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Press Release – (July 20th.12) Europe’s leading Mixed Martial Arts promotion, BAMMA, is proud to announce a BAMMA- Lonsdale British Middleweight title bout to the BAMMA 10 card at London Wembley on 15th September. The fight will be live televised on 5*, with the highlights to be broadcast on Channel 5.
The contest sees Sunderland’s ferocious Andrew Punshon challenge serving paratrooper Jack Marshman for the belt, in what is expected to be a hard-hitting and dynamic fracas.
Army boxer, Marshman, showed his metal at BAMMA 7 when he turned around a sustained GnP assault at the last hour to earn the British title; and went on to successfully defend the belt against Leeroy Barnes at BAMMA 8. Marshman’s sole loss, on his 10-1-0 record, came at the hands of Tom ‘Kong’ Watson at BAMMA 9 where Marshman challenged ‘Kong’ for the World Middleweight title. A tough and resilient fighter, with an exemplary striking game, Marshman is a firm fan favourite; and with the support of the British Forces behind him, the atmosphere when Marshman graces the cage is never short of compelling.
Challenger, Punshon (11-5-0) has a dangerous track record, with only 2 of his 17 bouts going past the first round. He has notched up wins both by KO and notoriously rapid submission. BAMMA 9 saw the athlete come unstuck against the dazzling Jiu Jitsu acrobatics of Patrick Vallee, but Punshon remains among the UK’s top ranked Middleweights and is renowned for bringing a fast and furious fight with fierce technical prowess.
Jack Marshman said: “Andrew’s got some knock out power behind him and a strong ground game but I still think I’ll be too much for him to handle in all areas. It’s been a while since my last fight so it’s good to be back. I’ve been concentrating on my boxing recently and I’ve maintained a good level of fighting fitness but I’m looking forward to a hard camp for this fight.”
Andrew Punshon said: “I have been wanting to fight Jack Marshman on BAMMA for ages and am really excited that it’s going ahead. It’s going to be an absolute war! “
Punshon’s manager, Dale Percival, added: “I am delighted at the opportunity that BAMMA have given Andrew, to challenge the champion Jack Marshman for the BAMMA- Lonsdale Middleweight title at Wembley Arena on September 15th. This will be the biggest fight of his career and on one of the biggest shows in Europe. Especially with BAMMA now being shown live on Channel 5, it’s a massive opportunity for the UK MMA scene with it being the first time MMA has been shown on terrestrial TV. Andrew has been 1 of the top 10 UK Middleweight fighters for a few years now and has been in with some of the very best fighters in the UK. Come the 15th September he will be ready to put on a great show, and I think stylistically this is a great fight for Andrew with Jack preferring to stand and trade rather than enter a grappling match. Andrew is well rounded in all areas with some great KOs and submissions to his name and he is very confident that come fight night he will be leaving with the belt and as the new BAMMA- Lonsdale Middleweight Champion”
BAMMA’s Head of Talent Relations, Jude Samuel, said: “This fight is going to be a tough challenge for our British Middleweight champ and is set to put Jack’s grappling skills to the test. It’s going to be a sensational match as both fighters like to work at a pace and both guys look to finish fights – quickly. Out of 28 fights between them there is only 1 decision finish and just 2 fights that have made it to the third round. That gives fans an idea of the kind of action that can be expected on the night.”
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.