ABERTILLERY fighter Jack Shore’s market value increased again when he put pen to paper on a five-fight deal with major European MMA promotion Cage Warriors, writes Jason Batty.

Eight contests and eight wins, which include seven finishes, has seen the 22-year-old mixed martial artist rewarded with a title shot.

The Tillery Combat ace will go for the bantamweight belt which was vacated by Nathaniel Wood, who is now competing in the UFC.

Shore’s exiting style and desire to always seek the finish means he is a poster boy for Cage Warriors.

The company has outgrown its home in Newport and the biggest promotion in Europe is now opting to utilise Ice Arena Wales in Cardiff to showcase its talent.

The next event to be held there is Cage Warriors 97 on September 29, with Shore headlining the bill.

“I knew it was coming after my last fight (Vaughan Lee), I knew I was number one contender,” he said.

“But I broke my hand and it was all in the air, so I couldn’t spar or fight for a little while.

“Then they rang to say that I’ll be next in line and that it’ll be in the Ice Arena Wales so I was over the moon really.”

Cage Warriors president Graham Boyland has an eye for talent having seen the likes of former UFC champions Conor McGregor, Michael Bisping and Joanna Jedrzejczyk all make their names under the Cage Warriors banner before entering the UFC.

“They obviously have a bit of faith in me to bump the venue up, they know I can pull a crowd, so it’s nice that they have put faith in me and now I want to return the favour and keep bringing it back to the arena,” added Shore.

Ice Arena Wales holds almost three times as many people as the Newport Centre and is expected to sell out.

But that doesn’t faze the rising star from Abertillery, who has fought in similar sized venues in both Belgium and London in his last outings.

“I expect some atmosphere but there is no added pressure,” he said. “Every fight I have is the biggest fight of my life.

“Every fight I have fought somebody better and the stakes are higher, so the belt itself adds no pressure.”

In what will be the biggest MMA event to take place on Welsh soil, Shore’s opponent for the title shot is yet to be confirmed.

But in a division rich with talent, there are no easy fights, however, Shore has every reason to be confident of collecting the illustrious strap in front of the thousands in attendance.