Post Fight Interview: Neil Seery on Cage Warriors 55 Win

Post Fight Interview: Neil Seery on Cage Warriors 55 Win

On June 1st in front of a packed Helix Theatre in Dublin, Ireland, Irish Featherweight Neil Seery won the Cage Warriors featherweight title defeating Mikael Silander to become the promotions first 125lb champion.

Now 6-1 in his last 7 fights, and on a 4 fight win streak, we caught up with Seery to discuss the Silander fight, what its like to hold the Cage Warriors Featherweight title, and who he would like to face next.

Houten: First off, congratulations on the huge win on Saturday, has it finally sunk in yet?
Seery: Yes, I was confident I would win and enjoying being the first CWFC Flyweight Champion. No one can ever take that from me.

You mentioned in our last interview you were feeling a lot of pressure going into Saturdays fight, how did you feel though when you stepped out of the back to the amazing crowd on show?
I couldn’t believe the Irish support, it was unbelievable. It really got me fired up. When I was in the head and arm the amount of folks cheering for me helped pushed me through.

Was the crowed on Saturday the best you have ever fought in front of?
Yes by far the loudest and most supportive.

Did the fight pan out the way you expected it to on Saturday?
Yes, we knew he would try to submit me, we knew he would try to take me down. I trained for five rounds and knew I would catch him eventually.

Come the second round you looked like you had Silander beat in ever aspect of the game, what did you think of Silander?
Good warrior, very strong and always dangerous.

Do you think you neutralised his game plan during the fight, or do you think he simply just couldn’t handle what you had to offer?
A bit of both.

Did having your family in the audience bring out the best in Neil Seery?
It was great to have my two brothers there to support me.

Have you managed to watch your performance on Saturday back yet? If so how would you rate your performance?
Not yet, been resting this week and will get with my coach Andy Ryan (Team Ryano) and asses my performance in the next two weeks.

What do the next few months hold for Neil Seery?
Two weeks of rest and then back into the gym to help my teammates train for their upcoming fights on BattleZone @battlezone on July 6 at Neptune Stadium in Cork.

You have fought twice in 2 months, are you planning some time off now, or will you be straight back in the gym?
Completely up to CWFC, they call and I fight.

When can we expect you to defend your Flyweight Title?
As soon as CWFC gets me a match up.

I know, its early days but have you had any thought possible opponent for your first defence?
Doesn’t matter to me

What do you think about recently signed UCMMA bantamweight and CFC flyweight champion Spencer Hewitt? I think this would be an excellent fight.
CWFC has signed some new additions recently so any would be a good fight.

Since we last spoke, Conor has accepted a fight with Andy Ogle in Boston. Is this another easy win for Conor?
Are any MMA wins easy? Month of training so nothing is a walk in the park but knowing Conor and his preparation he should be good to go! 

You can follow Neil Seey on his newly created Twitter Account  - @neilseeyMMA

Neil Seery "Losing is not an option" at Cage Warriors 55

Kingdom MMA chat to Neil Seery before his Cage Warriors flyweight title fight

by Ben Heather @benheather

Today Kingdom MMA caught up with Neil Seery ahead of his title fight this evening, that fight will decide who will become the first ever Cage Warriors Flyweight champion and is the co main event to the Che Mills vs Cathal Pendred fight.

Ben: How does It feel to be fighting to become the first flyweight cage Warriors title?
Seery: Great but a lot of pressure.

Ben: What was your reaction when you got the call to say they wanted you in the title fight?
Seery: It was an easy decision, YES!

Ben: Were you originally part of the planned four man tournament that was scheduled for the Cage Warriors 55 event?
Seery: I was offered a place but nothing was confirmed for the tournament.

Ben: How are you feeling knowing today is the day you will be walking out in your home town to fight for the title?
Seery: Great

Ben: Do you feel that the crowd will be able to urge you on to win that title tonight?
Seery: Yeah, I love my Irish fans.  I know it is in Dublin and I am at home fighting but it makes no difference where I am.

Ben: Have you felt the hype surrounding Irish MMA the past couple of months since Connor's fight in the UFC?
Seery: Conor has been great for the Irish MMA exposure and I just hope the trend continues. I have not felt the hype but I hear what my fans and teammates say so there must be something!

Ben: What is the Irish MMA scene like, do you feel there is a lot of up and comers waiting to rise up the ranks in Ireland?
Seery: Yes, just look at Paul Redmond twitter handle @redsermma

Ben: It seems Cathal Pendred is doing everything he can to get a fight in the UFC, do you feel winning the cage warriors title could put you on the UFC's radar?
Seery: I'm not even thinking about the next chapter, very happy with Cage Warriors and what they have done for me.

Ben: Was dropping to Flyweight the best decision you made in your career, since the drop you are 5-2 and won more flyweight fights under the cage warriors banner than anyone else.
Seery: I was always a flyweight the division just had no depth in Europe so I was forced to fight heavier bigger guys.  Hence my mixed record.  I was always competitive but only since Cage Warriors have I had the opportunity to show it.

Ben: On Saturday night you are fighting Mikael Silander, what do you expect from him on fight night?
Seery: I expect him to bring his best and try to submit me. 

Ben: What is key to you getting the win tonight, do you have a game plan and how do you expect the fight to go?
Seery: I am expecting a hard tough fight, this fight is make or break for me.  Game Plan is to JUST FIGHT!

Ben: Where do you go in your career should you lose, is the fight tonight make or break for you?
Seery: Losing is not an option

Ben: Thank you for your time Neil, would you like to say any thank you's?
Seery: Yes I would like to thank Andy Ryan, Team Ryano, all my teammates, John Kavanagh and the SBG lads, Conor McGregor, Legacy Fight Wear, Aduco Health, Urbana Hair Removal, Spiral Life Therapy and Seafield Charter House.

Cage Warriors 55: UK Betting Odds

Betting Odds for Cage Warriors 55

Cage Warriors returns this weekend with one of the biggest shows Europe will see all year, featuring a main event Welterweight show down between Cathal Pendred and Che Mills.

While there are limited lines at present, we have teamed up with Paddy Power to bring those who fancy a little flutter the latest, clear cut betting odds for Cage Warriors 55:

Cage Warriors
11/10 Cathal Pendred vs Che Mills 4/6
11/8 Neil Seery v Mikael Silander 8/15
4/5 Chris Fields v Norman Paraisy 10/11
7/4 Marc Allen v Paul Redmond 2/5
Favourites denoted in BLUE

Pendred vs Mills now a 3 round non title fight after Mills misses weight

Cage Warriors 55 weigh in results

Cathal Pendred and Che Mills (Photo: Dolly Clew | Cage Warriors)

Cathal Pendred’s CWFC welterweight title will no longer be on the line at Cage Warriors 55 after Che Mills failed to make weight this afternoon. The pair were scheduled to do battle for Pendred’s belt in tomorrow evening’s main event at The Helix in Dublin.
However, while the fight will still go ahead over three rounds instead of five, Mills’ failure to make the contracted weight means the strap unfortunately won’t be at stake. Mills will also surrender 25 percent of his purse to Pendred.

Mills later took to twitter to apologise "Firstly I must apologise to @CageWarriors & the fans. Nobody to blame but myself & making no excuses." He then went on to say "I just hope that everyone still tunes in to cagewarriors.tv". Mills finished by saying "It is gunna be a war which I will WIN no doubt about it!"

Elsewhere, there were no problems for Neil Seery and Mikael Silander ahead of their historic CWFC flyweight title fight, with both fighters coming in under the 125lbs limit.

MAIN CARD

Welterweight: Cathal Pendred (champion, 169.5lbs) v Che Mills* (170.7lbs)
Flyweight: Neil Seery (124.8lbs) v Mikael Silander (124.1lbs) – inaugural CWFC flyweight title bout
190lbs catchweight: Chris Fields (188.7lbs) v Norman Paraisy (189.3lbs)
Lightweight: Marc Allen (154.7lbs) v Paul Redmond (155.8lbs)
139lbs catchweight: Steve McCombe (139.2lbs) v Jean N’Doye (140lbs)

FACEBOOK PRELIMS

Welterweight: Piotr Ptasinski (168.8lbs) v John Redmond (170.9lbs)
150lbs catchweight: Stephen Coll (148.9lbs) v Liam James (147.5lbs)

NON-STREAMED PRELIMS

Middleweight: Sam Francis (183.8lbs) v Konrad Iwanowski (184.8lbs)
Bantamweight: Gavin Kelly (135.9lbs) v Ben Rees (135.7lbs)

*Mills initially came in at 171.2lbs but failed to make the contracted weight within the two-hour limit; now a non-title bout to be contested over three rounds and Mills surrenders 25 percent of his purse to Pendred

Pro Picks: UK MMA Cream of the Crop Weigh In on Pendred vs Mills

Pro Picks: UK MMA Finest Weigh In on Pendred vs Mills
By Chris Houten - @kingdomMMAChris 

On Saturday night Cathal Pendred will attempt to defend his Welterweight belt against Che Mills at The Helix, Dublin Ireland in possibly the biggest fight on the European MMA scene this year.

For weeks I have been debating who's going to win the fight, when I convince myself the striking of Mills will prevail, I can't help but remind myself of Pendreds wrestling skills. Over and over, I have decided then changed my mind again, to the point where you could confuse me for the summer weather in Britain.

So I decided to catch up with some of finest fighters in Britain, from Bamma Champions, to a Cage Warriors Champion, to a couple guys in the UFC and more, to see who they think will win on Saturday.

We surveyed 18 of the finest UK fighters..... and our surveys said:

Paul 'Semtex' Daley:
"I thinks it's a very interesting fight between to great UK fighters, both very powerful and athletic. In my opinion Pendred will win this fight with takedowns, dominance in the clinch and ground control."

Pick: Cathal Pendred

John Maguire:
"I Think Che Mills by TKO in the later rounds!"

Pick: Che Mills

Bradley Scott

"I don't think Pendred will be able to get Che down, he's a nightmare. Che will stay by the fence on purpose because he's strong defending takedowns. Pendred's no where near as Good a Riddle at wrestling. Che defo gonna win this."

Pick: Che Mills

Colin 'Freakshow' Fletcher:
"I'm going with Che! It's hard to adjust to the way the UFC do things I do think we saw the best of him in the UFC."

Pick: Che Mills

Jim Alers:
"I have my money in Pendred. I feel that he has what it take to beat anyone in the 170lbs division and have him grinding out a decision."

Pick: Cathal Pendred

Rob Sinclair:
"I'm going with Che Mills."

Pick Che Mills

James Brum:
"I will definitely be tuning in to watch this fight. Both Pendred and Mills are very talented and dangerous fighters. I'm a big fan of Pendred so my money is on him. I believe he will be victorious and the Champion will retain his title."

Pick: Cathal Pendred

Leeroy Barnes:
"I'm going with Mills."

Pick: Che Mills

Danny Roberts:
"The fight between Mills and Pendred will be a good fight. Mills good stand up and accurate striking where as Pendred  possesses the better grappling, he's more intense and will smother Mills work. Think Mills will start of strong but I can see Pendred capitalising with the pace and grappling taking it to a decision win for Pendred."

Pick: Cathal Pendred

Matt Inman
"Pendred all the way for me."

Pick: Cathal Pendred

Jack Mason:
"I am a big fan of Che Mills but I honestly think Cathal will just use his constant pressure, takedowns and pushing Che up against the cage to get the decision win and retain his belt."

Pick: Cathal Pendred

Martin McDonough:
"My prediction is a decision win for Pendred. Even though I like Mills an he is a good fighter, I have been on the same Card as Pendred twice an he is really good at shutting people's game down and getting the win. I think he is a bit of a cardio machine as well and he is a unit for a welterweight."

Pick: Cathal Pendred 

Jason Cooledge:
"Pendred win decision."

Pick: Cathal Pendred

Matt Ewin:
"I can see Pendred trying to close the distance ASAP and try to bully Che up against the cage and work for the takedown from there, he won't be able to shoot in on Che with Che's reach and great foot work. But saying that Che's far to strong for Pendred and with his excellent striking the only way I can see the fight going is Che stopping Pendred in the first or very early in The second."

Pick: Che Mills

Mike Neun:
"I think Che Mills will win. My gut tells me TKO."

Pick: Che Mills

Jim Wallhead
"I have never watched Pendred fight but I hear good things, but I gotta back Che he is my mate I'm excited to see how it goes."

Pick: Mills

Curt Warburton:
"Pendred on points."

Pick: Pendred

Andrew Punshon:
"Mills to win by decision."

Pick: Che Mills

So there you have you have it 18 asked - 9 picked Pendred, 9 picked Mills... and I'm still none the wiser. All I know is we the fans can expect a hell of a fight on Saturday.
 

Mills on Pendred "He is determined to be in the UFC, I think when I punch him he'll have second thoughts"

Kingdom MMA interview Che Mills ahead of his Cage Warriors 55 Welterweight title fight

by Ben Heather @benheather

Today Kingdom MMA caught up with Che Mills and spoke about a range talking points including the UFC, signing with Cage Warriors, his fight this weekend and the UK MMA Expo to name a few subjects including an exclusive announcement about the UK MMA Expo.

On Saturday night Che makes his return to the cage at Cage Warriors 55 after being released by the UFC and he goes straight in to fighting Cathal Pendred in Cathal's hometown of Dublin, Ireland for the Cage Warriors Welterweight title. This fight is one of the most anticipated fights in UK MMA of 2013 and it has a really big buzz around the whole event.

Ben: This will be your first fight since being cut from the UFC. How did you find out you had been cut as some people found out on twitter?
Mills: I was also one of those that found out on twitter, then my manager rang saying he’d just seen it and it was then confirmed about an hour after that officially from Joe Silva via my manager.

Ben: Dana White criticised you for not trying to finish Matt Riddle at the end of your last fight and jumping on him. Did that bother you?
Mills: At the time yes, but not anymore. He is entitled to his opinion, and I respect that.

Ben: Did you feel harshly treated by the UFC? After all you went 2-1-1 in your time and then got cut. That's far from being the worst record in the UFC.
Mills: To be honest I don’t even think about it. It is what it is at the end of the day, and there is nothing I can do about it regardless of how I feel about it. I now look back at the whole thing as a learning experience.

Ben: Once you had been released did you get any offers from other organisations?
Mills: Yeah, my manager said that a few things had been offered, and not just in MMA! lol

Ben: What made you sign with Cage Warriors?
Mills: They have the most professionally run show in Europe. They consistently put on events and have a proven track record for doing so. They have a great distribution through all their media partners and have already shown that they provide their fighters with great exposure, such as the MTV documentary that I did. 

Ben: Do you feel your last performance against Matt Riddle was effected by it being shortly after your father passed away?
Mills: When I look back now, I think so, plus a few others things, such as injury and so on, but at the time I was focused and was ready to fight, so I did. I have no excuses, I got beat and that’s that. There is no shoulda woulda coulda!

Ben: In your last fight you were out wrestled by Matt Riddle. Have you changed anything in your training since that fight especially as Pendred has a decent wrestling game?
Mills: I am always working on my wrestling, as well as everything else. We have a great set up at Trojan Free Fighters and cover everything throughout the week and consistently work hard to improve in all areas.

Ben: How has the camp gone for this fight? How long ago did you start your camp for this fight?
Mills: Training camp has gone really well. It started beginning of April officially, but I am always training and stay in shape.

Ben: Do you expect Pendred to focus on using his wrestling as part of his game plan come Saturday night?
Mills: I would think so, that is what he tends to do, but I’m ready for everything. It’s about what I am going to do, that’s my focus.

Ben: What is your game plan for the fight on Saturday night?
Mills: Punch him in the face HARD, and win the title

Ben: We saw in your UFC debut that you have knockout power and with over half of your wins being by knockouts. Do you think you will be able to stop Cathal Pendred on Saturday night?
Mills: Yes

Ben: Would you say you feel more or less pressure heading in to this fight than you did during your spell in the UFC?
Mills: Now I feel less pressure all round, I spent a lot of time think about what I should say or do, rather than what I actually felt. This has all been part of the learn experience. I talk about this in the MTV documentary quite a bit so go check it out…. http://www.mtv.co.uk/sports/mma/video/the-che-mills-story

Ben: When will you be travelling over to Ireland?
Mills: We all travel on Thursday morning

Ben: Will you be taking a big group of friends and family with you as you will be going to fight in a hostile environment fighting Pendred in his home town of Dublin?
Mills: There is a few of the family and friend coming over, I know a few of the guys from the gym are coming over too. However I know that they’ll all be watching from home on cagewarriors.tv so I’ll certainly have the support with me.

Ben: Pendred seems to be talking about fighting in the UFC a lot ahead of this fight. Even going as far as discussing which UFC event he wants to make his debut on. Do you think he is looking past you and in his head already has the fight won?
Mills: Haha… I don’t know, he is determined to be in the UFC…. I think when I punch him he’ll have second thoughts.

Ben: what you think about Paul Daley saying you are not on his level?
Mills: I don’t think anything about it…. 

Ben: Without looking past Pendred but if you win on Saturday and become champion, would a fight against Daley be something that interested you? That's if it was possible for Cage Warriors to make the fight happen.
Mills: I would happily fight him, and if it’s on Cage Warriors then great.

Ben: Do you still have aspirations of getting a few wins under your belt and back in to the UFC?
Mills: At the moment all my focus is with Cage Warriors and becoming the champ, then defending the belt and continuing to fight the best in world

Ben: We recently broke the news on our site that in July you will be doing a signing/ meet and greet at the UK MMA Expo in Manchester. Do you have anything to say to the fans that will be coming to meet you at the expo?
Mills: I’m looking forward to it, it’s not often you get the chance to meet the fans all in one go like this so I’m excited. I will also be doing a seminar so come along to that too.

Ben: If you win at Cage Warriors 55 can we expect you to bring your belt along to the UK MMA Expo so the fans can get a picture with you and your title?
Mills: There is no if about it…. 100%

Ben: Would you like to say thanks to anyone or any sponsors?
Mills: Yes thanks a lot. Want to say thanks to Dan my manager (UI Management) and Paul Sutherland my head coach at Trojan Free Fighters, he puts everything together to ensure that I am ready. All my sponsors, Sci-MX Nutrition, Pride or Die, MMA Apparel, Vita Coco UK, Sport Kitchen, Smuggling Duds, Glos Pain Relief Clinic, NutriFit, UK MMA Expo. Of course all the guys at Trojan Free Fighters and Paul Middlewood for all the beasty conditioning sessions.

Thank you very much to Che Mills for taking the time to answer our questions so close to his title fight.

As Che mentioned the exclusive announcement regarding the UK MMA Expo is that he will not only be there to meet fans for photos and autographs but he will also be at the UK MMA Expo to run a seminar too. Full details of the seminar will be released on the UK MMA Expo website in the next few days and tickets for the Che Mills seminar will be on sale very soon.

For all the details about the UK MMA Expo check out their website http://www.ukmmaexpo.co.uk/.

Che Mills first fight for Cage Warriors since UFC release announced

Che Mills gets a welterweight title shot at Cage Warriors 55

By Ben Heather @benheather

Cathal Pendred (12-2-1 MMA) will put his Cage Warriors welterweight title on the line against Che Mills (15-5 MMA). This will be Pendred's first title defence and will be against Mills who has recently been cut from the UFC. Mills will fight for his first time since signing for Cage Warriors.

Promotion Officials announced the bout on Friday. The fight will headline the Cage Warriors 55 show which will take place on June 1st at The Helix in Dublin.

Pendred is 5-0-1 fighting for Cage Warriors and will look to defend the title for the first time in front of his hometown crowd. He won the title at Cage Warriors 52 where he won a unanimous decision over Gale Grimaud.

Pendred spoke about the announced fight "Fighting in my own backyard in a venue full of crazy Irish fans against a guy who was in the UFC until very recently, I couldn't have asked for a better way to defend my title for the first time, I can guarantee that the calibre of my opponent and the atmosphere the Irish fans will create is going to bring out the best in me."

Mills this past month was cut from the UFC following a loss to Matt Riddle at UFC on Fuel TV 7, although this fight was later changed to a no contest when Matt Riddle tested positive for Marijuana after the fight. Now Mills will return to Cage Warriors to fight for the first time in more than two and a half years, having last fought for Cage Warriors at Cage Warriors 38 in October 2010.

Mills stated "I'm really excited about the opportunity, this fight will be a war but I'm not leaving without the belt."

Along with the welterweight title fight as the main event, the co main event is likely to be the final of the recently announced four man one night flyweight tournament which will also be a title fight. The winner of this tournament will be the inaugural 125lb champion. The format of the tournament is likely to see two fights take place in the prelims with the winner of each fighting each other in the final.

Keep checking KingdomMMA for more news on Cage Warriors as well as all the latest news from the world of MMA.

Cage Warriors Announce 4 Man Flyweight Tournament

Cage Warriors to stage 4 man flyweight tournament at Cage Warriors 55 in Dublin

Cage Warriors Fighting Championship will host a four-man tournament to determine a new flyweight champion when the organisation returns to Dublin, Ireland, on Saturday, June 1, for Cage Warriors 55.

As recently announced by Cage Warriors CEO Graham Boylan, one-night tournaments will be staged in 2013 to crown new title-holders in as many as three divisions.

The Facebook prelims at Cage Warriors 55 will commence with two semi-final bouts in the CWFC flyweight title tournament, consisting of two five-minute rounds. A third five-minute round will be contested in the event of a draw.

The final, made up of five five-minute rounds, will be one of the featured bouts on the main card, with the winner becoming the first ever CWFC flyweight champion.

“I’m a huge fan of the lighter weight classes and interest in the 125lbs division has skyrocketed since the UFC started theirs last year. I’m really excited about this,” said Cage Warriors matchmaker Ian Dean.

“The fights in this division are fast, skilful and exciting. Recently at Cage Warriors we’ve seen some impressive performances from the likes of Neil Seery, Kris Edwards and Phil Harris, who defeated two very skilled North American opponents before being signed by the UFC.

“With the number of promising flyweights in the UK and Europe increasing, it’s time these guys had a worthy title to aim for and I think this tournament will provide that opportunity. The winner of this tournament will be a worthy and legitimate title-holder in an up-and-coming and competitive division.”

Participants in the tournament will be revealed in due course.

For more on Cage Warriors 55, check out our Calendar section of our website.