Both the UFC118 matchups are very winnable for the Brits and they will be hoping to kickstart a series of wins for the team with their performances on Saturday in Boston.

After his disappointing loss to Rick Story in his last fight (a fight many observers say he should have won – just not the judges unfortunately), the ever improving Osipczak will be looking to climb the rankings of the UFC’s welterweight shark tank. Soto is a Pellegrino MMA student and BJJ brown belt and shares a common opponent with ‘Slick’ Nick in Matt Riddle. Osipczak surprised a lot of people with a dominant showing against the tough wrestler and scored the TKO in rd2. Soto was DQ’d in the 3rd stanza for an illegal up kick which rendered Riddle unable to continue but up to that point he was losing the fight anyway.

Osipczak is a fighter who looks better and better everytime I see him. A surprise package on TUF9 and with some excellent displays in the octagon since the show, his skills are somewhat at odds with his fight record (he had only had 3 pro-fights before getting onto TUF). For me Osipczak has the more complete game: He is certainly the better striker, and if we compare both mens performance against their common opponent, then you have to say that Nick comes off looking like the much better bet for the win this time round. Whilst the ground is obviously Sotos favoured arena, he was not as successful as Osipczak in reversing position on Riddle – a fighter who is a very strong wrestler with good base. I think Nick will punish Soto on the feet with crisp punching and his excellent kicks, forcing him to shoot. From here the neat sprawl and top control of the Brit will put him in a position to be able to finish the fight and I can see Nick taking the TKO win here.

The Winner vs Lentz fight will see the wrestling of Lentz against the slick striking of Winner. This is very likely to play out with Lentz doing all he can to put Winner on his back. Dre will want this on the feet and will look to use his footwork and lightning handspeed to pick Lentz off as he moves in. Neither man has been much of a finisher in recent fights: With the exception of Winners obliteration of Roli Delgado at UFC105 he hasn’t finished a fight since 2006. Lentz spent his early MMA career tearing through everyone he fought but, since making it to the UFC, he has eeked out 2 decisions and a majority draw. In his last fight with Rob Emerson, he was rocked in the second round but recovered well. Emerson had some success with his striking but Lentz used his clinch really well to negate the striking threat. I’m sure he will look for something similar on Winner after the opening exchanges. If Winner can negate the threat of the clinch and keep Lentz at range then his superior striking should win him this fight. If Lentz can close and use his wrestling, then Winner will have to draw on every bit of the grappling skill he has learned at Leicester Shootfighters under the tutelage of Nathan Leverton.

I think Dre has all the tools to claim another scalp in the UFC but the wrestling and all-round toughness of Lentz will make this a very hard fight. Whilst I’d like to see Dre finish this, I think we will more likely see a 3 rounder with Winners hand raised following the judges ruling at the end.

UKMMANEWS would like to wish the two guys all the best for Saturday, let’s hope this is the start of a sustained win streak for all the fighters from Team Rough House!

Unfortunately it seems that after an excellent fight Brad dropped a very close decision due to the positional dominance and takedowns of his opponent Scott Jorgensen.

Brent Brookhouse over at Bloody Elbow has the pbp of the fight:

Round 1 - Jorgensen throws a big shot that misses and Pickett is looking to counter and he briefly drops him with a right. Pickett landing some big punches and Jorgensen needs to rethink wild exchanges here. Pickett keeps catching kicks Jorgensen throws and countering him. Pickett misses with a big punch and pushes Jorgensen into the cage looking for a takedown but he can’t get it. Right hand by Jorgensen. Jorgensen slowing down and landing some jabs and looking better. Single leg by Jorgensen and Pickett bounces back up. Body shot from Jorgensen and Pickett’s mouthpiece comes out and as he’s picking it up and putting it in Jorgensen hits him so Pickett laughs. Pickett lands a big punch and Jorgensen wobbles and decides to shoot in and gets a takedown. Pickett tries for a guillotine but Jorgensen moves to side control. Pickett stands up though and they’re back to standing. Flying knee from Pickett lands. Nice left hand from Jorgensen and Pickett with a left hook. Big knee from Jorgensen and the round ends. GREAT round. This card is nuts already. VERY close but I’d go 10-9 Jorgensen.

Round 2 – Pickett landing hard with several punches early and Jorgensen is looking to unload a right hand. Pickett is starting to use the jab but Jorgensen walks in and lands two hard punches. One-two combo from Pickett. Pickett looking really good this round and landing a big body punch. Now a big right from Jorgensen and now a huge right from Pickett. This is nuts. Right hand from Pickett. Jorgensen can’t get the single leg so he lands a left hand. Now Pickett shoots and an accidental low blow from Pickett. They trade big shots with both men landing hard. Now Jorgensen is landing the better punches after the early part of the round being Pickett’s. Pickett shoots and Jorgensen stuffs it and ends up on top in Pickett’s guard. Jorgensen finally lands some elbows. I was ready to say Pickett was going to win the round but the work from the top here is probably going to win the round for Jorgensen. Pickett stands up as Jorgensen is looking for the mount and the round ends. 10-9 Jorgensen but could see it going either way.

Round 3 – Nothing new this round ad they’re both throwing but Jorgensen drops down and gets a takedown. Elbows from Jorgensen and Pickett is trying to find an escape. Pickett throws his legs up for a triangle and uses it to stand back up. Big right hand from Jorgensen and a left in return from Pickett. Jorgensen with another takedown and he’s taking the easiest path to victory here. Elbows from the top again. Pickett looks for the triangle and Jorgensen passes to side control and he should be safe to win now. Knees to the body from Jorgensen. Pickett manages to reverse to the top position with ten seconds left and the fight is over. 10-9 Jorgensen gives him a 30-27 win on my card, but it was much closer than that number makes it sound.

Scott Jorgensen wins by unanimous decision.

Small consolation though it is, the fight was awarded fight of the night honours and so a $10k bonus rounds out Brads pay packet. He adds this to his submission of the night hounours for his first fight against Kyle Dietz. In all 3 of his fights in the WEC Brad has shown he has all the tools to be a real force in the Bantamweight division and whoever his next opponent is, we are sure he will be surging up the world rankings himself in time.

The press release is as follows:

Kudegra Championship Fighting is pleased to announce that all of our monthly Mixed Martial Arts programmes, including adverts and spin-offs, will be shown on The Active Channel, a free-to-view channel for anyone in the UK with a Sky TV box, and anyone worldwide with a Sky+ box.

The Active Channel currently has 32 million viewers, 27.5 million of that number living in the UK, and their website www.theactivechannel.com attracts 5 million viewers itself. The show is available in 193 countries worldwide, and there are exciting plans in the pipeline that involve expansion into even more massive territories.

This is great news for our Sponsors and Advertisers, who can take advantage of deals that combine Arena signage, TV adverts and on-line ads at ground-floor prices which could put their message in front of million+ people a week

Kudegra kick off their series of events with a great Scotland vs England show to be held on the 18th September at the Meadowbank sports Arena in Edinburgh. The fight card is amazing with one of the highlights being the return of longtime UK Featherweight #1 Danny Batten facing off against Dinky Ninja Fight Teams Graham Turner.

Ian Freeman and the Kudegra team have been working hard since the announcement that Kudegra would be bursting onto the UK scene and securing a TV deal is a fantastic step towards pushing this promotion even further into prominence in the flourishing MMA landscape here in the UK.

September is going to be another huge month for MMA over here with another UCMMA show, Kudegras debut and of course BAMMA 4 all being shown on TV. Great news for UKMMA fans and of course for all the Kudegra team.

If you want more information you can email admin(at)kudgra.com of check the kudegra website

The evening’s main card opened with the first bout of Bellator’s first-ever heavyweight tournament, and the massive Grove did not disappoint. A straight left dropped opponent Eddie Sanchez in the opening seconds of the contest, and “Goliath” made sure he never had a chance to recover.

Grove unleashed a barrage of punches before returning to the feet and asking Sanchez to follow. Sanchez did, but he did so slowly. Grove returned to the attack, and several punches found their mark in addition to a powerful knee. Sanchez was wobbled, and Grove tossed him to the floor in the clinch. Grove again returned to his feet, and this time Sanchez was even slower to stand.

Sanchez did crawl back to a standing position, but his eye was closing, his body was wobbling, and he grabbed his head. Referee Jorge Alonso had no choice but to stop the fight just 92 seconds after it had begun.

After the win, Grove said the stoppage was just but also praised Sanchez’s durability.

“He’s very durable,” Grove said. “I knew I was going to have to hit him hard to finish the fight.”

With the win in his promotional debut, Grove (9-2-1 MMA, 1-0 BFC) is now unbeaten in his past three fights. Sanchez (12-4 MMA, 2-1 BFC) sees a four-fight win streak snapped.

A fantastic win for the big man as he progresses in the tournament. Congratulations to Neil from all of us here at UKMMANEWS.com and we look forward to seeing him in the next round!

Neil “Goliath” Grove (8-2-1) will take on Eddie Sanchez as the first round of the Bellator Heavyweight tournament gets underway. Whilst both men are UFC veterans, Grove had the one fight in the UFC, a loss to Mike Ciesnolevicz at UFC 95. Sanchez on the other hand has far more “big show” experience having had 6 fights in the organisation. Both men are very heavy hitters and this bout has fireworks written all over it. Sanchez is riding a 4 fight win streak with 3 of those finishing inside the distance. Grove has had mixed fortunes and is coming off a draw with Stav Economu at Ultimate Challenge back in May this year. He is definitely going to need to up his game from that fight in order to be competitive against Sanchez. In his last UCMMA fight Grove looked very tired early on, but it is testament to his toughness that he saw the fight out. At times he looked close to finishing Economu and almost had it won on points but for a final rally by “Crazy Bear” in the last round which saw him bring it level on the judges score cards.

Neil is one of the biggest men in the tournament and will be looking to use his size advantage to great effect over the California native. Whilst the list of opponents he has defeated in putting his recent win streak together has been less-than-stellar, Sanchez still provides a very real threat to Grove and as he proved in his most recent win against Marcus Sursa, even when he is looking beaten he can still find a way to win. This is a big opportunity and a big test for Goliath and UKMMANEWS would like to wish him all the best for tomorrow night.

We managed to catch up with One Punch to have a quick chat about this thoughts on his upcoming fight, his training and how it is to compete on such a big stage compared to his early career as a Cage Rage/UCMMA regular:

Hi Brad thanks for talking to us today. Your first fight in the WEC won you submission of the night and you probably would have got fight of the night in your second if you weren’t sharing the bill with the Garica / Zombie fight. You can’t begrudge them the bonus… did you manage to catch the fight?
I actually didnt get to see the fight, as I was sent to hospital with a shoulder injury and was sharing a ward with my opponent, Demetrious. We did hear it was an awesome fight though, and since then I have watched and it was great, they deserved the bonus all day!!

You have come a long way from your formative years on Cage Rage how does the “feel” of the WEC events differ from Cage Rage. Do you miss having the hometown advantage and seeing all your mates doing the dance to Chas N Dave as you walk in?
It’s always a bouns to have your friends and family there to watch you fight live, but I want to compete at the highest level, and right now thats in the WEC. But I do have hardcore friends and family who will be in Vegas to watch me.

You come from a boxing background and your fightname is ‘one punch’. Anyone who has followed your career from the beginning – will have seen some awesome KO’s from you. Your improvement as an all round fighter is obvious and you are no longer “just” a banger. Would you say your wrestling and ground game has now eclipsed your standup as being your main weapon?
Obviously I have been fighting in the game for 6 years, and I will and have improved in most areas. I did come into the sport as a striker, but quickly learnt I needed a groundgame to get anywhere in this sport, so I went to ATT to learn this. I do like to keep my fights standing, as I like to be exciting and its my style, but I am no mug on the ground!

Your opponent for WEC50, Scott Jorgensen is a good wrestler and can be a bit of a spoiler – he has most of his wins via decision. As someone who likes to finish fights, have you been doing anything specific to train for Scotts skillset and put yourself in a position to end this fight inside the distance? Will you be looking to keep this one standing and take him out on the feet?
I believe Scott and I, are both very well rounded, he will be a very tough fight for me, as I would like to think I am for him. Unless one of us makes a mistake, I can see this going the distance as we are both very hard to put away, and I see us getting fight of the night.

Jorgensen sits around #5 in the world in most peoples Bantamweight rankings. So a win in this fight puts you right up there. Do you feel any extra pressure fighting a top ten opponent?
Not anymore, as I put pressure on myself to win, all fights in the WEC are going to be hard, I would take no fight lightly, regardless of what the rankings say.

Should you be victorious against Jorgensen (and I know the whole of the UK hopes you are!) what’s next for Brad Pickett?
What ever the WEC decide, my future is in their hands, and I trust their matchmaking and judgement.

Do you think you are up there for a title shot or at least a #1 contender shot?
Some people say the winner should get a title shot, but I believe, more so for scott, as he has 4 wins in a row. If I beat him, maybe I’ve proven I am ready, but thats not up to me, that’s a WEC call.

If you could pick your own opponent from all the active BW’s in the world right now, outside the WEC, who would it be and why?
I’m not sure, all the best BW’s are in the WEC right now, so I would want to fight the best… Outside the WEC, I am not sure, I’m not going to say any names, as I dont want to sound like I’m calling people out.

The UFC and Zuffa are making big inroads into the UK and Europe, and I’m sure you’d love the opportunity to fight back at home again – Do you think we might see a WEC show in the UK in the future?
I hope so, make it happen Zuffa! I would love to fight for the WEC in England.

You do most of your training for fights at ATT and have done for a while: They have clearly been massively influential on your game. What’s it like training in the US compared to over here?
There are a lot more full time fighters, and higher calibre of partners. The training facilities are better, and I’m away from any home distractions. When I’m here, it’s to train and that’s it.

You still train at Team Titan when you are over in the UK. Do they all benefit from the training you are getting over in the US when you come back home with you bringing a few tricks, techniques and drills over?
I would like to think so, but Team Titan have helped me a lot to get me where I am today, and taught me a lot of my techniques that I know today.

There have been a few big Bantamweight fights domestically recently. Paul McVeigh got a big win at Caged Combat and Leigh Remedios now campaigns at 135lbs and will matchup with Neil Seery and then James Doolan. The division is looking really strong over here now. Do you keep an eye on your peers fighting in the UK and Europe and are you tipping any of these guys to join you in the WEC?
I believe UK fighters are doing well, in all weight classes, and would love to see a fellow UK fighter in the WEC, at any weight. Maybe it will be more likely when WEC come over to UK.

Is there anything else you’d like to say to our readers or anyone you’d like to thank before we let we go Brad?
Thanks for the support, I do read all the messages and it means a lot. Can I say thank you to my sponsors, Tri-Coasta, Jaco, Razorstorm, hooligan united, las vegas gun store and combat corner

Brad fights on the main card at WEC 50 on August 18th in Las Vegas. The event will be shown on Versus TV in the US.

UKMMANEWS would like to wish Brad all the best for his fight next week and will be reporting back on the fight as soon as we can. Also props to James Walsh for sorting the interview for us.

Preliminary card

* Welterweight bout: Ben Saunders vs. Dennis Hallman
* Heavyweight bout: Netherlands Stefan Struve vs. Christian Morecraft
* Welterweight bout: Johny Hendricks vs. Charlie Brenneman
* Light Heavyweight bout: Tim Boetsch vs. Todd Brown
* Light Heavyweight bout: Phil Davis vs. Rodney Wallace
* Welterweight bout: Dustin Hazelett vs. Rick Story

Main card
* Heavyweight bout: Roy Nelson vs.  Junior dos Santos
* Welterweight bout: Matt Hughes vs.  Ricardo Almeida
* Lightweight bout: Clay Guida vs.  Rafael dos Anjos
* Welterweight bout: Jon Fitch vs.  Thiago Alves
* Middleweight Championship bout:  Anderson Silva  vs. Chael Sonnen

Whilst a lot of the talk in the MMA world this weekend will be about the UFC Silva vs Sonnen event, on our own fair shores there are also two shows putting on some top class bouts.

Up in the northeast we have OMMAC 6with two titles on the line. The first is the Welterweight strap which will be contested by John Maguire and the defending champ Wayne Murrie. This is a mouthwatering clash between two fighters with almost identical records. Maguire has suffered 2 defeats, both on BAMMA: The first to Tom Watson via TKO due to injury and the second a narrow decision loss to Simeon Thoresen. Murrie hasn’t lost since 2008 and both his losses come via submission. Despite his striking background Murrie only has 4 of his 11 victories by stoppage, Maguire only has two and clearly favours the ground game in his fights. This will be only his third fight at welterweight and he presents a tough challenge for the champ. I can see this fight going the distance and if the old mantra “you have to beat the champ to be the champ” holds true, then Maguire will need to put in a dominant showing. Murrie showed heart and tenacity in his decision win over Pete Irving to take the title and a ruthless streak in his demolition of Marius Buzinkas and I think on the night he may just have that little bit too much for Maguire.

In the other title fight we have a featherweight clash between defending champ Ashleigh Grimshaw and undefeated prospect Dave Hill. I love the lighterweight fights and have always been vocal in my support of the featherweight division in the UK. We have some excellent fighters at this weight and it is a very exciting division. Hill is coming into this fight knowing he is taking a step-up in class against “the Ash Cream man” but he feels confident and more than up to the task. Hill has submitted all but one of his opponents thus far in his professional career and will be looking to add a big scalp in the shape of Grimshaw to his growing resume. Former Jess Liaudin student Grimshaw (now fighting out of Team Titan) is riding the momentum of a huge KO win over Paul Reed at BAMMA 3 into this fight. He is vastly more experienced than Hill and his 7-6-1 record doesn’t really do his skills credit. He is a big strong featherweight with a well rounded game and he is going to be a very tough test for Hill. Grimshaw will be aware of the ground threat Hill possesses and if it should hit the mat he has some skills of his own in that department, but it will be his punching power and wrestling that should serve him best in this fight. He has the benefit of a top-level training partner in Brad Pickett, who also trains out of Team Titan when he is not at ATT prepping for his WEC fights and I really think he will have too much for Hill in this one. In a recent interview Hill predicted an early stoppage in his favour but I think this may swing the other way and can see Ash taking a TKO win here.

Back “dahn sarf” (down south for those of you who don’t appreciate a cockney accent) UCMMA 14 – Invincible has a light-heavyweight title match between two undefeated fighters: Jimi “the poster boy” Manuwa and Valentino Petrescu. Both men put their perfect records on the line in a fight that has huge implications for the domestic LHW rankings. Manuwa has been tipped for big things and with all his fights finishing inside the distance, the majority by stoppage, he will be looking to prove that he has the tools to cut it on the bigger stage. Petrescu will be venturing away from his “home stage” of the Ultimate Warrior Challenge (UWC) shows where he has had all his professional fights. The home advantage will certainly lie with the poster boy and whether or not this will be a telling factor in the fight remains to be seen. This one is kind of a toss-a-coin matchup for me. Both men are well matched and to use an old MMA-writers cliche it is going to come down to who can assert their gameplan in this fight. A tough fight for both, I can’t see this going the distance: One of these men is going down! I’m picking Manuwa’s hand to be raised at the end.

Looking ahead a little way ahead into the month there are two other big fights involving UK talent: Londons own Brad “one punch” Pickett looks to carry on the momentum of his great run in the WEC as he faces off against Scott Jorgensen on the 18th at WEC 50. His two wins in the ZUFFA promotion, take his unbeaten streak to 9 fights. Were it not for him sharing a bill with the instantly legendary Garcia vs Chang Sung Jung fight, he may have taken the fight of the night award to go with the submission of the night award he earned on his debut for the promotion (a Peruvian Necktie win over Kyle Dietz). With most of his wins coming via decision Jorgensen can be a bit of a spoiler: He is very strong and uses his wrestling well. Pickett undoubtedly has the skills to deal with his latest opponent and may even look to resort to his boxing in search of the win here. It would be great to see Pickett take his run to 10 unbeaten and 3-0 in the promotion and from there we may even see another Englishman making a legitimate claim for a title shot on the big show as he will surely be in the title picture on the back of a victory here.

Rounding out a superb month for UKMMA will be Jeff Lawsons appearance at featherweight in Sengoku against world ranked Hatsu Hioki. Lawson is a long time veteran of the UK scene, making his pro-debut in 2002. A judo expert and grappling wizard, he has spent most of his career fighting as a lightweight. After his appearance in TUF9 he came to far greater prominence in the UK and a fight against Kenneth Rosfort off the back of the show, resulted in a KO loss: His first loss since 2006. The loss forced him to take stock and he decided to drop down a divison and has since taken two impressive submission wins inside the first minute. This fight is a huge test for the Bournemouth man and in stepping up he is fulfilling a lifelong dream of fighting in Japan. BJJ blackbelt Hioki has never been stopped and never been submitted and has only lost 4 of his 27 matches. He also holds a recent win over the other bright featherweight prospect from the UK fighting in Japan – Ronnie Mann. Jeff is coming into this fight as a pretty big underdog but with his reputation as a fast starter, he will no doubt look to take the fight straight to Hioki. He has a decent size advantage and an unorthodox game he may well be able to pull off the upset win here.

All the UK fans will be rooting for both Brad and Jeff come fight night. In the meantime enjoy this great weekend of fights!!

Although he only had a couple of professional MMA fights before injury put a halt to the run he was putting together, he made a big impression. A 30 second obliteration of Brian Blewitt and a submission victory over Greg Loughran were enough for him to be touted for big things. There was another fight as well which he won via armbar taking his actual professional record to 3-0 but this is not recorded on MMAUniverse or Sherdog.

We managed to get hold of David for an interview and were really impressed with how relaxed, open and honest he came across.

Hi Dave cheers for taking some time out to talk to us today.
No worries.

Hardcore UKMMA fans will be very familiar with you and your early career and certainly with your family name. Other more recently converted MMA fans may have only seen you on TV in Britain’s Hardest with Danny Dyer. For those readers that aren’t familiar with you, can you give them a little background on yourself please?
I started fighting at an early age. The first thing I competed in when I was about 6 or 7 was Judo which I did for about 4 years. After that I did thai boxing, boxing and started MMA in 2002. I taught kick boxing for a few years with my bro in Salford. I own Quannum Gym in Oldham and train the Quannum fight team. I am coached by some of the best guys around in my opinion: I wrestle with Billy Cooper, box with ex pros Ian Midwood and Andy Butlin, Thai box with Kru Aaron Chatfield and Markus Grosse, grapple with Les Allen and am coached BJJ by Roberto Atalla who is now based in Poland but a great friend who I still see and train with when I can. I thank him for a lot of my ground game as well as Les and Leigh Remedios who used to live at my house and has an excellent style for mma as he’s proved. I also have black belts in kick boxing and combat arts and some other shit. I train with my team and also have been helped through the years by close friends Aaron Chatfield and Matt 12 gauge Thorpe from the Colloseum.

So the obvious question is: How does it feel to be getting back in the cage after 7 years out?
It feels a long time coming. I love to fight and have been dreaming of getting back in.

Obviously in your time out from fighting, you haven’t been away from MMA as you run Quannum and you were the head coach for the UK M1 challenge team. As a man with a fighter’s heart, is it hard being around fights and fighters and not being able to get in there yourself?
Words can’t describe it. I teach 4-5 days a week at least and have had to watch people do something I love and not take part. I’ve always loved to spar hard and I’ve been unable to do anything but drill and light movement. How would you feel?

The M1 team made it right through to the semi-finals in their first time at the event. How was the M1 experience and will we see another UK team entering again in the future?
I don’t know about another UK team. If there is I won’t be taking part. I am going to be selfish for a while with my own training and that of my own team. As for the experience it was amazing. All the fighters were quality. Good guys and unbelievable fighters. We had a real laugh and many experiences I will never forget. It’s great to see Rob Broughton and Tom Blackledge going on to the UFC. No one more deserving than those two, it was an honour to work with them. It was actually more nerve racking cornering the 5 guys than if I was fighting!! Wrecked me but what a thrill!!

Can you tell us about the nature of the injury that has kept you away from fighting for so long?
It isn’t just one injury. After I fought Greg Loughran at UC I had time off over Christmas when I came back my knee was fucked, I had an MRI and avoided surgery but was out of serious training for a while. It was then one thing after another (usually smashing my hands). I could train but not have the ability to put a 6week run together for a fight and I won’t do things half hearted.

Just over 4 years ago I had a mishap in a car. I hit the same wall four times in a spin. I partially tore the cartilage where the rib joins the sternum. When I moved my arm back my rib looked like it was giving the finger. The specialists concern was if it tore completely I would end up with a compound fracture. They couldn’t fuse it like they do at the back because the front ribs need to move as they expand and contract so I was left with few options: Do fuck all or risk serious injury. I had to go for regular checks and it was improving. I was on 240mg a day of codeine for the pain which made me like a zombie most of the time but I got checked and the all clear last November and have been steadily getting back in shape since. I now feel fit and strong again and am improving steadily.

Will we see a “new” B-52 stepping into the cage at Kudegra?
Haha I wish!! No you will be seeing an old B-52!!

But would you say you are different as a fighter to the 2003 version of yourself?
Very different! I was scrappy with limited wrestling back then. I had also only done 12-18 months of submissions. I’ve now done 8 years and incorporated wrestling and with the advances in the game and the great guys I’ve had the pleasure to train with I believe I’m a more complete fighter.

You were known for your explosive power punching. (Your 30 second destruction of Brian Blewitt is proof for any readers that care to go look it up). Is your striking ability still the main part of your game and is the KO always the finish you look for?
I don’t feel my striking was the main part of my game, I was just blessed with heavy hands. I have always preferred submissions to be honest. I don’t look for any particular finish, I just see what comes. I got lucky against Brian.

Your opponent for this fight is Kent Kauppinen, who is just coming off a decision loss to Ali Arish and prior to that was unbeaten….what are your thoughts on the challenge your opponent poses to you?
He’s a pro mma fighter with finishes by sub and tko from what I’ve heard so I would imagine a big challenge. I haven’t ever seen him so can’t really comment but I have massive respect for any fighter and will prepare accordingly.

You have fought at both 77 and 70 kilos, is welterweight a better weight class for you do you think, or will you consider cutting to lightweight again when you have had a few more fights?
I am happy fighting at either. At the moment I’m still quite heavy and it’s been 7 years since I saw 70kgs. I’m boxing at 80kgs so 77 makes sense for this.

Have you set yourself goals for your comeback?
To win one fight at a time and avoid injury. I might take an advanced driving course! [laughs]

Are you back fighting again simply because you enjoy it or is this a statement of intent for you to make a run at the top level welterweights in the UK?
I just want to punch and kick people again and see if I can carry my skills from the gym into the cage. I don’t want to be teaching things that I’ve not tried and tested.

As we mentioned earlier, you will be fighting at Kudegra on the 1st round of the Heavyweight tournament card in October. Kudegra will be running a lightweight tournament in December (with their Lightweight bracket actually being u77k). Will we be seeing you in the tournament?
I’m not looking past this fight. It’s all I’m bothered about right now.

Are there any fighters currently active domestically who you think you match up well with and would want to fight?
I would hope my style is exciting for people to watch so any fight would potentially be a good fight. I feel comfortable in all ranges and look to finish. I’m not headhunting anyone if that’s what you mean. I don’t like calling people out. This is a sport and I don’t like it to get personal. If it does its no longer sport and no longer for a cage and ref. I am fighting because I enjoy it.

With the exception of the British contingent already active in the UFC, which fighters in the UK right now impress you the most?
Both Sinclairs, Paul McVeigh, James Doolan, Danny Mitchell, Remedios – for an old bloke [laughs]. There are loads of good guys and my memory’s shit! Too many punches!

Anyone out there that you are tipping for big things?
All the above! Also watch out for Team Quannum fighters Andy Butlins return, Jordan McClusky, Danny Giblin, Ollie Barnes and Danny Cullen and Team Colloseum fighter Saul Rogers is going places too.

We are seeing loads of new promotions with big ideas and intentions, Kudegra being one of them. As someone who’s been around since MMA was at a grass roots stage in the UK, what are your thoughts on the domestic scene right now?
I think it is exciting, Kudegra especially looks promising which is why I’m fighting on it! I’ve enjoyed a lot of the shows I’ve been to recently big or small and as long as the safety aspect is catered for and the matchmaking is good then I’m all for them.

Finally Dave, before we let you get back to training, is there anything else you’d like to say or shout outs you want to give?
Yeah, I would like to give a big shout out to my friend and student Markus Grosse who is in the Kudegra HW tournament. He’s an awesome prospect and I am happy to have the pleasure of coaching him. He’s also helping me out with sharpening up my kicks! And cheers to Ian Freeman and the guys at Kudegra for giving me this opportunity.
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The first round of the Kudegra Tournament will be the heavyweights on October 9th at Hull Ice Arena. For full details and fight cards go to the Kudegra Championship Fighting website

If you want to train with the Butlin brothers at the Quannum gym then you can check out their website for training times and contact information.

Daley however will first fulfill a one fight contract at Shark Fights 13 on September 11th at the Civic Center Coliseum in Amarillo, Texas where he will meet  opponent Evangelista Cyborg.

After this Daley will also compete in a Dutch promotion UnitedGlory.nl where according to their website he will be part of a welterweight tournament (along with Shinya Aoki (at  welterweight?!?) and Marius Zaromskis). This will kick off October 16th and wrap-up April 2011.

So far however the Strikeforce signing and the welterweight tournament are to be confirmed by Daleys management.

Still it makes for an exciting potential match up between Paul Daley and Nick Diaz. Wow!