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Cage Warriors: 2023’s European Promotion Of The Year

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4 months ago

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The reputation of Cage Warriors speaks for itself at this stage with all of the top talent that it has produced over the years. Brand reputation as your major selling point can be incredibly difficult to build up but CW have got it.

Regardless of the names on the card, the location or any other factor, when you tune into a Cage Warriors card you know you’re going to see some of the most exciting talent in Europe and some potential future stars. Through 2023 Cage Warriors delivered both quality and quantity despite facing some unique challenges. 

It wasn’t long ago that we put out an article on this very site talking about the promotion’s need for some new headliners to emerge in the coming months. At the time, CW was seeing some of their top names all leave around the same time for other opportunities and that’s not a knock on them, if anything it speaks once again to their reputation for generating talent. The seemingly endless appetite of the Contender Series has seen fighters get their chance at a ticket to the big show earlier than before and that CW gold has always been a spotlight. 

Some of the names that we expected to step into those headliner slots may not have got the desired results but that’s where the matchmaking from Ian Dean shines through the most. Even when some of their brightest lights suffer a setback, it only makes them better in the long run whilst passing the shine onto their opponents because guess what, they deserve it and they’ve proven why. The matchmaking is always so stellar that even when your favourite fighter suffers a defeat, you might just come away singing the praises of their opponent. 

Cage Warriors also had more competition than before in 2023 and not just in terms of the award voting. There were more opportunities for fighters and fans in the UK scene thanks to other promotions stepping up their output on these shores. Ultimately, that reputation kept them in the driving seat as proven by the results of the fan votes. 

When drawing up nominees for the other awards, we found ourselves scratching our heads in thinking of the real standouts from Cage Warriors this year. As you can see in several of the examples, that’s because the fighters left the promotion this year to pursue their UFC dreams, forcing the promotion into a mid-year rest of sorts. It was inevitable that Luke Riley was going to pick up some nominations for his year in CW but the other stand outs were often spread across a few keys dates in the calendar. 

At Cage Warriors 151 in April, we got another great instalment of the Unplugged format. The vacant middleweight title headliner between Mick Stanton and Will Currie produced a fight of the year contender that only a show stealer like Riley could knock out of contention. Not to mention the breakout of one of the most entertaining fighters to strap on the yellow gloves in ages in Shawn Da Silva. 

The following event in Manchester had the first of two barnburners featuring Riley and a performance from George Hardwick in the main event that oozed class and star power. Continuing their great run of back-to-back shows was CW 153 in Dublin which featured both Oban Elliott and Morgan Charriere before that emotional and powerful welterweight unification clash between Rhys McKee and Jimmy Wallhead. 

154 closed out one of the best consecutive event runs the promotion has seen in a long time with another incredible night in Rome. The atmosphere of these events has been remarkable ever since their first trip and the display from Caolan Loughran on that night signalled a change of attire for his next contest. The Italian and Irish fans never fail to deliver for CW.

Last but not least, October brought a return to the emerald isle where two fighters with numbered days left in the promotion put on a show. Mason Jones returned to CW this year and proved that he is still an elite level competitor who is a cut above this level. Arguably the most talked about fighter in the promotion this year is a man that no one can believe is still there. Former featherweight champion Paul Hughes is one of the best talents to come through the CW process in a long time. If you needed reminding then CW 161 would have ticked that box after Hughes wrapped the event up in a neat bow. 

These are just some of the highlights that stand out from Cage Warriors throughout 2023.

Despite the two main challenges it has faced this year, Cage Warriors and its reputation for putting on quality fights each and every time isn’t going anywhere. Whilst it may still feel like we are in a bit of a transitional period in terms of some of their top stars, CW has proven that the journey is just as fun as reaching the finishing line. With a stacked schedule on the cards for 2024, we can’t wait to see what the next year brings for the promotion, the fans and those iconic yellow gloves. 

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JAMAHAL HILL WANTS REVENGE

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21 mins ago

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April 27, 2024

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Despite being just two weeks removed from his defeat to Alex Pereira in the main event at UFC 300, Jamahal Hill is climbing straight back on the horse and already has his next fight lined up. ‘Sweet Dreams’ is scheduled to face Khalil Roundtree Jr at UFC 303 on June 29th. 

The card will be headlined by the long-awaited return of ‘The Notorious’ Conor McGregor, and Hill has elected to step straight back into fight camp rather than sit on the sidelines and recover from the devastating first round knockout he suffered at the hands of Pereira. 

Rountree will be coming into this bout on a five-fight winning streak and has finished seven of his 9 UFC victories by knockout. Sitting at #8 in the UFC’s light heavyweight rankings, Rountree will surely see a victory over a former champion like Hill as a short cut to a title shot. 

Given that Hill will likely have received a 60-day medical suspension from the Nevada State Athletic Commission, and there are only 77 days separating UFCs 300 and 303, there are certainly questions to be raised about the decision of Hill and his team to take this fight. 

Hill explained in an interview with The Schmo that he sees the proximity of the two fights  being a positive for his physical preparations, and that he is focused on avenging the loss to Pereira: 

“I’m already in good shape” he explained. “I’m feeling good, heading into another camp  just makes sense, I get to go into a camp in shape instead of going into camp off a layoff  so I think that’ll be a huge plus and will help me go out and put on the performance I  need to against Khalil Rountree to put myself back in position to get that Alex Pereira fight back. 

“It’s about getting back to that fight, I want to fight Alex again just because of the narrative surrounding it ” 

Hill originally won the 205lb title after defeating Pereira’s coach Glover Teixeira over five rounds at UFC 283 in January of 2023. He then ruptured his Achilles tendon last July and vacated the belt which Pereira won by beating Jiri Prochazka at UFC 295 in November.

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Muay Thai Legends Liam Harrison And Seksan Set For Dream Match At ONE 168

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15 hours ago

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April 26, 2024

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After much deliberation, striking veterans Liam Harrison and Seksan Or Kwanmuang have finally found a date for their highly anticipated clash. 

The pair will meet in a 140-pound catchweight Muay Thai contest when ONE Championship returns to the U.S. for ONE 168: Denver on Saturday, 7th September. 

The event inside Denver, Colorado’s Ball Arena is already stacking up to be one of the biggest cards of the year for the world’s largest martial arts organization, and the addition of this matchup will only increase the hype among martial arts fans. 

Harrison has been on the sidelines for some time now. He suffered a worrying knee injury when he challenged former ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Champion Nong-O Hama for the gold at ONE on Prime Video 1 in August 2022, and he had to overcome further complications before thinking about a return to action. 

The British striking legend will have a chance to shake off the cobwebs before colliding with Seksan, however, as he is scheduled to make his way back to ONE for a battle with Katsuki Kitano at ONE 167: Stamp vs. Zamboanga on 8th June.

“Hitman” will need all the preparation he can get for his match with Seksan. The former Rajadamnern Stadium and WBC Muay Thai World Champion has built a fearsome reputation in ONE Championship over the last 15 months, given that he amassed eight consecutive wins after his debut last January. 

Seksan appeared unstoppable in the promotion until he met Japanese star Yutaro Asashi at ONE Friday Fights 58 earlier this month.

After three thrilling rounds of Muay Thai, the Thai veteran fell to a unanimous decision loss, which means he’ll be charged up for a triumphant return to form against Harrison. 

And with “Hitman” keen to find his way back to the top in ONE, their clash in Denver on 7th September is all but guaranteed to be a barnburner.

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SEAN O’MALLEY GETS THE ALL CLEAR TO BOX BY UFC

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2 days ago

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April 25, 2024

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The whirlwind surrounding Ryan Garcia’s victory over Devin Haney last weekend is just beginning to settle down but it seems the controversial boxer is intent on staying in the headlines as he eyes UFC champion, Sean O’Malley.

The bizarre lead up to the fight with Haney was plagued with erratic behaviour on Garcia’s part, rumours of a mental breakdown, signs of alcohol and drug issues, and  generally controversial behaviour. Garcia missed weight by 3.2lbs, and appeared to chug a beer on the scales during the weigh ins. 

Entering the fight as an underdog, Garcia surprised everybody by dropping Haney three times and emerging victorious by majority decision. After the fight, Garcia insisted he  drank and smoked every day in the build up to the fight and still picked up the win. This  shocking turn of events has now opened up a variety of possible lucrative match ups for Garcia going forward, and it seems one MMA superstar wants a piece of that action. 

The UFC hasn’t sanctioned a boxing crossover bout since Conor McGregor faced Floyd Mayweather back in 2017. ‘Suga’ Sean O’Malley has long campaigned for the  opportunity to test his striking skills against Garcia, and this week on his podcast The Timbo Sugar Show, he insisted that the UFC have already given him the green light to  seek out some opportunities in the boxing ring: 

“A boxing fight’s possible for sure. I’m not there yet. I’ve still got to become bigger. Two  more f*cking sick performances, then we’re talking about being able to do it. 

O’Malley continued: “They told me ‘You can do a boxing fight, 100 percent, if it makes us enough money’. The option is there, it just has to be able to make enough money. But Ryan being a f*cking freak like that, you need two A-sides to make a f*cking Floyd v Conor fight”. 

Ryan Garcia tweeted an image of himself and O’Malley this week with the caption: “RAINBOW CACA BRAIN. WANTS TO BOX. BE PREPARED TO BLEED RAINBOW” 

Sean O’Malley became the UFC’s bantamweight champion when he knocked out Aljamain Sterling at UFC 292 last August. He then defended the belt and avenged the only loss on  his record when he dominated Marlon Vera over five rounds at UFC 299 in March.

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