April 30, 2018

    6 fights announced for CW94 in Antwerp, Belgium

    Frankie 30/04/2018

    Belgian fan favourites Donovan Desmae, Jan Quaeyhaegens and Erdi Karatas all receive opponents alongside UK prospects Dean Trueman, Cory McKenna, Jai Herbert and more. On June 16th, Cage Warriors will once again partner with Eleven Sports, one of the most prolific sports broadcasters in Europe, to deliver the biggest night of MMA in Belgium’s history to fans at Antwerp’s Lotto Arena. Last time was incredible, and Europe’s leading MMA promotion has promised even bigger and better things this time. Belgium’s Donovan Desmae made a serious statement to every lightweight in Europe in his last outing, when he knocked out Richard Williams in the very first round of their bout at CW91. He enters his next fight at CW94 with 11 wins to his name, 7 of those being within the distance by way of knockout or submission. Desmae will face the extremely tough Hubert Geven, a Dutch fighter currently riding a 3 fight win streak. During Cage Warriors’ last Belgian event, Antwerp’s Jan Quaeyhaegens finished Leon Jansen in the very first round via TKO: fighting out of Perfect Team MMA under Belgian MMA hero Ben Dandois, Quaeyhaegens has now stopped his last 3 opponents within the distance, keeping his 100% finish rate intact and proving himself as one of Belgium’s most exciting fighters coming through the ranks. He’ll face Phil Mulpeter who also has some very impressive Cage Warriors wins including TKOs at CW56 and CW65. Mulpeter is the more experienced fighter on paper, but Quaeyhaegens’ current streak suggests he’ll be more than able to make this a really exciting fight. Erdi Karatas has beaten some notable names on the lightweight scene in dominant fashion since his debut in 2011 and is riding a 4-fight win streak. He’ll face Jai Herbert, who’s recently signed a new multi-fight deal with Cage Warriors and will want to begin his run with a dominant victory. Also now matched for CW94 is Jarno Errens, who has picked up 4 submission wins in the last 2 years with 4 different choke variations, highlighting his impressive and extensive ground game. Dean Trueman will meet him in the octagon after a truly memorable ‘fight of the night’ performance at CW92. Ex- IMMAF champions Leah McCourt and Manon Fiorot will meet at a 138lbs catchweight, and exciting strawweight prospect Cory McKenna faces France’s Eva Dourthe. CW94 is starting to stack up with some seriously exciting fights that will give fans at Antwerp’s Lotto Arena plenty to shout about on June 16th. Belgium’s Brian Bouland and Maarten Wouters, as well as former flyweight title challenger Sam Creasey are soon to receive confirmed opponents, so keep your eyes peeled for more news in the coming weeks. “Belgium is producing some of the top MMA talent in Europe right now,” says Cage Warriors President Graham Boylan. “Bouland and Desmae have looked on top of their game in 2018, pulling off two of the scariest KOs of the year so far.” CW94 tickets are on sale NOW from the Tele Ticket Service website here. CW94 Fight Card Donovan Desmae vs Hubert Geven Phil Mulpeter vs Jan Quaeyhaegens Jarno Errens vs Dean Trueman Jai Herbert vs Erdi Karatas Cory McKenna vs Eva Dourthe Leah McCourt vs Manon Fiorot CW94: Confirmed FightersBrian Bouland Maarten Wouters Sam Creasey

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    Yoshitaka Naito has no plans of wasting opportunity to reclaim gold in Jakarta

    Frankie 30/04/2018

    After grotesquely relinquishing his possession of the ONE Strawweight World Championship this past December, Yoshitaka “Nobita” Naito has been handed a golden opportunity to win back the gold-plated strap that he once called his own and against the only man to ever defeat him. The 34-year-old native of Matsudo, Japan has been granted a rematch against newly-minted division kingpin Alex “Little Rock” Silva in the main event of ONE: GRIT AND GLORY, which takes place at the Jakarta Convention Center on 12 May. Nearly five months ago, Naito bowed down to Silva, who demonstrated his rapidly-evolving striking game to beat the then-undefeated Japanese champion by unanimous decision at ONE: WARRIORS OF THE WORLD in Bangkok, Thailand. “Alex had more superiority in the cage on that night. I could not dictate the pace and do what I wanted to do. I was adapting throughout the match. In every aspect, my game plan failed,” he recalled. Naito admitted that he was caught off guard by the pesky striking arsenal of Silva, a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu world champion who previously exhibited his grappling prowess with five consecutive submission victories as he surged into world title contention last year. “In the beginning, I thought his weakness was striking since he is a multi-titled Jiu-Jitsu practitioner. However, it turned out that his strikes hurt a lot,” he confessed. “That was my first time meeting an athlete who is good at everything. After the loss, I felt I was not good enough at anything.” Although Naito revealed that it took him a few months to accept the outcome of his unsuccessful title defence against Silva last December, the disappointing defeat to the Brazilian gave him a renewed hunger to improve his craft. “At first, it was very hard to accept. You can say that it was a rude awakening, but the loss gave me a fresh perspective. The heartbreak was transformed into a drive to win again,” he said. While Naito has rededicated himself to progressing both his striking and his grappling skills, perhaps the biggest evolution is one that cannot be physically seen. “I hope I got stronger. But what I am sure about is that my heart is definitely stronger than before,” he stated. As he prepares to step inside the ONE Championship cage with Silva once more on 12 May, Naito now holds his Brazilian rival in high regard as he vows to try his best to capitalize on the golden chance that lies before him. “I am so happy to get another chance to have a rematch against him. I really respect him. He is a great athlete,” he asserted. “The championship belt is special for me. I am so honoured to be able to fight the strongest athlete in the division whether I win or not. I can fight the strongest athlete, and I have a chance to get the championship belt. That makes it very special for me,” Naito added. Almost five months removed from losing his coveted title belt to Silva, Naito’s competitive fire is burning intensely and is more driven than ever to return to glory. “I will get my belt back. My ultimate goal is to become a champion again,” he assured.

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