Ashleigh Grimshaw spoke to us ahead of his next fight against Wolflairs Ashley Smith. The London born fighter has been competing professionally since 2003 for promotions such as cage rage, FX3 and cage gladiators (now OMMAC) where he is the featherweight champion.

Ashleigh is now stepping up a weight category to lightweight for his OMMAC II bout against Smith.

Known as an explosive, well rounded fighter he has had the experience of some great battles through out his career. A well known name on the UK scene, he is coming into his next fight on the back of two first round wins.

UK MMA News: Could you tell us how you got into MMA and then eventually made the decision to turn pro?

Ashleigh G: I got into MMA after i gave up on judo, I had a 6 year layoff from any combat sports then saw the first UFC on an old VHS. After that I searched the internet for MMA clubs and found Pancrase London, I trained there under Jess Liaudin and Paul Hines for about 6 years then moved on to team titan and turned pro from there.

UK MMA News: Ashley Smith is next and he is coming off a loss to Martin Stapleton and you are building a good momentum with two past wins. He is going to be hungry to come back off after that loss and you of course want to take your win streak to three, so it’s going to be a great fight. Tell us your thoughts on this bout and what it means to you?

Ashleigh G: This fight means a lot to me I am fighting out of my weight category and trying to build some momentum off my last 2 wins and not looking past Ash. I have Dave Lee after that in December so all going well I will end the year 4 wins in the bag.

UK MMA News: What is your fight camp / preparation like Ashleigh, building up to a fight?

Ashleigh G: My fight camp has been tough as usual like always and seeing as I have gone up a weight I have been sparring with the bigger guys to try and get used to the power and strength difference.

UK MMA News: What do you believe to have been your best fight so far?

Ashleigh G: My best fight so far would have to be my first fight with Ronnie Mann. I think we showed what MMA was all about in the 3 round war we had and I don’t think we left one aspect of the sport out of the fight, we were all over the place.

UK MMA News: Who inspires you both past and present from the world of MMA?

Ashleigh G: Who inspires me that’s a tough one, I loved the way Caol Uno used to do things back in the day, I saw him as a complete fighter but since then if I want some inspiration I watch Shinya Aoki, Iminari, Thiago Alves these guys highlight reels are just amazing.

UK MMA News: What are your regrets from MMA (if you have any) or what would like to see changed?

Ashleigh G: I don’t really have any regrets from MMA and if I could change anything it would be the way shows are run how they protect there poster boys and just feed them bums to beat up, so they look good when really they are garbage just beating up more garbage.

UK MMA News: What do you do for laughs and relaxation when you’re not fighting or training?

Ashleigh G: For relaxation and laughs I love hanging out with my girlfriend we have such a laugh and chilling out with the boys Brad, Mikey and Jason but they can be quite a handful when we all go out, I also love to watch Anime I can’t sit in all day and just watch cartoon after cartoon.

UK MMA News: What are some of the great experiences / fond memories you have got out of fighting?

Ashleigh G: The best experience I have ever got out of fighting was when I was training out at ATT it was just amazing getting on the mat to spar and you had Mike Brown, Yves Edward and Thiago Alves just to name a few getting ready to do the same thing as you.

UK MMA News: What principles has fighting taught you that you have found yourself applying in other areas of your life?

Ashleigh G: To be honest I guess the determination I have in training I can apply to other projects in my life other than that that’s it really.

UK MMA News: And finally is there anyone you would like to send a thanks / shout out to?

Ashleigh G: A big thanks to all the boys at Team Titan Brad, Mikey and Jason and another big thank you to Uncle Harry and Dean (Monkey) Jones best corner men ever. My sponsors Izli sport, FBT, and Grillgurards.

Ashleigh has his own Facebook group here.

Contact James Walsh For Promotional or Sponsorship matters on jameswalsh.mma@googlemail.com or by phone on 07850125175.

UPDATE Unfortunately news has just come in from Ashleigh’s management that the fight against Smith if off as no one has seen or heard from Ashley Smith since his last bout against Martin Stapleton. In the mean time Ashleigh’s management and OMMAC are trying to find a replacement. If not successful in finding another fighter to take Smith’s place Ashleigh’s next bout will be Dave Lee in December.

I managed to catch up with Mark Adams recently who kindly agreed to do an interview for my blog.

Mark has only been training MMA for a little over 3 years. In that time he has amassed an undefeated record going 10-0-1 in amateur MMA and 4-0-0 Pro. He is now ranked in the top ten Featherweights in the UK and has trained in America with Randy Couture and Eddie Bravo. After beginning his career at the highly regarded UK gym South Coast Submissions in Gosport run by Brian Adams, he is now a full-time MMA pro living in Liverpool and training at the internationally reknowned Wolfslair gym, home to Michael Bisping and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson among others.

Next month Mark fights in the semi-finals of the Ultimate Challenge featherweight grand-prix and has his eye on the belt and going on to achieve big things in the sport.

I chatted to Mark about his journey in MMA so far, his training, and what the future holds for a fighter who many are tipping as a future star of UKMMA.

* Tell me a bit about your background and how you got into MMA?

I was coming to the end of my time in the Parachute Regiment and we used to watch the UFC events. I started training in the evenings with a mate, neither of us knew much but that’s how I started. As a kid I always loved boxing and hardly missed a Friday fight night so when MMA came into my life I was hooked.

* You joined the paras straight out of school and saw active service in the first Iraq conflict at a relatively young age. Do you think the military training and frontline experience helped you at all with developing a “fighters mentality”?

I don’t know if being in Iraq helped but I think depot (para reg training) helped. It taught me a few things like dedication, will-power and the ability to dig deep and not to quit. Things in life that are worth anything you have to sacrifice for. I would like to say R.I.P James Bateman and Kevin Mulligan who recently lost their lives in Afghan. Top blokes.

* You made the decision to give up work and become a full time fighter. Was that an easy decision and what would you say to anyone thinking of doing the same?

It was an easy decision for me. I knew to one day reach my potential I would have to train full time. I was doing well as an amateur and felt it was the right thing to do. It’s a massive struggle now at the lower end and my girlfriend is a big support.

* Tell me about your early days training with South Coast Submissions, you had an undefeated amateur career with them and Brian Adams coached you through your first few pro-fights. How important was that experience for you?

Yeah it was great at SCS and we were all active doing the amateur tourneys. I remember the guys were dedicated and there was even a good turn out at stupid o’clock on a Sunday morning. Brian is a good coach and has a great success rate with his fighters. He supported my move to train full time and still helps me out now.

* You are a great example of how a solid amateur career can lay the foundations for a good pro career. Do you think this is a route all fighters who aspire to compete on the big MMA shows should take?

There are good and bad points to having an amateur career. The experience you get is great, but it’s hard to get matched up – even on my pro debut as I was already regarded as too experienced, apparently. Also if my amateur wins were actually on my pro record I would be closer to where I want to be. I still stand by my belief though and I feel to be a professional in any sport you have to prove yourself as an amateur first. With the level of MMA improving all the time you’ll get found out if you turn pro with no amateur experience soon.

* What brought you from your origins training in Gosport to finally ending up where you are now??

The need to get my ass kicked everyday and reach my potential!

* Do you feel that eventually all fighters outgrow their “home gym” and need to branch out?

No. Most fighters won’t out grow their gyms. It also depends on what gym you start at. I still think its important to branch out and train with the best coaches you can but in most cases the average fighter wont out grow his/her gym.

* How have you settled into your new camp?

I’m like a gypsy, I can settle anywhere! [laughs]. To be fair I haven’t been at the Wolfslair long but all the guys are great.

* Do you ever get star struck when you see people like kongo, bisping, rampage etc.. on the mats?

I don’t really get star struck as were all humans trying to achieve our goals but I do admire where they are and the dedication they have put in to getting there.

* You’ve travelled to America a fair bit to train, how was that?

Its brilliant over there, no distractions and quality training. I stayed at Shawn Tompkins house, got chauffeured around by Dan Hardy and watched Affliction around Randy Couture’s house. Doesn’t get much better than that right?

* Whilst over in America you trained a bit with Eddie Bravo. He’s a controversial figure in BJJ, do you think his unorthodox style of grappling is better for MMA than more traditional BJJ?

I think Eddie has some great stuff for MMA but there is also some great stuff from traditional Jiu Jitsu. You have to take what works best for you from both. Good thing about Eddies is its designed around NO GI and obviously MMA is done without a GI. A lot of Eddie’s game is fighting off your back though and unless you’re a high level Jits player I don’t think it’s a good idea to play that game in MMA.

* How does the training in America differ from over here?

I think the gap between the USA and UK is not as great as it was and the results our guys have on the big shows proves that, but there is still something about training in America which adds to your game and the level of training is brilliant.

* Who is your hero in MMA, the fighter you most admire and would like to emulate?

I admire a few fighters. Frankie Edgar for his work rate and cardio, GSP for his ground control and wrestling and Anderson Silva for his devastating accurate striking. Their skill amazes me every time I watch them.

* Who has been the biggest influence on your MMA career so far?

All the people who have helped me over the last three years and put their time into me. They have all influenced me and added parts to my game.

* How great a role do you think natural talent and athleticism play in making a successful MMA fighter. Do you think just anyone can become truly great at MMA with hard work, or do you think the Coutures, Penns, Silva’s and GSP’s of the world are so good because of their genetic gifts as well as their work ethic?

To be truly great I think you need natural talent, athleticism and hard work. Unfortunately you often find people with the least talent put the hard work in while people with natural talent and athleticism on there side hardly train. You can get far with just hard work and dedication but to be a true great in the sport I feel you need the full package.

* You are competing in the featherweight grandprix at Ultimate Challenge and had a tough first fight against Brad Wheeler, winning the decision. Would you say that was your hardest fight of your career so far?

Brad is a super tough kid. His face was a mess after our fight and he refused to give me anything in the fight. I injured my hand on his head which took ages to heal. I would say it was my hardest fight and I learned a lot from it.

* You’ve been under the radar for a while in UKMMA but you recently broke into the top ten uk feather weight rankings and the whole UKMMA community is starting to sit up and take notice, mentioning you in the same breath as more well known and (arguably) highly regarded fighters like Paul Reed and Ashleigh Grimshaw. Now that people know you, is it easier or harder to get fights at the right level for you or does your amateur background and undefeated record put a lot of potential opponents off?

Well I’ve got this year worked out with this tournament and I was also in the BAMMA tournament before it fell through so didn’t have to worry about getting matched up as you fight the winner of the previous round. But to answer your question on getting matched up with an amateur record, it’s hard as guys your level don’t want to know and the top guys have nothing to gain from beating you. I leave it up to my management but we’re doing it the right way and working our way through the rankings.

* There aren’t too many fighters who remain undefeated their whole career. Do you ever let yourself think about losing and what you’d do or how you’d react to that?

The fact is its MMA and you will lose at some point but I try to stay positive and don’t really think about losing. I’d like to think if I lost I would work on my weaknesses and come back stronger.

* Obviously you are concentrating on your matches in the Ultimate Challenge Grand Prix for now, but have you got your eye on any other domestic fighters that you’d like to be matched up with?

I leave that up to my management but I was due to fight Paul Reed on BAMMA and that fell through so maybe we could get that back on in the future.

* I’m sure that would be a great fight, let’s hope that happens some time in the future! Next up for you at UC is Simon Gill. What do you know about him and can you say anything about the gameplan you will have going into your September fight with him?

He has good Jiu Jitsu but this is MMA and I don’t think he will cope in my world. A fight is a fight but one things for sure I’ll be coming to win.

* What is your ultimate aim in MMA? Where do you see yourself in 2 or 3 years time?

My aim is to be the best that I can be and in 2-3 years I will hopefully be signed to a big show but time will tell on that.

* What do you do to escape and unwind from training. or do you literally just eat sleep and train running up to a fight?

Running up to a fight?!?! I eat, sleep and train full stop! [laughs]. I’m pretty boring really, I hardly go out and don’t drink. During the week I don’t get much time to myself but on the weekend i’ll spend time with my girl.

* Finally, anyone you want to shout out or sponsors you want to mention?

I would like to thank everyone who helps me out and goes out of their way for me. It’s not forgotten. I’d like to thank my sponsors- Frontline fighter, Fareham tyres and auto care, Opro and Melee. My next fight is on sky sports so if there is anyone reading this who wants to sponsor me you can contact me or my management at markadamsmma.com. The website is still under construction but it’s up and running.

* Photo courtesy of sherdog.

This week we are very happy to have Tim Radcliffe speaking with us. Tim is a fighter we have been keenly following for a while now, especially since notching up a four win streak with his last fight being a very convincing victory over wolflair’s Abdul Mohamad.

He now holds a record of 8–2 –0. He is a brown belt under the respected BJJ coach Ricardo Da Silva of Nova Forca and  many currently and rightfully hold Tim in the top ten ranks of British MMA lightweight fighters, most notably MMAunltd magazine.

So without further ado over to Tim who we have to give a kudos to for making some time out of his busy schedule to talk with us:

UKMMANews: Hey Tim, so how are you doing?

Tim Radcliffe: I’m great, training hard, enjoying the British summer!

UKMMANews: So you’re on an impressive four win streak and next you have Francis Heagney on the 19th of September at Ultimate Challenge UK ‘Mayhem’. How was this fight worked out for you as it was originally planned for BAMMA?”

Tim Radcliffe: Dave O’Donnell was the guy sorting out the fighters for BAMMA so when it went under I believe he effectively tried to move all the fights scheduled on the next two BAMMA events onto Ultimate Challenge. For me it is unfortunate that I am not fighting for another belt but instead I’m defending the one I already have! On the other hand it seemed like it was a fight that should happen in the natural course of things. Besides I believe Francis is super tough and will give me loads to think about!

UKMMANews: So tell us how this all started for you? What was your path to becoming a professional MMA fighter?

Tim Radcliffe: I started training in Chinese Boxing when I was young which I studied for many years and competed at an amateur level. Then I met Ricardo Da Silva by luck and he started teaching me BJJ. In the beginning it was quite entertaining as he couldn’t speak English and I have no Portuguese! He started a class and I was one of his first students but slowly Nova Forca grew. For about five years I did nothing but grapple. Since then I realized that you have to do a little cross-training so I’ve been learning (slowly) to punch and kick people with Theo the Nova Forca Thai coach.

UKMMANews: For your last fight against Abdul Mohamed you looked like had a definite game plan. Can you tell us about what you formulated as an approach to that fight and did you find yourself sticking to that plan or was a decision made to read the fight as it unfolded and adapt as necessary?

Tim Radcliffe: I imagined that the fight would go to the floor as a matter of course and probably because Abdul would take me down! I then envisaged that I would try to sub him from my back or try to stand. But before this I had worked on my takedown defense by pushing away and moving rather than sprawling. The logic behind this was based on if I sprawled he would still drive through, get me to the fence and I wouldn’t be able to get away. By staying on my feet I wanted to hurt him before it went to ground and to my surprise this is how the fight turned out. I still think it was a little odd that he didn’t go for the take down more than he did.

UKMMANews: Our favorite fight of yours was the Ultimate Challenge lightweight championship title bout against Jason Young. Which fight do you feel has so far been the one that left you most satisfied with your performance?

Tim Radcliffe: I felt that Jason didn’t really show on that night and he didn’t get into his game so it made me look good! I’m expecting him to have a bit of a run of wins soon enough. My most satisfying performance was against Joakim Engberg in Sweden back in May. It was on short notice, in his back yard with a vocal partisan crowd and I was nervous! He gave me a really rough time in the first round getting mount and nearly my back, it must have looked a little one-sided but I got my game on in the second and won by choke. It was a good lesson that a fight is never over until the last bell and giving up is not an option!

UKMMANews: So you have your brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and this is by no means an easily gained achievement. Do you still dedicate much time to gi work or is your main focus MMA?

Tim Radcliffe: I get asked this a lot but I still spend most of my training in a gi. Basically I love training Bjj so I would miss it too much! If I had the time outside of work I would do more no-gi stuff to be more applicable to MMA but I’m not that lucky. I think it good fortune to be competitive at MMA while still training the way I like.

UKMMANews: So what’s your most favorite BJJ move / technique?

Tim Radcliffe: One of my favourites is the Omoplata. Is has endless set-ups with either the gi or no-gi. And it works great as for MMA! I think I try it in every fight.

UKMMANews: Who do you like to watch fight at the moment in both the UK scene and globally (UFC, Dream, Strikeforce etc).

Tim Radcliffe: I keep a close eye on all the light-weight guys out in the UK for obvious reasons but at the moment it’s the Sass-Sinclair saga that is of most interest.  Otherwise I lean towards following guys with grappling bjj backgrounds like Maia, BJ Penn.

UKMMANews: What do you do to entertain yourself or relax when you’re not training and fighting?

Tim Radcliffe: Now I’m getting older, if I’m not training I’m on the sofa moaning to my better half about how much my body hurts from training. Otherwise it’s the pub, but I’m a light-weight so I’m back on the sofa moaning about my hangover.

UKMMANews: Finally, who in your opinion is the P4P greatest fighter of the moment?

Tim Radcliffe: I reckon it’s Anderson Silva after he spanked Griffin!

UKMMANews: Thanks for you time Tim and best of luck for the future

Tim Radcliffe: No problem, good to speak to you  guys.

You can keep track of Tim on his own personal blog here.

This week for our new ‘Friday’s Fighter’ section we are very pleased to present an interview with the up and coming Chris Garry of “F’s Freestyle” Gym, Birmingham.

Chris came to our attention after catching his last fight for the former Cage Gladiators promotion with a win by TKO against Anthony Murphy. For two rounds Chris showed decisive ability to take the fight to the ground where he contained Murphy while wearing him down with barrage of punches until the referee had no choice but to stop the fight.

Chris is now training for his next fight against Mark Handley of Gracie Barra on the 29^th of September at the Walsall Football Grounds.

Keep a look out for Chris, he really is well rounded as a fighter and a dam decent bloke to add. We can see an exciting career ahead of him and wish him the best of luck for the future.

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UKMMANews: So Chris, how did it all start for you and what was your path to becoming a pro MMA fighter?

Chris Garry: One day I just wandered into F’s Freestyle, interested in learning submissions. I thought ‘Hang on I know that guy (teaching the class) he’s the guy that’s moved in opposite me!’ It was Marc Goddard and before long we became good mates.

Id like to look back and reflect on how I soaked up MMA like a sponge, but it wasn’t really like that, I had to work really hard with my ground game and wrestling especially in the early days and more often than not Id come home frustrated after training. Marc helped me no end though over the years, but that’s not to say being so close to him makes my life any easier- it doesn’t. He’s a hard task master; sometimes brutally hard. But over time he’s become part-big brother/part-best mate/part-sgt major to me. Needless to say I play him up quite regularly both on and off the mat!! Lol.

UKMMANews: Who inspires you as a fighter both past and present?

Chris Garry: Randy Couture and GSP. Randy for consistently defying the critics and father time, and GSP for his achievements having beaten everyone in the welterweight division with relative ease.

Those two inspire me the most but they’re not my favorite fighters. My favorites are Nick Diaz and BJ Penn.Without a doubt. In UKMMA its Dan Hardy, Ronnie Mann and Paul McVeigh.

UKMMANews: Are there any other styles of combat or martial arts you would like to explore to build upon your skill set?

Chris Garry: Traditional martial arts have never interested me at all to be honest. As a kid I just loved boxing, I used to watch it all the time. I would regularly skip boxing classes down the local ABC to sit in front of the telly watching old fights on Eurosport; yeah I was extremely dedicated back then!! I haven’t thrown out the gi though, so BJJ possibly one day.

UKMMANews: Can you tell us about how you like train to prepare for a fight and who you currently train with?

Chris Garry: I think having done this for a while now I take a slightly more casual approach to planning my training. That’s not to say the training itself is anything like casual, one thing I’m focusing on more than ever is quality over quantity, but if I wake up and feel like going running instead of doing weights then Ill do it. I used to have set days for everything and break each day down to make sure I had all the boxes ticked, including rest, and that worked for a while. But now I feel like I’m pretty sussed on what I need to get done in the weeks before my fight and I will generally focus on weaknesses rather than blindly doing whatever my timetable tells me I should do.

I train at F’s Freestyle in Kings Norton, Birmingham. In the capable hands of MMA coach Mick Broster and striking coach Peter Hefford. It’s Pete’s gym.

UKMMANews: So what drew you back to training with F’s freestyle again? Having left there to train at UTC at the start of the year?

Chris Garry: F’s just feels like home to me and I’m glad to be back. When I joined UTC I never really left F’s, and now I’ve returned with a much improved work ethic which I can only thank my time at UTC for.

UTC is a nice gym. Nowhere in the UK can touch it for equipment or space, and I very much doubt anywhere in America can either.
But Rome wasn’t built in a day and I think they’ve been guilty of trying to run before being able to walk. Gyms like London Shoot, Rough House and Wolfslair have forged their notoriety and success over years of solid graft and many, many fights. You can’t just expect to pour money into something and it to succeed that fast. But UTC are good people and I’m confident in time they will get where they want to be.
As for F’s, well comparing it to UTC is a bit like comparing chalk and cheese. F’s is a small, dusty unit with a mat and a few worn out bags. I don’t know what it is but there’s just something special about the place, and I won’t be leaving home again anytime soon!

UKMMANews: Tell us about your next fight you have coming up on the 26th September 2009?

Chris Garry: Ok, I’m fighting a guy named Mark Handley. I don’t know very much about him. He’s from Gracie Barra and I’ve been told he’s tough so it could turn into a war. He lost his last fight to Giorgio Andrews, but Giorgio is really good so there’s no shame in that.
The fight is on the AMMA show at Walsall FC. I’m used to selling quite a few tickets at AMMA and with Mark training out of Walsall I reckon the crowd on both sides will be well up for it!

UKMMANews: How would you like to see your career play out for you over the rest of 2009 and into 2010?

Chris Garry: Get around some of the bigger shows, keep winning and stay active. In the words of BJ Penn ‘is that really too much to ask??’ Haha.
And no I don’t think it is. I feel like I’m more than capable of putting a run together at bantamweight. If in 2 years time I’m still on track then that would be sound.

UKMMANews: What do you do for fun when you’re not fighting or training?

Chris Garry: Lately, deciding whether or not to shave this amazing beard I’ve grown. It’s been over a month now, so it probably is time I bought a razor.

Errrmm Ive got a Bull Terrier who thinks she’s a person and doesn’t take kindly to being reminded that she is just a dog lol.
And I’m well known for having a nap at about 3 or 4pm most days, I’ve found 40 minutes is the perfect nap length! Other than that just normal stuff like inviting myself over to the Goddard’s to annoy Marc and his wife.

UKMMANews: What are some of the great experiences / fond memories you have got out of fighting?

Chris Garry: Winning my first fight by TKO in 20 seconds. That was pretty sweet.
And having suffered back to back pts losses last year I went to Thailand with Dave Hill to train for 9 weeks, upon my return I put in probably my best performance, making a pretty good guy look fairly ordinary, so that was a really satisfying win.

UKMMANews: And finally what principles has fighting taught you that you have found yourself applying in other areas of your life?

Chris Garry: There’s always the classic ‘don’t judge a book by its cover.’ But it just applies so perfectly to MMA and not just MMA but fighting in general.

MMA has changed me so much as a person, I’m still as insecure as ever and there’s still no great danger of me ever growing up, MMA will make you stay young forever! But I feel like I’m gradually building up a series of pretty decent achievements. Stuff that money can’t buy and experiences that your average person, no matter how big their bank account or position of power, could only dream of. That’s enough reason for me to give everything I have to this until I feel I’ve taken it as far as I can.

UKMMANews: Chris thanks for your time and best of luck!

Chris Garry: No Probs.. Peace!

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Chris’s Record can be found on MMAUniverse

Chris is also currently looking for Sponsor’s and he can be followed or contacted on his Twitter account so we recommend you add and follow him!