Danny Batten
Encyclopedia
Danny Batten is an English
mixed martial artist
from Milton Keynes
.
He currently holds the Cage Warriors
featherweight title and the defunct UZI lightweight title. He has been frequently ranked the number one European featherweight by mmaunltd.com.
Batten started in TKD at age 18 under Simon Lambert, subsequently receiving his black belt and becoming the British ITF champion in 1997. From 1999 to 2003 he trained with Lee Hasdell
at SSJ Milton Keynes, learning Japanese submission-style grappling - usually considered a mix of judo
, catch wrestling
and BJJ - both from Hasdell and from time spent in Japan. These techniques and philosophies still form the core of his fighting style. From 2003 to 2007 he studied under Brazilian Top Team
black belt Ze Marcello in BJJ, in which he received a brown belt. He currently trains and teaches at Total Dojo Milton Keynes, which is affiliated with Shooters MMA.
BJJ black belt Augusto Frota failed to come out for the fourth round of their fight due to leg-kick damage and exhaustion.
Batten defeated BJJ black belt Emmanuel Fernandez, known as 'Pythagoras
', with Fernandez's own signature move.
WEC
number one contender Damacio Page
, was forced by Batten to submit in 37 seconds with an armbar.
Batten picked apart highly regarded Finnish striker Tom Niinimaki with leg kicks over three rounds.
Other key fights include a loss to Masakazu Imanari
in ZST
Japan, four days after which - and following a grueling return journey - Batten was matched with Brazilian Jean Silva
in a fight he was reluctant to take on such short notice and at a weight class above his natural fighting weight. Despite Batten being physically outmatched, the fight went the distance and he cemented his reputation as one of the most durable and well-conditioned fighters in the UK.
Danny Batten left SSJ to form his own gym. On April 30, 2005 at CWFC - Ultimate Force, he lost to Mohamed El-Aouji by decision. Batten then followed up with a four-fight winning streak at CWFC and WPFC.
In March 2007, Batten faced Pancrase
star Yoshiro Maeda
in Japan, a fight taken on 10 days' notice and for which he had to lose 10 kg. Batten has since stated that his weakened condition from the weight cut limited any effective game plan; however, this fight also went the distance, with Batten losing the decision.
His most recent fight was a second-round armbar victory over the Italian striker Cristian Binda at UWC 8.
or disqualification, was promised but never materialized.
In 2008, a much-hyped match between Batten and UK MMA veteran Leigh Remedios
, scheduled for Cage Rage
25, was cancelled when Batten sustained a separated rib in training and was forced to pull out. Remedios repeatedly questioned the validity of the injury and started an infamous thread on cagewarriors.com forum claiming that Batten was ducking him. The thread became the longest in the forum's history, extending to 59 pages as of November 2009.
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...
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...
from Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes , sometimes abbreviated MK, is a large town in Buckinghamshire, in the south east of England, about north-west of London. It is the administrative centre of the Borough of Milton Keynes...
.
He currently holds the Cage Warriors
Cage Warriors
Cage Warriors Fighting Championship or CWFC is a mixed martial arts promotion, based in London, England. Cage Warriors was established in 2001 and staged its first MMA event in London in July, 2002. Warrior Promotions, the organisation behind CWFC, is a UK management agency for MMA fighters...
featherweight title and the defunct UZI lightweight title. He has been frequently ranked the number one European featherweight by mmaunltd.com.
Batten started in TKD at age 18 under Simon Lambert, subsequently receiving his black belt and becoming the British ITF champion in 1997. From 1999 to 2003 he trained with Lee Hasdell
Lee Hasdell
Lee Hasdell is a former British mixed martial artist, kickboxer and promoter. He promoted the first professional mixed martial arts events in the United Kingdom. Lee Hasdell began his professional career as a Kickboxer in 1989, eventually winning three British Kickboxing titles...
at SSJ Milton Keynes, learning Japanese submission-style grappling - usually considered a mix of judo
Judo
is a modern martial art and combat sport created in Japan in 1882 by Jigoro Kano. Its most prominent feature is its competitive element, where the object is to either throw or takedown one's opponent to the ground, immobilize or otherwise subdue one's opponent with a grappling maneuver, or force an...
, catch wrestling
Catch wrestling
Catch wrestling is a style of folk wrestling that was developed and popularised in the late 19th century by the wrestlers of traveling carnivals who incorporated submission holds, or "hooks", into their wrestling to increase their effectiveness against their opponents...
and BJJ - both from Hasdell and from time spent in Japan. These techniques and philosophies still form the core of his fighting style. From 2003 to 2007 he studied under Brazilian Top Team
Brazilian Top Team
The Brazilian Top Team is a mixed martial arts academy specializing in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and boxing.The academy was established in April 2000 by Murilo Bustamante, Ricardo Libório, Mário Sperry and Luis Roberto Duarte, former-members of the Carlson Gracie Academy, to develop and create new...
black belt Ze Marcello in BJJ, in which he received a brown belt. He currently trains and teaches at Total Dojo Milton Keynes, which is affiliated with Shooters MMA.
MMA career
Batten has achieved notable victories during his career. Batten made John Kavanagh, an opponent who at the time was considered 'unsubmittable' in the UK, tap out with a second-round keylock at UZI 1 - Cage Combat Evolution on November 30, 2002.BJJ black belt Augusto Frota failed to come out for the fourth round of their fight due to leg-kick damage and exhaustion.
Batten defeated BJJ black belt Emmanuel Fernandez, known as 'Pythagoras
Pythagoras
Pythagoras of Samos was an Ionian Greek philosopher, mathematician, and founder of the religious movement called Pythagoreanism. Most of the information about Pythagoras was written down centuries after he lived, so very little reliable information is known about him...
', with Fernandez's own signature move.
WEC
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...
number one contender Damacio Page
Damacio Page
Damacio James Page is an American mixed martial arts fighter and who currently competes in the bantamweight division for the Ultimate Fighting Championship...
, was forced by Batten to submit in 37 seconds with an armbar.
Batten picked apart highly regarded Finnish striker Tom Niinimaki with leg kicks over three rounds.
Other key fights include a loss to Masakazu Imanari
Masakazu Imanari
is a Japanese mixed martial artist best known for his leglocks. He fights out of Team Roken in Kanagawa, Japan. He currently has a professional MMA record of 24–9–2 with notable victories over Danny Batten, Jorge Gurgel, Mike Brown, Robbie Olivier, Jean Silva and Yoshiro Maeda. He is a veteran...
in ZST
ZST
ZST is a Japan-based promoting and sanctioning organization of mixed martial arts, and it also holds amateur MMA events. ZST adopts unique rules in the MMA industry. Much like RINGS, strikes to head on the ground are prohibited...
Japan, four days after which - and following a grueling return journey - Batten was matched with Brazilian Jean Silva
Jean Silva
Jean "White Bear" Silva is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist. He held the Cage Rage lightweight title until he lost it to Vitor Ribeiro via arm triangle choke at Cage Rage 13...
in a fight he was reluctant to take on such short notice and at a weight class above his natural fighting weight. Despite Batten being physically outmatched, the fight went the distance and he cemented his reputation as one of the most durable and well-conditioned fighters in the UK.
Danny Batten left SSJ to form his own gym. On April 30, 2005 at CWFC - Ultimate Force, he lost to Mohamed El-Aouji by decision. Batten then followed up with a four-fight winning streak at CWFC and WPFC.
In March 2007, Batten faced Pancrase
Pancrase
Pancrase is a mixed martial arts promotion company founded in Japan in 1993 by professional wrestlers Masakatsu Funaki and Minoru Suzuki. Pancrase is taken from Pankration, a sport in the ancient Olympic games. Suzuki and Funaki are particularly skilled in the art of catch wrestling and based the...
star Yoshiro Maeda
Yoshiro Maeda
Yoshiro Maeda is a Japanese mixed martial artist that has competed for Pancrase, DEEP, Pride, WEC and DREAM. He fought for the WEC Bantamweight Title at WEC 34 against Miguel Torres...
in Japan, a fight taken on 10 days' notice and for which he had to lose 10 kg. Batten has since stated that his weakened condition from the weight cut limited any effective game plan; however, this fight also went the distance, with Batten losing the decision.
His most recent fight was a second-round armbar victory over the Italian striker Cristian Binda at UWC 8.
Controversies
Early in his career, Batten suffered his only official TKO loss to Ricky Salhan, in a match during which he was repeatedly fouled with illegal stomps, one of which caused the concussive blow that led to the fight being stopped. A review of the footage, leading to a possible no contestNo contest (boxing)
No contest is a technical term used in some combat sports to describe a fight that ends for reasons outside the fighters' hands.-Boxing:...
or disqualification, was promised but never materialized.
In 2008, a much-hyped match between Batten and UK MMA veteran Leigh Remedios
Leigh Remedios
Leigh "Bulldog" Remedios is an English mixed martial artist.-Mixed martial arts career:Leigh has previously competed in the featherweight division and was at one time considered #1 in the UK. Leigh retired following his victory at FX3 - Battle of Britain against Sami Berik on October 15, 2005...
, scheduled for 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...
25, was cancelled when Batten sustained a separated rib in training and was forced to pull out. Remedios repeatedly questioned the validity of the injury and started an infamous thread on cagewarriors.com forum claiming that Batten was ducking him. The thread became the longest in the forum's history, extending to 59 pages as of November 2009.