After all the chaos in the build up to FAME MMA UK 1, with Scotty T pulling out of his fight against Stevie Bear and a number of originally scheduled fights falling through, Sam Gowland and Marty McKenna were elevated to the main event.
The build up to this fight was deep, with both men having problems with each other that stretched much further back than just this event. The two had issue back in their days on Geordie Shore and FAME MMA UK provided the perfect platform for Gowland and McKenna to finally get their hands on each other without any interruptions.
The fight came just after a performance by a duo from Manchester which took the edge off the crowd a little, however the entire arena exploded as soon as Gowland took to the stage, with Sweet Caroline blaring out of the speakers, it didn’t take long for the fans in attendance to be in full voice. Check out our video below from the event.
Marty, on the other hand was greeted by a vigorous chorus of boos from the crowd, with the locals having a clear favourite heading into the fight. Once in the… ‘octagon’… the pair appeared to exchange words, unlikely to have been anything pleasant.
Once the fight started Gowland immediately closed the distance, sprinting across the cage and dragging McKenna to the floor, it was a good start for the crowd favourite however he struggled to pass full guard, before McKenna attempted a scramble which allowed Gowland to take his back.
McKenna did manage to escape and get back to his feet, however that didn’t last for long as Gowland would complete an outside trip and once again take the fight to the ground, getting into full mount before once again taking McKenna’s back. Marty would again get back to his feet and would manage to dig in a fairly deep guillotine, the crowd holding its breath as it seemed the fight could be coming to a close, however Gowland managed to escape and the round came to an end. McKenna was breathing hard as he headed back to his corner, clearly not in as good physical condition as his opponent.
Gowland with the win
The second round started the same way as the first, with Gowland coming straight at McKenna and attempting a takedown, while Marty managed to defend for a short while he was eventually taken to the ground, where Gowland take his back and flatten him out, digging his arm under Marty’s chin and sinking in a deep rear naked choke to get the tap and win the fight.
There was a loud roar from the crowd as Gowland stood victorious, in a show of respect he would head over to McKenna and the pair would embrace. In his post fight interview, Gowland would explain that the reason he won the fight is that he is “Taller, quicker and faster.” He would also go on to say that he wants to fight again next year “English or Polish, I’m not bothered.”
It’s safe to say that McKenna wasn’t happy with the way that the fight played out, though not for the reason you would expect. “He was doing all the grappling shit and I couldn’t keep up with it. If this was a K1 fight it would’ve been different.”
When he was asked by host Charlie Sloth who if he would come back to FAME MMA UK and who he would like to fight next, McKenna would say “I would love to do it with Sam again, but I’d have to work on my ground game. I wanted to stand and bang, that was shite that.”
While it wasn’t the greatest MMA fight the world has ever seen, it got the crowd on it’s feet for pretty much the first time in the event. It would be interesting to see Gowland take on a slightly more evenly matched opponent if he does come back for another fight.
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