Archive for March, 2012

Watson vs. Marshman BAMMA 9

Tom Watson def. Jack Marshman TKO 4:50, Round 2

Colin Fletcher def. Jason Ball unanimous decision

Jason Jones def. Przemyslaw Mysiala TKO 3:51, Round 1

Jake Murphy def. David Round RNC 1:46, Round 2

Patrick Vallee def. Andrew Punshon via arm bar at 2:16 Round 2

Tom Breese def. Mark Tucker via submission (strikes) at 1:40 Round 2

Dale Hardiman def. Antanas Jazbutis unanimous

Leeroy Barnes def. Matt Ewin Guillotine 4:57, Round 1

Robert Truesdale def. Sam Mensah TKO 4:32, Round 1

Marc Godbeer def. Catalin Zmarandescu TKO 5:00, Round 1

Luke Barnett def. Lee Johnson RNC 2:36, Round 1

Jake Murphy

Murphy vs. Round at BAMMA 9

© Marc Wickert www.knucklepit.com

Special thanks to Izzy Carnwath

If their Twitter-boxing (@JakeMurphyMMA and @David_1more ) is anything to go by, BAMMA 9’s lightweight match between Jake Murphy and David Round should be hotter than Hades.  And while the shots are being fired back and forth all the way across the Atlantic, the bullets don’t appear to be losing their sting.

With less than two weeks remaining before the next BAMMA tsunami, Jake can’t wait to display his skills for the first time on British soil. “I’m excited to make my BAMMA debut and build a relationship with the organization.  Also very excited to see the UK for the first time,” says Murphy.

David Round’s five victories have all come about through KO/TKO, whereas Jake Murphy is probably better known for his ground game, so there’s every chance the outcome of this bout could be determined by which athlete is able to dictate the battlefield.

Knucklepit appreciates Jake Murphy taking time out to share his thoughts on BAMMA 9’s battle.

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Howard vs. Punshon at BAMMA 9

© Marc Wickert www.knucklepit.com

Special thanks to Izzy Carnwath

The BAMMA 9 card features many middleweight match-ups, including the BAMMA Middleweight Title Bout between Tom Watson and Jack Marshman.  But one confrontation that is bound to tremor the arena is Matt ‘Wrecking Machine’ Howard vs. Andrew ‘The Predator’ Punshon, which is unlikely to make it much past the barriers.

You don’t have to be Miles Straume to see why Matt Howard is reverently known as the ‘Wrecking Machine’ – the guy has a physique that would make Robo Cop and The Terminator jealous.  And this is one book that you can judge by its cover.  Matt sports a 9-0 record, with eight of his victories being via KO/TKO and only one of his wins making it into the second round.

The other half of this head-on collision is Andrew Punshon (10-4-0-1), a ground warfare specialist who appears to have more tentacles than an octopus and an unlimited arsenal of finishing holds stockpiled in his submission trick bag.

For Matt, March 24 will be like another day in the life.  “To be honest I’ve been involved in fighting since I can remember,” says Howard.  “I’m from a gypsy background and they fetch you up to fight.  I’ve watched fights from as long as I can remember.”

Born in Darlington, County Durham, Matt is a fulltime fighter representing Team Wallhead at Rough House.  “I live in Coventry at the minute.  I’m on a camp site.  We train at three different gyms so I’ve got good access to the different gyms.”

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Jones vs. Misiek at BAMMA 9
© Marc Wickert www.knucklepit.com
Special thanks to Izzy Carnwath

It’s less than three weeks out from BAMMA 9 and March 24 is set to be a HUGE night for MMA enthusiasts as Europe’s Leading Mixed Martial Arts Promotion presents another card of internationally acclaimed athletes displaying their awesome firepower and diabolical finishing holds.

A bout definitely expected to deliver world-class cage combat is Jason ‘The Villain’ Jones (The Netherlands) vs. Przemyslaw ‘Misiek’ Mysiala (UK – formerly of Poland).

Born in Utrecht, The Netherlands, Jason Jones has fought in some of the world’s most prestigious MMA events: K-1, King of the Cage, Shooto… but Jason is probably best known for his M-1 Global wins over such names as Daniel Weichel, Dmitry Samoilov and Shamil Abdulmuslimov.

Jason’s solid background in judo prepared him well for combat in M-1against Russia’s sambo practitioners, and Jones says his judo skills are something he has been practicing since childhood.  “I started at age five by the school of Henny Pleizier in Amsterdam, and at my late teens I switched schools by going to Kenamju in Haarlem, plus as a teenager until seniors when I competed.  I also was a member of the Dutch judo selection, so all this made it possible for me to train with the best of the best – including myself, of course,” says The Villain.

During his M-1career, Jason fought at middleweight but had to drop 14 pounds on the eve of the weigh-ins against Russia’s Ansar Chalangov.  However, Jones has recently moved up to light heavyweight so as to make weight more easily and, against Misiek, he will be competing in the 205 division.

Jason Jones kindly took time out to speak with Knucklepit prior to BAMMA 9.

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Jack 'Hammer' Marshman

Marshman vs. Watson at BAMMA 9

© Marc Wickert www.knucklepit.com
Special thanks to Izzy Carnwath
& Neil Kirwan of Spiked Athlete Management

BAMMA 9’s main event for the Middleweight Title Championship between current titleholder, Tom ‘Kong’ Watson, and BAMMA-Lonsdale’s British Middleweight Champion, Jack ‘Hammer’ Marshman, is a testament to the world-class standard UK MMA has attained.

March 24 will be a tremendous opportunity for Jack Marshman (10-0-0) when he challenges Tom Watson (14-4-0) for the title, and Jack says he is happy with the way his preparation has been going for BAMMA 9.

“It’s been great.  I’ve been working hard with the boys at Black Label Gym and Richard Shore over at Tillery combat.  Spending time with the Rough House guys has also made a huge difference.  There are so many experienced guys in that team and I also received some great instruction from Kenny Johnson who’s one of the best wrestling coaches in the world.”

Marshman vs. Watson is obviously a bout BAMMA matchmaker, Jude Samuel, is also excited about.  “It’s great to see Tom Watson back in action at BAMMA to defend his title after time out due to injury.  It’s a true testament to his gritty and hardworking character that he has stood up to the challenge of Jack Marshman.  Jack will be looking to take advantage of Tom’s inactivity, but ring rust is something that Watson has never suffered from; while Jack, on the other hand, has been extremely busy over the past seven months, honing his skills for such a test.  This makes for a very interesting and explosive fight as both men are putting so much on the line.”

Jack Marshman kindly shared his thoughts with Knucklepit about BAMMA 8 and his upcoming championship fight at BAMMA 9.

Jack, Leeroy Barnes was the first opponent to go the distance with you; how was your cardio for that fight?

It felt great.  We went the full three rounds and, as you can see, I can continued to push the pace and land shots on Leeroy.  Looking back the quality of my striking was consistent.  If it wasn’t then that’s when I’d start to ask questions of my cardio. 

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LUKE 'BIGSLOW' BARNATT

Barnatt vs. Johnson at BAMMA 9

© Marc Wickert www.knucklepit.com
Special thanks to Izzy Carnwath

At first I thought BAMMA 9’s Luke Barnatt was called ‘BigSlow’ because he wasn’t big on interviews and was slow to give out information regarding his upcoming fight, but after much interrogation, Luke relented and told Knucklepit the real reason for the peculiar alias.

“It is a strange nickname, I know!” says Barnatt.  “Most fighters like to have an intimidating nickname, but unfortunately for me ‘Bigslow’ is the name that stuck in the gym.  It was given to me by the Maguire Brothers when I first started MMA, because I was BIG & Slow to react to their insults.  I just said ‘Errrr, errrr… I dunno.’  There were plenty of nicknames suggested for me, but Bigslow was the one that stuck, and I’ve grown to kinda like it.”

After more time of staring at bright lamps and the threat of adjourning the interrogation to the hot seat, Luke finally gives his place of birth and current address.

“I was born in Redbridge, but moved to Islington in London when I was one, and then Chelmsford, Essex, when I was 10.  I lived there till I was 17, when I left home and moved to Peterborough.  Since then I’ve floated about all over, including a seven-month stint in Thailand, and I eventually settled in Cambridge.  So I’m a Londoner at heart, turned Essex Boy, who likes the Cambridge lifestyle.  Bit of a collective mixture, but Cambridge is a great place to live and The Pro-Am Fight Centre in the centre of Cambridge Town has now become my new home,” says Barnatt.

It’s like pulling teeth trying to get a word out of BigSlow, who looks restless and measures his every word.  It soon becomes evident he’s already done time in the cage.  But I turn up the heat and ask him why he originally got into martial arts and what his first fighting style was.

“When I was about 15, I tried Tae Kwon Do but I only got to like a yellow belt which I think is the first grade.  I never had the determination to stick with anything until I was introduced to wrestling by my close friend, Jack ‘The Stone’ Mason.  He brought me up to Tsunami about three years ago and I’ve never looked back; so my first real fighting style was Tsunami Shooters MMA.  I’m a bit of a Tsunami home-grown product.”

The Knucklepit intense questioning continues…

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Andrew Punshon to Lock Horns with Matt Howard at BAMMA 9

Punshon vs. Howard at BAMMA 9

© Marc Wickert www.knucklepit.com

Special thanks to Izzy Carnwath

On Saturday, March 24, Andrew Punshon (10-4-0-1) will be going into battle against Matt Howard (9-0-0) for a middleweight clash that is bound to deliver heavy-metal action in the BAMMA cage.

Matt Howard is known for his anvil fists, having won eight of his nine bouts by KO or TKO and with only one of his fights making it into the second round.  The guy is a walking H-bomb.  But getting past Andrew Punshon is going to be like pogo-sticking through a minefield whilst blindfolded and having Celtic Frost blasting in your eardrums.

‘The Predator’ is one of the most brutal submission specialists out there and has a staggering array of finishing holds at his disposal, with his eight submission victories having been achieved via five different techniques.

Born in the small village of Sacriston in County Durham, at three years old Andrew moved to Bowburn, which is still his hometown.  Four years after settling in Bowburn Andrew commenced his martial arts career.  “I first started Taekwondo at the age of seven, then began Kickboxing at the age of ten, and started my MMA career when I was eighteen,” says Punshon.

Today, Andrew mixes business with business.  “I run a small construction business as well as being a doorman at a nightclub in Durham on a weekend and train six days a week.”

‘The Predator’ kindly took time out to chat with Knucklepit prior to his BAMMA 9 showdown.

Andrew, where do you train and who are your coaches?

I train at The Lodge Fight Club in Spennymoor three times a week with Terry Fahey; he is my strength and conditioning/MMA coach.  I also train at Spartans Fighting Academy in Sunderland two to three times a week with my wrestling/MMA coach Warren Oliver.  I also train at The Faktory Gym in Newcastle once a week with Craig Jose my Thai boxing coach.  Plus I train at Phoenix Boxing Gym in Durham once a week with Paul Hubba my boxing coach.

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Official BAMMA Girl Georgia Graham

Official BAMMA Girl

© Marc Wickert www.knucklepit.com

Special thanks to Izzy Carnwath

It’s February 21, Fat Tuesday (aka Pancake Tuesday, Shrove Tuesday, and Mardi Gras – “Gras” is French for Fat and “Mardi” is French for Tuesday), and I’m celebrating with a delicious breakfast at Pancakes in Paradise whilst in the beachside town of Coolangatta, Australia. 

Anna (thick English accent) and Sasha are the delightful waitresses, and as I’m taking a break from researching the Official BAMMA Girl, Georgia Graham, I ask Anna what the Geordies are like.  She replies with a smile that she likes them but warns that I’ll probably have trouble understanding Georgia’s thick dialect.  “Don’t be surprised if she answers questions with ‘Why Aye Man’… You should watch Byker Grove and Geordie Shore to get a better idea of the Geordies,” says Anna.

Born in Ashington, about 15 miles from Newcastle upon Tyne, on January 1, 1990, Georgia Graham says she was straight into the media as the first baby of 1990 for the Northumberland region.  Today, Miss Graham resides near Berwick.

On Georgia’s website she lists her favourite cars as the Nissan Skyline GTR, Audi R8 and Fiat 500 – all ‘petrolhead’ cars.  However, Georgia says her interest in fast-lane cars dates back way before she commenced her career in motor sport.

“I’ve always been a fan of cars since I was a toddler,” says Georgia.  “I never received dolls for Christmas; it was always toy cars and garages.  Fast cars are my not-so-secret obsession and I like to know what’s going on under the bonnet.  I’d love the opportunity to drive around a racetrack or learn some stunts, do some drifting… whatever.  I’ve been in an F1 simulator and didn’t do too bad… although I probably didn’t drive even half as fast as the guys who do it for a living.  It’s my dream to own something like a Nissan GT-R but at the moment I’m quite happy with my little Fiat 500!”

Georgia, I was told that I should watch Byker Grove and Geordie Shore before interviewing you and to expect answers such as “Why Aye Man”.  Do I have anything to worry about?

Not at all, I used to watch Byker Grove when I was younger and was lucky enough to meet Ant and Dec (great guys) who more or less started out on that show.  I speak with the same accent as they do and apparently it’s supposed to be one of the friendliest accents in the UK.  My Aunt actually lives near Byker as well as a few of my cousins.

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