With a main card boasting 5 championship bouts, BAMMA 23 takes place live in Birmingham at the Barclaycard Arena. Full results below.
BAMMA 22 Main Card:
BAMMA Lightweight Title
Martin Stapleton Vs. Gavin Sterritt
Stapleton wastes no time in securing the takedown against the fence and taking the back of his opponent to sink in an early rear-naked-choke submission within the first minute of the opening round.
BAMMA Light Heavyweight Title
Marcin Lazarz (c) Vs. Paul Craig
Lazarz begins the round throwing some heavy precision strikes and wound up on top in his opponents guard. The bout was progressing calmly until the the Scotsman threw up a triangle choke and Lazarz was helpless but to tap out.
BAMMA Flyweight Title
Rany Saadeh (c) Vs. Shaj Haque
Saadeh smothers Haque, the replacement for Chris Miah, throughout rounds one and two. Any attempts by Haque to escape are effortlessly overpowered by the young German. Haque looked to turn the tide in the final round with a takedown of his own and a brief guillotine attempt, but Saadeh escaped and controlled Haque from inside his guard to see out the round and claim a unanimous decision victory to retain the title.
BAMMA Bantamweight Title
Ed Arthur (c) Vs. Shay Walsh
Arthur lands punches on the feet with good technique but the challenger often forced his opponent against the fence and to the ground through round 1. Arthur began the second with nice boxing skills but is tagged and on the brink of being finished, only to hang in their and counter as best he can. A true warrior display from Arthur as Walsh looks to maintain control on the ground.
Arthur raises his hands for the third round, eager to go. He does well on the feet but Walsh again secures a takedown and sinks in a head-and-arm triangle choke. Arthur resists and forces the challenger to try something new. Walsh sees out the round in control to take the title via decision
BAMMA 22 Prelims
Jack McGann Vs. Damien Lapilus
Lapilus begins landing a variety of heavy kicks before forcing McGann to the ground and overpowering “The Pilgrim” to force a submission by rear-naked-choke for a first round upset
Jeremy Petley Vs. Nad Naramani
Naramani sent Petley to the floor with a right hand and followed with an extended period of vicious shots until referee Mark Woodard eventually stepped in.
Lonsdale Heavyweight Title
Stuart Austin Vs. Tom Denham
Denham wins the first round after taking advantage of a slip by Austin, inviting Denham to pounce and rush for a finish. Austin survived but was controlled on the ground until securing a late takedown for himself followed by fierce ground-and-pound as the final seconds counted down. In the second round Austin stunned his opponent with a strong right hand, followed by fists on the ground to snatch a TKO win.
Brett McDermott Vs. Pelu Adetola
McDermott stalks Adetola, beating him to the punch each time. The Nigerian doesn’t look to be on the same level and is soon stunned by a left hand. McDermott chases the retreating man to land a punch that sends Adetola to the canvas where he is swiftly finished.
Harry Marple Vs. Shane Gunfield
An entertaining contest with the aggressive Gunfield coming up short in the striking department with Marple’s greater technique getting the better of his opponent in the first round. However, the fight turns to grappling in the second round and Marple gets stuck on his back with arms trapped in the crucifix position. Gunfield only had to punch lightly to force the stoppage with Marple unable to escape.
Marcin Prosko Vs. Bill Beaumont (175.8) – Catchweight
In the opening round both fighters became drawn into a slugfest but it was Prosko whose chin was weakened and was dropped on multiple occasions. The Pole was able to hang in there and make it to the second round where both fighters were noticeably tired and Beaumont took control of the slow paced grappling throughout. More of the same in the third round as Beaumont rests comfortably with top control to see out the final stanza and claim the unanimous decision win.
Tobias Reid Vs. Craig Clarkson
Reid lands three successive knees while clinching early in the first round and Clarkson is unable find a rhythm after, finding himself on the defensive throughout the round, looking hesitant to throw back. Reid’s powerful Muay Thai assault stuns his opponent early in the second round, Clarkson opens up and is hit by a series of flush shots on the feet to force a TKO.
Jay Butler Vs. Cameron Else
After back and forth transitions on the ground, Butler pulls for a heel hook but the bout is stopped as Else lands defensive strikes. Announced as a TKO but Butler appeared to submit, possible broken jaw as medics feel his chin.
Jai Herbert Vs. Ben Bennett
Bennett edged an entertaining first round with back and forth striking and a late takedown by leaping to pull guard, but Herbert came back to grind down his opponent in the second round with frequent striking success. Bennett absorbed a variety of punches and high kicks and was continuously backing up with no response. Bennett did well to remain standing but referee Marc Goddard had seen enough.
Brian Creighton Vs. Nathaniel Wood
The fast hands of Wood were an effective tool as “The Prospect” harnessed precision strikes to drop his opponent in the first round and cruise comfortably throughout the bout for a unanimous decision victory. Creighton finally secured a takedown late in the final round but it was too little to late as he attempted to make a difference with strikes from inside Wood’s guard.
