This Saturday, the ninth instalment of Cage Warriors Academy Wales is again hitting Ebbw Vale. The card will feature more than 20 amateur bouts, including four fights with gold on the line. Wales has witnessed several superstars emerge from these shows, and this week, expect more of the same.
It’s been around five months since the previous event. Now, amateurs from around the country are ready to make their returns at the Ebbw Vale Sports Centre. Let’s breakdown the four title fights that fans of the events can’t wait to witness.
Levi Batchelor v Charles Grossin
Our main event will see the return of Wales’ Levi “Young Money” Batchelor when he takes on young French prospect Charles Grossin. The two of them will face off for the vacant featherweight title in front of a rowdy Welsh crowd.
Batchelor makes his return to action after a successful featherweight debut back in October of last year. A dominant decision victory over Greece’s Ioannis Marathias secured his place as one of the men next in line for his shot at the title. The former bantamweight champion has always made it clear that he’s destined for the very top, and he’s backed that up along the way.
He is a fantastic wrestler who is always threatening with submissions and is deadly when he gets into a top position. For the majority of his camp, Levi decided he would focus on improving his Muay Thai and general MMA. So, he made the trip to Phuket, Thailand, to train with some of the very best. Now, he’s back in South Wales and expects to put his new skills to good use against France’s own, Charles Grossin.
The Frenchman has already fought four times in 2023 at MMA League Tarbes, a French MMA tournament, of which he won all four bouts. He, like his opponent, is a competent wrestler who you don’t want to let get on top of you. He makes the long trip to Wales to make a statement against a hostile crowd.
Seeing how “Young Money” approaches this fight will be extremely interesting. Whether he will choose to test out his brand new arsenal of striking or whether he will make that decision inside the cage. This is one hell of a main event with two of Europe’s best young amateurs.
Cage Warriors Academy Wales: Kunle Lawal v Jay Aspinwall
This co-main event is set up to be one of the best amateur fights of the year. Scotland’s Kunle Lawal will make the trip South to face the undefeated Welshman Jay Aspinwall. A matchup which will have everyone on the edge of their seats.
When it comes to experienced amateurs, Kunle Lawal is a go-to name in British MMA. With over 13 fights, he’s going to be looking to put on a masterclass this Saturday. 2022 was a remarkable year for the Scotsman, who secured gold at the Four Nations Championship in July. Then, at the end of the year, he won the On Top title to wrap up an excellent year for himself and his team.
A perfect blend of striking and grappling, you never know what he will throw at you in that cage. However, Wales’ Jay Aspinwall is one man who will back himself to come out on top of Lawal.
Aspinwall is now viewed as one of the country’s best amateur prospects. An undefeated record which most recently included a win that saw him win the Adrenaline title. He is a hard-hitting technical young fighter who is steam-rolling everyone he comes up against. It won’t be his first time fighting on a Cage Warriors Academy Wales card, and don’t be surprised if it’s not the last, either.
It’s extremely difficult to make a prediction for how this fight will play out. However, it’s a certainty that this welterweight title fight will surely produce fireworks.
Cage Warriors Academy Wales: Tallon Jones v Befan Hall
Here are two young men who will do anything to walk away with their first amateur title. In December 2021, Tallon Jones and Befan Hall faced each other for the first time. In round two, Jones tapped out Hall with an impressive triangle choke. Over a year since the first meeting, the two flyweights will rematch, this time for gold.
Tallon Jones is a product of The MAT Academy and trains with some of Wales’ most experienced coaches. The 19-year-old currently holds a perfect 2-0 record and has all the potential in the world to be something great. A fantastic grappler who isn’t afraid to exchange. The young man is prepared for wherever the fight goes. You may argue that he holds the upper hand heading into this fight, given he already holds a win against Hall, but that win means nothing in the eyes of his opponent.
Befan Hall has impressed ever since his debut back in 2021. One of Shore MMA’s active young amateurs holds a 3-1 record, with two of his three wins coming by finish. Unbelievable takedowns come in short supply with Hall, and he knows what to do once he gets you down, that’s for sure. His most recent win came just five months ago when he won his first submission.
Both Hall and Jones have stated they’re both extremely confident they will come out on top in this rematch. It’s going to be intriguing to see whether Jones can make it 2-0 against his opponent or whether Hall can get that loss back.
Ellis Clement v Logan McGonigal
Our first title fight of the night will see Ellis Clement attempt to defend his bantamweight belt against Scotland’s Logan McGonigal. This fight was originally set to take place back in October. However, McGonigal was forced to withdraw. Despite the late opponent change, Clement got the job done to bring home his first title.
An exciting 5-2 record makes Clement one of Wales’ best young bantamweights around. The champion had a busy 2022, fighting five times in total, as well as regularly competing in grappling bouts. His title win against Aaron Towns in October came just over a week after he competed at the European IMMAF Championships. He already has plans to make a move to professional fighting in the future, so a successful title defence this weekend will keep his momentum going for sure.
Scotland’s Logan McGonigal also has a very experienced amateur record. He loves to wear his opponents out, and once they have nothing left to give, that’s when he gets you. A clear submission threat and always dangerous on the feet. He won’t want to leave South Wales without the belt wrapped around his waist.
All four title fights are perfectly set up to deliver, with the whole card stacked from top to bottom. Cage Warriors Academy Wales 9 goes down this Saturday in Ebbw Vale, Wales. We’ll be covering the whole event right here at Combat Sports UK. Stay tuned.
Featured image credits to Cage Warriors Academy Wales
