The show also features on 5 separate Television channels and is aired to over 196 countries and territories to millions of homes across the globe as well as featuring in top UK Martial Arts magazines such as MMA Uncaged and Martial Arts Illustrated.

The Clan Wars show has offered independent ISKA titles from the beginning and will continue to run as the ISKA’s Northern Ireland representatives offering the full ISKA Title range as before however these are not Clan Wars Titles and with the positive news of other Irish MMA promotions looking to get involved with the ISKA in the south this has opened an exciting new chapter in the Clan Wars saga with the announcement of new official Clan Wars show titles which will replicate the shows prestige and professionalism.

There’s no doubt these titles will be highly desirable and of major interest to many top fighters but the question is – who will be the first fighters competing for these titles?

Well we can announce that we won’t have to wait long as over the next few days the first Title fights will be released and will be contested at the Ulster Hall on the 11^th of August in Belfast!!

Exciting times for the Clan Wars show and fans!! We will keep you posted on the news and fights, stay tuned!! In the mean time the Clan Wars 10 show can be viewed free on Setanta tonight at 12.45am, Premier Sports tomorrow night at 9pm and on the Extreme Sports Channel at 9pm on the 1^st of June, further television channel airing times will be announced soon.

Credit: Clan Wars MMA

Heres a bit about Myia

Myia is 6 years old. She is a happy, smiley little girl who loves colouring. barbies and reading favourite books. Myia is in School now doing well. when Myia was 2 years old we were told she has Cerebral Palsy. Because of this she cannot walk unaided, without falliing over. We are fundraising for an operation on her spine which will fix her legs and take away the tightness and the pain. The operation is called a Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy (SDR) This operation is done in America or bristol and will cost her family over €30,000. before we can get the operation in 2012. we need to save this money. MMA Lucan & The Ryoshin Fighting Championships is trying to raise as much as possible to ease the pressure on Myia’s family. If you would like to donate please do so. Any little helps, whatever you can give will be much appreciated.

Please help Clan Wars raise as much as possible for this brave little girl

Thank you – Clan Wars MMA.

The new agreement will see LIA engage further with the Cage Contender fan base while getting their message out on the various Cage Contender television shows and media outlets.

“It’s always good when partners and sponsors extend deals because it underlines the fact that dealing with us works and gets results. We are pleased to see the ideas that the team at LIA have and how they will interact with our fans and fighters. There are some exciting times ahead” – John Ferguson, CEO, Cage Contender

The renewal will mean that LIA have been involved with Cage Contender for 6 events in a row.

“Leisure Industry Academy are proud to announce the renewal of our partnership with Cage Contender for another season. Due to the success and response we achieved from previous events, LIA are excited to further engage with MMA fans with fantastic promotions and offers.

Leisure Industry Academy are the No1 choice for recognised fitness qualifiations, delivering courses to some of the top fighters to come out Ireland today, training them to become highly sought after Personal Trainers and more! We are now planning on extending these exclusive deals to Cage Contender fans and who want  to excel at careers within the Health & Fitness Industry. Through our partnership with John Ferguson and his team at Cage Contender MMA fans and fighters alike will be getting the best deals around so keep your eyes on Cage Contenders media or visit www.LeisureIndustryAcademy.com for these exclusive offers!” – Patrice O’Hagan, General Manager, Leisure Industry Academy

The fight will be the co main event at Cage Contender XIV in association with FIGHTSHOP.com when the promotion returns to it’s adopted Dublin home, The National Arena in Tallaght. Home town support will without doubt be with Roddy who is known for his massive fan base as the American star Gugerty steps into the lions den.

“This is going to be a massive fight for Owen in front of his home support. He never fails to leave it all on the line and now facing a UFC vet in Shannon it is his time to shine” – John Ferguson

Last time out Roddy was impressive and cool when he finished Ben “Son of Life” Davis in the first round meaning that it has now been almost 5 years from the champion has suffered a loss. Gugerty will be a much sterner test in what is no doubt the biggest fight in Roddy’s career to date

Tickets for Cage Contender XIV in association with FIGHTSHOP.com are available from www.cagecotender.net and any Xtravision shop in Ireland.

Cage Contender XIV Fight Card.

CAGE CONTENDER FW TITLE
Owen “Rowdy” Roddy (SBGi) Vs. Shannon Gugerty (Victory MMA)

CAGE CONTENDER LHW TITLE
Jeff Monson Vs. TBC

BANTAMWEIGHT GRAND PRIX 1 : FINAL
Paddy “The Holigan” Holohan (SBGi) Vs. Artemij Sitenkov

ISKA IRISH FW TITLE
Decky “The Diamond” Dalton (FAI) Vs. Mick “The Basher” Brennan (KTP)

MIDDLEWEIGHT
John “Baby Faced Assasin” Redmond (Rush FA) Vs. Conor “Da Crook” Cooke (Red Dragon)

More Fights to be Confirmed

(Fight Card subject to change)

Cage Contender announced Monson through their twitter account late on Sunday afternoon in a move that nobody saw coming. Monson, one of the biggest names in the world of MMA, has a record that reads like a who’s who of the worlds best heavyweight fighters, with wins over superstars such as former UFC Champion Ricco Rodriguez and Roy “Big Country” Nelson. Only months ago Monson lost a decision to arguably the greatest heavyweight of all time, Fedor.

“Of course Cage Contender are delighted to bring another International star to fight in front of the Irish fans. Already this year we have brought names like Gunnar Nelson and Dean Lister, now we have added a massive name in Jeff Monson. These names will hopefully bring more UFC fans off their sofas to local event and in turn raise the profile of Irish MMA in general” – Karl Hutson, Cage Contender

While no opponent has been named yet Cage Contender CEO John Ferguson is expected to have a match confirmed over the coming weeks.

Tickets for Cage Contender XIV in association with FIGHTSHOP.com in the National Arena, Tallaght are available from www.cagecontender.net and in every Xtravision shop in Ireland from €30.

Cage Contender XIV Fight Card.

CAGE CONTENDER FW TITLE
Owen “Rowdy” Roddy (SBGi) Vs. Shannon Gugerty (Victory MMA)

CAGE CONTENDER LHW TITLE
Jeff Monson Vs. TBC

BANTAMWEIGHT GRAND PRIX 1 : FINAL
Paddy “The Holigan” Holohan (SBGi) Vs. Artemij Sitenkov

ISKA IRISH FW TITLE
Decky “The Diamond” Dalton (FAI) Vs. Mick “The Basher” Brennan (KTP)

MIDDLEWEIGHT
John “Baby Faced Assasin” Redmond (Rush FA) Vs. Conor “Da Crook” Cooke (Red Dragon)

More Fights to be Confirmed

(Fight Card subject to change)

Man Of War 5 Quick Results.

Main Card

Pro Middleweight Title
Henry Fadipe (MMA Lucan) V Ronan McKay (EFR) 
End of Round 2 via TKO (refusal to come out to round 3)

Pro Bantamweight Title
Peter Doyle (Team Ryano) V Neil McGuigan (EFR)
Round 2, 3mins 32secs via Americana (verbal tap)

C Class Middleweight Title
Konrad Iwanowski (Team Ryano) V Staz (MMA Clinic)
Judges Decision – Unanimous

C Class Light Heavyweight
Przemyslaw Chmil (Phoenix Martial Arts Longford) V Sean Crowe (FAI)
Round 2, 2mins 09secs via RNC

C Class Welterweight Number One Contender Match up
Anzor Atsaev (MMA Lucan) V Ciaran Daly (MMA Clinic)
Judges Decision – Unanimous

C Class Welterweight
John Regan (Team Balance) V Tommy Hogan (RFA)
Round 3, 00mins 33secs via TKO (GnP)

C Class Bantamweight
Rob Coburn (Legends) V Hugh Walker (FAI)
Judges Decision – Split Draw

C Class Flyweight
Ryan Curtis (Primal MMA) V Paddy Copeland (F.A.I)
Round 2, 2mins 08secs via RNC

C Class Lightweight
Dario Sinagoga (Legends) V Gelegonya Szabolcs (Cork City Combat Sambo)
Round 2, 2mins 25secs via DQ (head kick while grounded)

C Class Middleweight
Ian McNeill (IFS) V Paul Lawrence (RFA)
Round 2, 00mins 36secs via TKO (GnP)

Official results completed by: Gillian Wallace.

FH: How has training been for this fight?

RS: Training’s been going well. I’ve been doing most of my training at Next Generation in Liverpool, but I’ve also been doing my strength and conditioning work with the guys at Strength and Performance in Stockport. We’ve been focusing a lot on speed and power work over the last few months, and I’m feeling that together with the work I’ve been doing with my technical coaches, it’s all starting to pay off in sparring. 

FH: What can your fans expect to see on June 2nd.

RS: I’ve been working hard on rounding out my game too, so the fans should expect to see the best version of me to date! 

FH: How do you see this fight going?

RS: I don’t want to make a prediction about exactly how the fight will play out – but I’m confident everywhere. 

FH: Any message to your opponent?

RS: I’ve got nothing to say to Aisling – I believe in letting the fight speak for itself. 

FH: First of all Marcus, how excited are you as a proud Irishman to be fighting in Ireland?

MD: The last week before coming I was having problems sleeping. I’m always like a boy on Christmas eve who stays awake to see Santa. I love it here. I love the people. I love the energy I get from performing here.

FH: How did the fight come about?

Chris just sent me an email asking me if I’d be interested. We went back and forth until we had an agreement. When I found out he wanted to match me with Mark I got even more excited. I love a real fight. I don’t want to fight people who I believe I can beat easily. Mark is very skilled at what he does so I wanted this fight badly.

FH: Do you know much about Mark Casserly and his fighting style?

MD: I’ve seen about 10 of his fights. He is a very good kicker. His style is unique. It’s not straight Muay Thai. It’s not straight tae Kwon do. He mixes them well.

FH: What kind of preparation has gone into this bout? How has it differed from preparing for an MMA fight?

MD: The biggest difference is all the focus is on stand up. No wrestling. No jiu jitsu. It’s easier to prepare for less dimensions. The focus is different.

FH: What do you think is the most dangerous part of your game coming into this bout?

MD: My most dangerous abilities I bring is my hands. Speed and power.

FH: Do you think your greater overall fighting experience gives you an edge? Do you have a particular game plan or is it more difficult considering the action is going to be solely on the feet?

MD: There is no surprises in this fight. If he boxes with me he will lose. If I trade kicks with him he will get the better of me. We both will mix it up but lay heavier on our strengths.

FH: How long do you plan to keep on fighting be it K1 or MMA?

MD: I’m not a food product so I don’t have a expiration stamp on my head. Could be a year. Could be 3. Not sure

FH: How is everything going at Team Irish MMA? As a dedicated family man you must really enjoy seeing new kids coming in the door.

MD: Our school, my brand, is growing. I love teaching. It is another one of my passions. I teach the young and the older. Team Irish MMA is my future.

FH: Would ever think about opening a branch of Team Irish here in Ireland?

MD: Yes. There will be one. Already in the mix.

FH: Do you pay any attention to the UFC anymore? What do you think of Jon Jones? Is Dan Henderson is the man to beat him?

MD: Yes. I have a radio show in America called “Pull No Punches” so I have to be on top of the MMA news. Jon Jones is a friend. He is a complete fighter. His athleticism is beyond anyone in his division right now. But MMA fighting is a sport where anything can happen. Anyone can win or lose. So Henderson always has a chance.

FH: Who do you think is the top contender at 170 apart from Carlos Condit?

MD: Jake Ellenberger, George St Pierre, Josh Koshcheck, Fitch, Diaz are all top in the division.

Tickets for Primal Fighting Championship 4 ‘Worlds Collide‘ are on sale now.

Credit: Alan Keane.

It will be another Anglo-Irish clash as Neil Seery (9-9-0) will take on Mark Platts (10-7-0) in a meeting of two of Europe’s top five flyweights.

Seery (pictured) will join fellow Dubliners Conor McGregor, Cathal Pendred and Aisling Daly by fighting in front of his hometown crowd, in what will be the Team Ryano competitor’s third Cage Warriors bout.

33-year-old Seery defeated Niko Gjoka at CWFC 44 in London back in October, but suffered a loss at the hands of Artemij Sitenkov at CWFC 46 in Kiev in February.

His opponent, Newcastle native Mark Platts, is unbeaten since dropping to flyweight. The 30-year-already has two wins under his belt in 2012, having defeated both Brian Hyslop and Max Henchy.

Seery versus Platts is the fourth fight to be announced for Cage Warriors 47 but there are many more still to come. Details of the CWFC 47 main event, which will see another title up for grabs, will be revealed later this week.

Cage Warriors 47 Fight Card.

Conor McGregor v Dave Hill

Cathal Pendred v David Bielkheden

Aisling Daly v Rosi Sexton

Neil Seery v Mark Platts

More Fights to be Confirmed

(Fight Card subject to change)

Click HERE to buy tickets

Photo Credit: Dolly Clew/Cage Warriors

Barry (left) with co-commentator Stuart McQuitty

Fight Hounds caught up with Irish MMA’s man of many talents. Barry Oglesby is a former fighter who runs his own gym, hosts Ireland’s biggest jiu-jitsu tournament and commentates for the country’s biggest MMA promotion. 

FH: First of all tell us about how you got started in martial arts? Was there always an ambition to own your own gym ?

BO: No not at all. I sort of fell into coaching. I had bounced around from boxing to kickboxing, judo for a while as a kid, but it wasn’t until college that I really got stuck into something and that was taekwondo. I spent about 7 years training that and was a 2nd degree black belt running a club when I finished up. There was a sort of progression there in the organisation I was with where they were trying to expand so you were always being asked if you’d instruct and myself and my girlfriend (now my wife!) started a small club training kids. But the grappling bug had bitten at this stage and soon I was rolling around with a few mates after each taekwondo session and gradually that began to creep it’s way into training proper.

FH: And of course now you’re running Grapplepalooza, Ireland’s biggest no gi BJJ competition. How did that come about?

BO: Out of frustration mostly. Around 3 years ago no one was running any tournaments. Everyone seemed to be looking to compete but there were very few chances. I had a big gym at the time with plenty of mat space, so I thought we’d run a friendly small tournament and in the end 130 people showed up to compete. We were hopelessly unprepared and had to use some spare mats we had to make another ring! I thought we’d get 50-60 guys. But it went off pretty well considering. I did that a few more times but by the last one that gym was on it’s way to closing down and it was obvious that the tournaments had outgrown the venue. At the same time, there was a debate on who Ireland’s best grappler was and I took that ball and ran with it to make the first Grapplepalooza event with a €1k prize for the winner of a 16 man event, plus a daytime event for all other competitors. That ran great but I completely lost my shirt!

FH: It was an bigger event this year so what changed in terms of organizing it this year?

BO: In terms of organisation, pretty much nothing has changed except for numbers involved. Doing anything like this is stressful but as long as you’re well prepared in advance it’s easy. The most important thing is good organisation and good standards of refereeing and scoring. We’re getting more and more experienced at refereeing and I run my guys who work the tables and actually run the event through the event in advance. The guys who help from my club are about as experienced as I am in terms of running the show now so I could probably sit back and let it happen. They’re really good, really professional at it. I think that’s the least you can expect for a tournament you pay money for- good professional organisation and high quality refereeing to make sure you get a fair shake.

FH: Where do you feel the standards of BJJ and MMA in Ireland are right now?

BO: Since the new C class rule came into effect the standard has really gone up. John Kavanagh deserves a lot of credit for forcing that issue. It used to be bad grapplers could essentially get away with not being finished once the fight hit the ground, and bad strikers could rely on being on their backs without fear of getting hit. It made for unrealistic matches. I like watching most amateur matches now. The standard of Pro fighter is also very high, and I think domestic irish matches are as good as anywhere in Europe right now.

As to BJJ, I think the sport is so popular and growing that it’s hard to see a negative. If I had to say one it would be that the membership is still a little old. At any given tournament you might have 120 adults and 10 kids. That’s not right! I’d like to see more youth involved although i do recognise BJJ and grappling are a hard sell to parents

FH: You mentioned the difficulty of selling BJJ to parents. Last year there was a lot of controversy when a video emerged of two young boys engaged in a ‘cage fight’. It was in fact a grappling match before the beginning of a local MMA show. Do you think MMA will ever escape the stigma of ‘cage fighting’ and the idea people have that there’s no rules whatsoever?

BO: Well it certainly won’t escape it as long as we keep embracing it. The same guys who shout “legitimate sport” are the same guys posting videos of shin clash breaks and Joe Stevenson covered in blood on their Facebook accounts. Look it’s a certain type of sport with a certain appeal. That has to be understood. the guys coaching and training in it see the science and yes the beauty in it, and so do a certain section of the fans. But the guys buying tickets and pey per views are interested in getting a few drinks in with their mates and aren’t hoping for a battle of wits, they’re hoping for Griffin/Bonnar or Diaz/Gomi. That’s why it’s successful, that’s why after 10 years plus of the sport in Ireland you can still hear guys shouting “Stand em up!” or “Stop hugging him” at shows. It is what it is. If it’s any consolation, it’s so big now, there’s such money involved, that I don’t think we have to worry about being recognised as a legitimate sport.

FH: How did your commentating gig with Cage Contender come about?

BO: I think mostly because I talk crap all the time, and John Ferguson wanted someone to talk crap over fights. Seriously though, JF was looking for someone for Cage Contender to partner Stuart who was on board at that stage. This was for, I think, CC 2 or 3, and these were DVD releases. John posted something on the boards MMA forum and I responded with something funny about doing it but having strange dressing room demands like Mariah Carey or something. I can’t really remember to be honest. Anyway he rang me a few minutes later and asked me to do it.

I arrived at the first show in jeans and a tee shirt having cleared out my garage that day in them, thinking I’d be sat cageside watching the fights and that would be that. Instead I was shoved in front of the camera and stumbled and stuttered my way throught the first piece to camera. I was terrible! Luckily once the fights started I was fine and myself and Stuart got on really well.

FH: What’s the best fight you’ve called for CC?

BO: That’s actually quite a tough one. It’s funny because you see some fights from Cageside and the atmosphere and sense of occasion really make them, but then they lose some of that in the transfer to television. In terms of pure atmosphere, the first Pendred vs. Shannon fight and the Robinson vs. Wain fight really stand out for me. Dublin and Belfast both rocking. They were great battles that the crowd made. But the standout bout for me has to be paul Cowzer v Keith Coady. That was some fight.

FH: Ever tempted to get back in the cage yourself? When you’re sitting there calling these fights, you must get an itch?

BO: I actually drove up to Belfast last night with my coach Andy Ryan and we spoke a bit about this. I’m 34 next month which while it doesn’t make me old, does make me about 15 year’s older than the average MMA trainee it seems. I actually only stopped putting myself forward for fights because I had a run of bad luck when training for them. The last 4 fights I trained for went number 1: I broke my hand, 2: A guy pulled out, 3: I got a staph infection and had to have some minor surgery and then 4: I showed up and the venue was unsuitable.

That was almost 2 years out of my training life and I’m quite a busy guy as I’m self employed. To sacrifice like that, like the way all the good pros you see on Irish cards do, you have to really want it and I don’t want it that badly anymore. When me and Andy were talking last night I was telling him that when I see a good MMA match I don’t feel the urge to get back to the gym, but if I watch a good grappling or Jiu Jitsu match I do. That tells me everything I need to know about my own training! I still love the sport, but I’m happy to be coaching it right now and I don’t feel any desire to take a fight.

FH: Saturday night at Cage Contender XIII Paddy Hoolahan knocked out Damien Rooney with a headkick. Were you surprised by that given Holahan’s record for wins by submission?

BO: I’m not surprised by anything that young developing fighters like Paddy do. Sometimes you see a lad fight and a year later he looks like something totally different. As a commentator you’re asked to nail your flag to the mast and I thought the fight would be decided in the clinch with Rooney looking to keep it standing and Paddy looking for the takedown. I was wrong as I’ve been before. But look if you’re in the media and you just say stuff like “oh anything could happen” then you’re a wuss. I say don’t sit on the fence, make a call and sure if you’re wrong then at least people get to slag you for it.

FH: Dean Lister defeated Rodney Moore last to set up a possible title fight with Chris Fields. Excited?

BO: Yeah Chris was unlucky to pick up his injury before the CW middleweight tournament. He has his eyes on big things and if you want to be picked up by a big promotion, you have to be either picking up legitimate titles or picking off big names. They don’t come much bigger than Dean. I don’t know if it’ll happen mind you, all i saw was a tweet with the two of them squaring up at the after party. There’s Chris’s Cage Warriors contract and so on that might get in the way. Hopefully not.

FH: Finally Barry, we always ask is there anyone you’d like to say hello to or maybe mention your gym?

BO: I’d like to say hi to Wardy. When he walks into the gym everyone’s eyes light up, and then quickly dim again when they realise it’s not who they thought it was. But he did buy me my bandana, which I wear with pride every day.

Alan Keane

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