On Saturday night, Europe’s premier promotion Cage Warriors Fighting Championship makes its way to Cardiff, Wales’ MotorPoint Arena for a stacked night of fights at Cage Warriors 59. That night, there will be a tournament to determine who Cage Warriors will crown as its new bantamweight champion. In this piece, I will break down the strengths of each of the tournament’s participants and try to predict the outcome of the tournament.
The brackets for Saturday night’s show have made for some interesting matchups, as David Haggstrom faces Brett Johns and James Pennington faces late replacement Kris Edwards.
Pennington vs. Edwards
In the first tournament bout, James “Power Weasel” Pennington faces Kris Edwards in a bout which on paper looks extremely lopsided.
Pennington is a noted grappler fighting out of GYM01 alongside UFC star Phil Harris, and has suffered just one defeat in his nine-fight pro career. As submission artists go in the UK, Pennington is amongst the best; his rear naked choke is legendary, as is his eagerness to secure the early finish. Standup-wise, Pennington is ever-improving, but it’s safe to say the striking realm isn’t his strongest area.
Regardless what his record says, Kris Edwards is a legitimate threat to any 135-pounder in Cage Warriors, and even though he’s coming off two straight losses, he’ll be eager to prove the naysayers wrong and shock the community by giving Pennington his second ever loss.
Unfortunately for Edwards, his biggest strength is grappling, and Pennington is more accomplished in that domain. Expect Edwards to fight hard but ultimately succumb to a choke from the much-hyped Pennington.
Haggstrom vs. Johns
In the second bout of the tournament, Sweden’s own David Haggstrom faces Brett “The Pikey” Johns in a bout that has fight of the night written all over it.
Haggstrom is ranked number two in the Nordic MMA rankings and is known primarily as a bantamweight who provides concussive force in his knees and hands, which is a rarity in itself. He’ll be looking to keep the fight standing, establish his crisp jab, and try to create an opportunity to go for high kick or perhaps a flying knee.
Brett Johns trains under Chris Rees, and like all exports of the Chris Rees Academy, his grappling is second to none. Johns has won 2 bouts already in Cage Warriors, and he will be looking to continue that streak when he faces Haggstrom. From the get go expect Johns to come out aggressively and look for the opportunity to take his opponent down. Once he gets the fight to the ground, it won’t be a walk in the park, as Haggstrom is a strong grappler himself.
As Johns will be fighting in his home country, I give him the slight edge. The notoriously vocal Welsh fans will cheer Johns onward to victory, I expect by decision.
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Cage Warriors 59 will take place on September 14, 2013 at the Motorpoint Arena in Cardiff, Wales.
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