Ronnie Mann - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Ronnie Mann is an English

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

professional mixed martial artist

Mixed martial arts

Mixed Martial Arts is a full contact combat sport that allows the use of both striking and grappling techniques, both standing and on the ground, including boxing, wrestling, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, muay Thai, kickboxing, karate, judo and other styles. The roots of modern mixed martial arts can be...

who competes in the featherweight

Featherweight (MMA)

The featherweight division in mixed martial arts can refer to a number of different weight classes:*UFC's & Pancrase's featherweight division, which groups competitors within 136 to 145 lb...

division. A professional MMA competitor since 2003, Mann has mostly fought in England and Japan.

Mann is a veteran of the former top English organisation Cage Rage Championships and was a quarter-finalist in the Sengoku Featherweight Grand Prix in 2009, losing to Hatsu Hioki

Hatsu Hioki

is a Japanese mixed martial artist signed to the Ultimate Fighting Championship competing in the featherweight division. He is the former Shooto Lightweight Champion and former Sengoku Featherweight Champion...

. Mann is also the current Shark Fights

Shark Fights

Shark Fights is a Mixed Martial Arts promotion based out of Amarillo, Texas. It made its debut on October 24, 2008. On September 11, 2010 Shark Fights had its biggest card in Shark Fights history by having former UFC veterans Keith Jardine, Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou, Paul Daley, and Houston...

Featherweight champion, after defeating Doug Evans

Doug Evans (fighter)

Douglas Evans is an American mixed martial artist who resides in Anchorage, Alaska. He competes in the Featherweight division, and is best known for the first round of his fight against Thierry Quenneville, which was named Sherdog's 2009 Round of the Year.-Early career:Evans made his professional...

in September 2010.

Background and early career

Mann grew up in Cheltenham, England. Mann also idolised Marco Ruas

Marco Ruas

Marco Antônio de Lima Ruas is a retired mixed martial arts fighter and instructor. Most notably, he was the UFC 7 Tournament Champion and is considered one of the earliest examples of the complete mixed martial artist, highly skilled in both striking and grappling.-Biography:Ruas is famous for...

and Royce Gracie

Royce Gracie

Royce Gracie is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist, a UFC Hall of Famer and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner. A legend and pioneer in the sport of mixed martial arts, he is widely considered to be the most influential figure in the history of modern MMA.Gracie gained fame for his...

as a youngster after being introduced to the Ultimate Fighting Championship

Ultimate Fighting Championship

The Ultimate Fighting Championship is the largest mixed martial arts promotion company in the world that hosts most of the top-ranked fighters in the sport...

. Mann began taking Muay Thai lessons at the age of 11 and participated in jiu-jitsu and kickboxing tournaments at the age of 13. Mann competed in his first amateur fight at the age of 16 and turned professional a year later.
In Japan, he fought under the name of Ronnie Ushiwaka, his mother's maiden name.( His Mothers Maiden Name was Promlert (THAI)
Mann's professional mixed martial arts career began in November 2003 with a win over Andy Dicks. A few months later, Mann made his Shooto

Shooto

Shooto is a mixed martial arts organization that is governed by the Shooto Association and the International Shooto Commission. Shooto was originally formed in 1985, as an organization and as a particular fighting system derived from shoot wrestling. Practitioners are referred to as shooters,...

debut, at Shooto Holland where he won via triangle choke after 56 seconds. Staying in Holland, Mann won a further fight, knocking his opponent out in under two minutes. Mann then recorded five successive submission victories.

Domestic prominence

In mid-2006, Mann signed with top domestic organisation, Cage Rage

Cage Rage

Cage Rage Championships, also known as Cage Rage, was a United Kingdom-based, mixed martial arts promotion that premiered on 7 September 2002 in London. Cage Rage went bankrupt and is now no longer trading...

and made his promotional debut at the Cage Rage: Contenders 1 event against Ashleigh Grimshaw

Ashleigh Grimshaw

Ashleigh Grimshaw is an English professional mixed martial arts fighter who competes in the featherweight division. A professional MMA competitor since 2003, Grimshaw has spent his entire career in England, most notably for Cage Rage and BAMMA....

. Mann later stated that the fight was one of his toughest, especially after being hit with an early low blow. The organisation, at the time, adopted the "open guard rule," allowing fighters to stomp on each other. At the end of the third round, the fight was declared a draw, despite Mann feeling that he had the better of the fight, after a knockdown in the first round and a triangle choke attempt in the second round.

Mann later joined the Cage Gladiators promotion in England and made his promotional debut at Cage Gladiators 2, against Denas Banevicius, winning via submission (strikes) at 1:42 of the first round. Three months later, Mann returned at Cage Gladiators 3, defeating Chris Freeborn via submission (triangle choke) at 2:46 of the first round.

At Cage Rage 20
Cage Rage 20
Cage Rage 20: Born 2 Fight was a mixed martial arts event held by the Cage Rage Championships on February 10, 2007 at the Wembley Arena in London, England...

, in a rematch with Ashleigh Grimshaw, whom Mann had earlier drawn with, Mann controlled the stand-up and the top position on the floor. Towards the end of the fight, Grimshaw attempted a comeback, utilising ground-and-pound offense, though Mann was declared the winner via unanimous decision after three rounds.

Mann's next fight (and third in the Cage Rage organisation) was against top domestic prospect, Robbie Olivier

Robbie Olivier

Robbie Olivier is an English professional mixed martial arts fighter who competes in the featherweight division. A professional MMA competitor since 2002, Oliver has spent almost his entire career in England, most notably for Cage Rage and BAMMA....

. The fight saw both fighters neutralise the other's ground game. In the stand-up, Mann was regarded as being unusually tentative, which gave Olivier the opportunity to take him to the floor, where again, neither fighter was able to advance position or do anything of note. After three rounds, Olivier was declared the winner via unanimous decision.

At Cage Rage 24
Cage Rage 24
out dated: see http://a3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/316996_2473542808109_1538580287_32616791_798713040_n.jpgCage Rage 24: Feel the Pain was a mixed martial arts event held by the Cage Rage Championships on December 1, 2007 at the Wembley Arena in London, England...

, Mann faced Jordan Miller, who took the fight at short notice. Mann was able to take Miller down almost immediately in the fight and took a rear naked choke. Mann dominated from that point and soon after, transitioned to a triangle choke after just 53 seconds of the first round.

After this, Cage Rage became defunct and Mann re-joined Cage Gladiators, immediately competing against Frederic Fernandez for the Cage Gladiators World Featherweight Championship at the Cage Gladiators 6 event. Mann was able to utilise his wrestling skills again, dominating the takedowns, neutralising his opponent. Mann was able to take the unanimous decision after effective striking, leading Sherdog to once again label him "a star in the making."

Mann was then scheduled to face future World Extreme Cagefighting

World Extreme Cagefighting

World Extreme Cagefighting was an American mixed martial arts promotion. It was purchased by Zuffa, LLC, the parent company of Ultimate Fighting Championship , in 2006. In its final incarnation, it was made up of 3 weight classes: 135, 145 and 155 lbs. To accommodate the smaller...

standout Brad Pickett

Brad Pickett

Brad Pickett is an English mixed martial artist and the former Cage Rage British Featherweight champion and Ultimate Challenge MMA Featherweight Champion. He currently competes as a Bantamweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship...

, though the fight was later cancelled after Pickett suffered a broken arm defending a high kick.

Mann instead took a fight in Croatia, defeating Ivica Djebic via TKO (injury). Returning to Cage Gladiators at the Cage Gladiators 8 event, Mann defeated Steve McCombe via submission (choke) in the first round.

Sengoku

Mann then signed with Sengoku Raiden Championship in Japan, to participate in their Featherweight Grand Prix. In the opening round, Mann faced Tetsuya Yamada and defeated him via unanimous decision (30–29, 30–29, 30–29). During the first round of the fight, Mann was able to land powerful punches, before falling into a deep kneebar attempt from Yamada. After escaping, Mann was able to gain top position to end the first round. The second round saw Yamada attempt a standing kimura

Kimura

Kimura is the 18th most common Japanese surname.Kimura may also refer to:-People:*Asami Kimura, singer*Ayaka Kimura, singer*Doreen Kimura, psychobiologist*Gary Kimura, software developer*Hidefumi Kimura, manga author...

, which was fought off by Mann, who was later able to take down Yamada twice, whilst fighting off a second kimura attempt. The final round saw poor kickboxing attempts by Yamada, which was countered by two takedowns. Finally, Mann looked to utilise an ankle lock, which was reversed into another kneebar by Yamada. After the third round ended, Mann was declared the winner via decision.

In the quarter finals of the tournament, Mann faced early tournament favourite, Hatsu Hioki

Hatsu Hioki

who had previously defeated World Extreme Cagefighting

World Extreme Cagefighting

veteran Chris Manuel. Mann weighed in at 142.6 lbs, whilst Hioki, who was unbeaten in his last seven fights, weighed in at 143.3 lbs. Mann stated that "[I] plan for an exciting and explosive fight."

During the fight, Mann was able to land several successful punches, before Hioki took Mann down with a trip, where he was able to land knees and execute a brabo choke. After scrambling to avoid an armbar attempt, Mann fell to a triangle choke, tapping out at 3:09 of the first round. After the fight, Mann stated "I started off well, standing up, but I fell into his game. Fell into his trap. The punches were only small punches, but it was the triangle that was slowly coming on, so in the end, I tapped."

After his elimination from the Featherweight Grand Prix, Mann competed in his third fight in Sengoku against Shigeki Osawa

Shigeki Osawa

Shigeki Osawa is a Japanese professional mixed martial artist who competes in the featherweight division. A professional MMA competitor since 2009, Osawa has competed almost exclusively for Sengoku.-Background:...

, who Sherdog

Sherdog

Sherdog is an American website devoted to the sport of mixed martial arts . The site is a member of the Crave Online network and provides MMA related content for ESPN.com.- History :...

labelled a talented young prospect. After three rounds, Mann was victorious, via unanimous decision.

Move to North America

Mann still had one more fight left on his Sengoku contract and also expressed a desire to join World Extreme Cagefighting

World Extreme Cagefighting

and eventually fight Featherweight Champion Jose Aldo

Jose Aldo

José Aldo is a Brazilian mixed martial artist, who competes as a featherweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship where he is the first and current UFC Featherweight Champion...

.

Despite his contract with Sengoku, Mann went on to make his North American debut against Doug Evans

Doug Evans (fighter)

on September 11, 2010 at Shark Fights 13
Shark Fights 13
Shark Fights 13: Jardine vs. Prangley was a mixed martial arts event held by Shark Fights on September 11, 2010 at the Civic Center Coliseum in Amarillo, Texas, United States.-Background:...

. The bout saw Mann hit Evans with multiple combinations and low kicks, before utilising a flying knee. Evans counter-attacked with takedowns, which he kept up into the final round. Mann won the bout via split decision (47–48, 48–47, 48–47) to become the new Shark Fights Featherweight champion.

Bellator Fighting Championships

On February 17, it was announced Mann had signed with Bellator Fighting Championships

Bellator Fighting Championships

Bellator Fighting Championships is a mixed martial arts promotion based in the United States. "Bellator", which is Latin for "Warrior", is organized into seasons with each event hosting the rounds of championship knockout tournaments for three-five weight divisions.-History:In its first season,...

. He had his first fight for the promotion against Josh Arocho at Bellator 42. Mann was able to dominate the fight with superior wrestling and won the fight via unanimous decision (30-25, 30-27, 30-27).

That win earned Mann a place in the Bellator Summer Series Featherwight Tournament where he faced Adam Schindler at Bellator 46 in his quarter final match-up. Mann stuffed any attempts from the wrestler to take the fight to the ground before he scored a stunning first round knockout win with a right uppercut left hook combination which dropped Schindler before swarming on him with hammerfists to leave him unconscious on the mat.

Mann faced Pat Curran

Pat Curran

Pat Curran is a retired American football tight end. Curran played for the National Football League Los Angeles Rams and San Diego Chargers between 1969 and 1978....

in the Featherweight tournament semifinals at Bellator 47. He lost the fight via unanimous decision.

Mann fought Kenny Foster

Kenny Foster

Kenny Foster is an American professional mixed martial arts fighter. He currently fights for Bellator Fighting Championships.-Bellator Fighting Championships:...

at Bellator 53 for a spot in the next Featherweight tournament. He dominated the stand-up but then got taken down which gave him the opportunity to finish via submission (triangle choke) in the first round.

Mixed martial arts record

|-
|Win
|align=center|21-4-1
|Kenny Foster

Kenny Foster

Kenny Foster is an American professional mixed martial arts fighter. He currently fights for Bellator Fighting Championships.-Bellator Fighting Championships:...

Miami, Oklahoma

Miami is a city in Ottawa County, Oklahoma, United States. As of 2009, the population estimate was 12,910. It is the county seat of Ottawa County. The city is named after the Miami tribe...

Pat Curran (fighter)

Pat Curran is an American mixed martial artist who competes as a Lightweight and Featherweight. He is the cousin of World Extreme Cagefighting veteran and former Featherweight title challenger Jeff Curran...

Rama, Ontario

Rama is the Ontario, Canada home of the Chippewas of Rama First Nation and Casino Rama. The community sports complex is called the Mnjikaning Arena Sports Ki, which was the home arena of the Couchiching Terriers ice hockey team, once affiliated with the Barrie Colts. The Ramakings lacrosse team...

Hollywood, Florida

-Demographics:As of 2000, there were 59,673 households out of which 24.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.5% were married couples living together, 11.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.2% were non-families. 34.4% of all households were made up of...

Newkirk, Oklahoma

Newkirk is a city in Kay County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 2,243 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Kay County.-Geography:...

, United States
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|18–3–1
|Doug Evans

Doug Evans (fighter)

|Decision (split)
|Shark Fights 13

Shark Fights 13

Shark Fights 13: Jardine vs. Prangley was a mixed martial arts event held by Shark Fights on September 11, 2010 at the Civic Center Coliseum in Amarillo, Texas, United States.-Background:...

Amarillo, Texas

Amarillo is the 14th-largest city, by population, in the state of Texas, the largest in the Texas Panhandle, and the seat of Potter County. A portion of the city extends into Randall County. The population was 190,695 at the 2010 census...

, United States
|Won the Shark Fights Featherweight title
|-
|Win
|align=center|17–3–1
|Shigeki Osawa

Shigeki Osawa

|Decision (unanimous)
|World Victory Road Presents: Sengoku 11

World Victory Road Presents: Sengoku 11

World Victory Road Presents: Sengoku 11 was a mixed martial arts event promoted by World Victory Road. It took place on November 7th, 2009.This event was broadcasted live in North America on HDNet.-Fight Card:...

Tokyo

, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...

Hatsu Hioki

|Submission (triangle choke)
|World Victory Road Presents: Sengoku 8

World Victory Road Presents: Sengoku 8

World Victory Road Presents: Sengoku 8 was a mixed martial arts event promoted by World Victory Road. It took place on May 2, 2009 and featured the second round of WVR's 2009 Featherweight Grand-Prix.- Results :...

Tokyo

World Victory Road Presents: Sengoku 7

World Victory Road Presents: Sengoku 7 was a mixed martial arts-event promoted by World Victory Road. It took place on March 20, 2009.- Results :...

Tokyo

Liverpool

Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...

Dubrovnik

Dubrovnik is a Croatian city on the Adriatic Sea coast, positioned at the terminal end of the Isthmus of Dubrovnik. It is one of the most prominent tourist destinations on the Adriatic, a seaport and the centre of Dubrovnik-Neretva county. Its total population is 42,641...

Liverpool

Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...

Cage Rage 24

out dated: see http://a3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/316996_2473542808109_1538580287_32616791_798713040_n.jpgCage Rage 24: Feel the Pain was a mixed martial arts event held by the Cage Rage Championships on December 1, 2007 at the Wembley Arena in London, England...

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

Robbie Olivier

|Decision (unanimous)
|Cage Rage 22

Cage Rage 22

Cage Rage 22: Hard as Hell was a mixed martial arts event held by the Cage Rage Championships on July 14, 2007 at the Wembley Arena in London, England. It was televised on Sky Sports in the United Kingdom....

London

, England
|For the Cage Rage British Featherweight Championship
|-
|Win
|align=center|11–1–1
|Ashleigh Grimshaw

Ashleigh Grimshaw

|Decision (unanimous)
|Cage Rage 20

Cage Rage 20

Cage Rage 20: Born 2 Fight was a mixed martial arts event held by the Cage Rage Championships on February 10, 2007 at the Wembley Arena in London, England...

London

Liverpool

Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...

Liverpool

Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...

Ashleigh Grimshaw

London

Oostzaan

Oostzaan is a municipality and a town in the Zaanstreek, Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. The town has a population of 9.104 inhabitats in december 2010. Oostzaan has got 11.49 km² land and 4.64 km² water....

Cardiff

Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...

Cambridge

The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...

Bristol

Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...

Bristol

Birmingham

Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...

Landsmeer

Landsmeer is a municipality and a town in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland.-Population centres :The municipality of Landsmeer consists of the three villages: Den Ilp, Landsmeer, Purmerland.- Local government :...

, Holland
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|2–0
|Nayeb Hezam
|Submission (triangle choke)
|Shooto Holland: Knock-Out Gala III
|
|align=center|1
|align=center|0:56
|Vlissingen, Holland
|
|-
|Win
|align=center|1–0
|Andy Dicks
|N/A
|Grapple & Strike 8
|
|align=center|N/A
|align=center|N/A
|Kidderminster

Kidderminster

Kidderminster is a town, in the Wyre Forest district of Worcestershire, England. It is located approximately seventeen miles south-west of Birmingham city centre and approximately fifteen miles north of Worcester city centre. The 2001 census recorded a population of 55,182 in the town...

, England
|

External links

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