Two new bouts have been added to the BAMMA 12 card as Steven Ray (12-3) defends the BAMMA Lonsdale British lightweight championship against Curt Warburton (11-3), and Bola Omoyele (6-1) faces Wayne Murrie (15-5) in a welterweight matchup. The event is set to take place at Newcastle’s Metro Radio Arena on Saturday 9th March 2013.

BAMMA officials announced the two new fights today via official press release.

The event will feature in a two hour live broadcast on 5* in the UK with highlights to follow on Channel 5;  and will be televised on AXS-TV in the US, The Fight Network in Canada, Red Media in Russia, TV Esporte Interativo in Brazil, Setanta in Africa and TDN  in Latin America.

Steven Ray is currently riding a three fight winning streak, most recently defeating Dale Hardiman via unanimous decision at BAMMA 11 in December 2012. Prior to that he scored a second round TKO victory over Stu Barrs at Caledonian Combat 1 in July 2012, and a first round submission win over Qasim Shafiq in June. Ray will no doubt look to extend his winning streak to four by defeating Warburton.

“Curt Warburton looks tough. I’ve had a little look at him, just to see what he’s about and to spot what his strengths and weaknesses are. He’s on the run to get back to the UFC so beating him will be massive for me. I will be training harder than ever, and as always pushing myself that one step further.” - Steven Ray.

Curt Warburton is currently on a four fight winning streak, most recently defeating Lee Wieczorek via unanimous decision at BAMMA 10 in September 2012. Prior to that he picked up notable victories against Tim Newman, Artur Sowinski and Declan Larkin. Curt now has the chance to take home a championship belt with a big performance against Ray.

“I’m looking forward to the fight. Obviously it’s a different fight than I originally planned for and I’ve had to go back to the drawing board so my gameplan’s totally changed. Stevie Ray’s a completely different fighter, more of a wrestler: He’s a good fighter and a champion for a reason, but I’m coming to take that belt off him.” – Curt Warburton.

Bola Omoyele last fought at UCMMA 27 in April 2012, where he scored a first round TKO victory over Warren Kee. After that win Bola went on to participate in reality TV series ‘The Ultimate Fighter: The Smashes’, where he was defeated by Manny Rodriguez in episode 5. Bola has the chance to extend his current winning streak to six with a big win over Murrie.

“I’m looking forward to showcasing my skill against a top ranked fighter and I can’t wait to get into the BAMMA cage and get it cracking.” – Bola Omoyele.

Wayne Murrie was last in action at Cage Contender 5 in October 2012, where he dropped a second round TKO loss against Arni Isaksson. Prior to that he had been on a three fight winning streak, defeating notable fighters such as Ross Pointon, Shaun Lomas and Seydina Seck. Murrie has the chance to bounce back into the win column on March 9th.

“I can’t wait for the opportunity to fight on BAMMA and I’m grateful for the opportunity. I’ll be flying the flag for Ludus Magnus Training Centre and for Old Skool Fight Management. I’ll be looking to finish the fight in style.” – Wayne Murrie.

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Jay Cee – @JayCeeMMA

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