Alloway vs Mason set to battle at Cage Warriors 65 in Dublin

Ben Alloway vs Jack Mason confirmed for Cage Warriors 65

by Chris Houten @mrhouts



Photo Dolly Clew | Cage Warriors


Originally reported earlier this month, Cage Warriors officials have today confirmed Ben Alloway will take on Jack Mason at Cage Warriors 65.

Cage Warriors 65, which will be the promotion’s second event of 2014, is set to take place at The Helix in the Irish capital on Saturday, March 1.

Alloway (12-5) will be returning to Cage Warriors action for the first time since February 2012 following a 3 fight stint in the UFC, which saw the Gold Cost fighter defeat Manuel Rodriguez with Knockout of the Night front kick at the TUF Smashes finale, before losing to Ryan LaFlare by decision, and Zak Cummings by d'arce choke.

10 of Alloway's 12 victories have come by either TKO or submission, with his most recent decision victory coming to Mauro Chimento Jr in a Cage Warriors bout which took place prior to joining The UFC.

“I’m excited, I’m hungry and I’m healthy again for the first time in 12 months,” said Alloway. “This is Jack Mason’s ‘big fight’ and I hope he brings his A-game because I’m coming hard.”

One of Cage Warriors stand out fighters of 2013, BKK Fighters welterweight Jack Mason (26-12) is on possibly the greatest run of his career going 6-1 in his last 7 fights, with the only loss coming against Ali Arish who was a last minute change of opponent for Mason.

A top 5 UK welterweight, 31-year-old Mason could likely stake a claim as the number 1 contender with a win over Alloway after picking up four CWFC wins including stoppages of Matt Inman and Vladimir Opanasenko.

Mason said: “As soon as I heard that Ben Alloway had signed for Cage Warriors, it was a fight I was interested in. He’s fun to watch and I like his aggressive style so I’m looking forward to getting in there and taking a dominant win.”

Stay tuned to kingdomMMA.co.uk for the latest on Cage Warriors 65.

Jack Mason Hints at Cage Warriors 65 bout Against Benny Alloway

Will Jack Mason fight Benny Alloway at Cage Warriors 65?
by Ben Heather @benheather

Photo: Dolly Clew | Cage Warriors

 Cage Warriors welterweight contender Jack Mason took to twitter Tuesday evening to hint that a bout between himself and for UFC Fighter Ben Alloway is in the works for Cage Warriors 65 in Dublin:

Looks like it could be me versus @Bennyblancomma 1st March in Dublin @CageWarriors 65 :-) #CWFC65
— Jack Mason (@JackStoneMason) January 14, 2014

First reported earlier in the day by IrishMMA.com, it's believed Mason vs Alloway will feature on the main card of Cage Warriors 65 which is set to take place on March 1st at The Helix, Dublin, however Cage Warriors officials have yet to officially announce the bout.

One of Cage Warriors stand out fighters of 2013, BKK Fighters welterweight Jack Mason (26-12) is on possibly the greatest run of his career going 6-1 in his last 7 fights, with the only loss coming against Ali Arish who was a last minute change of opponent for Mason.

A win over Alloway, if the fight does happen would likely put Mason at the front of the line as far as a title shot is concerned,.
His opponent TUF Smashes contestant Benny Alloway (13-5), recently signed an exclusive 5 fight deal with Cage Warriors in November following a 3 fight stint in the UFC, which saw the Gold Cost fighter defeat Manuel Rodriguez with Knockout of the Night front kick at the TUF Smashes finale, before losing to Ryan LaFlare by decision, and Zak Cummings by d'arce choke.

12 of Alloway's 13 victories have come by either TKO or submission, with the only decision victory of his career coming to Mauro Chimento Jr in a Cage Warriors bout which took place prior to joining The UFC.

Stay tuned to KingdomMMA.co.uk for all your latest Cage Warriors Rumours

Kingdom MMA 2013 Awards: Fighter to Watch in 2014

Kingdom MMA Awards Fighter to watch in 2014: Arnold Allen
by Ben Heather @benheather

As well as taking a look back and recognising the achievements of 2013 we would also like to take a look forward to who we believe will be the fighter to watch in 2014. We wanted to give the award to a fighter who some of the casual fans may not have heard of or knew much about, but trust me by the end of 2014 you will all know this fighters name.

Unlike all of the other awards which between our writers we had numerous contenders to pick the winner from there was only one name that came to mind for this category and everyone agreed, that name was Arnold "Almighty" Allen.

Arnold Allen is the 19 year old rising star fighting out of BKK Fighters and has a record of 6-0. Arnold has only been fighting professionally since April 2012. In 2013 Arnold went 4-0, including three wins fighting for Cage Warriors in which he never had to go in to the third round. Since fighting for Cage Warriors Arnold has really showcased his skills with two victories by submission and a TKO win over Doni Miller at Cage Warriors 61.

Arnold started 2013 fighting at UCMMA 32 in February where he defeated Carl Orris picking up the fighter of the night bonus in what can only be described as a one sided unanimous decision victory. It remains the only time that Arnold has been the distance in a fight but he really showcased his skills that night. Arnold landed head kicks, take downs and when he had his opponent on the ground didn't ease up as he continued with some brutal ground and pound that his coach Jack Mason would have been proud of.

The next time we would see Arnold back in the cage he would make his Cage Warriors debut at Cage Warriors 56 where he defeated Andy Green by rear naked choke in the first round. After that fight he signed a five fight exclusive contract to fight only for Cage Warriors proving that they could also see that he is certainly a star of the future and wanted to keep him on their books.

Next up Arnold fought the most experienced fighter of his career to date as he battled Dec Williams at Cage Warriors 60 in October. If you saw the fight without knowing who was the more experienced fighter you would not have known that it was only Arnold's fifth fight of his professional career as he took Dec Williams down in the first round before posturing up and landing some explosive shots on Williams who just had no answer for it. In the second round Arnold got the victory by submission. After locking in a guillotine choke on the ground but realising he couldn't finish the fight he released it and instantly locked in a triangle choke which this time made Williams tap securing Arnold's fifth win of his career.

Arnold returned to action in December fighting for the first time outside of the UK as Cage Warriors returned to Amman, Jordan for Cage Warriors 61 where he fought Doni Miller. This fight saw Arnold show off his improved boxing skills as he floored Miller in the first with a crisp right hook but was unable to finish the fight then as Miller did a good job locking him up and being unable to get off his normal ground and pound. Within 30 seconds of the second round Arnold found his mark again this time it was the left hand which floored Miller and Arnold was then relentless with his punches on the downed Miller before the referee came in to stop the fight.

If you have not seen any of Arnold Allen's fights then I recommend that you get on YouTube and check them all out. He is a great fighter who can go a very long way in the sport and to think he doesn't turn 20 until the 17th January. Having Jack Mason as his head coach, who has witnessed and been in probably every situation during a fight and guys Luke Barnatt, Sean Carter and Jason Cooledge in his corner is only going to help him achieve whatever he wants to in this sport.

Congratulations Arnold you have been crowned Kingdom MMA’s Fighter to watch in 2014 – Arnold we salute you.

Jack Mason: Cage Warriors 61 post fight interview

Jack Mason speaks to Kingdom MMA after Cage Warriors 61 win

by Ben Heather @benheather

(Photo Copyright: Dolly Clew | Cage Warriors)

Last Friday Cage Warriors returned to a very snowy Amman, Jordan for Cage Warriors 61 for its penultimate show of 2013. The event was disrupted by the show with some fighters not being able to make it and a couple of fights ended up unfortunately being called off. However, the fights that did take place certainly delivered.

The co main event of the night was a welterweight battle between Jack Mason and Seydina Seck which saw one of the most controversial points of the night when the referee stopped the fight thinking Seck had been choked unconscious only for him to be fine and the fight restarted on its feet. Today we caught up with Jack Mason to discuss his win, that controversial moment as well as much more.

Ben: Hi Jack, thanks again for your time. How was the camp going in to this fight?
Mason: Camp couldn’t have been much better to be honest. I’ve been pretty busy with my day job the back end of this year delivering some pretty stressful projects but I’ve managed to work out a training schedule that works for me and around work.

I’ve been working a lot more on my boxing with coaches John Tandy and Adam Brearley of the Tandy Boxing team and also the Tsunami boxing coach Stephen Whitwell. I think this has helped my game tremendously and I think it showed with how comfortable I looked on the feet in my last bout.

I feel like my overall game is improving every time out and that’s thanks to all my coaches and team mates at Tsunami Gym and BKK Fighters and also my wrestling coach Nick Albert.

I actually managed to complete this camp without picking up any significant injuries which is a very rare occurrence and I probably owe this to the work I’ve been doing with my strength coach Laurence Irving and my physiotherapist Jon McCornish.

Ben: How did you feel when you was originally asked to be a part of the Baghdad card? Did you have any worries?
Mason: Originally when I agreed to take part in the event I was just simply excited however the closer we got to the event and the more I googled it I must admit I did start to have a few second thoughts! LOL

Ben: What was the reaction from your friends and family when you told them you was going to fight in Iraq?
Mason: Well my girlfriend forbid me to go and I didn’t even dare tell my mum!

Ben: Since the fight was first announced it got moved to Jordan  in the same arena as your previous fight. Do you believe that gave you an advantage going into this fight because of your experience of fighting in Jordan before?
Mason: Not really, a fight is a fight wherever it is as once the cage door is locked it’s just you and your opponent and the location rarely has an impact. It may have been a slight advantage to me because I was able to visualise how I was going to win the fight in a cage I had been before.

Ben: This fight was the first time in a while where you actually got to fight the person you have trained for after your last two fights had a late change of opponent. How frustrating is it to prepare for one guy and have to fight another without training for him?
Mason: Haha, yes that’s a strange circumstance for me fighting the guy I had been training for all camp! Big respect to Seydina Seck for keeping by his word and showing up to the fight well prepared. It’s extremely frustrating to prepare for an opponent all camp only to have him pull out and get a change of opponent last minute. It’s even worse if the guy is a particular specialist in a certain area and the new opponent is very different stylistically, I had that situation when Carvalho pulled out with 5 days to go and I got Ali Arish instead. Hugely frustrating!

Ben: Following on from the last question is it hard to keep focused on a fight when you get a late opponent change?
Mason: Yeah it can be. In the Carvalho/ Arish situation it was literally so close to the fight when the opponent got switched that I had no time to prepare as was just focusing on making weight. I also had Carvalho mouthing off on social media about still wanting to fight me, even though he had failed to show up to the fight because he couldn’t have the corner man he wanted as his passport had expired. That really wound me up and I didn’t focus on the new opponent in Arish like I should have done and I think it showed in my performance. I won’t make that same mistake again and it was a lesson learnt for me.

Ben: Was the plan for this fight to get Seydina Seck to the ground and unload some of your brutal ground and pound which you showcased in the previous fight against Vladimir Opanasenko?
Mason: I had planned to use my boxing more and to try and show my improved hand skills on my feet but yes I ultimately saw the end to the fight via ground and pound. Seck did an amazing job of tying me up, not giving me any space and neutralising my ground and pound so that’s something I have to take away and improve on from this fight.

Ben: Ahead of this fight what did you make of Seck's skills and what did you expect from him? how did your thoughts compare to what he did in the fight?
Mason: The fight panned out very much how I had visualised and rehearsed it over and over except for the lack of finish! I had watched loads of tape on Seck and knew his was very dangerous as he’s knocked out UFC vet Simeon Thorensen, beaten former Cage Warriors champ Gael Grimaud and other top European fighters such as Florent Betorangel who gave Jim Wallhead a run for his money last weekend too.

I knew he’d be looking to kick me to the legs and throw overhands to try and knock me out, I also expected him to be difficult to take down as he’s a short, strong guy and that’s pretty much how the fight went. I was very disappointed that I didn’t get the finish but I’m very glad to end the year with a good win over a very solid opponent.

Ben: There was an incident in the third round where you almost had the fight won, the choke was locked in and the ref stopped the fight only for it to be restarted again but not on the ground where you had control instead back on the feet.

Please can you talk us through what happened and your thoughts on the incident?
Mason: I’ve actually had a chance to watch the fight back and as I am rolling Seck to get the top position with the guillotine it really does look like Seydina goes limp so I perfectly understand why referee Rich Mitchell thought the fight was over right there. It’s a really tough situation because as Rich asked me to let go of the choke it was clear that Seydina was still conscious and he couldn’t give me the win there, the only fair thing to do was to restart it on the feet as with any other restart from a different position would have been debated at length between me and Seydina I am sure as we were mid-submission and mid-roll!

It’s an unfortunate situation but I’d much rather have restarted where we were rather than it be called a no contest or something.

Ben: How worried were you while waiting to hear the judges scorecards after the fight? I believe if the fight wasn't stopped prematurely in the third and restarted you would have won by submission. Did any doubts cross your mind that you were not gonna get the win?
Mason: I knew the 1st round was close but I was absolutely confident that I’d won rounds 2 and 3 so I was very confident that I’d get the unanimous decision but very disappointed in myself that I didn’t get a finish in the fight.

Ben: You are 6-1 in your last 7 fights and 9-2 from your last 11 fights. Do you believe you now deserve a shot at the Cage Warriors welterweight title?
Mason: It’s a fact that I’ve got more wins on Cage Warriors FC than any other Welterweight that is currently on the Cage Warriors roster including the current champ. It’s also a fact that I have won more fights on Cage Warriors FC than any other fighter in 2013 (so far).

I will leave it up to the Cage Warriors bosses to determine when I have earned my shot, I feel am ready for it now though.

Ben: As well as fighting you also coach a lot of up and coming talented fighters. What do you get more enjoyment from, seeing your students win or winning your own fights?
Mason: That’s an easy question to answer! Watching Arnold Allen win by knockout on the same event that I fought on gave me far more enjoyment and satisfaction than my own victory! I hope to be coaching MMA for years after I retire from competing myself and am sure the lads at BKK Fighters will go on to achieve things in the sport I could only dream of!

Ben: This fight was your 6th fight in the space of 12 months,  that must make you one of if not the most active fighter in cage warriors. Would you like to be as active next year?
Mason: Whilst I am still young (sort of), injury free and have no kids I want to fight as often as is possible and enjoy my MMA career as much as I can. As soon as I have kids there is no way I could devote the time to training for fights, coaching and hold down a full time job as well and something will have to give and that is likely to be the competing. Therefore I want to get the most enjoyment from my MMA career as I can in the short period of time I have left!

Ben: Finally, with it coming to the end of the year what has been your highlight of 2013 and what is your main goal in 2014?
Mason: I’ve had a great 2013 and my highlights of the year so far are headlining a Cage Warriors card in the UAE, getting a great TKO finish over a tough Russian in front of an insane capacity crowd on Cage Warriors in Jordan, watching Arnold Allen and Sean Carter make their impact on their respective Cage Warriors divisions and seeing Luke Barnatt demolish the highly ranked Andrew Craig at the UFC in Manchester. I hope we end the year on an even bigger high with a John Maguire and Sean Carter double victory on New Years Eve.

Cage Warriors FC welterweight gold is my only personal MMA goal in 2014. I also plan to help the BKK Fighters and Tsunami Gym teams go unbeaten next year.

Ben: Would you like to thank anyone?
Mason: Thanks very much for the interview and thanks to my management, coaches, team mates, family and friends and to everyone for all the support for this fight and my career so far!

I’d also like to say a huge thank you to my sponsors, please check out their websites and follow them on Twitter:

         www.britishfighter.co.uk                        @BritishF1ghter
         www.chelmsfordphysio.co.uk                @ChelmsforPhysio
         www.blankmmauk.com                         @BlankMMAUK
         www.qntuk.com                                    @QNTUK
         www.funkygums.com                             @FUNKYGUMS
         www.ignitept.co.uk                                @LI_Strength
         www.coconoil.co.uk                              @Coconoil

Thank you very much for your time Jack, we all wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year and we look forward to seeing you fight again in 2014 and hopefully we will see you achieve your goals.

Cage Warriors 61: Arnold Allen Post Fight Interview

Arnold Allen speaks to Kingdom MMA after Cage Warriors 61 victory

by Ben Heather @benheather

At Cage Warriors 61 on Friday afternoon, Arnold Allen opened up the prelims with a great performance against Doni Miller. It was a fight in which Arnold showcased his ever improving skills and kept his undefeated record intact taking it now to 6-0, proving once again that he is a star of the future and certainly a fighter to keep track of in 2014. Today Kingdom MMA caught up with Arnold to discuss that fight at Cage Warriors 61.

Ben: Firstly, what a great performance you put on Friday night, how did you feel the fight went?
Allen: I was happy with the fight I did what I wanted to do which is to use my boxing more and get comfortable on my feet!

Ben: Did Doni do anything in the fight which surprised you or that you were not prepared for?
Allen: I didn't know Doni would fight as a southpaw and I thought he would try take me down so I had to make a few changes in the fight

Ben: Half way through round 1 it looked like you may have got caught with a couple of shots before coming back swinging and flooring Miller, were you hurt at all?
Allen: I was winded with the knee that he landed which I'm convinced was a one week death knee.

Ben: Then while on the floor Doni was landing some big elbows to the top of your head did any of those do any damage or did you manage to block those with your hands?
Allen: They all hit my gloves so they did no damage, my head is fine haha.

Ben: Do you feel when the fight hit the floor you could have gone for the finish in round 1?
Allen: Definitely I just fell into his guard and he did a great job of tying me up and recovering.

Ben: Were you sick between rounds 1 and 2? The camera was on you to begin with then it looked like you were before the camera quickly changed to the other corner. If you were sick do you have any idea what caused it?
Allen: Haha maybe a little bit and I was feeling a little bit funny before. I think just a bug as I'm still feeling sick now.

Ben: You finished the fight in the second round, talk us through those closing stages before the ref stopped the fight.
Allen: Yeah I dropped Doni with a left hand and started landing shots and he went limp for a second and I woke him up with another punch but the ref had stopped it already.

Ben: Do you think the referee stopped the fight early? As Doni Miller seemed very upset by the decision, even pushing the referee after the fight which no matter how he felt the decision went should never happen. A fighter should never lay his hands on the officials.
Allen: I think it was good stoppage he went limp, fair enough he came back round quick but I wasn't going to stop punching him after he woke up.

Ben: After the fight what did you say to Doni as he seemed to keep confronting you and talking about something after complaining about the decision?
Allen: I just asked him to watch the fight back.

Ben: You told us last week that you would love to finish the fight with a knock out and then delivered on Saturday night, how did that feel?
Allen: It's great to back up what you've said your going to do, I'm just happy I used my hands more as all people have seen is my ko win on my debut.

Ben: You had a very experienced corner for this fight with Luke Barnatt, Jack mason and Jason Cooledge in your corner. How much confidence did you gain from that?
Allen: It's an awesome corner Jason Cooledge and Luke Barnatt were so helpful for me and Jack from the minute we landed to getting our hands raised, they helped every step of the way. It's awesome having such a powerful corner, especially Jack who's seen every situation in a fight possible.

Ben: What's next for Arnold Allen?
Allen: 7-0.

Ben: Would you like to say thank you to anyone?
Allen: I'd like to thank all my sponsors below, my friends and family and team mates at BKK Fighters for all of their help:

www.ValorFightWear.com
www.funkygums.com
www.uksportstraining.com
www.RevGear.com
www.powering-through.com
www.katana-clothing.com
www.blankmmauk.com
www.sportsinjuryspecialist.com
www.almightyfightwear.com
www.mmaxfit.co.uk

Thanks again for your time Arnold, we can't wait to see you get back in to the cage in 2014.

Arnold Allen talks to Kingdom MMA ahead of his fight at Cage Warriors 61

Kingdom MMA catch up with Arnold Allen ahead of his fight with Doni Miller

by Ben Heather @benheather

On Friday Cage Warriors finally gets to hold Cage Warriors 61. The event that was originally announced to take place in Dagestan in November then moved to Iraq before ultimately taking place this weekend in Amman, Jordan. The event is was supposed to be headlined by Matt Inman (12-5 MMA 3-1 CW) vs Bruno Carvalho (15-7 MMA 1-2 CW) but now Inman will face Hakon Foss (2-2 MMA) who has stepped in as a late notice replacement for Carvalho, who had to pull out due to an injury. As of writing this the replacement main event is likely to be James Brum (13-2 MMA 6-0 CW) vs Marat Pekov (10-4 MMA 0-1 CW).

Also on the card in Jordan is the young undefeated rising talent from BKK Fighters Arnold Allen (5-0 MMA 2-0 CW) who continues to impress in his career. On Friday he looks to continue that run as he meets Doni Miller (5-1 MMA) who will make his Cage Warriors debut. Earlier this week we caught up with Arnold ahead of his fight.

Ben: Hi Arnold, thanks again for taking the time out of your schedule to talk to us so close to your fight. How has this camp gone for you and has it been a bonus to work to the same schedule as your coach Jack Mason?
Allen: Training has gone good as usual, and it's great to be fighting on the same card as my coach for the first time!

Ben: This will be the first time you have fought abroad. Will you be getting tips from Jack Mason, who has done it many times now to make it as easy as possible for you?
Allen: Not really a fights a fight whatever country it might be in so just the usual tips and advice.

Ben: When do you fly out to Jordan?
Allen: We fly out early Tuesday morning.

Ben: What were your thoughts when it was announced the location of the fight had changed from Iraq to Jordan?
Allen: I was happy with the change mainly after what I've heard about the last show in Jordan, everyone said how good it was so I'm really looking forward to being a part of it this time.

Ben: A constant in all of your previous fights has been Jack Mason in your corner. Will he still be able to corner you on Saturday night even though he fights afterwards?
Allen: I don't think he will be able to corner me this time but we've got a great team at BKK and I'll have Jason Cooledge in my corner whose cornered me before.

Ben: Last year you made your pro debut, this year you are living up to the hype and certainly look like a star of the future and only 19 years old. A win on Saturday night will be the perfect way to end the year. What has your highlight of 2013 been and what are your goals for 2014?
Allen: My highlight of 2013 is definitely winning my Cage Warriors Debut in July! Next year I'd like to do more of the same and work closer to a shot at the title!

Ben: Last time out you finished Dec Williams with a brilliant triangle choke and transitioned to that after releasing a guillotine. Is that something you train or was it a split second thought?
Allen: I've drilled it a couple of times but it was just something I watched before and just went for it when I knew I'd lost the guillotine.

Ben: One of the key words I would use to describe you is Explosive. You certainly showed why people say that in your last fight while on the ground by posturing up and landing some heavy shots on Dec Williams. Do you pride yourself in the fast paced game you bring to the cage?
Allen: I do like setting a fast paced fight it just makes for an exciting fight, that's why the smaller guys are so exciting to watch!

Ben: Was that last victory the biggest win of your career to date over a fighter much more experienced than yourself?
Allen: For sure he was the most experienced person I've fought so it was good to beat someone with that experience and get my first finish by triangle choke.

Ben: You have shown in your previous fights that you have a well rounded skill set finishing some fights with submissions but also have one punch knock out power. What would your ideal method of victory be on Saturday night?
Allen: I do love to finish a fight! But my favourite way to finish is by Knock out it's an amazing feeling!

Ben: Your opponent has changed for Saturday night, originally it was announced you were due to fight Taylor Lapilus but will now fight Doni Miller. How long have you had to prepare for the new opponent and what do you know about him?
Allen: I've been preparing to fight someone for long enough so the change isn't an issue.

Ben: How do you see yourself winning the fight on Saturday night?
Allen: I see myself winning an exciting fight

Ben: Thank you for your time. Would you like to thank anyone?
Allen: Thank you for the interview, all my coaches, my management team, my team mates and sponsors for all there support!

Craig Powell chats to Kingdom MMA ahead of ECFF Night of Champions 4

Kingdom MMA focus on the UK amateur MMA scene with Craig Powell

by Ben Heather @benheather

Kingdom MMA again are focusing on interviewing some of the top amateur talent within UK MMA and this time we take a look at Craig Powell. On Saturday night Craig Powell (@craigpowell46) will be fighting at East Coast Fight Factory Night of Champions 4 from the Epic Studios in Norwich. Ahead of that fight he took time out of his schedule to have a chat with us about his upcoming fight, how he got in to MMA and how he went from a successful musician to an amateur MMA fighter.

Ben: Hi Craig, thanks for your time. Firstly can you remember the first time you came across MMA? and what is your first memory of MMA?
Powell: I remember it well! Watching one of the early UFC'S when the Gracie's were dominating! I had been doing karate, jiu jitsu and Kickboxing and was amazed at the idea of putting it all together in competition!

Ben: I believe you train at BKK, how did you first hear about this gym and what made you decide to go train at BKK?
Powell: I decided to begin training at BKK when I was recovering from back surgery. I was told I would never be able to compete again after a bad back injury but after surgery things went well and i got strong quickly! I decided i wanted to give competing a real go so looked for the best gym i could find.

I could see there were some excellent fighters at BKK, fighters who were a similar weight to myself. Since I've trained at BKK i have not looked back. 

Ben: How long have you been training in MMA?
Powell: I have been training in MMA for a good few years but have done martial arts since the age of 7.

Ben: When did you first decide that you wanted to take the training to the next level and actually have a amateur fight?
Powell: After watching the UFC i knew i wanted to compete in the cage... mainly to test myself against other good fighters.

Ben: People may know you from your time in Uniting Nations and your songs but how did the transition from pop star to fighter come about?
Powell: After my time touring in Uniting Nations I could get back to a bit of normality and could get back into my training again. Then I really got the bug for MMA!!

Ben: Is fighting now your main goal or do you still have the desire to carry on in the music industry or both?
Powell: Fighting in MMA is my current main goal, although I still song write and still gig regularly each week.

Ben: For the fans out there who may not have seen you fight before can you tell us a little bit about yourself and what they can expect on Saturday night?
Powell: They can expect to see The Pop Sensation at his best. I'm happy to fight where ever it goes BUT I'm the dictator... so it will go where i want it to go.

Ben: On Saturday night you will be fighting at ECFF and this will be your 8th amateur fight, do you see this as a stepping stone in the progression for your transition to ultimately going pro?
Powell: I do indeed. The main goal in my head is to go pro and make an impact on the pro bantamweight division.

Ben: How do you see yourself winning the fight on Saturday night?
Powell: I predict a win via GnP!

Ben: Would you like to say thank you to anyone?
Powell: I'd like to thank my coach Jack Mason and all my training partners. We all push each other forward. I'd like to thank my wife Lisa for her help while I weight cut... eating ice creams in front of me! Also, thanks to you too for helping give us fighters some exposure. It means a lot.

Thank you again to Craig for giving up his time for this interview and we all wish him all the best going in to his fight this weekend. To follow Craig on twitter his twitter name is @craigpowell46.

Kingdom MMA caught up with Dean Simmonds ahead of his fight at ECFF Night of Champions 4

Kingdom MMA focus on the UK amateur MMA scene with Dean Simmonds

by Ben Heather @benheather

On Saturday night Dean Simmonds (@DeanoAKAbn) will be fighting PK Zadeh at East Coast Fight Factory Night of Champions 4 from the Epic Studios in Norwich and ahead of that fight he took time out of his schedule to have a chat with us about his upcoming fight and life as an amateur MMA fighter.

Ben: When did you first start training in MMA and how old were you then?
Simmonds: I first started training MMA when i was 18 years old, i went to a class at unique results and met the coach, Jack Mason and its just gone on from there.

Ben: Did you have any previous experience in martial arts before taking up MMA?
Simmonds: I think I did boxing for about 3 weeks when i was 12 and karate for about 2 and a half years when i was 7-10 years old but apart from that i spent 14 years of my life playing football. I wish i could have discovered and trained at a gym such as BKK when I was younger with a coach like Jack around to push me and the rest of the guys on to better things.

Ben: For the fans out there who may not have seen you fight before can you tell us a little bit about yourself and what they can expect on Saturday night?
Simmonds: I'm the number 1 cage fighter in Chelmsford. The hardest part of my training camp is 9 minutes on a sunbed 3 times a week and I'm brilliant with the ladies as well, ask em! 

On Saturday I'm going to bring it like I've never done before, I feel even though I won my last fight I had an awful preparation leading up to it and it showed in my performance so I want to prove to everybody what I can do on Saturday.

Ben: I believe you have a 6-3 record, how do you feel your career has gone so far, are you happy with the progress?
Simmonds: That is correct. I'm very happy with how its progressed so far, even though I've got 3 losses on my record I have learnt so much from each one. The first loss I learnt not to be a melt, the second loss was against Jack Mezzetti and I realised where I need to improve my game and that I had some tools in my arsenal I didn't know i had. That fight was without a doubt the toughest fight I've ever had! and the third loss i just froze and didn't do anything at all, and I've learnt from that as well.

Ben: How did it feel getting your hand raised for the first time after winning a fight?
Simmonds: I'm not just saying this because everybody who has won a fight will know, its the best feeling in the world knowing you've lived up to expectations and made your team proud. Having guys like Jack Mason, Arnold Allen, Sean Carter, Jason Cooledge and Craig Powell to train with me each and every day I can only improve in all areas! (sorry to everybody i didn't mention there!)

Ben: How do you expect the fight at ECFF on Saturday night to go?
Simmonds: This fight will go where i want it to go, my opponent isn't anywhere near my level on the wrestling front so I'll decide whether we fight on the ground or we stand. I don't ever have a gameplan for a fight because as soon as you get hit the gameplan goes out the window anyway.

Ben: What do you know about your opponent heading in to this fight?
Simmonds: His name is PK Zadeh but apart from that not a lot. I prefer to not look too much into what my opponents can do, i try to focus on what I'm going to do to him.

Ben: Where do you think you will have the advantage on Saturday night?
Simmonds: In all areas, my wrestling is on a completly different level to his and I'm confident I'll be better than him standing and on the ground so I'll just see how it plays out

Ben: Would you like to thank anyone?
Simmonds: I'd like to thank my coaches Jack Mason, Stephen Byerley, Russ and Stuart Barlegs. All of my training partners who no doubt I'm going to get a punch from if I miss one of them off, so here goes, Arnold Allen, Sean Carter, Jason Cooledge, Craig Powell, Matt Hughes, Joe Harding, Justin Bodj, Kerry Hughes and Tim Stokes. Also a big shoutout to Tim Stoke who without him none of the success would be possible.

My Awesome Sponsors as well:
Attack Fighter who produce the best walkout tshirts you'll ever see
(Twitter: @attackfightwear) (Wesbite: www.Attackfightwear.com)
Funkygums for keeping my teeth looking super sharp
(Twitter: @funkygums) (website: www.Funkygums.com)
There is always room on my walkout tshirts for more sponsors aswell guys :)

Thanks again to Dean for speaking to Kingdom MMA ahead of his fight and everyone at Kingdom MMA wish him all the best going in to the fight. If you would like to find out more about Dean or follow him on twitter his twitter name is @DeanoAKAbn.

Joe Harding talks to Kingdom MMA ahead of ECFF Night of Champions 4

Kingdom MMA focus on the UK amateur MMA scene with Joe Harding

by Ben Heather @benheather

On Saturday night Joe Harding (@JoeNittro) will be fighting at East Coast Fight Factory Night of Champions 4 from the Epic Studios in Norwich and ahead of that fight he took time out of his schedule to have a chat with us about his upcoming fight and life as an amateur MMA fighter.

Ben: For the fans out there who may not have seen you fight before, can you tell us a little bit about yourself and what they can expect on Saturday night? 
Harding: With me you can always expect me to explode early with some big take downs. I execute my shots with explosive power to control the pace of the fight either on the feet or grappling, people can expect to see crazy escapes, take downs and unorthodox moves its just how I fight. I like to have fun!

Ben: I believe your amateur record currently stands at 5-1, how do you feel your career has progressed so far?
Harding: I feel it's going at a smooth pace I've had some great fights, my last fight at Fury MMA I broke my arm in the first round and still managed to grind out the decision win. It seemed a bit surreal afterwards, but I'm happy with my progress so far but I still have many more to look forward to!

Ben: How did it feel the first time you got in to the cage and the door was shut?
Harding: It was a very strange feeling like "ok I'm in a cage fight now" but fell in love instantly with the sport it gave me a rush that Ive never experienced before so it was a instant connection!

Ben: Do you have any plans to turn professional and if so would that be soon?
Harding: I'd love to join the pro ranks one day for sure, I'd leave that decision to Jack Mason and the rest of my team if he feels I'm ready I'd be happy to make that jump most definitely, you have to go the distance In this sport!

Ben: At ECFF in Norwich on Saturday night BKK will be taking a few fighters along, will this extra support help spur you on to get the win?
Harding: 100% with BKK there it gives you even more drive and confidence to make them proud and bring home the W not just for yourself but for them! So yes even bigger advantage on Saturday night for me I feel.

Ben: At BKK you have UFC fighters and guys that have been in the big shows training with you. Do you have the dream that one day you will be in the big shows?
Harding: I can't see it any other way really. I think the big shows are amazing, makes you dream that one day I can be in there competing at the highest level in the world, so it's in my head quite a lot.

Ben: What are your keys to victory on Saturday night at ECFF
Harding: My keys to victory are to push the pace, explode all over my opponent with a barrage of unorthodox strikes and take downs. you might even see my version of a super kick only I jump much higher than Anthony Pettis!

Ben: Would you like to thank anyone ahead of your fight this weekend?
Harding: Id like to thank Jack Mason, all of my team mates and coaches at BKK FIGHTERS. Unique Results and my Tae Kwon Do sparing partners. Also to you, thanks for this interview guys. Much love and don't blink Saturday night!

Thanks again to Joe for his giving up his time to answer our questions and remember if you want to watch Joe fight, he will be fighting at ECFF Night of Champions 4 in Norwich this Saturday night. If you want to find out more about Joe or follow him on twitter his twitter name is @JoeNittro.

Jack Mason "I’m training for this fight like this is the best guy in the world I am fighting"

Kingdom MMA talk to Jack Mason ahead of his fight at Cage Warriors Fight Night 9

by Ben Heather @benheather

Photo: Dolly Clew | Cage Warriors

Kingdom MMA caught up with Jack Mason to discuss his next fight for Cage Warriors which is now only a little over a week away. Jack is fighting on the Fight Night 9 card which takes place in Jordan, this will be the second time this year that he has fought on the international Cage Warrior cards and he is proving that he can compete with the top guys in the game. This time out he is taking on the relatively unknown (in the UK) Abusupiyan Magomedov. Also fighting on the card next week are the likes of Che Mills and Ronnie Mann.

Ben: Magomedov has a bit of a reputation on the continent but not so much in the UK. Had you heard of him before this fight was announced?
Mason: To be honest I hadn’t heard about him at all before the fight was offered to me but Ian Dean is the best matchmaker in the business and he has a knowledge of MMA that surpasses anyone else I’ve met. Ian knows all about the talented fighters in countries all over the world and that’s how he’s able to put on such interesting fights. Really looking forward to this match up now and fighting another top international fighter.

Ben: What do you now know of him after the fight announcement was made?
Mason: I’ve done some research and can see he’s originally from Dagestan and is now living and training in Germany, I believe he’s currently ranked the 3rd best Welterweight in Germany. I can see is tall, has long limbs and has good striking, he’s also an experienced wrestler and have watched a number of his wrestling competitions on Youtube. Magomedov is aggressive and very well rounded and this is another tough test that Cage Warriors have put on for me which I am looking forward to passing with flying colours!

Ben: Do you think he is taking a massive step up in competition fighting yourself (a 10 fight CW veteran) in his debut for Cage Warriors? The promotion who many believe to be the number 1 promotion in Europe.
Mason: Cage Warriors is without a doubt the best promotion in Europe and I can see that he’s had lots of experience fighting on big shows in Germany and holds a number of promotional belts already so I don’t think that the thought of fighting on Cage Warriors will phase him. Magomedov has already fought and beat some of the best that Europe has to offer so I see this as a very tough fight for me and I’m training my ass off for it. I’m training for this fight like this is the best guy in the world I am fighting.

Ben: Last time out the result didn't go your way but It's been two months since that night in Liverpool, have you been working on any specifics as a result of that fight?
Mason: It was change of opponent about five days out from the fight where I had already stopped training and was focusing on making weight. I’d done a full camp training specifics to fight Bruno Carvalho and then last minute I got a change of opponent to fight Ali Arish who is completely different stylistically, one of the best wrestlers in Europe and ranked in the Top 10 with no time to prepare.

I accepted this change in opponent so last minute because I didn’t want to waste my fight camp, all the money spent and ruin people’s weekends that were coming up to see me fight. The fight was very close and I think it could’ve gone either way, the main things I took away from the fight were that I now know for a fact that wrestling wise I can live with the best that Europe has to offer, also I need to throw more combinations on my feet.

I now know that accepting a last minute change of opponent of such a high calibre probably isn’t the sensible thing to do at this stage of my career. I was probably on track to fight for the Cage Warriors title pretty soon and this error in judgement has probably set me back a few fights now.

I’ll be looking to make amends and get back into title contention with a big win in Jordan.

Ben: How does it feel to get to travel the world with Cage Warriors having already fought in the UAE this year and now fighting in Amman, Jordan?
Mason: It feels amazing. I feel so privileged to be able to travel and see the world doing what I love. I couldn’t ask for anything more, it’s a dream come true!

Ben: This fight is the day before a big UFC event in the UK where your good friend and training partner Luke Barnatt is fighting. Will you be flying straight back to make it back for his fight?
Mason: I will be flying back from Jordan to watch Luke claim his second UFC win in Manchester for sure, I wouldn’t miss it for the world! I flew out to Vegas earlier this year to see him win on the UFC finale and I’ll be flying half way across the world again to see him fight this time too!

Ben: Luke recently announced that Chael Sonnen will be cornering him in Manchester, do you know if you will get the chance to train with him before your fight?
Mason: I’ve managed to do a couple of training sessions with Chael and his team over in Vegas when Luke fought the first time. This time I think Chael will just be flying in for the weekend to corner Luke and probably won’t have time for training.

One of the guys that was also in the TUF house with Luke called Jimmy Quinlan is over here right now helping Luke with his camp and he’s a phenomenal Division 1 All American wrestler who is also a grappling ace so we’ve both had some great training partners for this camp anyway!

Ben: Thanks for your time Jack and lastly do you have anything you would like to say to your fans about how you the fight will go in 4 weeks?
Mason: Thanks very much for the interview and thanks to everyone for all the support for this fight and my career so far! I’m planning to put on an exciting fight in Jordan and am itching to get back in the cage and get the job done!

I’d also like to say a huge thank you to my sponsors, please check out their websites and follow them on Twitter:

         www.britishfighter.co.uk                        @BritishF1ghter
         www.chelmsfordphysio.co.uk                @ChelmsforPhysio
         www.blankmmauk.com                         @BlankMMAUK
         www.qntuk.com                                    @QNTUK
         www.funkygums.com                             @FUNKYGUMS
         www.ignitept.co.uk                                @LI_Strength

Arnold Allen ahead of CW60 "sparring with my dad is not good fun"

Kingdom MMA talk to Arnold Allen ahead of Cage Warriors 60

by Ben Heather @benheather

Today, Kingdom MMA caught up with Arnold Allen who fights out of the BKK Fighters gym and goes in to this weekends Cage Warriors 60 event with his unbeaten record on the line. Currently 4-0 in his professional career Arnold Allen has certainly shown he is a class act and one to look out for in the future. He is still only 19 years old and looks to have a promising career ahead of him. Today we spoke about signing with Cage Warriors, training at BKK and what its like to spar with your dad.

Ben: Hi Arnold, thanks for taking the time ahead of your fight this weekend at CW to speak to us.
Firstly, for those who do not know much about Arnold Allen or haven't seen you fight what can they expect to see on Saturday night in London?
Allen: They can expect an exciting fight from me and Declan, we'll both be looking to finish the fight.

Ben: When did you start training in MMA?
Allen: I started training MMA properly at about 15 or 16 years old.

Ben: Did you have any amateur/ semi pro fights before you turned pro?
Allen: I've had 7 amateur MMA bouts, 5 amateur boxing fights and 3 K1 fights.

Ben: You are now 4-0 in your professional career only going the distance once would you say that being an exciting fighter and finishing fights is important to you?
Allen: Putting on exciting fights is always my aim. MMA is all about entertainment and if the fights don't entertain fans the sport will never grow. I always want to finish we don't get paid overtime!

Ben: How has the camp gone and can we expect to see the best Arnold Allen yet in the cage on Saturday night?
Allen: Trainings been good no injuries or anything so I'm happy! And I hope so haha.

Ben: At just 19 years old you are 10 years younger than your opponent Dec Williams on Saturday, do you feel age will be a factor on Saturday?
Allen: I don't think age is going to be a factor in this fight.

Ben: Where do you feel you have the advantage on Saturday night?
Allen: I feel I'll have the advantage where ever this fight goes.

Ben: How do you expect the fight to go on Saturday night?
Allen: I expect my hand to be raised at the end of it but it won't be easy work.

Ben: I believe your father is also a fighter and is still fighting now, how did he take the news when you told him you wanted to do the same?
Allen: Yeah my Dad is a fighter, I think he's retiring but he can never make his mind up. He was more than happy when I started competing, he took me to BKK fighters a few years back and I haven't looked back since.

Ben: Do you and your dad spar together? If so how does it feel to punch your dad? I know growing up I have thought of doing it many times but would never actually do it.
Allen: I've sparred my dad a few times but he hits pretty hard so it's not good fun. I remember him dropping me with an overhand right haha.

Ben: Only a couple of months ago you signed a five fight exclusive contract to fight for cage warriors. How pleased were you to be offered that contract?
Allen: I was really happy to sign with Cage Warriors I always wanted to fight for them as loads of my favourite fighters have fought for them before there UFC careers and also my head coach Jack Mason fights for Cage Warriors so it's pretty cool to be on the same promotion.

Ben: Training at BKK Fighters you get to train with some of the UK's best fighters, do you think you would be fighting for the top European promotion if you were not training with the guys you do.
Allen: Definitely not the great team we have at BKK is definitely the reason I'm on such a big promotion, there's loads of top level amateurs too who are nearly ready to turn pro so it's awesome down there.

Ben: Would you like to say thanks to anyone or any sponsors?
Allen: Too many to thank individually but thanks everyone for all the help and advice it's really appreciated.
Everyone at Kingdom MMA would like to wish Arnold all the best ahead of his fight this weekend at Cage Warriors 60.