Press Release – London, England – June 27, 2011 – Following on from their hugely successful show at Wembley Arena in May, Europe’s largest Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) organisation The British Association of Mixed Martial Arts (BAMMA) have revealed details for the next event, BAMMA 7, to be held on September 10 at The National Indoor Arena in Birmingham.
BAMMA’s World Lightweight Champion Rob Sinclair (10-2-0) will take on Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) Black Belt Leonardo Santos (9-3-0).
Known for his explosive striking, Sinclair comes in to his 2nd BAMMA title defence off the back of a 3 fight winning streak. His opponent, Santos, first shot to fame on You Tube when a video of him defeating UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St Pierre at a grappling tournament in under a minute gained over 600,000 hits and most recently beating top UK contender Jason Ball by unanimous decision at his BAMMA debut in May.
Jude Samuel, Head of Talent at BAMMA said, “This is going to be a very explosive fight. Leo is a World Class BJJ fighter but when he fought Jason Ball, he actually out-boxed a boxer! Rob Sinclair on the other hand is one of the most explosive lightweights I’ve ever seen. Fans can expect some serious fireworks during this match.”
Joining them on the card will be Ultimate Fighter Season 8 winner Efrain Escudero (15-3-0) taking on the reining UCMMA Lightweight Champion Tim Radcliffe (11-4-0) and Gloucester’s Matt Ewin (22-9-1) will take on Middleweight contender Valentino Petrescu (11-2-0)
BAMMA 7 marks the organisation’s third visit to the city of Birmingham. In May 2010, BAMMA 3 at the LG Arena saw Tom Watson defeat Matt Horwich for the BAMMA Middleweight Title, Mark Adams defeat Alan Omer for the BAMMA Featherweight Title and Rob Sinclair successfully defend his Lightweight Title against Daniel Weichel.
BAMMA 4 in September 2010 at The National Indoor Arena saw a benchmark hit when Tom Watson defeated celebrity fighter Alex Reid over a 5 round war, widely considered to be one of the best MMA fights on UK soil. Over 835,000 people on Bravo watched the fight, making it the most watched MMA show in UK history and the event brought in a whole new wave of fans to the sport.
BAMMA’s last show, BAMMA 6 at Wembley Arena in May saw Tom Watson defend his Middleweight title against PRIDE veteran Murilo ‘Ninja’ Rua and was attended by the likes of Oscar winner Cuba Gooding Jnr and BAFTA winner Noel Clarke.
Jude Samuel says “Birmingham is definitely our spiritual home so we are bringing BAMMA back in a big way! We push ourselves to make every event better than the last and this is no exception. Mixed Martial Arts is a global phenomenon and we want to show the UK how great the sport really is.”
Around 10 more fights are expected to be announced over the coming weeks.
Tickets are on sale Friday July 1st at 10am via www.bamma.com and are priced from £25 with strictly limited VIP packages available for £150 including a ringside seat, entrance to the VIP after party and more.
About BAMMA:
BAMMA (The British Association of Mixed Martial Arts) is Europe’s biggest and most premier MMA organisation, launched in June 2009 with the aim of delivering Mixed Martial Arts events that fully capture the entertainment and sporting prowess on display in the world’s fastest growing sport. To achieve this aim, BAMMA brought together a team of highly skilled individuals with a wealth of combined experience across television production event organization, brand marketing and Mixed Martial Arts and set out to push the boundaries of MMA. BAMMA’s combination of arena sized venues, stunning fight cards and exceptional production values has led to BAMMA’s unrivalled position as Europe’s leading MMA promotion. With a highly experienced team and a presenting crew that includes Michael Schiavello, each BAMMA event always delivers a highly anticipated and unique experience.
Official BAMMA Website – www.bamma.com
Official BAMMA Facebook – www.facebook.com/bammauk
Official BAMMA Twitter – www.twitter.com/bammauk
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