Press Release – (January 7th.13) The UK’s premier Mixed Martial Arts promotion, BAMMA, is proud to announce that British Middleweight Leeroy Barnes has signed to an exclusive multi-fight deal ahead of BAMMA 12, which takes place at Newcastle’s Metro Radio Arena on Saturday 9th March 2013.
Leeroy Barnes is a BAMMA fan favourite who has been on a roll since BAMMA 8: His imposing offensive against Jack Marshman saw him take the former British champion the full distance. Barnes returned at BAMMA 9 to submit UK veteran, Matt Ewin, after a late injury withdrawal saw Barnes facing a dramatically more experienced opponent. BAMMA 10 saw Barnes take another well weathered fighter the distance, losing on decision to top 10 ranking Denniston Sutherland.
Leeroy Barnes said:
“I’m really happy with the deal. BAMMA have looked after me in the past and it only made sense to sign with, in my opinion, the top European promotion so I can fight the top guys and put on exciting fights that the fans want to see. I’m really happy with the deal that my management, Elite MMA Agency, and BAMMA have struck up and I’m sure BAMMA are happy to boast having the UK’s most handsome MMA fighter under contract.”
BAMMA’s Managing Director, Ashley Bothwell, said:
“It’s great to have Leeroy continue on our roster. He’s a dedicated and tenacious athlete, who never backs down from a challenge and always looks to take tough fights against challenging opponents. This and his aggressive style in the cage make him an exciting fighter to watch. He’s also an entertaining character that always comes to fight and who the fans love.
Follow @LeeroyBarnes and @BAMMAUK on Twitter.
BAMMA 12 FIGHT CARD
WITH MORE FIGHTS TO BE ANNOUNCED
WELTERWEIGHT BOUT
MATT VEACH VS. JIM WALLHEAD
BAMMA LONSDALE BRITISH LIGHTWEIGHT TITLE BOUT
CURT WARBURTON VS. STEVIE RAY
BRITISH WELTERWEIGHT TITLE CONTENDERS FIGHT
BOLA OMOYELE VS. WAYNE MURRAY
LIGHTWEIGHT BOUT
LUKE NEWMAN VS. RYAN SCOPE
HEAVYWEIGHT BOUT
DARREN TOWLER VS. CALLUM COOK
MIDDLEWEIGHT BOUT
KEVIN THOMPSON VS. SCOTT ASKHAM
About BAMMA:
BAMMA (The British Association of Mixed Martial Arts) is a premier European MMA organization that 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 skilled individuals with a wealth of combined experience across Television Production, Event Organisation and Mixed Martial Arts. BAMMA’s combination of arena sized venues, stunning fight cards and exceptional production values has led to BAMMA’s position as one of Europe’s most recognisable MMA brands. With a highly experienced team each BAMMA event always delivers a highly anticipated and unique Mixed Martial Arts experience.
About Lonsdale:
Firmly established as the leading brand of fight sports equipment and clothing, Lonsdale is steeped in over 50 years of fight history. From humble London origins the Lonsdale brand quickly became the hallmark of both boxing and MMA champions throughout the world, with its legendary quality and authenticity.
It is no coincidence fights legends Tom ‘Kong’ Watson, Muhammad Ali, “Marvellous” Marvin Hagler, Lennox Lewis, Mike Tyson, Joe Calzaghe and Ricky Hatton have all trained and fought in Lonsdale.
About Safe MMA
SAFE MMA is a not for profit organisation established to improve the safety of MMA fighters in the UK. Under the Safe MMA banner, the medical centre provides a secure, centralised and confidential database for fighter medical records; and coordinates affordable, standardised blood and medical tests for all registered fighters. Additionally, SAFE MMA members will have access to advice from leading world experts in sports medicine.
UK promotions Cage Warriors, BAMMA and UCMMA united to help found the project and have agreed that from 1st January 1013 all fighters on their cards must be registered to SAFE MMA and undergo annual medical tests and bi-annual blood tests. The promotions have agreed only to use fighters that are deemed medically safe to fight under the SAFE MMA (green light) system and not to use fighters that are suspended due to injuries, such as concussion, or who are overdue for blood tests, for example. Additionally, the promotions have pledged to have medical professionals carry out pre- and post-fight tests with all results to be submitted to the confidential medical database at 76 Harley St. Medical data will never be transmitted to anyone but SAFE MMA will be able to give a rapid and all-hours service to inform authorised promotions of who is medically safe to fight and who needs to be rechecked, at the time of enquiry. Visit www.safemma.co.uk for further information.