British Association of Mixed Martial Arts (BAMMA) is Launched 
The British Association of Mixed Martial Arts today unveiled their plans for a series of events that will air on UK TV channel Bravo.
Holding a press conference at a trendy hotel in London’s West End, radio DJ Christian O’Connell was joined by members of production company Giant TV and London MMA promoter Dave O’Donnell (formerly of Cage Rage).
O’Connell and co outlined the plans for a series of three events, to take place in June, August and September.
Using a tournament format, the June 27 event will see semi-finals of the lightweight, welterweight and middleweight brackets while the as yet unscheduled August show will feature featherweight, light heavyweight and heavyweight fighters. The finalists of each weight category will battle for titles on a September event.
“MMA is crying out for a decent platform and it’s great to see some money put into the sport” said Christian O’Connell.
“The promotion will be brilliant, there will be a high production quality and it’ll work well as a good TV show. MMA will stop being intimidating for audiences; it’ll no longer feel like you’re just watching a load of bouncers, or the bullies from school.
It’s going to change the game in terms of how MMA is presented on TV and make the others step up.”
“With the plans laid out in front of us, it can only go one way – to the top” added O’Donnell. “It’ll put MMA mainstream.
Three years ago it was hard to find a gym where you could train MMA, now everyone’s screaming for it.”
The locations are also set to go upmarket, with the emphasis on spectators experiencing ‘a great night out’ in a spectacular venue. The event on June 27 will be held in the Room by the River, a temporary structure that is annually rebuilt with a different layout.
Announced for the first semi-final are fighters such as Tom Watson, Che Mills and Abdul Mohamed.
The 3-hour long programmes will air on Bravo TV with a slight delay, with the first show airing 24 hours later, on June 28.
Linear Mode
