Algerian Contender Ready For Prime Time

Fighter profile of Tinashe Chukwuma by Antonio Hernandez

ALGIERS, ALGERIA - The 33-year-old Algerian MMA fighter Tinashe Chukwuma (20-8-0) has reinvented himself while training at Mary Gracie Jiu-Jitsu's and has told the media that he is, "Ready for Prime Time". Most would have to agree. Under the management of MMA Tycoon Hall Of Fame Manager Lance Templeton of Convicted Inc, Chukwuma has reinvigorated himself and elevated his game to the next level, putting the entire division on notice.

Chukwuma took the hard way to the top and had to bounce around a few camps before he found himself a place to call home. After dropping his professional MMA debut on the Quick Fight Circuit, Chukwuma found himself managerless, searching for a new camp. He landed with Louie DePalma and decided to move to Montreal to train at White Eagle. Under Louie's guidance he was 12-4, mostly under the CFC banner, but rumors and accusations of fight-fixing would stir up some controversy around his career and ultimately lead to his next big career move. It wasn't long after the slanderous accusations of fight fixing before Louie and his Algerian prodigy's relationship soured, and Tinashe once again found himself on the Free Agent market with no manager. He made the smartest decision of his life, this time hiring Lance Templeton and moving to America to get the best damn training available at the world renown Mary Gracie Jiu-Jitsu gym, because everybody knows that Americans just do everything better when it comes to athletics. Chukwuma grew up watching the likes of Smokudju Womba who just so happened to come up from the same neighborhood as him, and that type of story from Womba inspired Chukwuma to trade in a pirate's life on the high seas for a pair of MMA gloves, taking scalps instead of taking booty. Life in Algeria could get violence, and bloody, Chukwuma was now set on making it a little less messy. In a shocking twist, Chukwuma's career at Mary Gracie Jiu-Jitsu got off to a rocky start under the Sucker Punch Pro Series banner. He went 2-3 in his first 5 fights and even though he won 2 Knockout of the Night awards in those 2 victories, it was a disappointing start to what was meant to be a new chapter in his promising career. Once his contract expired with Sucker Punch Pro series, Tinashe Chukwuma would test free agency before signing a contract to join the Combate heavyweight division, arguably the deepest heavyweight division in the world. Many outsiders questioned this decision after his run at SPPS, but he'd prove his detractors wrong by jumping out to a 6-fight win streak and winning all 6 fights by way of knockout or TKO, with his competition level gradually increasing in each fight. Tinashe's last two victories were especially impressive, and earned him a place in the top 10 heavyweight fighters of the world. He defeated ENIGMA champion and previous Combate title challenger "The Parrot" Iago Farfan (15-8-0) in the first round by way of knockout at C196, upsetting a lot of oddsmakers and bookies in Vegas. Then in his last contest he would knockout the heavily favored former Heavyweight champion Maximillian "The Lion" Bonaparte (21-7-0) in a potential comeback of the year performance that garnered him a knockout of the night bonus. Bonaparte was aggressing and backing Chukwuma up for most of the night, and it was clear he took the first 2 rounds on the cards, but sometime in the third, the Algerian dropped the French kickboxer with a huge right hand that sent Bonaparte sprawling across the canvas. With less than 30 seconds left in the fight, Chukwuma turned on the gas and pounced all over his injured opponent, knocking him out cold with a brutal combination of punches that left the former champ battered, beaten, and nearly dead against the cage. Tinashe Chukwuma's next fight comes against the hyped touted heavyweight prospect and former Bellicose Heavyweight champion, John Boy Walton (16-5-0), who is coming off his own big victory against MMA veteran and former Sucker Punch Heavyweight champion Pedro "Big Peter" Fuentes (32-15-0). Whoever wins this contest is surely one step closer to a title shot against the current Heavyweight champion, which most are assuming will still be Andrei Kersikov (18-4-0) after he faces off against heavy handed Elite Wrestler and BJJ Black belt Mike Haggar (34-22-0).

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