Cage Warriors 52 is coming to us via MMA Junkie from Kentish Town, London, England this Saturday, March 9, at 4PM EST/1PM PST with a free card full of what should be some exciting action punctuated by a welterweight title fight between Cathal Pendred and Gael Grimaud. The title fight kicks off Cage Warriors’ 2013 season, and MMA Oddsbreaker has you covered for all the odds, which were opened up at Several Bookmakers. Cage Warriors champ Gael Grimaud (17-5) has looked fantastic of late, riding an 8-fight win streak bookended by Gary Kono wins. He also possesses a recent third round submission (one of his 11 career submissions) over Jesse Taylor during his run. He meets Cathal Pendred (11-2-1), an Irish headhunter who comes out of the same gym that produced Irish standout Conor McGregor. Pendred is coming off back to back decisions and is on a five-fight unbeaten streak with a draw to Danny Mitchell last year. Pendred is a solid welterweight, although he doesn’t stand out in any one particular area aside from his stand up. He should use that striking to nullify the champ’s stifling ground game. Although this should be quite close, Grimaud’s experience against higher competition gives him the slight edge, and he sits as the favorite, -170 (bet $170 to win $100) to Pendred’s +130 (bet $100 to win $130). Featherweight Fouad Mesdari (10-3) looks to bring his high-octane engine to Scotland’s Graham Turner (21-7), who will return in kind with his heavy fists and improving ground game. Turner will look to come out throwing his fists early and often in an attempt to add to his 13 career T/KOs, while Mesdari would be best to wear down Turner with his ground game as the fight goes on. Turner’s striking ability and track record will be tough to handle, and as a result he sits as a -215 favorite, with Mesdari being a +165 underdog. The last time we saw Bruno “B.C.” Carvalho (14-6), the 31-year-old fell by the judge’s decision against number one contender Cathal Pendred at Cage Warriors 49 in October 2012. Now he faces Chester’s Steve Dinsdale (5-0), a prospect out of the Next Generation UK gym and owner of an 80% finish rate (3 TKOs and 1 Sub). This will be Dinsdale’s toughest test by far in his 2-year-old pro career, as Carvalho is an extremely crafty veteran who is a few fights removed from a seven-fight win streak. Carvalho is much more proven than Dinsdale and it shows in the odds, as Bruno sits at -230, with the comeback on Dinsdale +170. Welterweights Matt Inman (9-4) and Jack Mason (22-11) are up next in another extremely close fight. Between these two men there are 31 victories, 18 submissions and 9 KOs, so look for someone to be finished here. Inman has 5 knockouts to Mason’s 4 in almost twenty less fights, while Mason has an impressive 14 submissions, but has been knocked out five times. Both men are comfortable on the ground, so they may test each other’s stand up. Mason comes in the slight favorite at -135 to Inman’s -105. Exciting bantamweight Paul McVeigh (18-8) has been on the losing end of his last two visits to the judges, and looks to bounce back against 28-year-old Paul Marin (5-1). Marin has strong hands, but has yet to face anyone as experienced as McVeigh, who is well-rounded and could end the fight in virtually any position. Marin has impressed early in his career, but edge in the books goes to one of the more tenured British 135ers, as McVeigh is a slight favorite, -165 to +125. Standing next to each other, someone not in the know wouldn’t give Alan Philpott a chance in this fight against Liam James. Philpott looks almost a full weightclass smaller than the beastly-looking James, who has a bruising, smothering style on the ground. However, the trade off is that Philpott may have the speed advantage and the edge on the feet. If he can stay on the outside, it could be a long night for James. At the end of the day, this is a stylistic clash that is very hard to read, and results in a pick em on the books. Both men are -120. Remember that the main card of Cage Warriors 52 can be seen on MMA Junkie, while the prelims will be available on the Cage Warriors Facebook page.
