The Cagewarriors Fighting Championships Promoter/Owner Mr Dougie Truman has a very special New Years message for UK MMA fans as 2005 sees the start of a wide scale CWFC expansion which will not only see the revamping of their ever popular news and corporate website Cagewarriors.com, but will also see the Cagewarriors brand being franchised and spilt into 3 parts. This sensational announcement is only the beginning of a master plan which will not only offer fans and fighters more choice and more action, but will also provide the Cagewarriors Fighting Championships with a solid base to build on during 2005 and beyond.
This bold move yet again shows the willingness of CWFC promoter Dougie Truman to promote a complete package that will benefit everyone in an often fragmented and divided UK Scene. Dougie Truman is also proud to announce that after a series of negotiations, Cagewarriors with be spilt into 3 parts (or franchises), which will firstly encompass 2 main shows that will have a Southern and a Northern base respectively and this package will be completed by a feeder show based at the Sheffield Octagon Centre in Yorkshire.
This exciting new project will also see the number of Cagewarriors shows triple, with each franchise having a minimum of 4 shows a year. CWFC Owner Dougie Truman hopes this will lead to between 12-15 Cagewarriors shows per year. This innovative announcement also sees several other changes as Dougie Truman will re-focus on promoting shows in the South and Midlands regions of England, which will start with a show in Coventry, which will contain the usual big names, up and coming stars as well as the usual shocks and surprises, delivered in the same unique Cagewarriors style which has been popular throughout its short history.
As previously mentioned the CWFC feeder show, named Cagewarriors: Quest, will focus on mainly on new talent and for some will be the start of a long journey to the top of the Cagewarriors rankings and beyond. This show in which high impact action will be promoted will give fighters a chance to test their skills in the “pressure cooker” atmosphere of the fabled 32ft CWFC titanium octagon as the evenly matched athletes try to build up and reputation and reach one of the main CWFC shows. This show will be headed by Cagewarriors very own Rob Butler, who as been responsible for promoting Cagewarriors in and around the Sheffield region and has struck ticketing deals with local outlets and has also proven his worth by designing many of the banners and posters for the last few Cagewarriors shows.
However the major news that Dougie Truman is pleased to announce is the creation of a Northern franchise that will be headed by the respected Yorkshire based promoter Paul Murphy and his business partner David Mangham, who has had considerable experience in event management and security. Dougie Truman and the entire Cagewarriors team are extremely proud that both Paul Murphy and David Mangham have decided to join forces with the CWFC to promote this thrilling new venture which will boost the already popular Cagewarriors brand with new ideas and planning.
Paul Murphy has previously brought in new ideas to Cagewarriors by helping to set-up a BJJ superfight at Cagewarriors 9 in December 2004, which sold a good share of tickets and also created a lot of interest from fans of one of the core MMA disciplines. Whilst Dave Mangham has been previously involved in promoting pop events and other arena based entertainment and has already been in high level talks with new corporate sponsors who are interested in backing this exciting new brand.
As you can see both men already fit in with the innovative Cagewarriors outlook and have already found a base at the Xscape Centre http://www.xscape.co.uk/ (near Leeds) which is a fantastic indoor entertainment destination which contains a wide range of activities and entertainment such as indoor skiing, cinemas, bars and restaurants. We hope this move will bring MMA to a new audience, whilst giving our existing fanbase a more enjoyable experience.
The existing CWFC team will still have an advisory role in the new franchise and will work with the Northern team to ensure that the usual high standard of the Cagewarriors brand is maintained, whilst giving our fighters more opportunities to fight under the Cagewarriors banner and increase their own profile. We will continue to work on creating enough events to build up legitimate rankings and work on increasing our new output and other schemes which will help to promote MMA and the Cagewarriors brand and increase the professionalism and legitimacy which is needed to sell the sport to new investors and media.
Everyone involved in the Cagewarriors organisation welcomes both Paul and David and we feel that together we can preside over a period of significant change for the UK MMA scene. And with TV deals on the horizon the CWFC team feels this expansion and partnership will mark the start of a very happy and prosperous new year, not only for the CWFC but for fans and fighters alike who will benefit from this exciting expansion of the Cagewarriors brand.
For more information on this stunning announcement please contact Dougie Truman at dougie@cagewarriors.com or the CWFC News/Media manager Ian Dean at iandean@cagewarriors.com and for those interested in the Cagewarriors northern show on the 30th April at the Xscape centre in Leeds, contact Paul Murphy at claylanejujitsu@yahoo.co.uk whilst fighters, trainers and managers interested in our exciting feeder show contact Rob Butler.
Finally everyone at the CWFC would like to wish everyone a happy new year and hope that together we can push UK MMA on to the next level.
Basically this means 3 Cagewarriors divsions under 1 banner....producing 12-15 shows a year. It's an exciting time for UK MMA and for Cagewarriors. Watch out for us in 2005