John Maguire Signs for Cage Warriors

John Maguire Signs for Cage Warriors

Photo: Brian Roberts

Cage Warriors have added 5 time UFC vet John Maguire to its lightweight roster.

The English lightweight has committed his immediate future to the promotion by penning a five-fight deal to cover a minimum period of 18 months.

Maguire (18-6) will make his CWFC debut against a soon-to-be-announced opponent on New Year’s Eve at Cage Warriors 63 at The Helix in Dublin, Ireland.

A native of Cambridgeshire, the 30-year-old joins Cage Warriors on the back of a five-fight stint with the UFC, during which he picked up wins over Justin Edwards and DaMarques Johnson while competing at welterweight.

Currently sixth in the UK’s lightweight rankings, Maguire is promising to go all the way to the top of the Cage Warriors 155lbs division.

Maguire said: “I’m really happy to be joining Cage Warriors. I think it’s the best promotion in Europe and that’s where I need to be. It has the best lightweight roster around and I’m here to clear it up.

“Make no mistake; I’m here for one reason and one reason only – to be the best. Gypsy jiu-jitsu is coming to Cage Warriors. So come on Cage Warriors lightweights, who wants the first shot at ‘The One’?”

Maguire, who has been stopped just once in his career, made his professional MMA debut in April 2006 and has clocked up other notable wins over the likes of Michael Pastou, Jake Bostwick, Wayne Murrie and Dean Amasinger.

“John Maguire is a hugely talented fighter and one of the very best in Europe,” said Cage Warriors CEO Graham Boylan. “That’s why he’ll feel at home at Cage Warriors, where there’ll be plenty of big fights for him to keep his career moving in the right direction.”

Rees vs Arthur set to open the show at BAMMA 14

Ben Rees vs Ed Arthur added to BAMMA 14 prelims

BAMMA have today announced the fight which will kick off BAMMA 14 and start the preliminary fights at Decembers event. That fight will be a Bantamweight battle between Ben Rees (1-0 MMA) and Ed Arthur (1-0 MMA). BAMMA 14 is headlined by the return of Paul Daley to BAMMA, he is set to battle Romario Manoel Da Silva in the main event at the LG Arena in Birmingham which takes place on 14th December.

19 year old Ben ‘Flubber’ Rees fights out of East Devon with a record of 1-0-0, having won ‘Submission of the Night’ for his professional debut in June. He also has 9 documented fights at Amateur level.  Described by his coach as a “free fighter”, Rees started training in MMA at the age of 15 and trains solely in MMA at Lion’s Den gym, which is renowned for its military membership and approach. Summarised by ex-army coach, Dave Matthews, as “a good, honest, young fighter who is tough as nails but very humble”, Ben Rees will be taking a big step up as he opens the show at BAMMA 14.

Rees said: “I am really honoured to be competing on BAMMA, as it is the top UK promotion and always has exciting match-ups. To be allowed to showcase my skills is like a dream come true. Ed Arthur is a tough worthy opponent he has a great skill-set and I feel this will be my toughest opponent yet. Who knows how the fight will go: Ed is strong, well rounded, older than me….Remind me why I’m taking this fight again? Also my Coach Dave says he’s possibly better looking. Anyway, the fans can expect a great bout from two of the best looking fighters in the division. It will be entertaining and one not to be missed.”

Opponent, 24 year old Ed Arthur presents a professional record of 1-0-0 and remained undefeated through Amateur level. Half of his fights have been finished in the first round. Fighting out of Hemel Martial Arts with Denniston Sutherland and Josh Bangert as training partners, Arthur is said to be strong in all areas of the fight game.

Arthur said: “I will drag my opponent into the deepest darkest waters and he will have nightmares forever after facing me. The opportunity to fight for BAMMA is one I am really looking forward to. The bigger the stage, the better for me.  I can show the world how good Hemel Martial Arts is. I deserve the win because I train harder, push myself further and mentally I am stronger than anyone out there. I know what it is to be a true mixed martial artist, not just a joker with a punch. This is my time to show everyone what I am about.”

For more on the build up to this fight follow both Ben Rees @1rees_Official and Ed Arthur @edarthurmma on twitter.


BAMMA 14 FIGHT CARD (so far)
More fights are still to be announced

Paul Daley VS Romario Manoel Da Silva (Welterweight)
Colin "Freakshow" Fletcher VS Mansour Barnaoui (World Lightweight title fight)
Scott Askham VS Ion Pascu (World Middleweight title fight)
Wayne Murrie VS Michael Johnson (British Welterweight title fight)
Wendle Lewis VS Leon Edwards (Welterweight)
Zi Shah VS Andy Craven (Featherweight)
Tim Wilde VS Jefferson George (Lightweight)
Tim Menzies VS James Samuda (Welterweight)
Matt Hallam VS Curtis Widner (Middleweight)
Ben Rees VS Ed Arthur (Bantamweight)

Cage Warriors 62 Adds Jordan Desborough vs Cory Tait

Cage Warriors 62 Adds Jordan Desborough vs Cory Tait
by Chris Houten - @mrhouts

Cory Tait (Photo: Fight Agents)

An intriguing Bantamweight battle between Jordan Desborough and Cory Tait has been added to Cage Warriors 62.

Fighting out of SBG Manchester, 21-year-old Jordan Desborough (7-3) who joined Cage Warriors on an exclusive 5 fight deal earlier in the year, is widely considered one of the finest young talents on the UK MMA scene.

With 4 finishes in 7 career victories, Desborough narrowly missed out on the Cage Warriors Bantamweight title by split decision when he stepped into to Septembers 4 man Bantamweight final as a replacement for James Pennington, who had injured himself in the previous round.

Cory Tait (7-2), A former UCMMA Featherweight and Bantamweight title holder, enters the bout with Desborough on the heals of a huge TKO victory over Spencer Hewitt.

A formidable striker who holds a black belt in Tae Kwon Do, Tait, who recently signed a 5 fight exclusive contract with Cage Warriors also, has taken all of his 7 wins by stoppage, drawing comparisons to Anderson Silva along the way thanks to highlight real finishes over Nathan Beer, and Dino Gambatesa by spin back first and crescent kick respectively.
 
Cage Warriors 62 takes place on the 7th of December at the Metro Arena in Newcastle and features a Flyweight title fight in the main event, where newly crowned champion Neil Seery will defend his title against former UFC fighter UFC fighter Ulysses Gomez; former Bamma champion Curt Warburton is also on the card. Tickets start from £35 and are on sale now HERE

Curt Warburton Signs for Cage Warriors, Makes Debut at Cage Warriors 62

Curt Warburton Signs for Cage Warriors, Makes Debut at Cage Warriors 62
by Chris Houten - @mrhouts

Photo: Little Red Creative

Cage Warriors have today confirmed the addition of former Bamma British Lightweight Champion Curt Warburton, on a five-fight exclusive contract.

A veteran of the European scene, Warburton (12-4) began his professional career in 2007, putting together A 6-1 record in local North East shows including a victory over  TUF 9 winner Ross Pearson, before joining his former opponent in The UFC.

Following an unsuccessful spell in The UFC, where he compiled a 1-2 record, Warburton returned to the UK scene under contract with Bamma where went on to win the promotions British Lightweight Title, earning the belt with a victory over current Cage Warriors Lightweight Champion, Stevie Ray.

“Cage Warriors is growing all the time and joining them is the right move for my career,” said Warburton.

“This deal guarantees me five fights over the next 18 months and the opportunity to fight at home and around the world against some of the best lightweights on the planet. I’d like to thank my management - Elite MMA Agency - and Cage Warriors for making this possible.”

Following his most recent fight against Mansour Barnaoui at Bamma 13, Warburton opted against renewing his contract with the promotion, and according to Cage Warriors CEO Graham Boylan, Waburton instructed his management team to pursue a deal with Cage Warriors:

“I’m very pleased to have Curt Warburton on the Cage Warriors roster." Said Boylan. "He’s shown his ambition by making an upward move like this and I think he’ll be rewarded for that as, in my opinion, his best years are still ahead.”

Curt Warburton will make his Cage Warriors debut at Cage Warriors 62, which takes place December 7th, at the Metro Radio Arena in Newcastle, UK. Warburton's opponent is expected to be announced within the next few days.
 

Stevie Ray Defends Belt at Cage Warriors 63 Against Ivan Buchinger

Stevie Ray Defends Belt at Cage Warriors 63 Against Ivan Buchinger
by Chris Houten - @mrhouts

Photo: Dolly Clew | Cage Warriors

Newly crowned Cage Warriors lightweight Champion Stevie Ray will defend his title for the first time against Ivan Buchinger.

Ray (14-4), who trains out of Dinky Ninjas Fight Team in Scotland, captured the title after emerging victorious from CWFC’s four-man lightweight tournament at Cage Warriors 60 in London earlier this month, courtesy of wins over Jason Ball and Sean Carter.

23-year old Ray, who has finished 11 of 14 victory said:

“I’m very excited to be defending my belt on New Year’s Eve at what looks set to be the biggest Cage Warriors event of the year,”

“I wanted Buchinger next as he should have been in the tournament final, so I want to show everybody that the result would have been the same anyway. I respect him but the belt will be coming back to Scotland with me.”

His opponent, Buchinger (24-4) had been due to meet Ray in that Cage Warriors 60 tournament decider but was forced to withdraw after sustaining a rib injury during his semi-final triumph over Mick Sinclair.

The 27-year-old Slovak returns to Dublin on New Year’s Eve following a 3-0 streak this year, as he rebounded impressively from his loss to Conor McGregor on the same date at The Helix in 2012.

Buchinger, who has 20 finishes in 24 victories,  returns to Dublin on New Year’s Eve following a 3-0 streak this year, as he rebounded impressively from his loss to Conor McGregor on the same date at The Helix in 2012. Of Buchinger's 4 career losses, 3 have come to UFC fighter - Akira Corrassani, Anton Kuivanen, and Conor McGregor respectively.

Buchinger said: “I’m glad to be getting the shot at the belt that I earned at Cage Warriors 60 and I’m looking forward to coming back to Dublin to try to make amends for my last fight there.

“Steven Ray is a deserving champion but I am determined to take that belt from him on New Year’s Eve. I’m very excited about the opportunity.”

Cage Warriors 63 takes place on New Years Eve, at The Helix in the Irish capital of Dublin., with the Cage Warriors featherweight title also on the line with Jim Alers defending his belt against Graham Turner.

Rampage Jackson vs Joey Beltran Headlines Bellator 108

Rampage Jackson vs Joey Beltran Headlines Bellator 108

After months of anticipation, MMA icon Quinton “Rampage” Jackson will make his long awaited Bellator debut Friday, November 15th from Atlantic City’s Revel against Joey Beltran live on Spike TV.

The event will broadcast live starting at 9 p.m. EST on Spike TV. The preliminary card will be streamed exclusively live and free on Spike.com starting at 6:30 p.m. EST. Tickets for the event can be purchased at Ticketmaster or by visiting Bellator.com with tickets starting at just $35.
Originally scheduled to face Tito Ortiz on November 2nd, “The People’s Champion” suffered a fractured neck that forced him to withdraw from the fight. Jackson now turns his sights to Beltran, who holds 12 finishes in his 14 professional victories, including 11 knockout wins. Always wanting to entertain the fans and put on a show, Rampage has his sights set on collecting his first victory on November 15^th.

“I want to thank Joey Beltran for stepping up for the fight so I can get my first Bellator victory out of the way,” Rampage said. “He’ll have the unfortunate honor of taking the ass whooping I was going to give Tito. My body is in incredible shape right now. I feel like I did in PRIDE, and Joey Beltran is the right guy to put on an exciting fight and showcase what I’ve been working on.”

“This last month has been an absolute roller coaster of emotion,” Beltran said. “I’ve always been a warrior and thank god for my family and my teammates at Alliance MMA for keeping me focused and dedicated. I’ve always known that good things will happen to me if you put in the hard work and keep grinding, and that’s exactly what has happened with this opportunity. I fought for Bellator in 2009 when they were just starting out on ESPN, and I was fairly new on the scene as well. I loved my time there, and I couldn’t be happier to be back.”

“Getting the chance to fight Rampage is just a tremendous opportunity. This is my Rocky Balboa moment. A win against one of the best and well known fighters in the world would be an incredible accomplishment, and I’m not taking it lightly. Rampage better be prepared and ready for this fight. I’m prepared to go through hell during this fight. There will be blood. Someone is going to get hurt. This is my home now, and I don’t want to go anywhere. It’s Rampage first, then a Bellator Light Heavyweight Tournament, and then onto the title.”
“It’s been a long time coming to get Rampage into the Bellator cage, and on November 15^th from Revel, we are going to see fireworks between Rampage and Joey Beltran,” Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney said. “Joey showed his warrior spirit by taking this fight on just over 2 weeks notice, and having seen Joey fight many times, and seeing what type of shape Rampage is in, this is a fight I can’t wait to see.”

WSOF Partners with Pancrase, Announces WSOF Japan

WSOF Partners with Pancrase, Announces WSOF Japan

The World Series of Fighting continues to expand its global footprint with the launch of World Series of Fighting Japan (WSOF Japan).

World Series of Fighting launches its new Japanese division in a partnership with the long-running and highly respected Pancrase organization, a Tokyo-based group that has promoted mixed martial arts events since 1993 and is widely considered one of the most historically important organizations in the sport.

"Japan has long been a home of top-level martial arts competitions of all types, and I personally have enjoyed some of the best moments of my fighting career there," World Series of Fighting President Ray Sefo said. "I'm excited to announce this new division with the launch of World Series of Fighting Japan.

"I look forward to working with Pancrase CEO Masakazu Sakai and his team, and together we will produce amazing events for the Japanese fight fans, as well as big opportunities for both Asia-based fighters and MMA fighters around the globe."

The first World Series of Fighting Japan event is expected to take place in early 2014. The relationship will allow fighters from both sides of the Pacific Ocean to be featured in fight cards in both the U.S. and Japan, including recent World Series of Fighting addition Yushin "Thunder" Okami (29-8), one of the world's top-ranked middleweights.

The launch of World Series of Fighting Japan marks the second international branch of the WSOF brand to be announced in the past month alone, as World Series of Fighting Canada is set for a Dec. 7 debut. More details will be announced in the coming weeks.