Matt Inman out points Gregor Weibel

Matt Inman vs Gregor Weibel: Cage Warriors 64 Fight Review

by Ben Heather @benheather

Photo: Dolly Clew | Cage Warriors

On Saturday night at The Forum in Kentish Town, Matt Inman opened the main card of Cage Warriors 64. This was good positioning for Cage Warriors as Inman had finished every fight he has won in the distance and was looking to continue his current 3-0 run. Standing the opposite side of the cage on the night was Gregor Weibel, the Swiss submission specialist with an 8-1 record with every win coming via Submission. It had all the makings to perfectly open the main card in style.

Inman started the fight mixing up his striking using his jab well to keep Weibel at distance. He then added to his superior striking bringing in his kicks and a takedown to dominate the first round and towards the end of the round even went for a leg lock.

You could tell that Weibel was constantly looking to take the fight to the mat and in the second round his persistence was rewarded when he got Inman down and kept him there for a couple of minutes. Weibel lands a heavy punch to the head from a standing position to the downed Inman and followed it up by dropping in to his guard. Weibel tries to pass guard and attempts to take Inman’s back but its Inman who comes out on top. Once Inman is on top he tries to fold Weibel up to prevent him from defending his ground strikes.

The fight goes to the third round, this marks the first time Weibel has been past the second round in his career but he starts the round the stronger and gets the takedown he has been looking to exploit all fight. Once they are down though it doesn’t take Inman long to reverse and end up on top. From the top he again gets to a standing position and tries to fold up the downed Weibel looking for the finish. The fight ends as Inman continues to push for the finish and it looks like it could be the first time he picks up a decision victory. The judges agree and score the fight 30-27, 29-28, 29-28 to Inman.

The win takes Inman to 13-5 and 4-0 since he lost to Jack Mason in March last year and solidifies his spot in the top 10 welterweights on the Cage Warriors roster. Knowing how regularly Inman likes to fight I am sure it won’t be long before we see him back in the Cage Warriors cage again.

Cory Tait forces Pennington to tap in the first round

Cory Tait vs James Pennington: Cage Warriors 64 Main Event Fight Review

by Ben Heather @benheather

Photo: Dolly Clew | Cage Warriors

James Pennington came in to the fight having spent some time on the sidelines due to injury which was incurred the night of the Cage Warriors bantamweight title tournament and prevented him fighting for the title after winning his semi final fight against Kris Edwards. A win on Saturday night would have surely put Pennington next in line for a fight with Cage Warriors champ Brett Johns.

Cory Tait came in to the main event a 2-1 underdog with the bookies but was determined to prove them wrong by winning on Saturday night in the main event of Cage Warriors 64. It wasn’t just the win that made this fight special it was the way he did it. I can’t imagine many fans in the audience expected Cory Tait, the man famous for his highlight reel knockouts to win via first round submission but that’s exactly what happened.

James Pennington came out and began the better of the two fighters getting the better of the early exchanges before taking down Tait twice. Tait didn’t stay down for long though and after getting back up for the second time Pennington looked to shoot in again as he aimed to keep the renowned striker on the mat.

Tait this time managed to not only defend the takedown but got a hold of the head and neck of Pennington locking in a standing guillotine choke. Once Tait knew he had it locked in he cranked on it and it didn’t take long before Pennington tapped.

I am sure that Pennington will be back soon and try to go on another run which will push him back in to contention. The loss for James Pennington drops his record to 9-2 while Cory Tait improves his record to 8-2 keeping up his 100% finish percentage when he wins, with 4 wins by TKO and 4 by submission.

The win for Tait makes the title picture a bit clearer as I imagine now that Pennington’s team mate James Brum will be next in line for the title fight with Brett Johns while Cory Tait should be part of a number one contenders fight next time out.

Nad Narimani defeats Benjamin Brander by Rear Naked Choke

Benjamin Brander vs Nad Narimani: Cage Warriors 64 Fight Review

by Ben Heather @benheather

Photo: Dolly Clew | Cage Warriors

This fight on paper looked to be a close battle between two fighters with very good records. Narimani came in to the fight having only previously lost to Graham Turner at Cage Warriors 56 while Benjamin Brander came in unbeaten at 6-0.

The fight starts as both men exchange leg kicks but its not long before Narimani completes a takedown in to half guard and is constantly looking to pass while working his elbows and ground strikes. Brander gets back up but Narimani won’t let go of his back and is attacking the thigh of Brander with his knees. Narimani gets Brander down again and goes straight back to working his ground strikes mixing up his punches with some elbows.

Narimani pushes on to the back of Brander and goes for a rear naked choke but lets it go as he uses his position to pass guard and mount Brander. From mount he works around on to the back of Brander again but this time he makes sure that there is no escape for Brander who taps after 4:53 of round 1.

The loss for Brander is the first of his career who drops to 6-1 while Nad Narimani makes it back to back victories and takes his overall record to 7-1 as he looks to push his way back to the top of the featherweight division.

Laura Howarth out wrestles Amanda Kelly at Cage Warriors 64

Laura Howarth vs Amanda Kelly: Cage Warriors 64 Fight Review

by Ben Heather @benheather

Photo: Dolly Clew | Cage Warriors

Laura Howarth, who you may have seen try to get in to the TUF 18 house came in to this fight with one mission, to get the fight on the mat and work the fight where she believed she had the advantage where as Amanda Kelly wanted this fight to stay on the feet where she showcased her brutal attacks in her debut fight. Both women came in to the fight unbeaten at 1-0.

As soon as the fight started it was Howarth who was looking to implement her game plan and it wasn't long before Amanda Kelly was on her back, on the mat. Howarth spent most of the first round in the full guard of Kelly but doing enough to keep the fight on the floor. Kelly was always looking to land with strikes from the bottom mixing up punches to the body with some elbows when she saw an opportunity.

In the second round it took Howarth a lot longer to get Kelly down, before this happened Kelly was using her strikes well to prevent Howarth taking her down after she did it with ease in the first round. However, about 3 minutes in to the round Howarth finally got the takedown she had craved and passed in to half guard. It looked like she was trying to work another pass in to either side control or full mount but stayed active from the top again doing enough to end the round on top.

As the third round started Kelly knew she was behind on the scorecards and couldn't get taken down again. She came out more aggressive, keeping the fight standing and was getting the better of the exchanges bloodying up Howarth in the process. Kelly certainly looks the stronger of the two on the feet and lands some good kicks and knees to the head of Howarth but she couldn't find the finish she needed so the fight went to the judges scorecards. As expected all three judges agreed and scored the fight 29-28.

Howarth did a really good job preventing the explosive Kelly from finding her distance and keeping her down. The win improves Howarth's record and she remains unbeaten at 2-0. Amanda Kelly looked a very good fighter while the fight was standing and with some improvements to her takedown defence will be a real force in the future. I look forward to watching both women again in the near future.

Cage Warriors 64 Prelim Results

Cage Warriors 64 Prelim Results
by Ben Heather - @benheather  

Photo by Cage Warriors | Dolly Clew

Davis vs Nykanen - Amateur Bout (3 x 3 Minute Rounds)
This was a largely uneventful fight in which Nykanen eased to victory by getting takedowns in each round but was unable to making the most of the good positioning on the ground and therefore couldn't finish the fight. At the end Davis opened up with a late flurry but it was too little too late and it was clear who the winner was and the judges all agreed scoring the fight 30-27 in favor of Nykanen

Crawford vs Garabet
This was an exciting fight and a great way to open up the professional fights. Garabet had surrendered 25% of his purse for missing weight the day before and both men were making their Cage Warriors debut.

Crawford came out mixing up his kicks working Garabet’s legs and going upstairs with some good head kicks. Unfortunately a couple of minutes in one of these kicks strayed low and landed full on the cup of Garabet who drops to the floor and looks in a lot of pain. After a fairly lengthy break he is good to fight again and the fight continues.  Once the fight restarts its Crawford who again is the aggressor taking down Garabet and working his striking from the top. The fight gets back to the feet and again its Crawford doing all the pressing this time mixing up his striking well with leg kicks befor going upstairs again and landing a big headkick but Garabet catches the leg and takes Crawford down. I scored the first round 10-9 Crawford

At the start of round 2, Crawford again starts by landing some hard punches but again is taken down after the exchange. Garabet lands a hard strike to the head while standing to the downed Crawford and drops in to his full guard. Again the fight gets back up and Crawford drops Garabet with a bomb then rushes in to work the ground and pound until he gets the back of Garabet. Once Crawford had the back he got his locks in and stretched out Garabet and continues to pound on him until the ref stops the fight.

Daniel Crawford wins by TKO after 2:43 of round 2. Huseyin Garabet drops to 3-6. Crawford Improves his record to 3-0 and at 20 years old looks to be an exciting fighter with a big future.

Edwards vs Manzolo
This was the shortest fight of the prelims with most of the fight spent on the ground with both men attempting  various submissions but in the end it was Manzolo who locked in an armbar and hyperextended the arm of Edwards to get the finish at 3:36 of round 1. Edwards now has a record of 11-9 while Manzolo improves to 4-2.

Kerr vs Watts
This fight started very one sided and Charlie Watts, the hometown favourite did all he could to finish the fight landing head kicks, clean knees to the head of Kerr and nothing could put him away.

In the second round after taking a lot more punishment when clinched against the fence including a  lot of clean elbows to the side of his head (think Travis Browne vs everyone recently), it was Kerr who had a second wind getting Watts to the ground and at one stage was in full mount. At the end of the round Kerr looked wobbly on his feet but carried on.

The third round was a lot slower as both men showed a lot of heart and true grit to push through to the end and the fight finished with both men throwing all they had left. As the fight went to the judges scorecards it was clear there would be only one winner and that was Charlie Watts who won 30-27, 29-28, 29-28.

Else vs Hewitt
Before this fight started the fans in attendance witnessed possibly the longest, most energetic walkout ever as Cameron Else made his way to the cage unfortunately for him it may have had an impact on his fitness levels after clearly gassing halfway through round two and by the end of the round struggled to get back to his feet and go to his corner. To his credit though, he was still swinging for the hills at the start of the third round looking for an unlikely but spectacular finish.

In all honesty this was a fight Spencer Hewitt dominated even though he may have cruised to victory when he could have pushed to get the finish. However, who can blame him. After all he was 0-2 in Cage Warriors before this fight and on a 0-4 run so just to get his hand raised at the end must have been a great feeling. I think next time out we will see a more confident Spencer Hewitt now his losing streak has ended.

Howell vs Wheeler
Both men came in to this fight with a big following in the crowd, with both sets of fans trying to outdo each other to see who would be the loudest (for the record I think it was a draw). However, when it came to the fight it was Wheeler who showcased his skills on the ground. First Wheeler attempted and very nearly finished the fight with a rear naked choke but it was only a matter of time before he got the finish as not long after Wheeler locked in an arm triangle to get the tap at 4:46 of round 1.

Kingdom MMA talk to Danny Roberts ahead of Cage Warriors 64

Cage Warriors Welterweight Danny Roberts talks to Kingdom MMA

by Ben Heather @benheather

Photo Dolly Clew | Cage Warriors

Saturday night will see Cage Warriors open business for 2014 and what a way to open the year. The headline bout of the night is the James Pennington vs Cory Tait in a battle of bantamweights which will have serious title implications for the winner. Also on the card are Jake Bostwick, Matt Inman, Nad Narimani and Danny Roberts, who Kingdom MMA caught up with earlier today. Danny Roberts returns to action for the first time since July and he can't wait to get back to action.

Ben: Hi Danny, firstly thanks for your time, we really appreciate it.
It's only recently been announced who you are fighting even though you have been on the poster since the event was announced, do you know the reason for the delay?
Roberts: I don't know must be the name "Hot Chocolate" sends a chill down spines haha. No it's one of them things, I'm looking for top European guys and I'm getting them it can just take a little time getting matched up I guess.

Ben: When did you find out you were fighting Juan Manuel Suarez and have you been able to prepare for his skill set?
Roberts: I found out about two weeks before the fight date. I've had a full fight camp for this match up so training has been as normal and I've had a couple weeks to game plan and tailor some skills towards this fight.

Ben: Suarez has been on a run of 1-5 in his last 6 fights (although a couple of those fights were against guys who did or now fight in the UFC) do you think he is a more dangerous opposition than his recent form on paper?
Roberts: Yes Suarez is no mean feat. This man knows what he's doing and has been around a long time....correct me if I'm wrong but there's 7/8 years MMA experience between us. He will be a tough fight but I will make sure I come out on top and dominate. 

Ben: Did you know anything about Suarez before you got the call for this fight? If so, what did you know?
Roberts: No he was unknown to me. All I knew was M1 global veteran and he was Spanish. So I took the time to find out about him, studied him and worked out plans.

Ben: The last time you fought was back in July, what have you been working on since then?
Roberts: I was scheduled to fight December 7th in Newcastle for Cage Warriors and my opponent failed the pre fight medical so it works out it's been 7 months. I've had time to work on things as well as just develop my overall game. This year will see me being active, like I said I want to fight often so this years one to watch.

Ben: Are you excited to be getting back to business on Saturday night?
Roberts: Words can't explain how excited I am to get back in there on Saturday fightings my life if I could if do it every weekend so Saturdays a happy day for me.

Ben: Last time we saw you in action you won in your hometown of Liverpool? Is that one of your career highlights?
Roberts: Yes definitely, it was a massive show and everything was spot on. To be able to fight in Liverpool's biggest arena with all the fans and supporters there, yes I'd say it was one of the highlights of my career.

Ben: How did it feel that night to walkout in the Echo Arena in front of your home crowd. Had you dreamed of being able to do that since the day you started fighting?
Roberts: Fighting in the Echo was a big time for me, co-main event and sold a lot of tickets, I was in good shape and ready to go. It's an amazing city, passionate about the mixed martial arts/ boxing so to be able to fight in the Echo just gave me a little taste of where I want to be in the near future.

Ben: You are currently on a 3-0 run including a win against Jack Mason, do you feel a big performance and a win on Saturday night puts you in title contention?
Roberts: Obviously the win will take me to 4-0 for them against some good guys. Cage Warriors give fighters the opportunity to earn that title shot and I know I'm doing the right things to do that. So when the time comes I'll be waiting and ready to snap it up. To become Cage Warriors world champion.

Ben: How do you predict the fight will go on Saturday night?
Roberts: I can't see it going the distance. Sub/ KO/ TKO just not the distance.

Ben: Cage Warriors welterweight division is one of the most stacked divisions in the promotion, do some of the potential match ups in this division excite you?
Roberts: Yes Cage Warriors welterweight division is stacked. It excited me to know that I've got good level guys in my division signed to the organisation, it will only make me better as a fighter and give me the top level fights I need.

Ben: Would you like to say thank you to anyone?
Roberts: Yes I would like to thank my sponsors  Les at Live Wire Dynamic, Pride or Die, Maze Clothing, British Fighter my coaches and Next Generation, No Limits and a big thank you to Ellis Hampstead my main training partner for this fight.

Thank you again Danny for your time and all the best on Saturday night. For any fans who want to follow Danny Roberts on twitter, you can here @DanHotChocolate

cage warriors 64 Fight Card Update

More Fight Announcements for Cage Warriors 64 



Photo: Dolly Clew | Cage Warriors

 The addition of the meeting of Matt Inman (pictured) and Gregor Weibel is one of several updates to the bill for Cage Warriors 64, which takes place at The Forum in Kentish Town, London, on Saturday, February 15.

The exciting welterweight contest is one of four bouts that officials have today announced for the card for CWFC’s opening event of 2014, while injuries have also led to two enforced changes.

After his scheduled CWFC 61 main-event clash against Bruno Carvalho last month in Amman fell through due to an injury to his opponent, Inman (12-5) is eager to return to action as he chases his fourth consecutive victory.

Currently ranked ninth in the UK, the 27-year-old SBG Manchester product has taken all 12 of his professional victories inside the distance, with six submissions and six (T)KOs on his record.

“I’m planning to start 2014 with another win over a good opponent, so I can’t wait to get back in the CWFC cage, especially in a fantastic venue like The Forum,” said Inman.

Weibel (8-1) will face Inman for his CWFC debut on the back of a 3-0 streak in 2013, with all three victories coming inside the very first round.

The 27-year-old Swiss prospect, who has taken all of his wins by submission, said: “I’m really excited about the opportunity to fight for the biggest promotion in Europe. It has been a dream for me and I’m looking forward to testing myself.”

Also added to CWFC 64 is a women’s strawweight bout between Kirsty Davis and Veera Nykanen, a lightweight clash between David Howell and Brad Wheeler, as well as the meeting of Andy Kerr and Charlie Watts, which will be contested at welterweight.

Meanwhile, an injury has forced Dave Lee out of his CWFC 64 bout against Nad Narimani, so highly-rated Swiss featherweight Benjamin Brander steps in to fill the vacancy.

Scott Pooley has also picked up an injury so Spencer Hewitt will now take on Cameron Else instead at a catchweight of 130lbs.

Tickets for Cage Warriors 64, priced from just £25 (plus booking fee), are available to purchase HERE.

CAGE WARRIORS 64
James Pennington vs. Cory Tait
Boubacar Balde vs. Jake Bostwick
Danny Roberts vs. TBA
Laura Howarth vs. Amanda Kelly
Benjamin Brander vs. Nad Narimani
Matt Inman vs. Gregor Weibel
David Howell vs. Brad Wheeler
Cameron Else vs. Spencer Hewitt
Kirsty Davis vs. Veera Nykanen
Andy Kerr vs. Charlie Watts
Daniel Crawford vs. Huseyin Garabet

Cage Warriors 64 Adds Balde vs. Bostwick

Cage Warriors 64 Adds Balde vs. Bostwick

Photo: Dolly Clew | Cage Warriors

A middleweight bout between Boubacar Balde and Jake Bostwick (pictured) has been set for Cage Warriors 64.

The pair will clash when Cage Warriors Fighting Championship kicks off its 2014 schedule with a return to The Forum in Kentish Town, London, on Saturday, February 15.

Balde (9-7) a veteran French fighter and promotional debutant, will be looking to return to the win column having lost by split decision to CWFC veteran Norman Paraisy in his most recent outing.

The 37-year-old, who owns seven stoppage wins including one against two-time UFC veteran Lucio Linhares, said: “I’m really proud that Cage Warriors has given me this opportunity. I never back down from a challenge and I love to strike, so be prepared for a war.”

Currently on a six-fight win-streak, Bostwick (13-8-0-1nc) is 10-1 in his last 11 outings and was victorious in his CWFC debut at the expense of Vincent del Guerra at Cage Warriors 61 in Amman, Jordan, last month.

“I’m fighting a guy who’s coming from a striking background so hopefully he’ll stand in the pocket, trade with me and we can put on an exciting fight,” said Bostwick, a London native. “This fight is the next step forward for me and I’m excited about fighting in my hometown.”

Meanwhile, a bantamweight bout between English pair Daniel Crawford and Huseyin Gabaret has been added to Cage Warriors 64’s preliminary card.

Many more bouts are still to be announced, so keep track of Cage Warriors on Facebook and Twitter for the latest news and updates.

Tickets for Cage Warriors 64, priced from just £25 (plus booking fee), are available to purchase HERE.

Cage Warriors 64 (more bouts to be announced)

James Pennington vs. Cory Tait
David Lee vs. Nad Narimani
Boubacar Balde vs. Jake Bostwick
Spencer Hewitt vs. Scott Pooley
Laura Howarth vs. Amanda Kelly
Daniel Crawford vs. Huseyin Garabet

James Pennington vs Cory Tait Set for Cage Warriors 64

James Pennington vs Cory Tait Set for Cage Warriors 64
by Chris Houten - @mrhouts

Photo: Dolly Clew | Cage Warriors

A bantamweight contest between James Pennington and Cory Tait has been added to Cage Warriors 64 in February.

Cage Warriors 64 takes place February 15th at The Forum in London with Tickets for the event available now HERE. Cage Warriors 64 will the promotions first event in 2014.

GYM01 fighter James Pennington (9-1) enters the bout looking for his forth straight victory when he meets Tait in February. A top 10 UK Bantamweight Pennington has taken 7 of his victories by submission with his only loss of his career coming to TUF 18 finalist Davey Grant.

Pennington will be hoping victory over Tait will be enough to earn a title shot, having missed out at a shot at CW gold, after having to pull out of Cage Warriors 59's Bantamweight tournament final due to injury.

A former UCMMA Featherweight and Bantamweight title holder, Cory Tait (7-2) enters the bout with Pennington on the heels of a huge TKO victory over Spencer Hewitt. Original scheduled to fight Jordan Desborough at Cage Warriors 62, Tait was forced out of the bout due to injury.

Widely considered one of the finest prospects on the UK scene, Tae Kwon Do blackbelt Tait has taken all of his 7 wins by stoppage, drawing comparisons to Anderson Silva along the way thanks to highlight real finishes over Nathan Beer, and Dino Gambatesa by spinning back first and crescent kick respectively.

Stay tuned to KingdomMMA.co.uk for all the latest Cage Warriors news.