Cage Warriors 49 results: Pendred edges Carvalho, Newman submits Loughran

Cathal Pendred considers himself Europe's top welterweight fighter, and he wants to prove it when he gets an expected next crack at Gael Grimaud's Cage Warriors welterweight title.

After showing some moxie in the bout, Pendred (11-2) made a convincing case today with a hard-fought win over Bruno "BC" Carvalho (14-6).

The bout headlined Saturday's Cage Warriors 49 event at St David's Hall in Cardiff, Wales. The main card streamed on MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) following prelims on Facebook.

After a strategic first round spent almost entirely on their feet with both fighters doing damage from the clinch, Pendred took the lead early in the second round with power shots as he often pushed the pace. Carvalho often was pressed against the cage, where he was forced to defend takedowns and could offer little more than the occasional counter shots.

Pendred ultimately got the takedown, but Carvalho sought out submission attempts while transitioning from an armbar to a deep triangle choke before ultimately returning to an armbar. Pendred, though, miraculously survived the nearly two-minute sequence, even as his arm appeared hyperextended from the deep submission hold.

In what was likely the deciding third round, Pendred showed no ill effects from the armbar and unloaded with more frequency. Although slowed a bit by a battered leg, he landed lunging punches in quick bursts. However, after Pendred's slip late in the round due to a low kick, Carvalho took top position and closed out the fight with some ground and pound.

With no clear winner, both fighters raised their arms in victory and awaited the judges' decision. And it ultimately went to via Pendred via unanimous decision, which included a surprise 30-27 score.

"I would have liked to stop him, but he was a tough, tough guy," Pendred said. "He's really tough."

Newman controversially taps Loughran

After an 11-month layoff, Welsh fighter Tim Newman (9-3) returned to the win column with a victory over Northern Ireland's experienced Nate Loughran (22-9).

The lightweight co-headliner came with some controversy, though.

Newman used a well-balanced attack in the opening round of their fight. In addition to some clean strikes, he twice locked in guillotine chokes that Loughran only narrowly escaped. However, the third time was a charm.

After hurting Loughran with a body shot and charging forward with a series of punches, Newman briefly was stunned with a counter shot. But he quickly continued the assault, forced the fight to the mat, and then torqued a deep a guillotine choke while pulling guard. Loughran appeared to tap twice but argued when the ref intervened and said he never submitted. The ref, though, told him he had, and the bout officially ended at the 4:45 mark of the opening round.

"Everything was working in grappling competitions, but it hadn't worked in a cage fight," he said. "It feels great. I've been knocking on the door for so long. I've been taking fights against guys ranked higher than me, and it finally paid off."

Newman was the only Welsh fighter to pick up a main-card win at the event.

Hucin back in win column

Faycal Hucin (8-3) had his hands full, but he ultimately delivered John Michael Sheil (8-1) his first career loss.

Fighting for the first time since a semifinal-round loss to Vitor Cheng in Cage Warriors' eight-man middleweight tournament, Hucin ate a number of punches and kicks in the opening round.

The Frenchman, though, got through his own blows in the second round, and a big uppercut put Sheil on wobbly legs. Hucin followed up with additional power punches but couldn't get the stoppage. Then, after avoiding Sheil's continue stream of strikes in the third round, he finished strong with some ground and pound that likely stole the round and the fight.

The judges ultimately awarded him the split decision over the Irish fighter via 29-28, 28-29 and 29-28 scores.

Irish fighters submit Welsh opposition

Irish lightweight Merv Mulholland (10-4) spent most of the fight on his back but looked good nonetheless. After Welsh fighter Daniel Thomas (19-9-1) scored a quick takedown, Mulholland unloaded a quick barrage of elbows from his back and then slapped on a deep triangle choke that ultimately put his opponent to sleep. The slick submission, which was accompanied by a flurry of punches, came at the 1:22 mark of the opening round. It marked a third straight win for Irish fighters over their Welsh opposition.

In lightweight action, Paul Redmond (4-3) avoided his opponent's judo, striking and size advantage, and he choked out heavily favored Welsh fighter Lewis Long (6-2), a nearly 4-to-1 favorite. The Irish fighter used a modified rear-naked choke to get the tap-out at the 3:34 mark of the second round.

In the night's opening bout, Alan Philpott (7-2) pulled off an upset with a first-round submission victory over Kris Edwards (8-4). After surviving some early submissions attempts, Philpott worked his way to top position, opened a deep forehead laceration with a slicing elbow, and then tapped out Edwards with a rear-naked choke at the 3:53 mark of the round. It marked the 20-year-old's second win in seven days.

The full Cage Warriors 49 results included:

MAIN CARD (MMAjunkie.com)

Cathal Pendred def. Bruno Carvalho via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Tim Newman def. Greg Loughran via submission (guillotine choke) - Round 1, 4:45
Faycal Hucin def. John Michael Sheil via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Merv Mulholland def. Daniel Thomas via submission (triangle choke) - Round 1, 1:22
Paul Redmond def. Lewis Long via submission (rear-naked choke) - Round 2, 3:34
Alan Philpott def. Kris Edwards via submission (rear-naked choke) - Round 1, 3:53

PRELIMINARY CARD (Facebook)

Lee Caers def. Kevin Reed via TKO (strikes) - Round 2, 4:52
Martin McDonough def. Dino Gambatesa via submission (armbar) - Round 1, 1:53
Neil Seery def. Karl Harrison via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

PRELIMINARY CARD

Brett Johns defeats Sam Gilbert via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

http://mmajunkie.com/news/31326/cage-warriors-49-results.mma