Former BAMMA Middleweight champion Scott Askham to make UFC debut against Magnus Cendenblad in Stockholm

The undefeated fighter from Doncaster makes his debut against Stockholm native Cendenblad

by Andreas Georgiou - @AGeorgiouMMA

Scott Askham will be putting his undefeated record on the line as he makes his debut against Magnus  Cendenblad at UFC Fight Night Stockholm October 4th from The Globe Arena.

Doncaster local Askam (12-0) is not expecting a warm reception in Stockholm but believes this is his time to show the world what he can do:

"Ever since I started fighting it's been a dream of mine to fight in the UFC,” said Askham, “I am not here to make up the numbers, Magnus is getting put away. I am not expecting a good reception in Magnus's home town, but I am still going to put on a show for the Swedish fans."

Cedenblad made his debut at UFC Fight Night Berlin: Munoz vs Mousasi in May this year. He put on an impressive show by putting his opponent away in the second round and was awarded a Performance of the Night bonus.

“Scott is obviously a tough opponent with a perfect 12-0 record, very much like my last opponent whom I beat, so I look forward to giving him his first loss too,” said Cendenblad. “It’s always special to be someone’s first and he will always remember me and Stockholm.”

With both fighters looking to finish the fight before the third round and impress the Swedish crowd, we can expect nothing less than fireworks on October 4th.

“Fighting at home in Stockholm with my hometown crowd backing me is going to be absolutely amazing,” Cedenblad said. “I’m pumped remembering my debut in the first UFC event, how crazy the atmosphere was, and now having seen the Dublin crowd that has set the bar on a whole different level.”

Ticket details for UFC Fight Night Stockholm will be released in the coming weeks. All bouts live and subject to change. Please visit ufc.com for more details.

DIAKIESE AND SHAH SIGN TO BAMMA

Flagship Mixed Martial Arts promotion, BAMMA, is proud to announce two new signings to its roster in the form of Lightweight, Marc "Bonecrusher" Diakiese, and Featherweight, Zi Shah.

Both prospects fight out of Ludus Magnus Training Centre in Doncaster under Old Skool Fight Management. They train out of the same stable as former BAMMA World champion, Scott Askham and recent BAMMA Lonsdale British champion, Wayne Murrie.

Entering a 4 fight deal with BAMMA, Zi Shah holds a 6-1 Professional record and the UCFC Featherweight title. He has finished all his winning fights within the first round. Shah's only loss took place at BAMMA 14 where he capitulated to Andy Craven.

Shah said: "I'm looking forward to winning my next four fights and paving my way to a BAMMA title shot in the future."

Marc Diakiese was unbeaten at Amateur, over 9 fights, and has remained undefeated at Professional level with a record of 4-0. Inking a 5 fight deal with BAMMA, Diakiese also has his eyes set on the BAMMA belts.

Manager, Carl Messan, said: "Marc is really excited about fighting on BAMMA. He is one of the hottest upcoming prospects in UKMMA. He is determined to be the BAMMA champ, first the British champ and then the World."

Other recent signings to BAMMA include Lee Chadwick, Ashleigh Grimshaw, Shaun Taylor, Jody Collins, Andy Craven and Jefferson George.

STATEMENT FROM CAGE WARRIORS FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIP

Cage Warriors Fighting Championship (CWFC) can this evening confirm that it has reluctantly taken the decision to move next month's CWFC 71 event to Amman, Jordan.

Originally scheduled to take place in Stockholm on Saturday, August 23, CWFC 71 was due to be another historic Cage Warriors event, with Sweden set to become the thirteenth country to play host to Europe's leading mixed martial arts promotion.

However, issues outside of CWFC's control have forced officials to move the event to Jordan, with CWFC 71 now booked to go ahead at Amman's King Hussein Boxing Arena on Friday, August 22.

CWFC 71 will be Cage Warriors Fighting Championship's tenth event of 2014. Bouts and further details will be announced in due course.

The decision to move CWFC 71 from Sweden to Jordan has come as a result of the nonsensical refusal of the Swedish Mixed Martial Arts Federation (SMMAF) to approve several bouts to be contested under full unified rules.

Of the initial five bouts that were submitted for approval, only one - a featherweight bout between Martin Svensson (13-5) and Dave Hill (12-3) - received permission to be contested under full unified rules.

The remaining four did not receive the necessary approval, with the SMMAF claiming in a statement: "The committee has found that several matches applied for by Cage Warriors have not made the required level."

In addition to referring to "unequal matching", the SMMAF stated its belief that the fighters involved do not possess enough experience to compete under full unified rules.

Cage Warriors Fighting Championship has been at the core of the global MMA community since its inception in 2002 but, in particular, the significant growth of the promotion since 2010 has been built on a foundation laid by the ability of its fighters and the quality of its matching, courtesy of our exceptional matchmaker Ian Dean.

As a promotion, CWFC is shocked and bemused by the SMMAF's apparent reasoning for preventing these bouts from taking place, given that Cage Warriors Fighting Championship has developed into one of the world's leading promotions based largely on these very qualities.

This has led CWFC officials to question the motives of the SMMAF in this instance, as up until this issue arose, both parties had co-operated effortlessly to lay the platform for CWFC to stage an event in Sweden.

From the outset, CWFC officials assured the SMMAF that their protocol would be followed throughout each step in the process, and even agreed to allow the CWFC 71 undercard bouts to be contested under the SMMAF's 'Swedish rules' i.e. with elbows and up-kicks prohibited.

"Moving this event out of Sweden is a decision we really wanted to avoid, but because of the actions of the SMMAF, we have unfortunately been left with no choice in the matter," said Cage Warriors CEO Graham Boylan.

"To ask our elite fighters, who are among the best in Europe and the world as a whole, to compete under a diluted set of rules to what they have been doing throughout their professional careers is an abhorrent insult to these outstanding athletes and their abilities.

"Jack Hermansson is our middleweight champion and Jack Mason is probably the most experienced fighter in the UK, but their respective bouts were not approved. It's absolutely absurd.

"Suggesting that such fighters are not capable of competing under full unified rules is ludicrous beyond belief and I would never even consider asking them to compete under anything other than full unified rules.

"The SMMAF have left us in an impossible, and very sad, situation here, and unfortunately our only option is to take our athletes elsewhere for this event."

The four bouts which did not receive SMMAF approval for full unified rules are: Jack Hermansson (8-2) versus Cheick Kone (11-3) - CWFC agreed to this title bout being contested over three five-minute rounds; Pannie Kianzad (5-0) versus Alexandra Buch (8-3); Jack Mason (28-13) versus Jonatan Westin (6-2); Liam James (8-6) versus Frantz Slioa (4-0). Applications for further bouts were in the process of being submitted until today's decision to move the event from Sweden.

Furthermore, the SMMAF's pro-committee has claimed publicly that there was no conflict of interest involved in their decisions, despite one committee member being the current manager and coach of Martin Svensson, one of the fighters involved in the only CWFC 71 bout that was approved for full unified rules.

Nevertheless, while the SMMAF has ultimately prevented Cage Warriors from staging this event in Sweden, the promotion is extremely appreciative of the widespread support it has received from the Swedish MMA community, particularly from former SMMAF and IMMAF president August Wallen.

"I'm very sad about this situation," August Wallen said. "Many have worked hard to get Cage Warriors to Sweden and, as someone who helped to build MMA here, I'm concerned as I believe this could be a major setback for the development of MMA in the whole region.

"As a coach, I have looked forward to taking part in this great Cage Warriors event and I feel bad for all the fighters who have worked hard but will now be denied the chance to fight here in Sweden in front of a global audience."

Those sentiments have been echoed by Tue Trnka, CWFC's Head of Operations in Scandinavia, who has worked tirelessly to put the framework in place for the first ever Cage Warriors event in Sweden.

He said: “I'm shocked and appalled by the ridiculous actions of the SMMAF’s pro-committee. This is hurting so many local fighters, as well as the entire Nordic MMA scene, which has now taken a massive hit.

“I strongly disagree with the SMMAF’s negative decisions and I find their lack of dialogue both disrespectful and arrogant, considering the vast impact their decisions will have on so many people.

“We've done everything that was asked of us, and yet it seemingly comes down to just two people on the pro-committee, who for some reason have decided to vote against these fights.

“If you look at some of the UFC’s undercard fights in Sweden, all of which have been approved for full unified rules by the SMMAF, and compare them to the fights we applied for, I find it hard not to wonder if there is some bias involved.

“This was a massive opportunity for Swedish and Nordic MMA, but bureaucracy has won out here and Swedish MMA has suffered an enormous blow.”

In spite of these developments, Cage Warriors Fighting Championship will not abandon its plans to expand in Scandinavia, with the promotion more determined than ever to stage an inaugural event in Sweden.

“Our first event in Denmark was a huge success last March and I have no doubt that the same would have been the case in Sweden on August 23,” said Graham Boylan.

“That will now have to wait slightly longer than we had initially hoped for, but I can assure our Swedish fans that it’ll be worth the wait when CWFC finally gets there.

“The actions of the SMMAF have set a worrying precedent for MMA in Sweden, but this has not deterred us at all. Between fighters and fans, Sweden has played a major role in the growth of Cage Warriors and I have no doubt that it will continue to do so.”
 

CWFC 72: DALBY vs. GRIMAUD

Nicolas Dalby (12-0), the reigning CWFC welterweight world champion, make his inaugural title defence against former champion Gael Grimaud (19-6) at Cage Warriors 72 in Newport, Wales, on September 13.

The undefeated Dane is set to take on Gael Grimaud when Cage Warriors Fighting Championship heads to the Welsh city of Newport for CWFC 72. Tickets for Europe’s leading promotion’s eleventh event of 2014, which is to be staged at the Newport Centre, will go on sale shortly.

Following his spectacular fourth-round KO of Sergei Churilov at CWFC 66 in Copenhagen this past March, Dalby (12-0) will be making his inaugural title defence in Newport on September 13.

His thirteenth professional outing will provide a new challenge for Dalby, as he competes outside of his native Denmark for the first time in his career.

The 29-year-old, who succeeded Cathal Pendred as the CWFC champion, holds other notable wins over Ivica Truscek, Morten Djursaa and Glenn Sparv.

“I’m very much looking forward to squaring off against Gael Grimaud as he was the latest fighter currently on the CWFC roster to hold the welterweight title,” said Dalby.

“He has a very dynamic style that I find quite interesting, so I’m looking forward to showing off how I will dismantle him and get the win.”

Grimaud (19-6) will be aiming to regain the CWFC welterweight world title, which he relinquished in March of last year following a unanimous-decision loss to Cathal Pendred at CWFC 52 in London.

A 34-year-old Frenchman who has dropped just one loss in his last 11 fights, Grimaud has taken fifteen of his nineteen professional wins by stoppage, including 12 submissions.

However, Grimaud’s most recent CWFC outing saw him score a KO win against Bruno Carvalho after just 45 seconds of their main-event clash at CWFC Fight Night 9 in Amman last October.

Grimaud clinched the CWFC welterweight world title back in September 2011 when he overcame Arni Isaksson, before going on to make a successful defence against Jesse Taylor.

“To have the opportunity to get the Cage Warriors belt back is very exciting for me and I am determined to succeed,” said Grimaud, who has been stopped just once in 25 professional bouts.

“My opponent brings a strong challenge but I believe I am a better fighter than him. I will be ready on September 13 to take that belt back home again.”

Dalby and Grimaud were originally scheduled to meet for Cage Warriors’ 170lbs strap at CWFC 66 but an injury to Grimaud resulted in the title shot passing to Sergei Churilov.

CWFC 72 will also feature a bantamweight world title tussle, as Cory Tait and Toni Tauru clash for the vacant 135lbs strap. Meanwhile, a lightweight bout between Tim Newman (10-4) and Tim Wilde (5-0) has also been added to the CWFC 72 bill, as well as a featherweight contest involving Nad Narimani (7-1) and Daniel Thomas (20-9-1).

Cage Warriors 72 (more bouts to be announced)

Nicolas Dalby (c) vs. Gael Grimaud - CWFC welterweight world title bout
Cory Tait vs. Toni Tauru - vacant CWFC bantamweight world title bout
Jack Marshman vs. Che Mills
Tim Newman vs. Tim Wilde
Nad Narimani vs. Daniel Thomas
Steve Dinsdale vs. Lewis Long
Jordan Desborough vs. Kris Edwards
Jamie Rogers vs. Mario Saeed
Nick Nembhard vs. Simas Norkus
Paulina Bonkowska vs. Kate Jackson

Eddie Alvarez vs Donald Cerrone rumoured for UFC 178

by Ben Heather @benheather

Could Eddie Alvarez finally be set to join the UFC and end a 2 year saga between Bellator, UFC and himself? If this is true it looks like the UFC want to get him straight in to action with a match up against Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone rumoured for UFC 178.

According to an unnamed source close to the bout the matchup has not yet been finalised but the source informed Sherdog.com that negotiations are ongoing. As of last night though, Eddie Alvarez still remains under contract with Bellator.

It is no secret that Alvarez only has one fight left on his Bellator contract and if he was to take a fight, say against current interim champ Will Brooks and win he will be walking away as the undisputed champion leaving behind an organistaion he has cleaned out. However, if Bellator and the UFC can come to an agreement and he leaves now it would mean that Bellator still have the ability to push Brooks as its new champion and even set up the Chandler rematch for the title.

A fight between Cerrone and Alvarez certainly appeals to me and if Alvarez does indeed join the UFC it sets up so many other interesting match ups in the UFC lightweight division, which is already stacked. The one disappointing point, if this does indeed happen would be that we may not see Alvarez vs Chandler 3. After seeing the first two fights, which could arguably be called some of the best fights in MMA history I had hoped to see the trilogy fight.

UFC 178 is already shaping up to be one of the biggest PPV's of the year with Jones vs Cormier, Cruz vs Mizugaki, McGregor vs Poirier and Kennedy vs Romero already announced. If you add Alvarez vs Cerrone to that card it will certainly prove to be an event not to be missed.

Phil Davis vs Glover Teixeira verbally agreed for UFC 179

by Ben Heather @benheather

According to Brazilian website Combate Phil Davis will be heading back to Brazil to square off against Glover Teixeira as part of the UFC 179 event headlined by Jose Aldo vs Chad Mendes. Davis fought in Brazil last August where he picked up a debatable unanimous decision victory over Lyoto Machida.

The fight has not yet been signed off but Combate are reporting that both fighters have verbally agreed to the fight so it should only be a matter of time before its officially announced.

Phil Davis will go in to the fight having most recently lost to Anthony "Rumble" Johnson in April, which snapped a 3 fight winning streak and he will be looking to get back to winning ways after being dominated by Rumble in his last fight.

Glover Teixeira also lost last time out in a title fight against Jon Jones. That loss ended a 8 year, 20 fight win streak and I am sure Glover will want to get another shot at Jones' title.

The winner of this fight will put his name back in the pot with the growing list of other contenders at 205lbs. However, for the loser it may be a long road back to the top with Jon Jones already set to defend his title against Daniel Cormier. Then if he wins that fight you have other contenders very deserving of a shot at the belt as well with Alexander Gustafsson and Anthony Johnson at the forefront of the list.

Five Irish fighters that could sign for the UFC by the next Dublin card

by Alex Dillon @_alexdillon_

On 19th July 2014, the UFC took its Fight Night show back to Dublin for the first time in over 5 years. Aided with the rise of Dublin’s own Conor McGregor the event sold out within 3 minutes of going on sale and in the end included 5 Irish fighters in total. With an unforgettable atmosphere, all of the Irish fighters on the card picked up great victories and really put Ireland on the MMA map.

The question now is, which fighters could potentially be signed up by the next time the UFC visit Ireland? With this presumably being next July, we look at the five potential prospect’s Irish MMA has to offer.

Joseph Duffy (10-1)

Joseph Duffy (pictured), the most known fighter out of the five in this article, Duffy is notoriously known for submitting Conor McGregor in his early days as well as Norman Parke which is something the UFC could easily market to fans wherever Duffy could possibly debut never mind Ireland. Pretty impressive but aside from these two massive victories, he actually has a very good MMA record. He hasn’t fought since a loss in October 2011 at Cage Warriors and pursued a career in pro boxing but he’s back at Cage Warriors 70 next month in Dublin and you better believe it all eyes will be on him. Out of his 10 wins, 7 are by submission and with such a finishing pedigree, this makes Duffy a very likely signee for the UFC in the near future if he gets back to winning ways.

Tommy Quinn (6-1)

Welterweight Tommy Quinn currently fights under the Cage Warriors show and has racked up an impressive record so far in his pro MMA career. Currently riding a 2 fight win streak in Cage Warriors, it’s hard not to see Quinn as a potential future UFC fighter down the line. With his only loss coming two years against well known Jack Mason, Quinn bounced back by defeating SBGi prospect Philip Mulpeter and followed that up by Knocking out Dan Hope in his last outing at Cage Warriors. Quinn’s popularity with Irish fans seems to be growing and surely this will aid a possible UFC contract if he continues to impress in the cage.

Paul Redmond (9-4)

Paul Redmond is a well known lightweight on the European MMA scene having fought numerous times for Cage Warriors holding a 6-1 record with the promotion which has turned him into one of Ireland’s hottest prospects. Training out of Team Ryano MMA in Dublin alongside team mate and UFC flyweight Neil Seery, Redmond looks to further cement his status in the pro ranks next month at Cage Warriors 70 as he takes on Michael Doyle at the Helix. Redmond has finished all but one of his wins which easily makes him a marketable fighter and you’d think if he finishes Doyle next month, the UFC is on the horizon in the near future.

Karl Moore (4-0)

Fairly new on the pro MMA scene is Karl Moore but nonetheless he’s a fighter worth looking out for judging by his first four bouts as a pro. He has so far finished all of his pro fights (1 KO, 3 Subs) with his last being a KO victory back at Cage Warriors 62. Moore also fights next month at Cage Warriors 70 in Dublin and it will be interesting to see if the Light Heavyweight man from Fight Academy Ireland can continue his impressive winning streak. With an unblemished record one would think that if Moore keeps finishing opponents it’s only a matter of time before the UFC take notice of such an entertaining fighter.

Damien Rooney (10-3-1)

Flyweight Rooney, currently fights out of Team Torres MMA and is one of many stand out Irish flyweights along with Paddy Holohan and Neil Seery of whom he has both faced and subsequently lost to. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing for Rooney as they are both clearly UFC calibre fighters and both fights took place 2 and 4 years ago respectively. Like most of the fighters mentioned in this article, Rooney also has an excellent finishing rate having only gone to the judges’ score cards once in his 10 victories. This certainly makes Rooney a possible candidate for a future crack in the UFC should he keep up his impressive performances at Cage Warriors and we may well see him in the octagon in the not too distant future.

All of these fighters have shown so far in their careers that they are quite possibly borderline to making the UFC grade and could be 1 or 2 wins away from that dream phone call. The majority have finishes galore on their records which obviously makes them a hit with fans and it’ll be interesting to see if they can keep up their performances so far. With all fighting under Cage Warriors it’s more than likely that the UFC will eventually spot them if they continue to impress.