Saturday, 3rd September 2022, RAGED UK MMA hosted their 15th event back at the MECA, Swindon, where it all began in 2009.
Saturday, 3rd September 2022, RAGED UK MMA hosted their 15th event back at the MECA, Swindon, where it all began in 2009.
Swindon fight fans were in for a great night of beautiful violence with a staggering 20 fights.
As with previous events, RAGED UK MMA held a live PPV on Fightworld TV for all of those who could not attend in person.
RAGED UK MMA had 15 Amateur fights to get the crowd started and, of course, for us [Media] to see the NEW athletes who will be making big statements in the near future. Two of last night’s amateur competitors won THE VACANT AMATEUR SUPER WELTERWEIGHT BELT and THE AMATUER LIGHT FEATHERWEIGHT BELT.
The 5 remaining bouts were The Professional Fights, with the final fight of action for THE VACANT PROFESSIONAL LIGHTWEIGHT BELT.
Complete Raged UK MMA Fight Results
AMATEUR BOUTS
Fight 1: Amateur 3×3 Heavyweight
Sam Marshall def Jordan Everett via TKO (GnP) 00:59 into the 3rd Round.
Fight 2: Amateur 3×3 Catchweight
Stephen Todman def Jay Kerley via TKO 00:09 into the 1st Round
Fight 3: Amateur 3×3 Middleweight
Ceri Choron def Brad Livingstone via TKO (GnP) 00:50 into the 2nd Round
Fight 4: Amateur 3×3 Catchweight
Dan Bassett def Adam Kahlil via KO 1:53 into the 3rd Round
Fight 5: Amateur 3×3 Catchweight
Dion Miles def Jon Hadley via TKO (GnP) 1:45 into the 1st Round
Fight 6: Amateur 3×3 Welterweight
Sam Cooper def Jon Hunt via Submission (Triangle) 02:55 in the 1st Round
Fight 7: Amateur 3×3 Middleweight
Nathan Halton def Joe Wood via Unanimous Decision
Fight 8: Amateur 3×3 Catchweight
Marian Sandu def Paddy Portsmouth via Submission (RNC) 01:31 in the 2nd Round
Fight 9: Amateur 3×3 Catchweight
Raheem Joseph def George Birbeck via Submission (Kimura) 01:38 in the 1st Round
Fight 10: Amateur 3×3 Catchweight
Rich Lukacs def Jacob Phibbs via Split Decision
Fight 11: Amateur 3×3 Welterweight
Charlie Phillips def Richard Nottingham via Doctor Stoppage (Cut to Forehead) 01:16 in the 1st Round
Fight 12: Amateur 3×3 Catchweight
Jordan Walters def Ben Bates via Fighter Injury (Broken Thumb) 01:08 in the 1st Round
Fight 13: Amateur 3×3 Lightweight
Ollie Wilde def Louie Cooke via Split Decision
Fight 14: Amateur 3×3 Vacant Raged Super Welterweight Title Fight
Tyler James def John Watson via TKO (Punches) 01:21 in the 1st Round
NEW SUPER WELTERWEIGHT CHAMPION – TYLER JAMES REPPING [EVOLVE, TORQUAY]
Fight 15: Amateur 3×3 Raged Light Featherweight Title Fight
Ieuan Mackenzie def Ruslan Vrabje (c) via Submission (RNC) 02:59 in the 1st Round
Grant Ogbourne def Finley Mitchell via TKO (GnP) 01:59 in Round 1
Fight 17: Pro 3×5 Heavyweight
Luke Newland def Rob Peters via TKO (GnP) 01:25 in Round 1
Fight 18: Pro 3×5 Middleweight
Craig Rawlins def Adam Chetnik via TKO (GnP) 01:34 in Round 1
Fight 19: Pro 3×5 Catchweight
Chris Astley def Tyler Thomas via TKO (GnP) 03:15 in Round 1
Fight 20: Pro 3×5 Vacant Raged Lightweight Title Fight
Oscar Ownsworth def Bernie Gomm via TKO (GnP) 04:48 in the 1st Round
#ANDNEW LIGHTWEIGHT CHAMPION – OSCAR OWNSWORTH REPPING [AVT LEEDS]
RESULTS COMPILEDBY GEORGE GOUGH
FOTN/SOTN/KO/TKO– BY GEORGE GOUGH
Please message Mark at Point 5 Photography on FaceBook or his website if you want to purchase a print of tonight’s fights.
I’ve decided to bring back ‘Honorary Fights’ of the night/Sub and KO/TKO
All these picks were by my colleauge George Gough for which I also fully support.
Sub of the Night goes to Raheem Joseph [Sweatbox/Bristol] for a slick Kimura
KO of the night goes to Dan Bassett [Evolve, Torquay] for a great KO
Fight of the Night goes to Nathan Halton Vs Joe Wood [Fightworx Academy, Torquay and [Range, Glos]
Now for a very special mention and this goes to Grant Ogbourne [Bristol], who was having his first professional fight after being an amateur for the last 4 years and having the WHOLE crowd on their feet with the 1969, Neil Diamond classic ‘Sweet Caroline’.
Salt Lake City plays host to UFC 278 on Saturday night, as Kamaru Usman looks to defend his welterweight title against Leon Edwards in a rematch that has taken seven years to come around.
By Kieran Cobley
Salt Lake City plays host to UFC 278 on Saturday night, as Kamaru Usman looks to defend his welterweight title against Leon Edwards in a rematch that has taken seven years to come around.
Usman comes into the bout on a 19 fight win streak and is in the process of lapping the 170lbs division, having already had rematches with Jorge Masvidal and Colby Covington, with his main event bout with Edwards being his third rematch in as many years.
For Edwards, UFC 278 sees his long wait for a title fight end after the Birmingham based fighter went through hell and high water to get his shot, racking up a nine fight win streak (not including his no contest with Belal Muhammed) and being taken out of the rankings for his refusal to fight a then un-ranked, Khamzat Chimaev.
The two last squared off in 2015, but both men have evolved since, and you can take a more in-depth preview of their upcoming bout here.
In the co-main event, Paulo Costa will look to show the UFC were right to let him return to the middleweight division after the fiasco with Marvin Vettori as the Brazilian takes on former middleweight champion Luke Rockhold.
Costa’s shenanigans with his last fight, where he notified the UFC that he wouldn’t be attempting to make 185lbs or the then agreed 195lbs, forced the fight into a light heavyweight bout, were highly unprofessional and were rightly criticised by fans and media alike. Now Costa needs to show that he can make 185lbs and keep his name in the division; otherwise, another forced move to 205lbs could be on the cards.
Meanwhile, Rockhold will try to show that he can still beat top quality opponents despite a weakened chin. The former middleweight champion has lost three of his last four bouts by knockout, showing he is susceptible to a heavy punch.
In what could be a title eliminator for the bantamweight division, Merab Dvalishvili squares off with Jose Aldo, the former featherweight king of the UFC.
Dvalishvili is currently riding a five fight winning streak, utilising his heavy wrestling offence to grind out wins over his opponents by sapping their gas tanks. Nowhere is this better illustrated than by his record of 13 takedowns in a fight when he beat Gustavo Lopez back in 2020.
Aldo has looked impressive since moving to 135lbs, and his notorious leg kicks still give his opponents problems to deal with. “The King of Rio” is known for his knockout ability with 16 wins by KO/TKO, and that would look to be his best chance at winning on Saturday, especially if he can avoid hitting the mat with “The Machine.”
Further down the card, Miranda “The” Maverick is in action as she takes on Shanna Young in a flyweight contest to open the ESPN+ prelims. In contrast, Marcin Tybura takes on Alexander Romanov in a heavyweight bout in the evening’s featured prelim.
The action gets underway from 11pm on UfC Fight Pass, with the main card kicking off at 3am.
Fight Card
Main Card
Kamaru Usman vs Leon Edwards – welterweight title fight
Paulo Costa vs Luke Rockhold – middleweight bout
Jose Aldo vs Merab Dvalishvil – bantamweight bout
Wu Yunan vs Lucie Pudilova – women’s bantamweight bout
Tyson Pedro vs Harry Hunsucker – light heavyweight bout
Preliminary Card
Marcin Tybura vs Alexander Romanov – heavyweight bout
Leonardo Santos vs Jared Gordon – lightweight bout
Sean Woodson vs Luis Suldana – featherweight bout
Miranda Maverick vs Shanna Young – women’s flyweight bout
A.J. Fletcher vs Ange Loosa – welterweight bout
Amir Albazi vs Francisco Figueiredo – flyweight bout
Aori Qilieng vs Jay Perrin – bantamweight bout
Daniel Lacerda vs Victor Altamirano – flywweight bout
Cage Warriors returns to Wales for the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic, taking over the Ebbw Vale sports centre with a night of great action.
Flyweight champion Sam Creasey (15-4, 5 KO/TKO, 6 Submissions) tops the bill as he looks to become the first man in Cage Warriors history to successfully defend the 125lbs title.
The champion takes on Stipe Brcic, a formidable Croatian fighter training out of Germany with a 10-2 record and six finishes to his name.
A win here for Creasey could see him take a significant step towards joining the UFC, but it has been a long wait for a title defence. The Bedfordshire fighter should have defended the title against the man he took the belt off, Luke Shanks, in December following a “phantom tap” incident in the first bout. Shanks knocked out Creasey in a rugged fashion but failed to take the strap home due to losing his battle with the scales.
Creasey was scheduled to take on a title defence, this time at Cage Warriors’ 20th Anniversary show in July, but Italian contender, Dylan Hazan, failed to make 125lbs, and Creasey opted to sit the fight out, having already fought opponents over the weight limit in his last two outings.
Expect fireworks in this one as both men look to prove their metal.
If Chris Jericho is the “Man of 1004 moves”, Oban Elliott is the “Man of 1004 nicknames”, and the Welsh hometown hero gets to put on a show in front of his fans against former middleweight champion Matthew Bonner.
“The Welsh Gangster” is taking a considerable step up in competition for this bout, having never faced a former CW champ before. Still, it should also be worth noting that in previous attempts to take a step up, he has been brought down by Mike Figlak and “The Latvian Express” Madars Fleminas.
Bonner was the breakout star of Cage Warriors’ Covid era, going from 6-6 to putting on dominating wins over George Smith, Matt Inman and former champion James Webb before submitting Nathias Frederick in the fourth round of their epic contest in 2021 to win the middleweight title.
Even in defeat, Bonner looked game against Djati Melan, almost stopping the Frenchman but ultimately coming just short, but since shrinking down, he has dominated once again. Elliott’s boxing has been his strong suit in past fights, but when put against the striking of Matt Bonner, who trains with his brother Daniel (a world Muay Thai champion), “Angel Eyes” could find himself in hot water.
Both men have shown they can grapple with the best of them and possess suffocating top games, but this one will likely be a fist fight for the ages.
In the shark tank that is the Cage Warriors 170 lbs division, it’s unclear whether a win for either man would get them a title shot, with Justin Burlinson, Matt Figlak and Jimmy Wallhead all circling the champion, Rhys McKee.
Can “Evil” beat “The Beast”?
While Cage Warriors president, Graham Boylan, serves as the brains of Europe’s top promotion and matchmaker Ian Dean serves as the heart of CW, there can be no doubt about who embodies the spirit of Cage Warriors, Aaron Aby.
Aby (13-4-1, 1 KO/TKO, 5 Submissions) has overcome a battle with Leukemia and Cystic Fibrosis. This condition can be life shortening in many, to become one of the best 125lbs fighters in Europe.
The Wrexham native is on a run of two wins, with his latest coming in Manchester earlier this year at CW 136, where he forced former bantamweight title challenger and kickboxing ace, Gerardo Fanny, to submit to a Rear Naked Choke.
Michelanglo Lupoli (5-2, 2 KO/TKO) makes his promotional debut against Aby and will be looking to show the Welsh veteran up in front of his home crowd.
Aby’s ground game has been his strong suit, but only time will tell if he can implement his takedown and submission offence in combat with the Italian.
Luke Riley, the latest prospect to come out of the renowned Next Gen gym in Liverpool, will look to extend his unbeaten record to 4-0 on Saturday night.
The featherweight fighter took home the honours of being Cage Warriors’ breakout fighter of the year in 2021 and currently holds a 100% KO rate, partially down to his outstanding striking ability and conditioning.
At CW 136, Riley showed he could overcome adversity after being put on the backfoot against Jack Eglin before striking a KO blow. Cherif Larossi (1-1, 1 Submission) steps in for Scott Pedersen and will hope to be the first man to blot Riley’s impressive record, but it will be an uphill battle after accepting the bout on short notice.
All the Cage Warriors 142 action will be live on UFC Fight Pass from 5.30 pm BST on Saturday.
Main Card
Sam Creasey vs Stipe Brcic – flyweight title bout
Matt Bonner vs Oban Elliott – welterweight bout
Michelangelo Lupoli vs Aaron Aby – flyweight bout
Luke Riley vs Cherif Larossi – featherweight bout
Jasmine Favero vs Stephanie Evans – lightweight bout
Prelims
Erick Da Silva vs Chris Bungard – 161lbs catchweight bout
Sean McCormac vs Owain Williams – middleweight bout
Milton Cabral vs George McManus – 174lbs catchweight bout
Matty Byfield vs Szymon Szynkiewicz – light heavyweight bout
This Tuesday, August 2nd, 2022, Chris Duncan will take another shot on ‘Dana White’s Contender Series, facing American Charlie “The Cannibal” Campbell.
“The Problem” first appeared on ‘DWCS’ on October 12th, 2021, when he faced Viacheslav Borshchev.
Duncan only started training in MMA 8 years ago at age 21 in Strathyre, Scotland, at MXP Fitness, after his mother would sneak him into boxing classes when he was younger against his grandparents’ wishes. However, his mum spotted early on that her son had a talent for fighting and went all the way out to support him.
Fast forward eight years, the now 29-year-old athlete always knew that his first-ever job would have instilled a good work ethic within him.
Working as a Shepard in Glen Lochay, Killin, back in 2013, Duncan’s week would revolve around working almost non-stop for six days, getting drunk on a Saturday night, feeling rough on a Sunday and then beginning the cycle again. Finally, feeling he was going down a slippery slope, Duncan decided to get fully involved with MMA, much to his mother’s joy, who was his biggest fan and cheerleader.
Speaking with BBC Scotland sport, Duncan said, “When I didn’t have MMA, I needed to find something as I tended to find myself in bad situations; I would be fighting, drinking, doing stupid stuff and putting myself in stupid situations.”
Duncan’s first amateur fight was booked for April 20th, 2014, for promotion, Scottish Fight Challenge; however, Duncan was informed that his mother Elaine had been murdered on the day of the weigh-in.
Duncan had just heard the most soul-destroying words to come out of someone’s mouth, let alone try to comprehend what they meant to him. But, instead of reacting with grief and fear, Duncan knew he had to carry on with the MMA event for the memory of his mum.
Stating that he had an epiphany about his mother’s death and how friends and relatives would say his mother would want him to keep going, he decided there and then to pursue MMA full time.
With fire in his soul, Duncan won his fight in 56 seconds of round 1 via ground & pound.
From this point on, something changed inside Duncan. “The Problem” had arrived.
Building up an amateur career of 8-1, Duncan chose to go into the paid ranks in 2018.
“Since I started MMA, I have never been in trouble with the police and not even got a speeding fine,” Duncan stated to BBC Scotland Sport.
“This isn’t just for money; this keeps me driven.”
This drive has taken Duncan to become one of Scotland’s top MMA athletes.
Going 3-0 on Scotland’s local circuit, Duncan got the chance to showcase his skills on a much bigger platform. Bellator 217 Dublin. Facing Irish prospect Sam Slater, Duncan got to work early and finished in 3 minutes, coming by TKO/KO.
In 2020, with a record of 4-0 and all those wins coming by way of finishes, it was only time Duncan was sought after by promotion Bellator and officially signed a contract with them.
After going 2-0 with Bellator and taking his overall record to 6-0, Duncan and Bellator partied ways amicably due to being unable to secure any fights; after all, we lived in the harshest conditions, and COVID-19 hit the world hard.
Although we were living in a new restrictive world, that didn’t bother Duncan as coming from a tough background, having grit, determination and going through the most challenging thing a person could ever go through, Duncan’s hard work shone through. He got a call to go to Las Vegas and try out for Dana White’s Contender Series.
Originally scheduled to compete on September 28th, that bout was cancelled, and Duncan was left waiting for a new opponent. Having had two false starts on DWCS and making weight twice that same week, Duncan finally had an opponent and again made weight for the third time in a week and faced Viacheslav Borshchev on October 12th.
The then 7-0 prospect Chris Duncan was highly favoured against the 4-1 Team Alpha Male, Borshchev.
Despite a very competitive first round with both athletes having their fair share of the action, at 28 seconds of round two, Borshchev landed a clean left hook which laid Duncan flat out on the canvas.
And in turn, he handed Duncan his first professional loss and lost out on a lucrative contract with the UFC.
Not one to dwell on the past, the resilient and driven Chris Duncan made his way back home to Scotland to his girlfriend Laura and baby daughter Summer.
Not having to wait long before a new contract was offered to him with European promotion Cage Warriors on November 10th, Duncan didn’t hesitate to sign the contract.
However, Duncan never managed to put on the famous yellow gloves as he received a contract to appear in Dana White’s Contender Series.
Everything happens for a reason. It’s a time-old saying that “The Problem” has been dealt with in his life thus far, knowing that his mum is always with him on fight week, carrying a pendant on a chain with her fingerprint and wedding ring.
Chris Duncan, now 8-1, is looking forward to showing the world the fighter he can be by firmly cementing his name on Dana White’s lips.
Look out for Chris Duncan’s headlined bout tonight (02/08/22) on UFC Fight pass.
Nearing the end of 2022, we’ve had exciting fight cards, we’ve had some big knockouts, and we’ve had some big upsets. The UFC has a massive roster and is home to some of the greatest mixed martial artists. In my opinion, I have come up with 5 fighters that we should watch out for in the last part of 2022.
Nearing the end of 2022, we’ve had exciting fight cards, we’ve had some big knockouts, and we’ve had some big upsets. The UFC has a massive roster and is home to some of the greatest mixed martial artists. In my opinion, I have come up with 5 fighters that we should watch out for in the last part of 2022.
Paddy Pimblett is a British UFC Lightweight fighter who’s burst onto the scene and taken the division by storm with all 3 of his fights resulting in finishes in the early rounds. Within a short time, ‘Paddy the Baddy’ has picked up a massive following, some even suggesting it mirrors Mcgregor’s starting UFC featherweight run. He holds a record of 19 wins and 3 losses, with almost half of his wins coming via Submission, which clearly reflects his 1st-degree black belt achievement. His dominating arrival in the division has seen him awarded Performance of the Night in each fight in the UFC. He also has taken a stand on promoting mental health awareness, as it is something he holds close to his heart, and upholding a “teenage” aesthetic to appeal to and essentially influence the younger generation. He has displayed great skill in his fights. He has overcome a lot of adversity in the fight world, with his ability to drop and gain weight, weighing as much as 205lbs almost a month after his last fight, gaining notoriety and attracting trolls. Paddy has a strong friendship with Molly McCann, also a British UFC fighter in the Women’s Flyweight division, and they are admired massively by the UK UFC scene.
My next fighter is Jiri Prochazka, a Czech Light Heavyweight UFC fighter, and after a win against former LHW Champion Glover Texeira, Jiri is now the current LHW champion. Jiri has a record of 29-3-1 and has dominated all his MMA fights, with 81% of his wins coming from the 1st round. He currently sits on an 11 fight win streak in MMA and dominates his first two UFC fights against two warriors, Dominick Reyes and Volkan Oezdemir, winning by KO in the 2nd round on both occasions. He has won Performance of the Night twice in both UFC fights and Fight of the Night against Reyes. He has had 25 KO’s to his name and 3 submission victories throughout his career. His main fight style is Muay Thai, and he highlights this massively as a creative fighter within the Octagon, and his record precedes him with numerous KO victories.
Following on from Prochazka, we move to Swedish UFC welterweight fighter Khamzat Chimaev 12-0, a wrestler who has amazingly burst onto the scene. Firstly, winning 3 fights in 66 days earned him his first award in the UFC; secondly, within his first 4 UFC fights, he showed the world how dominant and skilled he was as a fighter, as he threw 254 strikes and only absorbed two. He knocked out Gerald Meerschaert in 17 seconds. He won numerous breakthrough fighter awards in 2020 from different fight reporters. He also won the award for quickest consecutive wins in modern UFC history, set at 10 days. Chimaev was scheduled to fight Nate Diaz at UFC 279 on September 10th 2022; however, come weigh-in day, chimaev came in 7lbs overweight, so his fight with Diaz was scrapped, and Kevin Holland took Nate Diaz’s place. Chimaev went on to win in dominant fashion finishing Holland via a D’Arce Choke at two minutes thirteen seconds in the first round. His previous fight against Gilbert Burns, that is what set the standard for fans watching to see how Chimaev deals with pressure during a fight. Khamzat delivered perfectly, winning via unanimous decision against Burns, scoring 29-28. He trains alongside Gustafsson in Stockholm, where Gustafsson has stated that he hasn’t met such a tough fighter as Chimaev. Most recently, Chimaev has paired up with Darren Till, which was a big shock to the MMA world, but from what it seems, they are both trainings well and learning from each other.
The next fighter is none other than Islam Makhachev. This Russian lightweight UFC fighter has annihilated his competition, holding a 10-fight win streak, with most of the fights lasting going into the later rounds, proving his durability and having 10 submission victories in total. Training with Khabib and the Dagestani team, they all prove their durability through their intense training methods up in the mountains. Islam trains at AKA, with notable fighters such as Cain Velasquez, Daniel Cormier and Khabib. Overall in his UFC fights and in UFC history, he has the least absorbed significant strike rate per minute at 0.77, meaning his defence and skillset is top level, and the next lowest rate is 1.04 per minute. He has won Submission of the Month twice and won Fight of the Night once. He is the potential next contender for a title fight, facing Charles Oliveira. However, Dana White wants Islam to face Beneil Dariush to cement his confidence in giving him the title shot. [Although Islam Makhachev vs Charles Oliveria has been slated for October 22nd 2022, at UFC 280].
Talking of Oliveira, he is my last fighter to keep an eye on in 2022. Charles Oliveira, a Brazilian Lightweight fighter, has just come off a big submission victory over Justin Gaethje; however, it didn’t come without controversy, as Charles missed weight and relinquished the belt. However, he remains in the championship picture as the No1 contender. He holds a 33-8, with an 11-fight win streak. He has the record for the most submissions in UFC at 16 victories via Submission. He also has numerous other records, such as the most finishes set at 19, the 3rd longest LW winning streak set at 11 fights, and he holds 12 Performance of the Night awards, and the list continues. His last 3 fights have been against the top 3 LW ranked fighters, and they have grandly dominated them, submitting two and winning via TKO with the other. However, he shows great determination as he recovers quickly from knockdowns or wobbles and manages to clutch the win. He fights out of Chute Boxe in Curitiba, with previous notable fighters such as Anderson Silva, Cris Cyborg and Mauricio Rua, who will go down in the history books. His next fight has been confirmed against Islam Makhachev on October 22nd 2022, at UFC 280.
This concludes my article, and we shall see how the rest of 2022 plays out and see if any of the hype continues.
Saturday, March, 14th 2020 RAGED UK MMA will be hosting their 12th event at the Oasis Leisure Centre, in Swindon.
With the success of the last event, you can live stream the action, free, on Facebook page ‘Craziest Sports Fights’ if you cannot make the event in person.
Firmly putting Swindon on the map as a ‘fight town for mixed martial arts’ the promotion has gone from strength to strength with athletes competing from all over the UK.
Not only content with being one of the South West’s most prominent MMA events. Striving to make sure fighter safety comes first, the promotion has added in some new weight categories to bridge the gap between divisions, ensuring that all competitors compete at a weight more suitable for them.
“Adding new weight divisions opens up a more extensive range of fights for matchmaking; however, more importantly, is fighter safety.
“I’ve seen a few injuries along with fighters becoming dehydrated after cutting a lot of weight so as a promotion we are trying to make things safer,” said Gary Turland.
With a card of 13 fights, including five professional bouts and 4 title fights the event is stacked from top to bottom.
Limited tickets are still available from www.raged.uk or at the venue itself which will incur a surcharge of £5 each for paying on the door. (cash accepted on the door).
Ticket prices: Standard £25 (£5 extra on the door)
Cageside £40 (£5 extra on the door)
Doors open 5.45pm first fight 6.00pm
Oasis Leisure Centre, North Star Avenue, Swindon, SN2 1EP
Under 18’s must be accompanied by a guardian and only allowed in the balcony area
Jai Herbert with Cage Warriors lightweight belt Credit: Cage Warriors
Originally posted on 5th June 2019
It’s 6 am on a cold winters morning when the alarm clock goes off. Jai Herbert wearily turns off the alarm, gets out of bed, and heads out to start another day in his physically demanding job as a scaffolder. Jai has been a scaffolder for the past fourteen years, working all over Britain.
Come 5 pm, Jai is back at home managing a quick cup of coffee before heading out again, this time heading off to the gym for a good 3 to 4-hour session. Not for a casual workout, but for a full-on training session in Boxing, Kickboxing, Muay Thai, Jiu-jitsu or a cardio session – (depending on what day it is). You see, Jai Herbert is also an elite professional athlete in mixed martial arts while working a full-time job.
The 31-year-old who lives in Wolverhampton has only been competing in mixed martial arts (MMA) for the past seven years. Having won the amateur Combat Challenge British welterweight belt, and the BCMMA lightweight belt, Jai racked up an impressive record of 9-1 before deciding to go professional in March 2015. “At the amateur level, I fought all bar one of my fights at welterweight” Jai explains. “I never had to cut weight and didn’t see the point of putting my body through the strain at amateur level”.
Jai, who started training out of Wolfpack MMA in Wolverhampton and still does his strength and conditioning with John Ashley, has now made a move over to Renegade JiuJitsu in Birmingham under the tutelage of UFC athlete Tom Breese, to help improve the jiu-jitsu and wrestling aspect of his game. “It’s been a great move to Renegade Jiu-Jitsu. I get to roll and wrestle with Tom [Breese] a lot and with top athletes such as Leon Edwards (UFC) and Fabian Edwards (Bellator). They have brought my game on leaps and bounds” said Jai. “I also train at Firewalker Martial Arts where I do my striking such as Kickboxing and Boxing with Joeby Clayton.”
Currently on a four-fight winning streak, with his only loss coming in the way of a KO via Rhys McKee when he fought for the BAMMA lightweight title, Jai is no stranger to hard fights. His first fight since signing with European promotion Cage Warriors was against hard-hitting Erdi Karatas, where he won via Unanimous Decision, and it is the only fight of his career thus far to have gone the distance. His next opponent was Joe Mccolgan which Jai dispatched of in two minutes of the first round. Then, on March 2nd, 2019, Jai had the task of facing veteran MMA athlete Steve O’Keefe, who resume consists of Artem Lobov, Conor McGregor and Chris Goldfish to name a few who had gone on to compete in the UFC. Again, Jai dispatched of O’Keefe within 4 minutes of the first round.
It was at this point Jai knew he would be next in turn to compete for the vacant lightweight title. “I knew I was going to get the shot to be honest” recalls Jai “It was the day after I fought with Steve O’Keefe I got a text to say Graham wants you to fight Jack Grant for the title and I was like yeah, sweet, when?” said Jai. “I knew it was going to happen as Jack was next in line to compete for the title, so I knew it would be him and me.”
With the date set as June 29th, 2019 at Eventim Apollo, London, Cage Warriors will be hosting their 106th event billed as “Night of Champions”, where Jai will take on Jack for the vacant lightweight title. “Jack is a top fighter, he is outstanding on the ground, and he has good stand up too along with being powerful. However, I feel I am the best striker in the division. It is going to be a great fight; I’m going to get my hand raised, and it won’t be going five rounds.”
With Cage Warrior’s emphasis on fighter safety, all professional athletes must be SAFE medical checked, which includes costly MRI scans along with blood work. To help with these costs, Jai’s dad has helped with some of the medical expenses. However, Jai is still looking for additional sponsors to help him achieve the goal of being able to concentrate on being a full-time professional athlete, rather than only dedicating part of himself to his craft when he can train and wanting to reach his full potential. Jai would ideally like to give up work and train full time. If you feel you can help this young, gifted athlete out, please get in touch with him on either of the platforms mentioned below.
Jai would like to thank his current sponsor Animosity Fight Gear UK, all his training partners and his girlfriend Jaye Haynes, who helps him prepare for his fights.
You can reach Jai on the following social media platforms:
On Saturday, June 22nd, 2019, Bellator MMA will be making their return to the SSE Arena in London.
Making her debut for the promotion will be U.K’s Bryony Tyrell, and if you had told her six years ago that she would be on one of the world’s largest MMA promotions and competing in front of her home crowd, I’m pretty sure she’d be laughing at just the thought.
Born and raised in Sevenoaks, Kent, Bryony has always enjoyed the thrill and excitement of extreme sports; from BASE jumping, Bungee jumping, and sky diving, to testing herself in mixed martial arts.
Holding a Masters Degree in nursing and a Degree in Molecular Cell Biology, the critical care nurse now based in Southampton has always had a passion for martial arts.
Starting in Kickboxing and Kung Fu 19 years ago, Bryony quickly fell in love with all aspects of martial arts so much, that, she added in Krav Maga, Japanese jiu-jitsu and Muay Thai before finally concentrating on Wrestling and Brazilian Jiujitsu, forming the mixed martial arts career she has today. “Martial arts are my passion in life. I love the contrast that they can be beautiful and deadly at the same time” Bryony said. “Anyone that practices a martial art to a high level knows that it involves incredible dedication and discipline, and also pushes your body and mind to the limits of endurance.”
Originally part of U.K MMA pioneer (and ex UFC athlete) Rosi Sexton’s mentoring scheme, Bryony went about taking Rosi’s advice on training, nutrition, competing and training with Rosi. “I was very privileged to be on a mentorship scheme with Rosi. I gained invaluable advice at the beginning of my amateur career” said Bryony.
The 18th of May 2013 is a day that Bryony will forever have as a fond memory. It was when she made her amateur debut and found out exactly what she is capable of in the cage. “I think the only way to truly know how good you are at fighting is to compete. Being locked in a cage with another trained fighter who can use pretty much any style or technique against you is the ultimate test”, Bryony said when recalling the first time she stepped into the cage.
Not only content with competing in amateur MMA bouts, but Bryony also tested her skills by competing in white-collar boxing bouts, Muay Thai bouts, and grappling matches to gain invaluable experience before turning pro in November 2015.
Holding a current professional record of 4 wins 3 losses and 1 draw, with all 3 of those losses coming from title fights with two of those athletes currently competing in the UFC and Bellator, Bryony is no stranger to adversity in the MMA industry.
Having started in her MMA career aged 33, Bryony was considered by some promotions and coaches to be ‘too old’ to be competing in the sport. Once Bryony turned pro at the age of 35 and started to win, it was only then that she began to believe in herself more and knew that ‘age was just a number’. At least, to her anyway, and she set about proving just that.
Having gone 4-3-1 in her pro career, taking short notice fights and a title fight in a weight class above her usual weight division, Bryony felt that her current gym, Exile, had let her down. “I felt like the industry had written me off for being too old, and some of the coaches at my gym had said I was too old and slow after I lost the Cage Warriors title fight against Molly McCann. When they wrote me off because of that loss, I didn’t think that was fair. It was quite demoralizing for me. The whole experience was quite demoralizing, and I just stopped the enjoyment of the sport.
On top of that, Cage Warriors wouldn’t give me a fight at strawweight, and I felt I was not valued as a fighter, and not being given significant opportunities. It just wasn’t worth the sacrifice anymore. So, I decided to retire in July 2018.”
Since retiring from competitive MMA, Bryony thought that she’d feel better because of the less stress involved and would have more time to spend with her husband and two children. However, she felt like there was a massive hole in her life and felt very down, having nothing to work towards with the Adrenalin rush that she always knew she had. “Having just a normal life is not good enough for me. I know it is quite a selfish attitude to have especially the fact that I have got young children and an amazing husband and a stressful job. I need that buzz to make me happy.”
Looking to replace that ‘buzz’ Bryony decided she would concentrate on achieving the top levels in grappling. After taking home silver at the IBJFF and silver at the UK ADCC, she didn’t have the same drive for grappling as she did in MMA, stating that “I didn’t put 100% in because I just didn’t have that kind of fear factor that someone is going to smash your face in if you don’t train properly, and it wasn’t dangerous for me.”
On May 30th, 2019 it was officially announced that Bryony had come out of retirement and will be competing on the Bellator London card on June 22nd at the SSE Arena, where she will face the current kickboxing champion Denise Kielholtz in a flyweight MMA bout. A fight that has been over a year in the making, as Bryony initially accepted a short notice (1 week) fight against Denise back in February 2018 but had to withdraw due to being medically suspended after her fight with Molly McCann. It was suggested to Bryony that Denise wasn’t matched up for the London card and did she fancy another fight. It was at that point that Bryony messaged her managers, who then contacted Bellator, and they came back with a yes straight away.
With ten weeks to prepare for the bout, Bryony went to Cross Face gym in Watford, training with head coach Dave Lee and Charlie Leary who is also on the London card. For the final two weeks of her training camp, Bryony flew out to Thailand to train at UFC athlete Johnny Walker and Leo Gosling’s new gym Chokchai Muay Thai. “While Johnny and Leo were here in Southampton, I trained with them, so it made sense for me to go out and spend two weeks over at there new gym in Thailand. They have a few UFC athletes training there, and Jorge Kanella who is also on the London card. Being surrounded by world-class coaches and fighters, this fight camp has been on a different level to any other I’ve had. They treat me as an equal, and I’m keeping up with these guys who are top-level pro fighters, so it’s been a massive confidence boost to come back to fighting after people had written you off. I’ve got some amazing people around me that believe in me, and I know I can win this fight.”
With the advantage of having 16 MMA fights compared to Denise’s 4 MMA fights, and factoring in that Denise is Bellator’s kickboxing champion and has had numerous kickboxing bouts, Bryony realises that Denise is a superb striker, having watched a lot of her fights just purely to learn from her and improve her own striking. She is also a classy athlete and represents the sport incredibly well.
Feeling that this is a good match-up and an opportunity Bryony had been asking for throughout her MMA career, she now thinks that having dedicated her life to MMA and competing for the last five years, come June 22nd it will have paid off.
With the fact that Denise is a world champion kick-boxer, Bryony knows that it is unrealistic to think she could beat a multiple world champion striker on her feet, and therefore feels Denise will probably think that Bryony will want to get her to the ground as that is where she tends to do best. “She will be physically stronger than me and be powerful so it will be down to see who can implement their fight game, as always in MMA.
“It’s going to be a fair fight as we both have had a good preparation for this bout. I think I am probably going in there as the underdog and that’s fine with me as that’s normal, but the nice thing for me is she may well be a top striker in Bellator and the promotion, but we are fighting in London in front of my home crowd, which is nice for me because it’s rare that I get to fight in front of a home crowd. It is going to be amazing to have support there, and I’m also fighting on the same card as good friends of mine, Kate Jackson, Charlie Leary and Jorge Kanella, and Johnny and Leo are also going to be there. It is going to be amazing.”
Aiming for a submission win, Bryony has one last thing to say. “Last year my fire went out, this year it’s back with a vengeance! I am incredibly honoured and grateful for this opportunity on the world stage against such an impressive opponent. I got written off as a fighter. This year, I’m training alongside Bellator and UFC athletes treated as equal. Don’t let anyone crush your dreams if you surround yourself with the right people you will succeed!”
Saturday, March, 14th 2020 RAGED UK MMA will be hosting their 12th event at the Oasis Leisure Centre, in Swindon.
Five Rounds with Emma 
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