“I snuck under the radar for years and now I’m here! They can’t stop me now, keep doubting me, I just love it.” Those were the words of Daniel Crawford, as he celebrated the culmination of his grind on the UK scene to capture the BAMMA featherweight championship.
With a record of 10-1, Crawford’s rise up the UK MMA scene has been patient, but his hard worked paid dividend on Friday night culminating in a world title win in front of his hometown London crowd.
Despite being dwarfed in experience by champion Damien Lapilus, Crawford showed a surreal amount of maturity in his performance at BAMMA 31, as he battled past the rangy style of the Frenchman in the first round.
After weathering the attacks of Lapilus in the first round, Crawford explained to MMA Plus that he wasn’t ‘going nowhere’ as he charged the champion in round two to get the finish.
Watch Daniel Crawford’s super finish of Damien Lapilus at BAMMA 31
Daniel Crawford drops the BOOM and takes the title! #BAMMALondon #MMA pic.twitter.com/gBTQztQnKx
— BAMMA (@BAMMA) September 15, 2017
No longer the cat chasing the mouse, the new champion gave a laid-back response to his future challenges, warning the rest of the featherweight division by saying: “back of the line or get run over.”
