Danny Batten

Danny Batten
Born	4 January 1974 (1974-01-04) (age 37) Milton Keynes, England
Nationality	English
Height	1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Weight	145 lb (66 kg; 10.4 st)
Division	Featherweight
Style	Catch Wrestling
Stance	Orthodox
Fighting out of	Milton Keynes, England
Team	Shooters
Mixed martial arts record
Total	22
Wins	12
By knockout	1
By submission	9
By decision	2
Losses	7
By knockout	1
By submission	2
By decision	4
Draws	3
Other information
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Danny Batten (born 4 January 1974) 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.

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 vs Frota 26 November 2005

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.

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 contest 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.

Fighting style

Danny is highly rated for his durability, high level of conditioning, ringmanship and intelligence as a fighter. While not known as a striker with K.O. power, many of his fights have been won with his feet, and he gives effective, non-telegraphed leg kicks. He is primarily, however, a submission specialist, and is especially dangerous off his back.

External links

• Professional MMA record for Danny Batten from Sherdog

Persondata
Name	Batten, Danny
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	4 January 1974
Place of birth	Milton Keynes, England
Date of death
Place of death