Cage Warriors director Graham Boylan has revealed his plans for a busy schedule in 2012, including further international expansion for the UK promotion and a reality TV show.
Cage Warriors 44 takes place in London on Saturday night, October 1, exactly a year to the day since Boylan oversaw his first show as CWFC director. It’s been a busy twelve months for the Irishman and his team, which has seen Cage Warriors return to the forefront of UK MMA.
This weekend’s show at the HMV Forum in Kentish Town is on course to be the best yet under Boylan’s stewardship, with ace matchmaker Ian Dean and co. putting together several appetising bouts. Former UFC welterweight Brian Foster makes his long-awaited return to action against highly-rated Englishman Jack Mason, while the vacant CWFC lightweight title will be at stake when unbeaten Irishman Joseph Duffy takes on Italian veteran Ivan Musardo.
Ahead of Saturday’s event, CageWarriors.com briefly caught up with director Graham Boylan to discuss Cage Warriors 44, as well as what lies in store for the promotion in 2012…
Cage Warriors: Given that it’s been a pretty quick turn-around since the last show in Jordan on September 8, how have preparations gone in general for Cage Warriors 44?
Graham Boylan: It’s been a crazy six weeks for us. Most UK promotions do four or five events per year but we’re already on our eighth and we may do one more before the year is out as well. But it’s a walk in the park doing shows. It’s all fun. Every day brings a phone call with some kind of challenge or problem to sort out. It makes me laugh every day.
CW: On a personal level, looking ahead to Cage Warriors 44 on Saturday night, what are you most excited about? The card is so strong that all the bouts have ‘Fight of the Night’ potential.
GB: I honestly cannot pick one fight that I’m most excited about. I genuinely can’t wait for all of them. Each fight on this card has ‘war’ written all over it. There’s no choosing who you think is going to win each fight, it’s just one of those insane cards where there’s an argument for and against each fighter.
CW: Brian Foster’s Cage Warriors debut has got everyone talking. Is his addition to the card a sign of things to come with Cage Warriors and what kind of fight are you expecting between him and Jack Mason?
GB: This is a big fight for Jack and I wish him the best of luck. He’s at a point in his career where this is the fight of his life. Jack is dedicated to the sport and he deserves a shot like this. If he wins this, the eyes of the MMA world will be on him. Brian Foster is a big talent and wants to be back in the UFC so this is going to be an explosive bout. Both guys need – not want – this win.
CW: There’s a title on the line too, with Joseph Duffy taking on Ivan Musardo for the lightweight belt. How do you see this fight going and, as a regular feature on Cage Warriors cards, what do you think the future holds for Duffy?
GB: Personally, I think Duffy is the real deal. He’s made some pretty damn good fighters look average recently. On top of that, he’s young and hungry. But Ivan Musardo should give him a big test. It’s a five-rounder so anything can happen.
CW: Certain elements of the mainstream tabloid media did their best to tarnish the reputation of UK MMA last week. How big an opportunity is Cage Warriors 44 to show the public what this sport is really all about and is it something you’ll be conscious of on Saturday night?
GB: I’m not interested in anyone else. I’m interested in the sport, Cage Warriors and my team. Since August of last year, all myself and my team have done is work very hard to always do the right thing by the sport, the fighters and the fans. That’s something we’ll continue to do. What others do is their business, not mine. Cage Warriors is one of the most professionally run shows in Europe and everyone in the game knows that. The lack of education in the public eye will change in time.
CW: There are no shows scheduled yet for beyond Cage Warriors 44. What’s next for the promotion?
GB: We have a huge 2012 calendar to announce shortly, which will include a big tournament for big money. There’ll also be a big new TV partner, as well as a little reality TV show overseas for which I’ll be selecting fighters. 3 CWFC titles will be decided and, of course, we’ll also be announcing the dates and countries of the next ten events over the next twelve months. I have a few meetings to finish off after October 1, then we’ll start letting you all know the news.
Thanks, and as they say at home, take care and God bless. See you on Saturday night.
To hear more from Cage Warriors director Graham Boylan, tune into MMAJunkie.com Radio from 5pm UK time today when he’ll be discussing CWFC 44, along with Brian Foster and Joseph Duffy.
If you’d like to watch the action LIVE at the HMV Forum this Saturday night, tickets are available from www.CageWarriors.com! Follow Cage Warriors on Twitter and Facebook for the latest news and updates.
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