Ricco Rodriguez vs. James McSweeney Announced for BAMMA 5 Card

Former UFC heavyweight champion Ricco Rodriguez is set to do battle with former Ultimate Fighter contestant and British kickboxing champion James McSweeney on February 26 at the British Association of Mixed Martial Arts 5 card. The announcement brings another heavy hitting fight involving big names to the card which already includes welterweight slugger Paul “Semtex” Daley facing Yuya Shirai.

Rumor has circulated that the next few fights may determine another UFC stint for Rodriguez, who is on a ten fight winning streak. The troubled ex-champ has made the best of his career in regional promotions, finishing seven of his fights on his ten fight streak.

McSweeney has been less than stellar in his relatively new MMA career, posting a 4-6 record and getting quietly released from the UFC after three fights, going 1-2. The former kickboxing champion had announced his release from the UFC over twitter earlier this week and wants to bounce back by defeating a former UFC champion.

This is Rodriguez’s fight to lose. He comes into this fight with nearly 60 fights to McSweeney’s 10 and has simply been in the game longer. Ricco has shown that he is more well-rounded over the years, while McSweeney is more one-dimensional. With McSweeney at the Jackson’s camp, training with top fighters like Rashad Evans, Shane Carwin and Nate Marquardt, there’s no doubt that they are game planning hard for this fight and working on his ground game, as Ricco Rodriguez is no slouch on the ground. McSweeney’s advantage is to try to utilize his kickboxing skill and keep a distance, as Rodriguez is a submission wizard.

Will it be enough to stifle the more experienced former champion?

Find out at BAMMA 5 on February 26th.


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