Current UFC bantamweight and former flyweight Brad Pickett has announced his plans to debut his own mixed martial arts fight promotion, Rise of Champion, under the banner of One Punch Promotions.

The event, which will feature both amateur and professional bouts, will take place at City Pavilion, Romford, UK on October 17 2015. Pickett joins forces with Team Titan head coach, Mickey Papas to hep organize the event, and is currently putting the finishing touches to their first ever fight card. The inaugural event will feature fighters from BKK Fighters, The MMA Clinic, Team Titan, plus other renowned UK gyms.

Pickett’s ultimate goal is to seek out new talent in order to guide fighters throughout their career.

“When I was starting out in this sport, it wasn’t really a long term viable career option but things have changed considerably now – and it’s something that young fighters aspire to do as a job, not just a hobby,” stated Pickett. “I want to help those hungry young fighters get experience and support them as they take the first steps towards that. It can be a rough path to follow, and I hope that my experience will help guide them along a bit.”

The first event will include a professional welterweight match up between David ‘One More’ Round and Bill Beaumont, plus a handful of amateur fights. Expect more announcements to follow in the coming weeks.

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José began his career as a mixed martial arts journalist while still enrolled at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communications at Arizona State University. Since graduating in May 2013, he has attended dozens of high profile UFC fight cards as a credentialed member of the media, providing live cage side coverage through his articles and videos. His work has appeared on UFC.com, ArizonaSports.com and AZCentral. He is also currently one of the main contributors on Power MMA Show at Arizona Sports 98.7 FM, one of the first all MMA radio shows on a major radio station.