BAMMA 25 takes place this Saturday from the Barclaycard Arena in Birmingham, England. The card is one of the best UKMMA cards of all time and is definitely the most stacked UKMMA card of the year.
BAMMA 25 features four title fights. Bitter rivals Marc Diakiese and Kane Mousah are set to battle for the Lonsdale Lightweight Championship; Diakiese is the titleholder. Mark Godbeer attempts to defend his BAMMA Heavyweight title against Stuart Austin, who holds the Lonsdale Heavyweight belt. BAMMA Lightweight Champion Martin Stapleton will try to defend his title against Frenchman Damien Lapilus. In one of the most anticipated bouts of the year, top prospect and soon to be UFC bantamweight Tom Duquesnoy, challenged Shay Walsh for his BAMMA Bantamweight Title.
We’re going to be running you through the four title fights scheduled to take place below.
Marc Diakiese (C) vs. Kane Mousah – Lonsdale Lightweight Championship
Both of these men are undefeated, with Diakiese holding a record of 8-0 and Mousah holding a record of 7-0. Diakiese has definitely fought better competition than Mousah, and holds wins over names such as Jack McGann and Rick Selvarajah, both of whom were undefeated until they met Diakiese. “Bonecrusher” is 4-0 under BAMMA while Mousah made his BAMMA debut last time out, defeating Myles Price via decision. This scrap is definitely one of the most anticipated not only because of the possible fireworks it could hold, but because of the trash talk between both men. It was Diakiese who sparked the feud on Twitter, and he has continuously taken digs at Mousah. Mousah has fired back a few times on Twitter but for the most part is ignoring Diakiese’s insults. Before his last bout, Diakiese was criticised heavily for his lack of finishes under the BAMMA banner, but he proved just how dangerous he is as he dispatched of Rick Selvarajah in a mere 24-seconds. Mousah took home a decision in the aforementioned bout with Myles Price, but didn’t looks good as he has and can. Mousah looks slow and tired quickly during the bout. You could blame that on the fact that it was his BAMMA debut and he had been out of action for almost a full year. These guys were originally scheduled to fight at BAMMA 17 but an injury to Mousah meant the bout had to be cancelled. I think this fight is going to be very competitive in the early goings with both men landing hard punches, but I see Diakiese’s versatility and athleticism winning the fight. I can see Diakiese retaining his belt with a rather one-sided decision victory.
Marc Diakiese via Unanimous Decision
Mark Godbeer (C) vs. Stuart Austin – BAMMA Heavyweight Championship
This is a very, very intriguing fight. Godbeer is back after retiring, and un-retiring from MMA and seems to be mentally very strong at the moment, while Austin is coming off his victory over Thomas Denham at BAMMA 23, which won him the Lonsdale Heavyweight Championship, a belt that will not be on the line in this bout. Godbeer’s last outing was in Birmingham at BAMMA 21, where he cooly dominated, and eventually defeated Paul Taylor. Both of these men are Bellator veterans with Godbeer going 0-1 in his short time and Austin going 1-1. Godbeer was scheduled to face Ruben Wolf at BAMMA 23 but after Wolf pulled out due to Visa issues, Godbeer retired from the sport due to numerous injuries and a lack of income. Godbeer did tell me a few months back that he is delighted with his new BAMMA contract, though. This fight is a very hard one to pick and could really go either way. If you’ve been following Stuart Austin’s fight camp you know he’s concentrating on his athleticism and I think his movement and speed could play a big part in this fight. I think Stuart Austin plays it smart in this fight and utilises a lot of movement. I can see him taking home a decision victory at the end of the fight and the BAMMA Heavyweight Title at the end of the night.
Stuart Austin via Unanimous Decision
Martin Stapleton (C) vs. Damien Lapilus – BAMMA Lightweight Championship
Martin Stapleton is coming off a very impressive and dominant performance where he beat Gavin Sterritt and captured BAMMA gold. Stapleton finished the fight in just 75-seconds in the main event of BAMMA 23. Lapilus, however, made his BAMMA debut last time out and shocked almost everybody watching with a quick finish over lightweight prospect Jack McGann. McGann has solidified himself as one of the most skilled fighters in the lightweight division and Lapilus dispatched of him easily, picking up a rear naked choke victory at 3:30 in the first round. Stapleton’s last three fights have been at BAMMA, and he’s won them all. He made his BAMMA debut at BAMMA 18 and stopped Sebastian Fournier before picking up a TKO victory over Jeremy Petley at BAMMA 19, and most recently winning the title at BAMMA 23. With a record of 17-4, Stapleton has tonnes of experience, while Lapilus has 17 fights all together, compiling a record of 12-5. Stapleton is riding a four fight win streak while Lapilus has won two in a row. I think Stapleton proves just how good he is on Saturday night and takes home a fifth consecutive victory after a tough few rounds.
Martin Stapleton via Submission; Round 3
Shay Walsh (C) vs. Tom Duquesnoy – BAMMA Bantamweight Championship
In this bout, the BAMMA Bantamweight Champion Shay Walsh defends his belt against BAMMA Featherweight Champion Tom Duquesnoy; Duquesnoy’s belt will not be on the line. This is another highly anticipated bout, and rightly so. Walsh has a record of 14-3 and took Ed Arthur’s undefeated record away from him last time out, by winning a decision and walking away with the title. The Englishman is on a four fight win streak and has never looked better. Duquesnoy, however, holds a record of 12-1 and is riding an eight fight win streak with one No Contest mixed in there. Duquesnoy is ranked #1 prospect outside the UFC is numerous lists and told me a while back that he has agreed to sign with the UFC after his deal with BAMMA is up. If I am correct, he has two more fights including this one left. Both of these men like to stand, with Duquesnoy using more flashy techniques while Walsh fights like a traditional boxer with some kicks. Walsh spends his training camps at Tiger Muay Thai in Thailand while Duquesnoy resides in Albuquerque with Jackson’s MMA. A huge advantage for this fight for Duquesnoy is the fact that head coach Greg Jackson is coming over to Birmingham to corner him for the first time. This has the potential to be one of the best fights of the year, and if you’ve watched either guy fight, you know both Duquesnoy and Walsh do not shy away from a brawl. I can’t see this fight being a brawl, though, and I think we see the more technical sides of each fighters game, and after three hard fought rounds in the main event of BAMMA 25, I see Tom “Fire Kid” Duquesnoy walking away with a victory.
Tom Duquesnoy via Unanimous Decision
BAMMA 25 takes place live from the Barclaycard Arena in Birmingham, England. The card features four title fights and is headlined by a Bantamweight Championship fight between titleholder Shay Walsh and Featherweight Champion Tom Duquesnoy
