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By: Chris Park, MMATorch UK Specialist
It is clear that the last 18 months have been monumental for the careers of MMA fighters from the United Kingdom.
Fighters such as Ross Pearson and Andre Winner shone during their time on The Ultimate Fighter, while Dan Hardy became the first British fighter in history to challenge for a UFC championship belt.
Many other fighters have come to prominence in recent months as well, but one man who has gone about his business in a more old fashioned manner is East London’s own Brad “One Punch” Pickett.
The WEC bantamweight contender has worked his way through the ranks since making his professional debut in November 2004. Fast forward 24 fights and Pickett finds himself on the cusp of a shot at the current 135 lb. Champion, Dominic Cruz.
Speaking to MMATorch this morning Pickett told me, “I’m honoured to be in what I believe is the biggest show in the world for my weight class. I haven’t done anything the quick route through reality TV or anything like that; I have done it the old fashioned way, by doing a lot of fights.”
Pickett will square off against top ranked bantamweight Scott Jorgensen at WEC 50 which takes place in Las Vegas on August 18. Jorgensen is riding a four-fight win streak that has led to speculation that he could be next for a shot at the BantamweightT itle - should he overcome the very tough Pickett.
Pickett himself has never been one to either underrate or fear any opponent, and while he respects Jorgensen as a fighter, Pickett sounded ready for the challenge.
“He’s a legit opponent and that’s why he’s a contender," Pickett said. "He’s tough, very well rounded, he hasn’t had a lot of fights but most of [his professional fights] have been in the WEC against top calibre opponents. He is going to be my toughest opponent by far and I’m just gonna embrace it.”
Since this fight was announced it has been widely suggested that the winner will indeed get that prestigious title shot next, and while many media and fans make the mistake of viewing Pickett as a stepping stone for Jorgensen, the Brit himself does not believe his opponent would make that same error.
“I think [Scott is] a professional athlete; I don’t believe he would take me lightly [as] the general public may," said Pickett. "But I don’t think Scott will and if he does, well, it will be his mistake and a short night for him... We are both quite tough, we both throw hard and we are both very well rounded. He’s ranked top five and he’s in line for a shot at the title and if he beats me; he gets it – if I win... I don’t know if I am definitely in line for a shot? [The WEC] may want me to have one more fight. Either way - I’m not fussed, I just love to keep winning.”
The first time I met Brad Pickett I asked him who he believed would be the champion by the time he would have worked himself into the title picture, and without hesitation, he told me that Dominic Cruz would defeat Brian Bowles to become Bantamweight Champion.
While Brad refused to look beyond this WEC 50 clash with Jorgensen, he hypothetically said, “I said to you that Dominic Cruz would be the Champion and now he is. He’s a very good athlete [with] elusive boxing, good wrestling, but in my eyes he would be just an opponent and I believe I stand a good chance of beating anyone in that weight class. Anyone on any given night, especially in that top five, could beat each other, it depends who turns up, who performs on the night... If I fought Dominic Cruz - well, I don’t like to think past an opponent and I still have Jorgensen to think about – I’ll think about Dominic Cruz when that fight happens!”
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BACK IN BRITAIN:
UFC 120 at the London O2 Arena was finally announced this week with three of the main card showdowns confirmed for the October 16 event.
Michael Bisping vs. Yoshihiro Akiyama will serve as the main event with the intriguing pairing of Dan Hardy and Carlos Condit announced as the co-main event.
John Hathaway will be back in action following his destruction of Diego Sanchez at UFC 114, although it will not be to face Dong Hyun Kim which was widely reported. Kim has been forced off this card due to injury and Hathaway will now face former WEC champion Mike Pyle instead.
In the official press release for the UFC’s only trip to the UK this year, UK President Marshall Zelaznik said, “We have three of the very best British fighters to ever put on a pair of gloves, all in hugely significant matches, all on the same card.”
“At only 22, Hathaway has established himself as someone to really look out for in the welterweight division after dominating Diego Sanchez, but Mike Pyle couldn't care less about the hype.
"Dan Hardy was a national hero in the U.K. already, but I think he won an army of American fans by his display of courage against Georges St-Pierre, but now faces a fighter with the same ‘never-say-die’ attitude in Carlos Condit. And Bisping fights are always magical occasions in England, but in Akiyama, he may be in for his toughest test yet."
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UK FAN EXPO:
The announcements didn’t stop there as it was also stated that the first ever UFC UK fan expo will indeed come in line with UFC 120.
Zelaznik spoke of the plans this week. “We're planning an expo for UFC 120, and we'll have 20 or more fighters present for it,” he told ESPN.co.uk.
“We would like to focus the event on some single martial arts, like doing Judo tournaments and so on. We'll have some of the top fighters there, we really want the fans to mix with the fighters, and we're finalising the planning for the event as we speak.”
The two day event looks set to take place at the Earls Court Exhibition Centre and will run on Friday October 15 and Saturday October 16. Either Friday, Saturday or full weekend passes will all be available.
Zelaznik added that while 2010 has been a dry spell, as far as UK visits are concerned, 2011 will be littered with as many as ‘SIX’ Fight Nights up and down the country.
“We're working towards bringing together a series of UK and European Fight Nights. My hope is that, come October, we'll be able to put some real heat on this. Talks are underway.” Zelaznik told ESPN.co.uk.
“My hope is that it will provide four to six guaranteed UFC events in the UK next year. We're hoping to hold one more European event [after UFC 120] before the end of the year, and then we'll get these extra nights planned for next year.
“We'd like to come to Liverpool, Scotland, Newcastle, Birmingham; these places provide 10,000-seaters which will be great for Fight Nights.”
This sounds like a fantastic plan; with many up and coming UK fighters already on the roster and more coming through, UK Fight Nights are without a doubt the way forward. One city missed off that list is Nottingham. Not only is it the home town of Team Rough House, It boasts the Nottingham Arena which would prove an ideal venue for a “Fight Night.”
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OTHER NEWS IN BRIEF:
-Paul “Semtex” Daley made a successful return to action last Saturday following his exile from the UFC. Daley was "banned forever" by Dana White following an illegal blow he threw at Josh Koscheck after their UFC 114 clash had finished.
Daley faced Daniel Acacio at the Impact FC event in Australia and eventually finished things, winning via verbal submission, early into the third round.
The win will see Daley attempt to climb his way back up the ladder with Bellator showing interest in his services. While the Brit was quick to squash those rumours, there are limited options available with the fledgling Bellator looking his best possible move at this moment in time.
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-Speaking of Bellator, former UFC heavyweight Neil Grove has inked a deal to take part in Bellator’s season 3 heavyweight tournament.
In the opposite corner will be fellow former UFC fighter, Eddie Sanchez who is riding a four fight win streak. While this no Lesnar vs. Carwin type of affair it will certainly prove to be a great starting point for season three.
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-UCMMA will return to Troxy on August 7 for UCMMA 14: Invincible where former UFC veteran, Mark Weir, will make his return to action.
For ticket options visit; www.ucmma.com and don’t forget to tune in to UCMMA’s official magazine show “Cage Fighter” every Wednesday night at 9:30 on Sky Sports 4.
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-James Wilks will be back in action at UFC 120 when he takes on Canadian Claude Patrick in London. Wilks won the welterweight tournament in the ninth season of The Ultimate Fighter but lost his official debut at UFC 105 to Matt Brown.
A victory against Peter Sobotta at UFC 115, tipped Wilk’s UFC record to 2-1 and he will look for his third Octagon victory when he steps out in front of the home crowd in England.
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Park’s Analysis: Well what a week, the fights are finally confirmed and if the series of Fight Nights are to come to fruition then I really feel the up and coming UK fighters will benefit a great deal from this.
Fighters such as Ross Pearson, Terry Etim, Paul Kelly and Andre Winner are more than capable of looking after the top end of a Fight Night card while the likes of Kurt Warburton, Nick Osipczack and Paul Sass could see their UFC careers take off even further with such events.
This could also provide a route back into the UFC for the likes of Dean Amasinger who has looked outstanding since he left the Ultimate Fighter house. We may even see Jimmy Wallhead finally compete in the UFC once his commitments with Bellator are fulfilled.
Join me again next week for another roundup of “The UK Scene.”
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Chris Park is the MMATorch UK Specialist and guest columnist at ESPN.co.uk. Please email any comments or questions to Chris at; mmatorchuk@gmail.com or look us up at http://www.facebook.com/mmatorchuk2 our new MMATorch Facebook home for UK Fans!
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