By Alistair Hendrie
As BAMMA continues to evolve, welterweight assassin Paul Daley said goodbye to British fans for now at least by stopping Marinho Moreira da Rocha in Manchester, crippling the Brazilian with a body shot in round two of Saturday’s BAMMA 16 main event.
While “Semtex” prepares to rack up the air miles competing for K1 and Bellator, the Nottingham man enjoyed a successful swansong by knocking out Da Rocha with a dig to the liver.
The co-main event was less explosive but just as dramatic, as veteran featherweight Ashleigh Grimshaw suffered a horrific low blow against BAMMA titlist Tom Duquesnoy, ruling the fight a no contest after eleven seconds of combat.
With Daley gone, Duquesnoy could still be BAMMA’s main player, as could Lonsdale British welterweight champion Leon Edwards, who dished out a striking clinic to Dinky Ninjas’ Shaun Taylor.
Ironically, indeed, it was a toss-up between Edwards and Daley for performance of the night. Daley sat down on his leg kicks, used jumping attacks, and for a 31-year-old so revered for his headhunting, it’s refreshing to see he can still pack a punch to the body.
His K-1 showcase against Mohammad Ghaedibardeh, on October 11 in Thailand, should be one to look out for. And after that, will Bellator CEO Steve Coker put the Brit in with world titlist Douglas Lima?
So as BAMMA enters a new chapter it is up to the likes of Duquesnoy and his French compatriot, 155lbs king Mansour Barnaoui, to usher in a new era. Saturday didn’t go as planned for Duquesnoy though.
Attempting an inside leg kick, his shin slammed against Grimshaw’s cup, causing “Crusier” to double up on the canvas until well after the five minute time limit elapsed.
Grimshaw, who holds scalps over high-level competition such as Phil Harris and Vaughan Lee, remained prone on the canvas until he was stretchered out of the arena in agony. Make no mistake; it’s up there with Anderson Silva’s leg break in the list of gruesome MMA injuries.
Also at 145lbs Lancaster MMA’s Shay Walsh edged Paul Reed with a unanimous decision, having come through a series of back-and-forth exchanges. Walsh, on song following his decision over James Saville in August, boasts cardio and variety in his striking. He could be a match for Duquesnoy soon.
Mike Grundy put in another impressive performance at featherweight, passing the guard before submitting Anthony Phillips with a D’Arce choke in round one.
Elsewhere, Edwards had it all his own way on the feet against Taylor who was game, came to fight, but took far too much punishment. Wheel kicks, jabs, body attacks… it was all there for Edwards who scored five knockdowns before a third round stoppage.
Training at UTC in Birmingham, Edwards is improving at a rate of knots and his next defence could be against fellow striker Alex Montagnani. Also at welterweight, Sam Ferguson mixed it to the head and body before stopping Sam Ferguson with hammer fists in round one.
While BAMMA showcased plenty of new faces on their fourth event of 2014, for them to live on after Daley, they need a marquee division. For now at least, their 155lbs scene is laden with talent.
Barnaoui remains on the sidelines and with Colin Fletcher attending Saturday’s event – not forgetting his face paint, of course – there were decision scalps for lightweight dangermen Alexei Roberts and Marc Diakiese.
Roberts missed weight, coming in at 157lbs, but managed to outslug talented Jack Grant despite eating an array of kicks early on. Diakiese’s success, against Luton’s Jefferson George, was less crowd-pleasing but just as impressive.
The Doncaster man kept George on his back for three rounds – a wise move in hindsight – and maintained good head positioning to avoid being caught in the guard.
With that – and Fletcher headlining BAMMA 17 in December – the lightweight division is opening up nicely, something which is key to any progression while Daley is otherwise engaged. And bear in mind, as BAMMA aim to stage between eight and ten shows in 2015, the likes of Belfast choke specialist Ali Maclean and Midlands stalwart Andre Winner are both free agents.
Elsewhere on Saturday, bantamweight Mike Wootten, another one for the future, thrilled his supporters from nearby Liverpool by submitting Antoine Gallinaro with a rear naked choke in the second round.
The 25-year-old may be more technically proficient than he is well-rounded but, nevertheless, he’s a big draw in the north-west. The same can be said of Stretford middleweight Andy De Vent, whose footwork and striking were in a different league to Roggy Lawson before a third round corner stoppage thanks to another flurry on the ground.
Indeed, for BAMMA to make a success of their Fight Night series – in which the promotion travel to smaller venues, like their trip to the Liverpool Olympia in July – creating marketable draws such as Wootten and De Vent will be crucial.
You have to admire BAMMA for not simply building their game around Daley – this weekend’s card featured 16 bouts, amateur and professional, after all. There can indeed be momentum after their star man has gone, but it will be very interesting to see how they go about it, especially with the UFC away from Channel 5 nowadays.
