LONDON, Feb. 9 — For the first Cage Rage event of the year, matchmaker Dave O’Donnell has put together a card that mixes mouth-watering domestic clashes with some fights designed purely for the entertainment value.

Topping the bill is the likeable former pro boxer Eric Esch (Pictures), who takes on James Thompson (Pictures) in what will certainly be a concussive war. Adding to the heavyweight credentials of the show, American legends Mark Kerr (Pictures) and Dan Severn (Pictures) arrived to make their Cage Rage debuts, taking on home-grown UK talents, Mustapha al-Turk and Dave Legeno (Pictures) respectively.

On the domestic heavyweight front, Rob Broughton (Pictures) and Tengiz Tedoradze (Pictures) clash for the British title and bragging rights over the division. On the other end of the weight scale, Trojan gym standout Ronnie Mann takes on Ashleigh Grimshaw in a rematch of their classic featherweight battle of June of last year.

The rules meeting was held by senior referee Grant Waterman, who talked through some areas of the rules, including the “open guard” rule which allows for the use of stomps and soccer kicks to the head when the downed fighter is in a position to defend himself.

The photo-call was, for the most part, a friendly occasion with some of the promotion’s newer fighters taking the chance to make an impact in front of the cameras. The only hint of trouble came from the main event fighters, Thompson and “Butterbean,” who stared each other down with an air of gentle malice.

Eric Esch (Pictures) (397) vs. James Thompson (Pictures) (264.5)
Mark Kerr (Pictures) (275.5) vs. Mustafa Al-Turk (245)
Tengiz Tedoradze (Pictures) (236) vs. Rob Broughton (Pictures) (282)
Dan Severn (Pictures) (264.5) vs. Dave Legeno (Pictures) (236)
Daijiro Matsui (Pictures) (184) vs. Tom Watson (183)
Mark Buchanan (Pictures) (236) vs. Buzz Berry (247)
Tom Howard (Pictures) (247) vs. Tom Blackledge (Pictures) (242)
Mazakazu Imanari (145) vs. Robbie Olivier (Pictures) (145)
Marios Zaromskis (166) vs. Damien Riccio (Pictures) (169)
Ronnie Mann (145) vs. Ashley Grimshaw (145)
Jack Toczyelowski (169) vs. Jason Barrett (Pictures) (167.5)
Francis Heagney (165) vs. Lee Doski (Pictures) (170)