CageRage News - Page 2

Cage Rage on Thursday announced the first casualty of its internal drug testing policy. John Phillips, who won his bout over London favorite Jake Bostwick at Cage Rage 25 on March 8, failed his drug test. In this instance, with Phillips’ drug test results coming back positive, the fight has been ruled a no-contest and he faces a 120-day suspension that will prohibit him from “competing in any U.K. Mixed Martial Arts Event.” It will be interesting to see if this prevents him from competing in any kickboxing events or any mixed martial arts events run by another promoter, as there is currently no governing body for the sport in the U.K. to enforce the penalty handed down by Cage Rage. The full acid test on the U.K. working together for the benefit of the sport and supporting Cage Rage’s plans for a controlled drug-free environment will be known if and when another promotion outside of the Cage Rage network tries to book Phillips for a show.

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Top Featherweight Danny Batten, who was to fight Leigh Remedios at Cage Rage 25 next weekend, is now off the card due to injury. Batten didn't offer any specifics as to the type or severity of the injury except to rule out fighting through it.

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"This is for the fighters, fans, promoters and trolls alike. As of now i will be stepping down as Cage Rage Champion (British and world), FX-3 Champion and KOTR champion. I vacate all these titles. Futher more i consider my self retired (from all MMA/Thai boxing) as of March 29th. March 29th i will fullfill my contracted commitment for Pro Elite, against a yet un named opponent. No speculation, No futher annonucments, once i’ve found the path i originally set out on in the Martial Arts, i may return to this SPORT, Maybe 6months-Maybe 6 years, who knows. Who will be the next welterweight CRC champ. FX-3 champ????… Thanks" What!? He's only 25 years old and is a great prospect.....I can't believe this.

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When British mixed martial arts legend Ian “The Machine” Freeman announced his retirement in 2006, few believed the Sunderland, England, native would ever return to the cage. According to anonymous sources within the Cage Rage promotion, Freeman will dust off the gloves for at least one more fight. Freeman will make his comeback against rising light heavyweight standout Paul “Boom Boom” Cahoon in the main event at Cage Rage 26, scheduled for Saturday, May 10 at Wembley Arena in London. The 41-year-old Freeman has not competed in more than a year.

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The President of UFC's UK division has confirmed that UFC will return to Newcastle, England, sometime in 2009. He also specifically mentioned one area fighter who may be on the card: Cage Rage lightweight Abdul Mohamed.

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During Friday night's ShoXC event on Showtime, it was announced that the upcoming Cage Rage event on March 8 will also air on Showtime. It will be the second half of a boxing-MMA doubleheader that night.

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UFC Hall-of-Famer Ken Shamrock will make his promotional debut against Robert Berry at Cage Rage 25 “Bring It On” on Saturday, March 8 at Wembley Arena in London. Shamrock’s manager, Rod Donahoo, confirmed the bout on Thursday. Shamrock (26-12-2), who turns 44 in February, has lost seven of his past nine fights, including four straight. He last competed in October 2006, when he succumbed to strikes against arch rival Tito Ortiz. It was Shamrock’s third loss to the former UFC light heavyweight champion, all three by TKO. The UFC released “The World’s Most Dangerous Man” from his contract last June. Berry (11-7, 6-3 CR), a veteran of the Cage Rage circuit, will enter the bout on a two-fight losing streak. The British kickboxer last fought in December, when he was stopped by unbeaten Neil Grove at Cage Rage 24. Berry drew international attention in December, when he challenged Internet street fighting legend Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Ferguson. The two could meet in the future, as Cage Rage and EliteXC – the promotion for which Ferguson fights – are both owned by Pro Elite Inc. All 11 of Berry’s victories have come by KO, TKO or submission.

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The UK-based Cage Rage promotion has announced Aisling Daley vs. Aysen Berik for it's March 8 event in London, which will be the first women's MMA fight the promotion has hosted since February 2004.

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2007 was an outstanding year for European MMA. The UFC returned to the U.K. for the first time in almost three years. Meanwhile Fedor Emelianenko, arguably the strongest fighter to ever grace a ring, was scarce inside the squared circle but still dominated the headlines. Last but not least, there was a tremendous power shift on the European scene when longtime powerhouse promotions Cage Rage and M-1 Mix-Fight Championship were sold to American companies ProElite and Sibling Entertainment Group respectively. Read on for the most comprehensive roundup you'll find on the year in European MMA.

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UK fighter Paul Cahoon, scheduled to face Elvis Sinosic on tomorrow's Cage Rage 24 event, is planning to use his strikes to stop the Australian fighter. Cahoon thinks that Sinosic is weak in ground-and-pound and wants to use that and a standup fight to his advantage.

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