After an atrocious October, the ‘Brits Abroad’ bounced back strong in November, winning five out of eight contests in international territory.
Liam McGeary (11-1) was the first Brit to fight abroad in November, as he headed over to Uncasville, Connecticut to defend his Bellator light-heavyweight belt against Phil Davis (17-3) in the main event of Bellator 163. McGeary, who captured the title last year after defeating Emanuel Newton, had not fought since defending his title against Tito Ortiz in September of last year. It would prove to be a rough night for the man from King’s Lynn, as he was unable to stop Davis’ relentless takedowns and was subsequently dominated from the top position, losing a lopsided unanimous decision and his Bellator strap.
Up next was heavyweight debutant Liam Stamp (1-0), who fought on REON: Klondaika Gigant Fights 5 in Latvia. Despite being in enemy territory, Stamp would finish his Latvian foe in the second stanza, forcing Arturs Zviedris (1-1) to submit to a rear-naked choke.
Also featured on the card was UK MMA regular Andrei Manzolo (12-4), who submitted the overmatched Janis Eisaks (1-2) with an armbar in the very first round.
On November 19, two more Brits headed stateside, this time to compete on Bellator 165: Chandler vs. Henderson, which was hosted at the SAP Centre in San Jose, California. Linton Vassell (17-5), who currently sits at #3 in The Sprawl UK MMA light-heavyweight rankings, competed first, defeating Georges St-Pierre’s training partner Francis Carmont (25-12) via unanimous decision. In a very Vassell-esque performance, the Blackzilian representative dominated by controlling his French opponent from the back for large portions of the fight.
The heavily hyped and #5 ranked welterweight Michael “Venom” Page (11-0) fought in the evening’s co-main event, against Fernando Gonzalez (25-14) – a man who he had been scheduled to face twice prior. Page went the distance for only the second time in his career. Much like the last time he required the judge’s assistance, in an Oct 2014 victory over Nah-Shon Burrell, the fight was largely underwhelming. Despite a significant reach and height advantage, Page was unable to land any of his infamous’ blitzes on Gonzalez. Page’s win boosts his Bellator MMA record to 8-0, meanwhile, the loss brings Gonzalez’s five-fight win streak to a halt.
Also fighting abroad on November 19 were the Brits competing on Spartacus Fighting Championship’s fourth event in Plovdiv, Bulgaria. The card featured UCMMA Heavyweight champion John Demmel (8-1), as he made quick work of Lucas Xavier (1-1), causing a TKO stoppage in just 30-seconds. Brits Jimmy Millar (3-7) and Colin Wilby (2-8) also competed at the event, as they were stopped by Ali Eskiev (6-0) and Bruno Silva (6-12-1) respectively.
Jack McGann (11-3) ended the month on a high note with his stunning knockout of Igor Egorov (12-5) in the main event of Fight Nights Global 55: Synergy Time. The 23-year-old fought in Russia for the third time in six months, however this was definitely his best performance to date, as he landed a picture-perfect uppercut on Egorov, causing him to face-plant dramatically into the canvas.
You can watch the McGann fight below.
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