One-half of the Badmofo MMA partnership, Connor Halliday, recently had the show’s fifth instalment in the books in Barnsley, England.
The promotion has quickly established itself on the circuit and shows no intention of slowing down. Come Monday morning, the promotion received a handful of praises from fighters and coaches involved in the two-day event.
On Saturday, the adults took to the Barnsley Metrodome, which delivered, and on Sunday, the up-and-coming talent that is the Juniors got the opportunity to showcase the skills they’ve learned while training in martial arts.
We had the opportunity of catching up with Connor Halliday post-event to discuss the show’s success at the weekend, as well as diving into the development of the youth of the sport.
Interview With Connor Halliday
A few days after a successful two-day event in Barnsley, talk us through the comedown after months of planning an event as a promoter and a slightly quieter life until the next one.
For me, there isn’t a comedown because I’m a workaholic. The Monday after, I was already sitting, cutting through all the footage (I edit the promos, too) and watching the fights back. I had a lay-in till 8 am, so that was my rest. We’ve already had messages regarding the next shows and matching, so it’s straight back on it.
We’ve heard good reviews and experiences from everybody who attended the show on Saturday and the Juniors. Overall, are you pleased with how everything went?
Good reviews are always exciting to hear. We’ve genuinely had so much positive feedback from both events. Having high-level coaches tell us it’s the best they’ve had their fighters on makes it worth it. Steve and I are very pleased with how the weekend went in terms of the fights, the production and the turnout of the fans!
What would you say are the highlights of the overall weekend we’re?
In terms of highlights, there are a few fights that stand out. Jack Atherton vs Garon Shemar is stepping up for the 61kg title on four days’ notice, a back-and-forth five-rounder. David Irvine vs Mikey Bryant was a 3 round brawl! Then the junior fights of the nights for me were Bobby Burgess vs Noah Tyndall and Joe Cope vs Elijah Butler.
Connor Halliday Talks Badmofo MMA
We’ve spoken to a lot of people who can’t believe the level of organisation, production, and standard you guys put together for the juniors. When you hear that, it must fill you with pride and make it all worth it.
It definitely fills us with pride. We put so much effort into every part of the show, for the adults and the juniors. We believe the kids should have the same level of detail as the adults. The same level of production and the same amount of promotion. Including ticket deals and high-level competition.
Is there anything you’d have done differently for the junior’s side of things? Assume it’s all lessons to move on to the next one.
There are always things you can do differently, regardless of how well an event goes. We’ve got some things we need to iron out, and we will for July.
Junior MMA
Nobody’s doing junior MMA shows. Where did that decision come from, and how many hoops did you have to jump through to make it happen?
Others are definitely doing junior mma shows, and we love that it’s getting bigger across the UK. We weren’t the first to do it, but we are certainly the best. The decision came from the fact that when I was a kid doing MMA, I never got the chance to compete. I also knew the level of talent in the UK and wanted to give them an opportunity to showcase it. We’ve been doing junior fights on the cards since BMF 1, and then by show number 3, we had enough interest to run a full junior event. There weren’t many hoops to jump through, to be honest. We just had to make sure the correct people were on board to ensure the safety of the fighters.
It’s solely down to guys like you putting shows on for the juniors that will allow them to progress much more quickly. How much do you think the experience of competing in MMA at a young age on established, well-run shows will benefit these kids moving forward?
I wouldn’t say it’s solely down to us, as RAW, ECL, and FCC are all supporting the juniors, too I just think we’re doing it on a grander stage which certainly stands out to both spectators and the fighters. I think it benefits the kids because they get used to the big stage before progressing into the amateurs and then into the pros. The majority of these kids will likely be in the UFC! They’re amazing.
Finally, BMF has quickly established itself as one of the standouts in the UK circuit. What position do you want the show to be in one year from now?
We’ve established ourselves quickly because we look after the people that compete in our events. The production and everything are great, but as a promoter, your main job is to look after the fighters, staff, coaches and fans who support the events. We won promotion of the year 2022 (tied with FCC). The goal this year is to win it again by ourselves. One year from now, we want our reputation to be the same as now, if not better. We can’t thank everyone enough for supporting the show, and we’re excited for the rest of 2023!
Featured image credits to DN4 Photography
