THE latest TKMMA show has been hailed as the best ever by director Jay Bacchus, after more than 800 fans packed into the Handy Cross Sports Centre on Saturday night.
Tier Blundell won the headline fight of the evening as he secured a first-round submission from Stuart McDowell to win the British Featherweight title, but Bacchus believes the overall standard made TKMMA 3, Reign of Fury, better than the two that had gone before.
He said: “It’s the best show we’ve had so far. The quality of the fighters and the standard of the fights has really gone up.
“All the fighters have come a long way since TKMMA 1 in November and there were a few new guys that stood out too.
“I can’t say there are many on the bill who wouldn’t be welcomed back.”
British champion Matt Holland also stepped into the cage to beat Karl Knight in a non-title kickboxing bout, while Gilbert Woods continued his rise up the pecking order by beating Simon Squires by submission.
Other highlights saw Trevor Hopkins go down fighting after a brave toe-to-toe exchange with British champion boxer Ben Underwood, while fireman James O’Hara was beaten by Elliot Wheeler in an all-Wycombe contest.
And with another healthy crowd in attendance, Bacchus believes mixed martial arts is beginning to rid itself of an unfounded reputation.
He said: “From the outside, boxing and wrestling are still the clean sports. MMA is so new and it’s perceived as cage fighting and a bit underground.
“But to the younger generation, it’s as natural as any contact sport.
“It is fully licensed, there are very strict rules and fighter safety is our number one interest.
“It’s not about going out there and slugging. It’s very technical. When they go to the floor it’s like a game of chess, anticipating your opponent’s next move
“Those that are ignorant call it cagefighting. Those that aren’t call it TKMMA. That’s what it is and we’re going from strength to strength.
“There was a really good crowd there on Saturday and it has really taken off now.”
TKMMA 4 is scheduled for July 27, with two more shows in September and November.
