BCMMA have today announced that Luis Gonzalez has been forced to withdraw from his Flyweight title fight against Jamie Powell (5-0) at BCMMA 16 due to a shoulder injury. Gonzalez has been replaced by Owen Gayle (5-4), the fighter who recently beat Gonzalez by KO at Shock N Awe 22.
Fighting out of the very well respected Gym 01 under head coach Brian Adams, Gayle has made a name for himself as a finisher who always comes to fight. He has finished his opponent in every fight he has won, four of those five victories happened before the end of the first round. His victory last time out against the always tough Gonzalez proves the calibre of fighter he is and to finish him in under a minute certainly put his name on the map of UKMMA. Although he has struggled to put a streak together since beginning his career 3-0, his last victory will give him all the confidence in the world that now is the time for a new streak to begin.
Jamie Powell, who will come in to this fight having picked up the biggest win of his career last time out against Spencer Hewitt in February. Undefeated as a pro, Powell has raced to 5-0 since making his debut in February ’15. Powell is no stranger to the limelight having fought on one of the biggest UKMMA shows of last year, when he beat Arnaud Dos Santos via rear naked choke at BAMMA 21.
BCMMA promoter Jack Mason gave us his thoughts on the new match up:
“I am really disappointed to lose Luis from the card as he is a BCMMA fan favourite but with every cloud there is a silver lining and Owen Gayle is one of the most exciting Flyweights in the country and it’s an honour and pleasure to have him on board. Both Gayle and Powell are coming in with huge wins over top ranked UK competition in an eagerly awaited Flyweight title bout.
“It will be interesting to see how this one goes down but absolutely no doubt this one is going to be exciting!!”
This is certain to be a fight the fans in attendance will want to keep focused on as both men have the ability to make this a short but exciting fight.
A further change has been made to the card due to Molly McCann having to withdraw from her scheduled title fight for undisclosed reasons.
As always, BCMMA 16 takes place at Colchester’s Charter Hall on 23rd July and is headlined by the return of Kerry Hughes who takes on Stephanie Page for the female bantamweight title. Tickets are still available and can be purchased here.
