Scott Askham vs Luke Barnatt is a fight that’s been many years in the making. In the past the UFC vets have crossed paths only verbally and online never being in a position where they could comfortably settle on a mixed martial arts fight promotion on which they could clash that is until until this weekend.
As rivalries go this is certainly up there with the likes of Tom ‘Kong’ Watson vs Alex ‘Reidenator’ Reid and Kane ‘The ‘Danger Mousah’ vs Marc ‘Bonecrusher’ Diakiese. The anticipation levels for the aforementioned fights were unbelievable but Askham vs Barnatt comes with it a different depth of anticipation one with which bragging rights for both men has implications for the middleweight division and their future trajectory.
Both fighters don’t usually cut a mean promo in advance of fights but one was inadvertently cut when the two faced off against each other the last time ACB pitched up their tent back in July for ACB 68 which was headlined by Thiago Silva vs Batraz Agnaev. Without a doubt that had to be one of the most memorable face to face meetings that have occurred in UKMMA history.
Luke Barnatt comes into this clash buoyed by the confidence of an emphatic first round KO win over Max Nunes. Barnatt scooped the win in his last outing at ACB 63 headlined by Karol Celinski vs Vinny Magalhaes. Prior to that he had managed to stack a steady stream of wins until he met Mamed Khalidov who finished the fight in just 21 seconds. Barnatt holds a record which currently stands at thirteen wins and four losses with several high profile fights means Barnatt has more than proven his pedigree.
This will be Askham’s first fight since being let go by the UFC. After two back to back losses he’ll be keen to exorcise the demons of the past with an emphatic statement by finishing Barnatt to truly announce his reemergence. He certainly has the right fight camp IQ having recently returned from American Top Team where it’s pretty certain he will have been put through the wringer in preparation for this weekends action.
On the face of it this bout will not be a walk in the park for either man as each have proven their level which consists of tenacity and intensity. It’s clear when the dust settles on Saturday night along with the declared victor both those watching at home and spectating from the arena will have undoubtedly won too. This promises to be an epic back and forth clash befitting of the moniker of ‘The Battle of Britain’