Breaking: Ryan Shelley Added to Premier MMA on 1st December

Premier MMA has received a welcome boost to their Dublin show on Friday 1st December, with the addition of Team KF prospect Ryan Shelley (6-2) to the card.

Per sources, Shelley is scheduled to face Gleison “Chapolin” Macario (6-4-1) in a 68kg catchweight bout at the event, which takes place in Warehouse at The Red Cow.

A decorated kickboxer and taekwondo practitioner prior to switching to MMA, Shelley emerged as a hot prospect in recent years. Under the tutelage of Chris Fields and Tom King, the Dubliner went undefeated for a 3-year period. After turning pro in 2021, Shelley raced to an unblemished 6-0 pro record with 5 finishes to boot. It was the Whitehall native’s finish of perennial Cage Warriors contender, Josh Reed, in November 2022 though, that squarely positioned Shelley in future title conversations in the famed European promotion.

However, Swedish wrecking ball Tobias Harila would soon knock Shelley down a step on the ladder, scoring a 3rd-round comeback finish on the Irishman in front of a boisterous Dublin crowd in 3Arena earlier this year. Shelley looked to right the ship at the RDS last month, but again tasted defeat, suffering a 2nd-round submission loss to Dutchman Jordy Bakkes.

Potentially staring down the barrel of a three-fight skid, this is an opportunity for Shelley to rediscover the mojo that had so many talking about him as a future Cage Warriors title hopeful, and return to winning ways.

Standing across from Shelley will be 35-year-old Brazilian fighter, Gleison Macario. Fighting out of VF & Reis Team in his home country, but cross-training in Europe, Macario brings a chaotic style to the cage. “Chapolin” is no stranger to throwing caution to the wind and trading in the pocket. Most recently, Macario fought for the Budo FC lightweight title in April, suffering a decision loss to Michelangelo Colangelo in what was a bloody war.

The event will be headlined by a 73kg catchweight bout between Team Beyond’s Jeanderson Castro (6-6) and SBG Ireland’s Corneliu Rotaru Lascar (11-7). Castro is coming off 1st-round finish over Elliott Jenkins at LFL 8 in March. Meanwhile, Lascar is hoping to snap a two-fight losing streak. The Moldovan fighter is currently in Dubai training with Conor McGregor.

The card also offers the professional debut of Dara “Wardy” Ward. Ward has looked ferocious on the amateur scene the past 18 months, winning his last 5 fights and stopping 3 of those opponents, and will now look to make his mark on the professional circuit.

The full Premier MMA: Castro vs Lascar card to date can be found below:

Main Card:

Pro 73kg Catchweight Bout: Corneliu Rotaru Lascar (11-7) vs Jeanderson Castro (6-6) 
Pro 68kg Catchweight Bout: Ryan Shelley (6-2) vs Gleison Macario (6-4-1)
Pro Welterweight Bout: Dara Ward (Pro Debut) vs Marian Matei (2-4)
Amateur Light Heavyweight Bout: Ryan Higgins (Team Ryano) vs Sam Driver (MMA Cork)
Welterweight Bout: Abdul Malik Zubayraev (SBG Ireland) vs Jordan Scully (SBG Naas)

Prelims:

Amateur Light Heavyweight Bout: Taiwo Tibetan (Team Beyond) vs Edson Locomotiva (SBG Ireland)
Amateur Lightweight Bout: Michael Cronnelly (Conriocht) vs Viktor Zacharia (SBG Ireland)
Amateur Super Welterweight Bout: Daniel Negru (SBG Ireland) vs Nick Rebreanu (CMAC)
Amateur Super Lightweight Bout: Rus Gheorghe (Satori) vs Kian Tate (Holohan MA)

Fans can purchase tickets to attend Premier MMA: Castro vs Lascar here. The event will be streamed LIVE on PPV, and can be purchased here.