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.

Jim Alers ahead of Cage Warriors 59 "I fight for more than just myself now"

Kingdom MMA catch up with Jim Alers ahead of Cage Warriors 59

by Chris Houten @mrhouts



Photo: Dolly Clew | Cage Warriors

 On Saturday night Jim Alers will put his Cage Warriors featherweight title on the line against Martin Svensson as the pair clash at the Motorpoint Arena, Cardiff, Wales. However today he took some time out of his busy schedule to answer our questions. The last time we spoke to Jim he took part in our Fighter vs Writer predictions challenge and became the first Fighter to beat one of the Kingdom MMA guys. However that is in the past and now the main focus is all about his fight.

Chris: On Saturday you will be taking on Martin Svensson at Cage Warriors 59, have you spent much time studying Svennson and what do you know about you opponent?
Alers: Yes I like to go over video with my coaches as soon as I find out who it is I am fighting. Luckily for me Svensson had just fought in June and it was almost a full 3 rounds. I got to see a lot of his fighting style. I know he is tall and likes to try and bully his opponents. I feel this will be a very dynamic fight.

Chris: Svennson is a tall guy for 145 standing 6’1, do you think he will look to keep you on the outside – stick and move?
Alers: I don't think that is his style from most videos I have seen. He actually is probably going to try to use his size to grab me and clinch with me. He has a lot of submission wins so I see him trying to take the fight in that direction

Chris: How has you training camp gone for your fight with Svensson?
Alers: I feel as good as ever. I just recently checked my pulse and it was at 37bpm. So I must be in amazing shape. I am injury free and also have worked to improve all of my weaknesses that I have seen over previous fights. If this fight turns into a sword fight I will be ready. I'm ready for anything.

Chris: Have you spent any of this camp with Duke Rufus at all, or did you do all of your camp in Florida this time?
Alers: This time I did not go to Dukes. I decided to stay at home close to family and friends. There are a ton of great schools in Florida so I took advantage of the talent in my own backyard. Most of my training was done at Alliance Orlando but I also trained at The Jungle MMA, Vagner Rocha Martial Arts, Pichis boxing Pit and my strength and conditioning at Crossfit Tough as Nails

Chris: Svensson has made reference to trying out for TUF 14 in the past, and I know you have also tried out for The Ultimate Fighter as well. Did you tryout for TUF 14 also, and if so do you remember crossing paths with Svennson or what his performance was like?
Alers: There was about 300 people there so if he was there I don't think I saw him. If I did see him I probably didn't think he was there to try out to be on the show. There aren't many 145ers that walk around as big as him.

Chris: I believe your wife has been heavily pregnant for this fight camp (Congratulations by the way!), with your child due within weeks of the fight. Do you feel this has affected your training camp at all?
Alers: Thanks a million I am so excited to see my little Beast already. It has affected me a lot with her being pregnant and so close to giving birth. It has lit a fire in me to try harder than ever every single practice. I fight for more than just myself now.

Chris: Cage warriors 59 will be you 5th fight in a row outside of the US, are you still happy with the travel aboard, or are you getting to the stage where you'd like to start fighting closer to home?
Alers: I say this tons of times. "If I get nothing else out of my MMA career at least I can say that I have see the world." Fighting abroad is the best thing that has ever happened to me. Would I like to fight at home again one day and have my family there, well of course but for now I'm enjoying the world.

Chris: I take it with all the travelling abroad to fight making you an expert at making weight comfortably under any circumstance now?
Alers: I pride myself in being very professional and doing my best to make my contracted weight. I think its from my wrestling background that I am so strict with my diet and weight cut. I've been cutting weight for 10 years now. I wrestled at 145lbs in high school also.

Chris: Last time we spoke you told me the dream was to fight in the UFC. At this stage would you consider any offers from Bellator, or are you holding out for the UFC?
Alers: Yes I am holding out for the UFC. That has been the dream since day 1. Right now however I am going to be the best Cage Warriors champ ever. If UFC doesn't call you will see me defending my title plenty of times under the CW banner.

Chris: Do you feel an impressive win over Svennson will put you in ‘ the shop window’ for the UFC, and have you had any indication you might be on the UFCs radar?
Alers: That's the plan. I Want to won decisively and show why I am the number 1 featherweight out there. Not only do I feel that I am the top featherweight in Florida or in Cage Warriors that is outside the UFC but I feel that I am number 1 in the world and should be next in line for a shot in the big show. Its seems to me that you don't know if you are on their radar until you get a call saying that you are fighting in the UFC.

Chris: Should the UFC, or any other promotion come in for you are you able to discuss a deal with said promotion or are you under contract obligations to Cage Warriors?
Alers: I am under contracted obligations with Cage Warriors which I don't mind because they are such a great company. There is however a zuffa clause in my contract that will allow me to fight for the UFC if they are knocking on my door. Other than that I don't want to fight for any other company. CW has given me so many amazing opportunities

Chris: A couple of months ago there was a bit of back and forth between you and Chris Fishgold. For the fans that might of missed it, can you explain what actually happened there?
Alers: Fishgold??? Oh yea that's that kid on twitter who is pretty cocky and thinks he deserves the next shot at my title. I am not sure what happened there I think he tried to Chael Sonnen his way into a title shot but I am very skilled in the art of trash talk. That stuff is not going to work on me.

Chris: Do you feel like Fishgold is the number 1 contender in the CW featherweight division at this stage?
Alers: I know he thinks he is but do I? No I don't think he is quite ready. He should have to fight a more experienced fighter with 10 wins or so before he gets a chance. There are a few more guys within the organisation who I feel deserve it before he does. He is tough though and is definitely on the radar to get a shot.

Chris: Finally Jim, give us a prediction on how you see the fight going on Saturday – how do you see yourself winning this fight?
Alers: Predictions are hard. I like to focus on one thing and that's getting my hand raised at the end and that strap being put kept around my waist. I will do whatever it takes to keep my belt so I am prepared for a nice long 5 round battle.

All the guys at Kingdom MMA would like to wish Jim all the best for the fight on Saturday night and thank you so much for your time ahead of defending your title.

Lewis Long on Tommy Maguire "I believe I am better in all areas"

Kingdom MMA speak to Lewis Long ahead of Cage Warriors 59 clash with Tommy Maguire

by Ben Heather @benheather



Photo: Cage Warriors

Earlier today Kingdom MMA caught up with Lewis Long to discuss his fight this weekend at Cage Warriors 59, which takes place at the Motorpoint Arena Cardiff, Wales. Lewis fights on the main card and takes on Tommy Maguire, the brother of former UFC fighter John Maguire.

Ben: For those people reading this that haven't heard of Lewis Long yet or seen you fight before can you tell us a little about yourself and what they can expect to see on Saturday night?
Long: I'm Lewis Long, proud Welshman, true martial artist.

Ben: On Saturday night you will be fighting for the third time at a cage warriors event, cage warriors is widely regarded as the number one promotion in Europe. How does it feel fighting for such a well respected organisation?
Long: Oh it feels damn good, if you want to be seen it's the only place to be. The first event i ever went to was Cage Warriors in Nottingham, and since then it has been the only place I've wanted to be and since that show in Nottingham it's grown five times as big but still has the values that drew me to the promotion in the beginning.

Ben: Both of your previous cage warriors fights have been in wales and you will have the home country advantage fighting in Wales again on Saturday night, from past experience does the crowd spur you on as you walk out to the cage?
Long: The home crowd is awesome, the motorpoint arena is a top venue for MMA. Love hearing the crowd chant "Lewis "Lewis" because that's my name.

Ben: You are fighting Tommy Maguire on Saturday night, what do you know about your opponent and how do you think your skill sets compare?
Long: I know he has "2 Gunz" but unfortunately for him under the unified rules of MMA weapons are banned, so unlucky for him. As for skill set, I believe I am better in all areas.

Ben: How has the training camp gone for this fight and have you done anything different to prepare for the fight with Maguire?
Long: My BJJ coach Rob Taylor got his black belt, so i can say I train with a black belt now. I've taken my nutrition more seriously now too so I'm more prepared come fight night.

Ben: I believe both of your loses have come from submissions and Maguire has won nearly a third of his fights by submission have you focused on submission defence at all for this fight?
Long: He'd have to get me to the floor first and if by a miracle he does then I'm more that prepared you know, don't know if I've mentioned this but i do train with a black belt these days.

Ben: Last time out you defeated Mark Glover who was made famous by his appearance on The Ultimate fighter, how did you rate that performance?
Long: The game plan went perfectly, my boxing was crisp and even though he had the range I managed to get on the inside and get my shots off.

Ben: Is TUF something that would interest you or are you focused on working your way up the ranks within cage warriors and trying to earn a CW title shot?
Long: I applied for the Smashes but didn't hear anything back so didn't attend the trials in London. Then a few of the lads who went up said they called my name out and i wasn't there. If i had been there I would of made the final for certain. But things happen for a reason, my time will come.

Ben: How's the weight at the minute, are you on schedule and where you want to be ahead of the weight cut at the end of the week.
Long: I would like to be at 155lbs by the end of the week and I am on target at present so all good in the hood.

Ben: Finally Lewis, give us a prediction of how you see the fight going on Saturday night and how do you see yourself getting the win?
Long: My prediction would be to stop Tommy making the fight a snooze fest by dishing out my own brand of Lew-jitsu then being announced the winner by Joe Martinez.

Ben: Would you like to thank anyone?
Long: I always forget people but those who have helped me know who they are. Thanks for the interview. Follow my twitter @Lew_Long

Thank you very much to Lewis for taking the time to answer our questions and all the guys at Kingdom MMA wish you all the best on Saturday night.

Martin McDonough out of Cage Warriors 59 injured, Kris Edwards now part of Bantamweight tournament

McDonough forced out of title tilt

Photo: Dolly Clew | Cage Warriors

Martin McDonough’s hopes of being crowned CWFC bantamweight champion in Wales on Saturday have unfortunately been dashed, after the Welshman sustained a hand injury during a sparring session last week.

An initial medical examination has revealed that McDonough (11-4) suffered a fracture which will rule him out of Cage Warriors 59‘s four-man bantamweight grand prix, which is now just nine days away. The 24-year-old, who has clocked up a 3-0 Cage Warriors record since making his promotional debut last year, is due to undergo an MRI scan shortly, so an accurate time-frame for his return to action has yet to be given.

McDonough’s place in the CWFC bantamweight tournament, which is set for Cardiff’s Motorpoint Arena on Saturday, September 14, will now be taken by his Tillery Combat team-mate Kris Edwards (pictured).
Edwards (8-5) was scheduled to face Aaron Blackwell in a tournament alternate bout at Cage Warriors 59, but the 23-year-old has now been promoted to fill the void and face James Pennington in the semi-finals, with Brett Johns and David Haggstrom still set to clash on the other side of the draw.

Cage Warriors officials hope to re-match Blackwell on an upcoming card, while the winner of the Cage Warriors 59 prelim between Timur Mercanoglu and Jordan Desborough will be placed on standby should a vacancy arise in the tournament on the night.

Edwards recently made the decision to return to the bantamweight division following a disappointing stint at flyweight, during which he suffered back-to-back losses in his two most recent bouts.

After signing an exclusive contract with the promotion, the Abertillery native made his CWFC debut with an impressive win over Janne Elonen-Kulmala at CWFC Fight Night 5 in Jordan in April of last year, after which he opted to make the move to 125lbs.

Life in his new weight class began well for Edwards, as he submitted Brian Hyslop in the second round of their meeting at Cage Warriors 48 in London in July 2012, a win that saw him jump straight into the top-three in the UK’s flyweight rankings, having previously occupied fifth spot at bantamweight.

Next up for Edwards was Cage Warriors 49 in Cardiff last October, but an injury picked up by opponent Mark Platts just a week out from the fight saw Alan Philpott called in as a replacement, with the bout being contested at 135lbs due to the late notice. But it was Philpott who emerged victorious, as Edwards dropped a loss for the first time since July 2011.

Edwards, who holds wins over CWFC’s James Brum and Spencer Hewitt, returned to action back in May at Cage Warriors 54 in Cardiff, but again he was forced to deal with a late change of opponent, with Shaj Haque drafted in at the eleventh hour to replace the injured Karl Harrison.

After enduring a difficult weight-cut which saw him miss the mark by 0.7lb, an uncharacteristically languid Edwards was edged out by Haque via split decision, leaving him with consecutive defeats for the first time in his career.

As Edwards returns to the bantamweight division a week on Saturday, the Welshman says he’s keen to return to top-form by putting in the type of performance which saw him regarded as one of the top young prospects in Europe last year.

“I’m absolutely gutted for Martin,” said Edwards. “I’ve seen first-hand how hard he’s prepared for this tournament and he’s devastated to have picked up an injury. But I’m thrilled with the chance to replace him and I’ll do my best to bring that title back to Tillery Combat.”

Cage Warriors CEO Graham Boylan added: “Everyone involved with Cage Warriors is extremely disappointed for Martin McDonough. He deserves his place in the tournament but I’m sure he’ll come back stronger and earn another title shot in the near future. I wish him well in his recovery.

“I want to say best of luck to Kris Edwards in the tournament. I know he’s been disappointed with his last couple of performances, but were it not for a difficult cut to flyweight, he probably would have been in contention for this anyway. It’s all set up for a very exciting tournament in Cardiff next week.”

Meanwhile, Owain Parry has also sustained an injury which has ruled him out of his CWFC 59 lightweight prelim against Jamie Rogers, so 21-year-old Englishman Sam Gilbert has been called in as a replacement.
Tickets for Cage Warriors 59 at Cardiff’s Motorpoint Arena on Saturday, September 14, are still available, priced from just £25.

MAIN CARD
Edwards/Pennington vs. Haggstrom/Johns (Bantamweight tournament final)
Jim Alers (champion) vs. Martin Svensson (Featherweight title bout)
Mats Nilsson vs. Denniston Sutherland
Lew Long vs. Tommy Maguire
Dave Hill vs. Brian Moore
Lee Caers vs. Aaron Thomas

FACEBOOK PRELIMS
Sam Gilbert vs. Jamie Rogers
David Haggstrom vs. Brett Johns (Bantamweight tournament semi-final)
Kris Edwards vs. James Pennington (Bantamweight tournament semi-final)

NON-STREAMED PRELIMS
Jordan Desborough vs. Timur Mercanoglu
Brett Caswell vs. Paul Rogers

Cage Warriors 59 adds Mills vs Petrescu and Long vs Maguire

Cage Warriors 59 main card takes shape with two more fights added

Photo: Dolly Clew | Cage Warriors

Che Mills and Valentino Petrescu will clash in a middleweight contest when Cage Warriors Fighting Championship returns to Cardiff next month.

A lightweight tussle between Tommy Maguire and home favourite Lewis Long will also feature on the Cage Warriors 59 bill, while a further two bouts have been added to the event’s preliminary card.

Cage Warriors 59, which will also see the CWFC bantamweight and featherweight titles up for grabs, is set to take place at the Welsh capital’s Motorpoint Arena on Saturday, 14 September, 2013.

Mills (15-6-0-2) makes the move to middleweight following a loss to CWFC welterweight champion Cathal Pendred at Cage Warriors 55 in Dublin this past June.

The 30-year-old, who holds notable wins over the likes of Marius Zaromskis, Chris Cope and Jake Hecht, signed exclusively for Cage Warriors earlier this year after a four-fight stint with the UFC. “Cardiff is one of my favourite places so I can’t wait to fight there,” said Mills. “After my last performance, I’ll be looking to prove a point by putting on a show.”

Petrescu (12-3), who also recently signed an exclusive CWFC deal, featured as a welterweight on ‘The Smashes’ series of The Ultimate Fighter last year.

The 32-year-old has picked up seven of his 12 wins via first-round stoppage, with his only losses coming at the hands of highly-regarded opposition in the shape of Jimi Manuwa, Beslan Isaev and Lee Chadwick.
Petrescu said: “This one will make for an exciting fight because myself and Mills are both fighters who bring it. The fans in Cardiff will definitely be getting their money’s worth.”

Meanwhile, with their respective injury troubles out of the way, Lewis Long and Tommy Maguire will square off in a meeting of two of the UK’s most exciting lightweights.

After an impressive win against Mark Glover at Cage Warriors 54 in Cardiff back in May, an injury forced Long (7-2) to withdraw from a scheduled meeting with Saul Rogers at Liverpool’s Cage Warriors 57 last month.

Maguire (14-5), who appeared on season nine of The Ultimate Fighter, had to postpone his CWFC debut against Merv Mulholland at Cage Warriors 52 in London last March after he also sustained an injury.

Elsewhere at Cage Warriors 59, Welsh pair Jamie Rogers (9-6) and Owain Parry (3-1) will face off in a lightweight bout, while bantamweights Timur Mercanoglu (3-0) and Jordan Desborough (6-2) will also collide.

Tickets for Cage Warriors 59 are still available and prices start from just £25 (plus booking fee)

Cage Warriors 59: Blackwell vs Edwards

Edwards vs Blackwell set to battle at Cage Warriors 59

Photo: Dolly Clew | Cage Warriors

Kris Edwards will return to bantamweight to face Aaron Blackwell at Cage Warriors 59 at Cardiff’s Motorpoint Arena on Saturday 14th September 2013.

The fight, which is to be contested over two five-minute rounds - with an additional overtime round in the event of a draw - on the preliminary card, will serve as an alternate bout for the CWFC bantamweight title tournament, which is scheduled for the same night.

Martin McDonough, Brett Johns, James Pennington and David Haggstrom will compete in the four-man event, with the victor clinching the vacant 135lbs belt.

The winner of the Blackwell-Edwards clash will be put on standby to enter the tournament if a vacancy arises due to one of the participants being deemed unable to continue because of injury or not receiving medical clearance.

Fighting in his native Wales, Edwards (8-5) will be making his fifth CWFC appearance and returns to the 135lbs division following a flyweight loss to Shaj Haque at Cage Warriors 54 in May, a bout for which he was unable to make weight.

The 23-year-old, who holds wins over James Brum and Brian Hyslop, said: “I’m over the moon to have the chance to fight in Cardiff again and I’m hoping to make it third-time-lucky. Cutting to 125lbs was too much for me so I’m hoping to put on my best performance yet and to get a chance to re-sign with Cage Warriors.”

Blackwell (11-9-1), a 28-year-old Englishman who’s unbeaten in his last four outings, returns to fight for Cage Warriors for the first time since at 2007 victory against Ashley Smith.

“Kris Edwards is a ranked UK fighter so this is a big opportunity for me,” said Blackwell. “Fighting on Cage Warriors is a great chance that I welcome and I’m excited about. Kris is skilled and well-rounded, I respect his abilities and I’m looking forward to stepping in there with him.”

Tickets for Cage Warriors 59 prices start from just £25 (plus booking fee)

Cage Warriors 59 Bantamweight tournament pairings set

Bantamweight tournament pairings set

Photo: Dolly Clew | Cage Warriors

A four man tournament will take place at Cage Warriors 59 to determine a new CWFC bantamweight champion, and officials have today revealed details of the semi-final pairings.

Cage Warriors 59, which will also see Jim Alers defend his featherweight title against Martin Svensson, is set for Cardiff’s Motorpoint Arena on Saturday, 14 September, 2013.

To be contested on the night, the bantamweight tournament will feature David Haggstrom, Brett Johns, Martin McDonough and James Pennington (pictured), all of whom will be aiming to pick up the two wins required to clinch the vacant title.

Fighting in their native Wales, Johns and McDonough will feature in separate semi-finals, meaning an all-Welsh final is a distinct possibility. However, Sweden’s Haggstrom and Englishman Pennington will have other ideas.

Johns (7-0) will face Haggstrom (7-1-1) in one semi-final, an intriguing bout given that Haggstrom’s only professional loss came at the hands of Johns’ team-mate Dino Gambatesa back in July 2011.

In the other semi-final, two of the UK’s top-10 bantamweights will collide when McDonough (11-4) takes on Pennington (8-1), a meeting which will also carry added interest in the context that McDonough last tasted defeat in October 2011 against James Brum, a team-mate of Pennington’s.

Each semi-final bout will consist of two five-minute rounds and an additional overtime round will be contested in the event of a draw. Five five-minute rounds will be scheduled for the final.

The semi-finals will feature on the night’s preliminary card, with the final forming part of the co-main event. A reserve bout will also be added to the card in order to facilitate any enforced withdrawals.

Many more fights are still to be announced for Cage Warriors 59.

Cage Warriors 59 Alers v Svensson, Hill v Moore set for Cardiff

Jim Alers to defend his Cage Warriors title for the first time at Cage Warriors 59

Photo: Dolly Clew | Cage Warriors

A PAIR of featherweight bouts have been booked for Cage Warriors 59, including an inaugural CWFC title defence for Jim Alers (pictured).

Cage Warriors 59, which will also feature a four-man bantamweight title tournament, is set to take place at Cardiff’s Motorpoint Arena on Saturday, 14 September, 2013.

Having clinched the vacant featherweight title by submitting Joni Salovaara at Cage Warriors 53, Alers will put the belt on the line against Martin Svensson, while former 145lbs title challenger Dave Hill returns to action to take on CWFC debutant Brian Moore.

Alers (10-1) is unbeaten in his five outings under the Cage Warriors banner and is currently on a six-fight win streak in total following his victory over Salovaara.

The 26-year-old American, who also holds notable CWFC wins over Marcio Cesar and Matteus Lahdesmaki, has taken eight of his 10 victories via submission.

“I’m really excited about this fight as I’m looking forward to showing the world exactly why I’m the Cage Warriors champion,” said Alers. “I respect all of my opponents but in this fight I’ll be out to make a statement.”

Svensson (12-3) is a fellow submission specialist who hails from Malmo in Sweden and has defeated the likes of Paul Reed, James Saville and John Cullen during his five-year professional career.

The 28-year-old, who has dropped just one loss in his last eight bouts, said: “It’s a great honour to be fighting for the Cage Warriors belt and I’ll be bringing it home to Malmo. This is going to be a great fight but I’m going to put on a show.”

Elsewhere, Dave Hill fights for the first time since June of last year when he was submitted by Conor McGregor in a bout for the CWFC featherweight belt at Cage Warriors 47.

His next opponent, Brian Moore, is an SBG team-mate of McGregor’s so Hill will be keen to return to winning ways against the Irishman, particularly given that his previous loss came at the hands of Artem Lobov, another SBG product.

Hill (10-3), a 27-year-old Englishman, said: “I’m really looking forward to showcasing my skills on a stage as big as Cage Warriors again as the professionalism and quality of the production is second to none that I’ve experienced. Coming off a loss for the title, I’ve taken some time off to reflect and rebuild so this is a huge fight for me.”

Moore (7-2) is a highly-rated Irish prospect who, similar to Hill, recently signed an exclusive CWFC contract. Both of the 25-year-old’s losses thus far have come via decision, one of which was at the hands of the UFC’s Mike Wilkinson.

“I’ve wanted to fight on Cage Warriors for a long time so I’m very excited and motivated for this fight,” said Moore. “A win here would put me in among the best in the division. My goal is to be the CWFC champion but I’m taking it one step at a time.”

More fights are still to be announced for CWFC 59. Keep track of Cage Warriors on Facebook and Twitter for the latest news and updates.