Tag Archives: Matt Inman

Welterweight title challengers make weight ahead of main event battle for the Cage Warriors world title at the Indigo at The O2 on Saturday night

Welterweight title challengers make weight ahead of main event battle for the Cage Warriors world title at the Indigo at The O2 on Saturday night. Key information, final card and timings listed for CW80.

The Cage Warriors 80 weigh-ins took place on Friday afternoon in London ahead of Saturday night’s event at Indigo at The O2.

The welterweight world title fight between Matt Inman and Karl Amoussou was confirmed as official, with both men successfully weighing in within the 170lb welterweight championship limit.

Unfortunately the fight card has suffered two enforced changes, with the postponement of two bouts from the event.

The originally-scheduled bout between bantamweights Vaughan Lee and Nathaniel Wood could be rescheduled for Cage Warriors 81 in Dublin on March 4 providing Wood receives medical clearance for the contest.

The bout between Håkon Foss and Martyn Harris also been rescheduled to CW81 after Harris was taken ill in the lead-up to the contest.

The scheduled welterweight bout between Brad Wheeler and Warren Kee will now go ahead as a catchweight contest after Kee came in at 174.4lbs, 3.4lbs over the non-title limit of 171lbs. The contest will go ahead after it was decided that an agreed percentage of Kee’s purse would go to Wheeler.

Everybody else on the card made weight for their respective contests, with the main card set to be televised live across Europe and Asia on BT Sport, Viaplay, Setanta Eurasia and ELEVEN, as well as being streamed worldwide on UFC Fight Pass.

The preliminary card will be streamed exclusively live, for free, globally (except in Scandinavia) via The Sport Bible’s Facebook page. Scandinavian fans can watch the prelims live via Viaplay.

MAIN CARD
Broadcast live on BT Sport, Setanta Eurasia, Viasat, ELEVEN and streamed worldwide on UFC Fight Pass
Matt Inman (169.2) vs Karl Amoussou (169)
Brad Wheeler (169.8) vs Warren Kee (174.4)
Martin Stapleton (149.7) vs Anthony Dizy (149.1)
Tim Wilde (156) vs Alexander Jacobsen (153.5)
Craig White (170.8) vs Thomas Robertsen (169.6)

PRELIMINARY CARD
Streamed live on The Sport Bible’s Facebook page for free.
Arvydas Juska (185.6) vs Djati Melan (183.9)
Aiden Lee (145.6) vs Fabien Gallinaro (145)
Thomas Terdjman (147.6) vs Decky McAleenan (149.7)

KEY TIMINGS

5:00pm: Doors open
7:00pm: Preliminary card starts, available to watch for free on The Sport Bible  Facebook page.
8:15pm: Fan meet and greet with UFC stars & Paddy Pimblett DJ set
9.00pm: Main card starts
10:30pm approx: CW title fight starts
11:00pm approx: Event finish

There are a very limited number of Cage Warriors 80 tickets still available at axs.com from just £20. 

For the latest news and updates from Cage Warriors please visit CageWarriors.com and follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

www.CageWarriors.com

CAGE WARRIORS FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIP is Europe’s leading and longest-running mixed martial arts promotion. An Irish-owned brand with offices in the UK & Ireland, CWFC is the sport’s fastest-growing organisation, having staged 80 events in 12 countries across three different continents since its establishment in 2002. Home to some of biggest stars of MMA’s past, present and future.

KARL AMOUSSOU AND MATT INMAN GIVE JOINT INTERVIEW TO CAGE WARRIORS AHEAD OF WELTERWEIGHT TITLE SHOWDOWN AT CW 80

Cage Warriors welterweight stars talk respect, motivation and their joint aim to reach the UFC in this revealing head-to-head chat with Cage Warriors ahead of their main event title fight at Cage Warriors 80 in London on February 18.

Limited tickets for Cage Warriors 80 are available via the AXS website, priced from just £20. Included in the ticket price is a free meet and greet with UFC stars including Dan Hardy.

WHAT DOES WINNING THAT BELT MEAN TO YOU?

Karl Amoussou: That belt is my entry ticket to the UFC. I am bringing it back to France.

Matt Inman: This belt is my path, I’ve been with Cage Warriors a long time. This is my eighth fight with the promotion and I feel like I’ve been on this path along time. I’m ready.

Karl Amoussou: So am I.

DO YOU FEEL ANY PRESSURE GOING INTO THIS FIGHT?

MI: The only pressure I feel is the pressure I put upon myself to put in the best performance I can.

KA: Pressure is always present during a fight, I know I’m going to have the best version of Matt Inman facing me and he’s going to be ready for the best version of Karl Amoussou.  No problem with the pressure, I’ll deal with it.

IS THIS A CAREER-DEFINING FIGHT FOR YOU?

KA: Yes this is definitely a career-defining fight. Now I have to be in the UFC. I belong in the UFC, I should be in the UFC already and after this fight I will definitely be there, no doubt.

MI: Without a doubt, this is the biggest fight of my career against the highest-profile opponent.

ARE YOU EXCITED TO BE HEADLINING AT INDIGO AT THE O2?

MI: I’m excited to be headlining at Indigo at The O2. I’ve waited a long time for this opportunity and I’m just extremely excited to get in there.

KA: I’m very excited to be fighting at The O2 and headline the show, 10 years after my first fight with Cage Warriors. It’s proof of big improvements and I’m going to show where the improvements are now.

DESCRIBE YOUR OPPONENT IN THREE WORDS

KA: Well-dressed, tough and well-rounded.

MI: Powerful, aggressive and experienced.

DOES YOUR OPPONENT DESERVE TO BE FIGHTING IN THE UFC ALREADY? AND IF SO, WHY?

MI: I think this is a fight where both of us should have been fighting in the UFC a long time ago, there’s no question of that. This is a fight that could be on any main card, on any UFC event.

KA: Just like Matt I think exactly the same. We both have our place in the UFC and after this fight there is only going to be space for one but we definitely both deserve to be there.

THERE’S NOT MUCH ANIMOSITY BETWEEN THE PAIR OF YOU. DOES THAT MAKE THE FIGHT ANY HARDER TO GET UP FOR IF YOU DON’T HATE THE PERSON IN FRONT OF YOU?

KA: There is no need for me to have any animosity against an opponent, I think it’s a waste of energy. I know what my goal is, I’m pretty sure Matt knows what his goal is and I think we have the same. We are both going to do our job and, on my part, I know exactly what I’m going to do.  So there’s no need for animosity.

MI: I never require animosity when facing an opponent. My focus is on performing the best I can and that would be the same whatever way I felt about my opponent and that’s what I guarantee I’ll do come fight night.

FINALLY, HOW WILL THE FIGHT END?

MI: I’m not going to make predictions for how this fight will end. I’m expecting a tough fight and a real challenge, but I’m ready to come out the winner.

KA: I’m going to make a prediction. This fight is going to end either by KO or submission. I’ll be ready for five rounds and I’ll be ready for a submission or a KO in every single round, so be ready for it, too.

For the latest news and updates from Cage Warriors please visit CageWarriors.com and follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

www.CageWarriors.com

CAGE WARRIORS FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIP is Europe’s leading and longest-running mixed martial arts promotion. An Irish-owned brand with offices in the UK & Ireland, CWFC is the sport’s fastest-growing organisation, having staged 80 events in 12 countries across three different continents since its establishment in 2002. Home to some of biggest stars of MMA’s past, present and future.

WELTERWEIGHT CHALLENGER MATT INMAN OPENS UP AHEAD OF TITLE TILT

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, February 6th, 2017

Manchester’s Matt Inman takes on France’s Karl Amoussou for the vacant Cage Warriors welterweight title at CW80 in London on February 18. Here he speaks at length ahead of the biggest fight of his career.

In the lead-up to Cage Warriors 80 we sat down with welterweight title challenger Matt Inman during a promotional video shoot to get his thoughts on his upcoming title bout with Frenchman Karl Amoussou.

Below is a full transcript of the interview.

HOW HAS YOUR TRAINING GONE FOR THIS FIGHT?
Training so far has been going really well. I’ve had a lot of footage of my opponent to look at and we’ve been working through his strategies and the specific techniques I need to use. Between now and the fight everything we want is in place and its just a matter of sharpening things up, making sure everything is ready for the fight.

HAVE YOU DONE ANYTHING DIFFERENTLY IN PREPARATION FOR THIS BOUT?
I’m constantly looking to add things to my skillset. I’m not a fighter who has a static amount of skills, there’s nothing I’m afraid to try out. I’m constantly looking to improve in that fashion.  Every time there’s a new opponent and new challenges posed by that opponent I’m looking to do different things in my training. This time has been no different. Karl as an opponent provides a lot of unique challenges and that’s what we’ve been working on in the gym.

ARE YOU THE HARDEST TRAINER YOU KNOW?
I don’t know if I’m the hardest trainer I know, but I think a lot of the guys I train with will tell you I’m fairly hard-working. I more or less live in the gym and never find myself short of motivation to train for any occasion.

HOW WOULD WINNING THE CAGE WARRIORS TITLE CHANGE YOUR CAREER?
Winning the Cage Warriors title would be huge in my career. I think Cage Warriors has become a really big platform and there’s a lot of exposure through TV and other ways. Winning that belt and being up there with other guys who have been Cage Warriors champions before is exactly the step forward I’m looking for in my career.

WHEN YOU LOOK AT FORMER CAGE WARRIORS FIGHTERS WHO ARE NOW IN THE UFC, HOW DOES THAT MAKE YOU FEEL?
I believe I belong in the UFC, you look at my record and the fights I’ve had, the people I’ve beaten, there isn’t a UFC card I’d look out of place on anywhere. That’s motivation to keep pushing towards that and it will come in good time. The main thing is I’m constantly performing and improving.

HOW DOES TRAINING AFFECT YOUR DAY-TO-DAY LIFE?
I find my day-to-day life is built around training, from waking up in the morning it’s the first thing I’m doing. What I’m eating, when I’m resting, life really has to take a back seat to training. Training always comes first but that’s what I love to do, so I never find that difficult.

AFTER YOUR LAST FIGHT YOU SAID: “I DON’T WANT TO BE THE BEST, I JUST WANT TO BE THE BEST I CAN BE.” WHAT DID YOU MEAN BY THAT?
That’s kind of my mindset really. I’ve never been the greatest natural athlete, people come into MMA with different attributes and I think I’ve had to work a lot harder than most to bring myself up to this level. It just means my skill, my technique, my dedication and my focus has to be 100%. I’ve come up against guys who are naturally faster, stronger and more powerful than me but I generally win through because of this mindset. I’m always looking to push myself to those levels.

WHAT MOTIVATES YOU? IS IT TO GET TO THE UFC, OR SOMETHING ELSE?
I think all the motivation I have is intrinsic, I’m not kind of looking on to the next thing because there’s always going to be one thing after the next. I do have goals about where I want to fight – I’d love to win the Cage Warriors title and of course every fighter wants to fight in the UFC. But my main motivation goes beyond that. I’m more interested in being the best fighter I can be, the best mixed martial artist, the most technical, the most skilled, the toughest I can possibly be. If that means I don’t make it to the UFC eventually or for whatever reason I never own one of these major titles, providing I’m looking to work towards that goal then that’s really what motivates me.

WHAT’S THE BEST THING ABOUT BEING AN MMA FIGHTER?
The best thing about being an MMA fighter is getting to do MMA everyday. This is what I do, this is full time. I’m fortunate really. I turned my hobby into a job and that’s all I have to focus on. I’m one of a genuine few people in the world who can wake up every morning and say I’m excited to get into work and I love what I do.

WHAT’S THE WORST THING ABOUT BEING AN MMA FIGHTER?
The worst thing is dieting, keeping the weight down. I think most real fighters will agree with me, the process of restricting your body to make your weight class is by far the least enjoyable part, but that’s part of the job. Some people can go to work and eat pizza and it won’t affect the way they do their job but if I eat pizza and ice cream it will affect the way I do my job, so that’s something I just have to sacrifice.

KARL AMOUSSOU IS ON A SIX-FIGHT WIN STREAK, WITH ALL SIX COMING INSIDE THE DISTANCE. HOW DO YOU ENSURE YOU’RE NOT NUMBER SEVEN?
He’s a strong opponent, he’s won his last six – five I think inside the distance – so you can tell he starts strong early. I think in those fights I don’t think he’s fought an opponent who brings what I bring. I don’t think they have the experience, the skillset or the toughness. I’m going to be ready. I understand the guy’s an aggressive fighter and we’re going to be straight into the fire.  Come February 18 I’ll be completely ready for that and I’ll be ready to dig deep and do what it takes. I’ve finished a lot of people early too – don’t count out the fact I might be able to do that – it wont be all one-way traffic early. Out of 19 wins I’ve finished 17 of those and I’m going to be looking to finish, early or late.

IS THIS THE TOUGHEST FIGHT OF YOUR CAREER? IF NOT, IS IT THE MOST IMPORTANT?
It’s certainly the most important fight to date. The old adage that styles makes fights is true, you can never really be sure looking at an opponent on paper or on footage, exactly how he’s going to match up with you until you get in and you’re facing him across from the cage. I won’t say it’s going to be my toughest test to date, I’ve been through tough tests already but this is the biggest fight and I’m certain it will be one with no room whatsoever to make mistakes in. I’ve got to perform and I know that.

IS IT DIFFICULT TO GET YOUR FIGHT HEAD ON WHEN THERE’S NO NEEDLE?
I don’t think there’s much animosity between me and Karl personally, I don’t need that. When I’m focused on my own performance that’s going to be the same whoever the opponent is. Sometimes opponents might talk, they might say things, but I think if you’re relying on that to get yourself up for a fight, then your mindset is not necessarily in the right place to begin with. I’m focused on my performance and I’m sure Karl’s the same. We can expect us both at the top of our games and a great fight.

IS EARNING A SPOT IN THE UFC THE ULTIMATE GOAL FOR YOU?
Earning graduation to the ranks of the UFC is a goal, but I wouldn’t call it the ultimate goal because once I get to the UFC I believe I can perform there as well. Naturally I’d be disappointed if I didn’t make it into the UFC, most serious MMA fighters would tell you the same thing. It’s not the end of the road I don’t think, when I get there I’d still want to push on further. You just keep moving the goalposts every time you achieve a little goal and you’ll push further on to the next.

WILL YOU BE BRINGING BIG SUPPORT DOWN TO LONDON FROM MANCHESTER FOR THIS FIGHT?
I’m looking forward to fighting in the capital again, it was the scene of my last fight in Cage Warriors Unplugged. This time we’re not in a TV studio, so I’m looking forward to bringing a lot of support down from Manchester. I’ve been fortunate in the way people have got behind me and believed in me going into this fight.

DOES THAT ADD PRESSURE OR DOES THE SUPPORT HELP YOU?
It’s great to have support. It’s always nice to have people behind you. In all honesty I’m going to perform whatever the case. If I’m in an empty room and a cage or I’ve got a few thousand people screaming me on, that won’t affect my mindset because I’ve got to be ready to fight anywhere, anytime. So I’m not relying on a crowd or support to give a boost in a fight, that’s all in there already.

THERE’S A SPECIAL GUEST DJ AT THIS EVENT. DO YOU NOTICE THE TUNES BETWEEN ROUNDS AND WHAT WOULD YOUR REQUEST BE?
I never really notice much of what is going on around me during a fight outside of the fight itself. A little bit of a pick-me-up between rounds might be good. Sling on a bit of the Rocky theme song. That could be good!

CAN YOU DESCRIBE YOURSELF IN THREE WORDS?
Technical, tough and I’ve got an engine.

WHO HAS THE ADVANTAGE WHEN THE FIGHT GOES TO THE FLOOR?
If the fight goes to the floor I think it’s an interesting one, Karl’s won a lot of his fights by submission – to me he appears a very explosive grappler. If he gets hold of a heel or an arm he’ll take that home with him. He’s strong and powerful and he can lock onto those submissions. I think all-round my grappling is going to be stronger though. I think I have a greater understanding of those positions, I know exactly what I should be looking for at any point and I know by those terms exactly how to keep myself out of danger as well.

Limited tickets for Cage Warriors 80 are available via the AXS website, priced from just £20. Included in the ticket price is a free meet and greet with UFC stars including Dan Hardy.

For the latest news and updates from Cage Warriors please visit CageWarriors.com and follow us on Twitter, Facebookand Instagram.

Photo: Matt Inman – CreditDolly Clew / Cage Warriors 

www.CageWarriors.com

CAGE WARRIORS FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIP is Europe’s leading and longest-running mixed martial arts promotion. An Irish-owned brand with offices in the UK & Ireland, CWFC is the sport’s fastest-growing organisation, having staged 80 events in 12 countries across three different continents since its establishment in 2002. Home to some of biggest stars of MMA’s past, present and future.

UFC STARS JOIN CAGE WARRIORS FOR FAN MEET AND GREET AT CW80

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, February 1at, 2017
MMA legend Dan ‘The Outlaw’ Hardy heads up a cast of former Cage Warriors stars who will return to their former home to meet the fans at Cage Warriors 80 in London.

We’re just three weeks away from Cage Warriors’ first world title fight of 2017 as England’s Matt Inman and France’s Karl Amoussou get set to do battle for the vacant welterweight title at Cage Warriors 80.

The headlining title fight tops a packed card of action at Cage Warriors’ new home at Indigo at The O2 on February 18, but fight fans will also get a rare opportunity to catch up with some Cage Warriors’ stars of yesteryear ahead of the event.

We’re delighted to announce that we’ll also be hosting a special meet and greet session with a host of former Cage Warriors stars who have all gone on to further their respective careers in the UFC.

Heading the lineup is Dan ‘The Outlaw’ Hardy, the popular welterweight who became the first British fighter to compete for a UFC world title when he battled the great Georges St-Pierre all the way to the scorecards at UFC 111 back in 2010.

Dan has since forged a successful career on the other side of the fence as a colour commentator and one of the most astute, respected MMA analysts in the game.

Dan will be joined by fellow former Cage Warriors stars Jack Hermansson, Darren Stewart, Alex Enlund and Tom Breese for a special meet and greet session, which is open to all fans attending the event on February 18. No additional ticket is required.

Limited tickets for Cage Warriors 80 are available via the AXS website, priced from just £20. Secure yours today and make sure you’re a part of the latest exciting chapter in Cage Warriors’ history.

For the latest Cage Warriors Fighting Championship news and updates, keep track of us on FacebookTwitter and Instagram. View past CWFC action, free and on-demand, online via Cage Warriors TV.

Photo: Dan Hardy – Credit Cage Warriors