No worries for Wheeler at cage Warriors 44

Brad Wheeler has no concerns about taking on Kevin Donnelly this weekend, insisting that he’s already been in the cage with more difficult opponents than the 28-year-old Lion’s Den fighter.

The pair will clash in a lightweight bout at Cage Warriors 44 in London, with Wheeler (6-5-0) aiming to add to his impressive recent winning streak. Excluding a controversial disqualification against Ian Entwistle back in April, the 21-year-old has been victorious in his last four fights.

However, Donnelly (6-3-0) has also won his last four so both fighters will be eager to continue that momentum at the HMV Forum on Saturday night.

“Preparations for this fight have been great,” explains Wheeler, who fights out of the MMA Clinic. “Training camp has gone well, I’ve had no injuries and I even got a chance to do some sparring with Brian Foster, which was great.

“I’ve trained in all areas of the game as Kevin Donnelly is well-rounded but I know he’s mainly a striker, coming from a boxing background. But I feel I’m the better MMA fighter and I’m stronger in all areas of the game so I haven’t really focused on one particular area or anything.

“I’m not really worried about him. I have my game-plan and I know what I’m going to do. It’s down to him to stop me from imposing my will on him.”

Although Wheeler has plenty of respect for Donnelly as an opponent, he’s quite confident about his prospects going into Saturday’s meeting.

“I know it will be a tough fight for me but I think I’ve been in there with higher level guys before, like Mark Adams, Paul Reed, Francis Heagney and Wesley Murch, so I feel like I have the edge in terms of experience,” Wheeler said.

“I was between the age of 18 and 19 when I took those fights. I’m now 21 and I think I’ve matured as a young fighter. I’ve learnt a lot from those fights. Not taking anything away from Kevin but I don’t rate him as highly as the guys I’ve been in there with already.

“But, at the same time, he’s a step-up from Ian Entwistle and he’s dangerous so I can’t look at him as an easy fight because it won’t be.

“Two former team mates of mine, Sami Berik and Costas Doru, hold wins over Kevin already. I was actually in Costas’s corner for his fight with Kev so I’m pretty confident going into this fight. The fans can expect a fast-paced fight. It could be a three-round war or it could be quick so don’t blink.”

Given the manner in which he impressively disposed of Ian Entwistle in July’s highly-charged bout, Cage Warriors fans will be looking forward to seeing Wheeler in action again this weekend.

“I just love fighting,” the Romford lad explains. “I train five or six days a week, twice or three times a day. I’m young and hungry, and since moving to the MMA Clinic I’ve been getting better and better. I’m very confident in the skills I have and I still haven’t shown what I’m really capable of.”

Wheeler is also excited about making his third appearance on a Cage Warriors card, adding: “Fighting on Cage Warriors is great. I love it. I think signing with them was the best thing I’ve done.

“It’s a great show, they look after all the fighters well and are doing big things for UK MMA, putting on shows all over the world and bringing in fighters from all around the world. I want to fight on their next show in Jordan as I’ve never fought abroad before.”

Finally, any predictions for Saturday’s clash with Kevin Donnelly at Cage Warriors 44? Wheeler: “I see me winning but I don’t like to make predictions because it’s MMA and anything can happen. But I will say that every time you see me from now on, you’ll see a new and improved Brad Wheeler. I hope the fans enjoy the fight.”

Cage Warriors 44 at the HMV Forum in Kentish Town, London on Saturday will be headlined by Brian Foster v Jack Mason and Joseph Duffy v Ivan Musardo (CWFC lightweight title fight). Get your tickets from www.CageWarriors.com. Follow Cage Warriors on Twitter and Facebook for the latest news and updates.