Colin “The Freakshow” Fletcher makes his BAMMA return on 6th December against Hawaiian Lightweight Michael Brightmon. While Brightmon may be relatively unknown to the casual MMA fan the Hawaiian fighter was scheduled to compete for the BAMMA Lightweight Title at BAMMA 16 until Champion Mansour Barnaoui was forced to pull out.
“The Freakshow” was stopped by current Champion Mansour Barnaoui at BAMMA 14, a result which he would love to avenge. “I didn’t hide the fact that I wanted to fight Mansour again but Brightmon was set to have a crack and it didn’t come through due to injury so it makes sense for us to fight in Mansour’s absence.”
So what does Fletcher make of this opponent and does he feel that he has more to lose than gain in taking this fight? “I have total trust in BAMMA’s judgment. If they say this is the guy I need to fight then they must think a lot of this guy. So I’m going to the hit the gym like a demon and basically train myself to death in preparation. I will be ready to unleash it on him once the gate closes and it’s just the two of us.”
It was the type of performances amongst the likes of David Round, Jason Ball and Tim Newman which really highlighted “The Freakshow’s” leave it all in the cage exciting style which quickly saw him become a fan favourite across the European scene. But his attacking style has recently been called into question with many believing that he is now more worried about scoring the win than entertaining the fans. Something which Fletcher completely disagrees with. “No way. Na that’s wrong. In fact sometimes I am my own worst enemy. I have been in fights where I could of took the guy down and controlled them but instead had a close fight and kept it standing because I find that more exciting. I would love to meet those people who made those comments.”
While some have called Fletcher’s performances into question only one person can prove the critics wrong and come BAMMA 17 Fletcher will be looking to re-ignite the flame and show the MMA world that “The Freakshow” is still very much here! “Like I said I am feeling better than ever! I have carried some fighting baggage around with me that I feel has weighed me down in some of my fights but I am starting to feel like I used to. I have found my passion again and I can’t wait to get in there!”
Here is a video of “The Freakshow” in his last fight at BAMMA 15 which saw him return to winning ways with a split decision win over Tony Hervey.
Be sure to follow “The Freakshow” and his opponent Brightmon on twitter @Dr_Freakshow and @Mkyeldaone