On Saturday evening, Welsh MMA fans witnessed yet another impressive night of fights at the sixth instalment of Cage Warriors Academy Wales.
The card, full of young, up-and-coming amateurs, saw 19 fights in Wales’s Ebbw Vale Sports Centre, with two successful title defences.
Shore Mixed Martial Arts
The main talking point after the event was just how dominant the fighters training out of Shore MMA were. The previous cards have shown us why this gym is one to watch. However, the events of Saturday night have only proved this.
Middleweight and bantamweight champions Roan Crocker and Levi Batchelor successfully defended their belts for the first time they asked.
Batchelor defeated last-minute challenger Gabriel Gomez via unanimous decision in the co-main event of the evening. In the main event, Crocker forced his opponent Rhys Hughes into a second-round submission.
As well as Shore MMA’s two defending champions, Jack Beazley, Ellis Richards, Ioan Thomas and Kane Darcy, all came away from their fights with their hands raised, making it six out of six for the team.
The Rise of MMA in Wales
Many of Wales’s biggest fighters, like, Jack Shore and Mason Jones, both made their names fighting on these cards. Therefore, keeping an eye on the young talent early will be worth it a few years down the line.
Wales has emerged as a hotspot for really technical, high fight IQ fighters. With almost every finish on Saturday night being by submission, you can understand why this is.
Mixing between striking, level changes, and the ground game is what elevates fighters to new levels. This is something that is taught regularly at Shore MMA. Despite winning by a decision, both Levi Batchelor and Ioan Thomas showed how skill and determination win fights.
Richard Shore Talks CWAW
After the event, Shore MMA head coach and event organiser Richard Shore was praised for every fight on the card.
“6-0 as a team, some decision wins, some stoppages. I think we showed every facet of the martial arts. We showed wrestling, we showed grappling, we showed a good level of striking. More importantly, I felt that, particularly with the two title fights, we showed an IQ that is a level above what an amateur should be.
“The standout was probably Levi Batchelor, on paper he probably had the hardest matchup and he beat the lad at his own game. His pace for nine minutes, there’s nobody in the UK that can match him for cardio.”
The next card will take place on June 25th with more hungry Welsh talent ready to throw down.
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