UFC veteran Norman Parke, currently signed with Bellator under a multi fight contract has shockingly announced retirement.
Posted via twitter, the Northern Irish, Ultimate Fighter winner, Norman Parke has stated that following his upcoming bout under promotion BKB he will give up fighting unless he is offered a fight worth the right amount of money.
Hi folks im going to retire from mma, I am sick of how this game works, not going to say anymore about it, I still plan to fight on bkb this year an thats about it. If promotion offers me a good offer for 1 fight I might take. Hope you will watch me do bkb anyways
Coming off back to back wins against Myles Price and highly talented BJJ artists Paul Redmond, this announcement will come to a surprise to many, considering his recent signing with Bellator.
There was rumors of a fight between him and Benson Henderson in the pipeline, so it could be possible that perhaps that a disagreement between the two parties could have had some part to play in this decision. We will have to wait to find out what exactly the reason was.
All I do know however is that it would be a real shame to see Norman retire as he has a lot more to offer.
Finally, a promotion looks to be making use of all the incredible talent Europe has to offer. Bellator MMA have dropped contracts in the pockets of 22 of Europe’s top fighters, in a bid which will hopefully get some more eyes looking over to their events.
Former UFC fighters Norman Parke and Jim Wallhead are two of the more well-known fighters picking up contracts while TUF Undefeated participant Richie Smullen also hopes that Bellator will take him to greener pastures.
Joining them will be some of the best talent BAMMA has to offer including two weight champion Terry Brazier and undefeated SBG trained welterweight, Kiefer Crosbie.
With further signing announcements expected, the full list of European talent snatched up by Bellator currently looks like this:
Featherweight
• Dylan Logan (2-3) fighting out of Ireland
• Nathan Rose (6-1) fighting out of England
Lightweight
• Terry Brazier (10-1) fighting out of England
• Pedro Carvalho (8-3) fighting out of Ireland, by way of Portugal
• Constantin Gnusariev (1-0) fighting out of Ireland, by way of Moldova
• Luka Jelcic (10-3) fighting out of Ireland, by way of Croatia
• Charlie Leary (15-9-1) fighting out of England
• Norman Parke (25-6-1, 1 NC) fighting out of Northern Ireland
• Myles Price (10-7) fighting out of Ireland
• Daniele Scatizzi (9-4) fighting out Ireland, by way of Italy
• Sam Slater (2-0) fighting out of Ireland
• Richie Smullen (3-1-1) fighting out of Ireland
• Tim Wilde (12-3) fighting out of England
Welterweight
• Ruben Crawford (16-3) fighting out of Ireland, by way of Germany
• Kiefer Crosbie (4-0) fighting out of Ireland
• Walter Gahadza (17-3) fighting out of England
• Richard Kiely (2-1) fighting out of Ireland
• Ion Pascu (18-8) fighting out of Ireland, by way of Romania
• Jim Wallhead (29-11) fighting out of England
Middleweight
• Claudio Conti (7-5-2) fighting out of Ireland, by way of Italy
• John Redmond (7-13) fighting out of Ireland
Women’s Flyweight
• Antonela Orlic pro debut, fighting out of Ireland by way of Croatia
The well travelled Northern Irishman joins the promotion holding a two fight win streak following victories over Lukasz Chlewicki (14-8-1) at KSW 43 and more recently, ‘Magic’ Myles Price (10-7-0) at Brave 13 in Belfast.
Veteran Coach John Kavanagh has highlighted the key impact of Brave Combat Federation in Ireland and the United Kingdom.
The promotion had made their entry into Europe with Brave 13: Europe Evolution hosted on 9th June at the SSE Arena in Belfast. The event features the first ever championship title defence in the bantamweight division by Stephen Loman from Team Lakay, Philippines facing 2015 IMMAF gold medalist Frans Mlambo from SBG Ireland.
The fight card features multiple fights from Ireland and the United Kingdom in the main card and the preliminary card. The promotion had stated that Europe will be among the focal areas for the promotion to host regular events. The promotion is found by His Highness Sheikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa from the Royal family of Bahrain.
“Brave Combat Federation is one of the worlds biggest organisations so its great for Ireland to have them visit”, commented Kavanagh.
Just five days from now, Brave Combat Federation will roll into Belfast’s SSE Arena to host their first ever fight card on European soil. The event is packed full of interesting battles including a stud rematch between Norman Parke and Myles Price. The full card is listed below.
We are days away from Brave Combat Federation making their debut appearance in Europe with their thirteenth event set to take place at the SSE Arena in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The fight card is stacked from top to bottom with intriguing contests with a co-main event featuring two of the island’s finest going head to head. Northern Ireland’s own “Stormin” Norman Parke will make his Brave debut against fellow promotional debutant, “Magic” Myles Price of Kilkenny, Ireland.
I caught up with Myles to discuss his approach to facing Norman for the second time, how he’s feeling after two years away from MMA competition and his predictions for fight night.
Tom Mulligan – You made an impressive return to BAMMA last week after a little over two years out. How did it feel to be back in the cage?
Myles Price – It felt absolutely amazing to be back in there after two years of a lay off, I kept myself very busy, I was improving in the meantime but unfortunately I had a couple of niggley injuries that held me back from competition and I had to prioritise my gym down here in Kilkenny for a while. In between all of that I was steadily improving and filling a lot of holes that I needed to fill in my training in order that when I did come back I’d make an impression and having a performance, which I felt I did to a degree two weeks ago in BAMMA.
I had a very tough, unorthodox opponent in Phil Raeburn as well but I ended up coming out and getting the win and getting somewhat of a performance I was looking for. I felt like I was a little ring rusty, or cage rusty I should say, after two years of being off which is understandable to a degree. Now that the cobwebs have been shaken off I’m ready let go again and let those shots get fired on June 9th at Brave 13 and I’m super looking forward to that.
TM – You mentioned shaking off any ring rust against Raeburn, now you get the chance to quickly follow up with another fight just 6 weeks later – would you say that there an element of wanting to make up for lost time?
MP – Yeah for sure, there’s definitely an element of wanting to make up for lost time if the opportunity presents itself. It was just like my stars aligned in a sense to be honest, after the Raeburn fight because I just got offered Parke nearly directly straight away after that, so yeah there’s obviously an element of that but it’s not a deliberate choice to do that with the Parke fight. I’m not looking to throw a load of fights in over a short period of time it wasn’t necessarily the plan but it’s most certainly working out that way.
I feel very fresh and I’m feeling good and regardless of the first fight, I was gonna have a bit of ring rust anyway so even if it was 6 weeks, 3 weeks, 4 weeks or 2-3 months to get the next fight, that first fight is still a fight where I’ll get a bit of ring rust off me. No disrespect to Phil, he’s certainly a tough fight even without the ring rust. I was just efficient with my techniques on the night and my awareness of the cage, how I performed and how I followed through with my techniques and it worked out well for me. I’m super looking forward to applying that again even more efficiently on June 9th.
TM – You mentioned after the Raeburn fight that you felt you were now operating as “Myles 2.0”. Just how much have you grown as a fighter since you last faced Parke eight years ago?
MP – Yeah for sure, I most definitely feel like I’m operating as Myles 2.0. Obviously in the space of 8 years I’m going to improve a lot in that time, it’s a long time to develop even if you are slow at progressing and increasing your IQ and being efficient in the training rooms and in competition. I definitely feel like in those 8 years, I’ve grown so much in regards to my overall game and all the things that I’m kind of natural and particularly good at like my striking and jiu jitsu. My wrestling and my judo comes quite naturally to me as well but there’s always holes to fill and things to work on, you’re never the overall complete picture.
I for sure feel like I’m operating as Myles 2.0 but that’ll keep increasing over time, I’ll always make sure of that. It’s just another day at the office when it comes to improving more and more every single time. That’s why this is an appealing match up, Me vs Parke. I have improved at all those little things that need to improve when it comes to facing an opponent like Parke. It’s going to show on the night.
TM – Considering the improvements you’ve made since the last time you met, what kind of risk do you see Parke posing once the cage door closes?
MP – I feel like Parke is fairly similar to what he was eight years ago to be honest. He’s still primarily a grappling based guy who likes grinding out decisions, coming forward. That’s kind of his core strong suit and I don’t blame him for sticking to that core. It didn’t really pay dividends for him when it came to entertaining fights for the bigger promotions like the UFC, etc. For sure, it doesn’t take away from his skill set and how high percentage he is with those aspects of his game. I feel like that’s probably the only risk that Parke is going to have with me. He has a very good submission game and very good striking as well so I need to be aware of that. I can never underestimate any part of any mans game. I just like focusing on what I do and then putting my skill set against whatever opponent I’m facing on whatever promotion on the night.
I feel like that if I had to point out one particular part of Parke’s game that you have to be very sharp and aware of, it’s his wrestling exchanges. That’s where I feel like he’s most threatening in most fights that he’s been in.
TM – Co-headlining Brave 13 will likely bring a whole new set of eyes to you from all around the world. For the Brave fans who have not yet seen you fight, what can they expect from you and your style of fighting?
MP – For sure, it’ll definitely shed a new light on me as an athlete and being on a promotion as big as Brave I’m sure there will be a lot of new eyes being set upon me now and my fighting career and my competition career moving forward. What the fans of Brave can expect from me is an exciting fight, always an entertaining fight. I’ll always put on a performance and I’ll be going for the kill. I’ll be efficient with every single technique I have but for sure, it’ll never be a boring fight with me involved.
I’ll be in the centre, gauging distance efficiently and if the finish is there, I will take it. There’s probably going to be some sort of crazy shit going down at some stage. They have a lot to look forward to come June 9th.
TM – What’s your current situation contract wise? Are we going to see you back in BAMMA after this fight or will you be staying with Brave moving forwards?
MP – Contract wise with BAMMA and Brave, I’m not really able to talk about that at the moment but I’d like to think for the foreseeable future…who ever gives me the best opportunities and better pay days. I think the two of them are amazing promotions. In my past experience BAMMA have always been very very good to me, I like all the guys who run the show, they’ve looked after me very well and given me great publicity and promoted me very well. I can’t thank them enough for that. Brave, they’re doing exactly the same thing. Contract wise I can’t really talk about it but either or, I’d be super happy to be on either one of those promotions for sure.
TM – What do you see as being your keys to victory in Belfast? Can you give us a prediction for how you believe the fight will end?
MP – I don’t want to be giving too much away when it comes to my keys to victory but of course, my stand up is always going to be somewhat of a danger to any opponent stepping in there with me. I’m very dangerous and high percentage with my stand up. I feel like that’s obviously going to be one of the factors but there’s a lot of keys to victory.
I honestly feel that prediction wise, it’s going to be a TKO or a decision. Parke is very tough, he’s very durable and he’s been in there with some of the best guys around. If you go by his record he’s very good at eeking out those decisions and getting the job done.
With the game plan we have in place and the way things are going momentum wise on my behalf at the moment it’s just not going to happen for him when we meet. My prediction is TKO or submission but I’d like to see myself getting a submission as well for sure.
TM – Thanks Myles, and finally then, do you have anything you’d like to say to Norman heading into the fight?
MP – My pleasure, thank you for having me. Just before I go I’d like to say a special thanks to Darbo Contracts who’ve been supporting me throughout this camp. I’d also like to put a special thanks out to Fight Store Ireland and Wolf Hound Fight Gear for looking after me during this camp. Also to everyone in my family at Team Ryano Kilkenny and Team Ryano HQ, obviously my family in general and my girlfriend Paige. Also my business partner Mick Brennan who has been a massive support in this camp as well.
My last message to Norman would be to come prepared, come ready and make sure to bring your A game because that’s what I’m bringing on the night. I’m feeling prepared for absolutely every scenario he brings into the cage and I’m ready to go toe to toe and just have a great fight to be honest with you. Bring your A game, that’s it.
I’m super looking forward to getting in there and going toe to toe with the man, it’s gonna be great.
Brave 13 will take place at the SSE Arena, Belfast on June 9th and will be headlined by an intriguing Bantamweight title fight between reigning champion Stephen Loman and SBG’s Frans Mlambo.
Main card
Stephen Loman vs. Frans Mlambo (Bantamweight World Title)
Norman Parke vs. Myles Price (Catchweight)
Karl Amoussou vs. Rodrigo Cavalheiro (Welterweight)
Andy Young vs. Bryan Creighton (Flyweight)
Declan Dalton vs. Zack Zane (Featherweight)
Mohammad Fakhreddine vs. Sidney Wheeler (Catchweight)
Erick Da Silva vs. Erik Carlsson (Catchweight)
Undercard
Konrad Iwanowski vs. Glenn Irvine (Middleweight)
Saeed Younesi vs. Chad Hanekom (Middleweight)
Cian Cowley vs. Oktawian Olejniczak (Welterweight)
Ben Bennett vs. Adam Byrne (Catchweight)
Piotr Tokarski vs. Sam Slater (Featherweight)
Aidan James vs. Tommy Martin (Featherweight)
Jonathan Reid vs. Constantin Gnusarev (Lightweight)
Just five days from now, Brave Combat Federation will roll into Belfast’s SSE Arena to host their first ever fight card on European soil. The event is packed full of interesting battles but one fight in particular will stand out for many of the local fans. In the co-main event, Northern Ireland’s own “Stormin” Norman Parke (24-6-1) is set to face a familiar foe in Kilkenny native, “Magic” Myles Price (10-6-0).
I caught up with Parke to discuss the impact of fighting in front of his home fans, what has changed in the eight years since he last faced Price and to get his prediction of what will go down on fight night.
Tom Mulligan – How does it feel to be making your promotional debut for Brave in Northern Ireland of all places?
Norman Parke – I’m really happy to making my debut on Brave Combat Federation in my home country.
TM – You’re 4-0 when fighting in Belfast – what kind of impact does it have knowing that you have the fans behind you?
NP – Yes, I do have a good record in my home land. It’s not losing in front of my fans [which] gives me more determination to keep pushing forward.
TM – This fight against Myles comes just a couple of months after your Unanimous Decision win over Łukasz Chlewicki – how did you feel coming out of that fight and has it effected your preparation for facing Myles in any way?
NP – I came out of the fight with Lukasz with no injuries, once I got contact about me fighting for Brave in Belfast it was a no brainer as I’m injury free and a free agent.
TM – You’re carrying a significant experience advantage into the fight having fought on the biggest stages in the world for UFC, ACB, KSW – how much of a factor do you expect that to be when the cage door closes?
NP – This is going to be the difference [between Myles and I] in my opinion. I believe I am stronger everywhere than Myles, with no disrespect, I believe I will dominate this fight.
TM – It’s been eight years since you and Myles last faced each other – how much has your game grown since then?
NP – Back then we were both just starting out in our careers. He was more of a kickboxer back then but he has transitioned a lot into BJJ, he felt that’s what he needed to do and he’s had some good wins on the domestic scene. Back then I was more of a grappler but now I am a complete fighter, I have lots of experience against world [class] level opponents.
TM – What kind of approach are you expecting from Myles heading into the fight?
NP – [I’m] not really thinking about him to be honest. [I’m] just planning on implementing my game to shut him out. I’m well aware of his strong points and his weak points.
TM – What do you see as being the key to winning the fight and how do you see the fight ending? Any predictions?
NP – [The keys to winning are] heart and determination. I believe I will dominate this fight and will look for the finish to keep this ball rolling.
TM – If you could send one message to Myles ahead of the fight, what would it be?
NP – Good luck.
Brave 13 will take place at the SSE Arena, Belfast on June 9th and will be headlined by an intriguing Bantamweight title fight between reigning champion Stephen Loman and SBG’s Frans Mlambo.
Main card
Stephen Loman vs. Frans Mlambo (Bantamweight World Title)
Norman Parke vs. Myles Price (Catchweight)
Karl Amoussou vs. Rodrigo Cavalheiro (Welterweight)
Andy Young vs. Bryan Creighton (Flyweight)
Declan Dalton vs. Zack Zane (Featherweight)
Mohammad Fakhreddine vs. Sidney Wheeler (Catchweight)
Erick Da Silva vs. Erik Carlsson (Catchweight)
Undercard
Konrad Iwanowski vs. Glenn Irvine (Middleweight)
Saeed Younesi vs. Chad Hanekom (Middleweight)
Cian Cowley vs. Oktawian Olejniczak (Welterweight)
Ben Bennett vs. Adam Byrne (Catchweight)
Piotr Tokarski vs. Sam Slater (Featherweight)
Aidan James vs. Tommy Martin (Featherweight)
Jonathan Reid vs. Constantin Gnusarev (Lightweight)
Norman Parke is set to rematch an old foe in a dangerous Myles Price in the co-main event at at Brave 13: Europe Evolution. The rematch had been a point of discussion during the points of career of both fighters, and is finally nearing the conclusion on June 9th at the SSE Arena in Belfast.
While heated words bubble between both of the fighters, former UFC and KSW veteran “Stormin” Norman Parke has made a comment which has grabbed the attention of MMA communities in Middle East.
Parke commented on the latest video updated by Brave Combat Federation featuring Abdul Kareem Al-Selwady hinting a possible face off in the future. Abdul Kareem Al Selwady has risen his ranks in the promotion, scoring four victories successively under the Brave CF banner. The lightweight fighter who represents Fortis MMA, Texas is only one victory away from tying the record of the welterweight Jarrah Al Selawe to become the fighter with most number of victories in the promotion.
“This guy is a lightweight fighter, I keep eye on him”, mentioned ‘Stormin’ Norman Parke.
Selwady, nor Brave Combat Federation have responded to the comment. One would assume that once the victor of the Brave 13 clash emerges, this could pave path for new possibilities in the promotion.
Brave Combat Federation has announced the full fight card for Brave 13: Europe Evolution hosted on 9th June at the SSE Arena at Belfast, Northern Ireland. The event marks the entry of the Bahrain based global promotion to Europe. The main event features the bantamweight champion, Stephen Loman from Philippines defending the title against Frans Mlambo from Ireland. The bout is a rematch between the prospect from SBG Ireland coached by John Kavanagh facing the champion from Asia’s top fight team, Team Lakay coached by Mark Sangiao.
The co-main event features the superstar from Northern Ireland, Norman Parke fighting Myles Price from the Republic of Ireland in the lightweight division. The bout is also a rematch reviving their age old rivalry. Other bouts include Rodrigo Cavalheiro from Brazil facing Karl Amoussou from France. Andy Young facing Bryan Creighton and Zack Zane facing Declan Dalton. Lebanon’s Mohammad Fakhreddine will make his return to face Sidney Wheeler. Top Middle Eastern superstar, Abdul Kareem Al Selwady will also make his return after the tenth edition of the event to face Erik Carlsson.
The undercard is also stacked with local and international athletes. Glenn Irvine will fight Konrad Iwanowski, Chad Hanekom will fight Tarek Suleiman, Cian Cowley will fight Oktawian Olejniczak, IMMAF gold medalist Ben Bennette will fight Adam Byrne, Piotr Tokarski will fight Sam Slater, Aidan James will fight Tommy Martin and Jonathan Reid will fight Constantin Gnusarev.
A total of 28 fighters will represent 15 nations in the fight card. The fights will be broadcasted live on Abu Dhabi Sports, Combate, StarSat and VodaComm in the respective territories apart from streaming across the official website of Brave Combat Federation. The fight card also features two IMMAF gold medalists, Frans Mlambo and Ben Bennette. The fight card is also special for Straight Blast Gym Ireland for featuring multiple athletes alongside being involved in the championship title fight in the main event.
Main card
Stephen Loman vs. Frans Mlambo (Bantamweight World Title)
Norman Parke vs. Myles Price (Catchweight (73kg))
Karl Amoussou vs. Rodrigo Cavalheiro (Welterweight)
Andy Young vs. Bryan Creighton (Flyweight)
Declan Dalton vs. Zack Zane (Featherweight)
Mohammad Fakhreddine vs. Sidney Wheeler (Catchweight)
Abdul Kareem Al Selwady vs. Erik Carlsson (Lightweight)
Undercard
Konrad Iwanowski vs. Glenn Irvine (Middleweight)
Tarek Suleiman vs. Chad Hanekom (Middleweight)
Cian Cowley vs. Oktawian Olejniczak (Catchweight (73kg))
Ben Bennett vs. Adam Byrne (Catchweight (79kg))
Piotr Tokarski vs. Sam Slater (Featherweight)
Aidan James vs. Tommy Martin (Featherweight)
Jonathan Reid vs. Constantin Gnusarev (Lightweight)
Brave Combat Federation announced that Norman Parke was signed with the promotion and will compete in the co-main event of the event hosted on 9th June at the SSE Arena in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
A professional MMA competitor since 2006, Parke has fought for the UFC, Absolute Championship Berkut, KSW, and BAMMA. He had previously fought in KSW 43 – Soldic vs. Du Plessis against Lukasz Chlewicki which he won by unanimous decision.
The ex-UFC fighter will face Myles Price in the lightweight division. Parke is a Black belt in Judo and is a National Champion in both Freestyle Wrestling and in Judo. Parke has a professional record of 24 wins in his 32 appearances. Out of his 24 victories, 12 came by way of submissions and 8 came by way of decisions. He is also a former Cage Contender Lightweight Champion and the Ultimate Fighter: The Smashes Lightweight Winner.
His opponent Myles Price has 15 fights in his career with 9 professional wins. Price had never suffered a defeat in his fight career by way of knockout. Currently representing the Team Ryano, Price is the upcoming prospect in Ireland. Apart from Price, Team Ryano will showcase multiple fighters in the fight card. In his previous fight, he faced Mario Saeed at BAMMA 24 – Kone vs. Phillips. He scored a TKO victory over Saeed in the second round.
The main event of the fight night feature the championship title defence by Stephen Loman from Team Lakay representing Philippines against Frans Mlambo from Straight Blast Gym Ireland representing the Republic of Ireland.
MMAMotion 