Cage Rage Championships
, also known as Cage Rage
, was a United Kingdom-based mixed martial arts promotion that premiered on 7 September 2002 in London. Cage Rage went bankrupt and is now no longer trading. Cage Rage had been owned and managed by Elite XC until that company ceased operating, and the British promoters behind Cage Rage formed a the new organization and withdrew all the old Cage Rage titles. [1] Matchmaker and on-screen personality Dave O'Donnell was also a minority shareholder in the company. Fellow on-screen personality and co-promoter Andy Geer also owned a minority stake until he left the promotion in 2008. [2]. Cage Rage events were replayed on Nuts TV, [3] along with their own weekday show on The Fight Network (UK & Ireland) until these channels closed down. [4]. Archived shows are currently shown on the Extreme Sports Channel.
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CAGE RAGE TICKETS
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History
Cage Rage started when Alex Jones and Tom Bell set out to raise money by promoting a small
mixed martial arts show, to provide new mats for their martial arts school. The first Cage Rage event in
Elephant and Castle, London was a success, which led to fans and fighters asking for a follow up show, leading to further shows and promotion as it exists today.
[5]
In March 2007, after the purchase of
PRIDE Fighting Championships by
Frank Fertitta III and Lorenzo Fertitta from
Dream Stage Entertainment, Cage Rage were announced as members of a promotional alliance instigated by
ProElite and
FEG, the parent companies of
EliteXC and
HERO'S respectively, along with
Strikeforce,
BodogFight K-1 and
Spirit MC.
[6]
However, this working relationship barely lasted a month. When Cage Rage signed K-1 star Bob Sapp to a main event in London for their 21 April 2007, show K-1 stopped Sapp from fighting on the card. This left a desperate Geer and O'Donnell scrambling for a new main event on just days notice with aged veteran Tank Abbott eventually stepping in.
Due to the closeness of the two promotions, ProElite purchased the majority shareholding in Cage Rage in September 2007 from Cage Rage's silent partner John Faraday.
[7]
Andy Geer Left the group he founded in April 2008, and was replaced by former King of the Cage boss Chris Cordeiro.
In May 2008, Sky Sports said in a statement they would no longer be airing Cage Rage events on their channels. The official line was that they could not continue with Cage Rage as a fighter (Paul Daley) had sworn on live TV on a previous show. However, this was thought to be an excuse as the incident (where Daley used several sexual cursewords) took place well after the 9pm "watershed". Much more likely Sky was disappointed with the average 19,000 viewers Cage Rage was getting.
On 15 July 2009, however, a Cage Rage event is going to be shown on Sky Sports 3.
Rules
Cage Rage's current rules
[8] are based upon the
Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts
that were originally established by the
New Jersey State Athletic Control Board and modified by the
Nevada State Athletic Commission.
[9] These rules have been adopted across the US in other states that regulate mixed martial arts. As a result, they have become the standard
de facto
set of rules for professional mixed martial arts across the US and for cage-based MMA worldwide.
As of Cage Rage 13, amendments to the
Unified Rules
have been made, most notably
the "Open Guard" rule and the banning of
elbow strikes to a downed opponent.
Rounds
All Cage Rage fights are contested over three, five minute rounds. There is a one minute rest period in-between rounds.
Weight divisions
Cage Rage currently uses six weight classes:
- Featherweight: 57 - 66 kg (125 - 145 lb)
- Lightweight: 66 - 70 kg (146 - 155 lb)
- Welterweight: 71 - 77 kg (156 - 170 lb)
- Middleweight: 78 - 84 kg (171 - 185 lb)
- Light Heavyweight: 84 - 93 kg (186 - 205 lbs)
- Heavyweight: Over 93 kg (206 lbs and heavier)
Cage
Cage Rage uses a nine-sided caged arena to stage bouts similar to the
UFC's trademarked Octagon, though it is smaller in size. It has foam padding around the top and between each of the eight sections and has two entry/exit gates on opposite sides. The canvas is marked with a line that is a metre away from the fence at all points.
Attire
As per the
Unified Rules of MMA
, Cage Rage only allows competitors to fight in approved shorts, without shoes or any other sort of foot padding. Fighters must use approved light gloves (4-6 ounces) that allow fingers to grab.
Match outcome
Matches usually end via:
- Submission
: a fighter taps on the mat or his opponent three times (or more) or verbally submits.
- Knockout
: a fighter falls from a legal blow and is either unconscious or unable to immediately continue.
- Technical Knockout
: stoppage of the fight by the referee if it is determined a fighter cannot "intelligently defend" himself or by ringside doctor due to injury.
- Judges' Decision
: Depending on scoring, a match may end as:
:*unanimous decision (all three judges score a win for one fighter),
*split decision (two judges score a win for one fighter with the third for the other),
*majority decision (two judges score a win for one fighter with one for a draw),
*unanimous draw (all three judges score a draw),
*majority draw (two judges score a draw).
*split draw (the total points for each fighter is equal)
A fight can also end in a
technical decision
,
technical draw
,
disqualification
,
forfeit
or
no contest
.
Judging criteria
The
ten-point must system is use for all Cage Rage fights; three judges score each round and the winner of each receives ten points, the loser nine points or less. If the round is even, both fighters receive ten points. The decision is announced at the end of the match but the judge's scorecards are not announced.
Fouls
The following are considered fouls in Cage Rage:
#
Butting with the head.
#
Eye gouging of any kind.
# Biting.
# Hair pulling.
#
Fish hooking.
#
Groin attacks of any kind.
# Putting a finger into any orifice or into any cut or laceration on an opponent. (see
Gouging)
#
Small joint manipulation.
# Striking to the spine or the back of the head. (see
Rabbit punch)
# Striking downward using the point of the elbow. (see
Elbow (strike))
# Throat strikes of any kind, including, without limitation, grabbing the trachea.
# Clawing, pinching or twisting the flesh.
# Grabbing the
clavicle.
#
Kicking the head of a grounded opponent, unless an open guard has been called (
as of 10 September 2005
).
#
Kneeing the head of a grounded opponent, unless an open guard has been called (
as of 10 September 2005
).
#
Stomping a grounded opponent, unless an open guard has been called (
as of 10 September 2005
).
#
Elbow strikes to a grounded opponent (
as of 10 September 2005
).
#
Kicking to the kidney with the heel.
# Spiking an opponent to the canvas on his head or neck. (see
piledriver (professional wrestling))
#
Throwing an opponent out of the ring or fenced area.
# Holding the shorts or gloves of an opponent.
# Spitting at an opponent.
# Engaging in an unsportsmanlike conduct that causes an injury to an opponent.
# Holding the ropes or the fence.
# Using abusive language in the ring or fenced area.
# Attacking an opponent on or during the break.
# Attacking an opponent who is under the care of the referee.
# Attacking an opponent after the bell has sounded the end of the period of unarmed combat.
# Flagrantly disregarding the instructions of the referee.
# Timidity, including, without limitation, avoiding contact with an opponent, intentionally or consistently dropping the mouthpiece or faking an injury.
# Interference by the corner.
# Throwing in the towel during competition.
When a foul is charged, the referee in their discretion may deduct one or more points as a penalty. If a foul incapacitates a fighter, then the match may end in a disqualification if the foul was intentional, or a no contest if unintentional. If a foul causes a fighter to be unable to continue later in the bout, it ends with a technical decision win to the injured fighter if the injured fighter is ahead on points, otherwise it is a technical draw.
Match conduct
The referee has the right to stop the fighters and stand them up if they reach a stalemate on the ground (where neither are in a dominant
position nor working toward one) after a verbal warning.
Defunct rules
The "Open Guard" rule
Cage Rage was the home of a unique rule in the world of cage-based MMA; the "open guard" rule. Designed to prevent stalling on the ground, it allowed a standing fighter to use strikes on a downed opponent that would otherwise be
fouls.
If a downed fighter was at least a metre away from the cage, on his back and able to avoid or defend against attacks, the referee would raise his arm and call "open guard". Once an open guard was called, the standing fighter could use the following attacks on their opponent:
- stomps,
- kicks or knees to the head, or
- flying attacks.
Unless an open guard has been called, these strikes were fouls.
This rule was introduced at
Cage Rage 13 and was designed to prevent a fighter from laying in an open guard where his opponent can only throw leg kicks or drop to initiate grappling.
However, due to their ongoing desire to standardise rules across the UK and work with a potential MMA board of control, this rule was scrapped.
Events
The first Cage Rage event featured top British fighters, such as
Matt Ewin and
Robbie Oliver, and international fighters, such as
Chute Boxe Academy-trained
Jean Silva. This formula has continued down the years since the first show, with such top domestic fighters like
Ian Freeman and
Michael Bisping appearing, as well as internationally-known fighters like
Murilo Rua and
Anderson Silva.
Cage Rage 26 was the first main Cage Rage show to be held outside London.
Cage Rage Contenders
In early 2006, Cage Rage Championships launched
Cage Rage Contenders
, a secondary-level show for up-and-coming fighters to showcase their skills. Trying to conjure up the feel of early Cage Rage shows, these shows take place in a nightclub setting with VIP tables surrounding the cage.
Cage Rage also aimed to franchise the Contenders name to other promoters across the country, the first promoter of which was Jay Gilbey of Intense Fighting in Peterborough.
[10]
Since then, Contenders shows have been expanded to
Ireland, Wales and
Nottingham.
Current champions
Division
| British Champion
| Since
| World Champion
| Since
|
Heavyweight
| Mustapha Al Turk
| Cage Rage 27
| Antonio Silva
| Cage Rage 12
|
Light Heavyweight
| Ian Freeman
| Cage Rage 26
| Vitor Belfort
| Cage Rage 23
|
Middleweight
| Matt Ewin
| Cage Rage 19
| Anderson Silva
| Cage Rage 8
|
Welterweight
| Che Mills
| Cage Rage 26
| Paul Daley
| Cage Rage 23
|
Lightweight
| Abdul Mohamed
| Cage Rage 13
| Vitor Ribeiro
| Cage Rage 13
|
Featherweight
| Robbie Olivier
| Cage Rage 18
| Masakazu Imanari
| Cage Rage 20
|
Notable fighters
Champions
The following fighters have won titles in Cage Rage and are well-known in the world of MMA.
- Paul "Semtex" Daley
- Michael "The Count" Bisping
- Mark Epstein
- Ian "The Machine" Freeman
- Paul Cahoon
- Zelg "Benkei" Galešic
- Paul Jenkins
- Chris "Lights Out" Lytle
- Melvin "No Mercy" Manhoef
- Abdul Mohamed
- Brad "One Punch" Pickett
- Vitor "Shaolin" Ribeiro
- "Relentless" Paul Taylor
- Jean "White Bear" Silva
- Anderson "The Spider" Silva
- Tengiz Tedoradze
- Mark "the Wizard" Weir
- Vitor "The Phenom" Belfort
- James "The Messenger" Zikic
Other fighters
Non-titleholders who have competed in other top-level promotions.
- Tank Abbott
- Edson Drago
- Travis Lutter
- Evangelista Santos
- Lee Murray
- Antony Rea
- Sami Berik
- Jason Barrett (Actor/Cage fighter)
- Jorge Rivera
- Murilo "Ninja" Rua
- Babalu Sobral
- Lee Hasdell
- Eric Esch (Commonly known as 'Butterbean')
- Gary Turner
- Ken Shamrock
- Herb Dean
References
- Neil ‘The Goliath’ Grove crowned Ultimate Challenge UK champ
- Cage Rage promoter Andy Geer steps down
- Cage Rage 18: Battleground. Sky Sports 3. 10pm, cagerage.tv. Retrieved 21 November 2006.
- Cage Rage SLAMS onto TWC Fight!
- TheKnucklepit.com website Retrieved 18 October 2006
- K-1 ANNOUNCES SHOWTIME EVENT & NEW ALLIANCES
- EliteXC and Cage Rage Championships Join Forces
- Cage Rage Rules of MMACage Rage website. Retrieved 4 October 2006
- NSAC Regulations: CHAPTER 467 - UNARMED COMBAT. Nevada State Athletic Commission. Retrieved 4 October 2006
- Christmas comes early, cagerage.tv. Retrieved 16 November 2006