Top UK MMA Bamma fighters

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By: Padraig Whelan

BAMMA – Top Fighters

BAMMA (British Association of Mixed Martial Arts) is widely considered to be the biggest promotion in not just the United Kingdom but in Europe. Yet who are the fighters who have given it this reputation?

Rob Sinclair (12-2)

The lightweight champion is one of the organisation’s biggest names and hardest hitters having claimed KO or TKO victories in nine of his 12 career wins. A former Cage Gladiators lightweight champion, he has since gone on to claim the BAMMA gold in the 155lb division. The Team Kaobon fighter won the title two years ago with a first round TKO of Nathan Beer and has towered over the rest of the decision ever since. Daniel Weichel also failed to get out of the first round against him in his first title defence and he knocked out European featherweight champion Diego Vital last year to assert his dominance against all comers. Former UFC star Andre Winner was the latest to come up short against the Burnley-born fighter after Sinclair came out on top via split decision to retain his title for the third time and remain king of the division. He is rumoured to be fighting Curt Warburton next although nothing is confirmed as yet.

Tom Watson (15-5)

Coming off the back of an impressive UFC debut on the recent card in Nottingham in which he was only beaten by a split decision against an on-form Brad Tavares, Tom Watson is one of the biggest names in British MMA. Before joining BAMMA, ‘Kong’ had won the UCMMA middleweight title and in his first fight in the organisation at BAMMA’s maiden event he punched out gypsy jiu-jitsu practitioner John Maguire. In his second fight there he won the title by beating USA’s Matt Horwich via unanimous decision. He fought all comers keen to take away his 185lb strap with Alex Reid also being bested before brilliant finishes of Murilo Rua and Jack Marshman helped him retain the title and gave him the confidence to take the step up to the UFC last weekend and he will be a formidable opponent for most due to his quick hand speed and skilled ground game.

Colin Fletcher (8-1)

He may have only fought twice to date in BAMMA but he is one of the most dangerous fighters and unique personalities in the sport in the UK. The Sunderland man is a very decorated fighter having been British welterweight champion in both Strike and Submit and Total Combat as well as being European lightweight champion, he is also an extremely feared submission expert having submitted seven of nine opponents.

‘Freakshow’ has recently shot to fame by starring on the UFC  reality show ‘The Smashes’ in which British fighters take on their Australian counterparts and has instantly become one of the most popular men on the show. He has looked very impressive in both his BAMMA fights to date having taped David Round with a first round guillotine late last year and then eking out a strong decision win over Jason Ball earlier this year.

Colin Fletcher (11-1)

The Welshman is a true star in the making and, at the age of just 22-years-old, he will go on to great things in the sport. A former Army boxing champion, he is also a member of the British armed forces and fights whenever he is not on duty and has assembled an extremely impressive record during this time and shows a maturity and skill beyond his years. He also made history by becoming the first ever BAMMA middleweight champion last year by beating Carl Noon before defending the title against Lee Barnes in Nottingham three months later. Although he did lose in his bid for world BAMMA championship glory in his next fight in the only loss of his career to date, it is hardly anything to be ashamed of losing to an opponent of the calibre and experience of Tom Watson. He bounced straight back though with a win over the impressive Andrew Punshon by triangle choke proving that he is more than just a striker although he was stripped of the British title after that fight for coming in overweight but it seems only a matter of time before the belt is around the waist of ‘The Hammer’ once more.

Andre Winner (14-7-1)

An excellent fighter strong both on the stand-up and on the ground, he has taken to the BAMMA like a duck to water since leaving the UFC last year and stormed through Jason Ball and Diego Gonzalez via unanimous decisions to earn a title shot. Although he did eventually come up short against a game Rob Sinclair, he had nonetheless proven in his three fights that he was more than capable of causing problems for anyone in the lightweight division and the 30-year-old still has plenty of time left to attempt to wrestle the gold from Sinclair and there may be a rematch between those two on the cards some time down the line.

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