UK MMA Expo - Roll on UK MMA Expo 2014

My review of the UK MMA Expo

by Ben Heather @benheather

This past weekend I went along to the UK MMA Expo in Manchester's Event City. I arrived with no expectations of what the expo would be like and was only concerned with wanting to have a good weekend watching some MMA, do a bit of training, meeting fans and fighters who we have previously interviewed and talking about the sport I love more than any in this world MMA. I certainly didn't expect it to be anything like the UFC Fan Expo held in Vegas two weeks before.

Last year I bought a ticket to go to the MMA Show Live expo in Birmingham and was left disappointed when the expo was cancelled on just five days notice. I know I was not the only person who was let down last year and unfortunately the actions of some people which led to the cancellation of this expo has led to repercussions which have been dealt with by the organisers of the UK MMA Expo. A lot of people thought at first that the UK MMA Expo was organised by the same people which was not the case. Also, due to the cancellation of the MMA Show Live a lot of people doubted that this Expo would ever take place also.

As I arrived on the Saturday morning I was greeted by both Paul and Darren who organised the whole event. I had spent a lot of time interviewing fighters before the Expo for the site and have had many conversations with both men so it was nice to meet them both in person.

When the UK MMA Expo opened I first had a look around all the stands which were selling products or services at the expo and was very impressed at the professionalism of them all and how good all the stands looked. My two year old son was particularly impressed with the Banned Fightwear stand which had a Dodge Viper (or as my son kept shouting "Racing Car") in front of it. The guys who were on the stands were all happy to talk to me and explain what the product they were selling was and why it was different from any other products, however they did not cross the line from selling to annoying me. They were happy to discuss and then let me continue looking around the expo.

The companies which came out to support the expo was very impressive. Some of these companies were the same companies I imagine which lost money last year when the MMA Show Live was cancelled 5 days before the event. Although there was a lot of companies supporting the expo this year a lot of floor space was still available. I now believe that the Expo in 2014 (if it happens) will have a lot more stands due to people realising that it is legit and will actually happen.

The fact some of the top UK fighters were walking around mingling with the fans was brilliant. You could walk up to them have a chat with them, get photo's with them and they would happily sign anything which you wanted them to. This is something which I know as a fan means a lot, we normally pay our money and go watch them fight without getting the chance to meet these guys but at the Expo you could.

The Expo consisted of many different aspects, to me the main areas were the stands where people were selling their products, you had the live events which included a full MMA event on the Saturday afternoon and the British grappling championship on the Sunday. Then you had the training seminars, photo signing sessions and knowledge base theatre which gave you a chance to meet your favourite fighters.

Training Seminars

One of the major selling points of the UK MMA Expo was the ability to be able to book to train with some of the top fighters in UK MMA including Michael Bisping, Ross Pearson, Rob Sinclair as well as a lot of others over the weekend.

For a small additional charge you would get the chance to be able to take part in the training sessions led by the fighters at set times throughout the weekend. I thought this was a brilliant idea and was a major selling point to me. It's not everyday you can train with fighters like Michael Bisping. I also felt it also gave guys who may have not trained in martial arts before the ability to not only give it a go but to try it in an atmosphere that was potentially more comfortable to them than walking in to a gym for the first time.

I actually took part in the Michael Bisping but will discuss the actual training seminar in an article later this week on the site. So look out for the "The day I trained with Michael Bisping" article in the coming days.

Knowledge Base Theatre

The Q&A sessions which were held at the Knowledge Base Theatre were fantastic, it was truly a great place to go to be able to hear some of the best UK fighters open up about any questions they were asked.

For me personally I was very proud to be given the opportunity to host the women in combat sport seminar on the Sunday afternoon and it was great to hear from the elite women athletes just what they thought about how far the sport has come. I had a great time hosting and was very impressed with how knowledgeable the crowd were who came to the seminar and asked their own questions were. All in all it made for a brilliant seminar. Rosi Sexton, Helen Currie and JoJo Calderwood let us know what opinions they had on a variety of subjects from Transgender fighters to sexism in MMA and even discussed if they thought BJJ should be an Olympic sport.

Other seminars I went to included the pioneers of UK MMA and Its a TUF Life which between them included the who's who of the top UK MMA throughout the years. Guys like Ian Freeman, Ross Pearson and Michael Bisping to name a couple.

The Photo Signing Sessions

This was another brilliant aspect of the Expo which worked really well. At set times throughout the weekend you had the chance to meet your favourite fighter, have a picture with them (for a small fee of £10) it was then printed off and framed. But the best bit was the fighters would then sign your photo.

I think for £10 this was a great experience and the photo quality was brilliant.

Conclusion

I think the UK MMA Expo was a great weekend and if and I hope they do have the Expo again next year I think the organisers will have so much experience from this weekend. They can look back at the things that went really well as well as the bits which didn't. By reflecting on this year as well as now having evidence that they can pull it off next year will be a brilliant Expo.

This year they had so many doubters keep saying that they couldn't pull it off.... well guess what people they did. They did the UK MMA scene proud and I am sure a lot of companies that did not take part this year due to the previous Expo being cancelled on such short notice will already be contacting them to say they want in next year. They have been left in a situation where they have had to prove everyone wrong through no fault of their own to pull off the expo this year but they certainly did it.

The first day seemed to be a little hectic with some things not starting when they were scheduled to start but what do you expect when this is the first time that anything like this had been done. Even by the Sunday the organisation was so much better and things ran a lot more smoothly.

I think lessons will be learnt about trying to put so much on for example the training with fighters happening at the same time as a Q&A seminar and maybe next time we may see less on at the same times. This is not a bad thing as it makes more things accessible to everyone and easier to control.

Overall, I really enjoyed my weekend at the UK MMA Expo and if this is what they managed to pull off on the first year all I can say is roll on UK MMA Expo 2014.

Rosi Sexton discusses being a part of the Women in Combat Sports Seminar at the UK MMA Expo

Rosi Sexton chats to Kingdom MMA about being a part of the women in combat sports seminar at the UK MMA Expo

by Ben Heather @benheather

The UK MMA Expo is now less than a week away. The Expo which is taking place in Manchester will happen this weekend July 20th -21st. As part of the expo not only will you be able to meet some of the best UK MMA fighters but you can also train with some of them too. For all the details on the expo go to www.ukmmaexpo.co.uk

We have been bringing you some interviews with these fighters. The fighters will be discussing what they will be doing in each of the seminars and also how they believe the UK MMA Expo can help to promote the sport of MMA in the UK. We all love MMA and know how great a sport it is and hopefully the UK MMA Expo will go a long to to educating more people in the UK. Guys who come along as a casual fan or with a friend who loves MMA and go away wanting to know more about it, watch a live event or even decide that they would like to take it up as a hobby.

We have already interviewed Rob Sinclair, Jo Jo Calderwood, Che Mills, Jimi Manuwa and Ross Pearson and now in the latest interview of the series I caught up with UFC female bantamweight fighter Rosi Sexton to discuss her seminar at the UK MMA Expo.

Rosi makes up part of a panel in a seminar called "Women In Combat Sports" which takes place on the 21st July at 2pm. That seminar is free to go and watch and is a one hour Q&A seminar which includes Helen Currie the 1st UK Female BJJ Black belt, Jo Jo Calderwood who is undefeated and fights for Invicta FC and finally Rosi Sexton the first UK women to fight for the UFC. Rosi is also a former Cage Warriors Champion. I recently asked her how she felt to be part of such a great panel for the seminar.

"I think in the UK we have a lot of talent when it comes to women in combat sports, and this is a great opportunity to celebrate that. I've got a lot of respect for all the other women on the panel - they've each achieved a huge amount within their sport, and have a lot of technical knowledge and experience. I'm looking forward to a really interesting exchange of ideas."

I know a lot of your UK fans are excited at the prospect of being able to see you at the seminar and potentially meet you too, are you excited about meeting your fans at the expo?

"I've had a lot of encouragement and appreciation from the MMA community and the fans here in the UK, throughout my career, but especially before and after my recent UFC fight. I'm always excited to meet those who have supported me!"

Finally we spoke about what holding the seminar at the UK MMA Expo means to Rosi and how in her opinion the UK MMA Expo is helping the sport of MMA in the UK as well as female fighters.

"For a long time, there were few women involved in combat sports, and it was easy to feel isolated in a male dominated environment. Now more and more women are starting to develop an interest, and want to take part - which is fantastic. This is a great opportunity both for women who are new to the sport who would like to find out more and those who've been training a while who might have their own experiences to share, or questions about taking it to the next level." 

So that's what Rosi Sexton thinks about being in her seminar as well as her opinion on the UK MMA Expo. Remember Rosi is part of the Women in Combat Sports Q&A Seminar on Sunday 21st July at 2pm.

Ross Pearson discusses the UK MMA Expo and his seminar on Sunday

Ross Pearson talks to Kingdom MMA about his seminar at the UK MMA Expo

by Ben Heather @benheather

The UK MMA Expo is now less than a week away. The Expo which is taking place in Manchester will happen this weekend July 20th -21st. As part of the expo not only will you be able to meet some of the best UK MMA fighters but you can also train with some of them too. For all the details on the expo go to www.ukmmaexpo.co.uk

We have been bringing you some interviews with these fighters. The fighters will be discussing what they will be doing in each of the seminars and also how they believe the UK MMA Expo can help to promote the sport of MMA in the UK. We all love MMA and know how great a sport it is and hopefully the UK MMA Expo will go a long to to educating more people in the UK. Guys who come along as a casual fan or with a friend who loves MMA and go away wanting to know more about it, watch a live event or even decide that they would like to take it up as a hobby.

We have already interviewed Rob Sinclair, Jo Jo Calderwood, Che Mills and Jimi Manuwa and now in the latest interview of the series I caught up with UFC lightweight fighter Ross Pearson to discuss his seminar at the UK MMA Expo.

Ross will be hosting a training seminar which takes place on the 21st July at 14:15pm. That seminar is a one hour seminar led by Ross and I recently asked him what will be involved in the seminar.

"My seminar is mainly based on the transitions in MMA striking to wrestling -wrestling to ju-jitsu - ju-jitsu to striking, a lot of drills so participants to take drills away with them & work on them in there own gym."

"I try touch base on all areas of MMA  because not one area in MMA is better than the other, you need to work on all areas to be the best "

I know a lot of the UK fans are very excited at the prospect of being able to train with Ross Pearson so I also discussed with him who the seminar was aimed at, can anybody turn up and take part or do the people buying tickets to take part need some experience in MMA?

"All levels are welcome I try to keep drills as simple as possible so people feel like they have taken something from the seminar & not thinking like they have forgetting the little details what makes the move perfect."

I asked Ross how he felt to be asked to hold a seminar at the UK MMA Expo for his fans.

"It's awesome! I'm very excited to show the UK fans just some of the things I've learnt on my travels and training with the best fighters & coaches in the world."

Finally we spoke about how in his opinion the UK MMA Expo is helping the sport of MMA in the UK.

"Expos are huge for the growth of MMA in the UK because the fans get to see what really goes on in a fighters life, the sport,the business, they also get to meet there favourite fighters and support them in all there future fights, spreading the word about MMA/fighters causing more talk more interest in watching the sport & there favourite fighters." 

So there you have it, that's Ross Pearson giving his opinion of the UK MMA Expo and if you would like to take part the details for his seminar are below.

Ross Pearson Training Seminar
Date - 21st July 14:15PM
Ticket Cost
Seminar Only Entry £25
Seminar + Sunday Expo Entry £30
Seminar + Weekend Expo Entry £35

PLEASE NOTE: Seminar only tickets will not get you access into Event City as the seminars are held inside the Expo. All seminar tickets must be bought in conjunction to an Expo ticket to allow entry into Event City. Only buy the option of without Expo entry if you already have an Expo entry ticket for the same day or are also buying Expo entry for the same day with another seminar ticket.

Jack Mason "After 35 pro fights this will be my first arena show and I can't wait!" ahead of Cage Warriors 57

Jack "Stone" Mason talks to Kingdom MMA before Cage Warriors 57 fight

by Ben Heather @benheather

On Monday I caught up with Jack "Stone" Mason ahead of his fight at Cage Warriors 57, which takes place in Liverpool's Echo Arena on Saturday night. Just before I spoke to Jack news had been released to say that Jack would not be fighting Bruno Carvalho but instead fighting Ali Arish on less than a weeks notice.

Ben: Today (Monday) it was announced that your opponent has changed, how will that change things on the final week before the fight?
Mason: Not a lot to be honest! This was literally a last minute change so all my training camp was done and I just have to focus on making the weight now so to be honest I won’t get any time to work on any specifics for Arish.

Ben: Did you have a specific game plan for Carvalho and will that now change due to the change of opponent to Arish?
Mason: I had a very specific game plan for Carvalho which I’ve been working on with my team for 6 weeks and I was fully prepared for what he was going to bring to the table. Arish is stylistically hugely different to Carvalho and with no time to really plan or train specifically for Arish it’s not exactly an ideal scenario. That being said I’m very confident in my skills right now and think I match up well with Arish, I expect it to be an interesting fight.

Ben: Are you pleased that Cage Warriors were able to find you a new opponent at such short notice?
Mason: Yes, I’m truly thankful to Cage Warriors for keeping me with a fight and to find me such a high calibre replacement. Ali Arish has a 19-2 Pro MMA record and is currently ranked #8 in the rankings. I don’t know many people in UK MMA who would take such a tough fight with 6 days notice but there was no way I was going to turn down this opportunity. I really appreciate Ali taking the fight at short notice too as if he didn’t I’d have been without a fight!

Ben: What do you know about your Arish and do you like the new match up?
Mason: Arish has a 19-2 Pro MMA record and is currently ranked #8 in the rankings, and has faced and beat some legit competition. I know his style is very wrestling based but also has powerful hands. Of course this is a tough match up for anyone in the Welterweight division but as I’ve said before I’m very confident in my skills and I think a lot of people will be shocked about how this fight goes down.
 
Ben: Are you disappointed that you can't fight Carvalho the opponent you had been training to fight? And do you hope you can fight him in the future?
Mason: Of course I’m hugely disappointed that I’m not facing Carvalho, I’ve spent all camp preparing to face him and to have the hard work wasted is very annoying. I’m not entirely sure about the details of why he can’t fight but by all accounts I’ve heard he is a bit of a princess. I honestly don’t think I’d want to commit all that time preparing for him just to see it wasted again so I’d have to give it careful consideration. It’s definitely not something I’m going to be pursuing after I beat Arish that’s for certain.

Ben: How has the camp been?
Mason: Training has been fantastic and I feel like I’ve improved significantly since my last bout.

Ben: You are going to be at the UK MMA Expo this weekend. What day/ time can your fans head over and see you there? If they can't make it to your fight.
Mason: I’ll be on the QNT Sports Nutrition stand (D23) on the Sunday after the fight so please come down and say hello!

Ben: Last time out you fought in the UAE, will it be good to be back and fight in a big arena in Liverpool?
Mason: Fighting on any Cage Warriors event is a privilege and to fight at the Echo Arena in Liverpool is something I am hugely excited for. After 35 professional bouts this will be my first arena show and I can’t wait!

Ben: This card is a massive card for UKMMA have you heard/ felt a buzz for this card that has differed to some of your previous fights?
Mason: Even with some of the last minute pull outs this is one of the best MMA cards to grace UK soil, maybe the best! Yes the buzz for this card is incredible and I expect everyone to be watching and talking about this. I was up in Liverpool last week training with Danny Roberts and the buzz about the show already is huge, the whole city seems to be going to it. Looks like it’s going to be a special event!

Ben: Do you think a win here puts you next in line for a title shot? Or at least in title contention. After all you are already 7-1 in your last 8 fights.
Mason: A win over #8 ranked Arish is a big win and I will be have more wins on Cage Warriors than any other Welterweight including the current champ. I’ll leave that up to Cage Warriors to decide when I’ve earned my shot, I just need to go out and get my job done on Saturday.

Ben: What's going to happen on Saturday night? How do you expect to get the win?
Mason: It will be a surprise!

Ben: Do you want to say thank you to anyone?
Mason: I’d like to thank all my training partners and coaches at BKK Fighters, Tsunami Gym, Ministry of Martial Arts and Laurence Irving Strength & Conditioning for giving up their time to train with me and of course my girlfriend and family. Without these people in my life I wouldn’t be able to achieve anything.

I’d also like to say a huge thank you to my sponsors, please check out their websites and follow them on Twitter:

·         www.britishfighter.co.uk                        @BritishF1ghter
·         www.qntuk.com                                    @QNTUK
·         www.funkygums.com                             @FUNKYGUMS
·         www.ignitept.co.uk                                @LI_Strength
·         www.blankmmauk.com                         @BlankMMAUK

Thanks very much to Kingdom MMA for the interview, it was a pleasure.
If you’d like to keep updated on my training and future fights then please check out my website www.jackstonemason.com and follow me on Twitter @JackStoneMason

Kingdom MMA would like to thank Jack for his time in answering all of our questions the week before his fight. As he mentioned he will be fighting on the Cage Warriors 57 event in Liverpool on Saturday night but if you can't make it to see him fight he will also be at the QNT Sports Nutrition stand at the UK MMA Expo on Sunday.

Jimi Manuwa talks about his seminar and launching WarriorNRG at the UK MMA Expo

Jimi Manuwa talks to Kingdom MMA about his seminar at the UK MMA Expo

by Ben Heather @benheather

The UK MMA Expo is now less than a week away. The Expo which is taking place in Manchester will happen this weekend July 20th -21st. As part of the expo not only will you be able to meet some of the best UK MMA fighters but you can also train with some of them too. For all the details on the expo go to www.ukmmaexpo.co.uk

We have been bringing you some interviews with these fighters. The fighters will be discussing what they will be doing in each of the seminars and also how they believe the UK MMA Expo can help to promote the sport of MMA in the UK. We all love MMA and know how great a sport it is and hopefully the UK MMA Expo will go a long to to educating more people in the UK. Guys who come along as a casual fan or with a friend who loves MMA and go away wanting to know more about it, watch a live event or even decide that they would like to take it up as a hobby.

The first in the series of interviews was with Rob Sinclair, the former BAMMA Lightweight world champion who has recently signed for Bellator. Then we interviewed Jo Jo Calderwood, who won last night at Invicta 6 about being a part of the "women in combat sports" Q&A session. Last time out we spoke to Che Mills the Cage Warriors fighter. Now in the latest of the series of interviews I caught up with Jimi Manuwa to discuss his seminar at the UK MMA Expo.

Jimi will be hosting a training seminar which takes place on the 21st July at 13:15pm. That seminar is a one hour seminar led by Jimi and I recently asked him what will be involved in the seminar.

"I'll be doing a striking seminar with my coach Dino Miringou from LionsprideMMA. People will be able to join in or watch. I will be doing technical pad drills and will talk people through it."

 I also discussed with him who the seminar was aimed at, can anybody turn up and take part or do the people buying tickets to take part need some experience in MMA?

"Anyone will be able to join in. You just need a pair of boxing gloves and maybe some shin pads when we do some technical sparring"

I asked Jimi how he felt to be asked to hold a seminar at the UK MMA Expo for his fans.

"It was great to be asked to teach a seminar at the UK MMA Expo. I always love meeting my fans and hope to share some tips in striking and what works for me. I love meeting my fans."

Finally we spoke about how in his opinion the UK MMA Expo is helping the sport of MMA in the UK.

"The expo is nothing but a good thing for MMA in the UK. It brings fans, fighters and all people involved in the sport together. I'm really looking forward to it" 

Jimi will not only be at the UK MMA Expo to do his seminar and meet his fans he will also be part of launching a new product.

"I'll be at the WarriorNRG stand before and after my seminar launching my new product which is the new natural pre and post workout blend for winners. WarriorNRG is a new all natural protein and carb supplement. There is nothing like it on the market and is the best I've ever taken."

So there you have it, that's Jimi Manuwa giving his opinion of the UK MMA Expo and if you would like to take part the details for his seminar are below.

Jimi Manuwa Training Seminar
Date - 21st July 13:15PM
Ticket Cost
Seminar Only Entry £20
Seminar + Sunday Expo Entry £25
Seminar + Weekend Expo Entry £30

PLEASE NOTE: Seminar only tickets will not get you access into Event City as the seminars are held inside the Expo. All seminar tickets must be bought in conjunction to an Expo ticket to allow entry into Event City. Only buy the option of without Expo entry if you already have an Expo entry ticket for the same day or are also buying Expo entry for the same day with another seminar ticket.

Che Mills talks about the UK MMA Expo and his seminar

Che Mills talks to Kingdom MMA about his seminar at the UK MMA Expo

by Ben Heather @benheather

The UK MMA Expo is now less than a week away. The Expo which is taking place in Manchester will happen this weekend July 20th -21st. As part of the expo not only will you be able to meet some of the best UK MMA fighters but you can also train with some of them too. For all the details on the expo go to www.ukmmaexpo.co.uk

We have been bringing you some interviews with these fighters. The fighters will be discussing what they will be doing in each of the seminars and also how they believe the UK MMA Expo can help to promote the sport of MMA in the UK. We all love MMA and know how great a sport it is and hopefully the UK MMA Expo will go a long to to educating more people in the UK. Guys who come along as a casual fan or with a friend who loves MMA and go away wanting to know more about it, watch a live event or even decide that they would like to take it up as a hobby.

The first in the series of interviews was with Rob Sinclair, the former BAMMA Lightweight world champion who has recently signed for Bellator. Then we interviewed Jo Jo Calderwood, who won last night at Invicta 6 about being a part of the "women in combat sports" Q&A session and now we have Che Mills the Cage Warriors fighter. I caught up with Che last week to discuss his seminar at the UK MMA Expo.

Che will be hosting a training seminar which takes place on the 20th July at 12:15pm. That seminar is a one hour seminar led by Che and I recently asked him what will be involved in the seminar.

"First and foremost I want the seminar to be a lot of fun. I hope people come away at the end learning something from my seminar and don't worry I'm certainly not going to be a drill Sergeant and scream at anyone. However I am keeping the full details of the seminar close to my chest so it will be a surprise on the day"

 I also discussed with him who the seminar was aimed at, can anybody turn up and take part or do the people buying tickets to take part need some experience in MMA?

"Everyone is invited and as they say the more the merrier."

I also asked Che what it felt to be one of the first fighters to be asked to be a part of the expo including having the logo on his shorts for his previous fights.

"Humbled, no matter what I have achieved in my career being asked to be one of the first fighters if not the first to be a part of the UK MMA Expo was a great feeling. I am happy to promote a brilliant event and hope that people who are not necessarily MMA fans come along and enjoy it too then go away becoming MMA fans themselves"

Finally we spoke about how in his opinion the UK MMA Expo is helping the sport of MMA in the UK.

"Its brilliant and I hope it becomes a regular event maybe once or twice a year. Its great for the public and gives them all the chance to meet the fighters, buy things from lots of exhibitors and take part in seminars without being intimidated by stepping in to a gym for the first time." 

So there you have it, that's Che Mills giving his opinion of the UK MMA Expo and if you would like to take part the details for his seminar are below.

Che Mills Training Seminar
Date - 20th July 12:15PM
Ticket Cost
Seminar Only Entry £20
Seminar + Saturday Expo Entry £25
Seminar + Weekend Expo Entry £30

PLEASE NOTE: Seminar only tickets will not get you access into Event City as the seminars are held inside the Expo. All seminar tickets must be bought in conjunction to an Expo ticket to allow entry into Event City. Only buy the option of without Expo entry if you already have an Expo entry ticket for the same day or are also buying Expo entry for the same day with another seminar ticket.

Jo Jo Calderwood discusses being a part of the Women in Combat Sports Seminar at the UK MMA Expo

Jo Jo Calderwood chats to Kingdom MMA about being a part of the women in combat sports seminar at the UK MMA Expo

by Ben Heather @benheather

The UK MMA Expo is now only a week away. The Expo which is taking place in Manchester will happen the weekend of July 20th -21st. As part of the expo not only will you be able to meet some of the best UK MMA fighters but you can also train with some of them too. For all the details on the expo go to www.ukmmaexpo.co.uk

Kingdom will be bringing you some interviews with these fighters. The fighters will be discussing what they will be doing in each of the seminars and also how they believe the UK MMA Expo can help to promote the sport of MMA in the UK. We all love MMA and know how great a sport it is and hopefully the UK MMA Expo will go a long to to educating more people in the UK. Guys who come along as a casual fan or with a friend who loves MMA and go away wanting to know more about it, watch a live event or even decide that they would like to take it up as a hobby.

Next up in our series of interviews is Jo Jo Calderwood. Jo Jo has fought for some of the top MMA promotions including Cage Warriors and Invicta who she is signed to now on a long term deal. Jo Jo follows on from Rob Sinclair in our interviews discussing the seminar in which she is a part of at the UK MMA Expo.

Jo Jo makes up part of a panel in a seminar called "Women In Combat Sports" which takes place on the 21st July at 2pm. That seminar is free to go and watch and is a one hour Q&A seminar which includes Julie Kitchen 14x World Muay Thai Champ, Helen Currie 1st UK Female BJJ Black belt, Rosi Sexton the first UK women to fight for the UFC and former Cage Warriors Champion and of course Jo Jo Calderwood. Yesterday I asked her how she felt to be part of such a great panel for the seminar.

"I was really excited to be asked, I was going down to it anyway for the British no gi competition so this is like a bonus. I feel privileged to be included in a group with people I look up to like Rosi, Julie Kitchen and Helen Currie."

I know a lot of your UK fans are excited at the prospect of being able to see you at the seminar and potentially meet you too, are you excited about meeting your fans at the expo?

"Yeah everyone back home are really supportive and I'm always very humble to have their support... The UK MMA Expo will be a great experience and my way of getting to say thanks in person to the people."

Finally we spoke about what holding the seminar at the UK MMA Expo means to Jo Jo and how in her opinion the UK MMA Expo is helping the sport of MMA in the UK as well as female fighters.

"Hopefully the UK MMA Expo will open a lot of people's eyes to the real side of UK MMA  its not like how a lot of people perceive it. The last few years the level of professionalism in the sport has been raised thanks to stuff like the safe MMA programme. Hopefully it shows people that MMA is for everyone men, woman and kids and that it's here to stay." 

So that's what Jo Jo Calderwood thinks about being in her seminar as well as her opinion on the UK MMA Expo. Remember Jo Jo is part of the Women in Combat Sports Q&A Seminar on Sunday 21st July at 2pm and as she said she will also be taking part in the no gi competition so anyone going can see her in action on the day.

If you want to read our previous interview with Rob Sinclair about his Striking Against Submissions seminar then click here

Kingdom MMA speak to Rob Sinclair about his UK MMA Expo seminar

Rob Sinclair discusses his seminar at the UK MMA Expo to Kingdom MMA

by Ben Heather @benheather

The UK MMA Expo is now only a week away. The Expo which is taking place in Manchester will happen the weekend of July 20th -21st. As part of the expo not only will you be able to meet some of the best UK MMA fighters but you can also train with some of them too. For all the details on the expo go to www.ukmmaexpo.co.uk

Over the next few days we will be bringing you some interviews with these fighters. The fighters will be discussing what they will be doing in each of the seminars and also how they believe the UK MMA Expo can help to promote the sport of MMA in the UK. We all love MMA and know how great a sport it is and hopefully the UK MMA Expo will go a long to to educating more people in the UK. Guys who come along as a casual fan or with a friend who loves MMA and go away wanting to know more about it, watch a live event or even decide that they would like to take it up as a hobby.

The first in the series of interviews is with Rob Sinclair, the former BAMMA Lightweight world champion who has recently signed for Bellator. I caught up with Rob this week to discuss his seminar at the UK MMA Expo.

Rob will be hosting a training seminar called "Striking Against Submissions" which takes place on the 20th July at 11am. That seminar is a one hour seminar led by Rob and I recently asked him what will be involved in the seminar.

"The seminar is basically going to cover strikes to beat a BJJ practitioner, safely and effectively. Including working on your posture and using your legs and hips."

 I also discussed with him who the seminar was aimed at, can anybody turn up and take part or do the people buying tickets to take part need some experience in MMA?

"No anyone can take part it is aimed at anybody. Anybody who does MMA and feels uncomfortable at throwing strikes from guard/ half guard or side control will hopefully be able to take a lot away from this seminar."

Finally we spoke about what holding the seminar at the UK MMA Expo means to Rob and how in his opinion the UK MMA Expo is helping the sport of MMA in the UK.

"It was definitely a pleasure being asked to run a seminar at the UK MMA Expo. I think it's a great thing for UK MMA as there's opportunities to meet lots of people, learn new stuff in the seminars and talks, meet new sponsors and compete in the tournaments at the expo. It's going to be a great weekend." 

So there you have it, that's Rob Sinclair giving his opinion of the UK MMA Expo and if you would like to take part the details for his seminar are below.

Rob Sinclair's Striking Against Submissions Seminar
Date - 20th July 11:00AM
Ticket Cost
Seminar Only Entry £20
Seminar + Saturday Expo Entry £25
Seminar + Weekend Expo Entry £30

PLEASE NOTE: Seminar only tickets will not get you access into Event City as the seminars are held inside the Expo. All seminar tickets must be bought in conjunction to an Expo ticket to allow entry into Event City. Only buy the option of without Expo entry if you already have an Expo entry ticket for the same day or are also buying Expo entry for the same day with another seminar ticket.

Joanne Calderwood "My game plan is to win. Thats it." ahead of fighting at Invicta 6

Kingdom MMA catch up with Joanne Calderwood before her Invicta 6 fight

by Ben Heather @benheather

Today Kingdom MMA had the pleasure of catching up again with one of the UK's rising stars Joanne Calderwood. Calderwood is now 6-0 in her MMA career including two wins for Invicta Fighting Championships. On Saturday night she returns to the cage to fight at Invicta 6 in Kansas City, USA knowing that a big win could put her right in the mix for a title shot.

Ben: So last time we spoke to you, you had just defeated Sally Krumdiak. What have you been up to since that fight at Cage Warriors 53?
Calderwood: Do you need to ask ;)  I'm sure the the cage in the gym sees more daylight than me.  I came out that fight with no injuries so was back in the gym the next day.  I'm not one of those fighters who is only in the gym when they have a fight coming up. I got back on a off season strength programme and back on trying to improve every area of my game working with my coaches.

Ben: I believe you also competed and won a grappling competition just after your last fight, have you taken part in any more recently?
Calderwood: Yeah I jump in where I can... competing is important to me regardless of whether its a MMA fight, grappling match, thai fight or crazy golf. The week after my fight I went down to Manchester to attend a wedding and managed  to train with Rosi Sexton and compete in the Manchester grab and pull BJJ competition winning my divisions at blue belt which was cool as there was some talented girls in there.  I was at the Scottish nationals a few weeks back also but there was no girls in my bracket. I'll compete every week if I could.

Ben: You have had a number of changes of opponents for this fight, has that altered your training regime at all?
Calderwood: Not really I never focus on my opponent...in fact I never really think of them that much till I'm in there. I spend all my time concentrating on me getting better and stuff i can control. My team always study my opponents and pick up things that I probably couldn't and they tailor things into my fight camp..they've got my back.

Ben: Were you disappointed that Gadelha got promoted and is now fighting in the title eliminator fight and not you?
Calderwood: I'm just glad to be fighting more than anything. My fight will be the best on the night whoever it's against. I really believe I'm going to have to fight all these girls at some point to get where I'm going.

Ben: Do you feel you are close to being given that opportunity of a number one contender fight?
Calderwood: I've fought on the Invicta show twice now and performed well, I was the fist girl to get a KO on the show, I've signed for another 6 fights there. There is a lot of talent in my division I'll keep winning until I get my shot. Whether it's after this fight or a few fights down the line.

Ben: Are you pleased to be back fighting for Invicta again and working towards getting that title shot?
Calderwood: Yeah I'm so excited, I love it over here. The Invicta team are great and I always look forward to seeing them, they treat me really well and make me feel like a professional athlete. They are unlike any other promotion I've ever been involved with.

Ben: You are now fighting Norma Rueda Center, what do you know about her and do you think this is a good match up for you?
Calderwood: Like i said I'm happy to be fighting again, the world doesn't want to see me without a fight, it would get ugly....I'd be pulling my hair out! Norma is from Jacksons MMA which is pretty much all you need to know about her. Those guys are not regarded as one of the best gyms in the game for nothing. I expect her to come in with a solid game plan and try and see it out.

Ben: What day do you travel to the US ahead of the fight and who is going along from the team to support you?
Calderwood: I left this morning and I'm here now (Tuesday) we had 10 hours in the air and a few casualties in the airport due to delayed flight and me running skipping queues to make my connection flight. James Doolan is here with me, we work well together and I'm very confident with him in my corner.

Ben: Do you have any concerns about cutting weight with the travelling for this fight? After all last time the arena was in your home town.
Calderwood: It is easier being home to do a weight cut, but when you go away there is always a lot of time to waste and always adds to the journey. No two weight cuts are the same the only thing that's consistent with cutting weight is its all mental. I've done it a few times before so it will be cool.

Ben: What's the game plan or Saturday night and how do you expect the fight to go?
Calderwood: My game plan is to win. That's it.

Many Thanks to Joanne for taking the time out from her schedule to talk to Kingdom MMA and we wish her all the best for her fight on Saturday night.

For anybody who wants the opportunity to meet Joanne Calderwood, she will be at the UK MMA Expo the weekend of July 20th -21st in Manchester. Tickets can be purchased from http://www.ukmmaexpo.co.uk/

UK MMA Expo Press Release

UK MMA Expo Press Release 

The UK MMA Expo is the UK’s first Mixed Martial Arts Expo and is being hosted at Event City in Manchester July 20-21^st from 10am-6pm daily and an evening show on the Saturday night. EventCity is the UK's second largest exhibition space outside of London and is adjacent to the famous Trafford Centre shopping complex. It’s going to be a major event in the UK Mixed Martial Arts calendar.

The Expo aims to help raise the profile of the world’s fastest growing sport and it’s fighters in the UK. Those involved in the sport will know that MMA training offers many benefits such as fitness, discipline and self-confidence as well as being an exciting spectator sport. As well as a yearly get together for those already involved the Expo will also be a showcase for the sport helping shatter some of the misconceptions that the general public may have. It will help raise the profile of our UK fighters and get more people involved in the sport; whether as fans or actually training in MMA. We are also keen to push the health, fitness, knowledge and participation aspects of the sport.

This showcase weekend includes exhibition stands from companies in the industry, with spaces being taken up by businesses from all facets of the MMA world sampling & selling their products. There are plenty of things for visitors to see such as training seminars, star photo/signing sessions, open workouts and live events.

Another important area of the Expo will be the KnowledgeBase Theatre/Forum. In here we will be hosting free talks on all aspects of health, fitness, wellness and competition. These are to include nutrition, hydration, psychology, media interaction, Strength & Conditioning, injury management, injury prevention etc. It will also host a number of free Q&A sessions such as: "Pioneers of UK MMA" with a panel including Mark Weir, Ian Freeman, Lee Hasdall, Leigh Remedios, "Women in Combat" with Rosi Sexton (to be UK's first female UFC fighter), Helen Currie (first female in Europe to hold a black belt in Jiu Jitsu), Jojo Calderwood (Ex high lever Thai boxer now undefeated in MMA fighting for US based Invitca promotion) and Julie Kitchen (14 times World Champions, and undisputed queen of Muay Thai), “It’s a TUFF life” (about life in the TUFF house) and much more. UFC Referee Marc Goddard is hosting an "Understand the judges for fans & fighters" talk in here also, then running his official Judges and Referees full days training course on the Sunday.

Competitions including the Open British Grappling Championships, Kickboxing tournament, Muay Thai Interclub and the Ring Girl of the Year 2013 Competition will all be free to watch inside. We also have an interactive gym zone in operation over the weekend where the 2013 Male Fight Fit Awards will partly be conducted too.

We will be hosting training seminars & professional instant photo/signing sessions over the whole weekend with top level UK fighters & coaches. Seminars we have booked so far include Wolfslair Coach Dave Jackson (who has coached Chieck Kongo, Rampage Jackson, Michael Bisping), Rob Sinclair (BAMMA Champion recently signed to Bellator), Che Mills, Ian Freeman, John Maguire, Jimi Manuwa and there are still more to be announced.

In the adjoining hall we have a full professional evening promotion with some great pro fights as well as some unified amateur rules fights on the undercard. The show will be one of the best the UK has seen (outside of the UFC) in terms of entrances, effects, set up, production and of course fights too. It will be a great evening out even for those without a keen interest in MMA. The award winning "Fight Ikon" brand is returning after two years away and will really raise the bar for UK shows, becoming a highly anticipated, once yearly MMA extravaganza. For the event we have UFC Referee Leon Roberts as well as UFC official doctors, hand wrapping and cut men. It will be held in a full sized 32ft cage with walk around platform. We also have the team responsible for the X Factor Live running the sound, lighting, lasers, Co2, pyrotechnics, etc. The same set up (possibly minus the pyros) will be used during the daytime for an amateur event continuing to showcase the rising talent we have in the UK.

Entry cost to the Expo is just £10 per day or £15 for the weekend, available from www.ticketline.co.uk . Further discounts are also available on this already incredibly low price for gym owners and British Forces. Children under 14 also get free entry with paying adults.

Seminars start at just £20, evening show standard tickets start at £30 with cage side seats also available as well VIP tables with 3 course meal.

Please visit our website for more details or Follow us on Twitter and Facebook under UKMMAEXPO.

Mills on Pendred "He is determined to be in the UFC, I think when I punch him he'll have second thoughts"

Kingdom MMA interview Che Mills ahead of his Cage Warriors 55 Welterweight title fight

by Ben Heather @benheather

Today Kingdom MMA caught up with Che Mills and spoke about a range talking points including the UFC, signing with Cage Warriors, his fight this weekend and the UK MMA Expo to name a few subjects including an exclusive announcement about the UK MMA Expo.

On Saturday night Che makes his return to the cage at Cage Warriors 55 after being released by the UFC and he goes straight in to fighting Cathal Pendred in Cathal's hometown of Dublin, Ireland for the Cage Warriors Welterweight title. This fight is one of the most anticipated fights in UK MMA of 2013 and it has a really big buzz around the whole event.

Ben: This will be your first fight since being cut from the UFC. How did you find out you had been cut as some people found out on twitter?
Mills: I was also one of those that found out on twitter, then my manager rang saying he’d just seen it and it was then confirmed about an hour after that officially from Joe Silva via my manager.

Ben: Dana White criticised you for not trying to finish Matt Riddle at the end of your last fight and jumping on him. Did that bother you?
Mills: At the time yes, but not anymore. He is entitled to his opinion, and I respect that.

Ben: Did you feel harshly treated by the UFC? After all you went 2-1-1 in your time and then got cut. That's far from being the worst record in the UFC.
Mills: To be honest I don’t even think about it. It is what it is at the end of the day, and there is nothing I can do about it regardless of how I feel about it. I now look back at the whole thing as a learning experience.

Ben: Once you had been released did you get any offers from other organisations?
Mills: Yeah, my manager said that a few things had been offered, and not just in MMA! lol

Ben: What made you sign with Cage Warriors?
Mills: They have the most professionally run show in Europe. They consistently put on events and have a proven track record for doing so. They have a great distribution through all their media partners and have already shown that they provide their fighters with great exposure, such as the MTV documentary that I did. 

Ben: Do you feel your last performance against Matt Riddle was effected by it being shortly after your father passed away?
Mills: When I look back now, I think so, plus a few others things, such as injury and so on, but at the time I was focused and was ready to fight, so I did. I have no excuses, I got beat and that’s that. There is no shoulda woulda coulda!

Ben: In your last fight you were out wrestled by Matt Riddle. Have you changed anything in your training since that fight especially as Pendred has a decent wrestling game?
Mills: I am always working on my wrestling, as well as everything else. We have a great set up at Trojan Free Fighters and cover everything throughout the week and consistently work hard to improve in all areas.

Ben: How has the camp gone for this fight? How long ago did you start your camp for this fight?
Mills: Training camp has gone really well. It started beginning of April officially, but I am always training and stay in shape.

Ben: Do you expect Pendred to focus on using his wrestling as part of his game plan come Saturday night?
Mills: I would think so, that is what he tends to do, but I’m ready for everything. It’s about what I am going to do, that’s my focus.

Ben: What is your game plan for the fight on Saturday night?
Mills: Punch him in the face HARD, and win the title

Ben: We saw in your UFC debut that you have knockout power and with over half of your wins being by knockouts. Do you think you will be able to stop Cathal Pendred on Saturday night?
Mills: Yes

Ben: Would you say you feel more or less pressure heading in to this fight than you did during your spell in the UFC?
Mills: Now I feel less pressure all round, I spent a lot of time think about what I should say or do, rather than what I actually felt. This has all been part of the learn experience. I talk about this in the MTV documentary quite a bit so go check it out…. http://www.mtv.co.uk/sports/mma/video/the-che-mills-story

Ben: When will you be travelling over to Ireland?
Mills: We all travel on Thursday morning

Ben: Will you be taking a big group of friends and family with you as you will be going to fight in a hostile environment fighting Pendred in his home town of Dublin?
Mills: There is a few of the family and friend coming over, I know a few of the guys from the gym are coming over too. However I know that they’ll all be watching from home on cagewarriors.tv so I’ll certainly have the support with me.

Ben: Pendred seems to be talking about fighting in the UFC a lot ahead of this fight. Even going as far as discussing which UFC event he wants to make his debut on. Do you think he is looking past you and in his head already has the fight won?
Mills: Haha… I don’t know, he is determined to be in the UFC…. I think when I punch him he’ll have second thoughts.

Ben: what you think about Paul Daley saying you are not on his level?
Mills: I don’t think anything about it…. 

Ben: Without looking past Pendred but if you win on Saturday and become champion, would a fight against Daley be something that interested you? That's if it was possible for Cage Warriors to make the fight happen.
Mills: I would happily fight him, and if it’s on Cage Warriors then great.

Ben: Do you still have aspirations of getting a few wins under your belt and back in to the UFC?
Mills: At the moment all my focus is with Cage Warriors and becoming the champ, then defending the belt and continuing to fight the best in world

Ben: We recently broke the news on our site that in July you will be doing a signing/ meet and greet at the UK MMA Expo in Manchester. Do you have anything to say to the fans that will be coming to meet you at the expo?
Mills: I’m looking forward to it, it’s not often you get the chance to meet the fans all in one go like this so I’m excited. I will also be doing a seminar so come along to that too.

Ben: If you win at Cage Warriors 55 can we expect you to bring your belt along to the UK MMA Expo so the fans can get a picture with you and your title?
Mills: There is no if about it…. 100%

Ben: Would you like to say thanks to anyone or any sponsors?
Mills: Yes thanks a lot. Want to say thanks to Dan my manager (UI Management) and Paul Sutherland my head coach at Trojan Free Fighters, he puts everything together to ensure that I am ready. All my sponsors, Sci-MX Nutrition, Pride or Die, MMA Apparel, Vita Coco UK, Sport Kitchen, Smuggling Duds, Glos Pain Relief Clinic, NutriFit, UK MMA Expo. Of course all the guys at Trojan Free Fighters and Paul Middlewood for all the beasty conditioning sessions.

Thank you very much to Che Mills for taking the time to answer our questions so close to his title fight.

As Che mentioned the exclusive announcement regarding the UK MMA Expo is that he will not only be there to meet fans for photos and autographs but he will also be at the UK MMA Expo to run a seminar too. Full details of the seminar will be released on the UK MMA Expo website in the next few days and tickets for the Che Mills seminar will be on sale very soon.

For all the details about the UK MMA Expo check out their website http://www.ukmmaexpo.co.uk/.

UK MMA EXPO shaping up after the announcement of seminars

Details released about July's UK MMA Expo

by Ben Heather @benheather

On the weekend of July 20th - 21st the UK MMA scene will finally have a expo to be proud of when the UK MMA Expo opens its doors at the Events City venue in Manchester. After the shambles that was the MMA Show Live last May. A lot of people were left devastated last year when with about 5 days notice the MMA Show Live expo was suddenly cancelled with no real explanation as to why.

I for one was absolutely gutted when the MMA Show Live was cancelled as I loved the idea of being able to not only meet some of my favourite MMA fighters but also getting the chance to train with them. As soon as we found about the MMA Show Live myself and John Haigh (who also writes for Kingdom MMA) knew we had to be involved in that expo and got some tickets. But now 14 months later we finally have a legitimate expo which will not disappoint the fans in the way the MMA Show Live did last year.

The UK MMA Expo is not trying to replicate what the MMA Show Live did (or should I say attempted to do) instead it is focusing on the talent we have in the UK and doing its bit to help put some of the names which are less known by the casual fans but loved by the die hard fans. The likes of Rob Sinclair and Ian Freeman have recently had seminars announced over the weekend and you can train with both.

Rob "C-4" Sinclair the current BAMMA Lightweight World Champion will be holding a striking against submissions seminar, as well as Sinclair UK MMA Expo have recently announced that Ian "The Machine" Freeman will also be holding his own training session.

Dave Jackson will also be putting on separate seminar, Jackson a coach from the Wolfslair gym and striking coach of UFC fighters, who has worked with the likes of Michael Bisping and Rampage Jackson. Dave Jackson will be doing a Muay Thai for MMA seminar.

The other seminar which has been announced is a full day "Enforcing Unified Rules" officials seminar which will be led by UFC referee Marc Goddard. Goddard will be doing all he can to help you learn how to judge and referee a MMA fight based on the unified rules of MMA.

The ticket price for the expo can be found below

£10 for a one day ticket
£15 for a weekend ticket
£25 to train with Rob Sinclair on 20th July '13 11:00 - 12:00pm (price includes expo pass for the day)
£25 to train with Dave Jackson on 20th July '13 16:30 - 17:30pm (price includes expo pass for the day)
£30 to train with Ian Freeman on 20th July '13 at 13:30 -15:00pm (price includes expo pass for the day)
£70 to join the Marc Goddard Seminar 21st July '13 10:00 - 17:30pm with an hour lunch break (price includes expo pass for the day)

For full details of the UK MMA Expo including how to purchase tickets please go to www.ukmmaexpo.co.uk

Keep checking Kingdom MMA for all the latest news and updates on the UK MMA Expo.