Exclusive: Inverness-based MMA fighter Ross Houston to return to action with Bellator against Steven “The Hillbilly Hammer” at Wembley Arena in September
Inverness-based mixed martial-arts fighter Ross Houston will be returning to the cage nearly four years after his most recent bout.
The 33-year-old, who owns and runs Highland Martial Arts Centre, is signed to Bellator and last stepped into the ring in October 2020 against Michael “Venom” Page in what was the first loss of Houston’s career.
He was set to follow that up with a bout against Grachik Bozinyan in October 2021 at a show headlined by legendary MMA fighter Fedor Emilianenko in Moscow, Russia, but that fight fell through before the show.
That led to a few years out where he became a father and pushed HMAC to new heights, but Houston will be returning to action in less than two months.
He will take on England's Steven "The Hillbilly Hammer" Hill as part of Bellator’s Champions Series London on September 14 at the OVO Wembley Arena.
Hill went seven fights without losing, winning three of those by submission and three by knockout, before taking a short notice fight against Mike Shipman at Bellator Champions Series Paris in May which the 31-year-old lost by technical knockout.
Houston, meanwhile, has eight wins on his record – with his defeat to Page last time out the only blemish to his name.
However, Houston also has a championship history in European promotion Cage Warriors, where he was involved in a memorable brawl with Nicolas Dalby with the title on the line.
That bout in June 2019 was eventually declared a no-contest due to the amount of blood on the mat making it impossible for either man to keep their balance.
Houston historically has competed at welterweight, but on this occasion will face Hill at a 175lb catchweight, equating to just under 80kg.
Nicknamed “The Hitman”, he commented: “I’m glad to be back in action, and I’m feeling good, calm and confident.
“I’m looking forward to reminding people on September 14 at the OVO Arena Wembley that I’m one of the top MMA fighters out in the world at around 170lbs.”
The show at Wembley Arena will be headlined by a middleweight title fight between Johnny Eblen and Fabian Edwards.
