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Bravo Television is a tempting proposition for any Mixed Martial Arts promotion in the U.K., as it presents a unique opportunity to reach a wider viewing audience as well having a background in UFC programming. In short, Bravo understands the sport.
So when it was originally announced that Bravo was considering MMA in its programming schedule, the promotions started to take note, most of all the British Fighting Championship and Ultimate Challenge. The reality is that neither show will be featured on Bravo and that a new tournament based format show will emerge in its place.
Starting on June 28, BAMMA will be running its first event on Bravo, a fight card featuring three tournaments across the lightweight, middleweight and light heavyweight categories and will be fought with the winners moving onto a place in the finals. August 16 will feature featherweights, welterweights and heavyweights with the winners helping to make up the final show of 2009 on September 26 that will crown a champion of each weight class.
So the BAMMA name looks familiar? It should to anyone training MMA in the U.K. Originally formed back in the dark ages of the sport to regulate events and provide certification on training gear, the British Association of Mixed Martial Arts has recently evolved into its own promotion and will be looking to build upon its background as it moves into the live event arena.
Finer details of the new promotion are quite limited at the moment, but what we do know is that all fights will take place the evening before the broadcast date. It is expected that all events will take place in London, but exact details of venue have yet to be finalized.
With fight cards still to be determined for the BAMMA events, MMAWeekly.com can exclusively confirm that the following bouts have been set:
Middleweights:
John Maguire vs. Tom Watson
John Phillips vs. Denniston Sutherland
Lightweights:
Abdul Mohammed vs. Tim Radcliffe
Having caught up with John Maguire recently, he was forthcoming in his opinions on the fight. “I have been waiting for this fight for ages. It's been a long time coming and now that contracts are signed, I can concentrate on training hard. My last fight was against Chris Rice, so I am really itching to get back in there.”
It appears that the demise of TWC, Nuts TV, and ITV's termination of Mixed Martial Arts programming hasn't blunted the appeal of the sport. The UFC generates solid viewing figures with its TUF 9: U.K. vs. USA show, and Bravo, with its MMA broadcasting experience, can only help to improve weekend viewing for the core MMA fan.
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