Tag: UK MMA

Dana White States A Win Over Curtis Blaydes Could Place Tom Aspinall In “Top 3 Of The World”

dana whiteUFC president Dana White admits that should rising heavyweight, Tom Aspinall, get passed Curtis Blaydes it could land him in the UFC heavyweight ranking’s top threes. It was recently announced that the UFC would be making a return to the UK in July following the success of the promotion’s first event on British soil since […]

dana white

UFC president Dana White admits that should rising heavyweight, Tom Aspinall, get passed Curtis Blaydes it could land him in the UFC heavyweight ranking’s top threes.

It was recently announced that the UFC would be making a return to the UK in July following the success of the promotion’s first event on British soil since the pandemic. Much like last time, the show will be headlined by heavyweight sensation, Tom Aspinall.

In March of this year, Aspinall made quick work of the towering Alexander Volkov, forcing the former Bellator heavyweight champion to tap in the first round, much to the delight of charged London crowd.

This time, however, Aspinal will stand opposite former collegiate wrestler, Curtis ‘Razor’ Blaydes. The American possesses big wins over some UFC heavyweight division elite, defeating the likes of Mark Hunt, Alistair Overeem, Junior dos Santos, and Aleksei Oleinik.

Ahead of the July 23 event, talking to BT Sports Dana White discussed what victory could mean for Aspinall.

Yeah, the guy’s [Aspinall] got a 100% finish rate,” White began. “He’s ranked number six in the world, now he’s gonna headline in his home country, what’s better than that”

“This is a big one for him, man. If he can beat Blaydes, breaks in, possibly to the top three in the world, it’s a big deal.”

White would also add that a newly extended broadcasting partnership with the UFC and BT Sport could play a significant role in growing the sport and help produce more talent such as Aspinall.

“There’s tons of great talent coming out of the UK now,” White said. “I think that now with the pandemic being over, us coming over with live events and this new BT deal it’s only gonna make the sport bigger and create more and more incredible talent from that part of the world.”

Dana White and The UFC’s Deal with BT Sport

It was recently announced that the UFC and BT had extended a deal that gave exclusive coverage of the UFC for the United Kingdom and Ireland.  

“The fans from the UK and Ireland love this sport and they have always been great to us.” White said “And now, our roster of talent from these countries is the strongest it’s ever been.

“We’re thrilled to continue our partnership with BT Sport to keep promoting these athletes, building stars, and broadcasting the best combat sports events on the planet to these incredible fans.”

How often do you think Dana White should bring the UFC to the UK?

Is This “One-Second Knockout” Really the Fastest Knockout in MMA History? [VIDEO]

(Props: Ultimate Challenge MMA)

On Saturday night at WCMMA 14 in London, welterweight Mike Garret knocked out Sam Heron with a savage head kick immediately after the opening bell. Promoter Dave O’Donnell — who you may remember from the “Completely Insane British Guy Interviews Anderson Silva” video — called it a “new world record” at 1.7 seconds. In the longer video above, a timecode runs in the bottom-right-hand corner of the screen, stopping at 1.13 seconds, which would be incredible if it was an accurate reflection of when the fight ended. But it’s not, really.

That 1.13 number refers to the time between the first bell and the time when Garret’s foot makes contact with Heron’s face. Unfortunately, that’s not the official end of the match. An MMA fight ends at the moment when the referee waves it off or intervenes. So yes, Heron gets his lights turned out just a little over one second into the fight, and Garret walks away, signaling that the fight is over for him at least. The problem is, the referee takes a couple of additional seconds to walk over to Heron, assess his condition, and wave off the fight. Later in the video, O’Donnell rounds down and calls it a “one-second” knockout. Then he has a conversation with Garret, and honestly, I couldn’t understand most of it.

Personally, I’m seeing three seconds and change, which would put it in line with Clements vs. Tucas. (And this one still looks faster.) But if self-promotion is your goal, “one-second knockout” certainly sounds nicer.


(Props: Ultimate Challenge MMA)

On Saturday night at WCMMA 14 in London, welterweight Mike Garret knocked out Sam Heron with a savage head kick immediately after the opening bell. Promoter Dave O’Donnell — who you may remember from the “Completely Insane British Guy Interviews Anderson Silva” video — called it a “new world record” at 1.7 seconds. In the longer video above, a timecode runs in the bottom-right-hand corner of the screen, stopping at 1.13 seconds, which would be incredible if it was an accurate reflection of when the fight ended. But it’s not, really.

That 1.13 number refers to the time between the first bell and the time when Garret’s foot makes contact with Heron’s face. Unfortunately, that’s not the official end of the match. An MMA fight ends at the moment when the referee waves it off or intervenes. So yes, Heron gets his lights turned out just a little over one second into the fight, and Garret walks away, signaling that the fight is over for him at least. The problem is, the referee takes a couple of additional seconds to walk over to Heron, assess his condition, and wave off the fight. Later in the video, O’Donnell rounds down and calls it a “one-second” knockout. Then he has a conversation with Garret, and honestly, I couldn’t understand most of it.

Personally, I’m seeing three seconds and change, which would put it in line with Clements vs. Tucas. (And this one still looks faster.) But if self-promotion is your goal, “one-second knockout” certainly sounds nicer.

And Now He’s Retired: Paul Taylor Hangs It Up After Latest Injury


(Admit it. You’re gonna miss that face. | Photo via MMAWeekly)

UFC lightweight Paul Taylor has retired from MMA competition after the most recent of a long string of injuries forced him out of at least his fourth fight in the last three years. Taylor hasn’t fought since his knockout win against Gabe Ruediger in February 2011.

Taylor was slated to face Anthony Njokuani next month in Manchester but an injury forced the 33-year-old British slugger to pull out of the matchup once again. He promptly announced that he was retiring from MMA competition.

“All his old injuries flared up in training,” a source close to Taylor told Fighters Only. “He’s very disappointed not to be fighting on the Manchester card but there’s nothing he can do, these injuries just won’t go away.”

Taylor ends his career with an overall record of 11-6-1 (with 1 NC), and a 4-5 tally in the UFC. But despite his journeyman’s record, Taylor was a consistently exciting fighter, winning three Fight of The Night bonuses since he began his Octagon run in 2007. (In particular, his UFC 75 battle against Marcus Davis remains one of the greatest one-round fights in UFC history.) Taylor was also key part of the organization’s promotional efforts in his native Britain. Taylor fought six times for the UFC in the UK.

Like Shane Carwin, Paul Taylor had enough talent and heart to have a much longer career in mixed martial arts, but his body simply didn’t cooperate. Enjoy retirement and be well, “Relentless” Paul.

– Elias Cepeda


(Admit it. You’re gonna miss that face. | Photo via MMAWeekly)

UFC lightweight Paul Taylor has retired from MMA competition after the most recent of a long string of injuries forced him out of at least his fourth fight in the last three years. Taylor hasn’t fought since his knockout win against Gabe Ruediger in February 2011.

Taylor was slated to face Anthony Njokuani next month in Manchester but an injury forced the 33-year-old British slugger to pull out of the matchup once again. He promptly announced that he was retiring from MMA competition.

“All his old injuries flared up in training,” a source close to Taylor told Fighters Only. “He’s very disappointed not to be fighting on the Manchester card but there’s nothing he can do, these injuries just won’t go away.”

Taylor ends his career with an overall record of 11-6-1 (with 1 NC), and a 4-5 tally in the UFC. But despite his journeyman’s record, Taylor was a consistently exciting fighter, winning three Fight of The Night bonuses since he began his Octagon run in 2007. (In particular, his UFC 75 battle against Marcus Davis remains one of the greatest one-round fights in UFC history.) Taylor was also key part of the organization’s promotional efforts in his native Britain. Taylor fought six times for the UFC in the UK.

Like Shane Carwin, Paul Taylor had enough talent and heart to have a much longer career in mixed martial arts, but his body simply didn’t cooperate. Enjoy retirement and be well, “Relentless” Paul.

– Elias Cepeda

CagePotato PSA: Tom ‘Kong’ Watson Establishes UK Charity Account to Help Children in Need, Enhance Public Perception of MMA


(An artist’s rendition of Tom Watson with his head shaved, dressed in a bear costume. I promise this will make more sense if you watch the video after the jump.)

Our friend Jonathan Shrager has been talking with BAMMA middleweight champion Tom “Kong” Watson, who has established a UK MMA charity account for Children in Need, one of the most high-profile and prestigious annual TV charity events across the pond. Essentially, it’s to raise money on behalf of an umbrella fund labelled “UK MMA,” helping a great cause while enhancing public perceptions of the sport within the UK, and introducing new mainstream audiences to MMA and its personalities.

The Brits are several years behind the U.S. in terms of general perceptions of the sport, so this would certainly go some way to improving that situation. Several prominent figures within the UK MMA community are already committed to backing the bid, including Nate Marquardt, Che Mills, Andre Winner and Alex Reid.

Here is an interview Jonny recently conducted with Tom which elaborates on his noble vision…


(An artist’s rendition of Tom Watson with his head shaved, dressed in a bear costume. I promise this will make more sense if you watch the video after the jump.)

Our friend Jonathan Shrager has been talking with BAMMA middleweight champion Tom “Kong” Watson, who has established a UK MMA charity account for Children in Need, one of the most high-profile and prestigious annual TV charity events across the pond. Essentially, it’s to raise money on behalf of an umbrella fund labelled “UK MMA,” helping a great cause while enhancing public perceptions of the sport within the UK, and introducing new mainstream audiences to MMA and its personalities.

The Brits are several years behind the U.S. in terms of general perceptions of the sport, so this would certainly go some way to improving that situation. Several prominent figures within the UK MMA community are already committed to backing the bid, including Nate Marquardt, Che Mills, Andre Winner and Alex Reid.

Here is an interview Jonny recently conducted with Tom which elaborates on his noble vision…

JustGiving.com/UKMMA
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