Barnatt and Long in, Hooker and Smith out at BAMMA 9

With less than five weeks to go, BAMMA organizers have announced that both Sam Hooker and Rus Smith will not be appearing at the event on March 24^th.

Organizers have also been quick to confirm replacements in the way of upcoming talent Luke ‘Bigslow’ Barnatt who takes Sam Hooker’s place in a bout against Hyde MMA’s Lee Johnson. Lee Johnson is the more experienced fighter with a record of 5-1, however fighting out of Cambridge’s Tsunami Gym which is home to respected UK talent that includes John and Tommy Maguire. With just 2 fights and 2 wins to his name, Barnatt shows promising talent and comes from a renowned camp whose star continues to rise.

In the second confirmed change, brought about after Rus Smith pulled out due to injury, local fighter Tom Breese will now face a new opponent, Lewis Long.  The welterweight Breese fights out of distinguished referee, Marc Goddard’s gym; and with three rapid submission wins at BAMMA plus a flawless 8-0-0 Semi-Pro record, Breese is a daunting prospect for any undercard fighter. One man brave enough to step up to the challenge is Lewis Long who can boast to have had just one loss in his six-fight pro-career. With most of his wins also by submission, expect sparks to fly in this hot technical match-up.

While changes to fight cards are always a disappointment, BAMMA matchmaker Jude Samuel is more than pleased with the replacements. “I’m very excited to have Big Luke on the card. He is one of the UK’s up and coming fighters to look out for. He is one of those tall, dangerous middleweights for whom you have to be on your top game when you come up against him. Both him and Lee are full of character and I’m looking forward to this match very much. Meanwhile, Lewis Long steps into the shoes of Rus Smith. A very capable submission specialist, he will give Tom a new set of problems to challenge his arsenal. The winner of this match will be making headways within the UK MMA community. We wish Sam and Rus a speedy recovery from their serious injuries.”

BAMMA 9 takes place at the NIA Arena in Birmingham on March 24^th. Tickets and details available from http://www.bamma.com

Tags: BAMMA, BAMMA 9, Jude Samuel, Lee Johnson, Lewis Long, Luke Barnatt, Mixed Martial Arts, MMA, MMA News, News, Rus Smith, Sam Hooker, Tom Breese

Category: BAMMA, Exclusive, MMA