BAMMA
 | |
| Private | |
| Industry | Mixed martial arts promotion |
| Founded | 2009 |
| Headquarters | London, United Kingdom |
Key people |
David Green, CEO Ashley Bothwell, Managing Director Jude Samuel, Head Of Talent Relations & Matchmaker Richard Blackburn, Creative Director Matt Bourne, Head of Communications Danny Iacovou, Production Manager OJ Borg, Presenter Georgia Graham, Presenter Buddae Johnson, Ring Announcer |
| Slogan | Welcome To The New Age |
| Website | http://www.bamma.com/ |
BAMMA is a mixed martial arts promotion based in the United Kingdom. It is considered by many as the biggest MMA promotion in Europe.[1] It premiered on June 27, 2009 and was shown on the television channel Bravo.[2] BAMMA events are now shown live on Spike (UK) Channel 5 in the UK and Ireland, ESPN 3 in the US, The Fight Network in Canada, TV Esporte Interativo in Brazil, Red Media in Russia, Setanta in Africa, TDN in Latin America. Currently BAMMA events stream live on Lonsdale Facebook Page (Prelims) and BAMMA Facebook Page (Main Card)
History
The British Association of Mixed Martial Arts held its first event in London on June 27, 2009. BAMMA 1: The Fighting Premiership was held in a tournament format, with two semi-finals taking place in the Lightweight, Welterweight and Middleweight divisions. The semi-final winners progressed to the final, which is to take place at a later date.[3] Their next event, BAMMA 2: Roundhouses at the Roundhouse, was held at The Roundhouse and saw BAMMA's first champions crowned. Rob Sinclair defeated Nathan Beer to become the Lightweight Champion, and Alan Omer got the better of Paul Reed for the Featherweight Championship.[4]
After this, BAMMA moved to Birmingham for BAMMA 3: Horwich vs. Watson which hosted three title fights. Originally, tabloid celebrity Alex Reid was set to fight Tom "Kong" Watson for the vacant Middleweight title.[5] However, Reid injured his knee while filming his documentary TV series Alex Reid: The Fight of His Life and was forced to pull out of the fight. This angered Watson, who claimed Reid was disrespecting him.[6] Watson also called him a "clown" and said that it was likely Reid pulled out to avoid an embarrassing defeat.[7] Reid was then replaced by UFC and IFL veteran Matt Horwich for the main event. Watson won the fight by decision and claimed the belt.
In the Featherweight division, Omer lost his belt to Mark Adams via unanimous decision. Also, Daniel Weichel was brought over from Germany to challenge Sinclair's reign as Lightweight Champ. Sinclair, who used the England football anthem "Three Lions" as his entrance music, successfully defended his title by TKOing Weichel in the first round. A number of other big names also filled the card, including Seth Petruzelli and War Machine, and around 5,000 fans were in attendance that night.[8]
At BAMMA 4: Reid vs. Watson, Reid finally got the chance to take on Watson in a championship bout, but "Kong" was able to defend his title by winning via unanimous decision. Also featured on the card that night were three of Europe's most promising welterweights in Eugene Fadiora, Gunnar Nelson and Simeon Thoresen. BAMMA 4: Reid vs. Watson gained a huge TV audience breaking records for Bravo and becoming one of the most watched MMA bouts in UK history. The main event peaked with over 835,000 viewers during the fight, making it the most watched MMA event in UK history.[9]
BAMMA's next event BAMMA 5 was originally planned for December 2010 and was set to be headlined by Bob Sapp vs. Stav Economou.[10][11] However, due to snowstorms in the UK the event was cancelled.[12] It was rescheduled for February 26, 2011 at the MEN Arena in Manchester with Paul Daley taking on Yuya Shirai for the BAMMA Welterweight title[13]
It was announced on January 27, 2011 that BAMMA had signed a 1 year deal with SyFy to broadcast all 5 of their arena events in 2011, completely live on the channel in the UK. This is an unprecedented deal which makes BAMMA the first ever MMA organisation in the UK to deliver totally live coverage on a non-subscription channel.
BAMMA 6 took place at Wembley Arena on May 21, 2011 and featured a title defence by Tom Watson. It was announced on March 16, 2011 that Tom Watson would face Murilo Rua. Rumours began to circulate that WWE superstar Dave Batista would make his MMA debut at BAMMA 6. However this was not the case, instead UFC veterans Frank Trigg and Ivan Salaverry took part at the event, posting a win and a loss respectively.[14]
At BAMMA 7, they held their first British title fight, where Welsh Middleweight Jack Marshman became the first British Middleweight Champion.[15]
On November 14, 2011, "Inside MMA", announced that HDNet, the network that shows Inside MMA and promotions such as ProElite's and DREAM's live events has signed an agreement with BAMMA to air their events, beginning with BAMMA 8.[16] A few weeks later BAMMA announced that they signed a 10 event deal with Canada's The Fight Network.[17]
In Brazil, TV Esporte Interativo signed an agreement with BAMMA to air their events in 2012[18]
Channel 5 TV deal
In a major deal to bring mixed martial arts into the British mainstream, BAMMA announced that they have signed a deal with Channel 5.[19][20] They held their first event under the deal, BAMMA 10, on their sister channel '5*' with Channel 5 televising a highlights package the following week. The main event saw Rob Sinclair successfully defend his Lightweight title against The Ultimate Fighter: United States vs. United Kingdom finalist and UFC veteran Andre Winner.[21]
BAMMA announced during mid July that they had renewed their deal with Lonsdale.[22]
On October 25 it was announced that, along with Cage Warriors and Ultimate Challenge MMA, that BAMMA have united with The Centre of Health and Human Performance in London to launched SAFE MMA, a nonprofit organization established to improve the safety of MMA fighters in the U.K. Chief among the organization's plans is a centralized and confidential database for fighter medical records. SAFE MMA, which officially launches Jan. 1 2013, also will provide affordable, standardized blood and medical tests for all registered fighters, as well as advice from leading world experts in sports medicine, according to today's announcement.[23][24]
Rules
BAMMA's are based upon the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts that were originally established by the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board and modified by the Nevada State Athletic Commission.[25] These rules have been adopted across the US in other states that regulate mixed martial arts. As a result, they have become the standard de facto set of rules for professional mixed martial arts across the US and for cage-based MMA worldwide.
All BAMMA fights are contested over three, five minute rounds. There is a one minute rest period in-between rounds. As per the Unified Rules of MMA, BAMMA only allows competitors to fight in approved shorts, without shoes or any other sort of foot padding. Fighters must use approved light gloves (4-6 ounces) that allow fingers to grab. The referee has the right to stop the fighters and stand them up if they reach a stalemate on the ground (where neither are in a dominant position nor working toward one) after a verbal warning.
Match outcome
Matches usually end via:
- Submission: a fighter taps on the mat or his opponent three times (or more) or verbally submits.
- Knockout: a fighter falls from a legal blow and is either unconscious or unable to immediately continue.
- Technical Knockout: stoppage of the fight by the referee if it is determined a fighter cannot "intelligently defend" himself or by ringside doctor due to injury.
- Judges' Decision: Depending on scoring, a match may end as:
- unanimous decision (all three judges score a win for one fighter),
- split decision (two judges score a win for one fighter with the third for the other),
- majority decision (two judges score a win for one fighter with one for a draw),
- unanimous draw (all three judges score a draw),
- majority draw (two judges score a draw).
- split draw (the total points for each fighter is equal)
A fight can also end in a technical decision, technical draw, disqualification, forfeit or no contest.
Judging criteria
The ten-point must system is used for all BAMMA fights; three judges score each round and the winner of each receives ten points, the loser nine points or less. If the round is even, both fighters receive ten points. The decision is announced at the end of the match but the judge's scorecards are not announced.
Fouls
The following are considered fouls in BAMMA:
- Butting with the head.
- Eye gouging of any kind.
- Biting.
- Hair pulling.
- Fish hooking.
- Groin attacks of any kind.
- Putting a finger into any orifice or into any cut or laceration on an opponent. (see Gouging)
- Small joint manipulation.
- Striking to the spine or the back of the head. (see Rabbit punch)
- Striking downward using the point of the elbow. (see Elbow (strike))
- Throat strikes of any kind, including, without limitation, grabbing the trachea.
- Clawing, pinching or twisting the flesh.
- Grabbing the clavicle.
- Kicking the head of a grounded opponent.
- Kneeing the head of a grounded opponent.
- Stomping a grounded opponent.
- Kicking to the kidney with the heel.
- Spiking an opponent to the canvas on his head or neck. (see piledriver (professional wrestling))
- Throwing an opponent out of the ring or fenced area.
- Holding the shorts or gloves of an opponent.
- Spitting at an opponent.
- Engaging in an unsportsmanlike conduct that causes an injury to an opponent.
- Holding the ropes or the fence.
- Using abusive language in the ring or fenced area.
- Attacking an opponent on or during the break.
- Attacking an opponent who is under the care of the referee.
- Attacking an opponent after the bell has sounded the end of the period of unarmed combat.
- Flagrantly disregarding the instructions of the referee.
- Timidity, including, without limitation, avoiding contact with an opponent, intentionally or consistently dropping the mouthpiece or faking an injury.
- Interference by the corner.
- Throwing in the towel during competition.
When a foul is charged, the referee in their discretion may deduct one or more points as a penalty. If a foul incapacitates a fighter, then the match may end in a disqualification if the foul was intentional, or a no contest if unintentional. If a foul causes a fighter to be unable to continue later in the bout, it ends with a technical decision win to the injured fighter if the injured fighter is ahead on points, otherwise it is a technical draw.
Current champions
World champions
| Division | Upper weight limit | Champion | Since | Title Defenses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heavyweight | 265 lb (120 kg; 18.9 st) | Vacant | BAMMA 21 | |
| Light Heavyweight | 205 lb (93 kg; 14.6 st) |  Marcin Lazarz | BAMMA 20 | 0 |
| Middleweight | 185 lb (84 kg; 13.2 st) | Vacant | BAMMA 21 | |
| Welterweight | 170 lb (77 kg; 12 st) |  Eddy Ellis | BAMMA 13 | 0 |
| Lightweight | 155 lb (70 kg; 11.1 st) |  Mansour Barnaoui | BAMMA 13 | 1 |
| Featherweight | 145 lb (66 kg; 10.4 st) |  Tom Duquesnoy | BAMMA 15 | 2 |
| Bantamweight | 135 lb (61 kg; 9.6 st) |  Ed Arthur | BAMMA 20 | 0 |
| Flyweight | 125 lb (57 kg; 8.9 st) |  Rany Saadeh | BAMMA Liverpool | 0 |
Lonsdale British champions
| Division | Upper weight limit | Champion | Since | Title Defenses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heavyweight | 265 lb (120 kg; 18.9 st) | Vacant | ||
| Light Heavyweight | 205 lb (93 kg; 14.6 st) | Vacant | ||
| Middleweight | 185 lb (84 kg; 13.2 st) | Andy De Vent | BAMMA 19 | |
| Welterweight | 170 lb (77 kg; 12 st) | Vacant | ||
| Lightweight | 155 lb (70 kg; 11.1 st) | Marc Diakiese | BAMMA 19 | |
| Featherweight | 145 lb (66 kg; 10.4 st) | Vacant | ||
| Bantamweight | 135 lb (61 kg; 9.6 st) | Vacant | ||
| Flyweight | 125 lb (57 kg; 8.9 st) | Vacant |
World Title history
World Light Heavyweight Championship
- 186 to 205 lbs (84 to 93 kg)
| No. | Name | Event | Date | Defenses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Jason Jonesdef. Max Nunes |
BAMMA 13 Birmingham, United Kingdom |
September 14, 2013 | |
| Jones vacated the title when he signed with the UFC in 2015. | ||||
| 2 | Marcin Lazarz def. Brett McDermott |
BAMMA 20 West Midlands, United Kingdom |
April 25, 2015 | |
World Middleweight Championship
- 171 to 185 lbs (77 to 84 kg)
| No. | Name | Event | Date | Defenses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tom Watson def. Matt Horwich |
BAMMA 3 Birmingham, United Kingdom |
May 15, 2010 |
1. def. Alex Reid at BAMMA 4 on Sep 25, 2010 |
| Watson vactated the title when he left BAMMA for the UFC. | ||||
| 2 | Scott Askham def. Jorge Luis Bezerra |
BAMMA 13 Birmingham, United Kingdom |
September 14, 2013 |
1. def. Max Nunes at BAMMA Fight Night: Southampton on June 7, 2014 |
| Askham vactated the title when he left BAMMA for the UFC. | ||||
World Welterweight Championship
- 156 to 170 lbs
| No. | Name | Event | Date | Defenses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eddy Ellis def. Jim Wallhead |
BAMMA 13 Birmingham, United Kingdom |
September 14, 2013 |
World Lightweight Championship
- 146 to 155 lbs (66 to 70 kg)
| No. | Name | Event | Date | Defenses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rob Sinclair def. Nathan Beer |
BAMMA 2 London, England |
February 13, 2010 |
1. def. Daniel Weichel at BAMMA 3 on May 15, 2010 |
| Sinclair vacated the title when he left BAMMA for Bellator MMA. | ||||
| 2 | Mansour Barnaoui def. Curt Warburton |
BAMMA 13 Birmingham, United Kingdom |
September 14, 2013 |
1. def. Colin Fletcher at BAMMA 14 on December 14, 2013 |
World Featherweight Championship
- 136 to 145 lbs (61 to 66 kg)
| No. | Name | Event | Date | Defenses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alan Omer def. Paul Reed |
BAMMA 2 London, United Kingdom |
February 13, 2010 | |
| 2 | Mark Adams |
BAMMA 3 Birmingham, United Kingdom |
May 15, 2010 | |
| Adams was stripped of the title due to inactivity. | ||||
| 3 | Tom DuQuesnoy def. Teddy Violet |
BAMMA 15 London, England |
April 5, 2014 |
1. No contest vs. Ashleigh Grimshaw at BAMMA 16 on September 14, 2014 |
World Bantamweight Championship
- 126 to 135 lbs (58 to 60 kg)
| No. | Name | Event | Date | Defenses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ed Arthur def. Alan Philpott |
BAMMA 20 West Midlands, United Kingdom |
April 25, 2015 |
World Flyweight Championship
- 116 to 125 lbs (53 to 57 kg)
| No. | Name | Event | Date | Defenses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rany Saadeh def. Jody Collins |
BAMMA Fight Night: Liverpool Liverpool, United Kingdom |
August 2, 2014 |
Lonsdale British Title history
Lonsdale British Middleweight Championship
- 171 to 185 lbs (77 to 84 kg)
| No. | Name | Event | Date | Defenses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jack Marshman def. Carl Noon |
BAMMA 7 Birmingham, United Kingdom |
September 10, 2011 |
1. def. Leeroy Barnes at BAMMA 8 on Dec 10, 2011 |
| Marshman was stripped of the title on September 14, 2012 when he failed to make weight for his BAMMA 10 title defense. | ||||
| 2 | Harry McLeman def. Andy De Vent |
BAMMA 15 London, United Kingdom |
April 5, 2014 | |
| McLeman vacated the title when he left BAMMA for Cage Warriors. | ||||
| 3 | Andy De Vent def. Conor Cooke |
BAMMA 19 Blackpool, United Kingdom |
March 28, 2015 | |
Lonsdale British Welterweight Championship
- 156 to 170 lbs (71 to 77 kg)
| No. | Name | Event | Date | Defenses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tom Breese def. Warren Kee |
BAMMA 11 Birmingham, United Kingdom |
December 1, 2012 | |
| Breese vacated the title when he left BAMMA for Cage Warriors. | ||||
| 2 | Wayne Murrie def. Michael Johnson |
BAMMA 14 Birmingham, United Kingdom |
December 14, 2013 | |
| 3 | Leon Edwards |
BAMMA 15 London, United Kingdom |
April 5, 2014 |
1. def. Shaun Taylor at BAMMA 16 on Sep 14, 2014 |
| Edwards vacated the title when he left BAMMA for UFC. | ||||
Lonsdale British Lightweight Championship
- 146 to 155 lbs (66 to 70 kg)
| No. | Name | Event | Date | Defenses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Steven Ray def. Dale Hardiman |
BAMMA 11 Birmingham, England |
December 1, 2012 | |
| 2 | Curt Warburton |
BAMMA 12 Tyne and Wear, England |
March 9, 2013 | |
| Warburton vacated the title when he challenged for the BAMMA World Lightweight title. | ||||
| 3 | Marc Diakiese def. Jack McGann |
BAMMA 19 Blackpool, England |
March 28, 2015 | |
Events
Scheduled events
| Event | Date | Venue | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| BAMMA 21 | June 13, 2015 | Barclaycard Arena | West Midlands, England |
Past events
| # | Event Title | Date | Arena | Location | Broadcast |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 | BAMMA 20: McDermott vs. Lazarz | April 25, 2015 | Barclaycard Arena | West Midlands, England | AMC Networks |
| 21 | BAMMA 19: Stapleton vs. Petley | April 25, 2015 | Barclaycard Arena | West Midlands, England | AMC Networks |
| 20 | BAMMA 18: Duquesnoy vs. Klaczek | February 21, 2015 | Wolverhampton Civic Hall | Wolverhampton, England, United Kingdom | AMC Networks |
| 19 | BAMMA 17: Fletcher vs. Brightmon | December 6, 2014 | Victoria Warehouse | Manchester, England, United Kingdom | AMC Networks |
| 18 | BAMMA 16: Daley vs. da Rocha | September 13, 2014 | Victoria Warehouse | Manchester, England, United Kingdom | AMC Networks |
| 17 | BAMMA Fight Night: Liverpool | August 2, 2014 | Liverpool Olympia | Liverpool, England, United Kingdom | AMC Networks |
| 16 | BAMMA Fight Night: Southampton | June 7, 2014 | O2 Guildhall | Southampton, England, United Kingdom | AMC Networks |
| 15 | BAMMA 15: Thompson vs. Selmani | April 5, 2014 | Copper Box Arena | London, England, United Kingdom | 5*, Channel 5 |
| 14 | BAMMA 14: Daley vs. da Silva | December 14, 2013 | LG Arena | Birmingham, England, United Kingdom | 5*, Channel 5 |
| 13 | BAMMA 13: Night Of Champions | September 14, 2013 | National Indoor Arena | Birmingham, England, United Kingdom | 5*, Channel 5 |
| 12 | BAMMA 12: Wallhead vs. Veach | March 9, 2013 | Metro Radio Arena | Newcastle upon Tyne, England, United Kingdom | 5*, Channel 5 |
| 11 | BAMMA 11: Marshman vs. Foupa-Pokam | December 1, 2012 | National Indoor Arena | Birmingham, England, United Kingdom | Channel 5 |
| 10 | BAMMA 10: Sinclair vs. Winner | September 15, 2012 | Wembley Arena | London, England, United Kingdom | 5*, Channel 5 |
| 9 | BAMMA 9: Watson vs. Marshman | March 24, 2012 | National Indoor Arena | Birmingham, England, United Kingdom | Extreme Sports Channel |
| 8 | BAMMA 8: Manuwa vs. Rea | December 10, 2011 | Capital FM Arena | Nottingham, England, United Kingdom | Syfy |
| 7 | BAMMA 7: Trigg vs. Wallhead | September 10, 2011 | National Indoor Arena | Birmingham, England, United Kingdom | Syfy |
| 6 | BAMMA 6: Watson vs. Rua | May 21, 2011 | Wembley Arena | London, England, United Kingdom | Syfy |
| 5 | BAMMA 5: Daley vs. Shirai | February 26, 2011 | MEN Arena | Manchester, England, United Kingdom | Syfy |
| 4 | BAMMA 4: Reid vs. Watson | September 25, 2010 | National Indoor Arena | Birmingham, England, United Kingdom | Bravo |
| 3 | BAMMA 3: Horwich vs. Watson | May 15, 2010 | LG Arena | Birmingham, England, United Kingdom | Bravo |
| 2 | BAMMA 2: Roundhouses at the Roundhouse | February 13, 2010 | The Roundhouse | London, England, United Kingdom | Bravo |
| 1 | BAMMA 1: The Fighting Premiership | June 27, 2009 | Room by the River | London, England, United Kingdom | Bravo |
External links
References
- ↑ "The British Association of Mixed Martial Arts (BAMMA) Reveals a Trio of Compelling Bouts for BAMMA 7". Sherdog. Retrieved 2012-02-12.
- ↑ BAMMA on Bravo
- ↑ Lee Whitehead (28 June 2009). "Mills, Watson win at first BAMMA event". CNN.
- ↑ BAMMA 2: Roundhouses in the Roundhouse (2010-02-09). "BAMMA 2: Roundhouses at the Roundhouse". Blogs.mirror.co.uk. Retrieved 2011-09-13.
- ↑ "Alex Reid vs Tom Watson". Bamma.net. Retrieved 2011-09-13.
- ↑ "Alex Reid Pulls Out of Controversial Title Fight with Tom Watson". Bleacherreport.com. 2010-04-16. Retrieved 2011-09-13.
- ↑ "Cage fighter Tom "Kong" Watson calls Alex Reid ‘a clown’". Unrealitytv.co.uk. 2010-03-03. Retrieved 2011-09-13.
- ↑ http://www.efnsports.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1971&Itemid=64
- ↑ "Welcome to BAMMA - Home". Bamma.net. Retrieved 2012-04-21.
- ↑ "BAMMA: Reid v Watson WILL happen, but not at BAMMA 3". Blogs.mirror.co.uk. 2011-04-02. Retrieved 2011-09-13.
- ↑ Jay Furness. "BAMMA 5 Heading North".
- ↑ BAMMA 5 Cancelled. "BAMMA 5 Cancelled - TKO - Mirror.co.uk's MMA Blog". Blogs.mirror.co.uk. Retrieved 2011-09-13.
- ↑ "Welcome to BAMMA - Home". Bamma.com. Retrieved 2011-09-13.
- ↑ "BAMMA 6: Results - MMA News & MMA Video - Full Mount MMA - Mixed Martial Arts Network". Fullmount.co.uk. 2011-05-22. Retrieved 2011-09-13.
- ↑ Goyder, James (2011-08-11). "BAMMA 7: Jack Marshman vs Carl Noon booked for promotion's first-ever middleweight title fight". MMAmania.com. Retrieved 2012-04-21.
- ↑ Goyder, James (2011-11-14). "HDNet and BAMMA ink multi-year television deal". MMAmania.com. Retrieved 2012-04-21.
- ↑ "BAMMA 8: Canadian Broadcast Deal With Fight Network Announced - MMA News & MMA Video - Full Mount MMA - Mixed Martial Arts Network". Fullmount.co.uk. 2011-12-08. Retrieved 2012-04-21.
- ↑ "Esporte Interativo fecha com 5 eventos de MMA". TATAME. Retrieved 2012-04-21.
- ↑ "BAMMA PARTNERSHIP WITH CHANNEL 5". fullmount.co.uk. 2012-07-05.
- ↑ "This week in MMA: Silva and Sonnen get mouthy, BAMMA goes mainstream and Evans hints at middleweight move". mirror.co.uk. 2012-07-05.
- ↑ "BAMMA 10 results: Sinclair edges Winner, Marsham loses belt but beats Punshon". MMAjunkie.com. 2012-09-15. Retrieved 2012-09-15.
- ↑ "BAMMA announced renewed partnership with Lonsdale". fullmount.co.uk. 2012-07-17. Retrieved 2012-07-14.
- ↑ "Cage Warriors, BAMMA and UCMMA unite for MMA SAFE fighter-safety initiative". mmajunkie.com. 2012-10-26. Retrieved 2012-10-25.
- ↑ "BAMMA, UCMMA, CWFC FORM MMA SAFE PROGRAM TO IMPROVE FIGHTER SAFETY IN U.K.". sherdog.com. 2012-10-26. Retrieved 2012-10-25.
- ↑ NSAC Regulations: CHAPTER 467 - UNARMED COMBAT. Nevada State Athletic Commission. Retrieved 4 October 2006
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