Cage Warriors Academy 41 Preview: UK MMA Prospects Shine in Colchester

Cage Warriors Academy 41 will take place on April the 18th at Charter Hall, Colchester. The event will see MMA’s premiere amateur fighters showcase their skills whilst gaining pivotal experience. It also will act as an opportunity for talent to be recognised by the overseers of European MMA – Cage Warriors.

Since 2018, amateur fighters have travelled across the globe to fight on the Cage Warriors Academy stage. Set up across different regions of the U.K, it was created as a way for promising up and comers to gain cage time, experience and build their record.

The Organisation

A proven ground for elite amateur fighters, Cage Warriors Academy has paved the way for some of the biggest names in U.K MMA. Shanelle Dyer, Ollie Sarwa, Tariq Pell and Lone’er Kavanagh all shed blood on the Academy's canvas.

Leading Cage Warriors Southeast is U.K MMA veteran Jack “The Stone” Mason (29:17:1), who acts as the show’s promoter. His intimate knowledge of the regional scene has helped him scout out the country’s best for Academy events.

In addition to his work with CWA, Mason co-owns BKK Fighters in Colchester, home to UFC ranked featherweight Arnold Allen. As head coach at the gym, Mason is a key reason it continues to produce so many acclaimed amateurs and professionals.

After years of strengthening their hold on the Southeast, it is now the region’s most reputable grassroots MMA show.

Event Preview

Headlining the event are Mason “The Wolf” Kinsella and France’s Eddy Hourtal. The highly touted featherweight amateurs are making their professional debuts under the CWA banner.

Kinsella holds a perfect amateur record at 8:0 and has proven himself to be one of the best up-and-comers in the region. Training out of BKK Fighters in Essex, he has used his well rounded game to win and defend the Cage Warriors Academy featherweight title twice ahead of his professional debut.

Hourtal enters the bout with a sizable advantage in experience. Holding an amateur record of 16:4, he has finished 13 of his wins. A proven submission threat, the Frenchman has a guillotine, an anaconda choke, four rear naked chokes, an arm triangle and a kimura to his name.

The co-main event sees fellow BKK Fighter alumni Ben “Drago” Edwards taking on Mikhael Bensimon. 9:3:1, Edwards trains under Sean Carter. His most recent win came back in August of last year, where he submitted Toby Jackson via rear-naked choke in the 1st round. He then went on to challenge for the CWA welterweight title, a bout he lost by split decision.

Other strong names on the card include Liam Yeaman (3:2) and Darnell Jackson (6:1). Yeaman is a training partner of Kinsella at the Jiu Jitsu Sanctuary in Chelmsford while Jackson trains alongside Cage Warriors title challenger Ollie Sarwa. “Action” Jackson will be taking on Sam Hadley in a title unification bout.

How To Watch

Tickets for the event are available through the Cage Warriors Academy website, whilst livestreaming options are also available on the site.