Davis Taking Training to New Level for World Title Fight

By KOTC Staff

Last November, if you had told Garett Davis that approximately one year later he would be fighting for the King of the Cage World Welterweight Championship, even the veteran himself may have questioned your prediction. After all, at the time, Davis had not fought in over one year and was coming off back-to-back losses; the Vancouver resident had even questioned whether he would fight again.

Baker “Feels Better Than Ever” Heading into Bout with Stewart

By KOTC Staff

One of the more interesting match-ups scheduled for King of the Cage Canada’s upcoming ten fight, plus card, November 21^st in Edmonton, is a pivotal middleweight match-up between Brad Stewart and Matt Baker. While Stewart has gone 4-0 to begin his pro career and could be within striking distance of a title shot, Baker is riding high after knocking out Jamey Dearman in April. In addition, with both men stating that they’re expecting an aggressive, stand-up affair come November 21^st, the bout should entertain, as well as demonstrate, where each man sits in the middleweight ranks.

“Not much,” said the 26 year-old Baker when asked what he knows about Stewart. “He’s smart and has no videos of his fights on Youtube. He’s a big Alberta boy. I think he has always won because he is bigger than his opponents, which won’t be the case with me. He says he likes to stand and bang which everyone knows is my favourite.”

Injured Chiappe Disappointed; Anxious to Return

By KOTC Staff

It was going to be Ryan Chiappe’s biggest fight to date; the King of the Cage Canadian Middleweight Champion was set to take on UFC and Strikeforce veteran Joe Riggs, at the promotion’s upcoming November 21^st event in Edmonton, Alberta. A win for Chiappe, would not only have been news throughout the MMA world, it would have spoken volumes about the Revolution fighter’s abilities in the cage. Unfortunately for Chiappe, an injury he incurred while training, will prevent him from facing the punishing Arizona fighter for the time being.

“I thought I was fine at first,” said Chiappe, when asked about the injury that took him out of the November 21^st main event bout at Rexall Place. “I woke up; I couldn’t really sleep, and I went and got an x-ray later. What it is is that essentially your clavicle and your shoulder should be straight and aligned, but my clavicle is a couple of degrees raised. So it’s basically torn ligaments.”

Stewart Just Taking One Fight at a Time

By KOTC Staff

When Brad Stewart steps into the cage to face Matt Baker at King of the Cage Canada’s upcoming November 21^st card in Edmonton, it will be nearly one year to the day that the Fort St. John fighter won just his second pro bout. At the time, few would have likely predicted that one year later, the relative newcomer to the sport would be within striking distance of a middleweight title shot.

“Well from what I’ve heard I’m starting to get some recognition within KOTC but I'm not too concerned with any rankings or anything like that,” said Stewart (4-0), who since stopping Ryan Sieben in the first round at KOTC Canada’s “Accelerator” event last November, has earned wins over Allan Hope and Elmer Waterhen in the 2010 campaign. “I've only just begun training and fighting over the last couple of years. I just want to keep training hard and take it one fight at a time and hope everything works out. As far as a title shot, if KOTC wants to give me it I'll take it but I'm really in no rush.”

Trent Thorne Eager and Ready to Face Joe Riggs

By KOTC Staff

Trent Thorne was quick to concede in early October that he was thrilled to be fighting MMA pioneer Shannon “The Cannon” Ritch, at King of the Cage Canada’s upcoming November 21^st show in Edmonton, Alberta. Thorne was coming off his first KO win in July to run his pro record to 6-3, and was looking forward to testing his abilities against a “big name” like Ritch. As circumstances would have it, however, Thorne will now step in for the injured Ryan Chiappe on November 21^st, meaning, not only will Thorne still fight a notable competitor in UFC veteran Joe Riggs, he’ll battle for the promotion’s interim Canadian middleweight  title.

Line-Up to Date for Dec. 4th KOTC Canada

Here is the line-up to date for King of the Cage Canada’s upcoming December 4^th event in Cold Lake, Alberta, which will see Canadian champ Garrett Davis contest Quinn Mulhern, for the promotion’s world welterweight title.

Date: December 4th, 2010

Location: Energy Center in Cold Lake Alberta

Main Event:

Garett Davis (14-10) vs. Quinn Mulhern (13-1)

***KOTC World Welterweight Title

Dan Severn (94-16-7) vs. Peter Nolan (1-0)

Tim Chemelli (5-1) vs. Mariusz Zastawny (1-1)

Elmer Watherhen (9-13) vs. Kenny Weaselhead (2-1)

Keenan Feeney (2-0) vs. TBA

Ken Kerfont (0-5) vs. TBA

Samurai Khardassian (0-2) vs. TBA

(Card could be subject to change)

Bussemakers Excited to Be Fighting Again

By KOTC Staff   After Jarid Bussemakers stopped MMA pioneer Shannon “The Cannon” Ritch in March, in what was his biggest win to date, few likely imagined that the rising fighter would go eight months without competing again. As circumstances would have it, however, an opportunity to follow up on the impressive win fell through, leaving the 25 year-old no choice but to head back to his full-time job.

“I had to go back to work to make some money, pay off the bills and stuff,” said Bussemakers, who had been scheduled to fight King of the Cage Canadian Middleweight Champion Ryan Chiappe in April, until an injury prevented the champ from competing. “Now the paving season is done, so now that I’m done doing that, it’s time to make some money scrapping. I’ve been working ridiculous hours so there’s really no point in taking a fight when you have no time to do any training.”

Thorne Excited to Face “Big Name” in Ritch

By KOTC Staff  On November 21^st Trent Thorne will look to keep building upon his largely successful 2010 campaign, as the middleweight will take on MMA pioneer Shannon “The Cannon” Ritch, at Edmonton’s Rexall Place. The past year has been a break-out one in many respects for Thorne, as the third year pro has not only gone 4-1, in July, he stopped Chad Frey for his first KO win.

“I think it’s a good fight for me,” said Thorne when asked for his thoughts on fighting the veteran Ritch, who has competed well over 100 times in his decade plus career.  “I was supposed to fight the guy he had his last win over, but for whatever reason that didn’t happen, so I figure why step back right? Might as well keep moving forward; he’s definitely a big name guy, and it will be the first time really I’ve ever fought someone of his calibre.”

Update: November 21st Rexall Place Card

By KOTC Staff  More than 10 bouts have been confirmed for King of the Cage Canada’s upcoming November 21^st event; a card that will see the promotion return to Edmonton's historic Rexall Place. Headlining the event will be a Canadian middleweight championship bout, as champion Ryan “Ruthless” Chiappe will look to defend against the accomplished veteran, Joe “Diesel” Riggs.

KOTC Canada's "Lock Down" PPV Starts Oct. 22nd

King of the Cage Canada's "Lock Down" event will begin airing on pay-per-view October 22nd. The card originally took place July 30th at Edmonton's historic Rexall Place, and featured a memorable welterweight title fight between Ryan Chiappe and Garett Davis in the main event.

For more details on the PPV head here.

Kizuik Stops Ritch; Kupsch Talks KOTC “Sentinel”

By KOTC Staff Chris Kizuik took a big step forward in circulating his name throughout the MMA world on Saturday night, as the rising fighter stopped hundred fights plus veteran Shannon “The Cannon” Ritch in the first round, at King of the Cage Canada’s “Sentinel” card in Cold Lake, Alberta.

“After the stoppage to check my cut, I just remember Shannon attempting a heel hook when I was able to spin out and jump on top into full mount,” said Kizuik while discussing his latest win. “I knew that I had to take advantage from here and I just started to throw punches until the referee stoppage. It was a great feeling to come back like that on such an experienced fighter.”

Samurai Khardassian Welcomes Dark Horse Role

By KOTC Staff   The name Samurai Khardassian may not be a familiar one with many MMA fans, but if all goes well for him in his upcoming bout with highly regarded veteran Joe “Diesel” Riggs, that’s going to change. Khardassian will head to Cold Lake, Alberta to face Riggs at King of the Cage’s “Sentinel” card Saturday night, and despite being a huge underdog on paper, the experienced grappler believes he’s ready to shock the MMA world.

“Anything can happen in a MMA fight,” said Khardassian, when asked to respond to critics who may view his fight with the 33-11 Riggs as a mismatch. “I’m a seasoned vet; I’ve been grappling against black belts and against black belt level competition since I was 16, so for eight years, and I’ve been doing MMA for 12. I’ve been grappling for 12 years and I’ve spent time teaching seminars, training Special Forces people, and I’ve submitted several UFC fighters, who I’d prefer not to name in terms of modesty. Riggs is a seasoned vet, you know, but I have no reason to lose so I’m a dark horse. I’ll fight anybody.”

Riggs Believes he's "Still One of the Very Best"

By KOTC Staff   When Joe Riggs arrives in Cold Lake, Alberta this week to fight Samurai Khardassian at King of the Cage Canada’s September 18^th “Sentinel” event, the former UFC contender will be looking to demonstrate that he remains a world class fighter. Despite the fact that Riggs will head into this weekend’s fight having gone 4-1 in his last five bouts, with impressive wins coming against Luke Stewart, Phil Baroni and most recently Louis Taylor, the 27 year-old understands he needs to keep building momentum.

“I’m just trying to put together another win streak you know,” said Riggs (33-11), who has also competed for Strikeforce and the WEC throughout his near decade long career. “I just want to put together a big streak as the bigger winning streak you get going the more money you make. It always looks better. And to be perfectly honest with you I just want to fight.”

Chris Kizuik “Ready to Go” Versus Shannon Ritch

Chris Kizuik is off to a winning start in his young, fighting career, and on September 18^th he's hoping to announce his presence to the wider MMA world, with a win over 100 fights plus veteran, Shannon “The Cannon” Ritch.

“Initial reaction was "yes!"” said Kizuik, when asked for his reaction upon finding out he would fight one of the sport’s most experienced fighters, at King of the Cage Canada’s upcoming September 18^th event in Cold Lake, Alberta. “I'm always game for a fight and really think this one will put me on the radar. I've definitely heard of Shannon before this, never followed him as a fighter but checked out his resume and he has fought alot of dudes.”

“New and Improved” Shannon Ritch Ready for Sept. 18th

By KOTC Staff    Despite being one of mixed-martial-arts most experienced fighters, Shannon “The Cannon” Ritch recently decided it was time to make some serious changes to his training regiment, in an effort to turn some heads throughout the sport as his 40th birthday approaches. The 100 fight plus veteran will get an opportunity to showcase the benefits of the recent changes soon enough, when Ritch faces Chris Kizuik at King of the Cage Canada’s upcoming September 18th card, in Cold Lake, Alberta.

Thorne Looking to Build Off First KO Win

By KOTC Staff After having a three fight winning streak snapped by Cody Krahn in May, Trent Thorne returned to the winner’s column in dramatic style at King of the Cage Canada’s recent “Lockdown” event, by knocking out Chad Frey in the second round. Not only was the victory the sixth of Thorne’s relatively brief career, it was the Edmonton fighter’s first knock-out win.

“It was pretty crazy actually; it was weird,” said the 28 year-old Thorne while reflecting on the outcome of his July 30^th bout. “I thought that he beat me up in the first, and in the second round I came out and threw some kicks, caught him, and he was out cold. There’s a picture of it afterwards and you can see I have a look of shock on my face. It was pretty cool.”

Stewart Hoping for Title Shot After Latest Win

By KOTC Staff

Not even a year has transpired yet since Brad Stewart made his pro debut last September, but after extending his record to 4-0 with a decision win over Elmer Waterhen at King of the Cage Canada’s recent “Lockdown” event, the rising middleweight is hoping a title shot is next.

“We’ve actually been talking about a possible title fight and I feel that I’m ready for that,” said the 26 year-old Stewart, who now holds victories over Lee Lepoidvin, Ryan Sieben, Allan Hope, and the aforementioned Waterhen.

Davis Talks About "Biggest Win" of His Career

By KOTC Staff   It wasn’t long ago that Garett Davis told King of the Cage Canada that his upcoming July 30th bout with Ryan Chiappe was the “biggest fight” of his life, and after choking out the resilient veteran to win the promotion’s Canadian Welterweight Championship, Davis couldn’t be happier.


“As far as I’m concerned this is the biggest thing that’s happened in my career,” said Davis, who caught the KOTC Canadian Middleweight Champion in the third round with an Anaconda Choke to earn his 14th career victory. “For me winning the King of the Cage welterweight belt is a huge accomplishment. It has great status, and I put in a lot of time to get to this point, so, it’s just everything about it. Being in the main event; fighting for the title, being in Northlands Coliseum (Rexall Place). This was without a doubt the biggest win of my career.”

Chiappe "Immediately Said Yes" to Title Fight With Davis

By KOTC Staff (from 07/25/2010)


These are crucially important times in the fighting career of Ryan Chiappe, and the Revolution fighter would have it no other way. The former Prince George resident not only laid claim to the King of the Cage Canadian Middleweight Championship last November, by tapping out Jason Volpe in the first round, but Chiappe recently decided to drop down to welterweight where he believes he is a better suited to compete. Despite the transition, however, Chiappe will continue to fight at a championship level, as the fighter will face Garett Davis for the Canadian welterweight championship, July 30th in Edmonton.

“I had a little suspicion that if I was to fight for the 170lb. belt I might end up fighting Garett,” said Chiappe about this Friday’s bout, which will take place in Edmonton’s historic Rexall Place. “I was reading one of your articles and I read that Garett had asked for a title shot. I was hoping that a fight with Gary Wright would come to the forefront; I’m under the impression that he vacated the title, so when they said Garett Davis I immediately said yes. I feel like I’m at the stage now where I can fight anyone at my weight in Canada.”

Davis Ecstatic About "Huge Fight" With Chiappe

By KOTC Staff (from 07/28/2010)


Garett Davis hasn’t been shy about the fact that he wants a crack at the King of the Cage Canadian Welterweight Championship, and after stopping Shannon Ritch in May to run his 2010 record to 2-0, the Vancouver veteran has gotten his wish.

“Getting this fight with Ryan Chiappe is pretty huge for me,” said Davis (13-10), who will fight the KOTC Canadian middleweight champ July 30th for the Canadian welterweight title. “I’ve been asking King of the Cage for a shot at the belt for a long time. It was supposed to happen a few years ago; I had won a couple of fights, but for whatever reason that didn’t go ahead. Then I noticed that Gary Wright hadn’t been fighting a lot so I had been calling out for a fight with Gary; I want to fight the best guys you know?”