December 3rd 2014, BAMMA Leaders in MMA sports entertainment are proud to announce the signings
- Hayden Critchfield
- Chris Fields
- Krzystof Klaczek
- Cheick Kone
- Alexei Roberts
All five fighters will feature in the main card of BAMMA 18 which is due to be held on 21st Febuary 2015 at the Wolverhampton Civic Hall, Wolverhampton. TIckets go on sale Saturday 6th December.
BAMMA Managing Director, Ashley Bothwell said:
‘2015 is going to be the most exciting year to date for the BAMMA promotion. More events than ever before will mean more adrenaline, more excitement and more great bouts for the BAMMA fans. It is the fighters that make all this happen, and we are delighted to welcome Hayden, Chris, Krzystof, Cheick and Alexei to BAMMA. These guys are bringing their talents from across Europe to put on display, and we can’t wait to see them in action come 21st Feb 2015’.
BAMMA 18 – MAIN CARD
BAMMA WORLD FEATHERWEIGHT TITLE Tom ‘Fire Kid’ Duquesnoy (c) Vs. Kryzystof Klaczek
After the disappointment of a no contest at BAMMA 16, World Featherweight Champion Tom ‘Fire Kid’ Duquesnoy is back. Duquesnoy (9-1-1) is one of Europe’s most exciting talents, and at BAMMA 17 he comes up against his toughest opponent to date, Poland’s Krzysztof Klaczek.
‘I’m proud to fight at BAMMA and to be its Featherweight champion.
I’ve been training very hard since childhood to get to the best and BAMMA is the most important organisation in Europe, and a great way to improve as a fighter.
Krzysztof Klaczek is my next opponent, he is ranked worlwide and looking at his performance, he’s just the perfect guy to fight at this time of my young career.
I’m very impatient to fight him in February to see how I’m progressing in my carreer, and will try to finish the fight before the 3rd round so I can give a great show for the UK audience.’
Klacczek signs a multi-fight deal with the promotion off the back of a hard fought Majority Decision win against UK MMA Featherweight standout Jay Furness. This result sent a huge message to all potential opponents in that division, including Duquesnoy.
Currently holding a 8-2 record and fighting out of Shooters Konin, Konin, Poland. Klaczek had the following to say ahead of his debut against Duquesnoy:
‘Fighting for a BAMMA championship title is a huge challenge and step forward in my career. I am very happy that I will fight for a belt on top European show. I worked hard to achieve it and I know next step is to be a champion. I respect Tom, he is young and talented fighter but I am coming to Wolverhampton for a belt and no one can stop me.’
MIDDLEWEIGHT BOUT Cheick Kone Vs. Chris Fields
European Middleweight Standout Cheick Kone hails from Sevran, France and fights out of Atch Academy, Paris.
Kone’s current Pro record stands at 12-3 and he holds a recent victory over feared German Middleweight Benjamin Brinsa, whom he destroyed in just 45 seconds of the first round via TKO.
Currently on a 4 fight win streak, Kone also has a notable win over BAMMA 5 competitor Jean-Francois Lenogue. Kone had the following to say:
‘To all the guys in the MW division: ready or not, Here I come, you can’t hide, gonna find you and knock you out quickly….’
Chris Fields hails from Dublin with a record of 10-5-1, and fights out of the world famous SBG Gym Ireland gym under the tutelage of John Kavanagh. Fields trains with the likes of Conor ‘The Notorious’ McGregor, Aisling Daly and former BAMMA fighter Gunnar ‘Gunni’ Nelson.
Now he is signed to BAMMA, the 6’4″ Dubliner had a very simple message for the BAMMA Middleweight division:
‘I’m looking forward to putting my shin on some guys chin for all the BAMMA fans’
When asked what the fans should expect from him at the event at the Wolverhampton Civic Hall on the 21st Feb 2015, he simply replied:
‘They should expect the best version of me that’s ever existed. I’m always searching for the finish!’
LIGHTWEIGHT BOUT Alexei ‘Boom’ Roberts Vs. Hayden Critchfield
Off the back of his hard fought victory against Jack Grant, Alexei ‘Boom’ Roberts has also signed a multi-fight deal with the promotion.
Roberts Pro record stands at 11-6 and he hails from Andover, Hampshire and fighting out of the Kyouken Gym. The all rounder looks to make an immediate impact in his bout against Critchfield:
‘It has been fantastic being given a five fight contract from one of the U.K.s top promotions and I can’t wait to get back in the cage and storm through the lightweight devision and hopefully have that title around my waist… It’s BOOM Time!’
Hayden Critchfield (9-6-1) fights out of Team Crossface, which is based in Watford and is headed up by MMA veteran Dave Lee. A tough and durable fighter, Critchfield has yet to be stopped by strikes. The bout promises to be one of the ‘Fight of the Night’ candidates come the 21st Feb.
BAMMA Matchmaker Jude Samuel had the following comments on the signings and BAMMA 18 Lineup:
‘As previously mentioned back in September, we (BAMMA) as a company are making serious headway in 2015. The aim is to make the sport we love as entertaining as possible and by selecting the right fighters, giving them the right platform and support, together we are well on our way to cranking up the gears for 2015.
I’m particularly happy about the current crop of new signings. They are all hungry to entertain and are here to support whole heartedly the promotion.
BAMMA 18 see’s an exciting rebuild to the middleweight ranks and not since the days on Tom Kong Watson have we had so many interesting characters to chose from. Bamma 18 also sees the much anticipated return of ‘The Fire Kid’ who I believe is the star of this division. He is honing his skills in the BAMMA ranks and is building a steady fan base here in the UK. He is eager to please the fans and is an ambassador to both France, UKMMA and BAMMA.’
