Cage Warriors sign Ronnie Mann

Cage Warriors buy out Ronnie Mann from his Bellator contract

A press release issued by Cage Warriors confirmed the news that Ronnie Mann has signed an exclusive deal to fight only for Cage Warriors, you can read that press release in full below.

Cage Warriors Fighting Championship is pleased to confirm that it has signed top English bantamweight Ronnie Mann.

The five-fight deal will see the 26-year-old compete exclusively for Cage Warriors over a minimum of 18 months, after CWFC paid a fee of $5,000 to Bellator to have Mann released from his contract with the promotion.

Cage Warriors 57 at Liverpool’s Echo Arena on July 20 has been pencilled in for Mann’s CWFC debut, with the Cheltenham native keen to make his mark on Europe’s most competitive bantamweight division.

“I’m extremely happy to have signed with Cage Warriors,” said Mann. “It’s very flattering that they were willing to buy my contract from Bellator.

“Graham Boylan and all the guys at CWFC are great, and I’m very thankful for what they’ve done. In my opinion it’s the best promotion in Europe and I’m happy to be a part of it.”

Currently ranked fourth in the UK, Mann accumulated a 3-3 record in Bellator after debuting for the promotion in April 2011. In his 28 professional bouts, Mann has been stopped just twice.

He added: “Bellator are a good promotion but I needed to be active again because I wasn’t fighting as regularly as I would have liked.

“I’m looking forward to having regular fights again, especially on the UK scene and in front the great fans we have here. I want to get my name out there again in Europe and hopefully work my way to a title shot. But for me, it's one step at a time.”

Cage Warriors CEO Graham Boylan said: “I’d like to thank Bellator for their co-operation in this deal. I don’t like to see fighters not active in the prime of their careers and Bellator understood that, at his age, Ronnie needed to be busy.

“Like all of our fighters, Ronnie will have plenty of opportunities here at Cage Warriors. Our bantamweight division is extremely strong and Ronnie has got the ability to make a big impact.”

Interview: Bola Omoyele "I Will Fight Anyone Put in Front of Me"

Bola Omoyele "I will fight anyone put in front of me"

by Ben Heather @benheather

On the 10th May it was announced that Bola Omoyele, the fighter last seen on UFC's The Ultimate Fighter: The Smashes has signed an exclusive five fight deal with Cage Warriors where he will make his promotional debut on the 6th July at Cage Warriors 56.

Today Kingdom MMA managed to catch up with Bola who holds a 6-1 MMA record to ask him how it felt to have signed for the top promotion in Europe.

"I am thrilled to have signed for Cage Warriors and I really cannot wait to make my debut on the show in Camden on 6th July."

This deal may have caught a few people by surprise, as it was only recently announced that Bola would fight in Kansas City for Global Warrior Challenge on "The British Invasion" fight card how did the change of plan come about.

"I was due to fight in Kansas City on 29 June against Kendall Grove but once my management team, Elite MMA Agency put the Cage Warriors contract in front of me it was an easy decision to sign and be part of the second best MMA show in the world after the UFC"

As Bola mentioned he is managed by Elite MMA Agency and this isn't the first time they have been able to sort out a big deal for him. They have been influential in making both this deal happen with Cage Warriors and previously got him the opportunity to fight on TUF The Smashes.

"They were crucial and I trust them totally. They got me into the TUF (Smashes) house against Australia and I felt that I let them down but I am ready to go all the way and take the Cage Warrior title. The good thing about Elite MMA Agency is that my two managers are so different. Chris 'Fig' who has fought MMA and still trains is very knowledgeable about the sport and is great at advising on technique, opponents and training. Whereas Pan Symeou is the senior partner at Faradays Solicitors and he deals with all the legal and contractual issues. They are also both very well respected in the USA and with the UFC. Pan for example is Michael Bisping's lawyer in the UK."

Cage Warriors have some of the top European Welterweights on its books now with the likes of current champ Cathal Pendred, former UFC fighter and current number one contender Che Mills, former BAMMA champ and another recent Cage Warriors signing Tom Breese and Jack Mason to name a few. However, Bola sees fights being made with the top talent in the Cage Warriors Welterweight division and this influenced his decision to sign for Cage Warriors. The fact he will now be able to test himself against some of the top guys in Europe.

"Absolutely and I aim to beat all of them and claim the title. I respect all those guys as they are all great fighters and I know to be rated the best British welterweight outside of the UFC I have to beat all them."

By the time Bola steps foot in the Cage Warriors cage on July 6th at Cage Warriors 56 it will have been 15 months since he last officially fought (obviously we all know he had fights on TUF The Smashes) but Bola is very excited about the prospect of finally getting back in the cage.

"I am so excited and I really cannot wait. It will be a full house and I will have a lot of support - it has been frustrating waiting for my next fight so you can expect some real fireworks"

No names have been mentioned yet for his Cage Warriors debut but as Bola said

"Expect an announcement any day soon - on my part I will fight anyone put in front of me"

As soon as it is announced who Bola is fighting we will let you know but for now we thank Bola for taking the time to speak to us about his new deal and look forward to seeing him make his Cage Warriors debut on July 6th.