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Cage Warriors 141 | George Hardwick clashes Kyle Driscoll for lightweight gold

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A bout for the vacant lightweight title will be contested when Cage Warriors returns to London this summer to mark its 20th anniversary. Cage Warriors 141, which is set to take place at the Indigo at The 02 on Friday, 22nd July, will see the crowning of a new king in the 155-pound division.

The belt – which has been held by fighters such as Mason Jones, Jai Herbert, Chris Fishgold, Stevie Ray and Conor McGregor in the past – will be up for grabs when Kyle Driscoll makes the journey from the USA to clash with England’s George Harwdick.

Driscoll (13-3), who fights out of the renowned American Kickboxing Academy in California, got the better of Joshua Jones at CW 133 in San Diego back in March. The 27-year-old Oklahoma native is currently riding an eight-fight win streak that includes a September 2020 victory over Dinis Paiva on Dana White’s Contender Series.

“Heading to London to fight for the Cage Warriors title – is this a dream?” said Driscoll. “This is the accumulation of a lifetime of hard work. I’m going to fly into enemy territory, handle my business and hop on a plane back to the States with the CW title.

“I manifested this years back when I saw Conor McGregor, Jack Shore and even a young Paddy Pimblett winning the belts. I would watch their emotion and knew I’d get there one day. This is written in my destiny, it was just a matter of time. Look at the trajectory of former Cage Warriors champions in the UFC – that’s the path I’m looking to be on.”

Hardwick (9-1) will be aiming for a fourth consecutive Cage Warriors win, as the 25-year-old bids to clinch a belt that he was due to fight for on two previous occasions.

Scheduled meetings with Mehdi Ben Lakhdhar and Danilo Belluardo fell through in December and March respectively, but Hardwick kept himself in contention with a resounding second-round TKO of Lukasz Kopera at CW 134 in March.

“I’ve seen chances to fight for the title slip away due to every reason under the sun for the past six months or so, but I’m excited to finally get this opportunity against Kyle Driscoll,” said the Middlesbrough Fight Academy product.

“I am more than ready for what US opposition has to offer. I’ve been representing Middlesbrough against the rest of the world throughout my career and I’m ready to add another name to my win column.”

Elsewhere on the Cage Warriors 141 card, Christian Leroy Duncan will defend his middleweight title for the first time since his impressive dethroning of Djati Melan in Manchester last month. The next challenger in the 185-pound division will be announced in due course.

Separately, 14-fight UFC veteran Darren Stewart will look to make his long-awaited return to CW action in his hometown, while the bill is also set to feature the likes of undefeated lightweight Michal Figlak and veteran welterweight Jimmy Wallhead, who will compete in the yellow gloves for a record-equalling 17th time after returning to the organisation on a multi-fight deal.

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Paul Hughes Gets New Opponent as Oduwole Out

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Cage Warriors – Europe’s Leading MMA Organisation – have today announced a change in the scheduled opponent for Irish superstar Paul Hughes at Cage Warriors 170. 

An injury occurring just days after he signed to fight Hughes has forced Yemi Oduwole out of the contest. 

The promotion wishes him a speedy return to full health. 

CW officials have moved quickly to secure a suitable replacement, today confirming that Hughes will remain on the Saturday, April 6th bill, now facing off with Edgar ‘Smooth’ Escarrega. 

The bout will feature on the main card of CW 170 at Dublin’s iconic RDS, and air live on UFC Fight Pass and international broadcast partners. 

The 29-year-old Escarrega, who hails from the port city of Ensenada in Baja California, Mexico, brings an impressive 12-3-1 record to the contest. 

The Victory Fight Club man – who is a striker by trade – is unbeaten in his last six contests, and from twelve victories has a total of five KOs, two submissions and five points wins to his name. 

“From Mexico to the world, here I come!” said Escarrega, when signing on the dotted line for what is undoubtedly the biggest opportunity of his professional career. 

Hughes, from County Derry, is widely considered to be on the cusp of signing with the UFC following a series of impressive performances in the famous yellow gloves of Cage Warriors. 

‘Big News’ recently vacated his featherweight title, moving up to the 155lb division to stop top contender Jan Quaeyhaegens in the first round. 

Also scheduled for the CW 170 card, Dublin’s James ‘Jimbo Slice’ Sheehan contests the vacant welterweight title with Switzerland’s Daniel Konrad, with Ger Harris, Solomon Simon, Decky McAleenan, Taka Mhandu and more set to feature. 

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“I Should Get The Shot” – Jacob Smith Wants World Title Fight If He Bests Denis Puric At ONE Fight Night 21

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Fiery flyweight Muay Thai star Jacob Smith enjoyed a triumphant return to ONE Championship last December at ONE Fight Night 17 after 18 months on the sidelines. 

The Scouse striker knocked out Walter Goncalves to gain momentum in the world’s largest martial arts organization, and he plans to add to it next month.

Smith returns to action against Bosnian-Canadian powerhouse Denis Puric at ONE Fight Night 21: Eersel vs. Nicolas on Saturday, 6th April, inside Bangkok, Thailand’s historic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium. 

Fans anticipate a thunderous clash, as they are both known to finish fights. Smith feels he knows what to expect from Puric, and he plans to give him an unwelcome gift for his birthday. 

“I’m either going to stop him with the knee or stop him with an elbow. I feel like the first round is going to be quite fiery. But if he decides to rush me too early, he’s going to walk into some big shots, so I could just finish him in round one,” he said. 

“But I’m sure I’m fighting him on his 39th birthday. So, unfortunately, my birthday present is going to be me knocking him out.”

When Jacob Smith debuted in ONE Championship at May 2022’s ONE 157, he battled ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Champion Rodtang Jitmuangnon across three rounds of hard-hitting action. 

He came up short that night via unanimous decision, and a series of injuries forced him to take time away from action afterward. But that gap seemed to have allowed him level up his skill set. 

Smith came back stronger than ever, and his first-round finish of Goncalves last December pegged him as one to watch. The #2-ranked flyweight Muay Thai contender is hoping to score back-to-back wins against Puric next month, and he knows exactly what he wants if he’s successful.

“My goal is to be ONE Championship Flyweight Muay Thai World Champion, and fingers crossed by the end of the year that comes through,” Smith said. 

“Rodtang is the champion, and Superlek is number one. After beating Walter, I’m now number two. Rodtang and Superlek are probably going fight each other again soon. Then I should get the shot at the winner after I beat Puric.”

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UFC Vegas 89 – Results | Ribas vs Namajunas

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Live from the Apex, UFC Vegas 89 saw former strawweight Rose Namajunas make her second appearance at flyweight against contender Amanda Ribas.

Note: any point deductions will be denoted by an asterisk and explained at the bottom of the page.

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Main card (2am GMT – TNT Sports)

Rose Namajunas defeats (#8) Amanda Ribas via unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 48-47) – flyweight bout

Karl Williams defeats Justin Tafa via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28) – heavyweight bout

Edmen Shahbazyan defeats AJ Dobson via knockout (punches – 4:43 – R1) – middleweight bout

Payton Talbott defeats Cameron Saaiman via TKO (punches – 0:21 – R2) – bantamweight bout

Youssef Zalal defeats Billy Quarantillo via submission (rear-naked-choke – 1:50 – R2) – featherweight bout

Fernando Padilla defeats Luis Pajuelo via submission (brabo choke – 2:45 – R1) – featherweight bout

Prelims (11pm GMT – TNT Sports/UFC Fight Pass)

Trey Ogden defeats Kurt Holobaugh via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) – lightweight bout

Julian Erosa defeats Ricardo Ramos via submission (guillotine – 2:15 – R1) – featherweights bout

Miles John defeats Cody Gibson via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) – bantamweight bout

Jarno Errens defeats Steve Nguyen via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) – featherweight bout

Darya Zheleznyakova defeats Monsterrat Rendon via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) – bantamweight bout

Andre Lima defeats Igor Severino via disqualification (biting – 2:52 – R2) – flyweight bout

Mick Parkin defeats Mohammed Usman via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) – heavyweight bout

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