Liam McGeary (12-1) defeated Brett McDermott (7-5) via TKO at 1:06 of round two
James Gallagher (6-0) defeated Kirill Medvedovsky (7-4) via submission (rear-naked choke) at 2:53 of round one
Iony Razafiarison (2-1) defeated Sinead Kavanagh (4-1) via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-26, 30-25)
Alex Lohore (11-1) defeated Colin Fletcher (13-8) via submission (rear-naked choke) at 2:42 of round two
Shay Walsh (15-4) defeated James McErleane (6-4) via unanimous decision (29-28 x3)
SANTA MONICA, CALIF. (January 10, 2017) – A light heavyweight bout pitting former 205-pound world champion Liam McGeary (11-1) against Chris Fields (11-7-1) will serve as the main event of “Bellator 173: McGeary vs. Fields,” which will take place inside The SSE Arena in Belfast, Northern Ireland on Friday, February 24.
“Bellator 173: McGeary vs. Fields” airs on Spike at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT. Tickets for the event start at just £35 and can be purchased at Ticketmaster.ie, SSEArenaBelfast.com, or the SSE Arena box office.
Hailing from Andover, England, the 34-year-old McGeary will make the short trek up to Northern Ireland’s capital for the first time in his career, where he will once again compete in a main event. The former Bellator MMA light heavyweight champion will enter the cage for the 10th time under the Scott Coker-led promotion, where he has posted an 8-1 record with seven finishes. Following an 11-fight winning streak to begin his professional career, McGeary finally experienced the sour taste of defeat, when Phil Davis wrestled the title away from him at ‘Bellator 163.’ McGeary has consistently proven to be one of the most dangerous strikers and submission artists in the 205-pound division, finishing his victim in 10 of 11 career wins, including eight in the opening frame. Much like the “RMS Titanic,” which was built in Belfast, McGeary hopes to sink Fields when the two take center stage inside The SSE Arena on February 24.
A native of Dublin, Ireland, Fields will also have a short trek to Belfast when he enters the cage on February 24. “The Housewives’ Choice” will be making his Bellator MMA debut, following nine years under the direction of local promotions, including three appearances under European powerhouse BAMMA. After competing at middleweight in 2015, the 33-year-old Fields returned to the light heavyweight division, recording a first round submission victory over Dan Konecke at “BAMMA 24.” Fields has tallied finishes in each of his 11 career wins, making him one of the most menacing opponents for anyone standing in his way. Now the SBG Ireland product will look to make a splash in his first fight with Bellator MMA, as he prepares for the former division kingpin.
Hailing from nearby Straban, Ireland, the 20-year-old Gallagher is one of the brightest stars in all “The Emerald Island.” At age 15, “The Strabanimal” moved away from home to join Coach John Kavanagh at Straight Blast Gym (SBG), where he now trains alongside the best fighters in the country including Connor McGregor. Having made his Bellator debut in London this past July in London, Gallagher followed up in December with a submission victory over Anthony Taylor in front of a raucous home crowd at the 3Arena in Dublin. Gallagher’s opponent will be announced in the near future.
Updated “Bellator 173: McGeary vs. Fields” Main Card:
Light Heavyweight Main Event: Liam McGeary (11-1) vs. Chris Fields (11-7-1)
Featherweight Feature: James Gallagher (5-0) vs. TBD
BAMMA’s second event in Ireland was even more successful than their first, as nearly 6,000 fans packed the 3Arena for ‘BAMMA 24 – Kone vs. Phillips’ on February 27. The card, stacked with many of Ireland’s top contender’s, did not disappoint. BAMMA 24 delivered many impressive KO and submission wins throughout the night, as 12 of the events 16 bouts ended with a finish. Some of the night’s stand-outs include John ‘The White Mike Tyson’ Phillips, BAMMA Featherweight Champion Tom ‘Firekid’ Duquesnoy, Irish fan favorite ‘The Housewives Choice’ Chris Fields and Dylan ‘The Nuke’ Tuke.
Phillips pulled off the big upset of the night by knocking out Cheick ‘Animal’ Kone in just 65 seconds, becoming the new BAMMA Middleweight Champion. BAMMA Featherweight Champion Tom ‘Firekid’ Duquesnoy knocked Damien ‘The Rage’ Rooney out cold in his bantamweight debut, ‘The Housewives Choice’ Chris Fields clinched an impressive first round submission win, and Dylan ‘The Nuke’ Tuke delivered a brutal TKO that fans are still talking about!
Click here to view BAMMA 24 replay footage: http://grabyo.com/g/bamma-2016
The stacked card for this Dublin event also featured several elite fighters from Straight Blast Gym (SBG) in Ireland. As noted on Fightsday.com, UFC Featherweight Champion Conor McGregor took to FacebookSaturday night to pay tribute to his SBG teammates fighting on the BAMMA card. (See Facebook snapshot)
*FB Image source: Fightsday.com
Below are the official results from ‘BAMMA 24: Kone vs. Phillips’ held on Saturday February, 27 at the famed 3Arena in Dublin, Ireland. BAMMA’s next event is BAMMA 25, to be held on May 14, 2016 at the Barclaycard Arena, Birmingham. Tickets are on sale now at http://bit.ly/BAMMA25. For more information, please visit www.Bamma.com.
BAMMA 24 – Kone vs. Phillips Official Results
BAMMA is brought to you in Association with:
Spike TV & Channel 5 – BAMMA Broadcast Partners
Lonsdale & Sports Direct – The Official Equipment Partners of BAMMA
Safe MMA – Independent British Medical Organization
#BAMMA24 #ThisIsNotATest
MAIN CARD
(Main Event) BAMMA MIDDLEWEIGHT TITLE
John ‘The White Mike Tyson’ Phillips Def. Cheick ‘Animal’ Kone via Knockout (Punch) Rd.1 1:05
MIDDLEWEIGHT BOUT
Andy ‘Lions Paw’ DeVent Def. Paul Byrne via Knockout (Punches) Rd.1 0:59
BANTAMWEIGHT SUPERFIGHT
Tom ‘Firekid’ DuQuesnoy Def. Damien ‘The Rage’ Rooney Via Knockout (Punch) Rd.1 1:23
LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT BOUT
‘The Housewives Choice’ Chris Fields Def. Dan Konecke via Submission (Darce Choke) Rd.1 4:39
PRELIMINARY CARD
LONSDALE BANTAMWEIGHT TITLE
Alan ‘The Apprentice’ Philpott Def. Nathaniel ‘The Prospect’ Wood Via TKO (Doctor Stoppage – Broken Nose) Rd.3 3:40
LIGHTWEIGHT BOUT
‘Magic’ Myles Price Def. Mario ‘Rudeboy’ Saeed Via TKO (Strikes) Rd. 2 1:24
WELTERWEIGHT BOUT
Peter ‘The Showstopper’ Queally Def. Nathan ‘Mr. Bag & Tag’ Jones Via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
FEATHERWEIGHT BOUT
Dylan ‘The Nuke’ Tuke Def. Mark ‘The Prophet’ Andrew Via TKO (Strikes) Rd.1 0:51
LIGHTWEIGHT BOUT
Brian ‘Pikeman’ Moore Def. Mick ‘Basher’ Brennan Via TKO (Strikes) Rd.1 2:39
FEATHERWEIGHT BOUT
Decky ‘The Diamond’ Dalton Def. Mike ‘Gip’ Cutting Via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
FEATHERWEIGHT BOUT
James Gallagher Def. Gerard Gilmore Submission (Rear Naked Choke) Rd.1 2:55
WOMENS FEATHERWEIGHT BOUT
Sinead Kavanagh Def. Zarah Fairn Dos Santos Via Split Decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
BANTAMWEIGHT BOUT
Sean Tobin Def. Gary ‘The Dumptruck’ Morris Via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) Rd.2 3:53
FEATHERWEIGHT BOUT
Lloyd Manning Def. Nicholas Ott Via Knockout (Punch) Rd.1 0:59
160lb CATCHWEIGHT BOUT
Rhys ‘Skeletor’ McKee Def. Alex Masuku Via Knockout (Headkick) Rd.1 2:51
(AMATUER) LIGHTWEIGHT BOUT
Jay Moogan Def Cian Cowley Via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
*Tom DuQuesnoy is still the BAMMA Featherweight Champion, this was his debut at Bantamweight
A range of BAMMA 24 replay clips are now available here for use with your reports: http://grabyo.com/g/bamma-2016
ABOUT BAMMA:
BAMMA is Europe’s largest and most premier MMA organization. BAMMA launched in 2009 with the aim of delivering Mixed Martial Arts events that fully capture the entertainment and sporting prowess on display in the world’s fastest growing sport. BAMMA’s combination of arena sized venues, compelling fight cards and exceptional production values has led to the fight organizations unrivaled position as Europe’s leading MMA promotion, as well as a broadcast deal with Spike TV UK. For more information, please visitwww.Bamma.com.