Ultimate Challenge MMA explained

UCMMA
Type:	Private
Founders:	Dave O'Donnell Tony Colasanto
Location City:	London, England
Industry:	Mixed martial arts promotion
Parent:	Cage Rage Championships
Homepage:	http://www.ucmma.tv/

Ultimate Challenge MMA (also referred to as UCMMA) is a mixed martial arts promotion based in the United Kingdom. It is shown live on London Live in the UK, Fight Now TV in the US and on Viewster in several other countries.

History

The collapse of EliteXC was quickly followed by Cage Rage with its final show Cage Rage 28 in 2008. Later that same year Dave O'Donnell, one of the original owners of Cage Rage, created Ultimate Challenge UK. Their first event 'Bad Breed' covered the spot where Cage Rage 29 was going to take place.^[1]

After a while of promoting many successful events, UCUK dropped the 'UK' out of the name and replaced it with 'MMA' becoming 'UCMMA'. UCMMA has been steadily approaching the same popularity that Cage Rage once enjoyed.^[2]

They have sponsorships with companies like Cash4Gold,^[3] Official Watches,^[4] MMA Sports Nutrition,^[5] and Coalition fight music.^[6]

On August 6, 2011, UCMMA 22 - Warrior Creed was shown on PPV channel Primetime.^{[7] [8] [9]}

UCMMA can now be watched on Fight Now TV in the United States in a landmark deal for the promotion. The contract with the network is set for 1 year as of February 2012.^[10]

All of UCMMA events from UCMMA 26 - The Real Deal can be purchased from high street retail stores such as Tesco, HMV, and Argos. It can also be purchased at online stores like Zavvi.com, Amazon.com, Lovefilm and The Hut Group.^[11]

On May 28, 2012, UCMMA was featured on BBC One programme How To Beat Pain, which was presented by Greg Whyte and Jack Krindler.^[12]

After White Collar MMA 6 (WCMMA), UK casting call were taken place at the Troxy for a new American reality show - Warrior Island. Dave O'Donnell hosted the casting call at the request by Global Proving Ground (GPG) President, James Jefferson.^[13] The reality show will be directed by Hollywood veteran Ben Perry.

On October 25 it was announced that, along with BAMMA and Cage Warriors, that UCMMA have united with The Centre of Health and Human Performance in London to launched SAFE MMA, a nonprofit organization established to improve the safety of MMA fighters in the U.K. Chief among the organization's plans is a centralized and confidential database for fighter medical records. SAFE MMA, which officially launches Jan. 1 2013, also will provide affordable, standardized blood and medical tests for all registered fighters, as well as advice from leading world experts in sports medicine, according to today's announcement.^{[14] [15]}

As of November 21, 2012, UCMMA can also be seen on Canada's The Fight Network.^[16]

After Sky Sports cut out all MMA programming from their channels, UCMMA announced that they signed a deal with on-demand channel Primetime for a live broadcasting partnership.^[17]

Cage Fighter

They show their chat show, Cage Fighter, every Wednesday night on Sky Sports.^[18] Dave O'Donnell hosts the 30 minute show with Grant Waterman and interviews MMA fighters, shows clips of previous fights, GYM of the week, KO/Submission of the week and advertises their next event.^[19]

UK1

UCMMA also shows kickboxing matches during their events, referring to them as 'UK1', named after the well known K-1 kickboxing company based in Japan. Because they hold these fights in the same events as they show MMA, the kickboxers use the cage to compete in.

Each fight will be a three 3 minute round with a minute rest period in between rounds, and if it's a draw one more round will be fought. Each round will be scored using the 10-point must system. Fighters using the most effective aggression and effective technique will win the round. Also the three knock-down rule applies, and a fighter can only be saved from a count by the bell in the final round. the choice to use MMA gloves or standard kickboxing gloves are agreed to by both fighters. Because of the pace of the action, if fighters get into a clinch they will be allowed a single knee strike and then must break clean. If the referee says ‘break’ they must not hit on the break. Rules are set so that certain things that are allowed in MMA are not used in the UK1 bouts, such as standing/clinching elbow strikes, ground fighting (grappling or striking), trips, takedowns or throws.^[20]

Since its first bouts, it has gained popularity, as it makes their fight card more exciting and keeps the audience entertained if the prior fights were boring due to slow pace striking or grappling. It also allows the company to reach the type of audience that dislikes the use of small 6oz MMA gloves, grappling and striking to a grounded opponent. There are also titles in each weight division, which follows the same as their MMA divisions.

White Collar MMA (WCMMA)

Dave O'Donnell created White Collar MMA (WCMMA), with the idea that "gives the average man the chance to experience the thrill of hand to hand combat inside the octagon. Competing in the disciplines of boxing, kick boxing, Muay Thai and MMA, WCMMA lets nine to fivers take the frustrations of the office out on the man to stands toe – 2 - toe with them in the cage." He says: ‘Every man who sits behind his desk at work watches MMA fights on YouTube or at home on TV can now give it a go. WCMMA gives that man the chance to live the dream.^[21] These guys will compete against each other in three 90 seconds rounds in a safe and controlled environment putting their skills to the test in a safe arena against fellow nine to fivers.’^[22]

Dave will make sure that all fights are fair and each competitor is in the right condition to fight. There will not be cost cuts on production will give them the opportunity to make their dreams come true. This will be their chance to become Rocky for one night. They will also hold amateur and semi-pro fights as well to allow amateur mixed martial artists a chance to grow their skills before going professional.

Ultimate Ball

UCMMA created a new sport inside MMA during the early part of 2012 called 'Ultimate Ball'.^[23] The team-based sport, which combines sports such as rugby, American football, basketball and mixed martial arts, is played in the cage in which both sides try to get the rugby-shaped ball into the opposition's goal, with takedowns and body shots allowed.^[24] Ultimate Ball debut at UCMMA 27.^{[25] [26]}

The concept to Ultimate Ball came to Dave O'Donnell around the time Cage Rage was at its highest peak, but had to wait until UCMMA grew bigger to make the sport happen.

The rules to Ultimate Ball are:

1. Two five-minute rounds
2. If there is a draw after ten minutes, then a one-minute additional time and the first player to score wins the game.
3. If after the one-minute extra time it is still a draw, it goes into penalty shootout until one time takes the lead.
4. To score, the ball must stay in the net to count.
5. One player can't score straight away until a teammate scores the next goal.
6. The ball must be passed twice before scoring a goal.
7. Four to a team, three active and one player must be sub (32-foot cage will have five players).
8. A team must have different fighter from Heavyweight downwards.
9. Heavyweight must be no more than 120 kilograms.
10. Subs must be Welterweight or below.
11. Substitution can only be made when a player is injured or at half time.
12. A red-carded player must sit out for 1 min of the game.
13. Restart from the centre of the cage.
14. At start of game and any restart, all players must be behind the ball.
15. Strikes and takedowns are allowed when a player has the ball (push kicks, punches to body, trips, sweeps and takedowns).
16. No punches on the floor, only grappling to get the ball.
17. Only the referee will decide who gets the restart, i.e. the player in possession of the ball.
18. If both players have the ball, referee will call a chest start (both players with chest on ball, with hands behind back until referee blows whistle to continue play).
19. If the ball goes out of the cage, the other team gets the restart.
20. If a player hits another player who doesn't have the ball deliberately, he will be sent off and a substitute cannot be used.
21. All players must be medically checked before taking part.
22. All players must wear groin and mouth guards while taking part.^[27]

Ultimate Ball tournament

UCMMA events

Past events

	Event	Date	Venue	Location
83	UCMMA 61: Ultimate Challenge MMA 61		The Troxy	London, England, United Kingdom
82	UCMMA 60: Ultimate Challenge MMA 60		The Troxy	London, England, United Kingdom
81	UCMMA 59: Ultimate Challenge MMA 59		The Troxy	London, England, United Kingdom
80	UCMMA 58: Ultimate Challenge MMA 58		The Troxy	London, England, United Kingdom
79	WCMMA: Warrior Challenge 33		The Troxy	London, England, United Kingdom
78	UCMMA 57: Ultimate Challenge MMA 57		The Troxy	London, England, United Kingdom
77	WCMMA: Warrior Challenge 34		The Troxy	London, England, United Kingdom
76	UCMMA 56: Ultimate Challenge MMA 56		The Troxy	London, England, United Kingdom
75	WCMMA: Warrior Challenge 33		The Troxy	London, England, United Kingdom
74	UCMMA 55: Ultimate Challenge MMA 55		The Troxy	London, England, United Kingdom
73	WCMMA: Warrior Challenge 32		The Troxy	London, England, United Kingdom
72	UCMMA 54: Ultimate Challenge MMA 54		The Troxy	London, England, United Kingdom
71	WCMMA: Warrior Challenge 31		The Troxy	London, England, United Kingdom
70	UCMMA 53: Ultimate Challenge MMA 53		The Troxy	London, England, United Kingdom
69	WCMMA: Warrior Challenge 30		The Troxy	London, England, United Kingdom
68	UCMMA 52: Ultimate Challenge MMA 52		The Troxy	London, England, United Kingdom
67	WCMMA: Warrior Challenge 29		The Troxy	London, England, United Kingdom
66	UCMMA 51: Ultimate Challenge MMA 51		The Troxy	London, England, United Kingdom
65	WCMMA: Warrior Challenge 28		The Troxy	London, England, United Kingdom
64	UCMMA 50: Ultimate Challenge MMA 50		The Troxy	London, England, United Kingdom
63	WCMMA: Warrior Challenge 27		The Troxy	London, England, United Kingdom
62	UCMMA 49: Ultimate Challenge MMA 49		The Troxy	London, England, United Kingdom
61	WCMMA: Warrior Challenge 26		The Troxy	London, England, United Kingdom
60	UCMMA 48: Ultimate Challenge MMA 48		The Troxy	London, England, United Kingdom
59	WCMMA: Warrior Challenge 25		The Troxy	London, England, United Kingdom
58	UCMMA 47: Ultimate Challenge MMA 47		The Troxy	London, England, United Kingdom
57	UCMMA 46: Ultimate Challenge MMA 46		The Troxy	London, England, United Kingdom
57	WCMMA: Warrior Challenge 23		The Troxy	London, England, United Kingdom
56	UCMMA 45: Ultimate Challenge MMA 45		The Troxy	London, England, United Kingdom
55	WCMMA: Warrior Challenge 22		The Troxy	London, England, United Kingdom
54	UCMMA 44: Ultimate Challenge MMA 44		The Troxy	London, England, United Kingdom
53	WCMMA: Warrior Challenge 21		The Troxy	London, England, United Kingdom
52	WCMMA: Warrior Challenge 20		The Troxy	London, England, United Kingdom
51	UCMMA 43: Ultimate Challenge MMA 43		The Troxy	London, England, United Kingdom
50	UCMMA 42: Ultimate Challenge MMA 42		The Troxy	London, England, United Kingdom
49	UCMMA 41: Ultimate Challenge MMA 41		The Troxy	London, England, United Kingdom
48	UCMMA 40: Ultimate Challenge MMA 40		The Troxy	London, England, United Kingdom
47	UCMMA 39: Ultimate Challenge MMA 39		The Troxy	London, England, United Kingdom
46	UCMMA 38		The Troxy	London, England, United Kingdom
45	UCMMA 37		The Troxy	London, England, United Kingdom
44	UCMMA 36		The Troxy	London, England, United Kingdom
43	White Collar MMA 11		The Troxy	London, England, United Kingdom
42	UCMMA 35		The Troxy	London, England, United Kingdom
41	White Collar MMA 10		The Troxy	London, England, United Kingdom
40	UCMMA 34		The Troxy	London, England, United Kingdom
39	White Collar MMA 9		The Troxy	London, England, United Kingdom
38	UCMMA 33		The Troxy	London, England, United Kingdom
37	UCMMA 32		The Troxy	London, England, United Kingdom
36	UCMMA 31		The Troxy	London, England, United Kingdom
35	White Collar MMA 7		The Troxy	London, England, United Kingdom
34	UCMMA 30		The Troxy	London, England, United Kingdom
33	UCMMA 29		The Troxy	London, England, United Kingdom
32	UCMMA 28		The Troxy	London, England, United Kingdom
31	UCMMA 27		The Troxy	London, England, United Kingdom
30	UCMMA: Contenders			Brighton, East Sussex, England
29	UCMMA 26: The Real Deal		The Troxy	London, England, United Kingdom
28	UCMMA 25: The Beat Down		The Troxy	London, England, United Kingdom
27	White Collar MMA 2		The Troxy	London, England, United Kingdom
26	UCMMA: Contenders			Brighton, East Sussex, England
25	UCMMA: Dominican Republic		Hard Rock Casino	Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
24	UCMMA 24: Hands of War		The Troxy	London, England, United Kingdom
23	UCMMA 23: Go 4 It		The Troxy	London, England, United Kingdom
22	UCMMA 22: Warrior Creed		The Troxy	London, England, United Kingdom
21	UCMMA 21: Stand Your Ground		The Troxy	London, England, United Kingdom
20	UCMMA 20: Fists of Fire		The Troxy	London, England, United Kingdom
19	UCMMA 19: Lights Out		The Troxy	London, England, United Kingdom
18	UCMMA 18: Face Off		The Troxy	London, England, United Kingdom
17	UCMMA 17: Kings of the Cage		The Troxy	London, England, United Kingdom
16	UCMMA 16: Unbelievable		The Troxy	London, England, United Kingdom
15	UCMMA 15: Showdown		The Troxy	London, England, United Kingdom
14	UCMMA 14: Invincible		The Troxy	London, England, United Kingdom
13	UCMMA 13: Feel the Pain		The Troxy	London, England, United Kingdom
12	UCMMA 12: Never Back Down		The Troxy	London, England, United Kingdom
11	UCMMA 11: Adrenaline Rush		The Troxy	London, England, United Kingdom
10	UCMMA 10: Resurrection		The Troxy	London, England, United Kingdom
9	UCMMA 9: Fighting for Heroes		The Troxy	London, England, United Kingdom
8	UCMMA 8: Dynamite		The Troxy	London, England, United Kingdom
7	UCMMA 7: Mayhem		The Troxy	London, England, United Kingdom
6	UCMMA 6: Payback		The Troxy	London, England, United Kingdom
5	UCMMA 5: Heat		The Troxy	London, England, United Kingdom
4	UCMMA 4: Relentless		The Troxy	London, England, United Kingdom
3	UCMMA 3: Unstoppable		The Troxy	London, England, United Kingdom
2	UCMMA 2: Unbreakable		The Troxy	London, England, United Kingdom
1	UCMMA 1: Bad Breed		The Troxy	London, England, United Kingdom

^[28]

Current champions

MMA champions

Division	Upper weight limit	Champion	Since	Title Defenses	Next Fight
	265 lb (120.2 kg; 18.9 st)	John Demmel	November 7, 2015 (UCMMA 45)	2
	205lb	Pelu Adetola	September 8, 2019 (UCMMA 60)	0
	185 lb (83.9 kg; 13.2 st)	Alin Chirila	November 17, 2019 (UCMMA 61)	0
	170 lb (77.1 kg; 12.1 st)	Jahreau Shepherd	November 17, 2019 (UCMMA 61)	0
	155 lb (70.3 kg; 11.1 st)	Jack Collins	November 17, 2019 (UCMMA 61)	0
	145 lb (65.8 kg; 10.4 st)	Nathan Greyson	September 9, 2017 (UCMMA 52)	0
	135 lb (61.2 kg; 9.6 st)	Paul Harper	September 8, 2018 (UCMMA 56)	0
	125lb	Harry Keane	November 17, 2019 (UCMMA 61)	0

Current 'UK1' champions

Division	Upper weight limit	Champion	Since	Title Defenses	Next Fight
	Above 205 lb (93 kg; 14.6 st)	Mike Neun	February 14, 2017 (UCMMA 50)	0
	205lb	Nick Chapman	May 2, 2015 (UCMMA 43)	0
	185lb	Terry Brazier	February 14, 2017 (UCMMA 50)	0
	170lb	Galore Bofando	February 7, 2015 (UCMMA 42)	0
	155lb	Caleb Loo
	145lb	Danny lawson	April 6, 2013 (UCMMA 33)	0
	135lb	Gio Marchese	November 7, 2015 (UCMMA 45)	0
	125lb	Vacant

Notable fighters in the UCMMA

The following have also competed for top tier promotions such as UFC

• • • Oli Thompson James McSweeney Jimi Manuwa
      • • Zelg Galešić Tom Watson Karlos Vemola Mark Weir John Maguire
• Paul Kelly
• Ross Pointon

Other promotions

• • Linton Vassell Alex Reid
• Michael Page
• Jason Barrett
• Wesley '2Play' Johnson
• Andrew Tate

External links

• Ultimate Challenge event results on Sherdog

Notes and References

1. News: Ultimate Challenge UK: Bad Breed. MMA Universe. 2008-12-05.
2. Web site: Interview with Dave O'Donnell . Mmaprospectsuk.com . 2012-02-16.
3. News: UCMMA strike Gold with new 2010 sponsorship deal. Daily Mirror. 2012-02-12.
4. Web site: Mixed Martial Arts UK - UCMMA . OfficialWatches.com . 2012-02-16.
5. Web site: MMA Sports Nutrition sponsors UCMMA 23 and Jamaine Facey . WWBRD.com . 2011-11-05 . 2012-02-16.
6. Web site: Coalition Fight Music announce UCMMA as co-sponsor of the "Man-Up" Campaign | Addicted MMA | Mixed martial arts . Addicted MMA . 2011-04-21 . 2012-02-16.
7. News: Alex ‘Reidinator’ Reid vs Jason ‘Badass’ Barrett. Primetime. 2012-02-12.
8. Web site: Alex ‘Reidinator’ Reid vs Jason ‘Badass’ Barrett | Primetime . Primetimelive.co.uk . 2011-07-18 . 2012-02-16.
9. Web site: UCMMA Going To PPV With Primetime; Reid vs. Barret Main Attraction . https://archive.today/20130418192204/http://www.yourmma.tv/news/details.asp/id/1637/ucmma-22-on-ppv-primetime-alex-reid-jason-barret.htm . usurped . April 18, 2013 . yourmma.tv . 2011-07-12 . 2014-09-20.
10. News: UCMMA 'The Ultimate Challenge' Coming to FIGHT NOW TV. PWInsiderXTRA.com. 2012-02-20.
11. News: UCMMA 26 DVD Available In Tesco and Other High Street Stores. FullMount.co.uk.
12. News: UCMMA on How To Beat Pain. mmauncagedmag.com.
13. News: DAVE O’DONNELL SET TO HOST U.K. CASTING CALL FOR GPG REALITY SHOW ‘WARRIOR ISLAND’. themmareview.co.uk.
14. Web site: Cage Warriors, BAMMA and UCMMA unite for MMA SAFE fighter-safety initiative . mmajunkie.com . 2012-10-26 . 2012-10-25.
15. Web site: BAMMA, UCMMA, CWFC FORM MMA SAFE PROGRAM TO IMPROVE FIGHTER SAFETY IN U.K. . sherdog.com . 2012-10-26 . 2012-10-25.
16. Web site: Canada's Fight Network Partner With UCMMA . https://archive.today/20130418211531/http://www.yourmma.tv/news/details.asp/id/2461/canadas-fight-network-partner-with-ucmma.htm . usurped . April 18, 2013 . yourmma.tv . 2012-11-21.
17. Web site: Jay Dann . UCMMA announces Primetime deal: UK MMA promotion to be televised live via on-demand channel . mirror.co.uk . 2013-01-17.
18. Web site: Sky Sports 4 10.00pm: Cage Fighter - Muscle Finesse Sponsored Pro Jimi Manuwa! . Muscletalk.co.uk . 2012-02-16.
19. Web site: UCMMA and Sky Sports partner up for Cage Fighter . UCMMA and Sky Sports partner up for Cage Fighter - TKO - Mirror.co.uk's MMA Blog . Blogs.mirror.co.uk . 2012-02-16.
20. Web site: UCMMA 22: Tom "Kong" Watson Talks UK-1 Bout - MMA News & MMA Video - Full Mount MMA - Mixed Martial Arts Network . Fullmount.co.uk . 2011-07-07 . 2012-02-16.
21. Web site: Cartlidge . Ben . Ben Cartlidge: Super North Star MMA: WCMMA: The Caveman vs. The Cavalier . Bencartlidgesupermma.blogspot.com . 2011-04-11 . 2012-02-16.
22. News: Cage Rage presents white collar mma 2 results. MMA Pundit. 2012-02-12.
23. News: ULTIMATE BALL; UCMMA FOUNDERS MIX RUGBY WITH MMA TO CREATE NEW GAME. MMA Fights. https://archive.today/20130505030509/http://mma-fights.co.uk/videos/ultimate-ball-ucmma-founders-mix-rugby-with-mma-to-create-new-game/. dead. 2013-05-05. 2012-07-15.
24. News: Dave O’Donnell defends Ultimate Ball, states it will be successful. The Fight Lounge. 2012-07-15.
25. News: UCMMA Roll Out 'Ultimate Ball'. Your MMA. https://archive.today/20130418220731/http://www.yourmma.tv/news/details.asp/id/2090/ucmma-roll-out-ultimate-ball.htm. usurped. April 18, 2013. 2012-07-15.
26. News: UltimateBall mixes MMA, soccer, rugby, basketball and a dash of awesome. Yahoo Sports. 2012-07-15.
27. News: Rules and Objectives of UltimateBall. Ultimate Ball. 2012-07-15.
28. Web site: Ultimate Challenge MMA Fights, Fight Cards, Videos, Pictures, Events and more . Sherdog.com . 2012-02-16.