Jimmy Wallhead on BAMMA 13 fight "This is what I've wanted since joining BAMMA"

Kingdom MMA talk to 'Judo' Jimmy Wallhead ahead of BAMMA 13 World Title Fight

by Jack Broadey @J3cK_b

Yesterday I caught up with Jimmy Wallhead to discuss his BAMMA World Championship fight against Eddy Ellis which takes place this Saturday at BAMMA 13 in Birmingham and the winner will become the first BAMMA World Welterweight Champion. BAMMA 13 is headlined by Max Nunes vs Jason Jones as they battle it out for the 1st BAMMA Light Heavyweight World Championship and also Curt Warburton fight Mansour Barnaoui for the vacant BAMMA World Lightweight Championship.

Jack: First of all how are you Jimmy?
Wallhead: Really good thank you and looking forward to Saturday.

Jack: Everyone knows about your Judo credentials by now, do you still focus on this in camp or is there anything in particular you have focused on in this camp in preparation for Eddie Ellis?
Wallhead: Not at all,I never really work judo on its own at all anymore but have started implementing certain techniques into my mma game. As for preparing for Eddy I've aimed to cover everything.

Jack: You haven't fought for 6 months now, are you raring to go again?
Wallhead: Absolutely

Jack: In the last 18 months you have only spent 4 rounds inside the cage. Do you expect ring rust to play a part at all? What have you done to counter this possibility?
Wallhead: I've not even considered that to be honest I feel great and I'm constantly working hard in the gym so always feel on my game.

Jack: I read that you were told you were too experienced for TUF when you applied. Is this true and what was the experience like?
Wallhead: That is true, it was a long time ago but I enjoyed the trip to Vegas for interviews etc but that's as far as my ultimate fighter dream went.

Jack: There was lots of speculation on previous UFC visits to these shores that you would be signed. You instead chose to sign with Bellator. What made you make that decision and was there ever any contact from the UFC?
Wallhead: There was never contact from the UFC at that time the Bellator thing came about I took it,maybe wish now I didn't but everything is for a reason that's why I am who I am now.

Jack: Are you still signed to Bellator or are you now only fighting for BAMMA?
Wallhead: Only for Bamma.

Jack: You have faced some real top competition so far in your career. What is your best win to date?
Wallhead: I'm not sure, I would have to say my 3 Bamma victories stand well above the rest.

Jack: What do you know about your opponent Eddy Ellis and how do you think your skill sets compare?
Wallhead: I think he is well rounded and very tough, I think we're very similar in that sense so should lead to an exciting bout come Saturday.

Jack: On Saturday you will be fighting Eddy Ellis with the winner becoming the first bamma world welterweight champion, is this the biggest fight of your career?
Wallhead: Yeah without a doubt this is what I've wanted since joining Bamma so its a huge fight for me.

Jack: A win on Saturday night could put you in a position where BAMMA may want you to defend the title against Paul Daley (your long time friend & Rough House training partner) would you fight Paul if asked by BAMMA?
Wallhead: To be honest that's a ridiculous question its not going to happen lol

Jack: How's the weight at the minute, are you on schedule and where you want to be ahead of the weight cut at the end of the week?
Wallhead: Absolutely great if anything slightly ahead so chilled right now.

Jack: Finally Jimmy, give us a prediction of how you see the fight going on Saturday night and how do you see yourself getting the win?
Wallhead: Me becoming champion in anyway I can possibly do so in a fan pleasing entertaining fight.

Jack: Would you like to thank anyone?
Wallhead: All my team team, sponsors and my family.

Thank you to Jimmy Wallhead for his time and answering our questions and we all wish you good luck in your fight on Saturday.

Press Release: Bamma Announce Two Title Fight for Bamma 13

The UK’s Premier Mixed Martial Arts promotion, BAMMA is back on 14th September to bring another stunning night of fights to Birmingham’s National Indoor Arena with BAMMA 13.

BAMMA is proud to announce two title bouts to the BAMMA 13 main card, as Jason Jones meets Max Nunes in a long awaited Light Heavyweight clash for the BAMMA World title; and Britain’s iconic Jimmy Wallhead faces US Welterweight, “Fast” Eddy Ellis for the BAMMA World Welterweight belt.

Brutal athlete, Jason “The Villain” Jones, hails from Holland with a record of 19-10-0.  Debuting in 2004, the Judo black belt carved his reputation across promotions that included M-1 Global, Shooto, K-1, King of the Cage, Deep and United Glory.  Jones first entered the BAMMA cage at BAMMA 9 where he terrorised Przemyslaw Mysiala, stopping him with cuts in the first round.  Lauded London based Swede, Max “Power” Nunes, remains undefeated with an MMA record of 10-0-0.  Demolishing Kevin Thompson via TKO at 1:40 into round 1 at BAMMA 11, Nunes achieved the 8th 1st round finish of his career and made waves internationally. He went on to face unorthodox Marcin Lazarz at BAMMA 12, in a tricky bout that was his first to stretch to the third round. This mouth-watering tear-up is the one that fans have been waiting for.

Leicester’s “Judo” Jimmy Wallhead (24-7-0) stands among the elite of UK Middleweights and Welterweights, but was often snubbed in his career because of his fierce talent. This included being knocked back when he applied for “The Ultimate Fighter: United States vs. United Kingdom” in 2008 on the grounds of being ‘too experienced’. Wallhead’s victory over the legendary Frank Trigg at BAMMA 7 finally put his star on the map; while his demolition of Villasenor at BAMMA 8 with flying knees and a spectacular KO remains unforgettable.

Wallhead signed up to an exclusive UK multi-fight deal with BAMMA earlier this year and went on to defeat former UFC contender Matt Veach at BAMMA 12 in a typically explosive performance. “Fast” Eddy  Ellis hails from Washington, USA with a record of 18 wins and 15 losses. The veteran is on a six fight win streak and has lost just one bout in his last ten. With 13 years of professional MMA fights under his belt, Ellis has scored victories in promotions such as Strikeforce, King of the Cage, IFC, WEC and Sportfight; and has 15 championship belts to his name.  Ellis is a veteran of The Ultimate Fighter, Season 16 on which he represented Team Carwin.  He is current head coach at United Training Centre in Washington.

BAMMA’s Managing Director, Ashley Bothwell, said:

“Jones versus Nunes, and Wallhead versus Ellis kick the BAMMA 13 card off to a sharp start and give a flavour of what can be expected from the rest of the night. BAMMA 13 has been some time in the works and we promise another exciting and entertaining night of fights. BAMMA 14 is also in motion for later in the year and following renewed broadcast conversations we can assure fans of a stable events schedule running into 2014. We’d like to thank BAMMA fans for their support.”

BAMMA 13 will feature live on 5* with highlights on Channel 5 in the UK;  and will be televised on AXS-TV in the US, The Fight Network in Canada, Red Media in Russia, TV Esporte Interativo in Brazil and Setanta in Africa.