Jack Mason ahead of Super Saturday fight "I'm having the time of my life right now fighting for Cage Warriors"

Kingdom MMA talk to Jack Mason ahead of CWFC 69

by Sam Heard @SamHeard_

Copyright: Dolly Clew | Cage Warriors

On Saturday night Jack Mason will step foot in to the cage for the third time this year as he takes on Brazilian Bruno Carvalho in a welterweight match up as part of the stacked Cage Warriors 69: Super Saturday card on Saturday night in Kentish Town, London. Before the fight Kingdom MMA caught up with Jack to talk about his upcoming fight.

Sam: Thank you for once again taking the time to do an interview with us Jack – particularly with the proximity to your next fight. In the last interview you did with us you said “the June show looks incredible and yes if Cage Warriors can get me on it’s definitely something I want to be a part of”. How does it feel having your wish come true?
Mason: It feels amazing to be part of something so special as this is such a massive card, it also feels great to finally be back fighting in London!

Sam: At the rate you’re going, you will be set to have around six fights this year. You’ve always been a very active fighter – how do you stay so motivated?
Mason: As long as I’m fit and injury free then there is no reason not to be fighting! Besides I’m 31 now and I want to get as many fights as I can in before I get married and have kids as I’ll have to slow down then!

Sam: With just under a week to go before the big fight on what is a stacked card, how have the preparations for your fight gone?
Mason: Preparations have been great, feel in brilliant shape and the fight camp has been tons of fun. Just looking forward to getting in there now!

Sam: How does it feel to be a part of one of the biggest cards to ever take place in UKMMA. Would you say this was the biggest UK MMA event ever?
Mason: There have been some big events in the past with the likes of Anderson Silva and Vitor Belfort fighting at Wembley but yes definitely in recent times this is a huge event, and most certainly the biggest this year. Every fight on the card is very evenly matched and it has some of the best fighters in the world fighting on it.

It’s an absolute privilege to be on the card and I’m having the time of my life right now fighting for Cage Warriors.

Sam: Your next opponent is the solid Brazilian fighter Bruno Carvalho. I believe this will be the third time you have been set to face him in the past year. Is there anything you do not know about this fighter?
Mason: Haha, I’m sure Bruno has some dirty little secrets I don’t know about but in terms of MMA I’ve watched a lot of tape on him and can see that he is world class. The guy has a phenomenal ground and grappling game and is also a really good striker with good reach, so I can tell I have my work cut out in this fight!

Sam: When this fight was offered to you were you concerned that he may pull out leaving no time to prepare for another fighter, it wouldn't be the first time?
Mason: I don’t think Carvalho will pull out this time, it would be highly embarrassing for him if he did.

Sam: What would you say is Carvalho’s most dangerous area?
Mason: Definitely his ground game but he’s good in every area.

Sam: Carvalho has a well-rounded record and has demonstrated both submission skills and powerful hands. How do you see yourself beating him?
Mason: I’m a better wrestler and have powerful ground and pound which I plan on using to finish him.

Sam: He also seems to be a large man for the division. Will you be able to use his size advantage against him?
Mason: I’m a pretty big guy myself and I’ve had 32 fights at Middleweight so I’m used to the big guys. Size won’t be an issue.

Sam: A win on June 7th could see you starting a nice little streak for yourself in Cage Warriors after that razor-close loss to Alloway. Where will this back-to-back win put you in the promotion’s highly talented 170-lbs division?
Mason: To be honest I’m not really thinking about that, Danny Roberts is definitely ahead of me in the title race and until he gets his crack I can’t see me getting a shot so I’ll just keep beating these guys until it’s my turn.

Sam: After most recently fighting in Jordan twice and in Ireland, does it feel good making a return to our capital?
Mason: I work in London every day so it’ll just be another day at work for me. It seems like ages since I fought at home so yes I’m really looking forward to it!

Sam: Is there any added pressure fighting in front of an English crowd or is it just business as usual?
Mason: Definitely no added pressure, if anything it’s a benefit so I’m just looking forward to it.

Sam: Though it will only come into effect at CW70, we have recently heard the big news that Cage Warriors have joined forces with Channel 4. Is this exciting news to hear as one of the most experienced and well respected fighters in UK MMA?
Mason: The deal could potentially be absolutely huge for Cage Warriors and all the fighters involved. It will be interesting to see what type of time slot the show gets given but if they like it and the show makes it onto a prime time slot we could see all of the fighters become household names and people might be able to make a decent living from fighting rather than just scraping by.

Cage Warriors have literally gone from strength to strength over the past few years and I can’t thank Graham Boylan, Paul Dollery and Ian Dean enough for the opportunities they’ve given me and the sport of MMA in the UK.

I think by the time that MMA really becomes a recognised sport in the UK I will be done fighting but I’d like to think that the guys I coach will go on to become big stars.

Sam: Would you like to thank anybody?
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!

Huge thanks also to Matt Walton who has given me some excellent guidance in the past couple of months and really changed my approach to fighting.

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

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!

CWFC Fight Night 9 Moves to The King Hussein Boxing Arena in Jordan

CWFC Fight Night 9 Moves to Jordan

photo: cagewarriors.com

CWFC Fight Night 9, which is set for Friday, 25 October 2013, will now take place at the King Hussein Boxing Arena in Amman, Jordan.

The event had originally been scheduled for Isa Town in Bahrain on the same date, but several logistical issues have caused CWFC officials to decide on a change of destination for the promotion’s eleventh event of 2013.

“We were extremely excited about bringing Cage Warriors back to Bahrain again but a few logistical problems have unfortunately arisen, which meant that staging the event to Cage Warriors’ usual high standards wasn’t going to be possible,” said Cage Warriors CEO Graham Boylan.

“As a result, rather than cancelling the event entirely and leaving our athletes on the card without fights to prepare for, we’ve been able to organise - despite the short notice - for CWFC Fight Night 9 to take place in Jordan instead.

“We’ve had some fantastic shows there already and this one will be no different. I want to offer my apologies to the Cage Warriors fans in Bahrain but we’ll do everything we can to get back there as early as possible in 2014.”

CWFC Fight Night 9 will be Cage Warriors Fighting Championship’s fifth event in Amman, the first of which was back in June 2011.

The promotion’s most recent event in the Jordanian capital, CWFC Fight Night 7 in September of last year, saw Chris Fields defeat Pavel Kusch in the final of CWFC middleweight title tournament, as well as victories for CWFC featherweight champion Jim Alers and current UFC star Leo Santos.

Next month’s event will feature a host of Cage Warriors’ top names, such as Bruno Carvalho, Gael Grimaud, Che Mills, Faycal Hucin, Paul Redmond and many more.

CWFC Fight Night 9: Carvalho vs Grimaud announced to fight in Bahrain

Cage Warriors returns to Bahrain with CWFC Fight Night 9: Carvalho v Grimaud



Photo: Dolly Clew | Cage Warriors

Two of the top welterweights on the Cage Warriors Fighting Championship roster will collide when the promotion makes its return to Bahrain later this year.

Khalifa Sports City will play host to the meeting of Bruno Carvalho and former CWFC welterweight champion Gael Grimaud (pictured) on Friday, October 25, at CWFC Fight Night 9, which will be the promotion’s 11th event of 2013.

Carvalho (15-6) will be aiming for his second successive CWFC win, having overcome Steve Dinsdale - who was a late replacement for the injured Mohsen Bahari - at Cage Warriors 52 in March.

That victory saw the 31-year-old BJJ black belt rebound from a narrow decision loss to current CWFC welterweight title-holder Cathal Pendred last October at Cage Warriors 49 in Cardiff.

A Brazilian currently based in Sweden, Carvalho holds victories over former KSW middleweight champion Vitor Nobrega, Dream veteran Tatsuya Mizuno, former Pride middleweight Jean-Francois Lenogue and The Ultimate Fighter 11 contestant Kyacey Uscola.

Grimaud (17-6) also returns to Cage Warriors action for the first time since last March’s CWFC 52, when he relinquished the welterweight title via a unanimous decision defeat to Cathal Pendred.

The 33-year-old Frenchman was victorious when Cage Warriors last visited Bahrain, submitting Jesse Taylor to retain the belt in the third round of the CWFC Fight Night 6 headliner in May of last year.

Grimaud, who has 13 stoppage wins - 11 by submission - on his record, was crowned CWFC welterweight champion in September 2011 thanks to a second-round TKO triumph against Arni Isaksson at CWFC Fight Night 2 in Jordan.

Jack Mason "After 35 pro fights this will be my first arena show and I can't wait!" ahead of Cage Warriors 57

Jack "Stone" Mason talks to Kingdom MMA before Cage Warriors 57 fight

by Ben Heather @benheather

On Monday I caught up with Jack "Stone" Mason ahead of his fight at Cage Warriors 57, which takes place in Liverpool's Echo Arena on Saturday night. Just before I spoke to Jack news had been released to say that Jack would not be fighting Bruno Carvalho but instead fighting Ali Arish on less than a weeks notice.

Ben: Today (Monday) it was announced that your opponent has changed, how will that change things on the final week before the fight?
Mason: Not a lot to be honest! This was literally a last minute change so all my training camp was done and I just have to focus on making the weight now so to be honest I won’t get any time to work on any specifics for Arish.

Ben: Did you have a specific game plan for Carvalho and will that now change due to the change of opponent to Arish?
Mason: I had a very specific game plan for Carvalho which I’ve been working on with my team for 6 weeks and I was fully prepared for what he was going to bring to the table. Arish is stylistically hugely different to Carvalho and with no time to really plan or train specifically for Arish it’s not exactly an ideal scenario. That being said I’m very confident in my skills right now and think I match up well with Arish, I expect it to be an interesting fight.

Ben: Are you pleased that Cage Warriors were able to find you a new opponent at such short notice?
Mason: Yes, I’m truly thankful to Cage Warriors for keeping me with a fight and to find me such a high calibre replacement. Ali Arish has a 19-2 Pro MMA record and is currently ranked #8 in the rankings. I don’t know many people in UK MMA who would take such a tough fight with 6 days notice but there was no way I was going to turn down this opportunity. I really appreciate Ali taking the fight at short notice too as if he didn’t I’d have been without a fight!

Ben: What do you know about your Arish and do you like the new match up?
Mason: Arish has a 19-2 Pro MMA record and is currently ranked #8 in the rankings, and has faced and beat some legit competition. I know his style is very wrestling based but also has powerful hands. Of course this is a tough match up for anyone in the Welterweight division but as I’ve said before I’m very confident in my skills and I think a lot of people will be shocked about how this fight goes down.
 
Ben: Are you disappointed that you can't fight Carvalho the opponent you had been training to fight? And do you hope you can fight him in the future?
Mason: Of course I’m hugely disappointed that I’m not facing Carvalho, I’ve spent all camp preparing to face him and to have the hard work wasted is very annoying. I’m not entirely sure about the details of why he can’t fight but by all accounts I’ve heard he is a bit of a princess. I honestly don’t think I’d want to commit all that time preparing for him just to see it wasted again so I’d have to give it careful consideration. It’s definitely not something I’m going to be pursuing after I beat Arish that’s for certain.

Ben: How has the camp been?
Mason: Training has been fantastic and I feel like I’ve improved significantly since my last bout.

Ben: You are going to be at the UK MMA Expo this weekend. What day/ time can your fans head over and see you there? If they can't make it to your fight.
Mason: I’ll be on the QNT Sports Nutrition stand (D23) on the Sunday after the fight so please come down and say hello!

Ben: Last time out you fought in the UAE, will it be good to be back and fight in a big arena in Liverpool?
Mason: Fighting on any Cage Warriors event is a privilege and to fight at the Echo Arena in Liverpool is something I am hugely excited for. After 35 professional bouts this will be my first arena show and I can’t wait!

Ben: This card is a massive card for UKMMA have you heard/ felt a buzz for this card that has differed to some of your previous fights?
Mason: Even with some of the last minute pull outs this is one of the best MMA cards to grace UK soil, maybe the best! Yes the buzz for this card is incredible and I expect everyone to be watching and talking about this. I was up in Liverpool last week training with Danny Roberts and the buzz about the show already is huge, the whole city seems to be going to it. Looks like it’s going to be a special event!

Ben: Do you think a win here puts you next in line for a title shot? Or at least in title contention. After all you are already 7-1 in your last 8 fights.
Mason: A win over #8 ranked Arish is a big win and I will be have more wins on Cage Warriors than any other Welterweight including the current champ. I’ll leave that up to Cage Warriors to decide when I’ve earned my shot, I just need to go out and get my job done on Saturday.

Ben: What's going to happen on Saturday night? How do you expect to get the win?
Mason: It will be a surprise!

Ben: Do you want to say thank you to anyone?
Mason: I’d like to thank all my training partners and coaches at BKK Fighters, Tsunami Gym, Ministry of Martial Arts and Laurence Irving Strength & Conditioning for giving up their time to train with me and of course my girlfriend and family. Without these people in my life I wouldn’t be able to achieve anything.

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.qntuk.com                                    @QNTUK
·         www.funkygums.com                             @FUNKYGUMS
·         www.ignitept.co.uk                                @LI_Strength
·         www.blankmmauk.com                         @BlankMMAUK

Thanks very much to Kingdom MMA for the interview, it was a pleasure.
If you’d like to keep updated on my training and future fights then please check out my website www.jackstonemason.com and follow me on Twitter @JackStoneMason

Kingdom MMA would like to thank Jack for his time in answering all of our questions the week before his fight. As he mentioned he will be fighting on the Cage Warriors 57 event in Liverpool on Saturday night but if you can't make it to see him fight he will also be at the QNT Sports Nutrition stand at the UK MMA Expo on Sunday.

Injury forces changes to Saturdays Cage Warriors 57 card

Cage Warriors 57 makes enforced changes to fight card on less than a weeks notice

by Ben Heather @benheather

Unfortunately the Cage Warriors 57 fight card has had a couple of late enforced changes due to late changes. Cage Warriors 57 will be taking place in Liverpool's Echo Arena on Saturday night.

The changes can be viewed below.

Main Card
Danny Roberts will now take on Aldric Cassata (6-5), who replaces the injured Mauro Chimento.
Jack Mason now faces Ali Arish (19-2) instead of Bruno Carvalho.
A new opponent is currently being sought for Mats Nilsson following the withdrawal of Lee Chadwick due to injury.

Prelims
Jason Cooledge (8-4) steps in for the injured Lew Long to take on Saul Rogers.

As soon as details come out regarding Mats Nilsson's new opponent we will keep you all up to date.

Jack Mason's opponent at Cage Warriors 57 now announced

Jack Mason vs Bruno Carvalho added to Cage Warriors 57

by Ben Heather @benheather


(Photo: Dolly Clew | Cage Warriors)

After Jack Mason (24-11) defeated Collin Reuter in the main event at Cage Warriors Fight Night 8 last month he told Kingdom MMA he wanted to fight on Cage Warriors 57, the thought of being able to fight at an arena like the Echo Arena in Liverpool really appealed to him.

Now it has been announced he will be fighting on the Cage Warriors 57 fight card and will make his 10th Cage Warriors appearance of his career. Last year he made the decision to drop from middleweight to welterweight and since then has not looked back.

The 30-year-old Englishman has won all of his last four bouts and seven of his last eight, the most recent of which saw him secure a unanimous decision win over Collin Reuter in the main event at CWFC Fight Night 8 last month in Al Fujairah, United Arab Emirates. His only disappointment that night was not being able to finish Reuter.

Mason who is now ranked 11th in the UK rankings and is loving fighting at welterweight recently spoke to Cage Warriors to talk about his upcoming fight.

Mason said: “I’m thrilled to be facing Bruno Carvalho in Liverpool. He’s been highly-ranked on the European scene for a very long time so it’s a hugely exciting match-up for me.

“Beating Carvalho is going to put me right up there in the rankings and vying for title contention. He called me out after my last two fights and he’s now been granted his wish. All I have to say to him is be careful what you wish for.”

Carvalho (15-6) fights for the first time since March, when he rebounded from a loss to Cathal Pendred by seeing off the challenge of Steve Dinsdale by second-round TKO at Cage Warriors 52 in London.
A Brazilian fighter currently based in Sweden, 31-year-old Carvalho is a BJJ black belt who holds victories over former KSW middleweight champion Vitor Nobrega, Dream veteran Tatsuya Mizuno, former Pride middleweight Jean-Francois Lenogue and The Ultimate Fighter 11 contestant Kyacey Uscola.

“I think this is a good match-up for me. I’m looking forward to making a statement and showing everyone that I’m on top of this division,” said Carvalho.

“I won’t need to study my opponent because I train every day with top guys who are stronger than him in all ranges. I’ll stop this fight in the second round at the latest.”

The fact that Jack Mason was in the main event in his last fight for Cage Warriors and is now only the second fight of the main card as it stands shows the level of quality, calibre of fighters and great matchmaking which Cage Warriors are putting on its shows. With recent shows being held in Scotland, Wales, UAE and Ireland it really solidifies that Cage Warriors is not only the best British promotion but in my opinion he best in Europe.

Cage Warriors are still to announce some fights for Cage Warriors 57 so keep checking Kingdom MMA for the latest news on this fight card. The current card can be seen below.

MAIN CARD
Lukasz Chlewicki v Paul Daley
Ronnie Mann v TBA
Mauro Chimento v Danny Roberts
Bruno Carvalho v Jack Mason
Lee Chadwick v Mats Nilsson

PRELIMS
Chris Fishgold v Marcin Wrzosek
Mohsen Bahari v Matt Inman
Lewis Long v Saul Rogers