Ryan Scope "I dont want to take easy fights, thats why I am fighting Arish"

Ryan Scope talks to Kingdom MMA ahead of BAMMA 15 fight against Ali Arish

by Ben Heather @benheather

Ben: How has your camp gone for this fight and who have you been working with?
Scope: Yeah its gone really well, obviously I fought not so long ago (Feb 22nd) so I only had one week off training before I got back in to it. For this fight I've been sparring with all the guys at the gym like Ross Pearson, Colin Fletcher and Phil De Fries.

Ben: You're fighting Ali Arish on Saturday, would you say he is the best/ toughest fighter you have faced in your career?
Scope: Yeah definitely 100%. I mean hes 20-2 for a reason but I want to fight the best as I want to make a point. I want to get somewhere this year.

Ben: Have you spent much time studying Arish?
Scope: I have only watched a couple of his fights, to be honest everyone knows what he is going to do and he's very good at it but I think I've got the right game plan to stop what he does.

Ben: Do you think you have figured out where 20 of his opponents have gone wrong?
Scope: Yes regarding the defensive wrestling I know what they have all done wrong. None of them have got very much movement, everyone tries to walk forward but then get taken down so its all about the movement.

Ben: Hows the weight looking and whats left for the camp?
Scope: Well I'm a small welterweight so I won't have to cut much and I'm probably going to go to lightweight at some point. For this last week, all the hard work is done I will have my last hard session on Monday and I'll be doing some sprints then I will have a light sparring session Tuesday and then its about getting the weight down.

Ben: When you made your BAMMA debut at BAMMA 12 you were a big underdog and you are again this weekend? Does this spur you on to succeed?
Scope: Yeah definitely I've always been the underdog. I think after this fight when I win I wont be the underdog anymore but I like being the underdog though, there is no pressure and you prove everyone wrong when you win. You would think for an 8-0 pro that people would take notice but they haven't.

That being said though I don't want to take any easy fights, that's why I am fighting Arish. I want to fight the best, fighters that will get me noticed and make a name for myself. You don't see many fighters queueing up to fight Arish. I pride myself on the on taking the tough fights, there are too many fighters who take fights just to pad out their record. If you want to get anywhere you have to put the work in and test yourself, Ali is the best wrestler in MMA hands down so I want to test myself and put my record up against his as in the bigger picture I will be coming up against more wrestlers.

Ben: Since going the distance in your debut you have finished your opponent in all the other fights, is this something you pride yourself on and how prepared are you to push yourself for 3 rounds against Arish?
Scope: I am ready to go, obviously I finished those fights but I am always ready to go the distance. I expect the fight to be a grinding, tough fight.

Ben: Everyone knows his game plan, do you think he will stick to that or try and surprise you on Sat?
Scope: Yeah I would think he will stick to his normal game plan, he might try and stand with us at the start but when he realises that I have too much for him on the feet and I am too fast he might go back to the takedown.

Ben: Other than his wrestling what do you think he does well and do you think he has any areas you have the advantage?
Scope: I'd say his Jui Jitsu, I think I'm better technically but he is just strong when he is on top, again movement is the key for this fight. If I stop moving that's how I am going to get taken down.

Ben: Do you think a win over Arish puts you next in line for the winner of Murray vs Edwards?
Scope: Yes BAMMA have said that's the case but it could also be the step to something different, maybe something bigger you know what I mean. Arish holds wins over both the champion and the challenger so as far as rankings go there is only Paul Daley, Cathal Pendred and Jimmy Wallhead who are above so we will see what happens.

Ben: At the weekend both yourself and Colin Freakshow Fletcher are coming to London to fight are we expecting a big travelling support?
Scope: Yeah we always bring a good crowd so there will be a lot of people coming down.

Ben: You have been scheduled to fight Walter Gahadza in the past, is this a fight you are still interested in?
Scope: I know Walters been saying some shit about me pulling out of the fight because I had a broken hand. He bottled it online when called out by Jake Bostwick so he can't say Ive been dodging a fight when he has been publicly humiliated online so he cant say anything to be honest. I will fight Walter but if I beat Ali, whats the point.

Ben: I read in an interview you did last year that you aim to be in the UFC by the end of this year, how many wins do you think you are you from that now?
Scope: I think its only a couple. Again, if you look at the rankings there isn't many above Arish who is fourth so if I beat him I'm right up there. Obviously Paul Daley isn't getting back in the UFC, Wallhead has just signed for Cage Warriors and Pendred is now signed for the UFC so there would only be those above me and I am only 21. So that will look good for the UFC, up and coming fighter just beat number 4 in the country.

Ben: Its recently been announced that your training partner Ross Pearson has been signed up to fight Diego Sanchez, what do you think of that fight?
Scope: Yeah its gonna be a good fight that one. I think Ross will be too clever on the feet for Diego. Diego is game, he is tough you know but Ross is technically better than him. I like watching Diego fight but he fights with too much emotion. You have to go in there and be chilled.

Its a good fight for Ross and will be a statement if he can finish the fight. Its a good first fight back from Ross' injury. Its in Diego's home town so they are probably expecting Ross to get beat but Ross has a great shot.

Ben: Finally one last question, How do you see yourself winning?
Scope: I'm going to say a second or third round stoppage. Its not going to be like my last couple of fights. TKO stoppage in the second or third.

Kingdom MMA would like to thank Ryan for his time and we wish him all the best for his fight at BAMMA 15.

Jake Bostwick on possible fight with Walter Gahadza "100% I'm up for the fight"

Jake Bostwick talks to Kingdom MMA about his recent twitter row with Walter Gahadza

by Ben Heather @benheather

Copyright: Dolly Clew | Cage Warriors

As I am sure you have all seen by now Jake Bostwick and Walter Gahadza have had some heated conversations on twitter recently and Jake told Kingdom MMA how it all began when he mentioned on twitter that they would have a great fight.

"I mentioned Walter in a post saying that me and him would have a great fight and that it should happen, then someone else replied to it. Then I said it all depends on what excuse he comes up with next. I was trying to get the fight with Walter a while ago when I was fighting for UWC as he was the "champ" but he said NO."

Since that first message it has snowballed to the point where Graham Boylan even offered up £3,000 as a winner takes all if both men agreed to fight on a Cage Warriors event. This was an offer which Jake Instantly accepted, but it wasnt the money which fueled his desire for the fight.

"100% I'm up for the fight, the 3k winner takes all is a great idea as the winner gets a nice bit of cash, but to be honest I'm not worried about the money I would like to just beat Walter and be that "bum" he lost to."

Although Jake is completely up for the fight, it seems that Walter is not as keen. One of the reasons he mentioned on twitter was Jake's record (14-8-1NC) compared to Walter's unbeaten record of (13-0) but Jake says all you have to do is look at the competition the two of them has fought.

"He knows and I know he has fought some bums, I have even had a couple of "easier" fights in my past but I have fought some real hard opponents, the likes of John Maguire, Jack Mason, John Phillips, Denniston Sutherland! Some I won, some I lost but at least I took that risk."

"apparently he was gonna be fighting Ryan Scope and I believe he is in the rankings but other then that I think he just wants to keep pushing them the W's."

"At the end of the day, Walter knows I'm a tough fight and knows he will get knocked the hell out, why would you want to fight me if that's the case."

One thing is for sure though, Jake certainly is not taking Walter lightly even saying he is a good fighter but its that test which is driving Jake to push for this fight. However, he feels a step up in opponent is the key to push his career and a fight with Bostwick could help do that.

To be honest Walter is a good fighter I'm not taking that from him, just feel he need to kinda take a step up and fight people that he thinks may beat him. That's the challenge for sure but feel it's always him fighting people that aren't really at his level! Like I said Walter is a good fighter, very well rounded and has a lot at the table.

If the fight does not come off against Walter though Jake will just look to the future and isn't looking to fight anyone specific. However unlike his last fight he will be looking to fight again back at Welterweight and we should see him back in action before the summer.

"If Walter don't fight me then there's plenty of other welterweights out there so I'm not worried really. I am not looking for anyone specific, I just want a good fight that gets people talking that is all. Hopefully I will fight around May/June time."

15 European Fighters Who Could Sign for The UFC in 2014 (Part 2)

15 European Fighters Who Could Sign for The UFC in 2014 (Part 2)
by Chris Houten - @mrhouts

With around 6 European UFC cards planned this year, 2014 should see the largest influx of European fighter into the UFC to date.

If all goes to plan and UFC do bless us with 6 cards this year, Joe Silva and Sean Shelby will need to book around 72 fights just for Europe - that's 144 fighters! With all of these cards expected to take place on the UFCs new online subscription service Fight Pass, its likely Silva and Shelby will be looking to add local talent to these cards, to not only sell tickets but to keep the cost of the cards down.

In Part 1 of 15 European Fighter Who Could Sign for the UFC in 2014, we highlighted talent such as Polish fighter, and current top 10 middleweight Mamed Khalidov, and his KSW roster mate Jan Blachowicz as must haves for the UFCs debut in Poland later this year. We also looked at talented prospects Max Nunes and James Brum who have both been setting Europe alight with Bamma and Cage Warriors respectively, as well as fan favourite Irishmen Neil Seery who's signature would no doubt go down a treat with Irish fans in attendance at the UFC's return to Dublin this year.

In part 2 we look at 5 more names which the UFC could add over the next year..... in NO particular order.
 

Mansour Barnaoui - France
Mansour Barnaoui is exactly the kind of fighter Dana White and The UFC like. Barnaoui is a young, passionate and exciting fighter. The Frenchman comes forward, and is aggressive.

With back-to-back wins over UFC vets in Curt Warburton, and Colin Fletcher, Barnaoui has shown well rounded skills and a fighting style that they love over in the UFC.

While it would be fair to say Barnaoui is far from the finished product, with another big win this year - particularly if that win is over another former UFC fighter, theres a great chance the UFC could take a plunge on the Frenchmen for one of their up coming European cards.

Walter Gahadza - UK
One can't argue with Gahadza's 13-0 record. While it's fair to say Gahadza hasn't exactly fought the best caliber of fighter, but he has despatched virtually everyone he's faced with ease.

Set to face Ryan Scope this month, Scope, who has spent time training with Alliance and is coming off a win over TUF: Smashes contest Luke Newman, might be the exact type of name that could earn Gahadza a place on a European UFC card this year.

Gahadza is a finisher with 6 KOs and 5 submissions, and an impressive win over the undefeated Scope could be a coming out party for the fighter who according to his manager, the UFC have already expressed interest in.

Lukasz Sajewski - Poland
With around 6 events planned for Europe, Joe Silva will be scanning Europe for some of the finest talent the Continent, and it doesn't much finer than undeated Pole, Lukasz Sajewski.

At only 23, Sajewski has built an impressive 12-0 record which includes a notable victory over current Bellator high flyer Macin Held.

A solid grappler, Sajewski trains with two-time Greco Roman Olympic gold medalist Andrzej Wronski, and is his blue belt in BJJ which have contributed 6 submission victories.

With the UFC making its debut in Poland this year, a lot the focus will be on if the promotion can bring in Jan Blachowicz, and Mamed Khalidov, but Sajewski could be a hidden gem amongst the lot, and would be a great addition to the UFC Lightweight division.

Pietro Menga - UK
Undefeated, British Flyweight Pietro Menga is one of the finest prospects this country has to offer. Hailing from Salford, Manchester has put together an impressive 10-0 record, collecting UCC & FCC European titles along the way. Perhaps more impressive though, Menga has finish rate rarely seen at 125lbs with all but one of his victories coming by way KO/TKO or submission.

A well rounded fighter, Menga is currently ranked in the top 3 European flyweights and is ready to make the next step in his career, and would be a great addition to the UFCs flyweight division which could do with a few more faces.
 

Peter Sobotta – Germany
 Fans may be surprised to see the inclusion of Sobotta on this list having previous gone 0-3 for the promotion, however with the UFC planning shows in both Germany and Poland in 2014, this year could see the return of the Sobotta.

One of the most popular fighters in Germany, Sobotta is currently on a 5 fight win streak with all though wins coming by submission, and his addition to the UFC would appeal to both Germany and Polish fans due to his heritage.

Join us for Part 3 of Kingdom MMA's 15 European Fighter Who Could Sign for The UFC in 2014 later on in the week. Where we will be revealing 5 more European fighters who could feature in the UFC in 2014.