Another superfight for the September 27th M-1 Challenge show in Nottingham, England was announced. As the self-proclaimed UK's number 1 Lightweight Ian "M-16" Butlin returns to action after a 4 month injury layoff to face the top 10 UK ranked Lightweight and CFC British Champion AJ Wenn.
Ian 'M-16' Butlin (6-7-0) is a five year veteran of the sport and is known for being a popular but often controversial figure in the UK MMA scene. A former amateur boxer; Butlin is known for his entertaining style and is never shy of speaking his mind. A former Cage Warriors and Cage Rage Title challenger; Butlin has fought some of Europe's best fighters in the 65-70kg weight categories, but has often voiced his frustration over the lack of UK opposition that have been willing to face him.
Butlin's career has also suffered due to a catalogue of injuries and personal issues over the past four years which have forced him out of a number of high profile fights and also caused several losses on his record.
However the charismatic Huddersfield based striker is back and is looking to get back into winning ways after suffering a quick Heel Hook submission loss to the unorthodox German all-rounder Cengiz Dana at Cage Warriors: Enter The The Rough House 6 on April 19th and to also end a bad run of form that has seen Butlin defeated by the Cage Force veteran Jarkko Latomaki and the powerful Irish Lightweight Aidan Marron.
Butlin will be looking to put the injuries and controversy behind him and show why he's not only one of the best UK Lightweight fighters, but also to add another impressive scalp to his collection which already includes wins over the likes of the Shooto Japan veteran Marc Duncan and the Frenchman Emmanuel Geay.
When asked why he accepted a fight against such a top ranked UK MMA contender Butlin replied “The top 5 are all signed to the big shows (I believe), whilst Ross Pearson and Rob Sinclair are both training partners of Team Quannum. I have fought Aidan Marron and Harvey Harra and although I would love the opportunity of a rematch with either, I don’t expect them to give me one as I have had my chance. This left AJ Wenn as the ideal choice of opponent and I am very grateful for the opportunity to fight him. I have had a long friendship with the guys at Tsunami, they are a great team and I am grateful for the opportunity to fight AJ.”
However the Tsunami Gym stand-out AJ Wenn (7-1-0), will be looking to build on his already fine record when he tussles with the sharp striking skills of Butlin next month in Nottingham. A veteran of FX3, Cage Fighters Championship and Cage Warriors; AJ Wenn has slowly climbed up the rankings due to a string of impressive displays that saw him race up to an unbeaten 6-0 record last year.
However Wenn's winning streak was derailed at Enter The Rough House 4 last October when he was defeated by the Team Rough House fighter Andre Winner in a close tactical battle which exploded into life halfway during round 2, when Winner took control following a spectacular flying flying knee. However Wenn showed his durability and took the 3 Lightweight Champion the distance.
Like his opponent on September 27th, Wenn has also suffered due to pull outs and cancellations which delayed his return until May of his year when he faced the unpredictable London based Turkish fighter Sami Berik at CFC: No Mercy. Wenn impressed once again and won the CFC Title by submitting the former San Shou practitioner with an armbar towards the end of the first round.
Wenn was due to fight last month but yet again his fight fell through due to his opponent suffering an injury and with a CFC Title defence looming on October 25th; Wenn has decided to keep busy and take another fight. He has already stated online that “its good to have a fight to look forward to” and no doubt he'll be keen to leave Nottingham with another win under his belt.
Will Wenn's strong clinch, wrestling, and ground game be enough to defeat the sharp striking and grappling skills of his northern opponent? Or will the “Self Proclaimed UK's Number 1 Lightweight” snap out of his losing streak and take a giant leap up the UK rankings, when both men face each other on September 27th? To find out, buy your tickets now at http://www.cagewarriors.com/event.26.htm
This prestigious International event will be hosted by Warrior Promotions. owners of Cage Warriors Fighting Championship, in Nottingham as a pre-cursor to introducing the first ever British Team into the M-1 Challenge Tournament next year. The UK will host further events next year whilst this September will witness four of the most acclaimed teams in the 2008 tournament battling it out in pursuit of national pride and personal glory.
The four teams competing in Nottingham hoping to qualify for the finals in Japan on New Year's Eve will be; Red Devils vs USA & Russia Legion vs Europe. All four teams will be taking part in a total of 10 international super-bouts.
Plus there will be an additional 5 “Superfights” featuring local fighters, with the early awaited Heavyweight Rematch between local favourite Wayne Buck and the Italian Muay Thai fighter Matteo “The Brutal” Minonzio.
As well as this exciting and innovative event; Warrior Promotions are also proud to announce at there will be a seminar featuring the former Pride FC star and current Red Devil Team Member & Coach, Aleksander Emelianenko. Aleksander, the younger brother of the formidable Fedor Emelianenko sports an impressive MMA record of 13-3 and has fought of the best names in the MMA world. He will be conducting a seminar with his team and will be looking to pass on some of the skills which have seen his team rise to the top of the MMA tree.
That's not all as UK MMA Legend Ian ‘The Machine’ Freeman, the young upcoming MMA star & current Cage Warriors Champion, Gegard Mousasi and the UFC Welterweight Protégé Dan “The Outlaw” Hardy will also be attending this Seminar and the M-1 Challenge show later on in the day. This Seminar will take place between 12.00 pm to 3.00 pm on the day of the event.
For full Ticket and Fightcard information on this fantastic weekend of MMA action go to
http://www.cagewarriors.com/event.25.htm
http://www.cagewarriors.com/event.26.htm
