British lightweight fighter Dale Hardiman is set to to face Steven Ray this coming weekend (December 1st) at BAMMA 11, which takes place at the Birmingham National Indoor Arena. The two men will do battle for the BAMMA Lonsdale British Lightweight championship.

The MMA Review (themmareview.co.uk) got the chance to talk with Dale Hardiman about the upcoming bout, training camp, life at Storm Gym and more…

Check out the Interview:

Jay Cee: ”Hi Dale, it’s great to have you on themmareview.co.uk. First lets talk about your upcoming bout at BAMMA 11. You will be fighting Steven Ray in a Lightweight Title bout. What are your thoughts on Stevie as an opponent? and how do you see the fight playing out?”

Dale Hardiman: ”I think Steven is a great opponent and that this fight is extremely well matched. He is well rounded with good grappling and striking. I feel that I am better in all areas and believe I will get the finish on the night, whether that be by knock out or submission.”

Jay Cee: ”How is your fight camp and preparation going for the bout on December 1st? Without giving too much away, have you been working on any specific areas of your fight game?”

Dale Hardiman: ”I have been working all areas of my game as always. As he is a southpaw that has certainly been on my mind throughout my training camp but I havent done too much opponent specific work. I am more concerned about my skill set than his so have been working all areas to improve and be the best I can possibly be on the night.”

Jay Cee: ”This will be your third time fighting on a BAMMA card, tell me a bit about your relationship with the organization? You must be happy about the Channel 5 broadcasting, which opens you and the rest of the fighters up to a much wider audience?”

Dale Hardiman: ”Yes, I have been fortunate to fight for BAMMA in the past and I have a great working relationship with the organisation. As long as I keep winning I am pretty sure they will have me back. The Channel 5 broadcasting is huge for UKMMA and its great to be a part of the sport as it continues to progress into the mainstream.”

Jay Cee: ”You were last in action at Cage Warriors 48 in July, where you scored a second round KO victory over Ido Pariente. Give me your thoughts on that fight? and how it felt to pick up the KO victory?”

Dale Hardiman: ”I was happy with every aspect of that fight. I knew Ido had solid grappling and that my main advantage would be on my feet. I also knew that I could hold my own on the ground with him and possibly even submit him. The first round was his but if you watch it back he was working extremely hard whilst I was just relaxing on my back. Coming into the second he was tired, I was fresh and it didn’t turn out too well for him. Getting the KO was great and I am sure it is one of many to come.”

Jay Cee: ”Is there anyone in particular on the regional circuit here in the UK that you would like to face at some point in the future? I am not suggesting that you call anyone out, but there may be someone that you feel you would match-up well with?”

Dale Hardiman: ”I would happily fight anyone in UKMMA to get where I need to be. Anyone ranked above me is on my radar.”

Jay Cee: ”What is life like at Storm Gym? any up and coming talent we should know about?”

Dale Hardiman: ”Life is great at storm gym. We have a great team of coaches and fighters. There are plenty of upcoming guys both in MMA and K1/Thai  and no doubt you will see a lot more Storm MMA fighters on big MMA cards in the future. One fighter to look out for who I train with away from Storm gym is Jefferson George. He made his Pro MMA debut last night at KAYO MMA and won by Armbar in the second against a 3-0 opponent. He is an unbelievable talent with explosive striking and tremendous grappling. Believe me when I say he is someone to watch out for.”

Jay Cee: ”What can we expect to see from Dale Hardiman within the next 2-3 years? What are your goals for the future?”

Dale Hardiman: ”Goals in the sport are just to keep winning and see where it takes me. I have a strong team of coaches, management, training partners and sponsors behind me and I am sure with our combined hard work we will get where I need to be in this Sport.”

Jay Cee: ”Well that about wraps it up Dale. Good luck at BAMMA 11 and thanks a lot for taking the time to talk with me, I appreciate it. Please feel free to give any shout-outs to your people and sponsors etc.”

Dale Hardiman: “It has been a pleasure. I would like to thank my head coach Amir Subasic (@stormgymuk) , Sponsors Ross “ginge” Laurence (@impactlpa), Mark Jarvis (@m1jarvis), Icon Nutrition (@iconnutritionuk), Rich Gunter (@rgfitness). My brother Ben (@hitmanhardiman) for all the work he does behind the scenes to make my life easier and finally my girlfriend Debbie for her support.”

Thanks again to Dale Hardiman for the interview, we appreciate the time.

Use the following link to follow Dale on Twitter: @HardimanMMA

REMEMBER!!! to buy your tickets for BAMMA 11 at the  Birmingham National Indoor Arena on Saturday, December 1st!!!

CLICK HERE TO BUY TICKETS

Also, make sure you follow The MMA Review on Twitter: @TheMMAReview

You can also follow me on Twitter: @JayCeeMMA

Interview by: Jay Cee  (The MMA Review)

A big thanks to BAMMA who provided the pictures of Dale Hardiman for this interview.