Kiely called out by BAMMA champ
RICHIE Kiely looks poised to nail down a title fight against Alex Lohore after the newly-crowned BAMMA Welterweight champion called him out in the wake of his victory over Nathan Jones in the SSE Arena, Wembley last Friday.
Lohore, who knocked out Jones in the opening round of their contest, immediately trained his sights on the Tallaght man saying “There’s an Irish kid who’s been running his mouth. November, I’m gonna go out there and shut him up. BAMMA get that sorted.”
Kiely has fought just two times under the BAMMA banner but his victories over Keith McCabe and Daniel Olejniczak have been emphatic and he insists he is not surprised to be likely getting this shot so soon in his MMA career.
“It’s unheard of that a world champion is calling out someone with just two fights.
“But I’m the biggest draw for BAMMA now and he [Lohore] should be delighted that I’m giving him the opportunity to fight me. For the exposure he wants, he has to be associating himself with me.
“He is a hugely experienced competitor. He is 13 and 1, most of them being first-round knockouts, but he hasn’t fought anyone like me.
“It would be very hard for him to find someone who could replicate my style.
“I’ve heard him come out with all this trash talk of ‘I’ll teach this kickboxer what MMA is all about’. I’ve heard it all before from the others, but just look what happened to them.
“Keith [McCabe] tried to impose his game on me and he got knocked out, wee Daniel [Olejniczak] was negative and he got knocked out.
“I really am predicting a first-round knockout [against Lohore] and I’m not just saying that.
“It’s gonna make for two records- the shortest time someone has been fighting before winning a world title and the shortest reign as a world champion when he loses that belt,” he said.
The Tallaght man firmly believes he has the weapons in his arsenal to inflict only a second defeat on his French rival.
“He’s underestimating me” insisted Kiely. “He thinks I’m going to stay on my toes and move around because that’s what I did in my previous two fights.
“But the only reason I did that was because my two opponents then were predominantly grapplers and I didn’t want to be playing to their strengths.
“But I’ll show him that I’m well able to trade fire-power.
“Both of us want this fight so really now it’s in BAMMA’s court to get it sorted. And it makes complete sense for them. If this fight goes ahead, Tallaght will be vacant for that night” he laughed
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