Cage Warriors 72 Media Roundtable
by Ben Heather @benheather
This weekends Cage Warriors 72 promises to be a very entertaining show for the fans and it also has some very interesting match ups. Not only will a new bantamweight champion be crowned in Newport but Nicolas Dalby will defend his welterweight title too. On top of this you have the huge match up between two of Britain's best middleweights as Che Mills and Jack Marshman are set to potentially decide who becomes the number 1 contender in the middleweight division.
With a lot of interesting match ups and stories to unfold this weekend we asked some of our friends from other MMA sites to weigh in on a few key topics going in to the event.
Is Nicolas Dalby the next big thing to come out of Cage Warriors, or will wily veteran Gael Grimed walk away with the Cage Warriors Welterweight title on Saturday?
Tom Rooney (Severe MMA): It's difficult not to see Dalby as the favourite in this one. The guy is undefeated, won the title in his promotional debut and did so in style. As we all know a confident fighter is a dangerous one, and the type of momentum he has generated over the last three or four years will be very difficult to derail.
As long as he stays focused and doesn't fall into any type of complacency, he looks to be a star in the making in Europe and beyond. Grimaud is no joke; he has a ton of experience and has finished his two fights since losing the title to Cathal Pendred. But at 34, it feels like a little late in the day to turn over a guy in his prime, and who most likely has one eye on the UFC. The Dane to retain (bit a rhyming for you!)
Ian Bain (MMA Opinion): Nicholas Dalby has really caught the eye as a fighter that develops parts of his fight game from fight-to-fight. I was really impressed at how he used a strong kicking game to offset Sergei Churilov at Cage Warriors 66, the composure he showed was impressive in a fight that was the biggest of his career to date. Grimaud will not be an easy fight, he isn't for anyone. The Frenchman has a lot of attributes that cause Dalby problems, however I am going to stick my neck on the line and say Dalby does it narrowly by decision. As for whether Dalby can be the next big thing, we will find out just how far along he is this weekend.
Tom Strong (MMA Torch): Cage Warriors have some high level fighters within their promotion, but Dalby certainly looks the cream of the crop. I think it's just a question of how long CWFC can keep hold of him before he's picked up by the another promotion. "Cough".... UFC. Though he'll be in for a tough night against Grimaud on Saturday night if Dalby gets careless. I don't expect this to happen, but in MMA we've seen crazier things.
I am not sure Dalby possesses the KO power to stop Grimaud, who's only been stopped once in his career, so he may well have to go the distance to pick up a decision win.
Ben Heather (Kingdom MMA): Nicolas Dalby had the perfect debut for Cage Warriors. Not only did he pick up the W with a highlight reel knockout he picked up the belt in the process. Now the challenge gets harder as everyone is targeting him now, first up its Gael Grimaud. Like everyone else, I expect Dalby to win but its his performance which I will be more interested in. He can really put his name out there with another impressive victory over a very tough opponent and in my opinion after this fight we will know more as to whether he is "the next big thing".
What do you think will be the deciding factor in Saturday night's Bantamweight title fight? The striking of Cory Tait or the ground game of Toni Tauru?
Tom Strong (MMA Torch): I'm really looking forward to watching bantamweights Cory Tait vs Toni Tauru. Whenever Cory is fighting it's a must watch for me. You just never know what will happen when he fights, he can be sensational one fight, and then get over confident like he did against Spencer Hewitt and find himself being knocked out after only ten seconds!
For me this will come down to which Cory Tait turns up. Tauru isn't to be discounted, and riding a nine fight winning streak he will be entering the fight full of confidence. I'm picking Tait to avoid the ground game of Tauru and go onto be the first fighter to knockout Tauru in round 1. Whatever happens this isn't a fight to be missed!
Ben Heather (Kingdom MMA): If the fight stays standing Tait wins, if it hits the mat I expect Tauru to win. I think the deciding factor in this fight will not be either of those though, it will be Tait's takedown defence. Everyone knows Tait can finish anyone with his strikes and from the footage I have seen on Tauru he looks a beast on the ground, its just if he can get the fight there. Against James Pennington Tait had a great defence to the takedown and then pulled off the unexpected with a submission victory. However in this fight I will be going with the underdog and I think Tauru may get the takedown and finish Tait by submission.
Tom Rooney (Severe MMA): Tarau's submission record speaks for itself. He's not just a one trick pony either; his BJJ is diverse and once things are on the mat, he can pounce from anywhere. Tait will be more than aware of this, and should have trained accordingly.
I'm going to go with Tait because he's very big at 135lbs, he's also a great athlete and will be very difficult to take down. That said, this one is anyone's guess. They're both on the back of great winning streaks and are highly skilled in their specialties, but Tait should take the belt home.
Ian Bain (MMA Opinion): This fight is particularly interesting and is further testament to the great job Ian Dean is doing in matching up fighters. Tauru has a great ground game, in fact I sat and watched his gogoplata win over Emil Hartsner at EMMA 7 and it is clear that he has a knack of locking in submissions. However, I really think this is Tait's fight to lose, he is no slouch on the ground himself so I expect him to nullify any ground attack by Tauru and get the job done on the feet, finishing him at some point.
Who takes it between Mills and Marshman, and do you think the winner will get a title shot?
Ben Heather (Kingdom MMA): Simply put yes, the winner of this fight in my opinion will get a shot at the title. Do I think they deserve it.... maybe. It's no secret that Mills has just snapped a poor run with his win over Barnes and he did it in impressive fashion. However, Barnes has also been on a poor run of late too. We all know what Mills can do and a fight with Hermansson will be a great fight. Che certainly has the skills and reputation to be in the title picture and a win over Marshman will probably cement him getting the next shot. If Marshman wins he will have won 4 of his last 5 which is a more title shot worthy record but his loss in that time was when he got knocked out on his CW debut, so again I can see both sides to both men getting the shot with a win on Saturday night.
All I know is this fight is my pick for fight of the night and if they go out there and put on a show then it certainly will not harm them in getting the next shot at Hermansson. I think it will be a very close fight but with Che back to winning ways and focusing his preparation on his mental game too I think he will take the win.
Tom Rooney (Severe MMA): Firstly, regardless of who wins, I don't think either should be due a title shot. Mills' last victory was over Leeroy Barnes and, with all due respect, his record indicates the calibre of fighter he is.
Mills lost his two fights previous to that, including a title shot against Pendred, for which he missed weight. He should, at least, put together a couple more wins before getting a crack at Hermansson. However, he should be too much for Marshman. Mills has fought a much higher level of competition in the past, and on very big stages; no amount of training can account for this kind of experience. If Marshman comes through, he'll only be 2-1 in CW, and a title shot feels premature.
Ian Bain (MMA Opinion): This fight is the one that I am most excited for on the card, Che Mills is well known to MMA fans after a brief stint in the UFC but he has really struggled to recapture his pre-UFC form since being released by the promotion. It felt like the Barnes fight was a good one for Mills to find his feet following a couple of poor performances. However, Marshman is a step up form that and is one of those guys that can shock you with little things he has learnt in his training camp. He is always ready to fight and one thing you can guarantee is that he has the heart for a fight. I can see a lot of people picking Mills on name value but I am going to go for Marshman getting the job done and likely putting himself in the title picture.
Tom Strong (MMA Torch): CWFC really have pulled the goods out of this bag this weekend, I just hope all fighters make weight so we get to see all the fights! Che Mills really hasn't kicked on since his release from the UFC. I thought he would flourish away from the huge spot light on him and go on to dominate within CWFC. This hasn't been the case, he missed weight and had two straight knockout defeats to Pendred and then Faycal Huncin. It was good to see him finally bounce back with a victory against Leeroy Barnes at CWFC 68.
I'm hoping this is the start for Mills as somewhere within him the boy has some talent, but seems to freeze when he has to deliver. His opponent Jack Marshman (15-5) isn't a slouch, and is coming off a very impressive first round win over Bola Omoyele at CWFC 69. Marshman will also have the added advantage of the Welsh crowd behind him. Trying to predict this fight really isn't easy. Though I've gone back and forth numerous times, I'm backing Marshman to continue his winning streak by defeating Che Mills inside the distance and earn a title shot.
Can rising Polish prospect Mateusz Gamrot add the scalp of another Brit to his growing resumé which includes Jefferson George and Andre Winner or will the experience of Newman be too much for Gamrot?
Ian Bain (MMA Opinion): At 6-0 you would think that this would be a big step up for Gamrot, however the Pole has plenty of big fight experience fighting with KSW and although Newman has more cage time, I just do not see how he stops the unbeaten run of this hot prospect. I think ultimately he will get outworked and finished, his experience may help him get to the scorecards but after this fight, I think Gamrot will be on a lot of people's radar for being a future title contender.
Tom Strong (MMA Torch): I can't confess to know a huge amount about Mateusz Gamrot, though he does have some very respectable names on his record and still undefeated. At only 23 years old, it looks like he could have a very bright future ahead of him.
It will be interesting to see how he handles fighting outside of Poland for the first time in his career, and fighting in Newman's hometown of Newport. Tim Newman hasn't fought for a year, since losing via unanimous decision to Colin Fletcher at BAMMA 13 and so he may struggle. I'm going to take Gamrot by unanimous decision.
Ben Heather (Kingdom MMA): In my opinion this is a good fight for Gamrot, he can come in to the fight with no pressure at all. Newman will be coming back from a long lay off after a loss to fight in his home town and all the pressure will be on him. Being undefeated gives fighters an extra confidence boost going in to fights and as long as this doesnt turn in to Gamrot being cocky and potentially sloppy in the fight by not respecting Newman then I see him continueing his unbeaten streak.
Tom Rooney (Severe MMA): I'll have to go with Gamrot for the same reasons as Dalby-momentum and confidence. Yes, he'll be on the receiving end of the hostile home crowd, but that's unlikely to phase him. He can finish on the feet or the mat, while Newman will have a triple threat of pressure on his shoulders; bouncing back from a loss; making a good impression for his new bosses and satisfying his countrymen-it's just not an ideal situation.
Now you have heard what we all think, let us know your thoughts below.
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