It’s a great time to be an MMA fan, particularly if you’re living in Ireland.
In addition to heading into 4 consecutive weekends of UFC action, there’ll be a slew of local shows to take us well into November.
If that wasn’t enough, The Ultimate Fighter returns to our screens this week, complete with a familiar local face.
UFC 4 X 4
The next 4 weekends will see 4 UFC events in 4 different countries. First up, UFC 152 will attempt to make back some goodwill lost after the cancelled UFC 151.
UFC 152 – After the fracas to find a replacement for the injured Dan Henderson, the unlikely Vitor Belfort who had been plying his trade at middleweight will challenge Jon Jones for the light-heavyweight strap in Toronto, Canada. The event will also see either Joey Benavidez or Demetrious Johnson crowned the first UFC flyweight champion. Should Michael Bisping beat Brian Stann he may be the next man to challenge for Anderson Silva’s middleweight belt.
UFC: Nottingham
Stipe Miocic v Stefan Struve may not excite many but names like John Maguire, John Hathaway, Brad Pickett, Andy Ogle, Dan Hardy and Che Mills are guaranteed to bring the UK MMA crowd out in force.
Irish fans should keep an eye on the second fight of the undercard where Germany’s Pascal Krauss takes on Iceland’s Gunnar Nelson. Chief Second in Nelson’s corner is Irish MMA pioneer John Kavanagh. Currently in Iceland helping Nelson prepare, JOE caught up with Kavanagh in his hotel room in Frankfurt, check back next week to read that interview.
UFC on FX: Browne vs. Bigfoot – without any big names this event still has plenty to keep you interested. The FX offering features some seasoned veterans (Jake Ellenberger, Dennis Hallman, Jay Hieron) some TUF graduates (John Dodson, Justin Edwards, Michael Johnson) and some young guns (Travis Browne, Diego Nunes, Phil Harris from the UK on his UFC debut).
UFC 153 – this card is most famous for who’s dropped out to due to injury. Eric Koch was first out leaving Jose Aldo without an opponent till Frankie Edgar stepped up. Edgar has now been left high and dry after Aldo was injured in a motorcycle accident. Rampage Jackson also dropped out due to an injury sustained in training. Without a main and co-main event Anderson Silva (who also offered to fight on the cancelled UFC 151 card) stepped up and was duly offered… Stephan Bonnar?
The highly rated Glover Teixeira was left without a dance partner following the withdrawal of Rampage, why not Teixeira v Silva? Especially as the event is in Brazil.
Bushmills’ TUF Guy – ‘Stormin’ Norman Parke
‘Stormin’ Norman Parke has long been considered the most talented lightweight on this island. On Wednesday night he gets to show how good he really is when he competes in the latest international series of The Ultimate Fighter. The Ultimate Fighter: Australia vs UK – The Smashes is only the second time in TUF’s seven-year history that teams will represent their country of origin, the first taking place in 2009 when Team USA took on Team UK. The series follows the selected fighters as they live together in The Ultimate Fighter house, training and competing against each other for a prized contract with the UFC, culminating with a live three-hour finale in December.
Since we first spoke to Norman back in January 2011 his goal has been to get to the US and fight. Though TUF The Smashes is Australia versus The UK he may have to wait to fight in the US but the consolation is he’ll competing in the UFC while he waits.
“These guys have definitely made the second international TUF show ‘can’t miss’ TV,” said UFC President Dana White. “Going into this thing, I had no idea just how much the Aussies and the Brits can’t stand losing to each other. Now I know.”
British coach Ross Pearson is confident about Team UK’s chances: “Having been where they are, I know exactly what the guys are facing. They’re taking it all in their stride and, despite being so far from home, they’re eager to prove themselves, so morale is high. They each bring unique strengths to the team so the sparks are really going to fly when they meet the Aussies in the Octagon.”
Boasting a 16-2 record Norman has a great chance of making a mark in the TUF competition, which should spring-board him onto the big stage.
You can see Norman in action on Wednesday on ESPN at midnight. Join the conversation on Twitter using the hashtag: #TUFSmashes #TeamAUS #TeamUK and follow @Norman_Parke.
TUF 16 also kicked off this week where heavyweights Shane Carwin and Roy Nelson square off as coaches before their fight.
MMA in your backyard
After another successful showing from the BattleZone crew the appetite for Irish MMA shows should be growing. Thankfully there is plenty to look forward to in Ireland over the coming months. You can follow these promotions on Twitter and Facebook to get updates on their fight cards.
Rumble in Rush 8 – St Maurs GAA Club, Rush, North Co. Dublin, September 22nd
@Rumble_in_Rush
Celtic Gladiator V – Citywest Hotel, Saggart, South Co. Dublin, September 22nd
@CGladiator
Soul of the Warrior 2- Castleblaney, Co. Monaghan, October 6th
Man of War IV – Leopardstown Racecourse, Dublin, October 14th
@ManofwarMMA
Cage Contender XV – Kings Hall, Belfast, October 20th
@cagecontender
BattleZone 7 – Venue TBA, November 3rd
@BattleZoneFC
Ryoshin Fighting Championship 2 – Roadstone Club, Kingswood, Tallaght, Dublin, November 10th
@RyoshinFC
Clan Wars XIII – Armagh City Hotel, Co. Armagh, November 17th
@ClanWarsMMA
Imortal Fighting Championship 6 – Clanree Hotel, Letterkenny, November 24th
@immortalsft
LISTEN: You Must Be Jokin’ podcast – listen to the latest episode now!
