CWFC 73: HAQUE vs. ROONEY

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Tuesday, September 9, 2014 Shaj Haque and Damien Rooney will collide in an exciting flyweight bout on Saturday, November 1, 2014, at CWFC 73 at Newcastle's Metro Radio Arena, with a middleweight contest between Chris Scott and Leeroy Barnes also added to the bill, which will be headlined by the meeting of defending champion Stevie Ray and challenger Curt Warburton for the CWFC lightweight world title.   (London, United Kingdom | Tuesday, September 9, 2014) - An exciting flyweight bout has been added to the bill for Cage Warriors 73, which is set for the Metro Radio Arena in Newcastle, England. Taking place on Saturday, November 1, 2014, Cage Warriors 73 will be headlined by a CWFC lightweight world title bout between defending champion Stevie Ray and challenger Curt Warburton. The event will see Europe’s leading MMA promotion return to Newcastle for the first time since last December, when the same arena played host to CWFC 62, which saw Shaj Haque pick up his third Cage Warriors victory. Haque (5-1), a Newcastle native, will once again have the backing of the home support when he welcomes Damien Rooney to the CWFC flyweight division. Twenty-three year-old Haque signed an exclusive Cage Warriors deal last year after securing impressive wins over Olly Battell and Kris Edwards. Having emerged on the wrong side of a decision against Paul Marin last October to taste defeat for the first time in his career, Haque rebounded with two more big wins against Mark Connor and Martin McDonough. Rooney has been campaigning in recent months for a meeting with Haque, who holds more victories than any other flyweight currently on the CWFC roster. Looking ahead to November’s bout, Haque said: “This is the first time someone has actively asked to fight me, which makes it interesting and reassures me that I’m moving in the right direction. “Rooney is a good bantamweight and is quite big at that weight, so I’m not sure why he’s going to flyweight, but I’ve beaten bigger guys who have dropped down a division before, so I guess I’ll just have to do it again.” Rooney (10-3-1) will be aiming for his third consecutive win when he takes on Haque, having overcome Alan Philpott and Bryan Creighton in his two most recent outings. A 30-year-old Irishman, Rooney is currently ranked as one of Europe’s top ten bantamweights, but moves to flyweight for the first time on November 1, having beaten Creighton this past March in a 130lbs catchweight bout. Rooney, who has taken nine of his ten wins by stoppage, has been defeated just twice - at the hands of current UFC flyweights Paddy Holohan and Neil Seery - in his last ten bouts. He said: “I wanted a top opponent next and I’ve got one. Now it’s time to show people why I’m Cage Warriors Fighting Championship’s best flyweight and earn myself a shot at that vacant world title.” Meanwhile, a middleweight bout has also been booked for CWFC 73, where Chris Scott and Leeroy Barnes will both be looking to return to winning ways following their respective defeats to Pavel Kusch and Che Mills last time out. More exciting CWFC 73 bouts are still to be announced, and tickets will go on sale soon.   For the latest Cage Warriors Fighting Championship news and updates, keep track of us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. View past CWFC action, free and on-demand, online via Cage Warriors TV. Photo: Shaj Haque - Dolly Clew for CWFC (high-resolution images available upon request)

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 and Jordan, 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, Cage Warriors' broadcast footprint spans 140 million homes worldwide via a network of partners that includes Channel 4, FOX Sports, ESPN, Viasat and Setanta Sports.

Cage Warriors Super Saturday Update

London, England (May 12, 2014) - The bumper bill for Cage Warriors 69: Super Saturday has today been boosted by the addition of three more exciting bouts.

Cage Warriors 69: Super Saturday, which is set to feature two main cards in one evening, will take place on Saturday, June 7, at The Forum in Kentish Town, London, England.

Colliding in a lightweight contest, Australia’s Damien Brown and Englishman Saul Rogers will both return to action for the first time since their respective bouts at CWFC 65 in Dublin back in March.

Brown (10-6) put on a Fight of the Night performance against Paul Redmond before losing out via decision, while Rogers (8-1) edged out John Maguire after three thrilling rounds in the main event.

Read more HERE.

Cage Warriors 69: Hermansson vs. Paraisy

London, England (May 8, 2014) - Cage Warriors Fighting Championship officials can today confirm that the vacant CWFC middleweight world title will be on the line at Cage Warriors 69: Super Saturday.

The landmark event, which will be CWFC’s eighth of 2014, will feature two main cards in one evening, with all the action set to take place on Saturday, June 7, at The Forum in Kentish Town, London, England.

The event will conclude with the meeting of Stevie Ray and Curt Warburton for the vacant lightweight strap, but Cage Warriors gold will also be up for grabs in the headliner of the first of Super Saturday’s two main cards.

With both fighters unbeaten in their four CWFC outings each to date, Jack Hermansson and Norman Paraisy will collide in a bout for Cage Warriors’ 185lbs belt, which was vacated last year by Jesse Taylor.

Read more HERE.

CWFC 69: Warburton vs. Ray

London, England (March 18, 2014) - The CWFC lightweight world title will be at stake when Curt Warburton (13-4) and Stevie Ray (14-5) clash at Cage Warriors 69 at The Forum in London, England, on Saturday, June 7, 2014.

CWFC officials can confirm that previous champion Ivan Buchinger has been released from his contract with the promotion, leaving a vacancy at the summit of the 155lbs division.

The bout will mark the second time that Warburton and Ray will have met, with their previous encounter - which took place in March, 2013 - ending in a unanimous-decision triumph for Warburton.

Read more HERE.

Cage Warriors 62: Fight card update

London, United Kingdom (October 31, 2013) - The bill for Cage Warriors 62 in Newcastle is taking shape following today’s addition of a further seven bouts – including two women’s bantamweight contests – to the December 7 card.

However, Brett Johns’ first CWFC bantamweight title defence will have to wait until 2014, with the champion forced to withdraw from his clash with James Brum at Newcastle’s Metro Radio Arena due to injury. A replacement opponent is now being lined up for Brum, but it’s hoped that Johns will be fit to put his belt up for grabs early next year.

Cage Warriors 62 in Newcastle, which will see Neil Seery defend his CWFC flyweight strap against Ulysses Gomez, will also feature the CWFC debut of local star Curt Warburton, after it was announced yesterday that he has signed an exclusive deal with the promotion. Warburton’s opponent will be revealed in due course.

Click HERE for the full press release...

Curt commits to Cage Warriors

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

London, United Kingdom (October 30, 2013) - CAGE WARRIORS Fighting Championship has today welcomed Curt Warburton to its lightweight division.

Warburton (12-4) has signed a five-fight deal with CWFC, which will commit him exclusively to the promotion for a minimum period of 18 months, starting with Cage Warriors 62 in Newcastle on December 7, when the 32-year-old will debut against a soon-to-be-announced opponent.

Hailing from Durham in the north-east of England, Warburton holds notable victories over the likes of UFC star Ross Pearson, current CWFC champion Stevie Ray, top 10-ranked UK lightweight Tim Newman and Maciej Jewtuszko, whom he defeated at UFC 127.

“Cage Warriors is growing all the time and joining them is the right move for my career,” said Warburton, who’s currently the highest-ranked UK lightweight outside the UFC.

“This deal guarantees me five fights over the next 18 months and the opportunity to fight at home and around the world against some of the best lightweights on the planet. I’d like to thank my management - Elite MMA Agency - and Cage Warriors for making this possible.”

Warburton began his professional career in 2007 and put together a 6-1 streak that saw him snapped up by the UFC, for whom a three-fight stint ended after a loss to Joe Lauzon in June 2011.

However, he rebounded in impressive fashion with five consecutive wins to reassert himself as one of the top lightweights in Europe.

After a recent spell with another UK-based promotion, Warburton opted against renewing his deal, deciding instead to make the step-up to Cage Warriors Fighting Championship following an approach to the promotion by the fighter’s management.

Cage Warriors CEO Graham Boylan said: “I’m very pleased to have Curt Warburton on the Cage Warriors roster. He’s shown his ambition by making an upward move like this and I think he’ll be rewarded for that as, in my opinion, his best years are still ahead.”