Craig Powell chats to Kingdom MMA ahead of ECFF Night of Champions 4

Kingdom MMA focus on the UK amateur MMA scene with Craig Powell

by Ben Heather @benheather

Kingdom MMA again are focusing on interviewing some of the top amateur talent within UK MMA and this time we take a look at Craig Powell. On Saturday night Craig Powell (@craigpowell46) will be fighting at East Coast Fight Factory Night of Champions 4 from the Epic Studios in Norwich. Ahead of that fight he took time out of his schedule to have a chat with us about his upcoming fight, how he got in to MMA and how he went from a successful musician to an amateur MMA fighter.

Ben: Hi Craig, thanks for your time. Firstly can you remember the first time you came across MMA? and what is your first memory of MMA?
Powell: I remember it well! Watching one of the early UFC'S when the Gracie's were dominating! I had been doing karate, jiu jitsu and Kickboxing and was amazed at the idea of putting it all together in competition!

Ben: I believe you train at BKK, how did you first hear about this gym and what made you decide to go train at BKK?
Powell: I decided to begin training at BKK when I was recovering from back surgery. I was told I would never be able to compete again after a bad back injury but after surgery things went well and i got strong quickly! I decided i wanted to give competing a real go so looked for the best gym i could find.

I could see there were some excellent fighters at BKK, fighters who were a similar weight to myself. Since I've trained at BKK i have not looked back. 

Ben: How long have you been training in MMA?
Powell: I have been training in MMA for a good few years but have done martial arts since the age of 7.

Ben: When did you first decide that you wanted to take the training to the next level and actually have a amateur fight?
Powell: After watching the UFC i knew i wanted to compete in the cage... mainly to test myself against other good fighters.

Ben: People may know you from your time in Uniting Nations and your songs but how did the transition from pop star to fighter come about?
Powell: After my time touring in Uniting Nations I could get back to a bit of normality and could get back into my training again. Then I really got the bug for MMA!!

Ben: Is fighting now your main goal or do you still have the desire to carry on in the music industry or both?
Powell: Fighting in MMA is my current main goal, although I still song write and still gig regularly each week.

Ben: For the fans out there who may not have seen you fight before can you tell us a little bit about yourself and what they can expect on Saturday night?
Powell: They can expect to see The Pop Sensation at his best. I'm happy to fight where ever it goes BUT I'm the dictator... so it will go where i want it to go.

Ben: On Saturday night you will be fighting at ECFF and this will be your 8th amateur fight, do you see this as a stepping stone in the progression for your transition to ultimately going pro?
Powell: I do indeed. The main goal in my head is to go pro and make an impact on the pro bantamweight division.

Ben: How do you see yourself winning the fight on Saturday night?
Powell: I predict a win via GnP!

Ben: Would you like to say thank you to anyone?
Powell: I'd like to thank my coach Jack Mason and all my training partners. We all push each other forward. I'd like to thank my wife Lisa for her help while I weight cut... eating ice creams in front of me! Also, thanks to you too for helping give us fighters some exposure. It means a lot.

Thank you again to Craig for giving up his time for this interview and we all wish him all the best going in to his fight this weekend. To follow Craig on twitter his twitter name is @craigpowell46.

Kingdom MMA caught up with Dean Simmonds ahead of his fight at ECFF Night of Champions 4

Kingdom MMA focus on the UK amateur MMA scene with Dean Simmonds

by Ben Heather @benheather

On Saturday night Dean Simmonds (@DeanoAKAbn) will be fighting PK Zadeh at East Coast Fight Factory Night of Champions 4 from the Epic Studios in Norwich and ahead of that fight he took time out of his schedule to have a chat with us about his upcoming fight and life as an amateur MMA fighter.

Ben: When did you first start training in MMA and how old were you then?
Simmonds: I first started training MMA when i was 18 years old, i went to a class at unique results and met the coach, Jack Mason and its just gone on from there.

Ben: Did you have any previous experience in martial arts before taking up MMA?
Simmonds: I think I did boxing for about 3 weeks when i was 12 and karate for about 2 and a half years when i was 7-10 years old but apart from that i spent 14 years of my life playing football. I wish i could have discovered and trained at a gym such as BKK when I was younger with a coach like Jack around to push me and the rest of the guys on to better things.

Ben: For the fans out there who may not have seen you fight before can you tell us a little bit about yourself and what they can expect on Saturday night?
Simmonds: I'm the number 1 cage fighter in Chelmsford. The hardest part of my training camp is 9 minutes on a sunbed 3 times a week and I'm brilliant with the ladies as well, ask em! 

On Saturday I'm going to bring it like I've never done before, I feel even though I won my last fight I had an awful preparation leading up to it and it showed in my performance so I want to prove to everybody what I can do on Saturday.

Ben: I believe you have a 6-3 record, how do you feel your career has gone so far, are you happy with the progress?
Simmonds: That is correct. I'm very happy with how its progressed so far, even though I've got 3 losses on my record I have learnt so much from each one. The first loss I learnt not to be a melt, the second loss was against Jack Mezzetti and I realised where I need to improve my game and that I had some tools in my arsenal I didn't know i had. That fight was without a doubt the toughest fight I've ever had! and the third loss i just froze and didn't do anything at all, and I've learnt from that as well.

Ben: How did it feel getting your hand raised for the first time after winning a fight?
Simmonds: I'm not just saying this because everybody who has won a fight will know, its the best feeling in the world knowing you've lived up to expectations and made your team proud. Having guys like Jack Mason, Arnold Allen, Sean Carter, Jason Cooledge and Craig Powell to train with me each and every day I can only improve in all areas! (sorry to everybody i didn't mention there!)

Ben: How do you expect the fight at ECFF on Saturday night to go?
Simmonds: This fight will go where i want it to go, my opponent isn't anywhere near my level on the wrestling front so I'll decide whether we fight on the ground or we stand. I don't ever have a gameplan for a fight because as soon as you get hit the gameplan goes out the window anyway.

Ben: What do you know about your opponent heading in to this fight?
Simmonds: His name is PK Zadeh but apart from that not a lot. I prefer to not look too much into what my opponents can do, i try to focus on what I'm going to do to him.

Ben: Where do you think you will have the advantage on Saturday night?
Simmonds: In all areas, my wrestling is on a completly different level to his and I'm confident I'll be better than him standing and on the ground so I'll just see how it plays out

Ben: Would you like to thank anyone?
Simmonds: I'd like to thank my coaches Jack Mason, Stephen Byerley, Russ and Stuart Barlegs. All of my training partners who no doubt I'm going to get a punch from if I miss one of them off, so here goes, Arnold Allen, Sean Carter, Jason Cooledge, Craig Powell, Matt Hughes, Joe Harding, Justin Bodj, Kerry Hughes and Tim Stokes. Also a big shoutout to Tim Stoke who without him none of the success would be possible.

My Awesome Sponsors as well:
Attack Fighter who produce the best walkout tshirts you'll ever see
(Twitter: @attackfightwear) (Wesbite: www.Attackfightwear.com)
Funkygums for keeping my teeth looking super sharp
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There is always room on my walkout tshirts for more sponsors aswell guys :)

Thanks again to Dean for speaking to Kingdom MMA ahead of his fight and everyone at Kingdom MMA wish him all the best going in to the fight. If you would like to find out more about Dean or follow him on twitter his twitter name is @DeanoAKAbn.

Joe Harding talks to Kingdom MMA ahead of ECFF Night of Champions 4

Kingdom MMA focus on the UK amateur MMA scene with Joe Harding

by Ben Heather @benheather

On Saturday night Joe Harding (@JoeNittro) will be fighting at East Coast Fight Factory Night of Champions 4 from the Epic Studios in Norwich and ahead of that fight he took time out of his schedule to have a chat with us about his upcoming fight and life as an amateur MMA fighter.

Ben: For the fans out there who may not have seen you fight before, can you tell us a little bit about yourself and what they can expect on Saturday night? 
Harding: With me you can always expect me to explode early with some big take downs. I execute my shots with explosive power to control the pace of the fight either on the feet or grappling, people can expect to see crazy escapes, take downs and unorthodox moves its just how I fight. I like to have fun!

Ben: I believe your amateur record currently stands at 5-1, how do you feel your career has progressed so far?
Harding: I feel it's going at a smooth pace I've had some great fights, my last fight at Fury MMA I broke my arm in the first round and still managed to grind out the decision win. It seemed a bit surreal afterwards, but I'm happy with my progress so far but I still have many more to look forward to!

Ben: How did it feel the first time you got in to the cage and the door was shut?
Harding: It was a very strange feeling like "ok I'm in a cage fight now" but fell in love instantly with the sport it gave me a rush that Ive never experienced before so it was a instant connection!

Ben: Do you have any plans to turn professional and if so would that be soon?
Harding: I'd love to join the pro ranks one day for sure, I'd leave that decision to Jack Mason and the rest of my team if he feels I'm ready I'd be happy to make that jump most definitely, you have to go the distance In this sport!

Ben: At ECFF in Norwich on Saturday night BKK will be taking a few fighters along, will this extra support help spur you on to get the win?
Harding: 100% with BKK there it gives you even more drive and confidence to make them proud and bring home the W not just for yourself but for them! So yes even bigger advantage on Saturday night for me I feel.

Ben: At BKK you have UFC fighters and guys that have been in the big shows training with you. Do you have the dream that one day you will be in the big shows?
Harding: I can't see it any other way really. I think the big shows are amazing, makes you dream that one day I can be in there competing at the highest level in the world, so it's in my head quite a lot.

Ben: What are your keys to victory on Saturday night at ECFF
Harding: My keys to victory are to push the pace, explode all over my opponent with a barrage of unorthodox strikes and take downs. you might even see my version of a super kick only I jump much higher than Anthony Pettis!

Ben: Would you like to thank anyone ahead of your fight this weekend?
Harding: Id like to thank Jack Mason, all of my team mates and coaches at BKK FIGHTERS. Unique Results and my Tae Kwon Do sparing partners. Also to you, thanks for this interview guys. Much love and don't blink Saturday night!

Thanks again to Joe for his giving up his time to answer our questions and remember if you want to watch Joe fight, he will be fighting at ECFF Night of Champions 4 in Norwich this Saturday night. If you want to find out more about Joe or follow him on twitter his twitter name is @JoeNittro.