Cage Warriors 53 - Fight Card Updates

[keithlewis]

Vacant Featherweight Title Bout Tops Cage Warriors 53 Bill


A NEW featherweight champion will be crowned when Cage Warriors returns to Scotland on Saturday, April 13.

Cage Warriors 53, which is set for Glasgow's Kelvin Hall, will feature the meeting of Jim Alers and Joni Salovaara for the CWFC title, with Mats Nilsson and Chris Scott also scheduled to clash on the bill for Cage Warriors Fighting Championship's second event of 2013.

With current champion Conor McGregor due to vacate the belt when he makes his UFC debut on April 6, the CWFC featherweight strap will be on the line when Alers and Salovaara collide a week later.

Alers (9-1) had been pencilled in to face McGregor twice last year but injuries to both fighters forced the postponement of their scheduled bouts at CWFC Fight Night 7 and Cage Warriors 51.

A four-fight Cage Warriors veteran, Alers has retained his status as the top contender in the organisation's 145lbs division on the back of impressive wins over Matteus Lahdesmaki and Marcio Cesar in 2012.

Salovaara (12-5) earns his shot at the title following a run of good performances that have seen him ascend to the European top ten.

The 27-year-old Finn, a team-mate of top European lightweights Niko Puhakka and Juha-Pekka Vainikainen at Espoon Kehahait, is on a 10-1 run since November 2009, with his two most recent wins coming against CWFC veterans Olivier Pastor and Moktar Benkaci.

"This is a huge fight for me and I'm really excited about the opportunity," said Salovaara. "I'll give it my all and bring the championship belt back home. My opponent is very skilled but so am I, so this will be a tough fight for him."

Alers, a 26-year-old Florida native, said: "I believe this belt belongs to me. I've fought for Cage Warriors four times now and I've come out with the win each time. Cage Warriors has been a great promotion by giving me this chance to become a world champion.

"I'm training hard every day with nothing but the thought of that belt around my waist. I'm not taking my opponent or this opportunity for granted, but I just can't imagine myself not winning this fight. This is my dream and he can't stop me from making it a reality."

The Cage Warriors 53 card will also feature middleweight action, with Nilsson and Scott set to begin their 2013 campaigns in Scotland on April 13.

Nilsson (9-2-1) had been scheduled to fight Denniston Sutherland at Cage Warriors 50 in Glasgow in December but withdrew from the bout after sustaining an injury.

The 29-year-old Swede, who's currently ranked ninth in Europe, submitted UFC veteran Tommy Speer at CWFC Fight Night 3 just over 12 months ago but will be keen to rebound from a decision loss to current TUF star Tor Troeng in his most recent outing.

"I'm expecting this fight to be both technical and wild," said Nilsson. "Having similar strengths, it'll come down to who wants it most; who's willing to work that little bit harder for an inch of an advantage. I want it bad and I'm more than willing to work hard for it."

Scott (6-1), who joined Nilsson as an exclusively contracted Cage Warriors fighter last month, is currently on a five-fight win streak and is ranked as one of the UK's top 20 middleweights.

The 30-year-old, who hails from Sunderland in the north-east of England, has secured all six of his wins by submission.

Scott said: "I've watched a few of Mats' fights and he looks clean and clinical on the floor, as any brown belt should be. He's fought some very high-level fighters so I can't wait to test myself against him. Mats also has his own website – how cool is that?"

[keithlewis]

Doolan versus Pennington Latest Addition to Cage Warriors 53


TWO of the UK's top bantamweights will collide at Cage Warriors 53 in Scotland.

James Doolan will face James Pennington (pictured) when CWFC returns to Glasgow's Kelvin Hall on Saturday, April 13, an event that will be headlined by a featherweight title bout between Jim Alers and Joni Salovaara.

Doolan (17-8-2) is currently ranked eighth in Europe and will be appearing on a Cage Warriors card for the first time in his career.

The 34-year-old Scot holds notable victories over Dino Gambatesa, Leigh Remedios and Neil Seery, as well as a draw with the UFC's Vaughan Lee in December 2010.

"I'm really excited and looking forward to fighting on Cage Warriors, especially in front of the Scottish crowd," said Doolan.

Pennington (6-1), a former bantamweight champion for top UK promotion Shock 'N' Awe, will also be making his Cage Warriors debut.

The highly-rated 25-year-old native of Portsmouth started his career with a six-fight win streak that was snapped by last July's defeat to CWFC-signed bantamweight Davey Grant.

Pennington said: "I was sidelined with injuries for most of last year but I'm back to perfect health now and I'm hungry to succeed. This is exactly the type of fight I need to progress my career.

"I can't wait to step into the Cage Warriors arena and silence the home crowd. I've got nothing but respect for James and his camp but I'll prove I'm one of the best in the UK on April 13. This fight won't be going to the judges."

[keithlewis]

Calderwood-Krumdiack, Ball-Cooledge at Cage Warriors 53


JOANNE Calderwood will return to action in her native Scotland when Cage Warriors hits the Kelvin Hall on Saturday, April 13. The 26-year-old will face American veteran Sally Krumdiack in a strawweight bout at Cage Warriors 53, as the promotion stages its second show in Glasgow following the enormous success of December's Cage Warriors 50 at the same venue.

The event will be co-headlined by a CWFC featherweight title bout, in which Jim Alers and Joni Salovaara will clash for the 145lbs strap.

Two further bouts have also been added to the card: Jason Ball will return to Cage Warriors action for a lightweight clash with Jason Cooledge, while Paul Marin and Neil Seery will meet in a flyweight contest.

Calderwood (5-0), an experienced muay Thai practitioner, became one of the most talked-about female fighters in the world in 2012.

A member of the Dinky Ninja Fight Team, she made her professional MMA debut just over a year ago but has remained unbeaten in her five fights thus far, with her two most recent wins coming under the Invicta FC banner.

Krumdiack (9-6), who also fought for Invicta in 2012, will be returning to CWFC action for the first time since her defeat to Rosi Sexton at Cage Warriors 39 in November 2010.

The 30-year-old Washington native holds notable victories over Sarah Maloy and Nicdali Rivera-Calanoc, both of whom picked up Invicta wins last year.

Following his impressive win over Aaron Wilkinson on his CWFC debut in December, Alan Johnston had been due to compete on the Cage Warriors 53 card but the Scottish welterweight has now been sidelined due to injury.

[keithlewis]

Edgeworth versus N'Doye, Connor-Laurence Set for Cage Warriors 53


TWO bouts have been confirmed for the preliminary card at Cage Warriors 53 in Glasgow, Scotland, on Saturday, April 13. French star Jean N'Doye will make his bantamweight debut against Irishman Richie Edgeworth, while Scotland's own Mark Connor will face England's Joe Laurence in a flyweight bout. Glasgow plays host to Cage Warriors 53, which will be headlined by a CWFC featherweight title bout between Jim Alers and Joni Salovaara.


Fight Card:

Jim Alers v Joni Salovaara
Joanne Calderwood v Sally Krumdiack
Mats Nilsson v Chris Scott
Jason Ball v Jason Cooledge
Paul Marin v Neil Seery
James Doolan v James Pennington
Richie Edgeworth v Jean N'Doye
Mark Connor v Joe Laurence