First Genuine UK MMA event? First UK MMA gym/team

[ReD_mIst]

A slightly loaded question, as the Colosseum has a reasonable claim to one of the oldest genuine MMA gyms in the UK (rather than a TMA gym that entered some early MMA events). Other gyms... London Shootfighters? Ronin?

I think Lee Hasdell's early events were probably the first. Night of the Samurai? Might of been something before then.

[KidKimura]

SSJ was one of the first gyms too, though thats prob obvious with you mentioning Lee's events as prob being the first.

[Berser_KED]

Colosseum, London Shoot....hmmm Yawara Ryu? (Paul Lloyd Davis, Bisping)

I am just trying to remember who and what was around back then. SSJ obviously. What about Gez Coville? Wasn't he Cambridge Free-Fight?

As for events, it must be one of the Samurai events? What about Andy Foreman though? I'm not sure but I thought I remember him putting something on at around the same time?

[wvt]

peter mcqueen has been going a while aswell, not sure when it all started like just i was on hoilday for a few years, am sure ian freeman, waz used to train there back in the day
think before our arrans first fight we just used to train in the sitting room ha ha.
and ov couse he went to peters with arran and lewis n dave.
our Mams house when we where kids had some right wars on that floor. one of the first ones is, we just watched ufc one with arran, "lets get it on" you can guess the rest

[leglocksrock]

peter mcqueen has been going a while aswell, not sure when it all started like just i was on hoilday for a few years, am sure ian freeman, waz used to train there back in the day
think before our arrans first fight we just used to train in the sitting room ha ha.
and ov couse he went to peters with arran and lewis n dave.
our Mams house when we where kids had some right wars on that floor. one of the first ones is, we just watched ufc one with arran, "lets get it on" you can guess the rest

Peter started teaching vale tudo... nhb....1997 ish in arthurs gym upstairs i believe...Ian Freeman started then i beleive...and Peter moved to Herrington around 98-99 i started in late 99...Peter had his first mma-valetudo show in the downhill club in 99...which was full pro rules but with the old ronan gloves...then moved his shows to a workmans club near ferry hill in 2001 a few other venues spenny moor...etc...which brings us up to now Total Combat at the rainton medows arena...

[Rich Austin]

As far as I can remember and I doubt many others on here will lol Andy Jardine did one of the first if not THE first MMA Event in 1997 called Euram.
Mark Weir beat Buster Reeves and Lee Hasdell also won.

After that Lee started N.O.S and I think Andy then started CFC?

Blimey my head hurts that was Years ago!

[burmeseboxer]

yep Cambridge Freefight goes back to the early days..
Started as mainly a Thai gym back in the early nineties and then progressed onto MMA when Lee Hasdell etc started promoting the shows.

Gez

[boxingbrit]

Buster Reeves trained with Les Allen. Les settled back in the UK after fighting in the US and Japan for good in 1999. i know Lee Hasdell mentioned Les had been a part of his earliest shows.

[Shaolin Exile]

You may find some answers here although the thread never went very far:

http://sfuksubmissionfightinguk.yuku...-timeline.html

[BeD_pIst]

How can Colloseum stake a claim????? I thought they only taught palm strikes + how to defend against knife attacks?