With BAMMA 22 now in the books and a successful debut done and dusted, the promotion did not waste much time booking their return. BAMMA 24 England Vs Ireland is set for 27th February 2016.
There are plenty of moving parts in arranging a country vs country card which I suspect come fight night will be extremely difficult to maintain but in the spirit of Ireland Vs England I have racked my brain to come up with some fights which I would like to see play out.
So sit back and enjoy Fantasy Island BAMMA 24 Ireland Vs England.
Tom Watson Vs Chris Fields
These two could almost definitely headline the card and I would love to see this one play out. Both men are in desperate need for a win and their names alone would sell this whole card in Dublin. Fields had a rough night on BAMMA’s first trip to Dublin and you can bet your bottom dollar that he would love nothing more than to avenge that performance in Dublin. Watson was for a long time BAMMA’s posterboy and has always maintained a close relationship with the promotion, and a main event slot for “Kong” would definitely help at this stage in his career. Neither men have come out and mentioned retirement, however, its something which has been mentioned by the media when discussing both fighter and this fight would be a prime opportunity for the winner to show that they have plenty left to offer.
Elliot Hoye Vs Frans Mlambo
I think these two will be names we will be speaking about for a long time and both of these 135lbers are great prospect on the UKMMA scene. Both of these fighters hold excellent amateur records with Mlambo recently going professional. Hoye recently won the amateur Flyweight Title at WFS and will undoubtably be moving professional in the coming months. At only 1-0 Mllambo showed such a confidence and calmness in his pro debut that I can’t wait to see him return and a bout with Hoye would definitely bring out the best in both fighters. BAMMA do enjoy matching undefeated fighters against each other which gives another selling point to this intriguing bout.
Denniston Sutherland Vs Conor Cooke
After a 2 year layoff, UKMMA legend Denniston Sutherland returned to Macto FC and picked up a submission win over Avi Jack back in June. Northern Irishman Conor Cooke has had a rough ride since joining BAMMA going 1-2 so far but the Next Generation fighter always looks to excite regardless of outcome and will be guaranteed a strong following in Dublin. This fight would very much be a do or die fight for Cooke at BAMMA against a very strong, experienced fighter in Sutherland. The fight for Sutherland would be another opportunity to prove that he is not past it and cant still beat relevant names at 185lbs.
Philip Mulpeter Vs Tim Wilde
It was a big disappointment that this fight didn’t take place at BAMMA 22 and it looked at times during fight week that Wilde wouldn’t be even able to compete due to a number of dropouts. But Wilde did get a chance to fight and he was able to pick up a unanimous decision win over Stephen Coll which I suspect was a bit of a let down for The Experiment who seems to perform better against tougher opponents. Mulpeter has suffered a number of injuries in the last few years which is always awful to see in a fighter with the potential that Mulpeter possesses. Mulpeter is definitely a fighter you should not take a look at on record alone and is in my eyes is only ever a few wins away from Title contention. Likewise a win over Mulpeter for Wilde would definitely get his name thrown in the mix for Title contention.
Damien Rooney Vs Ronnie Mann
This fight at a catch weight for me would be insane and I can’t believe this fight hasn’t taken place already. The two former Cage Warriors fighters share a a number of common opponents and I think these two would really bring out the best in each other. Rooney was due to compete at BAMMA 22 but due to complications with his opponent getting a visa he was scrapped from the event the day before. BAMMA definitely owe something to Rooney and a high profile bout against someone of Mann’s calibre would certainly entertain Rooney who is clearly just eager to get into the cage against a credible opponent. Mann certainly offers that credibility and this one would almost certainly be a barn burner.
Sinead Kavanagh Vs Laura Howarth
Sinead made huge waves in her professional debut at BAMMA 22 knocking out Hatice Ozyurt in just 17 seconds. Howarth who holds a 2-1 record picked up two decision wins on the bounce to start her professional career before being stopped by Lina Lansberg at Cage Warriors 71 back in August 2014. She hasn’t competed since but the offer of representing the UK on the BAMMA stage would certainly be a tempting offer for “Hot Head”. Kavanagh would relish at the opportunity of returning to BAMMA in Dublin but would probably struggle to top her 17 second finish.