Paul Marin "My Plan is to be the Next Champion"

Paul Marin "My Plan is to be the Next Champion"
by Chris Houten - @mrhouts

Photo: Dolly Clew | Cage Warriors

News broke late last week that Neil Seery had vacated his Cage Warriors flyweight title to fight Brad Pickett at UFC Fight Night, and make no mistake about it, Paul Marin wants that title.

On the back of 2 impressive victories, Romain Marin, who now fights out of Barcelona is ready to step up and fill the boots left by Seery, by challenging for the flyweight title:

“Seery is a great fighter and a great person and deserves this opportunity. Of course I want Cage Warriors to think of me as a contender for the Flyweight Championship Belt…if they call me I'll be ready to fight vs any fighter.

"My last two fights I think are a good showcase of my improved skills to have this great opportunity and would be very happy and I would prepare for winning the Championship Belt of Cage Warriors FC.”

One little matter standing in his way though is highly regarded, undefeated prospect Macin Lasota, a Polish fighter who recently joined Cage Warriors with a 7-0 record.  The flyweights will do battle at Cage Warriors Fight Night 10 in Jordan on the 28th of March, and Marin is hopeful an impressive victory will put him firmly in the window for a shot at the flyweight title:

“Lasota reaches Cage Warriors undefeated and I sincerely hope that this will change on March 28th. Winning this fight definitely will put me closer to the possibility to be the Champion of Cage Warriors and I will fight with even more courage but I will not let the pressure affect my concentration for this fight and then prepare for future projects.

We were closing the fight against Lasota when the news that Seery would fight in the UFC emerged so we have not had time for much more and we are in the process of preparing for the next fight, Now most importantly Cage Warriors Fight Night 10.

We will be discussing it with CW's after this next fight and these negotiations I leave in the hands of my manager John Bolton.”

Given the choice Marin would like to fight for the title next time out but should Cage Warriors follow the trend of putting on 4-man tournaments to decide their next champion as they did most recently with the 155lb title at CW60 and the 135lb strap at CW59, then you can count Marin in:

“If Cage Warriors decides to do a 4 man tournament of course I'll be proud to be one of the four fighters as my plan is to be the next champion.

In this kind of event I understand that it can be very spectacular and attractive to the public but there are many variants that are difficult to control, it is easy to pick up an injury in the first match and not be able to continue in the event, or even just not be fully capable in the second match so personally it is not what I prefer but if that's what CW's want I will fight with all my strength to be at the end of the night the new owner of the CW's Belt!”

2014 could be a big year for Marin, and if his last 2 performances are anything to go by, Marin, his coach Jesus Arjona, his sponsor Pride of Die, and his Union MMA teammates in Palau de Piegamans, Barcelona could have something pretty special to celebrate.

Cage Warriors Roster Grows with 6 New Signings

 Cage Warriors Roster Grows with 6 New Signings

 
Cage Warriors Fighting Championship has added six more fighters to its ever-expanding stable of talent.

Officials can today confirm that Paul Marin (pictured), Toni Tauru, Martin Svensson, Martin Sheridan, Aaron Blackwell and Ronan McKay have all signed five-fight deals to compete exclusively for the promotion over a minimum period of 18 months.

Marin (7-3) enjoyed a successful second-half of 2013, despite starting his CWFC career with losses to current flyweight champion Neil Seery and former bantamweight title-holder Paul McVeigh earlier in the year.

The entertaining Romanian flyweight bounced back by overcoming Shaj Haque via decision, before forcing Spencer Hewitt to tap to strikes in the first round of their encounter at CWFC 61 last month in Amman.

“Signing with the biggest show in Europe was a huge goal for me in 2013. I worked hard to achieve it and I’m very happy to have succeeded,” said 28-year-old Marin, who’s currently based in Barcelona.

“My next goal is to be a contender for the CWFC flyweight belt and I’ll do everything I can to get to that stage. I want to thank Cage Warriors, my coach, my team and my management for this massive opportunity.”

Tauru (8-1-1), who hails from Finland, joins CWFC on the back of an eight-fight win-streak - five of which have come via submission - which has seen him join the top table of bantamweights in Europe.

The 29-year-old, whose only career loss came against former CWFC title challenger Mikael Silander in 2011, most recently submitted TUF 18 contestant Emil Hartsner by first-round gogoplata in November.

Tauru said: “I want to fight the best guys in Europe so CWFC is the place for me to be. This is the next big step in my career. I’m looking forward to showcasing my talents and going after that CWFC title.”

Svensson (12-5) will be keen to return to winning ways in 2014, having fallen short against CWFC featherweight champion Jim Alers in their title bout at CWFC 59 last September.

Despite forcing Alers to go the distance for the first time in his career, Svensson was on the end of a decision defeat, but the big 28-year-old remains one of Europe’s top featherweights having been on a 7-1 run prior to that loss.

“Jim Alers, we’re not done with each other yet. Keep the belt safe because I’m coming back for it,” said Svensson. “I won’t rest until I have that belt and I’ll bring pain to any featherweight who stands in my way.”

Sheridan (7-4) earned his CWFC contract after a spectacular KO of Jordan Desborough last month, which is currently in the running for Knockout of the Year in the 2013 CWFC Awards.

Having taken the fight on short notice, 30-year-old Sheridan sent out a strong message by stopping the former CWFC bantamweight title challenger in the first round of their tussle at CWFC 62 in Newcastle.

“I’m so privileged to have signed an exclusive deal with Cage Warriors,” said Sheridan, who hails from Dublin but is now based in England. “It’s one of the best promotions in the world and getting the chance to fight on that stage for the next 18 months is a dream come true.”

Blackwell (12-9-1) a 29-year-old Englishman, returned to action in 2013 after a two-year lay-off and has once again begun to climb the bantamweight rankings.

Undefeated in his last five outings, Blackwell most recently defeated Kris Edwards at CWFC 60 in London back in October.

He said: “It’s a great honour to be representing the best promotion in Europe. I’m really looking forward to regularly competing against world-class athletes and showcasing my abilities on such a big show.”

McKay (10-11) will be aiming for his fourth consecutive win when he returns to action in 2014, as he aims to prove that his current record is certainly not a fair reflection of his talents.

The 28-year-old Irish middleweight secured a first-round KO of Leeroy Barnes at CWFC 62 in Newcastle last month and also holds notable victories over CWFC welterweight champion Cathal Pendred, CWFC veteran Henry Fadipe and top UK middleweight Lee Chadwick.

“I’m very excited about competing for Cage Warriors in 2014 and beyond,” said McKay. “I’m eager to keep my win-streak going and I’m looking forward to moving up the division with each fight.”

3 Fights Added to Cage Warriors 53 Including Joanne Calderwood vs. Sally Krumdiack

A Strawweight bout Joanne Calderwood (5-0) and Sally Krumdiack (9-6) has been confirmed as the co-main event for Cage Warriors 53, which takes place April 13th at Kelvin Hall in Glasgow, Scotland.

Calderwood, a Muay Thai Vet who hold a 19-2 kickboxing record before beginning her career in MMA, will look to extend her Pro MMA record to 6 and 0 - which includes 2 wins under the Invicta FC banner, in her native Scotland when she takes on American Sally Kumdiack, who returns to the promotion for the first time since her TKO loss to Rossi Sexton.

Other additions to the card include lightweights Jason Ball (19-11) vs. Jason Cooledge (7-3) and flyweights Paul Marin (5-2) vs. Neil Seery (11-9).

Ball, who has faced the creme of the UK lightweight scene, enters the bout having just picked submission victory over Craig Allen at Bamma 12, snapping a 3 fight losing streak which included losses to Colin Fletcher, Andre Winner, and Leonardro Santos.

His opponent, Cooledge who is currently enjoying a 3-1 run, will be making his promotional debut at Cage Warriors 53.

Cage Warriors 53 also sees Paul Marin, a Romanian fighter, who returns to the cage following a loss to Paul McVeigh at Cage Warriors 52, take on Neil Seery, an Irishman who's is currently on a 4-1 run.

The latest Cage Warriors 53 card includes:
Jim Alers vs. Joni Salovaara - for vacant featherweight title
Joanne Calderwood vs. Sally Krumdiack
Mats Nilsson vs. Chris Scott
Jason Ball vs. Jason Cooledge
Paul Marin vs. Neil Seery
James Doolan vs. James Pennington

For More on Cage Warriors 53, stay tune to the Calendar section on our site.