Author: Charttopper

Press Release – London, England (June 6, 2013) – Cage Warriors Fighting Championship is pleased to confirm that it has signed top English bantamweight Ronnie Mann.

The five-fight deal will see the 26-year-old compete exclusively for Cage Warriors over a minimum of 18 months, after CWFC paid a fee of $5,000 to Bellator to have Mann released from his contract with the promotion.

Cage Warriors 57 at Liverpool’s Echo Arena on July 20 has been pencilled in for Mann’s CWFC debut, with the Cheltenham native keen to make his mark on Europe’s most competitive bantamweight division.

“I’m extremely happy to have signed with Cage Warriors,” said Mann. “It’s very flattering that they were willing to buy my contract from Bellator.

“Graham Boylan and all the guys at CWFC are great, and I’m very thankful for what they’ve done. In my opinion it’s the best promotion in Europe and I’m happy to be a part of it.”

Currently ranked fourth in the UK, Mann accumulated a 3-3 record in Bellator after debuting for the promotion in April 2011. In his 28 professional bouts, Mann has been stopped just twice.

He added: “Bellator are a good promotion but I needed to be active again because I wasn’t fighting as regularly as I would have liked.

“I’m looking forward to having regular fights again, especially on the UK scene and in front the great fans we have here. I want to get my name out there again in Europe and hopefully work my way to a title shot. But for me, it’s one step at a time.”

Cage Warriors CEO Graham Boylan said: “I’d like to thank Bellator for their co-operation in this deal. I don’t like to see fighters not active in the prime of their careers and Bellator understood that, at his age, Ronnie needed to be busy.

“Like all of our fighters, Ronnie will have plenty of opportunities here at Cage Warriors. Our bantamweight division is extremely strong and Ronnie has got the ability to make a big impact.”