Jim Wallhead Opts Against Resigning with Bamma, Now a Free Agent

Jim Wallhead Opts Against Resigning with Bamma, Now a Free Agent
by Chris Houten - @mrhouts

 

Fans hoping to see a rematch between Eddie Ellis and Jim Wallhead for the Bamma welterweight title will be left disappointed today with the announcement the Wallhead has opted against renewing the Bamma contract.

Fighting out of Leicester, Team Rough House member Wallhead (24-8) began his professional career in 2005, earned notable wins against former John Philips, Jason Tan, Che Mills, and current UFC fighter Igor Araujo before joining Bamma where he defeated former UFC title challenger Frank Trigg at Bamma 7 in his debut, which he followed up with a knockout demolition of Jackson MMA fighter Joey Villasenor at BAMMA 8.

Wallhead returned on an exclusive UK multi-fight deal at Bamma 12 to defeat former UFC contender Matt Veach, to set up a Welterweight title bout with Eddy Ellis at Bamma 13 in a fight which Wallhead broke Ellis' jaw, only to lose by controversial judges decision with fans and pundits alike feeling Wallhead did enough to earn the decision.

Following his loss to Ellis, Wallhead took on Frenchman Florent Betorangal at Bamma 14 winning by spectacular knockout from a slam to set up the potential rematch with Ellis, however this fight was Wallheads last fight on his contract and he has since decided to part ways with the promotion.

BAMMA's manager, Ashley Bothwell, said:

"We are sorry to see Jim go, as he was well loved at BAMMA as a true BAMMA icon. We wish him all the best in his future."

Bamma officials did not elaborate further on why the promotion and Wallhead were unable to come to terms on a new deal of if the fighter was joining another organisation, however an official press release did seem to suggest with Wallhead no longer with the promotion, Paul Daley who was previous out of title contention due to his close relationship with Wallhead, could be next to fight for the welterweight title.   

Free agent Wallhead who has previous fought for Bellator, will now be hot property on the international market. He leaves Bamma with a 4-1 record.

Interview: Roland Delorme Talks Grant, Fight Pass, Sponsorship, and Fighting on Foreign Turf

Kingdom MMA Talks to Roland Delorme Ahead of UFC Fight Night 37
By Chris Houten - @mrhouts

Owner of one of the best ground games in the 135lb division, Roland Delorme is looking to make a statement this weekend when he meets the UK's Davey Grant at London's O2 Arena on the Fight Pass prelims of UFC Fight Night 37.

A contestant of TUF 14, Delorme started his career in the UFC 2-0 before losing by KO to Francisco Rivera however the result was later over turned due to Rivera testing positive for a banned substance.

Following the bout with Rivera, Delorme bounced back with a decision victory over Edwin Figueroa in his home town of Winnipeg, before losing a split decision to Alex Caceres in his most recent outing at UFC 165 in September.

With fight week in full swing we caught up with Delorme to discuss his fight with Davey Grant, fighting on Fight Pass, sponsorship, and fighting on Foreign Turf.

Houten: Your fight with Davey Grant will mark the first time fighting outside of North America, how excited are you to be fighting in London and how prepared are you for the boos from the 15,000 British fans in attendance?
Delorme: I'm extremely excited about fighting in London, it's a dream come true for me to fight abroad and I've always wanted to come to London so I'm killing two birds with one stone. I love when people hate me it just makes me wanna do better so I just brush it off and perform.

Have you put any thought in to cutting weigh in this Country? How do you think it will differ to cutting back home, and have / will you begin cutting earlier to prepare yourself?
Yeah cutting weight overseas is something I took into account and I'm lighter then usual to make it easier on my body considering travel and that I won't have the usual luxuries that I do at home.

Davey Grant is coming off a loss to Chris Holdsworth where he was outclassed on the ground, do you think Holdsworth has set the blueprint for you to beat Grant?
Obviously Grant's striking is his strong point but he's won 7 of 8 fights by submission so he's no fool on the ground but I definitely think that when I put him on his back he's gonna flop around like a fish to stand back up so I just gotta take him to deep water and drown him. As far as Holdsworth setting the blueprint I think that Grant has learned a lot from that and won't make the same mistakes so I gotta use a slightly different blueprint to get the same result.

How has you camp gone for this fight? Who have been working with in the build up to the fight?
My camps been great I have no issues and feel amazing. I have been at my home gym in Winnipeg getting prepared for this fight with the usual suspects of Curtis Brigham, Louis Fisette, Brad Katona and many other guys putting a hurt on me everyday.

Your fighting a dangerous striker in Grant, has to focus in this camp main been your stand up?
My focus is always my stand up, if I use it or not. If your not getting better your getting worse.

How willing are you to stand and trade with Grant in this fight? 
I've stood with better strikers when I was at my worst and unless we start on the ground then I don't really have much of a choice do I - Ha Ha Ha

This fight will mark you debut fighting on UFC Fight Pass, what do you think of the online network, and do you mind fighting on it?
I haven't seen Fight Pass yet and I'll fight anywhere the UFC pays me to. I don't care where and what I fight on, I get paid to lay a beating and business is good.

Has the fact your fighting on Fight Pass and outside of North America affected your ability to attracted sponsors for this fight?
Yes it has affected my sponsorship as in I'm not making as much as I usually do, but that just means I gotta fight better to make more money and I won't let myself down.
 
Who would you say competed on the tougher season of The Ultimate Fighter? 
My season was clearly tougher being the first bantamweight season ever and since my season everyone that has made it to the UFC has been doing great. Two guys are ranked in the top ten in the world and one fought for the title, Caraway is ranked just outside the top ten but I think he should be in it and all the other guys have winning records in the UFC so what do you think.

Finally how do you see yourself winning on Saturday?
I see myself just out working him pushing the pace and breaking him in the later rounds, he's never seen deep water and I'm a shark looking for a meal.

Oli Thompson vs Gzim Selmani to Headline Bamma 15

Oli Thompson vs Gzim Selmani to Headline Bamma 15

Europe's flagship Mixed Martial Arts promotion, BAMMA, is proud to announce Oli Thompson vs Gzim Selmani as the Heavyweight headliner for BAMMA 15 at the Copper Box in London's Olympic Park on 5th April.

Oli Thompson originally made his name as a strongman, peaking in 2006 when he won the TWI Britain's Strongest Man contest and reached the finals of the IFSA World Championships, in which he came 8th. Thompson also notably attained 2nd and 3rd places in IFSA British Championship contests.  The 34 year old debuted professionally in Mixed Martial Arts in 2009, and went on to become UCMMA's Heavyweight Champion in 2011, before competing in the UFC then KSW. Training out of 1st Generation in Sussex with a professional record of 12-5, Thompson has gone 3-1 since fighting in the UFC and has won his last two bouts via TKO in the first and second rounds. 50% of Thompson's wins have come via Submission and 42% via KO or TKO. Thompson weighs 248lbs at 6ft1.

Gzim 'The Albanian Psycho' Selmani fights out of Golden Glory and Tatsujin Dojo in the Netherlands with a MMA record of 5-1* and a kickboxing record of 1-0, the victory scored via a flying knee KO. The Kosovo Albanian stands at 6ft 3 and weighs 263 pounds. He started training in Judo at the age of 5, then started kickboxing at the age of 12 before taking up MMA at the age of 15 with his older brother Egzon Selmani. Gzim debuted professionally in MMA at the age of 18.

BAMMA's matchmaker, Jude Samuel, said: "Selmani is mainly considered a striker. However at 19 years of age he has not yet had his patterns laid down which makes him unpredictable, dangerous and exciting to watch."

Indeed, 2 of his MMA victories have come via TKO and 3 via Submission. The 'Albanian Psycho' is also the Dutch Heavyweight Grappling Champion 2013, and the Rough Diamonds Kickboxing Champion 2013 in Germany. None of his fights to date have cleared the 2nd round.

Oli Thompson said:

"I have been looking to fight on BAMMA for a long time. The show always has a great look. I am bringing an intensity and athleticism that is not seen in many heavyweights, and I will put my body on the line to get the win at all costs. I want to become the first BAMMA Heavyweight champion"

2 More Bouts Added to Europa MMA 1

2 More Bouts Added to Europa MMA 1
by Chris Houten - @mhouts

 

Europa MMA officials have announced today the addition of 2 more bouts to their debut card.

Terry Doyle and Danny Joel will meet in a lightweight contest, and welterweights Jamie Richardson and Mareks Belevics are set to make their professional debuts, at the March 22nd Event.

Europa MMA 1 takes place at the Brentwood Centre, Essex and is headlined by Germany’s no.2 and Sweden’s no.2 ranked featherweights Max Coga and Niklas Backstrom. Tickets are now on sale HERE.

Undefeated prospected Terry Doyle will look to keep his momentum going from his professional debut TKO win over Lorenzo Valbonesi at Novembers Fusion Fighting Championship. Prior to turning pro Doyle posted a 2-0 amateur record.

His opponent, Danny Joel will be right at home March 22nd when he enters the Brentwood Centre, with the local lad fighting for the second time in his professional career minutes away from his home. Having lost his professional debut to Kane Moussah by TKO at FCC 7, Joel will be aim to pick up his first professional victory of his career at Europa MMA. Joel brings an “anytime, anywhere” fighting style and despite losing in his debut will prove a tough test for any stepping up to fight him.

Jamie Richardson who fights out of Force MMA along side 9x UFC veteran Paul Taylor, enter his pro debut with an extensive amateur record of 6-1 where he is currently enjoying a 6 fight win stream. A submission specialist, Richardson has defeated all but one of his opponents by way of submission.

His opponent, Latvian Mareks Belevics also enters the bout with an extensive amateur record with 5 wins and 4 losses. A product of Ripped MMA in Harrow, Belevics has won 4 of his 5 victories by TKO, and enters the bout looking to bounce back from a December 2012 loss to Ole Magnor.

Stay tuned to KingdomMMA.co.uk for all the latest on Europa MMA 1 

Yushin Okami Meet Svetlozar Savov in WSOF Debut

Yushin Okami Meet Svetlozar Savov in WSOF Debut

 

Perennially top-ranked middleweight Yushin "Thunder" Okami (29-8) makes his World Series of Fighting debut on March 29, as he battles Svetlozar Savov (12-4) on the NBCSN-broadcast main card of "World Series of Fighting 9: Carl vs. Palhares."

Additionally, a featherweight matchup between Brenson Hansen (5-2) and Boostayre "Bullit" Nefarios (2-1) has also been added to the night's WSOF.com-streamed preliminary card.

"I was already excited for World Series of Fighting 9, but the addition of Yushin Okami against Svetlozar Savov to our live NBCSN broadcast leaves no question that this is the best card we've ever put together," World Series of Fighting President Ray Sefo said. "This card now has some of the world's most established talent, as well as some of the top up-and-coming names in the sport. This truly is a card you do not want to miss."

"World Series of Fighting 9: Carl vs. Palhares," which features a welterweight title fight between champ Steve Carl and challenger Rousimar Palhares, as well as Marlon Moraes vs. Josh Rettinghouse for the inaugural World Series of Fighting bantamweight title, takes place March 29 at Las Vegas' Hard Rock Hotel & Casino.

Tickets for World Series of Fighting 9, which start at just $39, are on sale now at Ticketmaster.com. Tickets can also be purchased at The Joint box office or by phone at (800) 745-3000. The night's featured fights air live on NBCSN at 9 p.m. ET (6 p.m. PT local time) following preliminary bouts that stream on World Series of Fighting's official website, WSOF.com.

The 32-year-old Okami, of Kanagawa, Japan, is a judo black belt who owns career victories over MMA notables Alan Belcher, Hector Lombard, Nate Marquardt, Mark Munoz, Anderson Silva and Mike Swick, among others. He now meets 25-year-old Bulgarian prospect Savov, who boasts 11 stoppage wins among his 12 career victories.

Hansen has already fought three times under the World Series of Fighting banner, earning wins over Josh Montalvo and Tom Marcellino before suffering a hard-fought split-decision loss to Freddy Assuncao at January's World Series of Fighting 8 event. Meanwhile, Nefarios makes his World Series of Fighting debut. The son of longtime MMA veteran Marvin Eastman, Nefarios is a well-known name on the Las Vegas fight scene after fighting several times in Sin City as an amateur before making the transition to the pro ranks.

With the two additions, the World Series of Fighting 9 lineup now includes:

NBCSN-TELEVISED MAIN CARD

Champion Steve Carl vs. Rousimar Palhares - for welterweight title
Marlon Moraes vs. Josh Rettinghouse - for inaugural bantamweight title
Yushin Okami vs. Svetlozar Savov
Josh Burkman vs. Tyler Stinson
Ozzy Dugulubgov vs. Johnny Nunez

WSOF.COM-STREAMED PRELIMINARY CARD
Mike Corey vs. Shane Kruchten
Chris Gruetzemacher vs. John Gunderson
Sean Cantor vs. Bryson Hansen
Phil Dace vs. Danny Davis
Brenson Hansen vs. Boostayre Nefarios
Jimmy Jones vs. Rudy Morales
Gil Guardado vs. Jimmy Spicuzza

Bamma 15 Set for April 5th, Oli Thompson to Feature

Bamma 15 Set for April 5th, Oli Thompson to Feature
by Chris Houten - @mrhouts 

 
Bamma is back with their first show of 2014 in April. Bamma officials announced today Bamma 15 will take place April 5th at the historic Copper Box Arena in London, a multi-sport venue which was famously used for the Summer Olympics in 2012. Ticket are expected to go on sale this week.

Bamma home to Paul Daley and Jim Wallhead is broadcast on 5* in the UK, AXS-TV in the US, KIX in Asia, Abu Dhabi TV in the Middle East, The Fight Network in Canada, Extreme Sports Channel in Europe, Setanta in Africa, Sony in Russia & Transylvania Media in Romania.

BAMMA's Director, Ashley Bothwell said:

"It's exciting for BAMMA to be holding an event in the Olympic Park at the Copper Box, as it carries a huge sporting legacy. 5th April will see the coming together of months of preparation for the fighters as all their hard work and sacrifice boils down to a few explosive, intense minutes. It is fitting that these crucial minutes should share a home with so many elite and aspirational sporting memories."

The line for Bamma 15 has yet to be confirmed however, as per a recent teaser video (below) former UFC Heavyweight and Britain Strongest Man Oli Thompson will be fighting on the card.

 Stay tuned to KingdomMMA.co.uk for all the latest on Bamma 15

Phil Harris UFC Fight Night London Pre Fight Interview

Phil Harris talks to Kingdom MMA ahead of his fight in London

by Sam Heard @SamHeard_

On Saturday night in London's O2 arena the UFC will return to England for UFC Fight Night London: Gustafsson vs Manuwa. Opening up the event on Saturday night will be Phil Harris who will face off against Louis Gaudinot in a flyweight battle. Phil returns to fight in London where last February he picked up his first win in the Octagon and will be looking to add to that this weekend. Today Phil took some time out of his schedule to talk to Kingdom MMA about his fight and a few more topics such as John Lineker, Vaughan Lee and Davey Grant.

Sam: Thanks again for the interview ahead of your fight in London, we really appreciate your time.
How are you feeling with just under a week to go before the big fight? Has the training camp gone well?
Harris: Training camp has been very good, I'm feeling great and ready to fight.

Sam: Gaudinot clearly represents a completely different challenge to John Lineker, but are there any adjustments you will be making from your last fight?
Harris: We've worked on a few things for this fight that I'll be putting into action come Saturday.

Sam: At 1-2 in the UFC do you see this fight as all or nothing for your UFC career?
Harris: Pretty much, but I don't think about it.

Sam: Let's take a look back to your last fight, How did you feel when Lineker once again failed to make weight last October? Do you feel it put you at a disadvantage?
Harris: Being heavier is definitely an advantage it's annoying, I knew it was likely that he would miss weight.

Sam: Would you agree that in your last fight after getting caught with some heavy punches early on you forgot about your game plan and tried to compete with Lineker at his own game?
Harris: Yeah I made the mistake of wanting to get into a war and get FOTN I've learnt a lot from fight.

Sam: Do you think if you were given the opportunity to fight Lineker and stuck to the plan you had trained it would have been a different outcome?
Harris: Definitely I'd love to fight him again at some point.

Sam: The man who beat Gaudinot in his last fight is now scheduled to fight rank #2 Joseph Benavidez. Where do you hope a win over Gaudinot would put you in the division?
Harris: Just as long as I'm moving up closer to that title I'm happy, I think that's a way off ATM though. I've got to get some solid wins first.

Sam: You’ve fought in some of the biggest venues around the country from Wembley to the Phones 4U arena and will soon be throwing down in the O2 arena. Would you say it’s preferential to fight in London, closer to your hometown in Portsmouth, over Manchester or does it not really factor in?
Harris: I like fighting in London it feels like home to me, the fans will be behind me, it will give me that little edge.

Sam: With a win in London, would you like your next fight to still be on a UK UFC event or would you like to travel the world and fight like your fellow UFC fighter and occasional training partner Vaughan Lee?
Harris: I do prefer fighting in the UK but I'd like a fight in Vegas the home of fighting!

Sam: Have you had chance to see Vaughan Lee's fight yet and if so what did you think to Vaughan's performance in Macau?
Harris: I've just seen it, Vaughan performed like he does in training, for me it was the performance of the night. I was very impressed and very happy for him.

Sam: What has it been like experiencing the growth of MMA in the UK having been one of the early pioneers in the UK?
Harris: It's come along way from the days of training in garages and fighting in tiny clubs full of smoke. It's a great sport and I can't wait to see how it continues to evolve over the next 10 years.

Sam: Also on the same card as you is the guy you have been training with for this event, Davey Grant. What's it been like training with Davey and have you picked up any skills from him that you will be using in this fight?
Harris: Davey is a top guy it was great having him at the gym, we both got a lot out of training together and I will for sure be doing it again. I'm looking forward to seeing him win his fight.

Sam: Would you like to thank any one?
Harris: Thanks to all my sponsors and all at gym01 Portsmouth.

Best of luck with your fight on March 8th, thank you so much for your time Phil, we really appreciate it.