Cool Britannia: A British Golden Age

On July 27, 2024, the most important event in the history of British mixed martial arts will take place, with classic British irony, considering most of the population will not be awake to witness it. Nocturnal activities are, of course, hardly a novelty for the British fanbase, with the average UFC experience reaching its climax as the sun begins to rise.

Luckily this innocuous scheduling mix-up only amounts to a small but bitter pill, within what is otherwise a feast of MMA action, containing the greatest collection of talent, that a British event has ever seen. This is a point that can be quickly hammered home by comparing UFC 304 with its centenary predecessor UFC 204, a card which likewise took place in Manchester and at the time represented the greatest amount of UFC gold on UK soil.

The Card

The main card of 204 contained only 2 British fighters, the recently- anointed champion Michael Bisping and promising light heavyweight Jimi Manuwa, ranked No. 14 going into his bout with No. 11 contender Ovince Saint Preux. Not exactly the makings of a commercial blockbuster of a PPV, with the remainder of the main card involving a talented but uninspiring set of Europeans, another irony considering the heights of Euroscepticism in 2016.

Compare this to UFC 304, and it becomes crystal clear exactly how far British MMA has risen in that time (both athletically and commercially). Prior to a last-minute switch around, there was a British fighter in each main card slot, with all but one (Paddy Pimblett) ranked inside the top 6 of their respective divisions. More importantly, and unprecedentedly, the card is headlined by two British champions, both of whom will be quick to remind you that they won their belts out of UK gyms, making the welterweight and heavyweight belts, bona-fide British exports.

To understand such patriotic fervour, certain questions need to be answered, namely. What is the state of British MMA? Where are the domestic talent factories? And who has carried the flag for Britain?

Promotions Galore

The first major event to be held in the United Kingdom took place at the Royal Albert Hall on July 13, 2002. It saw at the time unchallenged welterweight great Matt Hughes emphatically defend his title against Carlos Newton on a night of devastating main card finishes. This initial expedition across the pond proved to be a firing gun signalling a frantic sprint to establish a UK-based competitor to the UFC, in the wake of the successful showing at the Albert Hall.

Of course, for saner heads this was really a marathon, with the Cage Warriors promotion ultimately winning that contest as both a feeder league for the UFC and genuine innovator within the MMA world. Other less fortunate (or foolhardier) promotions included Cage Rage, a counterculture, spectacle-orientated promotion which ran from 2002 to 2008, and its woefully mismanaged successor, BAMMA (British Association of Mixed Martial Arts).

These latter promotions certainly had major upsides, both were committed to bringing through the next generation of UK talent (Leon Edwards, Paul Daley, Jimi Manuwa, Brendan Loughnane, Tom Aspinall), as well as attracting international stars such as Anderson Silva and Frank Trigg, to bolster their fledgling reputation.

Despite initially being rewarded with a lucrative Sky Sports contract, unfashionable presentation and expletive post-fight interviews saw Cage Rage relegated to the short-lived “Nuts Magazine TV”, to live out the rest of its days on the outward tide of early 2000’s lad culture. Its successor proved equally unfit to challenge the UFC, as although it absorbed most of the Cage Rage roster, it’s deflated viewership and overpromising to sponsors ensured that it bounced around networks, never able to truly build a consistent fanbase thanks to its erratic release schedule and negligible marketing, a strategy which has come back to bite another promotion involving Scott Coker in recent years.

A Bright Spark

The Cage Warriors promotion was founded in 2001 by MMA enthusiast Dougie Truman, before holding its first major card on July 27, 2002 in the wake of that fateful night at the Albert Hall. Until the turn of the decade, it limped along under the weight of its more high-profile UK competitors and by the time of its 2010 acquisition by Graham Boylan, its assets stood at “three cardboard boxes, and matchmaker Ian Dean”.

Boylan’s ability to leverage his business acumen and substantive contacts into a consistent release schedule saw the promotion fly over the next few years, as the company expanded its influence into Europe and nurtured the biggest star that this sport has ever seen in Conor McGregor.

Yet under the surface all was not well, with structural issues and a budget deficit eating into promotional revenue, resulting in Cage Warriors closing its doors for the entirety of 2015, after Boylan’s dramatic exit as CEO at the end of 2014.

Fortunately, this decision was short-lived, with Boylan staging a comeback in 2016 propped up by streaming deals with UFC Fight Pass and BT Sport. The continuation of such regular broadcasting undoubtedly saved Cage Warriors, giving it the platform that always evaded BAMMA and Cage Rage, and under the refreshed management, it has since gone on to greater heights, recently expanding their bonuses system and establishing an international “MMA Fight Academy” in the search for the next Conor McGregor.

But to appreciate the leap between UFC 204 and 304, is to appreciate a scattering of combat sports gyms, out of which came a generation of fighters that have taken the sport by storm.

MMA Factories

Founded in 2013, Renegade gym is at the cutting edge of European MMA. Its decentralised approach to training has yielded sturdy results and is doubtless responsible for the fusion of efficient striking and defensive grappling, that has propelled Leon Edwards to the top of the welterweight division. Sources close to the gym speak to the camaraderie of its day-to-day rhythms, with it being public knowledge that they operate a zero-tolerance approach to disruption, either from hobbyists or promotional superstars.

Such a clear picture of excellence speaks to the fantastic work being done at Renegade, despite a precarious financial situation that resulted in the loss of its headquarters at the beginning of the pandemic. Yet a solid stable of pros (Arnold Allen, Fabian Edwards, Jai Herbert and Tom Breese) and an enthusiastic local base has seen the gym bounce back in a major way, culminating in the greatest head kick KO in history and UFC gold in 2022.

Unfortunately, such honours continue to elude the Merseyside- based “Next Generation” academy, another major talent factory and home of the infamous Paddy Pimblett-Molly McCann double act. Like Renegade, “Next Gen” has set down deep roots within its community, with a range of classes targeted at Liverpool’s youth and an infectious “geeky atmosphere” that extends from first timers to its professional roster.

Going on sheer name value, Renegade certainly has the edge, as at the time of writing, next gen has only produced 3 UFC fighters. Yet a proper examination tells a different story, with the Merseyside gym looking to double its UFC exports thanks to rising stars like Liam Gittins (Cage Warriors champion), Luke Riley (signed to the Contender Series) and Shem Rock (touted for an Oktagon main event slot).

The Protagonists

For a long time, Michael Bisping was the only British fighter that could truly be called a star. His loudmouth trash talking, and dogmatic pressure boxing would not win over the international fanbase until his stunning win over Luke Rockhold, but if not for “The Count”, the UFC would have had little reason to ever venture to the UK, as he was for so long the acceptable face of a small but promising market.

Other seminal pioneers include the long-underrated Brad Pickett, an explosive inside fighter with notable wins over Demetrious Johnson and Francisco Rivera,  and Rosi Sexton, who led the way in popularising women’s MMA in Great Britain and deserves to be mentioned amongst the global pioneers of the women’s game.

Golden Age

When Leon Edwards steps into the cage for UFC 304, it will be the culmination of a revolution. It spans two turbulent decades and has been fuelled by countless fighters, coaches, fans and promoters, all of whom deserve credit as we step into a new age of British MMA.