KO wins. On December 7th 2013, Murphy won the first ever inaugural Bantamweight Belt for promotion InvictaFC after defeating Miriam Nakamoto in the fourth round via TKO, before relinquishing the title to sign with the UFC.

I managed to catch up with Lauren for a quick chat about how the UFC offer came about, her new home in Arizona, new training home at The MMALAB and when we will get to see ‘The Lauren Murphy Documentary’ amongst others.

What made you say ‘right the time is now for UFC’, after all you are the Invicta Bantamweight Champion – or was it a case of the UFC came to you with an offer [the offer you had been waiting for] after finally noticing that you should be in the UFC?

I had an offer previously with the UFC, to take a short notice fight last year. I decided not to pursue it at that time, because I was not ready. I also did not pursue the Ultimate Fighter, because at that time, I wanted more experience before getting a fight in the UFC. Therefore, there were a couple of times when there might have been an opportunity to go to the UFC, but the time was not right. Then this last year, Invicta had a long time between shows and we were not really sure what was going on for a long time, so we started looking into our options for the UFC- much the same way several other champs in Invicta have. When Sara needed an opponent, I think I was the only one willing and healthy that made sense, so Sean Shelby called Shannon and off I went.

You have just moved to Arizona. How are you finding it having your family complete and with you since Joe is now retired from the Air Force. Is it great to be together all the time (so to speak) whilst just celebrating your first year of marriage and having your son Max with you?

It IS great! It really is nice to wake up next to my husband everyday. That is why I married him! There are some things we have to adjust to, of course. When I would do camps in Houston by myself, I learned how to handle bad days and good days alone. Now I have someone who loves me right there with me to share that with, and I think that is an adjustment for Joe. I also have a little more to worry about. In Houston, I could go home, make my own food, get in bed, watch something on Netflix and call it a day. Now, I have to make sure Max is ready for the next day, get dinner ready for everyone, make sure the laundry is done. I have a much bigger house to keep clean. Before, I was just renting a tiny room. All the same stuff people deal with when they have a job and a family. Before, when I was on my own, I could just worry about myself. I could afford to be very selfish that way, and now I cannot. Joe does a TON around the house while I train, but it is still an adjustment for all of us to some extent.

You moved training camps to The MMA LAB in Arizona, was this to start preparing for the fight that has just been announced or was it for other reasons?

No, I was not even in the UFC when we decided to move. My long time coach in Houston decided to move his family to Virginia to be closer to his extended family, and when he left Texas, I decided to look for a new gym. I just figured it was a good time to go to a big gym with a big camp. There are pros and cons to every situation, but I came to the Lab to see if I would like it and just fell in love with it. Therefore, when Joe was released from the Air Force, we decided to set up shop here. We wanted a place that had a strong coach, a good gi program for jiu jitsu, and had a family-like and family-friendly atmosphere. The Lab has all those things, plus a kick ass team in a great location. We are very happy here.

Lauren with her new training team The MMA LAB #Family Benson Henderson Gym

With the news breaking that you are now signed to the UFC and also on the same day that you would not have to wait long for your debut, as you will be fighting UFC ranked number 4 Sara McMann on August 16th in Maine; At that point with it now being ‘public’ knowledge, is it becoming more real to you, that you have now made it to the UFC?

Ha! Most days I wake up and am in awe of where I am at, but I felt that way before I signed to the UFC. If I start really thinking about it, my whole life has been pretty surreal. The UFC is just one more loop on the crazy roller coaster of my life 😉

‘Lauren Murphy fans’ who know you, know that whoever your opponent is, you will go into the octagon and fight 100%. What were your initial thoughts when you knew it was Sara McMann that you will be facing as your first UFC opponent?

I am really glad the UFC gave me a tough fight to begin with. I like being the underdog. I am so honoured to fight one of the best women in the world! I also know I can beat Sara. I do not know if I will. But I know I can if I work hard and go out there and perform to the best of my ability.

What are you expecting from your first UFC debut – in terms of being on the biggest stage for MMA, pre-conceptions if any or will it be business as usual?

Someone told me to remember, “It’s just another cage.” I like that. There might be a few more cameras, a few more lights, a few more people in the audience, but there is only one opponent, and she is human just like me.

How do you think you will ‘deal’ will the added side of the business that comes with being in the UFC – doing the media days and open public displays on fight week? Would you like to just concentrate on what you are here for and that is to get in the octagon and show why you are in the UFC?

The media days, interviews, and what not is just a part of the job. It is a challenge. We are at a level now where these things are done, so what is the point of liking it or disliking it? I go in to it like anything else, to do my best, and whether I like it or not, is actually not even really relevant to me ha ha ha.

When can we see ‘The Lauren Murphy Documentary’ as I for one am so looking forward to seeing your journey so far on DVD?

I think it is now planning on being released about a week before my fight? I have just signed all the gloves we are shipping out and those will come to donors soon. The release date is not set in stone, and I do not think it needs to be at this point. I have talked to the film’s producer and we agreed it should probably be released before the 16th of August, so it can generate some interest leading up to the fight.

The film editor experienced a sudden death in his family, and he needed some time to process that a little. I cannot imagine having something like that happen and then trying to work. My heart hurts for him 😦

Thank you for your time, it is always a pleasure, lastly anyone you would like to thank?

I always thank my husband for being so awesome 🙂 and I want to thank my manager as well, Chuck Wichert. He has been amazing and he always takes great care of all his fighters. Also to the team at the Lab, thanks for working with me so much. And to all my fans and family and friends that have supported me through all this craziness, thanks to you 🙂 It means everything to me.

You can watch Lauren Murphy in her debut UFC appearance on August 16th UFC Fight Night: Bader vs Saint Preux, which takes place at the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor, Maine. It is also available free to view on the FOX Sports 1 network or BT Sports in the UK.

If you want to get better acquainted with Lauren Murphy, you can now see her last three fights on the UFC Fight Pass network under the Invicta FC library, starting from Invicta 5 where she competed against Kaitlyn Young. What better way to start your free 7 day trial than now!

If you missed my two-part in-depth interview with Lauren I covered last year you can read them here:

Introducing-the-inspiring-lauren-murphy-a-true-fighter-in-every-sense-of-the-word/part 1

Introducing-the-inspiring-lauren-murphy/part 2

You can follow Lauren on Twitter: @LaurenMurphyMMA

On Facebook, Official Athlete page: Lauren Murphy MMA

Facebook: The Lauren Murphy Documentary page

GETTING TO KNOW ‘CHOPPER’ CHI LEWIS-PARRY [PART 2]

Chi Lewis Parry One FC Walk Out [Photo Credit Cheryl Tay]

Chi Lewis Parry is the first UK Heavyweight to be signed to One Fighting Championship [ONE FC] a Singapore-based mixedmartial arts [MMA] promotion, which was officially launched on 14 July 2011. It is widely recognized as the biggest MMA promotion in Asia.

Chi is an astounding 6ft 9in tall, which explains why he used to be a professional basketball player ‘at the age of 11 I was winning titles with the London Towers. After that, I went on to be a professional player, playing for London, Guildford and Glasgow where I won three finalist trophies. Nike then created their ‘Midnight Madness’ competition where top players from around the UK were selected to play against the top teams in America. I was selected for the top 10 two years in a row traveling to Miami, Florida and Los Angeles, California. I was invited to work with NBA’s Golden State Warriors and the Los Angeles Lakers, which was a huge success’.

Chi Lewis-Parry - Basketball — Chi Lewis-Parry – Basketball

Chi decided it was time to come back to the UK and that was when he decided to take up Mixed Martial Arts, starting out in K1 defeating Ian Hawkins back in 2011. Chi then had a K1 Title fight against Tomasz Czerwinski for the UCMMA K-1 Belt, which he won and for which he still holds the title to this very day. After having a prior taste of MMA [debut bout with Ollie Beard], Chi knew this was the area of the sport that he wanted to concentrate on most.

Fast forward to present day and having a record of 6-0 and 1NC, Chi is looking to be the UK’s first Heavyweight Champion within a big promotion. Having had an offer to train at Jackson’s MMA Gym in New Mexico, through his friendship with Alistair Overeem is something only a handful of athletes could possibly dream about ‘Alistair has opened doors for me, we talk all the time, we have a really good relationship. We talk about strategy and he gives me advice how he would approach a fight if he was competing against that opponent. He has now joined Jackson’s and that has opened the door that way for me, saying there is a place for me there – come out whenever you can get here. In addition, there is a wealth of training partners over there for me being a heavyweight with the likes of Travis Browne, Andre Arlovski and Light Heavyweight Jon Jones, you cannot do anything but learn from him. I feel I am in a very privileged position probably the best position for any UK Heavyweight has ever had with the calibre of people at my disposable to train with’. But obviously with anything in life there is cost involved, those of us that have been around and in this sport for long enough know that the money still is not there, unfortunately. Always five steps ahead, once Chi had received the offer he put up a status on his facebook account to see if there would be any interest in helping him fund his trip to Jackson’s ‘with my first fight at OneFC not ending so well I didn’t make any money from it so the finances set me back a bit. I’m thankful I got the second opportunity. I wasn’t just putting up the status to ask for funding or to get people to give me the money, I wasn’t going “hey mate here you go here’s some money to do what you like with it”. I think the people that I have reached out to and the people that do follow me have an interest in what I’m doing can kind of relate to it. I’m not a closed door, or unreadable book, I’m very open with everyone, I do share everything that I’m doing and I want people to relate to what I’m doing and feel a part of what I’m doing. I work a nine-to-five job just like everyone else. The only thing that sets me apart is that I keep positive people around me which allows me to excel. So, I want people that want to help me to get where I am going to know that I am getting there with them in mind and not just saying F**k off now, thanks for your finance’.

Talking of going over to Jackson’s MMA and training with top level athletes, I know having met Chi [it may only be twice] he doesn’t do ‘star struck’ he is in fact one of the most positive, humble, down to earth, approachable and very articulate people I have ever come across. I asked him how was he going to blend himself into training over at Jackson’s MMA ‘The whole camp is renowned as a very humble camp. I don’t get star struck, for me to get star struck… then I would have to think of me lesser than that man. I can appreciate and learn, it’s not a case of you’re a star and you’ve done this and I wanna be like you – no, I appreciate what you have done but I am the first me, make a little bit of room for me to come up the ranks with you and I will just learn and learn, humble as always is the best approach. I’ve never been star struck, I admire them for their talent for what they have done. I will never go beyond that, as then it’s almost as if I am accepting they are better than I am. As arrogant as that sounds, the minute you accept that someone is better than you, then you are not going to strive to be better than them. You are going to strive to be as good as them and that is not good enough’.

The training trip itself is going to be full of experience and knowledge. Now, that’s something you can’t just buy, it is ‘priceless!’ But it was always a vision Chi had, having set himself targets and having achieved them so far ‘ I had a strategy from the beginning and that was to take any big opportunity you get as you may not get offered it again. It was always a goal of mine to make it down to Jackson’s at some point. I just was not sure when that would be, but everything worked out as Alistair moved there, so I now have an open invite. Opportunities presented themselves. I would be a fool not to take this opportunity to go down there and get my arse kicked on a daily basis, and I would love it, that is what I need to go through to make it to the next level. I want to know where I am in comparison with these guys, create new experiences. It’s a good way to measure my heart, my physical abilities, my mental abilities, how I can be broken as I don’t think I can be broken – training with Alistair – he has not been able to break me, he has been able to beat me up, but not break me – there is a big difference. It’s a good way to measure where you are mentally and where you are on a skillset level. Once your mind gives up no matter how big and strong you are your body will follow’.

Chi Lewis-Parry after training with Alistair Overeem

With sponsorship being a big part of an athlete’s life. Many people may not know, that the word ‘sponsorship’ falls under many brackets, it is the traditional one that Chi seeks at this moment in time – financial backing to help him pursue his goals to become the first UK Heavyweight at OneFC. ‘Financial backing is imperative in this sport, as glamorous as it can appear, there really is no money- promotions don’t really pay top dollar for guys that lay their reputation, their heart on the line. There is no real money behind it, until you reach a top level which I have been fortunate to reach. Money plays a part especially if you have a family, if you have to pay bills. To compete at this top level you need to be able to train whenever and where ever you want, which I need to do, just like everyone else, and I’m sure everyone can relate, it’s hard to train, it’s hard to focus on training, to go back be a parent, husband, find time to relax, recoup, then do it all again, five to six days a week. Fortunately my partner has been picking up the slack, looking after our son, working part-time, allowing me to focus on what I’m doing at the moment. So many fighters I know and friends of mine, close friends and acquaintances have not seen the light of success just because of finances. They could not take night of the work, they’ve had to pull out of fights. That should not happen, that should not matter when you are trying to compete at a top level. Sponsorship whether it be product placement or branding – if the finance from that allows you to compete at that level is really important in this sport, I feel more so myself. The UK has some fantastic Heavyweights, some fantastic talent and guys that get to compete abroad they’re doing great things’. Chi is still working a day job in Security Management, whilst maintaining to all his training needs to compete among the best at OneFC.

Chi started the ball rolling himself, he contacted Alistair Overeem from the beginning and asked if he could do some sparring and then built up great relationships, ‘I already had a list, I always try, I will give anything a go. It’s just the finance stopping me – with finance I can pursue opportunities, grab the bull by the horns. My aim is to be the first British Heavyweight to hold a world title, recognised World Title. I can do that 100% and be the first Heavyweight OneFC champ. I want to open doors for people. With that title, with that acknowledgment, I can help people, I can open doors for people where people didn’t open doors for me. It’s all about helping and I can spot talent. If all they need is backing, I will sponsor them if I had the money. I’m hoping someone will do that for me. My long term goal – I want to be the champion. I don’t care about being the champion if I can just make a big difference. It’s not the be all or end all if I’m not with the notoriety. I gain from just competing for a title which can open doors. I was never given anything for free as a person. I was always asking for something – I asked LA Lakers if I could try out for them, I spent my money as I had that much belief, I want to be that middle man, be a mentor, that would make me happy’.

We got to briefly see Chi make his debut for OneFc on May 30^th against Alain Ngalani which unfortunately resulted in a No Contest due to an accidently groin shot. To say it must have been a disappointing way for the fight to end is an understatement ‘having studied the Heavyweight division beforehand, I just knew a long time before that fight was announced, I would be facing Ngalani, so I got what I expected. It was all the preparation that went along with that bout. It’s not just turn up to the gym, do weights, sprints, cardio, drills. There is a lot of big mental preparation to go with it. I spent every day, thinking about this guy. Every way I can win, lose. Everyway the fight can go in my favour. Every way the fight can go against me. I visualize these things. I’m quite thorough. I visualize right up until the feeling of the mat under my feet for the first time, to the energy of the crowd and the referee checking my body parts for any objects. Checking my shorts, making sure nothing is foreign to me when I get in there and everything goes to plan when I get in there – for it to stop in that way in a fight that was only 40 seconds, he was obviously hurt. I was very disappointed’. Although the outcome of the fight was not the way anyone would have expected it, Chi, being the positive person he is, loved every bit of his first experience ‘The show they put on in Asia is so different. Asia is built on respect, the show was put together superbly, it was a great show. I think I would find it hard to compete on a promotion like that, it was a proper show coming out with pyrotechnics and I was third on in the night, the experience was great, the atmosphere was great it made up for the disappointment and the Singaporean fans are great. Knowing now what to expect from a big promotion and having the debut fight regardless of the outcome out of the way ‘I will enjoy the next one more, I will enjoy the show more, I know what to expect for the promotion side of things and 12,000 people appreciated, respected both athletes in every bout in the arena – it was just amazing’.

With OneFC just building up their Heavyweight Division, you can most probably count on a few athletes competing with each other a few times. Chi is respectful and not one to ‘call-out’ fellow athletes, other than for their achievements. ‘Tim Sylvia and James McSweeny” Are the two that are high on Chi’s top achievement list, whom he would like a Match-Up with next, but having said that Brandon Vera has just signed to OneFC so I’m pretty sure that is a third name to be added to the mix also. ‘McSweeny is a very good Kickboxer and striker and has a good ground game and I actually really like him. It’s about testing myself against someone who is a more decorated striker than I am having won domestic Muay Thai titles. If you want to say I’m calling you out then say I’m calling you out but it’s not a disrespecting thing and don’t make it personal’.

I am a Humble guy, I compete, I don’t fight, I am here to entertain as much as I am to win

‘Competing is when two athletes come head to head and try to see who has the better skills, I don’t dislike any of the guys I’m fighting, I like to compete. I have no animosity towards them, I’m not angry, which is probably why I’m so calm when you see me compete. I’m composed and calm leading up to it. There are no real nerves, there’s just a switch I’m able to turn on and there you go – right I got to compete now. Some guys have to hate you in order to compete against you – I don’t get that’.

Being away from his family is a big sacrifice for Chi. Some say, it comes with the ‘job’, but Chi is known for being a family man first and foremost. Being a parent in this sport is one of the hardest things any athlete can go through, especially when they have moved across to the United States ‘The longest I have spent away from my little boy is a week. He was 6months old then. He is 18 months old now. It’s been two months since I’ve seen him. I miss seeing his progress, and it’s hard to explain to people who don’t have children how it feels. Funding all my training myself has taken a bit hit with the outcome of my first fight with Ngalani as the plan was to train for the fight in the States, in Holland and here [in the UK], go compete then go and join my family and chill out until I was called back up for OneFC. But obviously with the no contest my finances took a big hit and I’ve had to stay here in the UK, which has made things a lot harder in not seeing my family, especially my 18 month-old son, who now runs of with the phone when I’m Skyping and you can see he wants to talk, but he’s looking at the screen thinking why are you not here. Me and my partner talk all the time but, my little man…. It’s so hard’.

Chi’s partner, Michelle has set up an Etsy shop, where you can purchase Official ‘Chopper’ Chi Lewis-Parry’ Items on-line, where all proceeds will go to help fund Chi make the once in a lifetime trip to train at Jackson’s MMA in New Mexico to futher his amibitions of becomming the UK’s first heavyweight to hold a reconginised World Title Belt.

'Chopper' Chi Lewis- Parry Merchandise https://www.etsy.com/people/chopperchi — ‘Chopper’ Chi Lewis- Parry Merchandise https://www.etsy.com/people/chopperchi

Check out the whole range here: https://www.etsy.com/people/chopperchi

Keep up to date on all of Chi’s activities, click on his own website page where there is also a link if you would like to ‘donate’ to help fund some of Chi’s trip to Jackson’s MMA in New Mexico.

Website Link: : www.chilewisparry.co.uk

Twitter : twitter.com/ThebossmanCLP

Facebook : www.facebook.com/chi.lewisparry

Chi would like to thank the following people:

Everyone who has taken an interest in me, everyone who has actively supported me, my partner and my little boy, my mum, Pete Mercer, Danny Brennan, Ollie Beard and Mogul Mangement.

Read the first part of this interview here : fiveroundswithemma.com/2014/07/14/chopper-chi-lewis-parry-talks-alain-ngalani-part-1/

‘CHOPPER’ CHI LEWIS-PARRY TALKS ALAIN NGALANI [PART 1]

On July 11th we got to see Chi Lewis-Parry makes his second apperance for promotion ONEFC. He was tasked with his original opponent ‘Alain Ngalani‘ in a Re-Match after his first bout for the promotion on May 30th ended in a No Contest, after an accidental Low Blow.

I managed to get some time with Chi before this bout, where we discussed many things, one being, The Re-Match.

Chi Lewis-Parry v Alain Ngalani - Face Off — Chi Lewis-Parry v Alain Ngalani – Face Off

Here you can read Part 1 of that interview :

On July 11^th we get to see the re-match of Chi and Alain Ngalani in Taipe, Taiwan.

How are you feeling knowing you have the re-match with Ngalani

‘I wasn’t sure I was going to get the re-match straight away. I thought I might have had to fight someone else before him, but I’m glad I’ve got it, it’s happening, it is still fresh. He is still in there in the air I breathe and I still haven’t got that monkey off my back so to speak. I need to put this one to bed so I can move on’.

And obviously only sharing the octagon for only 40 seconds with Ngalani in his first meeting. I asked what if anything did he learn about Ngalani

‘I noticed he was very strong, has a very orthodox clinch move’

And will he change any of his game plan going into this re-match at all

‘make sure my knee hits above the belt! He doesn’t know what I’m coming with, I’m still an unknown entity’.

How do you go about preparing for an athlete of Ngalani’s calibre

‘you cannot find people like him every single day, he is unique, you can’t find people built like him or move like him, he’s a unique human being, that’s if you can call him human. He looks fantastic, he’s supple, he kicks hard. He is 39. He’s peaking as he gets older, you can’t really emulate him, you can drill something a 1000 times, but when you get to fight, it doesn’t happen. I know what he likes to throw, I know it’s about reading him, I know when he likes to throw it , it is about reading him before he likes to throw it, I picked it up from Alistair, I’m sure Ngalani does not hit as hard as Alistair, I take comfort in knowing I can take a kicking from Alistair’.

Both of you have not gone past the first round in any of your fights [bar your debut MMA fight with Ollie Beard], we were expecting fireworks the first time and got to example a tiny fraction of that, what ‘explosions’ are we going to see this time round

‘I’m not a jump from the gate and start sprinting guy, I’m more composed. I don’t really have a formula but quouting conor mcgregor “it’s a fight what happens happens” it’s a sport, I can work mount escapes for six months and get into the fight and get nothing, work everything, play towards making his strengths his weakness and see how it goes’.

‘You don’t get to predict how the wave is going how to crash when you’re riding it, you just have to ride it and see how it happens’

Being the humble athlete Chi is he does not make predications but he did leave me with this:

‘I will guarantee a tremendous performance from both of us, one warrior will win, one warrior will lose, both of us will leave as friends’.

Chi Lewis-Parry - Weigh-In — Chi Lewis-Parry – Weigh-In 243 lbs

Thursday July 10th

Chi weighed in at 243 lbs and Alain Ngalani weighing-in at 231 lbs, everything was now set for Friday’s Main Card action.

Friday July 11th

As the actual event started, Lewis-Parry was getting the better of Ngalani in the stand up and striking. Ngalani went for the takedown by way of a Judo trip,then gained full mount against the side of the cage. From top position, Ngalani hit Lewis-Parry with a series of elbows but that did not seem to faze Lewis-Parry, he returned his own shots, this time, three thunderous bodyshots to Ngalani. With a little bit of a ‘stale mate’ Lewis-Parry then quickly sweeps in an reversal. In side control, Parry struck Ngalani with vicious elbows to the head and followed that up with a couple more, knocking out Ngalani at the 4 minute 11 second mark of the first round.

WINNER VIA KO CHI LEWIS-PARRY [4MIN 11SECS Round 1]

You can catch the onslaught of Lewis-Parry’s vicious elbows here, courtesy of Zombie Prophet :

http://gfycat.com/JealousImaginativeEmperorshrimp

Chi Lewis-Parry is now 6-0 and has finished every oppenent in the first round.

You can follow Chi on Twitter : https://twitter.com/ThebossmanCLP

On Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/chi.lewisparry?fref=ts

On his Website : http://chilewisparry.co.uk/

You can also support ‘Chopper’ Chi Lewis-Parry in his clothing range here: https://www.etsy.com/people/chopperchi

Chi would like to thank the following people: Absolutely everyone on my Facebook who has taken an interest in me, everyone who has actively supporteted me, my partner and my boy, my mum, Pete Mercer, Danny Brennan, Ollie Beard and Mogul Management.

Check back for Part 2, where Chi talks about his Goals, Aspirations, who he would like as his next opponent, his invitation to train at Jackson’s MMA, his friendship with Alistair Overeem and much more.

Photo Credits: OneFC/ Danny Brennan

GETTING TO KNOW ‘THE BEAST’ LAURA HANDY

Laura Handy is a 28-year-old married mother of one who lives in Stourbridge with her Husband and daughter Ayva [2]. On Saturday 28^th June she will be fighting for Ultimate Impact [UIC 12] K1 Flyweight Title against Cheryl Flynn at GL1 Leisure centre in Gloucester.

Born in Wordsley and raised in Blackheath, Laura and her older sister who both used to swim for Oldbury Swimming Club, would train for four/five times a week then come the weekend it would be Gala time, ‘I think that is where my competitive nature comes from, not necessarily with my sister, but as we were always used to competitions with other clubs’.

Competiveness, I would say runs in the family with Laura, who, also has a younger brother [Dan] who is a black belt in Judo and has represented Team GBR in Judo in his teens, ‘Dan has not competed in the last few years due to university commitments but has travelled to Germany and Belgium amongst other countries whilst representing Team GBR’.

Laura currently trains out of Fury MMA in Stourbridge under head coach Ryan Norwood, who is a veteran in the sport, having had 10 professional fights going back to as early as 2002.

Laura being the very supportive wife that she is [Luke and Laura have been together for 11 years married for four of those years] used to go and watch husband Luke play football, ‘When we first moved into our house Luke would go and play a lot of football and I would always go and watch; stand on the side-lines in the rain, snow, sometimes the sun [laughs] and all I would hear about would be football’.

Deciding she was getting real bored of football pretty quickly, Laura needed to do something for herself, in steps, Ryan Norwood, who was advertising his new gym Fury MMA, it happened to be just around the corner from where Laura lived, she thought she would give that ago ‘I was the only girl there and got on really well with Ryan and the other lads that attended, I then got addicted to it really and trained for fun for a year before having time off to have my daughter Ayva. When I returned the same year [Oct 2012] Ryan asked if I wanted to fight, I was like ‘of course’ [laughs]’.

Having had no inter-club fights under her belt, Laura got straight into ‘fight’ training mode, for which Laura has already been making huge sacrifices for the sport she has now fallen in love with. Working full time [Thursday – Mondays] in Sales for a Building Contractor selling New Build Houses; her Husband Luke owns a Cleaning business in both the domestic and commercial field, whilst also spending as much quality time with two-year old Ayva as possible.

Laura fits her training in around the time Ayva has gone to bed and before she gets up in the morning so she is not missing out on spending time with her. That in itself is dedication. But, Laura took it one step further and added in weight training to her usual regime ‘I started going because my debut fight with Asha Patel was at 62kg. I was struggling to stay at 62kg, with all the extra training the weight was just dropping off so I thought of just going to lift some weights and I got in touch with a friend of mine Em, who used to train some body builders and she started training with me’.

Laura had her first K1 fight for Ultimate Impact Fight Night 1 on 10^th August 2013 against Asha Patel and won via Unanimous Decision.

Next up was Ultimate Impact 10 and Laura’s opponent was Sammy Donnelly, fighting at 58kg in a K1 fight, so again Laura incorporated her new found ‘dedication’ of weight training into her routine. ‘The shape of my body has changed so much from just weight training, I like the look, the way my muscles fill out, and it is a little bit addictive [laughs], as soon as you start to see your body change you get addicted to that. At 58kg people said I looked scrawny and that was another reason, I wanted to build some muscle. I did not want to look scrawny or skinny at flyweight I just wanted to look toned and lean more than anything else. I am competitive not just against other people but with myself. Every time I go I like to do that very bit more, try a different thing just to push myself that little bit more, it’s all part of the training for me though, I wouldn’t go into a fight not knowing I haven’t put 100% in and I think that adds to my strength, agility and cardio. I find it does help with the weight cut as well. The more lean muscle you have the easier you have to drop your weight, well that is what I find anyway’.

Laura won her second K1 fight against Sammy Donnelly on 16^th November 2013 at UIC 10 via Unanimous Decision. After that fight, it was announced that Laura would be fighting Anya Baker for the K1 Flyweight Title Eliminator on February 22^nd 2014 on Ultimate Impact 11.

Laura fought Anya Baker on February 22^nd 2014 at UIC 11 and won via Unanimous Decision, she would now be fighting Cheryl Flynn on June 28^th at UIC 12 for the first ever female Flyweight K1 Title.

Learning from her past fights, Laura now knows how she is going to train for this title fight, ‘My problem with the way I dealt with Anya’s fight, was that I kept watching her fights over and over, therefore it did not help me with my nerves. This time my coaches will be the ones watching the tapes over and over and I will just go in their direction’.

Speaking of this Title fight I asked if Laura knew anything about Cheryl Flynn, ‘I know that she has had a couple of MMA fights lately and like I just said I’ve seen a couple of videos, I also watched the fight she had with Katie Sendall which was a while ago now and I respect anybody that is going to get in the cage and is going to fight anybody. Cheryl is a respected fighter, a good fighter; she knows what she is doing; to go up in a title fight against someone like Cheryl Flynn who has had as many fights as Cheryl Flynn has, is good for me and is good for my career in K1. I am excited to fight someone like Cheryl Flynn.’

Knowing that Laura will be filled with emotion for her Title fight on June 28^th 2014 she stated, ‘When it was announced that it was going to be a title eliminator against Anya at UIC 11, I was so nervous I couldn’t get it out my head. I just needed to get through this fight first then concentrate on what happens next, but I suffer a lot with nerves; I will be a bag of nerves on the day. I think if you did not get nervous, it does not mean enough to you’. Also adding ‘before the last fight against Anya, Chris Hipkiss, Ryan Norwood and Adam Cartwright had a little chat with me about my nerves just to get me through the first 15 seconds and then said you will be fine; all through the day they had to keep saying little things to me. I was close to tears all day but I got there in the end’.

http://www.njfphotography.com/

‘As a girl, I do wear my heart on my sleeve and I do tell people how I feel. The fight was quite near the end of the night as well; it is the whole build-up of it that makes me nervous; if I could just get in there be the first one on, get in and out and get it done I would probably feel a lot better about it but it is all part of it. Once I am in there, and the ref says off you go, I love every single second of it. It is just getting past those nerves to begin with. I do not want to make a fool of myself or let anyone down. Every fight I’ve gone into I know I have trained my hardest, and I have put in every hour I possibly can’.

Laura also gives a lot of credit to Ultimate Impact, ‘It means a lot that Paul Sutherland and Dan Richards have thought enough of the girls fights to think they need recognition for what we have achieved so far. I think all the girls’ fights on all of the UIC shows everyone has enjoyed them. Every single fight has been worth watching and matched fairly, it means a lot that Paul and Dan have put that together and said you guys are good enough to have a title shot at UIC’.

Laura would like to thank the following people:

Ryan Norwood, Chris Hipkiss, Wayne Drake, Karl Evans, Matt Harthill, Lee Sherwood, Adam Cartwright everyone at Fury MMA, my husband who has been to all my fights and does not moan that I am off out training all the time and my New Sponsor Armour Wash.

http://bodyarmour-uk.com/

Photo Credits: http://www.njfphotography.com/

Ultimate Impact 12 is this Saturday June 28th at GL1 Leisure Centre, Gloucester, tickets are available online on the below link.

http://www.ultimateimpactevents.com/index.php/shop/tickets/category?path=39

Doors open 4pm

First bout 4.30pm

If you have missed any of Laura’s previous fights you can watch them here:

Laura Handy v Asha Patel UIFN1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpsxirE3Vr8

Laura Handy v Sammy Donnelly UIC 10

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hoF_tuZLXPQ

Laura Handy v Anya Baker UIC 11

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFKSX1LAmJ0

MARIO SAEED THE ‘ARM COLLECTOR’ IS TAKING NAMES! HE’S BACK FROM INJURY AND RARING TO GO CWFC 67

Pre catch up with Mario Saeed – Interview was carried out on Tuesday, April 8th, 2014 before his Cage Warriors Debut on April 12th 2014.

Mario Saeed (5-1) from Bristol and riding a four fight-winning streak will be making his long over-due debut for promotion Cage Warriors on Saturday April 12^th at The LC, Swansea, Wales.

Coming back from a career threatening injury sustained back in October last year, whilst training for what was going to be his then debut fight for Cage Warriors in Jordan. Mario sustained a Fractured Neck, since then Mario has been under strict instructions to take things easy, let time heal his injuries with the proper help and guidance.

Training, out of Trojan Free Fighters in Cheltenham, with the guidance of Head Coach and Mentor Paul Sutherland . Managed by UI Management, I managed to catch up with, a full of beans, Hyper active, fully motivated Mario Saeed for our scheduled interview – judging by the very good mood he is in, I have no idea on, how serious at all I can get him to answer every single question I have for him, but here is the final cut for you all to read.

Look out for the one motivational ‘quote’ that was put in nicely by mario

EB. Hey, Mario thanks for your time. It has been awhile since I have spoken to you how, are you?

MS. Hello Emma, I am doing great now thank you.

EB. The last time we spoke you were about to have your last fight for the promotion Ultimate Impact Cage fighting against Wayne Drake. How did that go?

MS. It went very well thank you, it was a real hard fight but I got the win in the end.

EB. Prior to that fight, it was then announced that on June 19^th, you had been signed to fight for the promotion Cage Warriors, with your debut to be in Jordan on October 25th, but a serious training injury occurred just two weeks before. Can you talk me through what happened?

MS. Everything was going great until 2 weeks before the fight, I suffered a fracture in my neck, this meant I had to take a break from training for quite a while! Now I am back stronger than ever.

EB. Being a very positive and motivated person that you are, what kept you going through the ‘dark times’ you would have experienced on your road back to recovery?

MS. Everything happens for a reason. I believe in myself and this keeps me staying positive. I am looking forward to my next fight.

EB. Your teammate Mark Godbeer had also gone through a very similar experience to yourself; did you take advice from him on any part of the recovery process?

MS. We are all teammates. We help each other and sh*t happens. We all motivate each other. Teammates stick together no matter what.

EB. You also took to posting a few updates via a video blog on your Facebook of your recovery in the very early days. Have you watched any of them back at all? Alternatively, are they too painful memory for you to watch?

MS. I would not say they are too painful to watch, I have not watched them back. I do not look back I always look forward.

EB. What was your rehab/recovery process like? Did you try to rush the process?

MS. Laughs! I listened to the doctor’s advice and took plenty of time out and now I am good to go and ready to fight again.

EB. Once you were all cleared to leave the hospital and take it easy, I heard you were back at the gym sat watching your teammates train. Can you tell me how you were feeling at this point?

MS. A mixture of frustration and just glad that I was there, also I was happy to support the other lads, but I did want to be fighting myself; I had to be tied to the chair to stop me from moving! (Laughs)

EB. Motivation, dedication and hard work have got you where you are now. I mean it is not everyday someone fractures their neck and 6 months later they are back doing what they love.

MS. I am very lucky to be coming back stronger than ever doing what I love; these things test you in life, and it is all about how bad you want it, how hard you are willing to work for it. I cannot wait to show the world what I am about.

EB. On April 12^th, you have your long overdue debut for Cage Warriors in Swansea, what are you looking forward to the most.

MS. I am looking forward to every minute of it, Cage Warrior’s is a great show and I cannot wait to get back in the cage and get the big W.

EB. Do you know anything about your new opponent Sean ‘Sexy Curls’ Carter?

MS. I know that he comes from a great gym and I am friends with a few of his teammates. He is a good fighter but I am a great fighter, come fight night, he will find out.

EB. Now, that your Co- Main event does that, put any more pressure on you? (you’ve crept up the card and now you’re Co-Main Event)!

MS. Co- Main, it makes no difference, as I have been main event before. It is just another fight to me.

EB. With a late change in opponent, (1 week before fight day) does that change anything in you as a fighter and the fight you have already prepared for? (original opponent was Rikki Fortuna 2-2-1)

MS. Not particularly as I train to fight and it does not matter who I fight. I will fight anyone who Cage Warriors choose to put in front of me, but remember my name WILL BE going the Cage Warriors GOLD!

EB. Being, the Champion at Ultimate Impact Cage fighting, is there any pressure to be the Champion at Cage Warriors or is that the Goal/DREAM?

MS. No, it is just a matter of time!

EB. Sean has had nine fights, and his only loss was for the lightweight title, if you win against Sean on April 12th do you see yourself in title contention?

MS. Hell yes I will be after that belt.

EB. This will be your first fight back since your training accident, some may say in at the deep end. What would you say?

MS. I am a very good swimmer.

EB. What is it about the promotion Cage Warriors that keeps fighters on their roster?

MS. Cage Warriors are the best promotion in the UK and Europe. Cage Warriors, is viewed by millions around the world, the promotion speaks for itself.

EB. You are ‘known’ as ‘The Armbar Collector’ would you like to be ‘known’ for more than just that one awesome submission.

MS. I am an all-round fighter, but the armbar is my signature move! The best is yet to come. “Don’t fear the man who does 1000 techniques; fear the man who does 1 technique 1000 times”.

EB. You have crazy fans that I for one have witnessed. Can you tell me of a time when things have been just a little bit too crazy at one of your fights?

MS. When I fought and won the UIC title, my fans rushed to see me, to congratulate me in the cage, let us hope Cage Warriors have plenty of security, Laughs!

EB. Training to you is second nature, what keeps you going and motivated?

MS. My family and friends, the fact I love what I do and I get to do it every day.

EB. Is there anyone you would like to thank?

MS. I would like to thank my coach who is my mentor, Paul Sutherland, my best mate Chris Astley and all my teammates at Trojan and finally my sponsors DiscountMMA, BRITISHF1GHTER, SynergiFitness, SCIMX.

You can follow Mario Saeed on Twitter, who in my opinion is well worth the follow, if for just all the motivational quotes he tweets everyday on @MarioRudeboy7

You can watch Mario ‘Rudeboy’ Saeed take on Sean ‘Sexy Curls’ Carter at The LC, Swansea, Wales, Saturday April 12^th for those of you who have purchased tickets, alternatively you can watch the Main Card via www.cagewarriors.tv which is FREE this weekend for UK viewers. Main Card is at 9pm. Who will be showing 6 out of the 7 fights in total for FREE that night. Any more information go towww.cagewarriors.com

This event is now SOLD OUT so unless some of the fighters have any spare tickets left that will be the only way you will be able to see the whole event LIVE.

PHOTO CREDIT 1,2,3 – HUW FAIRCLOUGH

PHOTO CREDIT 3 CAGE WARRIORS

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