Featuring some of UK MMA’s top names including Jack Mason, Mark Weir, Francis Heagney and Dave Lee, ‘Adrenaline Rush’ has four belts on the line and promises to deliver more excitement and MMA drama than ever before.

Dave O’Donnell said: “On the 27th of March the Adrenaline will rush – fighters will rise, fighters will fall, and new champions will emerge in the UK’s premiere event, Ultimate Challenge.”

‘Adrenaline Rush’ will also see the debut fights of Nick Lloyd (Loaded Magazine, fighting out of BanDogs MMA, trained by Mark ‘The Canon’ Buchanan) and David Morton (Men’s Health Magazine, fighting out of Semtex Gym under Steve Gladstone.) These two journalists have been training for the last three months and are eager to prove themselves in the cage.

Mark Weir vs Jack Mason (UCMMA Middleweight Title)

Michael Pastou vs Francis Heagney (UCMMA Lightweight Title)

Dave Lee vs James Saville (UCMMA Featherweight Title)

Jamie Hearn vs Ben Smith (UCMMA Heavyweight Bout)

Jake Bostwick vs Denniston Sutherland (UCMMA Light Heavyweight Bout)

Thiago Borges vs Karlos Vemola (UCMMA Heavyweight Bout)

Roy Allison vs John Kelly (UCMMA Light weight Bout)

Reece Watson vs Luke Sines (UK1 Middleweight Bout)

Shola Adeniran vs Ian Hawkins (UCMMA Heavyweight Bout)

Danny Beavor vs Jim O’Keef (UCMMA Lightweight Bout)

Earl Brown vs Billy Mahoney (UCMMA Middleweight Bout)

Simon Carrington vs Wesley Johnson (UCMMA Lightweight Bout)

Jack Dennis vs Marvin Egan (UCMMA Light Heavyweight Bout)

Joe Holder vs Michael Brown (UCMMA Welterweight Grand Prix Final)

Kai Senkan vs Nick Lloyd (Loaded Magazine) – (UCMMA Middleweight Bout)

Afakasi Sione vs Dave Morton (Men’s Health) – (UCMMA Middleweight Bout)

UCMMA have today announced that they will be implementing mandatory blood testing for all fighters, with immediate effect.

Dave O’Donnell, founder of UCMMA said:

“As the UK’s biggest promotion, we are proud to lead the way in fighter safety. Fighters will have to produce their blood test results at the weigh in, with test results being no older than one month.”

“Fighter safety is our number one priority. We employ professional paramedics at all our events and are one of the few UK promotions to ban elbows on the ground to protect the fighters. Following the mandatory blood testing, effective from our March 27th event (Adrenaline Rush) we are also looking to implement random drug testing in the very near future. We hope that other promotions will follow our lead and prioritise fighter safety. All fighters can step into the cage at UCMMA events secure in the knowledge that we put fighter safety first.”

Dave O’Donnell and the UCMMA team pulled off another brilliant card to kick start 2010 with. I’m a recent convert to UK MMA, and I’ll be the first one to admit that I used to only follow big name promotions such as the UFC. All of the recent UCMMA events have been brilliant to watch, and the upcoming talent here in the UK is vast. So wherever you are in the UK, book your tickets for the next event: UCMMA Adrenaline Rush – 27/3/2010

7/2/2010 @ The Troxy, East London, UK

Dean Amasinger vs Alberto Mina – Welterweight Title
There was amazing support for Dean at the Troxy. The bell for the 1st round sounds, and Alberto Mina goes to touch gloves, but Dean refuses. Instead he wastes no time and pulls off a combo across the cage into a clinch. Once they separate Mina starts to mix up his strikes; everything from head kicks to overhand and superman punches. The fight goes to the ground, and Alberto Mina attempts a rear naked choke. Dean Amasinger escapes, only for Mina to start setting up an arm triangle choke from Dean’s half guard. Dean reverses the position but once again Mina seems to be always thinking one step ahead. The round finishes with great transitions from both fighters and an armbar attempt from Mina, who probably won this round with the submission attempts.

The 2nd round has both fighters happy to start off by exchanging strikes again. Amasinger seems to be hurting Mina with some solid looking leg kicks. Mina wants to get it back on the ground, and does so after a scramble, going straight for a heel hook submission. Dean escapes and gets the fight back to their feet for a short time. The round finishes back on the ground, after Dean escapes another armbar attempt to gain top position.

The final round starts off with Dean connecting with some great hooks. Alberto Mina waits for his opportunity and takes Dean back down to the canvas. He gets Dean’s back and smashes him with lefts and rights. There’s nothing Dean Amasinger can do, and the referee has to stop the fight at 2:30. Mina wins by TKO @ 2:30 3rd round.

Mark Weir Vs Mark Epstein – Middleweight UK1 Title
The Beast vs The Wizard. Combined age of nearly 80! But don’t let that fool you, these guys were exchanging blows harder than fighters half their age. Mark Weir wins by unanimous decision, after dominating the last 2 rounds with a variety of kicks. Side kicks, spinning heel kicks, you name it. He catches and drops Epstein on quite a few occasions.

Shola Adeniran Vs Stav Economou – Heavyweight Bout
I watched Shola’s last fight recently on the net, and thought he really needed to work on his ground game. On too many occasions was his guard being passed, and I was sure Stav Economou would have seen this weakness too.

Stav goes for the takedown early on in the 1st. He transitions to full mount and then gets Shola’s back. He sinks in a tight looking rear choke and Shola taps out at 1:30. Economou wins @ 1:30 of the 1st round via submission due to rear naked choke.

Edgelson Lua Vs John Maguire – Welterweight Bout
Maguire dropped a weight class and this was his 1st fight at welterweight against a tough opponent in Edgelson Lua. The 1st starts with both fighters keeping their distance and picking their shots. Maguire gets a good takedown, but Lua is constantly moving and doesn’t make it easy for Maguire to do any damage. The fight goes back up and both fighters clinch. John Maguire pulls guard and attempts a guillotine choke. Edgelson escapes and the round finishes with him in top position.

The 2nd starts off with both fighters keeping their distance once again. Both are carefully picking shots and Lua is successful with a few one-two combos. The round ends on the ground, with Lua escaping from a kimura attempt.

The final round is dominated by John Maguire. He controls the fight on the ground and attempts another kimura and a heel hook towards the end of the round. John Maguire wins by split decision (27-29, 29-28, 29-28)

Peter Yandel Vs Karlos Vemola – Heavyweight Bout
Karlos lives up to his nick name “the terminator” and demolishes his opponent in only 49 seconds. Vermola steamed out from the bell with a big combo and then slams Yandel to the canvas. Vermola wins @ 49 seconds of the 1st round by KO after teeing off with some nasty looking ground and pound.

Azran Quasid Vs Scott Jansen – Lightweight bout
Scott Jansen’s 1st ever submission victory and another quick finish at the troxy.
Scott Jansen wins @ 4:44 of the 1st round by submission due to a Kimura.

Jamie Hearn Vs Valentino Petrescu – Light Heavyweight UK1 Bout
This fight was called off. Dave O’Donnell says Petrescu was involved in an accident and injured his hand. Jamie Hearn thinks otherwise, and says Valentino got scared at the weigh ins the day before.

Jamaine Facey Vs Ben Craggy – Welterweight Bout
Jamaine wins @ 35 seconds of the 1st round by KO

Dave Nobel Vs Rafiq Benziada – Light Heavyweight Bout
Nobel win by decision

Pablo Ben Vs Colin French – Welterweight Bout
French wins @ 1:49 of the 1st round by submission due to a triangle choke

Steve Dossett Vs Chris Greig – Middleweight Bout
Greig wins @ 2:51 of the 1st round by submission due to a guillotine choke

Ryan Campbell Vs Dan Movahedi – Middleweight Bout
Movahedi wins @ 1:16 of the 1st round by TKO (GNP)

Richard Griffin Vs Chris Woolcott – Welterweight Bout
Griffin wins @ 3:17 of the 2nd round via submission due to a rear naked choke

Brad Wheeler Vs Dominic Plumb – Lightweight Bout
Wheeler wins @ 34 seconds of the 1st round via submission due to an armbar

Galore Basando Vs Jerome Carol – Welterweight Bout
Carol wins @ 1:20 of the 2nd round by DSQ (illegal knee)

Earl Brown Vs Bola Omayele – Middleweight Bout
Omayele wins @ 2:16 of the 1st round by TKO (Standing)

7/2/2010 @ the Troxy, East London, UK.

Welterweight Title
Dean Amasinger vs Alberto Mina
Mina wins @ 2:30 of the 3rd round via TKO (GNP)

Middleweight UK1 Title
Mike Weir Vs Mark Epstein
Weir wins by Unanimous decision

Heavyweight Bout
Shola Adeniran Vs Stav Economou
Economou wins @ 1:30 of the 1st round via submission due to rear naked choke.

Welterweight Bout
Edgelson Lua Vs John Maguire – Maguire wins by split decision

Heavyweight Bout
Peter Yandel Vs Karlos Vemola
Vermola wins @ 49 seconds of the 1st round by KO

Light Heavyweight UK1 Bout
Jamie Hearn Vs Valentino Petrescu
Fight off. Petrescu injured.

Lightweight bout
Azran Quasid Vs Scott Jansen
Scott Jansen wins @ 4:44 of the 1st round by submission due to a Kimura

Welterweight Bout
Jamaine Facey Vs Ben Craggy
Jamaine wins @ 35 seconds of the 1st round by KO

Light Heavyweight Bout
Dave Nobel Vs Rafiq Benziada
Nobel win by decision

Welterweight Bout
Pablo Ben Vs Colin French
French wins @ 1:49 of the 1st round by submission due to a triangle choke

Middleweight Bout
Steve Dossett Vs Chris Greig
Greig wins @ 2:51 of the 1st round by submission due to a guillotine choke

Middleweight Bout
Ryan Campbell Vs Dan Movahedi
Movahedi wins @ 1:16 of the 1st round by TKO (GNP)

Welterweight Bout
Richard Griffin Vs Chris Woolcott
Griffin wins @ 3:17 of the 2nd round via submission due to a rear naked choke

Lightweight Bout
Brad Wheeler Vs Dominic Plumb
Wheeler wins @ 34 seconds of the 1st round via submission due to an armbar

Welterweight Bout
Galore Basando Vs Jerome Carol
result to be confirmed

Middleweight Bout
Earl Brown Vs Bola Omayele
Omayele wins @ 2:16 of the 1st round by TKO (Standing)

Dean Amasinger V Alberto Mina

(UCMMA Welterweight Title)

Both fighters have a string of wins behind them and are full of confidence. Alberto Mina is undefeated but I don’t think he has fought anyone of Dean’s calibre. Both fighters have great jui jitsu, so I can see them both slugging it out. My prediction is Dean Amasinger by decision.

Shola Adeniran V Stav Economou

(UCMMA Heavyweight Bout)

I didn’t see Shola Adeniran’s only professional win in 2008, but I know how much experience Stav Economou has in the cage, and there’s not many heavyweights in the UK that have a better takedowns and ground and pound as Stav. That along with a solid chin and constant forward pressure means that I can see Stav Economou defeating Shola Adeniran by TKO.

Edgelson Lua V John Maguire

(UCMMA Welterweight Bout)

This is a tough one for me to call. Both fighters are coming off losses. John Maguire is making his UCMMA Welterweight debut, while Edgelson Lua will be looking to rebuild his route back to the Welterweight belt. I think both fighters have good ground games and submissions, so I think this fight will have some good stand up. I’ve actually changed my mind about the winner of this fight about a million times but I’ll go for Edgelson Lua to win by TKO.

Mark Weir V Mark Epstein
Azran Quasid V Scott Jansen
Pablo Ben V Colin French
Peter Yandel Vs Karlos Vemola
Jamie Hearn Vs Valentino Petrescu
Jamaine Facey Vs Ben Craggy

Doors open at 17.00
Event begins at 18.15 and ends at 22.30

Fightcard

Welterweight Title
Dean Amasinger vs Alberto Mina

Middleweight UK1 Title
Mike Weir Vs Mark Epstein

Heavyweight Bout
Shola Adeniran Vs Stav Economou

Welterweight Bout
Edgelson Lua Vs John Maguire

Heavyweight Bout
Thiago Monstro Peter Yandel Vs Karlos Vemola

Light Heavyweight UK1 Bout
Jamie Hearn Vs Valentino Petrescu

Lightweight bout
Azran Quasid Vs Scott Jansen

Welterweight Bout
Jamaine Facey Vs Ben Craggy

Light Heavyweight Bout
Dave Nobel Vs Rafiq Benziada

Welterweight Bout
Pablo Ben Vs Colin French

Middleweight Bout
Steve Dossett Vs Chris Greig

Middleweight Bout
Ryan Campbell Vs Dan Movahedi

Welterweight Bout
Richard Griffin Vs Chris Woolcott

Lightweight Bout
Brad Wheeler Vs Dominic Plumb

Welterweight Bout
Galore Basando Vs Jerome Carol

Middleweight Bout
Earl Brown Vs Bola Omayele

Another great night at the Troxy in east London. Make sure you visit the ultimatechallengeuk website and grab your tickets for the next event.

Sean Lomas vs Jimi Manuwa
Light Heavyweight Championship

Manuwa takes down Lomas and transitions from side control to full mount. Manuwa dishes out some GNP, but Lomas reverses the position and gains top position! Manuwa keeps busy in the guard and attempts an armbar. Lomas manages to escape but Jimi Manuwa once again grabs hold of his opponent’s arm. He rolls and fully extends out Sean’s arm. It looks painful, but Lomas doesn’t tap and escapes once again! Manuwa gets mount position once more. Sean Lomas tries to buck, but Manuwa has a very high mount position and keeps the strikes coming. The referee stops the fight due to GNP. Lomas is upset with the stoppage but he really was unable to defend himself in the mount. Jimi “Posterboy” Manuwa wins at 3:56 of the 1st round and holds on to his Light Heavyweight belt.

Tam Khan vs Jamie Hearn
Middleweight Grand Prix Title

Tam Khan comes out in a Muay Thai stance, with Jamie Hearn in a more traditional boxing stance. Jamie is really swinging hard and he keeps on dropping his hands, looking for a counter. Jamie Hearn throws a big right hand, which catches Khan for what must be KO of the night. Jamie Hearn wins via KO at 1:39 of the 1st round.

Mark Glover vs Michael Pastou
Interim Lightweight Title

The 1st 2 rounds are very good for Michael Pastou. He manages to take down Mark Glover numerous times and connects with some great strikes on the ground. Mark Glover always seems dangerous off his back and I can hear Michael’s corner telling him to watch out for the submission attempts. In the 2nd round Mark Glover almost pulls off a triangle attempt from his back, but Pastou keeps a good posture and continues punishing Glover on the ground and cuts him.

The 3rd round has Glover getting Pastou’s back for most of the round. He locks Pastou in a body triangle and throws strikes to the side of the head and attempts a rear naked choke. Michael is constantly getting advise from his corner, keeps defensive and just about manages to survive the final round. All 3 judges score the bout 28-29, for the new Interim Lightweight Champ Michael Pastou.

Wayne Weaver vs Ben Smith

Round 1 goes to “Big” Ben Smith. Both fighters have their moments, with strikes in the clinch and on the ground, but Ben does more damage and makes a mess of Wayne Weaver’s face.

Round 2 starts off well for Wayne weaver. He attempts a standing guilotine choke and connects with 3 or 4 hard knees. Ben Smith gets the takedown, and top position. Wayne Weaver fails to get a closed guard and Ben easily gets side position. Ben Smith shows some nasty ground and pound. Wayne’s only defense at this point is to show his back, and Ben Smith flattens him out wins via rear naked choke submission.

Luke Smith Vs Wesley Johnson
This bout was for the UCMMA Grand Prix Lightweight Title

The 1st round starts and Wesley Johnson tries to shoot for a takedown early on. He gets caught by Luke Smith and is almost finished but he keeps busy and does a good job of recovering. Johnson retaliates by taking down Luke Smith and gives some good ground and pound, while defending a guillotine attempt. Luke Smith seems very dangerous off his back and grabs hold of an arm for an armbar attempt, but Wesley escapes and gains top position. The fight goes back up to standing but Johnson seems to slip and he falls backwards. Luke Smith doesn’t hesitate and pounces on his opponent with some vicious strikes. Wesley taps out due to GNP strikes in the 1st round.

Scott Jansen vs Jason Barrett
UK1 Welterweight Title

1st Round
Jason Barrett dishes out some real heavy leg kicks but Jansen seems unfazed and he mixes up his strikes very well. Jansen puts on a show for the spectators with spinning backfist attempts and a superman punch. Barrett gets caught in the groin, but he recovers quickly and the round continues. Jansen pulls off some great combos and the 1, 2 followed by a low kick seems to be working for him. He finishes strongly and I think Jansen edges this round.

2nd Round
Scott Jansen continues showing off his arsenal of strikes with a spinning back fist that catches Barrett. Both fighters seem much more aggressive in this round and are really going for a spectacular knockout. Jason Barrett gets in some solid body shots and finishes the combo with an uppercut. Scott retaliates with a left hook. This was an extremely close round with both fighters really giving it their all.

3rd Round
It’s the final round but both fighters still seem fresh and are going for it. Jansen connects with a solid body shot, and attempts a few spinning heel kicks. He continues to mix up his shots, and seems to be ahead at this point. Barrett lands a good straight right, but both fighters have solid chins and the fight is taken to the judges scorecards. Scott Jansen wins by unanimous decision.

This will be Ian Freeman’s first ever K1 bout and he said – “I’m returning to the cage to prove myself as a stand up fighter”

At 43 years old and renowned for his ground and pound, it will be interesting to see how Ian Freeman adjusts to K1 style fighting. Saying that, with his vast experience and determination to win the belt and hold on to it, I’m sure he’ll be up for the challenge against the young and talented Jake Bostwick.

When asked about the fight, Ian Freeman confidently replied – “Everyone knows I have heavy hands – I’d be very surprised if this fight went the distance. When I win this belt, I’m prepared to defend it.”

20 year old Jake Bostwick has only ever had 1 K1 bout, in which he lost to Alex Reid. There was no way he was going to turn down the opportunity to fight one of his childhood heroes. Jake went on to explain how he wanted to finish the fight -

“Keep your hands up, because I’m going for the knock out! I’m grabbing this opportunity with both hands. I’m the younger, stronger man and that’ll be a main factor. His chin is getting weaker – I’m getting stronger.”

I can’t wait for this fight, and to see an MMA legend can’t be missed. What do you think will be the outcome of this fight? Let us know by posting below.

UCMMA: Adrenaline Rush, March 27th 2010, Troxy, London

Ticket hotline – 0208 302 0768

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Cash4Gold has signed a one-year deal with UCMMA to become a leading associate with the organization for the 2010 events. UCMMA is the premier name in MMA in the United Kingdom and across Europe. The team behind Ultimate Challenge has a history of more than 40 high profile, successful events and the brand continues to grow and attract mainstream attention.

“We launched our mail-in gold buying business in England earlier this year to rave reviews and now through our association with Ultimate Challenge we are aligned with the top name in UK based MMA”, said Cash4Gold CEO Jeff Aronson. “We greatly look forward to giving two lucky competition winners the experience of a lifetime at this one-of-a-kind training camp in Dubai – and to supporting MMA in the UK.”

Ray Ramnath, Director of UCMMA, said: “Cash4Gold have shown their commitment to MMA in the United States by working with some of the top names in the business. We are very pleased to welcome them on board with Ultimate Challenge and are looking forward to working with them through 2010 to take UK MMA to the next level.”

Make sure you enter the competition for this great opportunity to train with top MMA warriors in Dubai. I’m going to enter the competition now. What a great start to 2010 that would be!

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Another successful night at the Troxy in East London on Saturday 5th of December 2009. I’ll be reviewing the event soon. Until then, here are the results (to be confirmed) and a selection of my pictures from the event:

Simon Gill vs John Kelly – Simon Gill wins by a very controversial split decision.
Dyson Roberts vs Brett Basset – Dyson Roberts wins by submission to strikes in the 1st round.
Mike Edwards vs Jake Bostwick – Mike Edwards wins via rear naked choke in the 2nd round.
Earl Brown vs Karl Lawrence – Earl Brown wins via rear naked choke in the 2nd round.
Luke Smith vs Wesley Johnson – Luke Smith wins by TKO in round 1.
Wayne Weaver vs Ben Smith – Ben Smith wins via rear naked choke in the 2nd round.
Mark Glover vs Michael Pastou – Michael Pastou wins by unanimous decision.
Tam Khan vs Jamie Hearn – Jamie Hearn wins by KO in the 1st round.
Shaun Lomas v Jimi Manuwa – Jimi Manuwa wins by TKO in the 1st round.