Cage Warriors 52's Cathal Pendred says Irish invasion is coming to MMA

According to Cage Warriors’ Cathal Pendred (11-2-1), there’s a wave of Irish talent that has yet to make its impact on U.S. shores.

“We were a bit behind, but we’ve built up some great gyms and great fighters,” the Irish welterweight, who headlines Cage Warriors 52 opposite welterweight champ Gael Grimaud (17-5), told MMAjunkie.com Radio (www.mmajunkie.com/radio).

The event takes place Saturday at HMV Forum in London. The event’s main card streams live on MMAjunkie.com following prelims on Facebook.

European talent is by no means an undiscovered commodity in the UFC and other international promotions such as Cage Warriors, which trots the globe for its yearly event schedule.

When he spoke to MMAjunkie.com Radio, Pendred was in Iceland, where he was training with one of the continent’s biggest hopes: Gunnar Nelson.

“He’s magical on the ground,” Pendred said of the UFC welterweight. “It gives me great confidence hanging with a guy at that level. I’m measuring myself against him.”

That work with Nelson will come in handy against Grimaud, who has earned 11 of his 17 wins via submission.

“I’m no slouch on the ground,” Pendred said. “My last fights were against Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belts. I’m well capable of handling myself on the ground, and when it’s on the ground, I do damage there.”

Pendred, who’s won five of his past six, is another European fighter poised to make an impact by taking the promotion’s welterweight strap.

“I believe I’m the best welterweight in Europe outside the UFC, and Cage Warriors is the biggest available title in Europe,” he said. “So basically it makes me the European champion if I have the Cage Warriors belt.”

Closer to home, Pendred works with recent UFC signee Conor McGregor, who won titles at featherweight and lightweight under the Cage Warriors banner, and other Irish fighters he said could make a splash on the international scene.

“It was like the U.K. that was behind America for a while,” he said. “Then after ‘The Ultimate Fighter 3' and Michael Bisping, that just grew the sport, and now the U.K. has some great fighters. It’s the same thing with Ireland.”

Pendred hopes the UFC’s recent signing of McGregor leads matchmakers to him down the road. But for now, he’s focused on putting himself on the map.

“The thing is, everyone in our gym seems to be quite young, in our mid to early 20s, and we’re all ready to go,” he said. “I think the Irish fighters are going to become very popular in the U.S. once we break into the UFC.

“It’s something about us that Irish people just have natural fight in them. People are going to see that now that we’re on the world stage.”

For more on Cage Warriors 52, stay tuned to the MMA Rumors section of the site.

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