Fighter vs Writer - UFC 166 - Loughnane vs Strong

Fighter vs Writer: Brendan Loughnane - UFC 166
by Tommy Strong @Strong_tea

Welcome to another Kingdom MMA fighter vs writer challenge.

For this challenge we challenge some of the biggest names from the world of MMA to give us their picks and fight outcomes for specific MMA events. Then they will be challenged by one of our writers, who will make their own predictions. Previously we have challenged the likes of Luke Barnatt, Jim Alers, Mike Wilkison, Phil Harris, Cathal Pendred and Dustin Poirier. Jim Alers still remains the only fighter to beat one of our Kingdom MMA writers.

This weeks opponent was team of Team UK on the UFC's TUF Smashes, unfortunately losing in the Finale of the show to Mike Wilkinson and recently got back to winning ways with a decision victory in the main event of FCC7. He is of course Brendan Loughnane.

The Scoring
If you predict the correct winner of the fight you will get one point and if you predict the correct method of victory you will get an extra point. However, if the fight ends in a stoppage and you predict the round as well the method you could earn a third bonus point. If the fight goes the distance you can only earn a maximum of two points.

The Predictions

Cain Velasquez vs Junior Dos Santos

Brendan: I believe JDS got lucky in the first fight and the second fight was a dominant display by the champ.

Prediction: Cain Velasquez - TKO Round 3 

Strong: The fight everyone has been waiting for! Having one win a piece it will be very interesting if Cain can hold onto his belt, or see JDS once again be the heavyweight champion!

I'm really torn between these two fighters. JDS proved in their first encounter he has the knockout power to stop Cain, and Cain proved in their rematch he can maul and handle JDS if he can get in close!
Both fighters claim they were not totally fit for both fights, I'm hoping no excuses are made and we are in for another great fight.

With the heavyweight division not the strongest within the UFC, I feel this won't be the last we see of them fighting each other!!
Prediction: Cain Velasquez - Unanimous Decision

Daniel Cormier vs Roy Nelson

Brendan: I see this being a very boring fight and Cormier wrestling him to death.

Prediction: Daniel Cormier - Unanimous Decision

Strong: I've been quite vocal about my thoughts on Cormier and I'm not his biggest fan at all. He's overweight and overrated!! If you really look into his record it isn't all that! Having looked awful against Mir I'm hoping Big Country makes it an unpleasant night for him!

Though this will be a test for Roy, if he can keep Cormier from hugging him all night and land one that right hand I think Roy can cause an upset.

My head says Cormier to ground out a very lack luster performance, but my heart is hoping and praying for a Big Country win!
Prediction: Daniel Cormier - Unanimous Decision

Gilbert Melendez vs Diego Sanchez

Brendan: I think Sanchez is past his sell by date and Melendez will maul him.

Prediction: Gilbert Melendez - TKO Round 3

Strong: Really looking forward to this fight! Styles makes fights and I love both of these fighters styles. I'm hoping Sanchez comes in on weight, having missed the lightweight limit of 156lbs, weighing in at 158lbs and being fined 20% of his purse when he went onto a split decision win against Takanori Gomi

Melendez will be looking to bounce back after his very close split decision loss to then UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson.

I think Melendez is the all round better fighter and will put on a display to get himself back into title contention!
Prediction: Gilbert Melendez - Unanimous Decision

Gabriel Gonzaga vs Shawn Jordan

Brendan: I hope that the Gonzaga that fought Cro Cop turns up and we will see a destruction.

Prediction: Gonzaga - TKO Round 1 

Strong: Blink and you might miss this fight!! Jordan is coming into the fight of the back of brilliant display knocking out Pat Barry within the first minute of round one to earn himself knockout of the night!

Gonzaga isn't the easiest fighter to predict, he can either be world class one minute and totally average the next! I have to favour Jordan in this fight, Gonzaga doesn't possess the greatest chin and with Jordan's knockout power this fight could be over very early!
Prediction: Shawn Jordan - KO Round 1

John Dodson vs Darrell Montague

Brendan: I see Dodson moving around and out pointing his opponent.

Prediction: John Dodson  - Unanimous Decision

Strong: I'm really not a fan of the flyweight division. I couldn't care less what Dana says, there just isn't any excitement in the division except for one fighter and that is John Dodson!

He brings excitement every time he fights, has punching power and speed that caused UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson his toughest title defence to date.

Darrell Montague will be making his UFC debut and like Dodson carries punching power and submission skills that will make it an entertaining fight, having only gone the distance in 3 of his 15 fights. Though Dodson has fought and beat better fighters and I fully expect him to come away with the victory!

Prediction: John Dodson - TKO Round 2


So that's our predictions for the fights, we will be live tweeting on Saturday night as always and we will keep you all informed as to how the challenge is going with latest scores throughout the main card.

Thanks again to Brendan for providing us with his picks for this weekends fights and it just leaves me to say.... May the best man win!!

Jack Mason "I’m training for this fight like this is the best guy in the world I am fighting"

Kingdom MMA talk to Jack Mason ahead of his fight at Cage Warriors Fight Night 9

by Ben Heather @benheather

Photo: Dolly Clew | Cage Warriors

Kingdom MMA caught up with Jack Mason to discuss his next fight for Cage Warriors which is now only a little over a week away. Jack is fighting on the Fight Night 9 card which takes place in Jordan, this will be the second time this year that he has fought on the international Cage Warrior cards and he is proving that he can compete with the top guys in the game. This time out he is taking on the relatively unknown (in the UK) Abusupiyan Magomedov. Also fighting on the card next week are the likes of Che Mills and Ronnie Mann.

Ben: Magomedov has a bit of a reputation on the continent but not so much in the UK. Had you heard of him before this fight was announced?
Mason: To be honest I hadn’t heard about him at all before the fight was offered to me but Ian Dean is the best matchmaker in the business and he has a knowledge of MMA that surpasses anyone else I’ve met. Ian knows all about the talented fighters in countries all over the world and that’s how he’s able to put on such interesting fights. Really looking forward to this match up now and fighting another top international fighter.

Ben: What do you now know of him after the fight announcement was made?
Mason: I’ve done some research and can see he’s originally from Dagestan and is now living and training in Germany, I believe he’s currently ranked the 3rd best Welterweight in Germany. I can see is tall, has long limbs and has good striking, he’s also an experienced wrestler and have watched a number of his wrestling competitions on Youtube. Magomedov is aggressive and very well rounded and this is another tough test that Cage Warriors have put on for me which I am looking forward to passing with flying colours!

Ben: Do you think he is taking a massive step up in competition fighting yourself (a 10 fight CW veteran) in his debut for Cage Warriors? The promotion who many believe to be the number 1 promotion in Europe.
Mason: Cage Warriors is without a doubt the best promotion in Europe and I can see that he’s had lots of experience fighting on big shows in Germany and holds a number of promotional belts already so I don’t think that the thought of fighting on Cage Warriors will phase him. Magomedov has already fought and beat some of the best that Europe has to offer so I see this as a very tough fight for me and I’m training my ass off for it. I’m training for this fight like this is the best guy in the world I am fighting.

Ben: Last time out the result didn't go your way but It's been two months since that night in Liverpool, have you been working on any specifics as a result of that fight?
Mason: It was change of opponent about five days out from the fight where I had already stopped training and was focusing on making weight. I’d done a full camp training specifics to fight Bruno Carvalho and then last minute I got a change of opponent to fight Ali Arish who is completely different stylistically, one of the best wrestlers in Europe and ranked in the Top 10 with no time to prepare.

I accepted this change in opponent so last minute because I didn’t want to waste my fight camp, all the money spent and ruin people’s weekends that were coming up to see me fight. The fight was very close and I think it could’ve gone either way, the main things I took away from the fight were that I now know for a fact that wrestling wise I can live with the best that Europe has to offer, also I need to throw more combinations on my feet.

I now know that accepting a last minute change of opponent of such a high calibre probably isn’t the sensible thing to do at this stage of my career. I was probably on track to fight for the Cage Warriors title pretty soon and this error in judgement has probably set me back a few fights now.

I’ll be looking to make amends and get back into title contention with a big win in Jordan.

Ben: How does it feel to get to travel the world with Cage Warriors having already fought in the UAE this year and now fighting in Amman, Jordan?
Mason: It feels amazing. I feel so privileged to be able to travel and see the world doing what I love. I couldn’t ask for anything more, it’s a dream come true!

Ben: This fight is the day before a big UFC event in the UK where your good friend and training partner Luke Barnatt is fighting. Will you be flying straight back to make it back for his fight?
Mason: I will be flying back from Jordan to watch Luke claim his second UFC win in Manchester for sure, I wouldn’t miss it for the world! I flew out to Vegas earlier this year to see him win on the UFC finale and I’ll be flying half way across the world again to see him fight this time too!

Ben: Luke recently announced that Chael Sonnen will be cornering him in Manchester, do you know if you will get the chance to train with him before your fight?
Mason: I’ve managed to do a couple of training sessions with Chael and his team over in Vegas when Luke fought the first time. This time I think Chael will just be flying in for the weekend to corner Luke and probably won’t have time for training.

One of the guys that was also in the TUF house with Luke called Jimmy Quinlan is over here right now helping Luke with his camp and he’s a phenomenal Division 1 All American wrestler who is also a grappling ace so we’ve both had some great training partners for this camp anyway!

Ben: Thanks for your time Jack and lastly do you have anything you would like to say to your fans about how you the fight will go in 4 weeks?
Mason: Thanks very much for the interview and thanks to everyone for all the support for this fight and my career so far! I’m planning to put on an exciting fight in Jordan and am itching to get back in the cage and get the job done!

I’d also like to say a huge thank you to my sponsors, please check out their websites and follow them on Twitter:

         www.britishfighter.co.uk                        @BritishF1ghter
         www.chelmsfordphysio.co.uk                @ChelmsforPhysio
         www.blankmmauk.com                         @BlankMMAUK
         www.qntuk.com                                    @QNTUK
         www.funkygums.com                             @FUNKYGUMS
         www.ignitept.co.uk                                @LI_Strength

Aaron Wilkinson and Cage Warriors Part Ways

Aaron Wilkinson and Cage Warriors Part Ways
by Chris Houten - @mrhouts

Photo: Dolly Clew | Cage Warriors

Cage warriors have today confirmed that they have parted ways with former TUF vet, Aaron Wilkinson. 

In 2012, Wilkinson (11-6) signed an exclusive deal with Cage Warriors and went on to make a successful debut for the promotion at Cage Warriors 48 in July 2012 when he submitted Leigh Cohoon in the first round. following his debut, Wilkinson has gone 1-1 dropping a decision loss to Alan Johnston last December, only to rebound with a TKO victory over heavily favourite, Bola Omoyele this past Saturday. 

Speaking of the release, Cage Warriors CEO Graham Boylan explained that although there is still 3 months left on his contract, Cage Warriors do not have any plans to offer the 26 year old, Manchester native another fight during this period: 

“Aaron is contractually committed to Cage Warriors until January 2014, but we don’t have any plans for him to compete between now and then,” said Boylan. 

“We’ve got four more big shows scheduled between now and the end of the year but all cards are already stacked, so unfortunately there’s no room for Aaron to fight once more before his contract expires.” 

 “I wish Aaron the very best with his career, which I’m sure will be a success on the back of a big win last weekend.” 

Wilkinson leaves to promotion with a record of 2-1 under cage warriors, and 11 - 6 overall.

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

Cheick Kongo v Vincicius Spartan Heavyweight Tournament Final Set for Bellator PPV

Cheick Kongo v Vincicius Spartan Heavyweight Tournament Final Set for Bellator PPV

After knockout victories for both Cheick Kongo and Vinicius Spartan in the Bellator Heavyweight Semifinals, the two giants will meet inside the Bellator cage on November 2^nd live on Pay-Per-View from the Long Beach Arena, which is headlined by MMA icons Rampage Jackson and Tito Ortiz.

“To be able to put on a card of this caliber for our first Pay-Per-View is something really special,” Bellator CEO & Chairman Bjorn Rebney said. “Kongo vs. Spartan should be absolute fireworks, and will be a fantastic way to kick off what should be a historic night on November 2^nd from the Long Beach Arena.”

Kongo punched his ticket to the semifinals with a devastating combination of strikes and knees that left Mark Godbeer on the mat and advanced Kongo onto the Heavyweight Tournament Finals.  Holding notable victories over “Cro Cop”, Pat Barry and Matt Mitrione, Kongo has his sights set on capturing his first tournament crown.

“I want to fight the best in Bellator so I can be the best,” Kongo said. “When I try to do things as a competitor, I want to be the best. I messed up before because I wasn't focused like I've been from the beginning. But, now … I will be the best. It's my time. I came to Bellator for the opportunity to show the best Cheick Kongo. And that's it.”

Team Nogueira and Chute Boxe’s own Vinicius Spartan wasted no time collecting victory in the semifinals with a lightning-quick knockout over longtime MMA veteran Lavar Johnson. Now just one step away from his rightful title shot, Spartan will leave it all on the line November 2^nd.

“Winning a Bellator tournament today is very difficult and actually achieving victory has tremendous value,” Spartan said. “I prefer it to be difficult and I know Cheick is going to be very tough--that is a motivating factor for me and my team.”

The fight card for Bellator MMA’s inaugural Pay-Per-View is below. Additional fights will be announced in the coming weeks.

Pay-Per-View Main Card

Rampage Jackson vs. Tito Ortiz
Michael Chandler vs. Eddie Alvarez For the Bellator Lightweight Title
King Mo Lawal vs. Emanuel Newton For the Bellator Light-Heavyweight Interim Title
Pat Curran vs. Daniel Straus For the Bellator Featherweight Title
Cheick Kongo vs Vinicius Heavyweight Tournament Final


Spike TV Preliminary Fights 

Joe Riggs vs. Mike Bronzoulis Fight Master Season 1 Welterweight Final
Terry Etim vs. Patrick Cenoble

Spike.com Preliminary Fights
Joe Williams vs. Jesse Juarez
Brandon Halsey vs. Hector Ramirez
Mike Guymon vs. Aaron Miller
Joe Camacho vs. Cleber Luciano
Darren Smith vs. Josh Smith

Terry Etim Make Return to Cage at Bellator 106 PPV

Terry Etim Make Return to Cage at Bellator 106 PPV

 

Submission ace Terry Etim will return to the cage on November 2^nd as the Liverpool native will make his Bellator debut against Patrick Cenoble. The lightweight affair will be featured on Spike TV leading up to Bellator’s highly anticipated Pay-Per-View, which is headlined by MMA icons Rampage Jackson and Tito Ortiz.

“Rampage vs. Tito” will be held at Southern California’s Long Beach Arena on Saturday, November 2nd, with tickets on sale now. Tickets can be purchased on Bellator.com, Ticketmaster.com, as well as at The Long Beach Arena Box Office.

Only 27, Etim joins Bellator with an impressive 15-5 record to his name including 12 submission finishes in his young career. Etim holds notable victories over Matt Grice, Sam Stout and Brian Cobb and is looking to make his mark inside the Bellator cage.

“I’m excited to get back into the cage and do what I do best, fight,” Etim said. “Bellator has continued to grow and to be part of the organization and be part of the first PPV is a huge honor, and I’m pumped to be able to showcase my skills on such a big stage. November 2^nd is going to be a huge night.”

Florida native Patrick Cenoble will look to get back to his winning ways on November 2^nd after the quick finisher fought to a draw against veteran Tony Fryklund at Bellator 94. Just 23, Cenoble packs a powerful punch and plans to keep the fight on the feet on November 2^nd from the Long Beach Arena.

The fight card for Bellator MMA’s inaugural Pay-Per-View is below. Additional fights will be announced in the coming weeks.

Pay-Per-View Main Card

Rampage Jackson vs. Tito Ortiz
Michael Chandler vs. Eddie Alvarez For the Bellator Lightweight Title
King Mo Lawal vs. Emanuel Newton For the Bellator Light-Heavyweight Interim Title
Pat Curran vs. Daniel Straus For the Bellator Featherweight Title

Spike TV Preliminary Fights 

Joe Riggs vs. Mike Bronzoulis Fight Master Season 1 Welterweight Final
Terry Etim vs. Patrick Cenoble

Spike.com Preliminary Fights
Joe Williams vs. Jesse Juarez
Brandon Halsey vs. Hector Ramirez
Mike Guymon vs. Aaron Miller
Joe Camacho vs. Cleber Luciano
Darren Smith vs. Josh Smith

Arnold Allen ahead of CW60 "sparring with my dad is not good fun"

Kingdom MMA talk to Arnold Allen ahead of Cage Warriors 60

by Ben Heather @benheather

Today, Kingdom MMA caught up with Arnold Allen who fights out of the BKK Fighters gym and goes in to this weekends Cage Warriors 60 event with his unbeaten record on the line. Currently 4-0 in his professional career Arnold Allen has certainly shown he is a class act and one to look out for in the future. He is still only 19 years old and looks to have a promising career ahead of him. Today we spoke about signing with Cage Warriors, training at BKK and what its like to spar with your dad.

Ben: Hi Arnold, thanks for taking the time ahead of your fight this weekend at CW to speak to us.
Firstly, for those who do not know much about Arnold Allen or haven't seen you fight what can they expect to see on Saturday night in London?
Allen: They can expect an exciting fight from me and Declan, we'll both be looking to finish the fight.

Ben: When did you start training in MMA?
Allen: I started training MMA properly at about 15 or 16 years old.

Ben: Did you have any amateur/ semi pro fights before you turned pro?
Allen: I've had 7 amateur MMA bouts, 5 amateur boxing fights and 3 K1 fights.

Ben: You are now 4-0 in your professional career only going the distance once would you say that being an exciting fighter and finishing fights is important to you?
Allen: Putting on exciting fights is always my aim. MMA is all about entertainment and if the fights don't entertain fans the sport will never grow. I always want to finish we don't get paid overtime!

Ben: How has the camp gone and can we expect to see the best Arnold Allen yet in the cage on Saturday night?
Allen: Trainings been good no injuries or anything so I'm happy! And I hope so haha.

Ben: At just 19 years old you are 10 years younger than your opponent Dec Williams on Saturday, do you feel age will be a factor on Saturday?
Allen: I don't think age is going to be a factor in this fight.

Ben: Where do you feel you have the advantage on Saturday night?
Allen: I feel I'll have the advantage where ever this fight goes.

Ben: How do you expect the fight to go on Saturday night?
Allen: I expect my hand to be raised at the end of it but it won't be easy work.

Ben: I believe your father is also a fighter and is still fighting now, how did he take the news when you told him you wanted to do the same?
Allen: Yeah my Dad is a fighter, I think he's retiring but he can never make his mind up. He was more than happy when I started competing, he took me to BKK fighters a few years back and I haven't looked back since.

Ben: Do you and your dad spar together? If so how does it feel to punch your dad? I know growing up I have thought of doing it many times but would never actually do it.
Allen: I've sparred my dad a few times but he hits pretty hard so it's not good fun. I remember him dropping me with an overhand right haha.

Ben: Only a couple of months ago you signed a five fight exclusive contract to fight for cage warriors. How pleased were you to be offered that contract?
Allen: I was really happy to sign with Cage Warriors I always wanted to fight for them as loads of my favourite fighters have fought for them before there UFC careers and also my head coach Jack Mason fights for Cage Warriors so it's pretty cool to be on the same promotion.

Ben: Training at BKK Fighters you get to train with some of the UK's best fighters, do you think you would be fighting for the top European promotion if you were not training with the guys you do.
Allen: Definitely not the great team we have at BKK is definitely the reason I'm on such a big promotion, there's loads of top level amateurs too who are nearly ready to turn pro so it's awesome down there.

Ben: Would you like to say thanks to anyone or any sponsors?
Allen: Too many to thank individually but thanks everyone for all the help and advice it's really appreciated.
Everyone at Kingdom MMA would like to wish Arnold all the best ahead of his fight this weekend at Cage Warriors 60.

Sean Carter ahead of Cage Warriors 60 "I'm always going for the finish, if you're not you shouldn't be in there"

Kingdom MMA speak to Cage Warriors Sean Carter ahead of CW60 on Saturday night

by Ben Heather @benheather

Kingdom MMA caught up with Sean Carter today ahead of his fight this weekend at Cage Warriors 60 and discussed his fight with Richard Griffin, signing with Cage Warriors and how he changed his life by losing 50kgs. Sean could potentially fight twice on Saturday as his fight is a lightweight title tournament reserve bout and the winner will then step in if needed later on in the night to fight for the title in the unfortunate event that one of the lightweights in the tournament gets injured and can not fight.

Ben: Hi Sean, thank you for agreeing to speak to us ahead of what could be a very big night for your career. Firstly, for those who do not know much about Sean Carter or haven't seen you fight what can they expect to see on Saturday night in London?
Carter: They can expect to see a man with a beard throwing his arms and legs about.

Ben: You have had quite a transformation in your life over the past few years dropping 50kgs in the past 6 years. What inspired you to initially make the drastic change in your life?
Carter: I was 24 and could barely walk the stairs without being out of breath so I thought it was time for a change. Just to get fitter and look better and be more powerful with the chicks. I had always done martial arts as a kid and just got back into it to lose some weight.

Ben: You could be seen as an inspiration to a lot of people out there who would like to change their lifestyle, how did you go about starting to lose the weight?
Carter: I can only say what worked for me but in my experience you have got to change the way you are and be honest with yourself. Some people can eat shit food and get away with it, some people can't there is no point saying its unfair its just the way it is. I was one of them people if I eat bad i get fat. So to start with I would eat clean 6 days a week and eat whatever I wanted 1 day a week.

Exercise wise find something that you can bring yourself to do a few times a week. If you hate everything find the thing you hate the least.

DON'T GIVE UP IT WILL COME OFF

Ben: On Saturday night you have the possibility of fighting twice in one night, as a possible injury replacement for the lightweight title fight have you done anything to prepare for this?
Carter: The Same as always just had to increase the rounds of sparing and did a few extra bicep curls.  

Ben: Have you ever had two fights on the same night before?
Carter: I once had had a TLC match and a hell in the cell match in the same night with my brothers.

Ben: What would it mean to you if you won your fight, then had to fight again and won the cage warriors lightweight title?
Carter: It would be truly wicked and totally radical man

Ben: You are now 6-0 in your professional career and 2-0 fighting for cage warriors. Do you think a win on Saturday night, even if you are not required to take part in the title fight puts you as a front runner for the next lightweight contender?
Carter: I don't know maybe

Ben: How has the camp gone for this fight?
Carter: Really well thanks for asking

Ben: How do you expect the fight to go on Saturday night against Richard Griffin?
Carter: Hes a tough dude but I'm always going for the win and the finish if your not you shouldn't be in there.

Ben: On paper Griffin does not have the best record losing nearly two thirds of his fights. Do you think he is more of a threat than his record suggests?
Carter: yes 100%

Ben: Only a couple of months ago you signed a five fight exclusive contract to fight for cage warriors. How pleased were you to be offered that contract? 
Carter: Really pleased, it felt great to be on board with such a great promotion. 

Ben: Does the hype behind Conor McGregor make you dream about what could happen in your career?
Carter: I just concentrate on one fight at a time at the moment it is all on Cage Worries 60. 

Ben: Would you like to say thanks to anyone or any sponsors?
Carter: Thanks to all my coaches, sponsors and team mates. I would be nowhere without you guys. Thanks to Cage Warriors for having me back and thanks to you for just being you #GetSome

Everyone at Kingdom MMA would like to thank Sean for his time and wish him all the best ahead of his fight this weekend at Cage Warriors 60.