Brits Abroad: February

In this month’s edition, we recap the travels of six Brits Abroad, including two who fought more than once.

At the start of February, Valmyr Neto (5-2) sported a 2-1 MMA record and had not competed since 2011, however by the end of the month, the DFC head coach would add a further four (yes, four) fights to his tally. 

The BJJ Black Belt fought on consecutive weekends throughout February, starting with a late-notice win on UCMMA 50 and then casually hopping over to Delhi, India, to compete under the Super Fight League banner. The 33-year old cruised to victory in his first two appearances for the promotion, triangle choking both Manoj Chauhan (3-4) and Xico Zorin Mawiia (2-2) in the first round of both fights. Neto’s improbable month ended on a sour note, dropping a unanimous decision to Indian bantamweight prospect Kantharaj Shankar Agasa (6-0) at Super Fight League 2017: The Final Collision.

In the Super Fight League headline event, Jamaine Facey (10-10) swiftly defeated Congolese debutant Boaz Young (0-1) courtesy of nasty ground and pound. The show also featured the professional mixed martial arts debut of Neto’s wife, Liz Pereria (0-1), who faced 18-year old Nepalese prodigy Asha Roka (4-0). Unfortunately, Pereira suffered a similar fate to Young, succumbing to strikes in the opening stanza.

Scottish featherweight Tanvir Boora (2-0) also racked up a pair of wins in the Super Fight League this past month, submitting Suraj Bahadur (2-4) with a kneebar in the first round, as well as picking up a 37-second TKO victory of Vikash Singh Rhuil (5-5).

Sunderland-based lightweight Andrew Fisher (15-8-1) traveled to Sao Paulo, Brazil for Arzalet Fighting Globe Championship’s inaugural event in February. Fisher was originally scheduled to face Jorge Patino (38-18), but when the MMA legend was forced to withdraw, Diego Vargas (7-5) stepped up on short notice. Fisher submitted Vargas in the third round with a north-south choke – the third one in his career. Fisher is now 3-1 since his move to lightweight in 2015.

February also witnessed #4 ranked UK heavyweight Oli Thompson (17-10) facing Cheick Kongo (26-10-2) in the co-main event of Bellator 172: Thomson vs. Pitbull, in San Jose, California. Thompson was mauled from bell-to-bell by his former training partner, with two judges awarding 30-25 scores in their unanimous decision verdict for Kongo. After going 5-0 in 2016, Thompson now loses for the second consecutive outing and falls to 0-2 under the Bellator banner. Kongo meanwhile now boasts a four-fight win streak, with all four wins coming via decision.