UFC Fight Night London Predictions

Kingdom MMA predictions for UFC Fight Night London

by Ben Heather @benheather, Tommy Strong @Strong_tea and Jack Broadey @J3cK_b

This week we will be predicting the fights for UFC Fight Night 38, as the UFC returns to London for its first EMEA show of 2014. For this event we will give a write up for the main card fights card and then we will be picking our winners for the rest of the card. Let us know if you agree with our picks.

Gustafsson vs Manuwa

Jack: Although Gus can handle himself on the feet he has a massive advantage on the ground here. Manuwa is a poor grappler and Gus is excellent. I expect this to go to the ground early and for the frustrations of the Jon Jones loss to be taken out on Manuwa. I don't think this fight will see past he halfway point of round 1.

Prediction: Gustafsson by Submission Round 1

Ben: I was shocked when this fight was announced, I thought Gustafsson should have been matched up with another top ranked fighter such as Phil Davis with Jimi on the main card against a top 10 guy.... just not the number 2 guy.

That being said, Alex has everything to lose in this fight. Jimi will be going in to this fight as a big underdog and it may be the first time that has happened in his career. I would love to see the upset, however we have never seen Jimi tested and he will be on Saturday night. I can't see it happening but I would love it for Jimi and UK MMA as well.

Prediction: Gustafsson by Submission Round 4

Tommy: I still can't figure out why and how Jimi has got this fight except for selling tickets! Jimi hasn't fought anyone on the level of Alexander Gustafsson before, this is a huge step up for him and one I think he's really going to struggle with. With so much on the line for Gustafsson he really has everything to lose and nothing to gain by beating Jimi. Its Manuwa that could be in touching distance of a title fight if he was to pull of a huge upset here.

I expect Gustafsson to play it safe here against a dangerous striker and keep the fight either at length or force Jimi onto the ground for much of the fight.

Prediction: Gustafsson by TKO Round 2.

Johnson vs Guillard

Tommy: With Ross Pearson having to pull out due to an injury, this is a very good replacement in Johnson. Both fighters can blow hot or cold on any given night, so lets hope its piping hot as we could be in for real treat here. With Guillard's knockout power and Johnson's ground game this is a coin toss to predict, I'm still not sure who to pick in this, if I was a betting man I would leave this fight well alone.

Prediction: Johnson by Unanimous Decision

Jack: This fight is as close to a pick em as you'll see. Both extraordinarily talented fighters and both frustratingly inconsistent. If we are to assume both guys turn up on point(which history tells us they won't) then I like Johnson. Tibau and Lauzon are tough tough guys and he handled both with ease. Guillard has lost every significant fight he's been in over the last couple of years only winning 2 of the past 7.

Prediction: Johnson by KO Round 2

Ben: Johnson is on a tear, he has to be in the best form of his career. First he picked apart Joe Lauzon in a fight not many people gave him a chance, then he knocked out Tibau and I think he will do the same this weekend against Guillard. That being said, Guillard has proved that he can finish anyone on a good night but his form is not consistent. I see Johnson keeping his run going and next time out facing off against a top 10 ranked fighter.

Prediction: Johnson by TKO Round 2

Pickett vs Seery

Tommy: Pickett making his flyweight debut was something I was really looking forward to. Though with the withdrawal of Ian McCall I feel a little let down now. A win against a top ranked McCall would really of put Pickett into the top 5 of the flyweight division. The UFC have done a good job in finding a late replacement in Seery but the fight lacks a little something for me.

I think Pickett's experience in the octagon and Seery making his UFC debut this could be a lop sided fight!

Prediction: Pickett by TKO Round 1

Ben: I feel for Pickett in this fight, when I spoke to him just before Christmas he mentioned challenges and pushing towards a title shot. I feel a big win against McCall could have been enough to give him a shot against Mighty Mouse and his case is helped by the fact that he is one of only two men to beat him. However, now he is set to fight Neil Seery there isn't much to gain here for Pickett. It's now a fight that he is expected to win and by winning doesn't get much reward for doing so. He certainly won't be facing the champ next time out.

As for the fight itself I can't see anything else other than a Pickett stoppage victory, I can't decide whether that will be a knockout or submission but it won't be a good night for Seery.

Prediction: Pickett by TKO Round 2

Jack: Styles may clash here, late notice for Seery who no doubt is in shape but wasn't preparing to face Pickett. Pickett was preparing for a different style all together but class should show here.

Prediction: Pickett by Unanimous Decision

Nelson vs Akhmedov

Jack: My sleeper for fight of the night. Really looking forward to this one as soon as it was announced. Akhmedov's debut lasted about 3.5 minutes and he managed to win fight of the night and come from behind to win by KO. The fight despite being so short had everything and it really showed off all the Russians skill set. Nelson has not fought since the last time the Octagon landed in London back in February of 2013. No real explanation of the extended break and that would be of concern for me. Once a real hot prospect in the sport it's difficult to pick him here though.

Prediction: Akhmedov by Decision

Tommy: It will be good to see Gunnar Nelson back inside the octagon after a year out since he last fought in London 2013. Though this could be a real tough test for Nelson. Akhmedov unbeaten in 11 fights, won fight of the night honours in his debut against Thiago Perpetuo in November. Both fighters are very well rounded here with Gunnar having the slight edge on the ground, though if Akmedov can keep it standing he has a very good chance here.

I've made the mistake to many times backing against Russian fighters in the UFC so this time I'm going for the upset here.

Prediction: Akhmedov by TKO Round 2

Ben: Unlike the others I see Gunnar Nelson returning to the Octagon and picking up where he left off last year in London. Yes Akhmedov could be his toughest opponent to date but I feel it will be a submission victory which will come and Nelson will not let it go until he gets the W.

Prediction: Nelson by Submission Round 2.

Predictions for the remainder of the Card

Diabate vs Latifi

Jack: Diabate         Ben: Diabate     Tommy: Diabate

Barnatt vs Nilsson

Jack: Barnatt         Ben: Barnatt       Tommy: Barnatt

Scott vs da Silva

Jack: Scott            Ben: Scott          Tommy: Scott

Grant vs Delorme

Jack: Grant           Ben: Delorme     Tommy: Delorme

Araujo vs Mitchell

Jack: Araujo         Ben: Mitchell      Tommy: Araujo

Harris vs Gaudinot

Jack: Gaudinot      Ben: Gaudinot    Tommy: Gaudinot

UFC London tickets now on sale

Tickets for UFC Fight Night London: Gustafsson vs Manuwa now on sale

Tickets for UFC Fight Night London: Gustafsson vs Manuwa now on sale and they are selling fast. This is in part due to the biggest ever pre sale to date for a March event.

The UFC returns to London on Saturday 8th March, where it will take over the O2 Arena, headlined by an explosive fight between Londoner Jimi “Posterboy” Manuwa and the world no.2 light heavyweight Alexander “The Mauler” Gustafsson.

A victory for the powerful Manuwa, who is undefeated in his professional career (14-0), could see him handed a title shot later this year.  Alexander Gustafsson will prove the toughest test of the Croydon-based fighter’s career, after the Swede’s narrow defeat to champion Jon Jones in what many MMA fans called the best fight of 2013.  Manuwa called for the fight and believes that by knocking the No.1 ranked challenger out, he can get right in the title hunt.

The event, which is the first of six UFC events across Europe and the Middle East this year, are priced at £40, £50, £75, £100, £125, £150, £450 and £850 for the VVIP experience, and are available from www.ticketmaster.co.uk and www.theo2.co.uk. That being said, I would order any tickets quickly if you plan on going to see the live event as a lot of the pricing categories were selling out quickly on the first day of going on sale.

UFC is reporting it’s biggest ever pre-sale for a UK event, which is the fifth to be held at the iconic O2 Arena. 

Michael “The Menace” Johnson, ranked no. 13 in the lightweight division, will meet Melvin “The Young Assasin” Guillard in the co-main event.  Johnson has racked up two impressive wins in the second half of 2013 to see him climb the rankings.  Guillard holds the record for most TKO / KO victories in the lightweight division and will be looking to finish the fight in blistering style.

London’s Brad “One Punch” Pickett, who is one of the UFC’s most exciting fighters, will fight in his hometown under the UFC banner for the first time in his career.  Brad, who has a remarkable four Fight of the Night titles to his name, will make his flyweight debut against no.3 ranked Ian McCall, in one of the most intriguing battles on the card.

UK fans will also get a chance to see The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) runner-up Davey “Dangerous” Grant in the Octagon for the first time, as he takes on Canadian Roland Delorme.  

Jimi Manuwa, said: “The fight’s only five weeks away now and I can’t wait to get into the Octagon, in my home town, and put on a show for the fans.

“This is definitely my biggest fight yet but I’m not afraid of Alex.  I’ve beaten every single fighter I’ve faced within two rounds and I don’t plan for this fight to be any different.  I want to be World Champion, remembered as unbeaten and a knockout specialist.

“I’ve never trained as hard as I’m training for this fight and I promise a fans a fight they won’t forget – lions eat first!”

Alexander Gustafsson, who was recently chosen in a global fan vote to be on the cover of a the new EA Sport UFC game, said: “I am really looking forward to this fight, I think it’s a great match up.  Jimi is a tough guy but I’m ready for him.

“I am preparing for five rounds, but it won’t last that long!

“I’ve fought in London before and it always has big, loud crowds.  But I know a lot of fans are travelling over from Sweden to get behind me on the night.”

Other British talent on the card includes Luke “The Bigslow” Barnatt who will be looking to hold on to his undefeated record against Mats Nilsson who will be making his UFC debut in London.

UFC FIGHT NIGHT LONDON: GUSTAFSSON VS MANUWA full card is:   
MAIN CARD
Alexander Gustafsson #1 vs Jimi Manuwa #11                (light heavyweight)
Michael Johnson #13 vs Melvin Guillard                          (lightweight)
Brad Pickett vs Ian McCall #3                                        (flyweight)
Gunnar Nelson vs Omari Akhmedov                               (welterweight)

PRELIMS
Cyrille Diabate vs Ilir Latifi                                              (light heavyweight)
Luke Barnatt vs Mats Nilsson                                         (middleweight)
Bradley Scott vs Claudio Henrique da Silva                    (middleweight)
David Grant vs Roland Delorme                                     (bantamweight)
Igor Araujo vs Danny Mitchell                                        (welterweight)
Phil Harris vs Louis Gaudinot #11                                   (flyweight)
 
All bouts are live and subject to change.

UFC Fight Night 37 fight card Official - Main Card

UFC announce the finalised line up for UFC Fight Night 37 - Kingdom MMA review the Main Card

by Ben Heather @benheather

With the tickets for UFC Fight Night 37 now on sale to fight club members and those who have signed up to the UFC Newsletter it has been announced that the line up for the event has been finalised.

UFC Fight Night 37 marks the return to the UK of the UFC and its first show in Europe of 2014. The fight card has been set at 10 fights and will consist of a 4 fight main card and 6 prelim fights.

Currently the event is not due to be scheduled on BT Sports in the UK as this event is a UFC Fight Pass Event and so not on TV in the US. So today Kingdom MMA spoke to Simon Head (@simonhead), Digital Producer of UFC for BT sports to see what the latest news was regarding the event being shown on tv and he had the following to say.

"At the moment all we can confirm are the events on our schedule page here. If and when other events are added, they'll be added to this page. If UFC London is one of them, obviously we'll make an announcement."

In my opinion BT Sports have already proved to be a great success for the UFC in the UK and I believe they will do anything they possibly can to show this event live on BT Sports on March 8th. If you think back the first event which was shown exclusively on Fight Pass was UFC Singapore and BT Sport were able to find a resolution and show the event on tape delay in the UK. In all honesty it was never going to be shown live at the time due to the content at 11am so this was a great result for the UK fans.

Kingdom MMA will now take a look at the main card and discuss what is on the line in each match up.

Omari Akhmedov vs Gunnar Nelson

Akhmedov (12-1 MMA 1-0 UFC) debuted for the UFC last year in Brazil putting on a real show for the fans and won by knocking out Thiago Perpetuo in the first round to pick up the bonus for the fight of the night. Not a bad way to start your career in the UFC but now he will be facing the toughest opponent of his career in Icelandic fighter Gunnar Nelson (11-0-1 MMA 2-0 UFC).

Nelson will come in to the fight as the crowd favourite having fought 10 out of the 12 fights in his career in either the UK or Ireland. I predict Nelson will attempt to get the fight to ground as soon as possible and showcase his BJJ skills en route to a submission victory. My only concern with Nelson is the fact it will be over a year since his last fight when he walks in to the Octagon in March so we will have to see if he can pick up where he left off and keep his undefeated record.

Ian McCall vs Brad Pickett

Pickett (23-8 MMA 3-3 UFC) has to be one of the best MMA fighters to watch. He comes in to fights, stands his ground and is happy to put it all on the line and trade blows in the centre of the Octagon. Yes his UFC record isn't the best but look at who he has fought. His losses have come against the now champion of the bantamweight division Renan Barao and former title contenders Eddie Wineland and Michael McDonald. It's not like he has lost to chumps, these guys are the best of the elite fighters at bantamweight which led Pickett to drop down to flyweight where he will meet Ian McCall (12-4-1 MMA 1-2-1 UFC) in London for his flyweight debut.

Ian McCall has always been a flyweight contender ever since the UFC introduced the division in March 2012. He took Demetrious Johnson to a draw when they first fought in the division and in the final round of that fight looked like he might be able to stop Johnson however couldn't and lost the rematch. Now he is looking forard to welcoming Pickett to the division. It will be an explosive fight and a real test to see where Pickett ranks in the division. After all Brad Pickett is one of only two men to have a win over the champ Demetrious Johnson so a win against McCall could push him all the way to finally getting that UFC title shot he craves so bad.

It will certainly be a great fight for the fans so don't blink because as always I expect Brad Pickett to try and finish this fight as early as possible.

Melvin Guillard vs #13 Michael Johnson

This fight was originally meant to be the rematch between Melvin Guillard (31-12-2-2 MMA 12-8-1 UFC) and Ross Pearson following the no contest ruling to there fight back in October. However last week Ross Pearson had to be pulled out of this fight due to a knee injury. This came as a big disappointment to the fans. However, I for one am very happy about the match up we will now see as the co main event of UFC Fight Night 37.

Michael Johnson (14-8 MMA 6-4 UFC) has stepped in to replace the injured Pearson and I can't think of a better replacement (that realistically) could have taken this fight. Johnson has been on a tear of late defeating Joe Lauzon in his hometown and then following that up at UFC 168 by knocking out Gleison Tibau. Johnson is similar to Pearson is some respect in that he loves to keep the fight on its feet and will happily stand and bang with Guillard who is also known for this in his fights.

I expect this fight to be up there in the fight of the night category once all is said and done. It will be either this fight or the previous McCall vs Pickett fight that takes home the bonus money but these fighters will certainly put on a show for the fans.

Main Event: #1 Alexander Gustafsson vs #11 Jimi Manuwa

This has all the attributes of a great fight, both guys have proven knock out power and will be coming to make a statement. This is without doubt the biggest fight in Jimi's life. Lets face it though, I can't think of a better way to do it. Manuwa (14-0 MMA 3-0 UFC) will be headlining his first UFC event in his hometown of London in front of a packed crowd, trying to keep his undefeated record intact against the guy who many say deserves to be the champ now. If dreams come true, this has to be up there with the best dream Manuwa could have predicted. It will certainly be a step up in competition for him but a win will propell him to the very elite level of the division and not far from a title shot.

For Gustafsson (15-2 MMA 7-2 UFC), he will be coming in to this fight with everything to lose against a very strong opponent but the prize for risking it is that rematch he desires so badly with Jon Jones. Although he is a european fan favourite he will be walking in to the Manuwa's home town and will not have the fans on his side for this fight.

If the fight stays standing then I predict somebody will be getting knocked out, however Alexander Gustafsson just became the first man to take down Jon Jones and I see him having a lot easier job of getting Manuwa down. If he does, he will certainly have the advantage in the fight. However, it was rumoured that Manuwa may be training with Daniel Cormier for part of this fight camp so we will have to wait and see what happens on fight night.

The full card is as follows

Main Card
Alexander Gustafsson vs Jimi Manuwa
Melvin Guillard vs Michael Johnson
Ian McCall vs Brad Pickett
Omari Akhmedov vs Gunnar Nelson

Prelims
Cyrille Diabate vs Ilir Latifi
Luke Barnatt vs Mats Nilsson
Brad Scott vs Claudio Henrique da Silva
Roland Delorme vs Davey Grant
Igor Araujo vs Danny Mitchell
Louis Gaudinot vs Phil Harris

That marks the end of my preview of the main card for UFC Fight Night 37. Do you agree with my comments? Please comment below with your thoughts.

Tickets are on sale now for this event at www.ticketmaster.co.uk

Ross Pearson Out, Melvin Guillard Now Meets Michael Johnson

Ross Pearson Out, Melvin Guillard Now Meets Michael Johnson
by Chris Houten - @mrhouts

Ross Pearson has been forced to withdraw from his highly anticipated rematch with Melvin Guillard at UFC Fight Night 37 with a knee injury which requires surgery. The UFC confirmed earlier today that Melvin Guillard now meets Ultimate Fighter Finalist Michael Johnson in London:

“With Ross Pearson unable to compete due to injury, No 13 ranked lightweight Michael ‘The Menace’ Johnson will face Melvin ‘The Young Assassin’ Guillard in the co-main event March 8 in London."

 UFC Fight Night 37 takes place March 8 at London’s O2 Arena, and will stream on the UFC's new online subscription service, Fight Pass. Ticket go on general sale on Friday the 31st of January, with UFC newsletter subscribers able to purchase on the 30th, and UFC Fight Club members able to purchase on the 29th.

On some-what of a resurgence Michael Johnson has ratted off impressive back-to-back victories over Joe Lauzon and Gleison Tibau, to earn his place in the top 15 of the UFC's lightweight rankings. The 10 fight UFC veteran holds a professional record of 14-8, with 9 of his 14 victories coming inside the distance.

Interestingly Gulliard and Johnson are former training partners during Guillard's 5 fight with the Blackzillians.

Stay tuned to KingdomMMA.co.uk for all the latest on UFC Fight Night 37

Brad Pickett Making His Flyweight Debut at UFC Fight Night London in March

Brad Pickett announces his fight with Ian McCall in London

by Tommy Strong @strong_tea

So now its been confirmed, Brad Pickett will be making his flyweight debut when he takes on Ian McCall in London when the UFC returns to England in March.

Pickett has had a mixed bag of results since signing for the UFC. Having a 3-3 record in the Bantamweight division since making his UFC Debut back in 2011 at UFC 138. Pickett has always produced the goods and become a firm favourite with the fans and Dana White. In those six fights he has managed to earn himself four fight of the night awards and one knockout of the night bonus.

Though I'm sure Pickett would like to be known for more than just a 'rockem sockem robot' and get to that title shot and the belt he's been longing after for so long, whilst coming so close, so many times.

His latest defeat came at the hands of Michael McDonald in August, which ended in a second round stoppage via triangle choke. Pickett will be the first to admit he's just dropped short when getting in great positions to fight for the tittle.

His opponent Ian McCall has only won 1 of his 4 fights in the UFC, though still ranked number 3 in the division after getting his first UFC win over IIiarde Santos in August and putting on a very impressive performance.

With the flyweight division one of the least stacked division this could be just the medicine for Pickett after all he already holds a win over the current champ. That being said, cutting that extra 10lbs won't be easy for him.

A win for Pickett would leap frog him up the flyweight ranking and ever nearer that title shot he's been after for so long!

UFC Fight Night London will be headlined by light heavyweights Alexander Gustafsson vs Jimi Manuwa , other fights confirmed are:

Ross Pearson vs Melvin Guillard
Cyrille Dabate vs llir Latifi
Gunnar Nelson vs Omari Akhmedov
Danny Aranha vs Igor Araujo

Andy Ogle vs Cole Miller Scheduled For Manchester

FIGHT NIGHT 30 SEE'S THE RETURN OF ANDY OGLE! 

By Tommy Strong @strong_tea

HELS BELS Photography

The UFC has announced a featherweight bout in Manchester England that will see Englishman Andy Ogle pick his wits against American Cole Miller at next months event, Fight Night 30 on Oct 26th.

Ogle (9-2) hasn't fought since February 16th, where he defeated John Grispi via unanimous decision in London, England. He was expected to fight Conor McGregor at UFC Fox Sports 1 in August, but was forced to pull out of the fight due to an injury and was replaced by Max Holloway.

Miller (19-8) a former 'TUF' 5 contestant has been around the UFC a lot longer, making his debut back in 2007 at the finals defeating Andy Wang inside the first round, since then Miller has gone on to have a further 13 fights inside the octagon.

Miller returned to featherweight last year and is now (1-3) , he will coming into the fight on the back of a close decision loss to Manny Gamburyan only last month and will be eager to keep his UFC career alive.

UFC Fight Night 30 in Manchester, will be headlined by middleweight title contenders Michael Bisping vs Mark Munoz, with the co-main event which will see a lightweight clash between Ross Pearson vs Melvin Guillard.

UFC Manchester: Bisping v Munoz finalised

UFC Manchester 2013 is now official

by Jack Broadey @J3cK_b

The long rumoured second UK event of the year has now been officially announced. Michael Bisping vs Mark Munoz will headline the event at the newly renamed phones4u arena. Also it has been announced that Ross Pearson will fight Melvin Guillard in a lightweight showdown in the co main event.

No other bouts have been announced as of yet but they should steadily get released over the next week or so. Tickets will go on sale on August 19th from Ticketmaster and the phones4u arena website. Prices range from £75-£450.

There will be a host of UK talent hoping for the call up for this card on UK shores. Pretty much all the top UK stars would be available to fight on the card apart from Brad Pickett who fights next weekend. News on Dan Hardy has been quiet of late, after recent health problems so he may be considered for the card. John Hathaway has also had health problems which hopefully he is now over and he can get back in the Octagon after missing over 9 months of action now. Tom Watson has just suffered a tough loss to Thales Leites and this event may come to soon for him.

Phil Harris was supposed to fight at UFC 163 but a concussion forced him off the card. After an impressive win at Wembley early this year Harris will be hoping for a trip up North to Manchester. Vaughan Lee and Mike Wilkinson both suffered tough losses to top prospects in Brazil last time out but they deserve another shot here.

Rosi Sexton is the UK's first female fighter and could also be in the UK's first UFC women's fight. TUF Smashes winner Norman Parke toughed it out to win his second UFC bout against Tokudome and this will offer him a chance to fight in front of his UK fans. TUF Samshes runner up Brad Scott will be moving up to Middleweight and should get his first chance after taking winner Rob Whittaker all the way.

Chael Sonnen's number 1 pick Luke Barnatt was a popular member of the last TUF series and won his UFC debut against cast mate Colin Hart and he will be wanting to get on the card in Manchester. Andy Ogle was due to take on Conor McGregor but injury forced him out of that fight in Boston however he may be ready for this card instead.

We have a whole host of deserving fighters to make up the nucleus of an undercard here. Jimi Manuwa has been very quiet of late but he could face a step up in competition and take a main card slot.

Stay tuned as we expect matchups to be announced fairly quickly this week and as soon as they do we will bring them to you. Hit us up at @KingdomMMA to let us what you think of all things UFC Manchester. Potential match ups, what you'd like to see and who you think will win.

Ross Pearson to co main event UFC's return to Manchester against Melvin Guillard

Ross Pearson vs Melvin Guillard set for UFC's return to the UK

by John Haigh @JohnBJayHaigh

Ross Pearson vs. Melvin Guillard has been agreed for the UFC Fight Night co main event. Fresh off his victory at the recent UFC on Fox 8 in Seattle, Melvin Guillard has agreed to step into the UFC Fight Night: Bisping vs. Munoz co-main event to square off with Ross Pearson. The bout was announced on UFC Tonight on Tuesday night.

UFC Fight Night: Bisping vs. Munoz will be the first live UFC event on Fox Sports 2, which is a re-branding of Fuel TV. The event is slated for October 26th, and will be the promotion’s return to Manchester having not held an event there since UFC 105 in November 2009.
Guillard (31-2-2) knocked out The Ultimate Fighter 6 winner Mac Danzig on July 27 in Seattle. Having lost four of his last five fights, and coming off of back to back losses entering the fight, Guillard himself admitted that he knew his UFC career was on the line against Danzig.
Pearson (15-6) the Englishman has recently won consecutive bouts since returning to lightweight, following a 1-1 trip to the featherweight division. Pearson fought at lightweight when he won the ninth season of The Ultimate Fighter and clearly feels more suited in that division.
Pearson will be fighting on his home turf with the fight being held in the north of England, the fight is Guillard’s first trip to the U.K.
Middleweight contenders Michael Bisping and Mark Munoz headline the October 26th event, in what many are saying could be a potential No 1 contender fight.
Ticket details are yet to be announced.