Cage Gladiators returns Sunday with a 16-fight card at the historic Liverpool Olympia in England. The event has quickly become known as a hotbed of local talent, and that reputation will continue with the array of up-and-coming fighters clashing this weekend in hopes of following fighters such as Terry Etim (Pictures) and Jason Tan to the UFC.

Five of the fighters on the stacked card stand out due to their association with one of the top gyms in the United Kingdom -- the Wolfslair gym in Widnes, England.

The training center that Mike Bisping calls home has become synonymous with the finest pedigree of instruction. Brazilian jiu-jitsu expert Mario "Sukata" Neto, experienced Thai boxing instructor Dave Jackson and the multitalented Tony Quigley consistently churn out some of the best fighters on the domestic scene.

Wolfslair product Tom Blackledge (Pictures) will be fighting in the main event Sunday. Touted as one of the United Kingdom's best heavyweight jiu-jitsu fighters, he'll be returning from his disappointing submission loss to 7-foot Dutch nightmare Stefan Struve (Pictures) at Cage Gladiators V to take on Martin Thompson for the promotion's version of the British title.

"I've seen a few of his fights," Blackledge said of his battle-hardened opponent. "I've seen him fight Brian Adams (Pictures) and Rob Broughton (Pictures). He seemed decent, you know. He's game. He comes to fight, and that's what the crowd at Cage Gladiators comes to see -- a good tear-up."

With a bruising encounter in sight, the Wolfslair fighter was a picture of understated confidence.

"I feel the best I've felt in a long, long time," he said. "I feel great. I can't wait to get in and fight. My fitness is up, my strength is good, my jiu-jitsu feels good, my striking feels good. I've dieted for the last eight weeks or so. … I'm looking forward to it."

In his last fight, teak-tough Gary Kelly (Pictures) showed that, like his brother -- UFC veteran Paul Kelly (Pictures) -- he has no concerns with hammering a badly damaged opponent in the pursuit of victory.

Kelly took on the game wrestler Shergul Mohamed (Pictures) and battered him over two painful rounds, breaking his cheekbone, nose and a couple of ribs. Would he ever consider easing off on a bloodied foe?

"You're messing aren't yer?" he answered. "I'd smash his face into the floor until the ref drags me off him! No rest for the wicked in this, is there? It's a full-contact sport. You're not holding back in this … know what I mean?"

The Liverpool fighter discovered that truth himself on the way home after the Mohamed fight.

"Mohamed broke my nose, but I put it back into place," he said. "I was sitting in the car on the way home and I grabbed it and put it back into place -- it's still slightly out."

On Sunday, Kelly faces Frenchman Aldric Cassata, a graduate of Gracie Barra Nice in France.

"He's had seven Thai fights and three MMA fights," Kelly said. "I think he's had a few amateur MMA fights as well and won them. He's a southpaw, so I've been working on a bit of that. But really, I think I'm going to be a bit too aggressive for him, so let's see how it goes."

Lucasz Les is another fighter toughing out the brutal training regime at the Wolfslair gym in hope of making it big in the world of MMA. The Polish fighter endures a rigorous training regimen that he intersperses with work as a doorman to make ends meet.

"It's really hard," said Les of a typical day preparing to face Kam Atakuru. "Maybe I'm crazy -- sometimes I just sleep for four hours. Train, eat, sleep, train -- then off to work. The last two years in England have been like 15 minutes, but I feel good now, so it should be all right."

Atakuru sports a limited record, but recent wars with the likes of Jason Ball and Leslie Objugbana have underlined his fighting spirit. He would most likely prove a stern test for anyone in the U.K. welterweight division.

Les didn't seem at all concerned, however, as he reflected on his opponent's aggressive style.

"I've seen two of his fights," Les said. "He makes it a war from the first few seconds, but you can't be aggressive for all of the 15 minutes, you know? I'll just take him down, and we will see what happens."

Lee Barnes is another young Wolfslair fighter taking his career seriously. The Blackpool brawler has come on in leaps and bounds since he joined the fight team in August last year. He was also confident in the run up to his fight with late-replacement Kevin Cox and was unmoved by the late change of opponent.

"I just want to fight," Barnes said. "I've been training anyway. Everything is going good. I've got to cut a few kilos for next week. Two weeks before a fight, I usually cut about six kilos, but last time it was no problem."

Recent university graduate David Johnson appeared set to hold onto his student sense of humor as he joked about his fight preparations.

"I have added more strength training to my workout," said the young Wolfslair representative. "Everyone I face is a lot older than me, and I'm still only young and waiting for that man strength to kick in! I heard that the guy I'm fighting is supposed to be very good at his jiu-jitsu. I've even heard he's the coach."

Continued Johnson in cheerful fashion: "I don't really know what's going to happen. I just hope it's exciting to watch, so I can look real hard when I show it to my mates."