Arni Isaksson vs Ali Arish set for Cage Contender 16 in Dublin

Cage Contender Interim Welterweight Champion Arni “The Ice Viking” Isaksson will have his first title defence on February 23rd when he faces the tough as teak Iranian wrestling expert Ali Arish at Dublin’s National Basketball Arena !

Isaksson (12-4-0) claimed the vacant title in an almighty dust up with hotly tipped Englishman Wayne “The Caveman” Murrie when the pair met in Belfast, Northern Ireland at Cage Contender 15 back in October, Isaksson ended what was an often savage and ugly affair by TKO (Punches) mid way through the second round.

Manchester based Arish (16-2-0) makes his first return to Cage Contender since he ground out a unanimous decision win over Nathan Champ at Cage Contender 6 in Manchester, England. Since then Arish has build a solid reputation on the European circuit and with many journalists hinting that there might be a knock on the door from UFC at any time!

“This is a massive first defence for Arni. It is no secret that Ali Arish is a strong and very very dangerous fighter, capable of putting you away in a heartbeat. That said we all know Arni’s pedigree and I am in no doubt that John Kavanagh and the team at Mjolnir will have a game plan ready. This is a fight for the fans! ”. – John Ferguson, CEO

Cage Contender have a strong brand presence in Iceland so it is most likely that Cage Contender will broadcast this fight and most of Cage Contender 16 card live in the Nordic regions and USA with the event being broadcast on a tape delay basis in around 100 countries globally.

While Isaksson was unavailable to comment his manager and CEO of the Mjolnir facility Halli Nelson commented

“Arni has been training very well and is in great condition. He’s in Iceland training with Gunnar and Mjölnir competition team. I myself have seen some of Ali’s fights online and specifically remember his devastating KO against Wayne Murrie. Ali seems to be a very well rounded and strong opponent with very good wrestling and KO power on top of that. But Arni is no ordinary opponent, with the heart of a true warrior. He will be defending his CC WW belt for sure but I know this will be a fight for the fans to remember.”