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.

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.