Tom Watson
Active 2012–present · rated in 1 edition · peak overall 69.0
Scouting report
Durability and a brawling style made Tom "Kong" Watson a British middleweight action fighter. Hailing from Southampton, England, the former two-division BAMMA champion delivered a Fight of the Night stoppage of Stanislav Nedkov in the UFC, his toughness reflected in an 80 Durability and 76 Strength.
Peak ratings
Tom Watson and the gorilla mask walk
Tom Watson is an English fighter who started training at 16 and built a boxing record that included three Southern Counties ABA titles and a Full Contact Unlicensed Boxing title. His nickname comes from his ring walks in a gorilla mask. He became the first BAMMA middleweight champion and defended it several times. He also competed at the Snake Pit catch wrestling championships. In a draft he is a hard-swinging striker who can end a fight with one head kick.
Watson, rating by rating
Boxing. A good 75. His amateur boxing record is the base of his game.
Kickboxing. A solid 74. A head kick knocked out Travis Galbraith in the second minute of a 2010 fight in Canada, and a head kick followed by punches finished Murilo Rua in 2011.
Wrestling. The joint-lowest number at 66. He is a striker first.
BJJ. Also 66. Daijiro Matsui armbarred him in his Cage Rage debut and Xavier Foupa-Pokam submitted him soon after.
Strength. A strong 76, enough to hurt men. He knocked Stanislav Nedkov out in the second round in 2013.
Durability. His best number at 80. He escaped a rear-naked choke in the first round against Matt Horwich and went on to win the title.
Cardio. A good 76. He beat Alex Reid on the cards and won several close ones.
Fight IQ. A fair 72. His early Cage Rage run included two submission losses.
Durability at 80 carried him through the bad moments
His best trait is durability, and the Horwich fight for the BAMMA title is the proof. He freed himself from a rear-naked choke in round one and then dominated with his striking to win a unanimous decision. In 2013 he beat Stanislav Nedkov in a back-and-forth fight that earned both men Fight of the Night, and he added Knockout of the Night.
Wrestling and BJJ share the worst mark at 66
Both grappling ratings sit at 66, and his early career shows why. He was armbarred by Daijiro Matsui in the first round of his Cage Rage debut in 2007. Later, Thales Leites and Nick Catone beat him at the top level. Opponents who take the fight to the mat can neutralise his striking.
Keep exploring
Closest middleweight profiles to Tom Watson, measured by how near their peak attribute ratings sit across all eight categories.
- Andrew Craigbest cardio 76 · weakest bjj 68
- Andreas Michailidisbest strength 78 · weakest bjj 70
- Brian Stannbest boxing 85 · weakest bjj 68
- Brad Tavaresbest durability 82 · weakest bjj 70
- Middleweight division guide: how the whole division rates and who to draft from it.
- Protecting your streak: a guide that fits Tom Watson's strongest attribute, Durability.
Draft Tom Watson into your build
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Ratings shown are my own estimates, made with AI assistance and informed by how Tom Watson is regarded by the MMA community. They are unofficial and do not constitute an assessment of Tom Watson's real-world abilities. How the ratings are made. See the disclaimer below. Ratings and write-ups by Haaris A. Last reviewed 2026-09-30; spot an error? Tell us. Read our editorial standards.