Mills-Petrescu, Long-Maguire, among additions to Cage Warriors 59

Cage Warriors continues to fill out the card for its September return to Wales with the addition of a pair of main-card fights and two prelims.

On the main card at Cage Warriors 59, former UFC welterweight Che Mills (15-6) will make the jump to middleweight to take on Valentino Petrescu (12-3). Plus, lightweights Lewis Long (7-2) and Tommy Maguire (14-5) will meet.

Cage Warriors 59 takes place Sept. 14 at Motorpoint Arena in Cardiff, Wales. The main card, including a featherweight title fight between Jim Alers and Martin Svensson and the finals from a four-man bantamweight tourney to crown a champ that begins on the prelims, streams on MMAjunkie.com. The prelims stream on Facebook.

Mills will be looking for a return to the win column after a June TKO loss to welterweight champion Cathal Pendred. That fight was supposed to be for Pendred’s belt, but Mills came in overweight. The fight went on, but at a catchweight and without the belt up for grabs. That was Mills’ first fight since being released by the UFC following a loss to Matt Riddle in February. That fight was overturned to a no-contest when Riddle tested positive for marijuana, but Riddle’s release still stood.

“Cardiff is one of my favorite places, so I can’t wait to fight there,” Mills stated. “After my last performance, I’ll be looking to prove a point by putting on a show.”

Petrescu, a veteran of England’s Ultimate Warrior Challenge promotion, will be making his Cage Warriors debut after a stint on the UFC’s U.K. vs. Australia edition of “The Ultimate Fighter.” In March, he dropped a split decision to Lee Chadwick, but has won three of his past four fights. Nine of his 12 wins have come by stoppage, including seven in the first round.

“This one will make for an exciting fight because myself and Mills are both fighters who bring it,” Petrescu stated. “The fans in Cardiff will definitely be getting their money’s worth.”

Long in May rebounded from an October loss when he outpointed Mark Glover at Cage Warriors 54. That was his fifth win in six fights. He was scheduled to return at Cage Warriors 57 against Saul Rogers in July, but an injury forced him out. Maguire, a Season 9 veteran of “The Ultimate Fighter,” will return to action for the first time since a December loss to Martin Stapleton under the Cage Contender banner. He was booked for his Cage Warriors debut in March, but also was forced out with an injury.

On the preliminary card, a pair of Wales’ own will meet in a lightweight fight as Owain Parry (3-1) takes on Jamie Rogers (9-6). Parry debuted with the promotion at Cage Warriors 54 in May, picking up a submission win over Rob Leybourne. On the same card, Rogers got his first Cage Warriors win and snapped a two-fight skid when he took a split decision from Brad Wheeler.

And in a bantamweight bout, Jordan Desborough (6-2) meets Timur Mercanoglu (3-0). Desborough makes his Cage Warriors debut on the strength of three wins in his past four fights. But he’ll be fighting for the first time since an April 2012 submission win. Mercanoglu will fight for the first time since October and will be looking to keep his unbeaten start to his career alive. His three wins all are by stoppage.

With the additions, the latest Cage Warriors 59 card now includes:

MAIN CARD (MMAjunkie.com, 4 p.m. ET)

• Jim Alers vs. Martin Svensson – for featherweight title
• TBA vs. TBA – bantamweight-tourney final
• Che Mills vs. Valentino Petrescu
• Lewis Long vs. Tommy Maguire
• Dave Hill vs. Brian Moore

PRELIMINARY CARD (Facebook, 2 p.m. ET)

• David Haggstrom vs. Brett Johns – bantamweight-tourney opening round
• Martin McDonough vs. James Pennington – bantamweight-tourney opening round
• Owain Parry vs. Jamie Rogers
• Jordan Desborough vs. Timur Mercanoglu

For more on Cage Warriors 59, stay tuned to the MMA Rumors section of the site.

(Pictured: Che Mills)