SHAHID Hussain intends to make a statement in his fight against Nathan Jones on the BAMMA show at the Wembley Arena on March 9.

Hussain, 38, is returning to the show after seven years and with an ambition to climb the UK professional rankings.

The Slough-based star admits the promotion has moved on since his last appearance on their seventh show, but on BAMMA 34, he is confident on victory in the welterweight contest.

Hussain told the Observer: “I’ve still been active and fighting and achieved a lot in my career, but this is a big fight.

“I’m returning purely because the promotion is really good and going places.

“I was lucky enough to fight on the show earlier on in my career but it has grown massively since. There’s so much involved now, like going on mainstream TV.

“They’ve signed some big sponsorship deals and the sport has grown since, and they’re paying me a lot more money to fight.

“BAMMA has gone all over the country over the years and I’m from Slough, so this is almost a local hometown show for me.”

Slough Observer:

He continued: “My last fight was in September of last year and I was in Thailand for that camp. I couldn’t get away this time because of family commitments so my camp is in the UK.

“I’m training six times a week and sometimes twice a day, and it’s going great. I’m working on all aspects of the game from wrestling to standing up and I’m training with higher-level guys.

“I’m healthy and injury free and my goal is the same as his, every fighter wants to win a belt and title.

“I’m going out to make a statement, finish this guy and beat him convincingly. That would stand me in contention and put me on the right road.

“It would put me higher up in the UK professional rankings and that’s how this game works.

“You want to fight and beat higher-ranked guys, but I will not look any further ahead than Nathan or take anything for granted.

“I’ve fought at the national indoor arena which is bigger than the Wembley Arena, so I’m used to the bright lights and screaming fans.

“My team are behind me and I’ve got a good following, so I will bring an army behind me.”

Slough Observer:

Commenting on his opponent, Hussain said: “Nathan is a former welterweight title contender and is looking to get back into contention.

“He’s looking to use me to get back into title contention but I’ve got plans to mess that up a bit.

“We both have 11 wins on our record but I’ve had more fights than him. We’re a good match up, both experienced guys, but I’ve been in the sport a lot longer than he has.

“There was already a professional show platform when Nathan started, but there wasn’t much around for me so I was fighting in working men’s clubs and places like that.”

Tickets for the show start from £35 and for more information email fighttickets1@mail.com

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