Parke and Wilkinson Are Blue Chip Investments for European Promotions

A lot of people were surprised that Northern Ireland's Norman Parke and England's Mike Wilkinson had been cut by the UFC when the news emerged over the last week.

Even worse, when 'Stormin Norman' posted that he had been given his marching orders on April 1, a lot of people thought the Bushmills fighter was trying to play an 'April Fool's Day' prank on his supporters. Mike Wilkinson appeared on 'The MMA Hour' on Monday and to reveal his exit to an international audience, and even veteran MMA insider Ariel Helwani seemed surprised at the revelation.

UFC's loss could stand to be another promotions gain. While it is likely that some of the top tier organizations like Bellator, WSOF and One FC will be trying to capture the signatures of the European charges, either of the men could be a massive sign of intention for Irish and UK based promotions BAMMA and Cage Warriors.

A Battle for Promotional Dominance

BAMMA have gone from strength to strength with the absence of Cage Warriors on the UK and Irish scene. Cage Warriors proved to be a huge feeder to UFC after they endeared a whole new fan base to the likes of Conor McGregor, Steven Ray, and Joanna Jedrzejczyk before they made their first walks to the Octagon. However, having stopped promoting shows after their November 2014 event at the Copper Box in London, BAMMA have taken the ball and ran with it.

The explosion of MMA in Ireland has been well documented since Conor McGregor made a beeline for the UFC featherweight title. Following on from Cage Warriors memorable shows in The Helix venue in Dublin, BAMMA used the same venue that UFC used in the Irish capital on two occasions over the last seven months. With a host of the next UFC hopefuls signed to the promotion, the fact that they packed nearly 6000 people into the venue for their September show proves how valuable the market can be. BAMMA also have strong ties with UFC, with a number of their former signees ascending to the sport's biggest stage.

However, BAMMA's free reign at the top of the Irish and UK market will be challenged as Cage Warriors are set to make a comeback this month.

Earlier today, Cage Warriors promoter Graham Boylan claimed that there are only five tickets left for the promotion's return event in Kings Cross, London on April 15. To add to their allure for free agents, MMAMad.com published an article yesterday that claimed that the promotion is close to inking a deal with UFC Fight Pass.

"Sources close to the situation have confirmed with MMA Mad that European promotion Cage Warriors has finalized a deal with the UFC to air their shows on the subscription-based network, UFC Fight Pass."

Blue Chips

Parke and Wilkinson were already signed by UFC through their tenure on The Ultimate Fighter: The Smashes before the great European MMA boom came. Although they have ended their time on the roster of the world's flagship promotion, both fighters are young enough and good enough to return to the Octagon in the future.

Wilkinson has a UFC record of 2-2 and famously upset Niklas Backstrom with a stunning first round KO in Sweden in October 2014. After a lengthy layoff, Wilkinson returned in February and lost a unanimous decision to one of the most highly touted prospects in the featherweight division, Makwan Amirkhani.

Norman Parke went on an unbeaten run for five fights after signing with UFC. He went 4-1-0 before he eventually took his first UFC loss to a man who has frequented the lightweight top tier for years, Gleison Tibau. His two further losses to Francisco Trinaldo and Rustam Khabilov have been excruciatingly close, and a change of pace for the Next Generation man could be just what the doctor ordered.

Unfortunately for BAMMA and Cage Warriors, their names were not on the list of promotions Wilkinson name-dropped as potential employers on Monday's edition of The MMA Hour'.

"Everything happens for a reason," Wilkinson told Ariel Helwani. "The UFC have released me. The documentary is coming out on Thursday and hundreds of millions of people are going to watch it. There are other organizations out there, they're all over the world.

"UFC is the cream of the crop, and down the line, I know I can get another shot in UFC. I love to fight. I live to fight, so please let me fight. Whether it's in the UFC, Bellator, One FC of KSW–I'm good to go, so pick up the phone and get in touch."

While you can understand the aspirations of Wilkinson, signing with either BAMMA or Cage Warriors could be mutually beneficial for the fighters and the promotion.

Parke and Wilkinson could reestablish their brands at home under either banner, which could prove quite valuable further down the line. If they did sign for the promotions, they would immediately become main eventers based on their UFC experience.

Many look at being cut from UFC as a massive burden, but it could usher in a renaissance for both men given their youth and skillsets.