Jim Wallhead is ready to take his game on to the big stage.
(Courtesy of PerformanceMMA.com)
Age: 25
Height: 5’10”
Weight: 170
Fighting out of: Loughborough, England
Nickname: “Judo” Jimmy Wallhead
MMA Record: 16-5 Pro
The UFC’s arrival to Britain has opened our eyes to a fight scene that was hidden to most. UFC stars Michael Bisping and Dan Hardy have led the way, followed by the UK cast of The Ultimate Fighter. MMA fans have taken notice of this new source of talent “across the pond”.
Emerging from this young group is Jim Wallhead. “Judo Jimmy” may lay claim as one of the top welterweight fighters in the UK.
As his nickname would suggest, Wallhead comes from a Judo background. He is a three-time British youth judo champion and was seventh at the Youth Olympics. His entrance into MMA was completely by chance.
“I met a promoter at a show once and was offered a fight due to my solid judo background. I won my debut within 30 seconds,” Wallhead said.
MMA would prove to be a turning point for Wallhead.
“I lost my way in life around age 19-20. I got involved with the wrong crowd and the wrong activities,” Wallhead said. “Stumbling into MMA and meeting my girlfriend changed my life. I would probably be in prison by now, but I really believe the sport changed my life”.
Wallhead trains at the Rough House Gym in Nottingham alongside Dan “The Outlaw” Hardy, Paul “Semtex” Daley, Andre Winner, Dean Amasinger, Ross Pearson and Nick Osipczak.
“My fighting style is a mix of stand up with good takedowns and strong GNP (ground-and-pound); taking the fight wherever is best for me depending on my opponent’s weaknesses,” Wallhead explained. “My strength is my takedown defense, which helps me control the fight in the range I choose.”
To round out his MMA game, Wallhead has striking coach Owen Comrie, grappling coach Nathan Leverton and strength & conditioning coach Ollie Richardson.
“MMA in the UK is continuously growing, with gyms springing up all over the place and solid fighters coming through.”
Notable wins for Wallhead include UFC vets Steve Lynch and Jason Tan. His most recent victories came against a trio of Brazilian jiu jitsu black belts; Fabricio Nascimento, Igor Araujo and Fabio Toldo (two of which came via devastating knockouts).
When asked, who he would like to fight someday, Wallhead chose a fellow judo practitioner.
“I would love to fight Karo Parisyan in the UFC; partly because of the judo background and also because he is a highly-rated fighter. I believe I could take a serious and entertaining fight to him.”
The recent season of TUF was bittersweet for Wallhead.
“The Ultimate Fighter was great for MMA in the UK. I just wish I had made the show. I was told by Spike TV that I was too experienced. It would have changed my life, but there is a reason for everything.”
And there is reason to believe we will be seeing more of “Judo” Jimmy. Wallhead is scheduled to fight Spain’s Manuel “Manu” Garcia (17-9) on September 5th for the Clash of Warriors World Title in Nottingham, England.
Troy “Red” Barron is a chiropractor, strength & conditioning specialist, “elderly” amateur MMA fighter and the owner of PerformanceMMA.com. He can be contacted at Troy@MMAMadness.com
