After the UFC’s first event in Glasgow in 2015, Scottish Mixed Martial Arts has gone from strength to strength, and the athletes representing the nation are now going to be recognized for all their hard work throughout the calendar year.
In 2022, Scotland as a whole found major success competing on global shows worldwide. From Stevie Ray reaching the PFL finals, Paul Craig competing against the best 205lbs on the planet, Chris Duncan earning a UFC contract with a viral knockout on DWCS, Mark Ewen announcing himself on the big stage, and Reece McEwan closing in on a Cage Warriors bantamweight title shot, to name a few.
The proposed awards night is not only to recognize the Scottish representatives fighting under the bigger organizations, but to appreciate the up-and-coming amateurs who are progressing in the sport. As well as the coaches in the country who put in all of their time and effort towards their students and the promoters who give the fighters an opportunity to compete.
Stuart Henderson (Stoomboy), the man orchestrating the ceremony, officially announced the date and venue today. The suited-and-booted, three-course meal event will occur on November 26th at the Cranside Kitchen in Glasgow. This will be a ticketed event, with more details within the next few weeks.
The Scottish MMA Awards
As it stands, these are the following awards that will be presented on the evening:
- Best Male pro
- Best Female pro
- Best Male amateur
- Best Female amateur
- Breakthrough Male
- Breakthrough Female
- Best Male KO
- Best Female KO
- Best Male submission
- Best Female submission
- Best coach
- Best gym
- Breakthrough gym
- Best promotion
- Lifetime achievement
‘Stoomboy’ is widely known for his involvement in Brazilian Jiu-jitsu and for the platform he gives some of the UK’s best grapplers. With that being said, the event in November will also feature several awards for BJJ in Scotland. The following awards as it stands are:
- Best Male Grappler
- Best Female Grappler
- Breakthrough Male Grappler
- Breakthrough Female Grappler
To finish off the evening, two individuals will enter the ‘Scottish MMA Hall of Fame’, and one individual from BJJ will be inducted into the ‘Scottish Combat Sports Hall of Fame’.
During a video announcement on Facebook, ‘Stoomboy‘ went into more detail on what to expect from the event:
“There’s going to be a three-course meal. There’s going to be one-hundred people. It will be a ticketed event, so it’ll be the first hundred people. The event will be open to everybody.”
“We are going to have a proper awards night, Oscar-like stuff. Everybody will be dressed up in suits and dresses. It’s going to be a great night with everyone enjoying Scottish martial arts.
“There’s going to be a judging panel. We will have candidates, depending on the number of competitors, both male and female, we will have a candidate list of three/four/five people per category.”
‘Stoomboy’ has a well-executed vision for the future of the Scottish MMA Awards. When successful, it aims to move to bigger venues, allowing more of the community to celebrate the athletes, coaches, and gyms for their work year after year.
