With the MMA world firmly fixed on Belfast for the Bellator MMA and BAMMA doubleheader, you’d be forgiven for forgetting about the fantastic domestic matchup between Ryan Scope and Lewis Long, Saturday at Made4TheCage 23.
A prominent feature on the surprisingly stacked Made4theCage 23: Carnage card, Scope (10-0) and Long (13-4) will square off at the Rainton Meadows Arena in Tyne and Wear for the promotion’s European welterweight title; a title which “The Foot” holds.
The journey to Lewis Long vs. Ryan Scope at Made4TheCage 23
Although from opposite ends of the United Kingdom, southwest’s Long and northeast’s Scope were drawn together through their shared misfortune. Despite being two of the most established names on the UK MMA scene; with 37 fights between them, neither man had been granted a fight entering the new year.
With two-time European champion Long overlooked by Cage Warriors for their welterweight title contest and Scope left in limbo following his return from a two-year hiatus, both men were forced to take things into their own hands.
In contrast to the conventional method of matchmaking, Scope and Long’s domestic super-clash formed through rather different circumstances, that being social media. In simple terms, Scope messaged Long, the Welshman agreed to the scrap and then Scope proceeded to shop the fight out to local promoter, Dale Percival, who snapped up the opportunity like a man on fire.
Long discusses battling back from serious illness
MAT Academy athlete Long had a difficult 2016, with the Welshman dealing with osteomyelitis (a bone infection), which he admitted to MMA Plus, played a part in his loss to Andreas Stahl at Cage Warriors 76. Lew’s TKO defeat to the Swedish fighter snapped a five-fight win streak and totally derailed his momentum.
“I was in hospital all year with Osteomyelitis, which is a bone infection. Three weeks before that fight I had a drip in my arm and they took it out and I was like ‘f—k it’s meant to be’,” explained Long when detailing his turbulent past nine months. “So yeah, so pig headed. I told the doctor beforehand, he asked what tablet I was on and asked me if I was taking any medication, after the fight he surprised I’d done as well as I’d done.”
Long was able to bounce back from his defeat at the end of 2016, closing out his nightmare year with a win over journeyman Kez Mamba. Handed a reality check from his Cage Warriors title fight snub, Long is now determined to take what he feels he deserves, oozing confidence ahead of his fight against Scope on Saturday.
“It’s not arrogance the way I look at it, I go into every fight with the same attitude, I forget about the past and go on with confidence and into training head first. I don’t really think about what he’s going to do, me and my coaches work for every eventuality in every area but realistically I go in there, all I want to think about is my game. I don’t give a f—k what he’s going to do, he’s going to go down kicking and screaming, they all do.”
Could UFC be on the cards for Scope with a win at Made4TheCage 23?
As for Scope, after suffering from health issues of his own, he managed a successful return to active competition against Yusup Umarov at ACB 47. The young father proved to many in Glasgow why he was always such an incredibly touted athlete, knocking out the Russian in the second round after a wobbly start.
Following his comeback, Scope was itching for literally any opportunity to fight again, claiming he even applied for the 2017 Rizin Fighting Federation lightweight tournament.
When Japan seemed unlikely, many believed the most likely option to be a multi-fight deal with wealthy Russian promotion ACB, but the 24-year-old admitted that talks with the promotion stalled after they failed to meet his demands.
“I kept asking [ACB] about a contract, we discussed the contract and they didn’t have in what we’d discussed basically. So I started looking elsewhere, I was in talks with KSW, loads of promotions. They were supposed to send one with a UFC clause in and they kept changing their mind with the money.”
With a handful of American managers courting Scope claiming they can help him get into the UFC, the young prospect expressed his patience to wait and see what happens against Long.
At CW 80, Long told MMA Plus “If? When” in response to possibly beating Scope at Made4TheCage23, a response which Team Fish Tank’s Scope comically repeated when asked the same question.
The experience edge may belong with Long, who will also likely field a size advantage upon re-hydration. Despite the potential size difference, Scope asserted that his ‘lightweight speed’ will be the difference maker against Long.
“Obviously Lew’s bigger than me, but I’ve fought bigger guys, so I’m not too worried about that at all. I think I’ll be too fast for him, that’s the difference in this fight. Lightweight speed is different to welterweight,” claimed Scope to MMA Plus, just days before his fight at Made4TheCage 23.
Circumstances have brought together one of the most unlikely fights in UK MMA, two genuine top level talents with everything to prove at Made4TheCage 23. For all their doubters and detractors, Long and Scope are more inspired than ever to put on a classic matchup and quite honestly, with such high stakes, whoever wins will likely find themselves in a truly influential position when it comes to negotiating their future.
Made4TheCage 23 will be streamed on the official Made4TheCage Facebook page.
