Belfort trains hard for Cage Rage

The black belt from Black House Vitor Belfort, is preparing himself pretty hard for his bout against the Italian fighter Ivan Serati, at Cage Rage 21, that will be held in April 21st in London , capital of . Vitor have been suported by Rafael Feijão. “Feijão is supporting me and the trainings are pretty good, excellents. I have been training at home where I have an octagon and also at the Black House academy. I will simply fight, I will be trying the KO or the submission”, said Belfort about his fight strategy. Check out now the complete card of the event:

COMPLETE CARD (subject to change):
Cage Rage 21
London, England
Saturday, April 21st, 2007

Light-Heavyweight Title:
- Evangelista Cyborg vs. James Zikic;

Other Bouts:
- Robert Berry vs. Bob Sapp;
- Ivan Serati vs. Vitor Belfort;
- Daijiro Matsui vs. Mark Weir;
- Murilo Ninja vs. Alex Reid;
- Rowman Webber vs. Mark Epstein;
- Paul Kelly vs. Paul Daley;
- Abdul Mohammed vs. TBA;
- Cyrille Diabate vs. Ryan Robinson;
- Alex Owen vs. Brad Pickett;
- Xavier Foupa Pokam vs. Tom Watson;
- James E. Nicoll vs. Matt Ewin.

(Source)

Cage Rage Not For Sale

By David West

Returning from his trip to LA, Cage Rage promoter Dave O’Donnell has confirmed that the promotion has not been sold and that there are no plans on the table to sell the show any time soon. Instead, the LA trip was to finalize the alliance with K-1, BodogFight, Pro Elite, Strikeforce and Spirit MC which will make it easier for the promotions to share fighters and tap into each others TV markets.

The alliance with K-1 should be a boom for Cage Rage and may open the door for their former Light-Heavyweight World Champion, Melvin Manhoef, to return to the show. Similarly, Cage Rage’s Lightweight World title holder, Vitor “Shaolin” Ribeiro recently signed with K-1 but should now be able to defend his Cage Rage belt while pursuing a title in Japan.

The inter-promotion alliance raises the highly intriguing prospect of the six organizations gradually working towards unified titles, although it creates potential problems for Cage Rage fighters with Pride contracts, like James Thompson and Zelg Galesic, now that Pride is owned by the Fertitta brothers.

CAGE RAGE COMING TO U.S. TELEVISION

By Ken Pishna

Emerging on the mixed martial arts scene less than five years ago, Cage Rage has since grown to become the most prominent MMA brand in Europe. But with the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s recent move to establish their brand in the U.K., Cage Rage won’t retain their stronghold without a fight.

Cage Rage principals Dave O’Donnell and Andy Geer were in Los Angeles, California this week to take part in the announcing of an alliance which serves as a strategic move for their brand, as well as for many other MMA promotions. Cage Rage is part of the K-1/Pro Elite alliance that also includes BodogFight, Strikeforce, and SpiritMC.

This comes hot on the heels of reports on MMAWeekly that Cage Rage was considering a buyout offer from K-1. O’Donnell and Geer denied that K-1 had purchased their promotion, but didn’t exactly slam the door on the possibility either: “Never say never, but we don’t know where the rumors have come from.”

The biggest immediate news surrounding Cage Rage, though, isn’t necessarily the alliance with the aforementioned organizations, but news regarding a coming presence on American television.

“We’ve got the biggest brand in Europe. It’s going to stay that way regardless of who else is coming over,” said a confident Geer. “People in the States typically underestimate the European market. We have massive TV deals over there, free TV deals; it’s just not a pay-per-view culture over there in the U.K. But the U.S. is definitely the largest market [for MMA].”

O’Donnell took the hand-off from Geer and ran with it: “On April 21st, be prepared for a U.S. TV deal because it’s there. I don’t know which channel… that’s no rumor. On April 21st, you’ll be seeing Cage Rage in the U.S.A.”

The dynamic duo from England would not be pressed into further details, but were adamant that U.S. fans will be able to watch the April 21st Cage Rage on American television.

This is a key move in Cage Rage’s recent battle with the UFC. When the UFC announced that they would be returning to the U.K. on April 21st, Cage Rage would not budge from their already announced show on the same date. The UFC is presently a juggernaut, but with a head start in the U.K. and now an emerging TV deal in the U.S., Cage Rage has shown that they aren’t going to run from the challenge.

Cage Rage for Sale?

By David West

Hot on the heels of the announcement about the Fertittas’ purchase of Pride, rumors have been flying around the UK that Cage Rage is in the process of being sold. Cage Rage Production Manager Rob Nutley has confirmed that promoters Andy Geer and Dave O’Donnell are currently in Los Angeles involved in discussions with a potential buyer, but Nutley is not at liberty to reveal the identity of the prospective purchaser.

The two names that have popped up are Zuffa and the Fighting and Entertainment Group, the owners of K-1. Zuffa has been buying up the competition like Bill Gates on a shopping spree recently, with first the World Fighting Alliance and now Pride.

However, Cage Rage has confirmed that a K-1 rules bout has been added to the card on their upcoming show on April 21st. While kickboxing matches are commonplace on fight cards at UK MMA promotions, Cage Rage has never had a kickboxing fight on the bill in any of their previous events, so the inclusion of the K-1 contest certainly lends credence to the assertion that K-1 is the mystery party. The two K-1 fighters scheduled to appear in April are Canada’s Michael McDonald and Britain’s James McSweeney, who hails from Slough and has held the British Super-Heavyweight title in Muay Thai.

K-1 has announced an alliance with Cage Rage, BodogFight, Pro Elite, Strikeforce and Spirit MC, but whether that will remain the extent of their involvement with the British promotion remains unanswered. In the past Cage Rage was an official feeder show for Pride, but fighters from Cage Rage have gone on to compete in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (Jess Liaudin, David Lee), and K-1 Hero’s (Melvin Manhoef, Vitor Ribeiro). If the Fighting and Entertainment Group does buy Cage Rage it will open up numerous opportunities for the British fighters and give Cage Rage the financial clout to compete with the UFC on more even terms as Dana White and Zuffa move into the British market.

Cage Rage have poached at least one fighter from White, with Ross Pointon, from The Ultimate Fighter Season 3, facing Abdul Mohamed in April. The match will be at welterweight, so Mohamed’s British Lightweight title won’t be at stake. This marks the fourth weight class that Pointon has competed in. He started his career as a Heavyweight, moved down to Light-Heavyweight to unsuccessfully challenge Michael Bisping for his title at Cage Warriors. Pointon joined The Ultimate Fighter’s third season as a middleweight and despite losing all of his fights on the show, Pointon was a fan favorite.

Since his appearance on TUF 3, Pointon has lost fights to Rory Singer and Rich Clementi, taking his record to 4-8-0. Abdul Mohamed (12-4-2) started his career as a welterweight, before making the drop to lightweight, so should be comfortable at the weight and Mohamed is an excellent wrestler with powerful takedowns. Pointon is primarily a stand-up fighter, with a background in San Shou, so he may have his hands full with Mohamed, but win or lose, Cage Rage has announced that Pointon will be on the card of their show in July when he’ll meet London’s Dean Bray.

IS K-1 BUYING ENGLAND'S CAGE RAGE?

By Lee Whitehead

Interesting developments on the UK MMA scene of late would lead you to believe that Zuffa LLC (owner of the Ultimate Fighting Championship) is in the process of purchasing venerable British promotion Cage Rage; the reality is a little different...

Sources close to Cage Rage have confirmed that K-1 has tabled an offer in the neighborhood of 10 million pounds as a takeover of the company and all its assets.

The deal has apparently come about due in large part to the pending purchase of Pride FC by the UFC owners Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta and the severance of links between Cage Rage and Pride FC. Cage Rage has recently been somewhat of a feeder show for Pride FC with several fighters under contract to Pride FC fighting on Cage Rage events.

In a first for Cage Rage, the April 21st card will feature a K-1 rules kickboxing bout between James McSweeny and Michael McDonald. At the time of this writing, Dave O'Donnell and Andy Geer, principals at Cage Rage, were unavailable to comment due to ''being in Los Angeles for a business deal," but as soon as any more information is revealed we will let you know.

How this affects PRIDE contracted fighters such as James Thompson and K-1 refugee Bob Sapp is currently not known, but one thing is for sure, the UFC just got a step up in opposition for the British fans’ pennies.

Cage Rage 21 To Be Aired Live on Sky Sports

The Cage Rage website is reporting that the British MMA promotion has reached a deal with the Sky Sports network that will see Cage Rage Championships 21, “Judgment Day”, telecast live on April 21st. The event, which is scheduled to take place on that date at Wembley Arena in London City , will be broadcast live on Sky from 9pm until 11pm. According to the site, the live broadcast will be a first for British MMA.

The announcement certainly reflects the fact that the sport of MMA continues to grow in popularity within the U.K., and that Cage Rage continues to extend its presence across the U.K. Ultimate Fighting Championship 70 is scheduled to take place that same April 21st night in Manchester , at the MEN Arena.

Cyborg ready for Cage Rage

Photo by Marcelo Alonso

The striker from Chute Boxe Evangelista Cyborg, is almost ready for the dispute of the Light-Heavyweight belt at Cage Rage 21, that will be held on April 21st in London , capital of . Cyborg, who will face James Zikic, said that he doesn’t know a lot about his adversary. “I don’t know many things about my adversary. I am getting prepared since January, because I had a bout inFebruary but it didn’t happen.

If the fight takes place in ten days I would be ready”, said Cyborg, who has already a defined strategy. “I will try to impose my own rhythm. I am training the ground game and Wrestling game to be not taken for the ground. I will trythe KO. I must fight on my best game, and I fight better under my opponent”, finished Cyborg. Check out the complete card:

Light-Heavyweight Title:
- Evangelista Cyborg vs. James Zikic;

Other Bouts:
- Robert Berry vs. Bob Sapp;
- Ivan Serati vs. Vitor Belfort;
- Daijiro Matsui vs. Mark Weir;
- Murilo Ninja vs. Alex Reid;
- Rowman Webber vs. Mark Epstein;
- Paul Kelly vs. Paul Daley;
- Abdul Mohammed vs. TBA;
- Cyrille Diabate vs. Ryan Robinson;
- Alex Owen vs. Brad Pickett;
- Xavier Foupa Pokam vs. Tom Watson;
- James E. Nicoll vs. Matt Ewin.

(Source)

Cage Rage 21 - Finalized Fight Card

By James Bruman & Stash Capar

Cage Rage promoters Dave O’Donnell and Andy Geer have released an updated and finalized card for Cage Rage 21: Judgement Day, scheduled for April 21st at the Wembley Arena in London. The event will go head-to-head with UFC 70 – which takes place a three-hour train ride away in Manchester, England - and will feature the following bouts:

Bob Sapp vs. Gary “Smiler” Turner
Vitor Belfort vs. Ivan Serati
Evangelista “Cyborg” Santos vs. James Zikic
Daijiro Matsui vs. Mark Weir
Murilo “Ninja” Rua vs. Alex Reid
Roman Webbet vs. Mark Epstein
Paul Daley vs. Paul Kelly
Abdul Mohammed vs. Ross Pointon
Cyrille Diabate vs. Ryan Robinson
Alex Owen vs. Brad Pickett
Xavier Foupa Pokam vs. Tom Watson
James Nicoli vs. Matt Ewin

Gary “Smiler” Turner (1-0-1) has been brought in to fight Bob Sapp (8-2-1) after Sapp’s original opponent, Robert “Buzz” Berry, announced his retirement from the sport last week. Turner seems to be a surprising choice to face the American behemoth and former K-1 star, but his record belies a depth of martial arts experience including judo, jiu-jitsu and, perhaps most importantly, his twice turns as a British K-1 champion. Considering the amount of Cage Rage heavyweight regulars apparently vying for a chance to fight Sapp, Turner is an interesting pick and could put himself right in the Cage Rage heavyweight mix with a win.

In a surprise move, Ultimate Warrior Challenge veteran Ivan Serati (5-0-0) was brought on board to fight the legendary Vitor “The Phenom” Belfort (14-8-0) in the co-main event, destroying any chances of seeing the long-awaited Vitor Belfort vs. Evangelista “Cyborg” Santos (15-9-0) match-up.

Also, an opponent has finally been found for middleweight Abdul Mohammed (12-4-2), who will go up a weight class to fight none other than “The Ultimate Fighter” season three competitor, Ross “The Gladiator” Pointon (4-8-0), well-known for his weightcutting antics and brawler attitude.

Tom Watson (3-1-0), who had his Cage Rage debut in Feb. losing by submission to Japanese fighter Daijiro Matsui (9-16-4), was also added to the card. He will tilt with the tough Frenchman Xavier Foupa Pokam, (6-6-0), of Snake Team.

Cage Rage has also announced the dates of four future events. Cage Rage 22 “Hard as Hell” will take place on July 14, while Sept. 22 and Dec. 1 have been reserved Cage Rage’s 23 and 24. The events will most likely continue to take place at the Wembley Arena in London.

Cage Rage “Contenders” - originally conceived as a feeder show for the main promotion - is having its first showing in Dublin on May 26. Already booked for the show is UFC and PRIDE Bushido veteran Chris “The Westside Strangler” Brennan (18-11-1), who is taking a tough match with French gamer Samy Schiavo (7-4). Heavy-handed Ian “M-16” Butlin (6-5) has been matched up against Irish grappler Thomas Maguire (2-0) in a classic styles match-up. More matches are to be announced shortly.

Interview: Gary "Smiler" Turner

By David West

Robert “Buzz” Berry has pulled out of his scheduled fight against Bob Sapp that was due to take place at Cage Rage 21 on April 21st. Promoter Dave O’Donnell said that Berry cited family commitments behind his decision, which apparently heralds his retirement from MMA. Berry ’s withdrawal from competition will leave a big gap in the British heavyweight scene as he was a charismatic and exciting fighter who liked to knock people out. He’ll be missed.

Stepping in to face Sapp will be Gary “Smiler” Turner, a veteran of the K-1 circuit. Turner has only a handful of MMA matches under his belt, but a wealth of experience in kickboxing and jujitsu. Turner has been in the ring with world class opponents in K-1 including Michael McDonald, who he held to a draw in 2004, and Carter Williams, who he defeated in March 2006. A two-time British K-1 champion, Turner will give up over one hundred pounds in weight to the giant Sapp. FCF spoke to Turner about his mission to defeat the American giant.

FCF: When were you approached to fight Bob Sapp?
GB: The discussions took place over the weekend when it was clear that Buzz had pulled out of the fight. Talks took place between Dave O’Donnell and my manager Jerome Winters and it was put to Bob Sapp to fight me. He agreed so the contracts are being signed as we speak.

FCF: What’s your background in martial arts?
GB: I’ve got a complex history. I started with judo from 1976 through to 1991, traditional jujitsu from ’84 to about 1990, Lau Gar Kung Fu was the start of my striking in ’88. That developed into points kickboxing, then light-continuous, then full contact kickboxing. Around ’93 I started competing in sports jujitsu, which is like continuous kickboxing combined with wrestling, wearing a gi top. In 1991 I had my first foray into Mixed Martial Arts. I won the Golden Dragon Cup in Rimani, , in shootfighting. I did two of Less Hasdell’s shows in the late 90s in which I did RINGS rules shootfighting. Then my kickboxing developed into K-1 and Thai boxing.

FCF: Many years ago at one of Andy Jardine’s Extreme Brawl events you said you wanted to fight Bob Sapp in K-1 ...
GB: I’ve always said that standing up, I’d want to get him up onto my shoulders in a shoulder wheel position, smile for the camera and then slam him into the ground and get the point deducted. But that was in stand-up; this is submission fighting, so the stance is slightly different. Bob Sapp is a media superstar and he’s a very, very scary opponent, especially for someone as small as me, so the challenge is immense. If I win comfortably, people will say it’s because Bob Sapp is a blow-out. If I lose, they’ll say Bob Sapp used his size. I want to get out there and let everyone see that Bob is not just a big guy, he has got technique and skills and he’s a very dangerous opponent, then I want to beat him with technique, strategy and skill.

FCF: What’s your fight weight?
GB: My fighting weight has been around 108 kilos [237 pounds] recently, but I’ve dropped down and I expect to come in around 102 kilos (225 pounds).

FCF: What do you think are Sapp’s strengths?
GB: His sheer size, not necessarily his weight, but the sheer size he carries with it. If he tries to shoot to take you down, he’s got the American Football tackling background, you’ve got to move one hell of a long way laterally just to clear his bulk. I’ve fought people of similar weight that are nowhere near the width of him. Obviously he’s got the weight and he can displace an opponent if he catches you with a punch. He’s sixty kilos heavier than me, but he’s also learning technically. He’s been doing some good kickboxing work, some good grappling work and he does have some technical ability which people don’t give him credit for.

FCF: When was your last MMA contest?
GB: You could say it was 2003 when I won the World Jujitsu Championships in , because it was sport jujitsu so technically that’s a mixed martial arts match. Apart from that it would have been back in 1996/1997 on Lee Hasdell’s show. Last May I was due to fight Martin Lidberg, who’s an Olympic and World wrestling star, on K-1 Scandinavia. I trained up for my return to Mixed Martial Arts and then he dislocated his knee in his last training session before the fight, so we both watched from ringside instead.

FCF: Do you have a good submission game?
GB: I feel I’ve got an excellent submission game if my opponent is wearing a gi. If you take that away, I’m more limited. I’m working on changing my instincts for no gi, rather than getting a grip on a jacket and I’m now getting in the habit of underhooks, overhooks. I’m satisfied that I have a competent ground game but obviously it’s nowhere near as good as my gi game.

FCF: No doubt Sapp will be only too happy to stand and bang with you. Given the size disparity, are you ready for that?
GB: No problem whatsoever. In sport jujitsu I’ve fought and thrown guys who are around Bob Sapp’s weight. There’s a giant New Zealander I used to fight on the circuit and I’ve thrown him a couple of times, got him nice and high with a hip throw and got him up to my head height before slamming him into the ground. As for weathering the storm of Bob’s punches, he will displace me but that’s the one side of my fight game that I’m not worried about. I’m 100% confident that I can stand toe-to-toe with him if I decide to.

FCF: You’re being thrown in at the deep end in terms of the public spotlight. Is there any added pressure from that?
GB: No, not at all. I’ve fought in front of 18,000 people. I fought the American champion Carter Williams at the Arnold Classic on his home turf and even then I didn’t feel any pressure. You’re more worried about the guy in front of you trying to club you.

FCF: What have been some of the highpoints of your K-1 career?
GB: I was the champion twice. I came up against a little bit of ageism in K-1. I was looking for a better contract and they said you need to fight some better people. So I said give me better people. I then beat Azem Maksutaj, who bust up K-1 Las Vegas that year and was a rising star, so I took his world title. Then they gave me Gregory Tony, the French champion. He didn’t come out for the fourth round, so I stopped him. Then they gave me Carter Williams and I comfortably beat him on points. Then they turned around and said we think you’re too old. They thought I’d win a qualifying tournament, go to , they’d invest their money in me and I’d turn around and say I’m retiring now. However, I’ve never been fitter, never been stronger, never been better, never been more successful and never enjoyed it as much, so I’m not looking at quitting any time soon.

Interview Gary Turner

By Lee Whitehead

When a fighter announces his retirement leading up to the biggest fight of his career and the marketing machine is in full motion, you have to ask: “who the hell is going to take his place?” The answer is simple, someone afraid of nobody, aware of the challenge and willing to throw everything into the mix to get the job done… out goes Buzz Berry and in steps Gary Turner.

Turner has accepted the fight with the monstrous Bob Sapp at Cage Rage on April 21st. An opportunity that came about when Sapp’s original opponent Buzz Berry decided that it was time for him to retire. Turner is a tough, intelligent and charismatic fighter with solid Kickboxing skills.

MMAWeekly: How did this deal come about?

Gary Turner: “Well, great opportunities suit great opportunists, and I am always in condition and ready to go. When Buzz retired and the offer was put towards me I was very pleased. I normally maintain fighting shape all year round. Put it this way, if someone gave me an option to fight this weekend and I wasn’t contracted I would take it.”

MMA: So does this mean Cage Rage have signed you to the usual 4-fight deal?

GT: “The specifics of the deal are still being ironed out, the Sapp fight has been contracted and the key here is that I wanted a multi-fight deal, it will likely be a three fight deal with them.”

MMA: Sapp is signed and sealed, where does this leave your other commitments?

GT: “I will still be fighting Tom Blackledge on Paul Murphy’s Ultimate Force show on the 19th of May, that has been agreed as part of my contract with Cage Rage and I am really looking forward to it, but at the moment my focus is on Sapp.”

“I also have other commitments to honor with regards to kickboxing with confirmed fights in South Africa, Florida and Dubai before the end of the year.”

MMA: And after Blackledge, who would you like to face?

GT: “Literally anyone, if they said to me we have got you Fedor, I would take that as well. I don’t care, I will fight anyone they put in-front of me.”

MMA: How do you feel about the size difference to Sapp and what weight will you come into this fight at?

GT: “I normally walk around at 99.5kg (about 220 pounds) as I train so intensively. Leading up to a fight I will start carbing up on Monday and come fight time will normally be around 105-108kg (about 231-238 pounds), for this specific fight I think I will be around 102kg (about 225 pounds). Overall the size doesn’t bother me, I think the UK and the US has gotten into a routine of doing things in MMA and I plan on coming into this with a fresh approach to a lot of stuff.”

MMA: Who are you going to be training with in preparation for this fight?

GT: “I will be keeping my boxing and kickboxing coaches as per usual, they work very well together looking at footwork, angles, circling and straight punch combinations as well the application to MMA so you don’t leave things like trailing legs to be collected; in addition to them I will be working with Alex Reid, Pete Mercer, Gaz Roriston and a guy we call Tiny who is 160kgs (about 353 pounds) – he will be doing all the lay ’n pray stuff!”

MMA: Finally, what is your strategy going to be coming into this fight?

GT: “I can tell you what Sapp’s strategy will be. He will come in with a tight guard, nice and low and try to back me up into the cage, take me down, lay on me and pound away. He knows he will gas and he knows I will be lighter than him. He will plan on overwhelming me. That said, I believe that ‘he who makes the rules wins’ so why should I fight according to a strategy he expects. I plan on coming out with a fresh approach to MMA and doing some stuff that even more talented people than me will be able to continue and improve upon in the future. As I said before, we have become quite limited in our approach here now so Sapp can expect something fresh.”

In closing, it appears that Turner has his head in the right place. He is aware of the challenge ahead and is looking forward to the match with gusto.

Interview: Cyrille "Snake Bite" Diabate

By Rohit Verma

Pride veteran Cyrille "The Snake" Diabate talks to MMA Universe about his upcoming fight with Ryan Robinson.

Hi Cyrille, thanks for taking the time to do this interview. How do you feel about returning to the Cage Rage Ring on April 21st?
I am happy to be back. My first two fights there were at a very bad moment of my life and I m really sorry I didn’t give a better showing. Hopefully I’ll have a good fight with Ryan!

You will be facing Ryan Robinson at Cage Rage 21: Judgement Day. What do you know about your opponent?
Nothing much! I saw him in Cage Rage before but can’t remember what kind of fighter he is. Judging by his record he’ll try and take it to the ground.

Ryan is moving down from Heavyweight to Light-Heavyweight for this bout. What threats does this pose?
Well he’ll probably be cutting allot of weight to be under the 93kg mark but I’m used to fighting heavier opponents....so it shouldn’t be different from usual.

How are you preparing for this fight?
I m working allot on the things that I need to improve the most. I wasn’t able to train enough on wrestling and grappling last year because of a bad injury but everything’s back to normal again so I’ve been focusing on those.

Melvin Manhoef relinquished his Cage Rage World title after joining the K1 HEROS promotion. Do you hope to fight for the title in the future?
Well for now I m just getting ready for Ryan.....we’ll see after that.

Your last fight was at Pride: Final Conflict 2006 Openweight. Do you know when your next fight in Pride will be?
I really don’t know! I’ve asked them to make sure that the next time I get time to train properly so that I can fight a better fight. We’ll see after Cage Rage what happens.

How many fights are you contracted to with PRIDE FC?
Two more fights contracted. There’s been a few changes with my management but I hope it wont change the deal with Pride...it shouldn’t but you never know.

Are you disappointed that the UFC is hosting their UK show on the same day as your fight at Cage Rage?
No! Frankly I really don’t care! I m just happy to be back there fighting....and also happy that the Big Shows are just next door to France! Hopefully French fighters will be getting more and more media coverage with Cage Rage getting bigger and bigger and the UFC coming to the UK.

Do you have any parting words for the readers of MMA Universe?
Hope they will be looking out for all the Snake Team fighters and that they will continue to support us!

Take care

(Source)

Ross Pointon signs for Cage Rage Championships

One of the stars of the Ultimate Fighter Series, Ross Pointon, is due to fight at Cage Rage Championships 21 – Judgement day at Wembley Arena.

Ross’s opponent will be the British Lightweight Champion, Abdul Mohammed. This is going to be a tremendous fight, with Abdul coming up a weight just to get the chance to take on one the most charismatic and well rounded fighters around. It is great for British MMA fans to have Ross fighting back on British soil, this is one fight you don’t want to miss.

Gary Turner is all smiles!...

K-1 superstar and 10 x World kickboxing Champion Gary “Smiler” Turner has lots to Smile about as he makes his Cage Rage Championships debut against Bob “The Beast” Sapp in place of the now retired Heavyweight fighter Robert “Buzz” Berry. Gary Turner is an experienced fighter that has appeared on K-1 cards all over the World. This should be an absolute war as both men are from a K-1 background.

'Cage Rage' fighting to be screened live on Sky

By Pam Caulfield

Ultimate fighting will be screened live on TV for the first time in Britain, it was announced today.

Cage Rage 21 - Judgement Day will be beamed live from Wembley Arena in a prime time Saturday night slot by Sky on April 21st.

Mixed Martial Arts, MMA, which combines four Olympic combat disciplines, has overtaken boxing and wrestling in America and is now coming to Britain

The sport seems to have a brutal image but it has also been recognised for the skill, fitness and commitment required to participate at top level.

Some commentators believe that the sport will beat boxing in popularity in the months and years to come.

The Cage Rage Championships attract more than 8,000 fight fans to Wembley.

Topping the bill on April 21st in London will be massive American Mixed Martial Artist Bob Sapp, one of the legends of the sport.

A dozen furious fights feature the sport's global elite matched against the very best that Britain has to offer.

Cage Rage Promoter Andy Geer believes Sky's decision to screen the fight night live marks a major milestone for Mixed Martial Arts.

"Sky know a good thing when they see one," said Andy. "Their track record in taking emerging sports to their next level is second to none.

"The public just got bored with boxing - and wrestling is totally choreographed. Cage Rage is for real and the ultimate form of fighting."

Fighters, matched by weight, do battle in a steel cage known as the octagon.

They fight for three five-minute rounds or until one is knocked out, submits or stopped by the referee.

(Source)

Brad Pickett Talks About His Return to Cage Rage

Brad “One Punch” Pickett was cage-side at FX3 to see Alex Owen win his first championship belt. The two featherweights are scheduled to meet on April 21st at Cage Rage, which will mark Pickett’s return to the promotion since losing his British title to Robbie Olivier in September 2006. Since then Pickett won three fights in a row and then went to Costa Rica to compete in BodogFight against J.R. Simms, the results of which are being kept secret until the series is broadcast.

FCF: You just watched Alex Owen in action here at FX3. What are your thoughts on fighting him in April?
Brad Pickett: I respect his ground game, he’s very slick. I believe he ain’t got the tools to beat me. I’ve trained at American Top Team numerous times; I’ve trained with black belts in jiu-jitsu so I’m very aware of the submission game. He has very limited striking; he throws one kick all the time to set up his takedown. I’ve got a game plan and I’m looking forward to the fight. I believe I’ll be his toughest fight – if he fights me. I’ve got an inkling he’ll pull out for some reason, I don’t know why. It would be a good win to have on my record. If he beats me, hats off to him, but I don’t think he can.

FCF: You’re not intimidated by his ground game?
BP: Not at all. It’s not a fight where you get scared. You’re not fighting some bad ass who’s going to knock you out and hurt you. You’re fighting a guy where if you lose, you get submitted. So what? It don’t hurt. He’s in a fight, I’m going to hit him hard. He even said to me, ‘Man, just don’t break my nose.’ He’s intimidated about getting hit. He says he’s not a very violent person but it’s a violent sport and he’s going to get hit, so we’ll see how he weathers the storm. I don’t think in any of his fights he’s fought anyone with really good stand up or aggression. He’s been quite selective with his fights, which is good, you want to build yourself up as a fighter, and I’m really looking forward to this fight.

FCF: You made your American debut last year at the Absolute Fighting Championship. How was that?
BP: My fight in the AFC last year was my first fight after getting beat by Robbie. You fall off the horse, you want to get straight back on. I won the fight and since then I’ve had two other fights that I’ve won by arm bar and then I had my last fight which was in Costa Rica, but I can’t say what the outcome was. I had a very good trip and I really enjoyed it.

FCF: You started your career knocking people out, but you won your last three in a row by armbar.
BP: My last three in a row were by submission. It was important in my last fight [at BodogFight] that I did something different, but you won’t find out what until it’s aired.

SAPP'S OPPONENT DROPS OFF CAGE RAGE CARD

By Lee Whitehead

Surprising news out of the UK is that Robert “Buzz” Berry is pulling out of his proposed match against Bob “The Beast” Sapp on the Cage Rage 21 card at Wembley Arena.

The official line from Buzz is that he retiring from MMA competition to focus on his family and work commitments, leaving less and less time to train in order to compete at a level he feels is necessary to compete. This has come as a shock to all involved as the marketing machine is in full swing for the match and it leaves Cage Rage in the position of trying to find a suitable opponent.

James Thompson would be an obvious match-up, but the powers that be at PRIDE will likely veto this and push for the fight to happen once Sapp’s contract with K1 is out of range and he signs with them – it’s the kind of fight the Japanese audience would love.

So what other options? Sapp is a difficult fight due to size and the fact that given his stature it would need to be a fight that makes sense for a UK fighter to take. Mustapha Al-Turk will miss the April card, Tengiz Tedoradze deserves an international name but stylistically this fight isn’t ideal, Dave Legeno and Mark Buchanan aren’t where they need to be skill-wise to take this fight and will likely be early round cannon fodder, the only logical option would appear to be Rob Broughton; unless Cage Rage bring in another imxport.

Cage Rage promoter Dave O’Donnell had this to say: “It’s a shame that he’s out, but we will find an opponent for Sapp don’t you worry about that. It’s early days yet, but we have some names in mind.” When asked if someone like Alexandre Lungu would be brought back to face Sapp he stated, “It will be a British guy.”

Ninja Rua vs Alex Reid - Cage Rage 21

We can now announce an extraordinary middleweight war between Alex “The Detonator” Reid and Maurilo “Ninja” Rua, these two fighters will clash on Judgement Day, 21st April at the Wembley Arena and it will be a fight that will raise the roof as both these men like to strike. Ninja comes from the World famous Chute Boxe Academy. On learning that his opponent would be Ninja, Alex Reid said “ I am so pumped at this opportunity, I have never been as pumped about a fight before and I will be training hard for this one “. You can expect fireworks as Alex Reid takes on Chute Boxe superstar Ninja.



Fight Card
Robert Berry vs Bob Sapp
Ivan Serati vs Vitor Belfort
Cyborg vs James Zikic
Daijiro Matsui vs Mark Weir
Murilo Rua vs Alex Reid
Rowman Webber vs Mark Epstein
Paul Kelly vs Paul Daley
Abdul Mohammed vs TBA
Cyrille Diabate vs Ryan Robinson
Alex Owen vs Brad Pickett
Xavier Foupa Pokam vs Tom Watson
James E Nicoll vs Matt Ewin

(More Information)

Results from Cage Rage: Contenders 4

Hammersmith Palais - London, England

After unsuccessfully challenging Paul Daley for the British welterweight title last year, Sol “Zero Tolerance” Gilbert got his career back on track with his first fight of 2007, by stopping Darren Guisha in the third and final round of their fight at the top of the bill at Cage Rage’s fourth Contenders show. Gilbert stalked Guisha around the octagon, repeatedly landing leg kicks that turned Guisha’s left thigh dark purple and keeping him under constant pressure with some crisp boxing. In the third round Gilbert scored a takedown as Guisha rushed in, then took his back and pounded him until the referee stopped the fight to save the battered fighter. Gilbert advances to 9-4-1.


(Sol Gilbert (Left) punching Darren Guisha

After losing to the much more experienced Daijiro Matsui at the last Cage Rage, Tom “Kong” Watson came out mean and angry against Dorlan “The Dog” O’Mally from London Thai Fighters. O’Mally had no chance to employ his powerful stand-up as Watson took the kickboxer down from the bell and punished him on the canvas until the referee was forced to step in.

There was plenty of ground and pound on display throughout the night, including Michael Pastou’s stoppage of Jake Bostwick. A brawling middleweight on the rise, Bostwick was 3-0 coming in, opposite Pastou’s 0-1. Bostwick scored a takedown early, but Pastou took top position and went after him with a fury. Bostwick threw punches of his own from his back, but Pastou held nothing back and went for the finish, pounding like a man possessed until the referee stopped the contest as Bostwick was taking a pasting.

The submission of the night belonged to Alex Korsivich, from the Bloodline Fight Team, for his ankle lock tap-out of Cambridge Free Fight’s Afnan Saeed. Korsivich cut Saeed early in the fight and took mount when they hit the floor. As Saeed tried to escape by scooting out the back door, Korsivich latched on to his leg and cranked on the ankle lock for the submission.

Lloyd Clarkson, from Poole Jiujitsu, came from behind to stop Dan Movahedi, of the Elite Fighting System. Movahedi started strong, snapping Clarkson’s head back with punches over and over again, but Clarkson refused to go down and kept coming back for more, until he threw a left hook that caught Movahedi flush and dropped him. A brief burst of hammer fists on the ground and Clarkson got the KO in a gutsy performance.

Full Results
Sol Gilbert def. Darren Guisha by TKO (Referee stoppage – strikes) 2:24 R3
Tom Watson def. Dorlan O’Mally by TKO (Referee stoppage – strikes) 2:51 R1
Michael Pastou def. Jake Bostwick by TKO (Referee stoppage – strikes) 4:48 R1
Alex Korsivich def. Afnan Saeed by Ankle Lock 2:18 R1
Steven Elliot def. Deano Durant by Tap-out (strikes) 1:55 R1
Joe Mac def. Marvin Arnold Bleau by TKO (Referee stoppage – strikes) 4:08 R1
Jeff Lawson def. Mark Dayrell by Arm Bar 1:23 R1
Lloyd Clarkson def. Dan Movahedi by KO 3:15 R1
Sunnat Ilyasov def. Mindaugas Mockevicius by Guillotine 0:31 R1
John Hathaway def. Serge Ussanov by Rear Naked Choke 2:08 R1
Jeff Hayes def. Jamie Spooner by TKO (Referee stoppage – strikes) 1:33 R2
Luke Smith def. Jack Miles by KO 0:40 R1

Cage Rage 21 Updated Fight Card

Vitor Belfort’s opponent for Cage Rage 21: Judgement Day will be ’s Ivan Serati. At 5-0, Serati has campaigned as a heavyweight and in his previous fights has shown an aggressive style, stopping all of his opponents in the first round. However, he’s never been in with anyone with a fraction of Belfort ’s experience and will find his chin sorely tested by the Brazilian Phenom.



In a slight shuffling of the card, Alex Reid’s rematch with Xavier Foupa-Pokam will have to wait for another day as Reid has been lined up to meet Murilo “Ninja” Rua, from Chute Boxe. Rua took a beating from Mark Weir in his last fight at Cage Rage 18 before he caught the Brit in an arm triangle in the second round. Reid’s best hope will be to pressure Rua in the standing exchanges and try to avoid going to the floor.

Foupa-Pokam’s replacement opponent looks like being Tom Watson, who just beat Dorlan O’Mally this past weekend. Foupa-Pokam has seen plenty of controversy in his career, with two losses by disqualification to Martin Kampmann and Sol Gilbert. In his match against Reid in December, Foupa-Pokam won a decision after the fight went to the scorecards in the second round when Reid was unable to continue after being struck in the eyes twice. Watson is an ex-professional boxer, so he should be able to hang with Foupa-Pokam on his feet and Watson brings plenty of passion into the cage.

Fight Card
Robert Berry vs Bob Sapp
Vitor Belfort vs Ivan Serati (Pictured Above)
Cyborg vs James Kikic
Daijiro Matsui vs Mark Weir
Rowman Webber vs Mark Epstein
Cyrille Diabate vs Ryan Robinson
Paul Kelly vs Paul Daley
Xavier Foupa Pokam vs Alex Reid
Abdul vs TBA
Brad Pickett vs Alex Owen
James E Nicoll vs Matt Ewin

Cage Rage Contenders 4: Gilbert Back with Impressive Win

By Jim Page

HAMMERSMITH PALAIS — The London version of the Cage Rage Contenders show may not be known for its sophisticated jiu-jitsu encounters, but one thing you can expect to see is a night full of intense battles between some of the most determined young fighters from London and the surrounding area.

Topping the bill was Sol Gilbert (Pictures)'s methodical destruction of the game, but overmatched, Darren Guisha. Known primarily for his boxing, Gilbert surprised the crowd scoring with an early shot for a takedown, before getting back to his tried and tested stand-up game.

The Brighton fighter had some good success in the first round, knocking Guisha off his feet twice and taking his legs away with a series of brutal low kicks. By the third round, Gilbert seemed in full control and finished the fight with a barrage of heavy shots from rear-mount.

Coming back from a disappointing submission loss to the sneaky Daijiro Matsui (Pictures) on the Cage Rage main show, Tom Watson (Pictures) had a great deal to prove against dangerous kickboxer, Dorlan O'Malley. Happily for Watson, his return went exactly to plan as he took O'Malley to the mat and finished him with punches in less than three minutes.

In a heated encounter in the middleweight division, "Brutal" Jake Bostwick was roared on by his army of fans, but found himself in a tight spot going up against Team Titan's Michael Pastou. Controlling the floor work, Pastou moved to mount position and battered the young fighter from Kidbrooke until the referee stepped in to stop the contest 20 seconds before the end of the first round.

Representing Team Bloodline, Alex Paulskorsaks had a very impressive debut on the show, taking down and submitting the brave Afnan Saeed with an Achilles lock that had the crowd wincing. Paulskorsaks gamely refused to quit until Saeed turned onto his front, giving him no choice but to submit.

Listing his style as ‘Extreme Tae Kwon do' the last thing you might expect from Steven Elliot is to take an opponent to the mat — but, after his opponent Deano Durant landed a vicious right low kick in the opening seconds of the fight, that is exactly what he did. Showing good balance, he controlled the Eltham Warrior from mount position, damaging him with strikes for yet another first round finish.

Joe Mac is an absolute monster. With his Mohawk haircut, chiseled upper body and maze of tattoos, it's hard to imagine a fighter who looks any more intimidating. However, his opponent, Marvin Arnold-Bleu, never seems short on confidence and started the fight with a hard knee to the face, which immediately drew blood from Mac's forehead.

Fighting back like a man possessed, Mac was quickly able to turn the contest in his favor with a pair of hard slams, before scoring a hotly disputed ground-and-pound stoppage victory, which saw Arnold-Bleu complain bitterly, but to no avail.

In another quick-as-a-flash win, striker-turned-submission artist Jeff Lawson caught Mark Dayrell with a superb armbar from his back after just over one minute of the first round — making amends for his less than stellar performance in his last showing on the event.

Fight of the night was without doubt the war between Lloyd Clarkson and Dan Movahedi, which had the crowd going crazy. With Clarkson absorbing a stream of punches, knees and low kicks from the outset, referee Grant Waterman later revealed that he was close to stopping the contest to save him from further punishment. But around the three-minute mark of the first round, Clarkson turned it around with a picture perfect left hook that sent Movahedi crashing to the floor. After the beating he took, it truly was an impressive stoppage win for a very determined fighter — absolutely scintillating stuff.

In the rest of the night's action, Luke Smith landed a huge right hand to claim victory over Jack miles in only 40 seconds. ZT Fight Skool product Jeff Hayes came back from some early punishment to batter Jamie Spooner on the floor for his first win. Both John Hathaway and Sunnat Ilyasov choked their way to victory in the first round.