Ultimate Impact Championship returned for their seventeenth event at GL1 Leisure Centre in Gloucester on Saturday, July 2, to a very warm and welcome crowd.
With a fightcard boasting of 11 MMA bouts and 1 K1 bout the night promised to deliver and that it did.
Full Results
PRO
Jamie Sexton DEF Chris Astley via KO :29 seconds round 1
Richard Williams DEF Brett Hassett via Standing D’arce Choke 3:38 round 1
Amateur
Craig Rawlins DEF Michael Corston via Unanimous Decision
Bradley Wills DEF Josh Ozanne via Armbar 2:39 round 3
Ben Hughes DEF Toddy Porter via KO 1:10 round 1
Peter Robson DEF Matt Page via RNC 2:27 round 1
Callum Gilbert DEF James Price via Unanimous Decision
Jo Doyle DEF Michelle Nash via Unanimous Decision
Tony Mills DEF Damien Friker via TKO :40 seconds round 1
Ultimate Impact Championships returns for their seventeenth event held at GL1 Leisure Centre in Gloucester this Saturday, July 2, with what promises to be another fantastic event for the local based promotion.
With a fightcard boasting of 11 MMA bouts and 1 K1 bout the night promises to be non stop action from the first bout.
Headlining the event will be Jamie Sexton who faces Chris Astley and the co-main event is Brett Hassett who faces Richard Williams.
Also on the amateur portion of the card will be Swindon’s Craig Rawlins who faces Michael Corston.
Here is the fightcard as it stands.
Pro
Jamie Sexton v Chris Astley 80kg
Brett Hassett v Richard Williams 70kg
Amateur
Michael Corston v Craig Rawlins 77kg
Bradley Wills v Josh Ozanne 77kg
Ben Hughes v Toddy Porter 75kg K1 Ammy (10oz glove and Shiguards)
Peter Robson v Matt Page 84kg
James Price v Callum Gilbert 74kg
Michelle Nash v Jo Doyle 66kg
Damien Friker v Tony Mills 70kg
Jack Eglin v Shea Evans 59kg Ammy (Shinguards)
Undercard Novice Exhibition fights (2 x 3min rounds)
Tom Godber v Ryan Mayes 62kg (2 round Exhibition, Shinguards)
Nat Pohl v Oban Elliot 70kg (2 round exhibition, Shinguards)
Piotr Ptaskinski will be making his return to the octagon this weekend after two years away from the sport at Ultimate Impact Championship 16 this Saturday, November 14th at GL1 Leisure Centre in Gloucester, in a K1 Title fight against Craig White.
The 33-year-old, originally from Poland who now resides in Worcester, Worcestershire has only been competing in professional MMA for the last five years, but I guess realistically you could actually say only three years with his last two years out of the sport due to injury and having no motivation or hunger for the sport during that time.
Piotr Ptaskinski will be making his return to the octagon this weekend after two years away from the sport at Ultimate Impact Championship 16 this Saturday, November 14th at GL1 Leisure Centre in Gloucester, in a K1 Title fight against Craig White.
The 33-year-old, originally from Poland who now resides in Worcester, Worcestershire has only been competing in professional MMA for the last five years, but I guess realistically you could actually say only three years with his last two years out of the sport due to injury and having no motivation or hunger for the sport during that time.
Before his two-year hiatus, Piotr fought for established European promotion Cage Warriors for which he had a career that consisted of 2 wins and 2 losses which brought his impressive welterweight record to 5-4 inside the octagon for professional MMA. Now fully healed, full of motivation and more hungrier than ever Piotr has decided to make his comeback in a K1 middleweight title fight.
“I have always liked stand up and although I have been away for two years I have been training in K1, Kickboxing and Muay Thai, so this to me was the perfect option for me to come back to with a great opponent in that of Craig White to showcase both our skills.”
Having watched several of Piotr’s fights myself, I for one know that he never takes a backwards step in the octagon and is always coming forward no matter what is being thrown at him. I guess this is where his love of the sport definitely comes in and makes him a fan favourite to watch in whatever promotion he his competing in at the time. Whenever Piotr competes you can usually guarantee there will be ‘beautiful violence’ involved.
“Whilst competing for the promotion Cage Warriors I did get given the nickname ‘The Polish Zombie’ after my fight with Moshen Bahari, at one point there was just blood coming out of my eyes but the polish zombie is not my real nickname (infact it is current TUF 22 competitor Marcin Wrzosek nickname) my nickname is ‘Iron’ given to me by Paul Sutherland after my fight with Daniel Brzozowski who knocked me down in the first round, twice, and I came back to finish him in that round in 2 mins via Armbar. That was when I was given my fight name of ‘Iron’.”
Although you may only recognise Piotr’s name from the MMA scene, you can be forgiven as although K1, Kickboxing and Muay Thai are the disciplines he prefers to compete in and for which he has done so previously in-between his MMA days, his last competitive K1 fight was in Spain three years ago for which he won and then he promptly carried on with his MMA way of life.
Being blessed in both disciplines of K1 and MMA and seeing now that Piotr’s motivation and clear hunger for the sport had worked its way back to him and having a ‘rebirth’ into this forever evolving sport the question now is what is the ultimate goal for which he would like to achieve within the sport.
“I don’t know at the moment as I don’t look too much into the future. I’m just looking at this Saturday and taking this belt, this is my ultimate goal at the moment.”
Training out of renowned Cheltenham Trojan Free Fighters under the guidance of head coach Paul Sutherland and Conditioning guru Matt Ewin who is known for his crazy hill sprints, Piotr’s level of training just keeps adding more explosive sets of weapons to the ever-growing arsenal of tools that he has already and is forever expanding into his growing tool box.
“The secret in Trojans being a really good teaching gym is the head coach, Paul Sutherland. He is one of the best coaches in the UK and the gym has a great training programme for every person. Paul Sutherland is the key to Trojans he is the Glue.”
For this specific training camp Piotr has travelled around a few places to get the ‘best of the best’ training and it all started in Poland where he trained at Tomasz Drwal gym who happened to be a pioneer of MMA in Poland and was the first Polish person in the UFC. Piotr’s next part of his camp was then spent with UIC 15 WW K1 Champion David Willmot at Team Tieu Cheltenham and then finally onto sparring seasons with former UFC and Cage Warriors athlete Chè Mills, not forgetting his daily training sessions with Paul Sutherland at Trojans.
“I was over in Poland for ten days training with Tomasz Drwal at his school which was just really good, having around 7/8 sparring partners my size training in boxing and kickboxing, it was a great experience. Training with David Willmot for whom is a multiple K1 champion, well, you couldn’t ask for any better and as for getting to train with Chè Mills he is 6ft tall just like Craig White but I feel Chè’s striking is world-class, in my opinion. If you want to beat the best you must train with the best.”
They say ‘Iron sharpens Iron’
As we start to talk about Polish fighters with the date being the 14th November when Piotr himself is due to compete, there is also another Polish fighter who goes by the name of Joanna Jedrzejczyk competing on the same night for a title belt defence, it would be rude of me not to at least test the waters on this subject.
“Joanna Jedrzejczyk is such a beast and I have been a watching her since I saw here compete in Cage Warriors. We polish are very proud. Although Valerie Letourneau may not be all together an easy fight, Joanna is still a different type of beast, her confidence is great and she will be unstoppable for a long time to come.”
Piotr would like give a shout out to his sponsors:
Polly Beauchamp [1-0] will be stepping into the cage for the second time on Saturday, June 6th at Ultimate Impact 15 in Gloucester, GL1 Leisure Centre where she will be facing Monica Nix [0-1].
Photo Credit Barbelles Magazine
The 28-year-old who is originally from a little village called Westwood in Bath but now resides in Melksham, Wiltshire is no stranger to Martial Arts. Having started out in the world of Karate at a very young age before taking a break and re-finding a love for Kickboxing, Polly soon realised she could make more of her abilities. First training out of Revolution Gym in Trowbridge with Owner and professional MMA Scott Clist she began applying her first initial steps into the world of adult combat sports.
“I mainly started for a hobby really and fitness but as soon as fighting became an option I took it more seriously and enjoyed the discipline. Having Scott as a coach meant he knew how hard we had to be pushed and Scott helped me to compete in my first kickboxing fight”.
After racking up an amateur Kickboxing record of 3-0 and an amateur K1 record of 1-0, Polly decided to add in MMA to her already growing arsenal of tools. After already adding renowned and arguably one of the best South West Gyms into her training regime, Trojan Free Fighters in Cheltenham, Polly started making the 130 mile round trip and finally made Trojans her second home.
“I now train at Trojan where the level of training has stepped up. I started training at Trojan when I was still at Revolution as I felt I needed to mix up my training and train with people who pushed me harder as I progressed. I started to train more and more at Trojan and less at Revolution and then when Revolution shut it was right for me to move to Team Trojan full-time as I could see my self progressing and have lots of very good training partners there.
To be honest the 130 mile round trip to the gym has just become part of my lifestyle now! It is draining sometimes and my days are long and can be stressful with work but I absolutely feel it is worth it.”.
Photo Credit Steve Dyer
With working a 9-5 job as a Manager for Future Publishing in Bath, commuting a 130 mile round trip up to 3-4 times a week and sometimes on the infamous sparring ‘Meat Day’ Sunday, there doesn’t seem to be much down-time for Polly.
“I don’t tend to have much chill or relaxation time as I have to do house chores etc when I’m not working or at the gym so I am always on the go, but I kind of like it! I do get to spend some time with my partner, family and friends so that’s good. I get bored easily so my lifestyle suits me fine currently.”.
On Saturday, June 6th Polly will be making her second outing in MMA, under promotion Ultimate Impact on their fifteenth show at GL1 Leisure Centre in Gloucester and will be competing against Monica Nix who trains out of London Fight Factory who currently holds a record (according to sherdog) [0-1] in amateur MMA. Being trained now by owner and head coach of Trojan Free Fighters Paul Sutherland for whom is an accomplished athlete within his own rights, Paul has a unique way of connecting with all his students to make sure they have a great working partnership especially when it comes to fightcamp and learning all about their up-and-coming opponents.
“I have watched footage of Monica’s fights and know my coach has too but you never know how a fight is going to go so I think you should always be ready for anything! Coming from a stand up background I am comfortable on my feet but I’ve learnt a lot at Trojan and had a good camp where I feel we have covered all the bases well, so we’ll just see what happens on the night!”
Photo Credit Chris Scadden
This is an unbelievable, committed young lady who in my opinion will go along way in this sport, with her sheer determination and all the natural fighting skills she brings to the table. Polly is not one to have a ‘Ritual’ as such before each fight but she did say ” I always eat and drink the same thing after weigh in but that’s it really”
Polly really does seem to have her feet firmly placed on the floor and the only one piece of TV time she does make time for is none other than The Ultimate Fighter and since we are on the new season TUF21 American Top Team VS Blackzilians which has one of Polly’s favourite female fighters who trains out of ATT Tecia Torres, teammates taking part the obvious thing to do was ask #WhatSideAreYouOn?
“Ah TUF! One of the only things I do watch! Although I feel it is going downhill and I’ve been disappointed with this series. I think the quality of fights so far have been quite poor to be honest. so I’m not fussed either way who wins!”
At the moment it does appear that Polly has not got a fighting nickname, I know they come with time and your coach usually gives them to you; well Polly has been training at Trojans since 2013 (and a few years before that) and I personally think it’s about time for her to get a fighting nickname, she has definitely earned a fight worthy nickname!
Polly would like to say a big Shout Out to the following people:
Everyone at Trojan Free Fighters, particularly Paul!
Clare Wheller my Physio who is just awesome, Maple scaffolding who help me with clothing and always support my fights, Contender Gym who help with extra boxing training, Sci-MX who sponsor the gym and help out the fighters with supplements which are great! Adam my boyfriend who tolerates me lol
Ultimate Impact takes place for their fifteenth event this Saturday night at the GL1 Leisure centre in Gloucester for which promises to be one of their most action packed cards to-date.
With 3 Pro MMA bouts including 1 Title bout, 2 Pro K1 Title bouts, 8 amateur MMA bouts including 1 female amateur MMA bout and a female amateur K1 bout, Ultimate Impact Events keep going from strength to strength.
FULL FIGHT CARD AND RUNNING ORDER
Tommy Cook v Craig White MW Pro MMA Title
Dawid Masel v David Willmot WW Pro K1 Title
Greg Reeves v Jon Spoors BW Pro K1 Title
BREAK
Danny T Joel v Phil Wells WW Pro MMA
Philip Kite v Jack Shore LW Ammy MMA
Jaiah B Turay v Jake O’Hagan 86kg Catchweight Ammy MMA
Mitchell Head v Mark Finney LW Pro MMA
Andrew Brew v Will Jones LHW Ammy MMA
Lukasz Marcinkowski v Greg Summers MW Ammy MMA
BREAK
Jessica Mawby v Andree Warbrick 54kg Catchweight Ammy k1
Monica Nix v Polly Beauchamp Strawweight Ammy MMA
Liam Fulford v Ryan Mendez FW Ammy MMA
Marcus Stevens v Jay Garrington LW Ammy MMA
Jesse Wright v Isaak Falzon 86kg Catchweight Ammy MMA
It is also worth noting that Mark Finney is donating all of his Fight Purse and 75% of his ticket sale commission towards the Hollie Garrard Trust whose life was tragically cut short at the hands of her ex-boyfriend. Click here for further details about Hollie and click here to contact Mark for direct ticket sales via his Facebook account.
Also David Willmot is donating his fight purse to The Nelson Trust Drug and alcohol Rehab Centre in Brimscombe, Stroud. You can additionally help by going to David’s ‘Just Giving’ page here and donating whatever you can to help out. Below David left this message on his Facebook page.
So I’m fighting Saturday in Gloucester, the purse I’m donating to the Nelson Trust Drug and Alcohol Rehab Centre in Brimscombe, Stroud to help people beat the demon that is addiction. The more we can raise, the more lives we can save. Addiction destroys lives, families and communities, one person can’t do everything but together we can do something. I’m not fighting for me, I’m fighting to make a difference.
If you have not purchased tickets yet and still need to, you can obtain them from Ultimate Impact Events Online here, any of the fighters mentioned above or there are limited tickets available on the door.
Standard Tickets £25.00
Cageside Tickets: £35.00
V.I.P Single Tickets £45.00
Please note that tickets on the door may be subject to a surcharge.
Ultimate Impact held their fourteenth event last night at the GL1 Leisure Centre in Gloucester, in what was to be there best card yet.
Here are the full results:
Ultimate Impact 14 Event Poster
WELTERWEIGHT TITLE BELT
Adam Bousiff Def Shane Riley via Modified Guillotine Round One #AndStillWelterweightChampion Adam ‘Boa’ Bousiff
LIGHTWEIGHT TITLE BELT
Marc Allen Def Terry Doyle Via Referee Stoppage due to Injury (shoulder dislocation) Round One #AndtheNewLightweightChampion
Marc Allen – UIC 14 Lightweight Champion
Steve Smith Def Dave Conlon Via UnanimousDecisionK1 Pro
Lee Russell Def Ian Dalby via Armbar Rnd One Flyweight pro
Ffion Davies Def Laura Handy via RNC 2 mins 36 secs Round One Bantamweight ammy
I’m Extremely blessed to be part of such a strong team of competitors and coaches. I can’t wait to do it all over again in Sunderland next week!
Amy O’Mara Def Paulina Malina Via Split Decision Strawweight ammy
Harry Davis Def Olly Myers Via UnanimousDecision Welterweight ammy
Bryony Tyrell Def Jemma Jacques via TKO (GnP) Round Two Flyweight ammy
My coach has decided that my fight name should be ‘Killa Bee’ from now in, since after two subsequent wins by Ground N Pound the Gazelle is no longer. I would also like to say a big thank you to my coaches and all the people who came up to support me
Andree Warbrick Def Ashleigh Johnson Via unanimousDecision K1 ammy
Polly Beauchamp Def Charlotte Freeman Via Split Decision Strawweight ammy
Will Jones Def Jordan Patey Via T/KO Round One
Mack Stevens Def Josh Ozane Via RNC Round Two
Bartosz Rusiecki Def Laurence Coates Via UnanimousDecision K1 ammy
Dave Tibbetts Def Pat Benson Via Guillotine Round Two
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!
Bryony Tyrell
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 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’
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.
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.
Bryony Tryrell at Grapplers Showdown
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.
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.
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!
Ffion Davies first amateur MMA fight
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!
Ffion Davies first amateur MMA fight
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.
Ultimate Impact returns to the GL1 leisure centre, Gloucester, on February 21st for their 14th event. With two pro MMA Title fights on the line, a pro flyweight bout, along with 1 pro K1 fight, four female amateur MMA fights, one female amateur K1 fight and four male amateur MMA fights, one amateur K1 fight it is safe to say this is there best card yet.
Ultimate Impact 14 Event Poster
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
DATE: 21st February 2015
TIME: Doors open at 4pm
WHERE: GL1 Leisure Centre, Gloucester, GL1 1DT
COST: £360 VIP table of 8 (£45 per head), £35 Cageside seating & £25 Standard Ticket
