With company making a habit of delivering a major announcement in advance of every event, tt is almost traditional now that the fights themselves feel like the least newsworthy item when previewing a Cage Rage show.

In recent times we have seen the implementation of drug testing, witnessed a change in ownership with Gary Shaw’s Pro Elite becoming prominent shareholders and watched as Sky television began broadcasting the events live on their sports channels.

Cage Rage 25 takes place this Saturday evening at London’s Wembley Arena and true to form there is another new issue to get people talking.

In an Anglocised night of fight for American fans, Showtime Sports - a respected cable channel in the US - will be broadcasting both David Haye vs. Enzo Maccarinelli (live) and then a tape delayed broadcast of the main bouts from Cage Rage.

the most obvious reason why this is significant is that whilst previous shows have been broadcast worldwide on both online and on television, the association with such a high profile network establishes their brand on a global level and should help ensure that this show will have the most exposure they’ve ever received. The latter part of this equation should also be helped no end by the prescence of Ken Shamrock, still one of MMA’s biggest celebrities after all thes years, in the main event.

For fans though, the fights themselves should always been the main focus and it has been said that these have the weakest aspect of the shows since they have been airing live on Sky. Whilst the last event showcased dramatic improvements in this regard, with Pointon vs. Zaromskis being a particular highlight, Cage Rage cannot rely on the glitz and glamour of their presentation to attract viewers and crucially live fans as well.

In July 2007 there was a noticeably smaller crowd at Cage Rage 22 with many believing that the hugely popular Amir Khan fighting just a few miles away was a major contributing factor. This weekend sees the promotion vying for Londoners’ attention with the biggest domestic title fight to have taken place in Britain for many years. Whilst the boxing event has long since been sold out, it is hard to imagine that they are not drawing from the same fanbase and with twenty thousand at the O2 Arena then there will no doubt have been fears of a repeat of July’s scenes when even heavyweight Neil Grove acknowledged the poor turnout in his post fight interview.

To address these concerns, Ken Shamrock has been flown over to compete in the show’s main event where he will take on Sunderland’s Robert ‘Buzz’ Berry. The fact that they can call on a competitor of Shamrock’s reputation is another benefit of the link up with Pro Elite, in addition to the improved production and advertising campaigns. The deal has benefits for both parties in ths instance as Cage Rage are able to promote a hugely known personality when they need him most and Pro Elite are able to hopefully (in their minds) give him a showcase victory in Showtime before building to a bout with their other golden boy, Kimbo Slice, later in the year.

With regards to the action itself, I don’t think anyone is expecting the fight to turn into a classic but as discussed that is not the reason for it taking place. ‘Buzz’ is a regular fxiture on these cards although it must be a surprise that he has been considered for such a prominent place on their biggest show to date.

He is 2-4 in his last six bouts and predominantly known as a striker. In an interview with Lee Whitehead he stated his wish to keep this fight standing and this has been the case for most of his career. He looked much improved against Neil Grove before the effects of flu forced him to retire at the end of the first round but is known for not having fights go the distance. Considering Shamrock himself is nearly forty-five years old then it would be a surprise if this made it to round two.

I expect Shamrock’s experience against a far higher quality of opponent to be the key factor with him having enough know-how to secure a victory although an upset is possible. I’ll pick him to KO Berry within the first five minutes and move onto a fight with Kimbo on network television during the prime time schedule on a Saturday night. Imagine that…

Coming soon: A look at the undercard