Kingdom MMA 2013 Awards: Domestic Fighter of the Year

Kingdom MMA Domestic Fighter of the Year Award 2013: Brett Johns

by Ben Heather @benheather

The main reason we set up this website was to help promote the amazing talent which the UK and Ireland has and so this award is one of my personal favourites.

2013 has been a great year for MMA throughout the world and domestic MMA has been no different. Cage Warriors has been on fire this year, this week Cage Warriors 63 will be their fourteenth event of 2013 and the quality of the fighters and the fights that have taken place has been incredible. Also, BAMMA have chipped in with a couple of events this year and although they have not put on the quantity of cards that Cage Warriors have the events they have staged have been just as good again showcasing the talent we have in the UK and Ireland. All you have to do is look at the current roster of British and Irish UFC fighters who have signed in the last couple of years and chances are they have fought for one of these two organisations.

There is nothing I love more than seeing our athletes in this case fighters showcasing their skills to the world and we have picked what we feel are the cream of the crop in 2013.

At the start of the year not many casual fans knew the name Luke Barnatt let alone had seen him fight. That being said, they do now. Luke has had a good year by starting the year in the TUF house and being picked first overall by Chael Sonnen before making his full UFC debut and winning twice this year including a very impressive submission win against Andrew Craig at UFC Manchester. Next up for Luke is a fight on the UFC's return to London in March '14 where he will square off and try to keep his record undefeated against Mats Nilsson.

Also making big waves in the UFC and picking up a pair of victories in the octagon was Ireland's Conor McGregor. He started the year (OK it was last year but only a by a few hours) by becoming a two weight Cage Warriors champion as he captured the lightweight title in his home town of Dublin on New Years Eve 2012. Then signed for the UFC making a very impressive debut by Knocking out Marcus Brimmage and securing the KO of the night bonus. He then followed that up in August by getting a unanimous decision win over Max Holloway. Unfortunately for McGregor he got injured in that fight and it ruled him out for the rest of the year but I am sure we will see big things from him in 2014.

Conor's team mate Cathal Pendred has also had a very impressive year and deserves a lot of respect. He started the year as challenger for the Cage Warriors welterweight title at Cage Warriors 52 where he faced then champion Gael Grimaud, he won that fight via unanimous decision to become the new champion. Next up Cage Warriors set him the challenge former UFC fighter Che Mills at Cage Warriors 55. Cathal controlled the fight from start to finish and it was only Che's corner throwing in the towell that prevented the one sided beating from continuing. Like Conor the second half of the year Cathal has not been back in the cage but I am sure you will all see a lot more from him on your Tv's in 2014 alongside BJ Penn and Frankie Edgar....

Brett Johns has also had a perfect year going 4-0 in 2013. He started the year with a submission victory in February before following that up with a TKO victory at Cage Warriors 54 then in September came the highlight of his short career so far. Brett was included in the Cage Warriors tournament for the bantamweight title and fought twice in one night in his home nation of Wales to become the new champion.

Another young fighter who has really made his mark this year is Arnold Allen. Arnold like Brett only became a professional fighter last year and has taken his record to 6-0 with four impressive wins this year. In his last three fights he has also stopped each of his opponents and in the process increasing his reputation as one to watch for the future. At just 19 years old Arnold certainly deserves a lot of credit for the year he has had and always backs up his reputation as an explosive fighter who will fight anyone, anywhere.

Although each of the above fighters certainly deserve the award there can only be one Winner and that is: Brett Johns.

As I have already said 2013 has been a great year for Brett Johns. He has shown he can finish fights this year by finishing his first two opponents of 2013. He showcased his submission skills by finishing Joe Orrey via armbar in his first fight of the year. Then at Cage Warriors 54 went on to finish James Macalister by TKO. Brett won that fight with great ground control before finishing the fight with some brutal ground and pound. Although he won that fight by TKO my personal highlight was when Brett locked in a standing d'arce choke in the first round but couldn't quite get the finish.

Then on September 14th at Cage Warriors 59 Brett was included in the Cage Warriors Bantamweight Championship tournament, a two fight four man tournament to crown the new Cage Warriors Bantamweight champion. The format was a semi final fight which consisted of 2x 5 minute rounds and if required a third overtime round. Then in the final the two winners of the semi finals would meet in a 5x 5 minute round fight to crown the new champion.

Brett went in to the night as a massive underdog and as part of the prelims for the night was first matched up with David Haggstrom in his semi final. That fight ended up going in to the third round but Brett was announced the winner via unanimous decision. In the other semi final James Pennington defeated Kris Edwards but was unable to proceed to the final due to an injury which meant that Jordan Desborough who had also already fought beating Timur Mercanoglu via second round TKO was promoted to fight for the title. Now Brett was going in to a 5 round title fight for the first time in his career against a guy he had not even prepared for. After fighting for all five rounds meaning Brett had fought 8 five minute rounds on the same night. When the decision was announced Brett was crowned the Cage Warriors bantamweight champion.

For any fighter to go a full calendar year undefeated having fought 4 times is impressive enough but to do so the way Brett Johns has deserves a lot of respect for this reason we have named him our domestic fighter of the year 2013.

Congratulations Brett you have been crowned Kingdom MMA’s 2013 Domestic Fighter of the Year – Brett Johns Kingdom MMA we salute you.

Post Fight Interview: Danny 'Hot Chocolate' Roberts on Cage Warriors 54 Win

Post Fight Interview: Danny Roberts on Cage Warriors 54 Win
By Chris Houten - @kingdomMMAChris 

Fresh off a big win at Cage Warriors 54 in Cardiff, we I caught up with Danny 'Hot Chocolate' Roberts who extended his record 8-1 including 3 massive finishes under the Cage Warriors banner.
We discussed everything from His Grandad to his opponent Gonzalez, to Twitter, to title shots.

Chris: On Saturday your grandfather, who is recovering from cancer attended your fight. How much did it mean to have your grandfather there, and did it give you extra motivation to perform?
Roberts: Having my grandad there to show support and watch me fight on Saturday meant so much for me. He's always followed my fighting career and did since I was 16. He backed me, and took me to boxing matches around the country and has always been proud of me. We sit down and have conversations about the fights I have he studies my fighters and always tells me what he thinks. He's very passionate about what I do. So when he got diagnosed with cancer it was just after my fight with Jack mason, my head wasn't on the fight game and I found it hard to train. then i heard cage warriors had a show on in Cardiff, so i knew i had something to work towards. Then as i was starting my fight camp i had a surprise from my grandad to say he had beat cancer. I wanted to put on a show for him being in a local city to him! its the first mma show hes seen me on and i was happy it was a big show like cage warriors in a major city like Cardiff.
I thought you looked great on Saturday against a really game Gonzalez, how happy with your performance?

I was very happy with the performance and the way the fight went I think it showed the level I'm at and skill set against a tough opponent. It meant alot to me to win that fight and to win the way I did has put me on a high.

What did you think of Gonzalez game plan and the way he fought on Saturday, was it everything your were expecting?
I can tell Gonzalez had a bit of a game plan but I think it went out the window pretty quick. There was times I could tell he was trying to do what he planed to do and successful but the drills and game planing we did in Next Generation for this fight worked perfect for the times he got me in bad positions I felt comfortable so could work well to what we planed apart from that the bits in between I knew I needed to hurt him, big, fast heavy hands.

Watching the fight back, can you see any areas you feel you need to improve on?
I've not managed to watch the fight back yet but I do know how I felt in that fight. I know I'm developing and I've only been doing this three and a half years. I'm looking forward to the future. I want to improve every aspect of my game all the time just get better at everything lol

You didn't look like you took much damage against Gonzalez, when are you hoping to fight again?
The fight worked well stylistically I knew there wasn't going to be any real threat on the feet. It was my place to be that whole fight. Didn't take any damage which I'm always happy about, nothing worse then going home all beat up. It won't be to long before I'm back out for cage warriors.

Has there been any mention about possibly fighting on Cage Warriors 57 in Liverpool, where you are now based?
The Liverpool Echo show. Now that would be a show to fight on for anyone. Liverpool based or not scousers love they're Mma and Boxing. Bringing cage warriors to Liverpool I think is a big thing it gives the local lads who deserve to get seen on the big stage shine and the fans something they won't forget for a long time. I'm back the gym and training now "week off and back in" it's not long till the Echo Arena show so would like to think, a good fight camp and no doubt cage warriors will have me a speck on the cards. give my supporters and Mma fans a good show.

Have you put any thought into a possible next opponent at all?
No not really. I haven't had a think I'm not one to look at who I want to fight and weigh in people up. I believe that I can get there,  just keep working hard and when names and fights come up...ill make sure I'm ready.

You have 3 big wins now under the cage warriors banner, all finishes. How far of a welterweight title shot do you think you are at this point?
Yea it feels amazing to be on a top show like cage warriors fighting the best in the UK and Europe I'm getting the fights I need to test me, and to be 3-0 against top level guys is a good feeling. As for a title shot i don't think there's any need to ask cage warriors. It will come sooner or later.

Speaking of welterweight title fights, there is a big fight coming up next month in Pendred vs Mills, how do you see that one playing out?
The fight between Mills and Pendred will be a good fight. Mills good stand up and accurate striking where as Pendred  possesses the better grappling, he's more intense and will smother Mills work. Think Mills will start of strong but I can see Pendred capitalising with the pace and grappling taking it to a decision win for Pendred.

Cage Warriors 54 will be the first fight you have had since the introduction of Safe MMA, how did you find the program in the build up to the fight?
The safe Mma was probably the best thing to happen to Mma as of yet! It should be introduced to the whole country no matter how big or small a show is. Nice to know you and your opponent are safe and healthy in every way possible.

I Believe you also picked up a twitter bonus after the fight that must be nice right?
Haha the twitter bonus. Yes a big reward to win. Very generous of cage warriors for giving fighters the chance to win bonuses. To know I've got a massive following on a social media basis is a very nice feeling the amount of Facebook messages, texts, phone calls and tweets is amazing. It's a big reflection on a fighter and to who they are. The messages i get are always motivational so many people take there time to send me there good luck wishes it spurs me on and gets me pumped to fight, and I am always grateful for that.

And finally Danny is there anyone you would like to thank?
As always I would like to thank my hard working team and all the boys down at Next Generation Liverpool. My coaches Danny Witho, Carl Ryan, Dean Garnett and my top strength and conditioning coach Chris Tamm at No limits Liverpool. My sponsors fuel shakes, Kinetica sports and Les Oulton at live wire dynamic for giving me the chance to train full time. Big thank you to Paul Rimmer my head coach and mentor. Thank you.

Video: Cage Warriors 54: Cardiff (Preview)

Video: Cage Warriors 54: Cardiff (Preview)

CAGE Warriors Fighting Championship returns to Cardiff on Saturday, May 4, to stage the biggest mixed martial arts event ever to come to Wales.

Cage Warriors 54, which takes place at the Motorpoint Arena, will be headlined by a CWFC middleweight title bout between champion Jesse Taylor and Welsh favourite John Phillips.
The event’s main card will stream live, worldwide and free of charge on MMAjunkie.com (USA & Canada), JOE.ie (Ireland), Sportube.tv (Italy) and CageWarriors.tv (rest of the world) at 9pm local time (4pm ET/1pm PT).

Several bouts on the preliminary card will also stream live on Facebook. Further details will be available shortly.

Tickets for Cage Warriors 54, priced from just £25 (plus booking fee), are available to purchase HERE.

MAIN CARD
Jesse Taylor (champion) v John Phillips - middleweight title bout
Diego Gonzalez v Danny Roberts
Jason Ball v Ivan Buchinger
Mark Glover v Lew Long
Martin McDonough v TBA
Matt Inman v TBA
PRELIMINARY CARD
Kris Edwards v Shaj Haque
Brett Johns v James MacAlister
Steve McCombe v Joe Orrey
Jamie Rogers v Brad Wheeler
Rob Leybourne v Owain Parry

Cage Warriors 54 (Fightcard)

Cage Warriors 54
Date: May 4, 2013 19:00 GMT
Motorpoint Arena, Cardiff, Wales

Fightcard
Ivan Buchinger vs Tim Newman
Jesse Taylor vs. John Phillips - For the Cage Warriors Middleweight Title