Contenders East Anglia are set to have their 18th event on Saturday, February 25 at the Norfolk Showground Arena.
The following match-ups have been confirmed so far:
Main Event: Ylies Dijourn (c) vs. Adam Boussif – European Lightweight MMA title
Former Cage Warriors title challenger Adam Boussif (9-5) looks for another chance at gold against Frenchman Ylies Dijourn (11-4). Boussif has had mixed success of late, having lost his last two fights. However these losses are not without their caveats, one being a result of a short notice fight in Taiwan, and one courtesy of a truly special fighter in Cage Warriors lightweight champion Chris Fishgold.
Meanwhile, Dijourn will be keen to further establish himself as one of few fighters who have managed to transfer their success on the French MMA scene to an international level. Due to French laws regarding combat sports, many bouts there involve the omission of striking on the ground and other pesky rule alterations. This forces French fighters with higher aspirations to seek their fortunes overseas. Dijourn is on a three fight finishing streak with three guillotine chokes, so a match up with a fellow grappling specialist in Boussif should make for an interesting main event..
Tom Mearns vs. Damian Frankiewicz – European Featherweight MMA title
Northampton’s Tom Mearns (3-0) will face Poland’s Damian Frankiewicz (3-1) in this featherweight title match up between two fighters with impressive young careers. Mearns has had a perfect pro career on top of his amateur stint, with three finishes in three fights. Frankiewicz’s also holds three stoppage victories, with his only loss came in BAMMA courtesy of Commonwealth Games wrestling medallist Mike Grundy.
Andre Goncalves vs. Linas Meistavicious – Pro Lightweight MMA
Goncalves (2-1-1) will be enjoying the hometown advantage in the biggest way possible, living in Norwich and training at Tsunami Gym. Also, all of his professional fights have been for the Contenders organisation and have taken place in Norwich. He will face Linas Meistavicius (0-9), who is yet to achieve a victory in his MMA career and has been finished eight times in the first round.
Josh Leet vs. Jamie Richardson – Pro Welterweight MMA
In his second professional MMA bout, Leet (1-0) will struggle to top the impressive 29 second submission victory that he achieved in his debut. He will be facing the more experienced Jamie Richardson (3-3) from Force MMA. It’ll be a quick turnover for Richardson, who had a successful return to MMA at Contenders 17 on the 10th of December after a long layoff due to injury, also putting to an end his three fight losing streak to very tough opposition. This will be a pivotal fight in the careers of both young fighters.
Ollie Sarwa vs. Henry Mezzetti – Amateur K1 Title
This K1 kickboxing bout between these two skilled teenaged prospects will be one to watch. Ollie Sarwa is one of three fighters from Force MMA in Stevenage fighting on the card, alongside Boussif and Richardson during what will undoubtedly be a big night for the team. Both Sarwa (3-1) and Mezzetti (1-0) hold amateur MMA records, and will be looking to test their striking skills in this interesting K1 matchup.
Jemma Thomas vs. Naomi Harvey – Pro Strawweight MMA
In what is hopefully a sign of a growing professional strawweight scene for women’s MMA in the UK, Naomi Harvey will be making her professional debut, while Jema Thomas steps into the cage for the second time as a pro, having made a successful debut back in November.
Contenders 18 looks to be shaping up to be yet another promising domestic MMA card, and a great start to the New Year for the ever-improving promotion.
