A Review of Cage Warriors 56

Cage Warriors 56 Omoyele vs Del Guerra

by Tommy Strong @Strong_tea


Saturday 6th July, 6pm the doors opened at "The Forum" Kentish Town, London which was the venue for Cage Warriors 56.

Bola Omeleye def. Vincent del Guerra via 1st round TKO 

Headlining the main event was Londoner and ex 'TUF' contestant Bola Omoyele vs Vincent del Guerra in a 3 x 5 minute round bout. 

Bola making his debut fighting for Cage Warriors since signing an exclusive contract for them and competing in his first fight in just over a year, wasted little time in dismantling Vincent del Guerra.

From the bell, Bola was looking to take the Frenchman down, and done so with ease. With Bola on top controlling the fight and looking to put some ground and pound onto del Guerra, Marc Goddard called a halt to the action del Guerra complaining of an eye poke. The doctor was called in to inspect the damaged eye, and was deemed fit to continue.

This seemed to have lit a flame under del Guerra who after the restart came out swinging and putting pressure on Bola, using this anger to take Bola down, which proved to be a bad decision. Bola used his bigger frame and strength difference to reverse his position and get on top of del Guerra. Landing a barrage of unanswered punches and elbows down on del Guerra, Goddard had no option but to call a stop to the fight to prevent further damage. The official time of the stoppage was 3:21 in the first round.

The house seemed packed of Bola fans as the roof nearly came off the venue when Bola's hand was raised in victory. A very impressive victory and performance considering the man he was facing and his experience over Bola.

In the post fight interview Bola mentioned that he'd signed for the best organisation in Britain and Europe and the fight went as he planned. He went onto say he wants a belt "anyone who's going to take me to that belt, show me the path"

This victory puts Bola (7-1) and a six fight win streak in which he has finished all of his opponents inside the first round.

Catchweight (150lbs) Robbie Olivier def. Patrik Berisha unanimous decision (30/27 x 3)

At Cage Warriors 56 Robbie "The Flame" Olivier was making his first appearance for Cage Warriors in almost 10 years since he last fought at Cage Warriors 4 which saw Robbie lose inside the first round to Emmanuel Fernandez.

The fight was made at a catchweight of 150lbs due to Olivier carrying an injury into the fight and unable to make the 145lb limit. Despite the injury, Olivier dominated over the three rounds in which Berisha had no answer for.

Olivier's Jiu-Jitsu was the key to this fight, he took every opportunity to take Berisha to the mat and done so at will. Berisha managed to get to his feet on a couple of occasions but was soon pinned down on his back again with Olivier in full mount.

In what wasn't the most exciting fight of the night, Olivier got into some dominating positions but was unable to get the finish. At times the fans seems to get restless at the action going on and at one stage Marc Goddard was forced to stand the fighters up. Though it was only seconds before Olivier took Berisha back to the mat again to grind it out for the rest of the round and earn a 30/27 x 3 victory.

Robbie would be the first to admit it wasn't his finest performance saying "I'm not 100% happy, I think i dominated the fight, but i struggled to make the weight. Fair play to my opponent, he was prepared to do a catchweight to make sure the fight happened.

Middleweight Denniston Sutherland def. Brett Bassett via 3rd Round TKO

With a very tentative start from both fighters, the first round was much a feeling out process with Sutherland and Bassett clinging up against the cage for most of the round.

Into the second round and it started much of the same as the first until Sutherland started applying more pressure and landed some big shots onto Bassett until the ref Rich Mitchell stepped in and deemed Sutherland had landed blows to the back of the head, thus taking a point from Sutherland which could've proved decisive on the scorecards. Though moments later it wouldn't prove to be the case, Sutherland landed a beautiful knee to the body of Bassett which dropped him to the mat. Sutherland was raining down with punches and looked like the end was near. Though the bell rung saving Bassett from a certain TKO.

With Bassett clearly still in trouble walking back to his corner, and only a minute to recover he was really up against it. Sutherland took the advantage and came out throwing punches to the body of Bassett and seconds into the third round drops Bassett again and swarms in for the kill. Rich Mitchell has seen enough and jumps in to stop the fight!

Featherweight Graham Turner def. Nad Narimani via Split Decision 30-27 28-29 29-28

Scotland's Graham Turner came into this fight on the back of four wins, who was taking on the undefeated Nad Narimani in what proved to be a very closely fought battle!

Straight from the off both fighters were looking to counter strike and keep things standing. Back and forth punches were exchanged until late in the first round Turner picks up Nad and dumps him into the mat (rampage esq) with seconds to spare in the round and in what was a very close round , might just have pinched in with that.

Into the second , both men wanting to keep the fight standing trying to land that one punch that might finish the fight, but it doesn't come. Both rounds have been so close it was all to play for in the third. In the third round, Nad starts to pressure more and take control of the fight landing a punch that makes Turner instinctively fire back with his own punches. In an entertaining fight , the bell ends the third round with both men exhausted and thinking they've done enough to win.

Turner takes a split decision 30-27 28-29 29-28 adding the first defeat to Narimani's professional record and stretching his win streak to five fights.

Catchweight (160lbs) Philip Mulpeter def. Warren Kee via 2nd Round TKO

Philip "Honeybadger" Mulpeter had Connor McGregor by his side on Saturday night when he fought Warren Kee. England's Kee came in to this fight having lost his last 2 fights prior and Mulpeter losing his last fight to Tommy Quinn at Cage Warriors 51 on new years eve, both men were looking to get back to winning ways!

Though it was Mulpeter who came out the stronger fighter, both men come out throwing punches and its Mulpeter thats getting the better of the work and takes Kee down to the mat. Landing some ground and pound to Kee, Mulpeter secures a tight triangle late in the round but the bell rings before he can submit Kee.

Mulpeter takes Kee down again in the second, Kee replies with some elbows from below but the ref deems them illegal and to the back of the head. Neil Hall takes a point away from Kee for the elbows.  Mulpeter starts to land punches and elbows down from mounted position that have Kee in trouble. Kee covers up from the punches and Neil Hall steps in and calls a halt to the fight on 3:24 inside the second round.

A powerful display from Mulpeter that impressed not only his fans but also McGregor.

Middleweight Fabio Ferrari def. Brett Sizeland via 1st round Submission (Rear Naked Choke)

Brett Sizeland entered the ring with almost a year out between his last fight which was a loss to Denniston Sutherland at Cage Warriors 48, Ferrari himself was also coming into the fight on the back of a loss himself!

The fight started brightly and Fabio Ferrari and Brett Sizeland had the fans on the edge of their seats, as they come out from the bell throwing hands from the off. Ferrari lands a beautiful right hand flush on Sizeland that stuns hims, Ferrari taking advantage of this jumps of Sizelands back and locks in a tight rear-naked choke that left Sizeland with only one option, To tap!!

Ferrarri (6-2-1) bounces back with a win, and leaves Brett Sizeland (6-3) with back to back losses.

Premliminary Card Results:

Sean Carter def Adam Bousiff via Submission (arm-triangle choke) Rd 2 (3:58)
Arnold Allen def Andy Green via Submission (rear-naked choke) Rd 1 (4:00)
Brad Wheeler def Aymard Guih via unanimous decision (29-28 x 3)
Paddy Pimblett def Florian Calin via unanimous decision (30-27,30-27,29-28)


Ending note:

Amateur Light heavyweight bout Darren Springer def Emmanuel Cammarata via unanimous decision (30-27 x3)

I just wanted to honour one fight that wasn't televised and it was also an amateur fight, but felt I couldn't leave it out of my article as it was such a great fight.

It was between two light heavyweights Emmanuel Cammarata vs Darren Springer in a 3 round x 3 mins fight.

Both men came from their corners with only one thing in mind, that was to knock their opponent out! Springer landed some huge and flush punches onto Cammrata and looked like this fight would be over within minutes, but boy how wrong I was. Cammarata just wouldn't go down, instead firing back with punches of his own. How he survived that onslaught in the first round takes a great chin and courage.

Into the second and its much of the same, Springer landing the better of the punches and doing the cleaner work, though he's starting to tire and Cammarata isn't going anywhere! Into the 3rd Cammarata looks to have more in the tank but has left it too late to take the decision from Springer.

It goes to the official score cards and Springer def Cammarata (30-27 x 3)

Both fighters take a bow, as that was a brilliant fight!!


**Thanks to Cagewarriors for the allowing KingdomMMA press accreditation to cover CWFC56**

Cage Warriors 56: Weigh in results

Cage Warriors 56 weigh in results

(Photo: Dolly Clew | Cage Warriors)

The fighters are set for tomorrow night’s Cage Warriors 56 action at The Forum in London following this afternoon’s weigh-ins.
Headliners Bola Omoyele and Vincent del Guerra both made weight for their welterweight tussle, although Omoyele needed a second attempt before tipping the scales at the 171lbs limit.

Denniston Sutherland also had to make use of the additional two hours before he was on weight for his middleweight clash with Brett Bassett, but Andy Green and Aymard Guih both failed to make the contracted weight for their respective bouts.

Green was 0.8lb too heavy and surrendered 25 percent of his purse to opponent Arnold Allen, while Guih - who accepted the fight just yesterday - came in 3.4lbs over the limit for his 165lbs catchweight bout against Brad Wheeler. However, having stepped in at such short notice, no deduction was made from Guih’s purse.

MAIN CARD
Welterweight: Vincent del Guerra (170.8lbs) v Bola Omoyele (171lbs)*
150lbs catchweight: Patrik Berisha (150.5lbs) v Robbie Olivier (149.3lbs)
Middleweight: Brett Bassett (182.9lbs) v Denniston Sutherland (185.9lbs)**
Featherweight: Nad Narimani (145.8lbs) v Graham Turner (146lbs)
160lbs catchweight: Warren Kee (160.5lbs) v Philip Mulpeter (160.4lbs)
Middleweight: Fabio Ferrari (185.3lbs) v Brett Sizeland (185.7lbs)

FACEBOOK PRELIMS
Lightweight: Adam Boussif (154.4lbs) v Sean Carter (155.2lbs)
Featherweight: Arnold Allen (144.8lbs) v Andy Green (146.8lbs)***
165lbs catchweight: Aymard Guih (169.4lbs)**** v Brad Wheeler (165.2lbs)

NON-STREAMED PRELIM
Bantamweight: Florian Calin (135.8lbs) v Paddy Pimblett (135.8lbs)

*Omoyele initially weighed in at 171.2lbs
**Sutherland initially weighed in at 187.7lbs
***Green initially weighed in at 148.2lbs; surrenders 25 percent of purse to Allen having also failed on second attempt.
****Guih failed to make weight but, having taken the fight on a day’s notice, no purse deduction occurred.

Brett Bassett "I Feel I'm Better Than Denniston in All Areas"

Brett Bassett "I Feel I'm Better Than Denniston in All Areas"
by Chris Houten - @kingdomMMAChris

Photo: Dolly Clew/Cage Warriors

On Saturday night at The HMV Forum in London, 27 year old Brett Bassett (8-3) will meet UK Veteran Denniston Sutherland on the main card of Cage Warriors 56, in arguably the biggest fight of his career.

Bassett, who is 3-1 in has last 4 fights including a 38 second KO over Mike Ling has never been the distance, finishing all of his 8 victories, by submission on TKO.

On Wedensday, I caught up with Bassett to talk about his upcoming bout with Sutherland.

Houten: For those that don't really know Brett Bassett or might be checking out Cage Warriors for the first time on Saturday, can you tell us a little about yourself, and what the people can expect? 
Bassett: I'm 27, I'm from SE London and fight out of London Valhalla, Valhalla is my main team, it's just a small group of tough guys, we get together and get work done, iam associated with other gyms though, I go to team VN at dfc for some jui jitsu with valmyr neto and I go to UK warriors for my Thai boxing with lee Whittington aka the war chief. I consider myself an all rounder, I think my strength comes in my ability to put everything together, I think that is what makes a true mix martial artist.

On Saturday you fight vet Denniston Sutherland, is this the biggest fight of your career to date, and how have you coped with the additional pressure of fighting such a big name on the UK scene?
Denniston is definitely my biggest fight so far, he's very experienced, very tough and has heart. I don't really feel more pressure with big names, it makes me more excited, when offered this fight, straight away it was yes let's do it, I don't want to fight bums, all the big names in the UK I'm going for their scalp.

You have fought for UCMMA in the past, has the fact that Sutherland is UCMMA’s current Middleweight champion given you extra motivation for your fight on Saturday?
It definitely adds a little extra to it, it's great to take out a big name but to take out a champ as well is even better.

How has your training camp been for this fight, have you focused on any areas which you think will hold the key to victory against Sutherland?
It's been very good, I started it not in the best condition due to a long injury lay off, I pretty much went from lay off to camp, but it's been good, we've seen the holes in Dennistons game and worked on how to capitalise on them, I've also worked hard on my own strengths so I can push my own game.

You have a varied game, with wins by submission and TKO. What areas do you feel you are better than Sutherland?
Honestly I feel I'm better in all areas. Denniston has some good boxing and a good on top game, he's a very smart fighter, he knows how to pace himself and drag you into later rounds and wear you down, but I'm better everywhere, my stand ups sharper, my wrestlings better and my submissions are better, I pose a threat to him wherever the fight is.

Win or lose you have never been the distance, have you put much thought into going the distance in training or do you see yourself stopping the fight early?
I always train with the mindset that this is gonna be a tough 3 rounder, and someone like Denniston has the ability to make that happen, but I will always try for the finish any chance I get.
How do you see yourself winning the fight on Saturday?
I try not to predict fights, because anything can happen, but I believe I can knock him out or sub him, whatever he gives me first, he already has he's next fight lined up for a title defense in August, I hope they remembered that Safe MMA give knockout suspensions.

With Jessie Taylor signing with WSOF recently, does a win over a name like Sutherland put you in the shop window for the middleweight title fight, or do you feel you would need a few more wins?
I don't think I'd go straight in for a title shot, but id be in the mix of the contenders, maybe for an eliminator or If CW decided for another tournament for it, but either way the belt is what I want and what I'm aiming for.

Finally Brett, and we appreciate your time. Is their any one you would like to thank?
Id like to thank all my team and coaches at Valhalla, team VN and uk warriors, and ABA coach tony Pettitt whos been on board helping me with my boxing, thanks to cage warriors for giving me a chance on such a great show and a special thank you to my beautiful girlfriend and my son, no matter how engrossed I become in this sport, my family are what matter most to me and will always come first.

Karlos Vemola vs Denniston Sutherland Set for UCMMA 35

Karlos Vemola vs Denniston Sutherland Set for UCMMA 35
By Chris Houten - @KingdomMMAChris

Officials at UCMMA have today confirmed Karlos Vemola will challenge Denniston Sutherland for his UCMMA Middleweight title at UCMMA 35 on the 3rd of August.

Vemola (9-4) was recently released from the UFC following a 2-4 run in the octagon. Prior to joining the UFC, Vemola - who holds notable wins over Seth Petruzelli, Mike Massenzio, and Stav Economou was went 7-0 on the UK scene, with all of his wins coming by TKO or submission in the first round. Having previously fought for UCMMA where he defeated Peter Yendall, Vemola who will be fighting for UCMMA the second at UCMMA said:

"It is my duty to warn all 84kg fighters that I am back. I will be taking every belt from all the UK shows, firstly starting with UCMMA".

A veteran of the UK MMA scene, Denniston Sutherland (19-10) has fought for likes of Bamma, OMMAC, Cage Warriors, and UCMMA, the latter most recently in April where defeat Ben Callum by split decision to win the UCMMA Middleweight Title.

Speaking on the upcoming bout against Vemola, Sutherland said:

"Good Luck Karlos in your venture in getting all the belts. There are some good fighters including me. I am not saying you won't win nor am I saying you will, but you should concentrate on your next fight which is against me instead of making such sweeping statements". 

UCMMA 35 will go down on the 3rd of August form The Troxy, London. Tickets are on sale here, with price starting at £25.

For more on UCMMA 35 stay tune to KingdomMMA.co.uk

Del Guerra vs Omoyele plus four other bouts agreed for Cage Warriors 56

New Cage Warriors recruit Bola Omoyele's next opponent named

It has today been confirmed who Bola Omoyele will fight in his first Cage Warriors fight since signing an exclusive contract. The welterweight will face of against Vincent del Guerra in one of five bouts that officials have today confirmed for Cage Warriors 56. Cage Warriors 56 will take place on Saturday, July 6th at The Forum in Kentish Town, London, England.

Omoyele (6-1), who was a member of Team UK on The Smashes series of The Ultimate Fighter last year, recently signed an exclusive contract with Cage Warriors Fighting Championship. We caught up with Bola last week to discuss his new contract with Cage Warriors, that interview can be read here.

Omoyele has stopped his opponents in all six of his wins with 5 TKOs and one submission, five of which have come in the first round.

Omoyele told Cage Warriors: “Thanks to God for giving me the strength and health for this fight, and to Cage Warriors and my management for bringing me on board.
“I’m excited like a child to be finally getting into the cage again and showcasing my skill-set. Vincent is going to have his work cut out for him.”

Hailing from Marseille in France, del Guerra (20-8), will be fighting for the 29th time in his professional career, despite having only turned 23 in February.

The versatile del Guerra has 17 stoppage wins on his record - nine by submission, eight by (T)KO - and has vowed to make a real impression when he makes his Cage Warriors debut on July 6.
“This is a very big opportunity for me,” said del Guerra to Cage Warriors. “I will put on a great fight with my opponent and show everyone that I’m one of the most dangerous welterweights in Europe.”

Also featuring on the main card will be a middleweight clash between Brett Bassett and Denniston Sutherland, as well as a host of other exciting fights that will be announced in due course.

Meanwhile, following a recent injury lay-off , Brett Bassett (8-3) will return to action for the first time since his spectacular KO of Mike Ling last September to take on experienced CWFC veteran middleweight Denniston Sutherland (19-9).

On the prelims, Fabio Ferrari (5-2) and Brett Sizeland (6-2) will also meet in a middleweight bout, lightweights Brad Wheeler (9-9) and Jason Cooledge (8-4) will clash, while unbeaten featherweight prospects Chad Griffiths (4-0) and Arnold Allen (3-0) will be in opposite corners for their Cage Warriors debuts.

Ben Callum "Denniston is coming for my belt I've got to defend that"

Kingdom MMA chats to Ben Callum ahead of his first UCMMA title defence

by Ben Heather @benheather

Today I got the chance to have a chat with the UCMMA middleweight champion Ben Callum ahead of his first title defence on Saturday night at UCMMA 33. Callum will put his belt on the line when he fights Denniston Sutherland.

Thank you Ben from taking the time out of your busy schedule to answer some questions for Kingdom MMA, especially when you will be cutting weight today.

Ben: For those people who don't really know Ben Callum or may be checking out UCMMA for the first time on Saturday, can you tell us a little bit about yourself and what people can expect to see on Saturday night?
Callum: Well i am a mixed martial artist who is a well rounded fighter but a prominent stand up up striker. I would definitely describe myself as being explosive.

Ben: I would definitely agree with the fact that you are explosive, the total combined time spent in the cage of your last three fights is 95 seconds and you won them all.
Ben: Do you always look to get in and back in the locker room as quick as possible rather than getting in to a three round war?
Callum: Yeah i do, I always train and prepare myself to go the distance but i don't get any overtime pay so the quicker i win the better it is for me.

Ben: You are now 5-1 as a MMA fighter with your only loss coming against current TUF 17 fighter Luke Barnatt. Do you feel you have learnt anything from this loss?
Callum: Yeah I do, I believe I learnt a hell of a lot from that loss. The way i see it, that was a great experience for me. After that fight I made a lot of changes to my game off the back of that loss and it has made me a better fighter.

Ben: Have you or would you be interested in applying to get on to a series of The Ultimate Fighter?
Callum: No I have never applied before but it is something i would definitely be interested in. I would love the opportunity and would love to apply if they did another series in the UK or anywhere I could afford to go.

Ben: On Saturday you are fighting Denniston Sutherland at UCMMA 33, how has your preparation gone ahead of this fight?
Callum: The preparation has gone really well, I have worked harder on specific areas of my game and I am very confident of all aspects going in to this fight.

Ben: Your opponent Sutherland has been on the UK scene for a long time and enters the fight with a lot of experience. Is this the biggest challenge of your career so far?
Callum: Yeah this is the biggest challenge, I have a lot of respect for Denniston and the UK MMA scene. He is coming for my belt and I've got to defend that.

Ben: Do you think Sutherland has any weaknesses you can exploit?
Callum: I wouldn't say Denniston has any weaknesses but what i will say is that I believe in my strengths.

Ben: You fought four times last year would you like to be as active again this year?
Callum: Yeah definitely if not more this year. I always want to stay active.

Ben: This will be the first title defence of your UCMMA Middleweight belt, has that put any added pressure on you going in to this fight?
Callum: No I am just taking this as another fight, every fight is the same to me. I have always treated every fight as if its a title fight so this is no different.

Ben: How much weight do you need to cut before weigh ins tomorrow and are things on schedule?
Callum: I have got 8lbs to go and so I am well on schedule. I am just relaxing and chilling out now if i was worried I would be working on the cut now. I will cut the remaining weight this evening then be ready to weigh in.

Ben: What weight do you walk around at between fights?
Callum: I between fights I can go up to 103kgs (227lbs)

Ben: Thank you for your time and answering all the questions for kingdomMMA.co.uk. Would you like to thank any training partners and sponsors?
Callum: God always comes first. Everyone at Team Titan, Bola Omoyele, everyone at Keddle's gym, Paul Dewberry, Jude Sammuel, Legacy BJJ, my strength and conditioning coach Andrew Marshall and Dynamic Fightwear.

Ben: Again thank you for your time and for speaking to kingdomMMA.co.uk and good luck this weekend at UCMMA 33.

Keep checking Kingdom MMA for the latest news on Ben Callum, UCMMA as well as all the latest news from the world of MMA.