Introducing Cage Warriors new recruits

Cage Warriors signs up four more fighters

by Ben Heather @benheather

Cage Warriors have signed four more fighters to exclusive contracts, which will commit each of them to fight for Cage Warriors for at least the next 18 months. Jack Hermansson, Doni Miller, Julien Boussuge and Mike Johnson are the latest fighters to be snapped up by Cage Warriors and each have put pen to paper on five fight contracts.

Jack Hermansson (5-2) who has already fought twice under the Cage Warriors banner picking up wins over Ali Arish and Mike Ling back in 2011. After this he was signed by Bellator but unfortunately went 0-2 and now returns to Cage Warriors looking to return to the form he was in before leaving the promotion.

With four KO's out of his five wins you know you will see an exciting fight when Hermansson returns to the Cage in 2014 and this is what he had to say about the return to Cage Warriors.

“I’m really glad to be back with the best organisation in Europe,” said 25-year-old Hermansson. “This is the place for me right now and I’m looking forward to showing who the best European middleweight is.”

Doni Miller (5-2) who was last in action at Cage Warriors 61 losing to rising star Arnold Allen at featherweight plans to move to the bantamweight division in 2014. Miller who fights out of Scotland’s Dinky Ninjas camp with renowned stars Joanne Calderwood, Robert Whiteford and Stevie Ray to name a few.

Before his fight with Arnold Allen last month Miller was on a run of four straight victories. Even though Miller lost at Cage Warriors 61 he certainly impressed taking the fight as a late-notice replacement and putting up a good fight and even testing Allen on a couple of occasions in the first round.

Miller had the following to say about signing for Cage Warriors:

“I’m absolutely ecstatic about signing with one of the biggest organisations in the world and I’m really looking forward to being involved in some exciting scraps against the best of the CWFC bantamweight division.”

Julien Boussuge (10-3) also fought at Cage Warriors 61, defeating the Australian fighter Damien Brown by decision to secure his tenth professional victory and his third on the trot. The 32 year old French lightweight, who fights out of Paris is looking to test himself as he makes his Cage Warriors debut in 2014.

“It’s a real honour for me to have signed with Cage Warriors,” Boussuge said. “I’ll be looking to challenge CWFC’s best lightweights in order to get to the very top of the division.”

The last of the four new recruits is Mike Johnson (9-6). Johnson is a top 25 ranked English welterweight who is only looking to improve on his place in the rankings and knows that if he puts on a show in his Cage Warriors debut his place in the rankings will only go one way.

Johnson unfortunately lost his last fight at the hands of Wayne Murrie, in a BAMMA Lonsdale British Welterweight title fight which ended the run of four consecutive victories.
Johnson said:

“I want to thank Cage Warriors and my management for giving me this opportunity. I can’t wait to get in there and showcase my skills for the CWFC fans around the world.”

All four of these fighters will be looking to kick off 2014 with a bang, keep tuned to Kingdom MMA for more news on Cage Warriors as well as updates on when the four new recruits will be fighting. I am sure it won't be long before we see them all in action.

Cage Warriors 61: Arnold Allen Post Fight Interview

Arnold Allen speaks to Kingdom MMA after Cage Warriors 61 victory

by Ben Heather @benheather

At Cage Warriors 61 on Friday afternoon, Arnold Allen opened up the prelims with a great performance against Doni Miller. It was a fight in which Arnold showcased his ever improving skills and kept his undefeated record intact taking it now to 6-0, proving once again that he is a star of the future and certainly a fighter to keep track of in 2014. Today Kingdom MMA caught up with Arnold to discuss that fight at Cage Warriors 61.

Ben: Firstly, what a great performance you put on Friday night, how did you feel the fight went?
Allen: I was happy with the fight I did what I wanted to do which is to use my boxing more and get comfortable on my feet!

Ben: Did Doni do anything in the fight which surprised you or that you were not prepared for?
Allen: I didn't know Doni would fight as a southpaw and I thought he would try take me down so I had to make a few changes in the fight

Ben: Half way through round 1 it looked like you may have got caught with a couple of shots before coming back swinging and flooring Miller, were you hurt at all?
Allen: I was winded with the knee that he landed which I'm convinced was a one week death knee.

Ben: Then while on the floor Doni was landing some big elbows to the top of your head did any of those do any damage or did you manage to block those with your hands?
Allen: They all hit my gloves so they did no damage, my head is fine haha.

Ben: Do you feel when the fight hit the floor you could have gone for the finish in round 1?
Allen: Definitely I just fell into his guard and he did a great job of tying me up and recovering.

Ben: Were you sick between rounds 1 and 2? The camera was on you to begin with then it looked like you were before the camera quickly changed to the other corner. If you were sick do you have any idea what caused it?
Allen: Haha maybe a little bit and I was feeling a little bit funny before. I think just a bug as I'm still feeling sick now.

Ben: You finished the fight in the second round, talk us through those closing stages before the ref stopped the fight.
Allen: Yeah I dropped Doni with a left hand and started landing shots and he went limp for a second and I woke him up with another punch but the ref had stopped it already.

Ben: Do you think the referee stopped the fight early? As Doni Miller seemed very upset by the decision, even pushing the referee after the fight which no matter how he felt the decision went should never happen. A fighter should never lay his hands on the officials.
Allen: I think it was good stoppage he went limp, fair enough he came back round quick but I wasn't going to stop punching him after he woke up.

Ben: After the fight what did you say to Doni as he seemed to keep confronting you and talking about something after complaining about the decision?
Allen: I just asked him to watch the fight back.

Ben: You told us last week that you would love to finish the fight with a knock out and then delivered on Saturday night, how did that feel?
Allen: It's great to back up what you've said your going to do, I'm just happy I used my hands more as all people have seen is my ko win on my debut.

Ben: You had a very experienced corner for this fight with Luke Barnatt, Jack mason and Jason Cooledge in your corner. How much confidence did you gain from that?
Allen: It's an awesome corner Jason Cooledge and Luke Barnatt were so helpful for me and Jack from the minute we landed to getting our hands raised, they helped every step of the way. It's awesome having such a powerful corner, especially Jack who's seen every situation in a fight possible.

Ben: What's next for Arnold Allen?
Allen: 7-0.

Ben: Would you like to say thank you to anyone?
Allen: I'd like to thank all my sponsors below, my friends and family and team mates at BKK Fighters for all of their help:

www.ValorFightWear.com
www.funkygums.com
www.uksportstraining.com
www.RevGear.com
www.powering-through.com
www.katana-clothing.com
www.blankmmauk.com
www.sportsinjuryspecialist.com
www.almightyfightwear.com
www.mmaxfit.co.uk

Thanks again for your time Arnold, we can't wait to see you get back in to the cage in 2014.

Arnold Allen talks to Kingdom MMA ahead of his fight at Cage Warriors 61

Kingdom MMA catch up with Arnold Allen ahead of his fight with Doni Miller

by Ben Heather @benheather

On Friday Cage Warriors finally gets to hold Cage Warriors 61. The event that was originally announced to take place in Dagestan in November then moved to Iraq before ultimately taking place this weekend in Amman, Jordan. The event is was supposed to be headlined by Matt Inman (12-5 MMA 3-1 CW) vs Bruno Carvalho (15-7 MMA 1-2 CW) but now Inman will face Hakon Foss (2-2 MMA) who has stepped in as a late notice replacement for Carvalho, who had to pull out due to an injury. As of writing this the replacement main event is likely to be James Brum (13-2 MMA 6-0 CW) vs Marat Pekov (10-4 MMA 0-1 CW).

Also on the card in Jordan is the young undefeated rising talent from BKK Fighters Arnold Allen (5-0 MMA 2-0 CW) who continues to impress in his career. On Friday he looks to continue that run as he meets Doni Miller (5-1 MMA) who will make his Cage Warriors debut. Earlier this week we caught up with Arnold ahead of his fight.

Ben: Hi Arnold, thanks again for taking the time out of your schedule to talk to us so close to your fight. How has this camp gone for you and has it been a bonus to work to the same schedule as your coach Jack Mason?
Allen: Training has gone good as usual, and it's great to be fighting on the same card as my coach for the first time!

Ben: This will be the first time you have fought abroad. Will you be getting tips from Jack Mason, who has done it many times now to make it as easy as possible for you?
Allen: Not really a fights a fight whatever country it might be in so just the usual tips and advice.

Ben: When do you fly out to Jordan?
Allen: We fly out early Tuesday morning.

Ben: What were your thoughts when it was announced the location of the fight had changed from Iraq to Jordan?
Allen: I was happy with the change mainly after what I've heard about the last show in Jordan, everyone said how good it was so I'm really looking forward to being a part of it this time.

Ben: A constant in all of your previous fights has been Jack Mason in your corner. Will he still be able to corner you on Saturday night even though he fights afterwards?
Allen: I don't think he will be able to corner me this time but we've got a great team at BKK and I'll have Jason Cooledge in my corner whose cornered me before.

Ben: Last year you made your pro debut, this year you are living up to the hype and certainly look like a star of the future and only 19 years old. A win on Saturday night will be the perfect way to end the year. What has your highlight of 2013 been and what are your goals for 2014?
Allen: My highlight of 2013 is definitely winning my Cage Warriors Debut in July! Next year I'd like to do more of the same and work closer to a shot at the title!

Ben: Last time out you finished Dec Williams with a brilliant triangle choke and transitioned to that after releasing a guillotine. Is that something you train or was it a split second thought?
Allen: I've drilled it a couple of times but it was just something I watched before and just went for it when I knew I'd lost the guillotine.

Ben: One of the key words I would use to describe you is Explosive. You certainly showed why people say that in your last fight while on the ground by posturing up and landing some heavy shots on Dec Williams. Do you pride yourself in the fast paced game you bring to the cage?
Allen: I do like setting a fast paced fight it just makes for an exciting fight, that's why the smaller guys are so exciting to watch!

Ben: Was that last victory the biggest win of your career to date over a fighter much more experienced than yourself?
Allen: For sure he was the most experienced person I've fought so it was good to beat someone with that experience and get my first finish by triangle choke.

Ben: You have shown in your previous fights that you have a well rounded skill set finishing some fights with submissions but also have one punch knock out power. What would your ideal method of victory be on Saturday night?
Allen: I do love to finish a fight! But my favourite way to finish is by Knock out it's an amazing feeling!

Ben: Your opponent has changed for Saturday night, originally it was announced you were due to fight Taylor Lapilus but will now fight Doni Miller. How long have you had to prepare for the new opponent and what do you know about him?
Allen: I've been preparing to fight someone for long enough so the change isn't an issue.

Ben: How do you see yourself winning the fight on Saturday night?
Allen: I see myself winning an exciting fight

Ben: Thank you for your time. Would you like to thank anyone?
Allen: Thank you for the interview, all my coaches, my management team, my team mates and sponsors for all there support!