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Contender Profiles | Jack Cartwright

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Name: Jack Cartwright
Age: 28
Weight: Bantamweight
Nationality: English
Record: 10-0-0

The Story so far

Cage Warriors is and always has been the main breeding ground for British UFC level talent, from stars like Conor McGregor and Paddy Pimblett to the likes of Dan Hardy and Michael Bisping, winning a title in Cage Warriors is a sure fire way to get on the UFC’s radar. Undefeated bantamweight Jack Cartwright did just that, earning himself a shot on the Contender Series this Tuesday.

Undefeated and as well rounded as they come, Jack has proven himself time and time again on the regional stage, harbouring strength in every aspect of MMA, proving to the masses that he truly is must see TV.

In his 10 professional MMA bouts, Jack has finished 9 of them, the most impressive of which came during his induction into the Cage Warriors Bantamweight one night tournament, a night which would change his career forever. En route to that Cage Warriors belt he was first matched up with Cage Warriors veteran Scott Malone, ending the fight in just 49 seconds with a vicious right hand. The short contest left him in peak condition for the final later that night where he would face Swiss prospect Marko Kovacevic, yet again Cartwright’s power was on full display as he dispatched of “Agent 47” within 4 minutes for another huge KO.

Following his title victory, Cartwright made the first defence of his belt in Manchester, when he defeated Manuel Bilic via a dominant unanimous decision. Following this he took out both Gerardo Fanny and Sylwester Miller to round out his Cage Warriors run.

Training at SBG Manchester, Cartwright has taken it upon himself to adopt a coaching role toward the up and coming talent in the area, Manchester being a region he’s been somewhat of a trailblazer for within MMA. Cartwright has spoken about how teaching others has improved his own game, making him more conscious of the things he may be doing wrong and making them right per his own advice to the fighters. Still at just 28 years of age, this is a man with all the qualities to make it to the top of the sport.

The Style

When it comes to how he approaches these bouts, Cartwright is very much a jack of all trades, absolutely no pun intended . Training in wrestling, kickboxing and boxing from as early as 5 years old, he’s certainly constructed a varied arsenal which is yet to have failed him.

We’ve seen it all from Jack, his hands probably being the main danger, he may be a bantamweight but we’ve seen the freakish power he possesses, described as heavyweight like by his teammates. He stalks guys down in a calculated manner and cracks them hard with a scary mix of ferocity and accuracy, his Cage Warriors tournament run being a true testament to what those hands can do. Even in his one decision against Bilic, the Croation hit the mat on more than one occasion, with Jack’s gas tank and work rate working in tandem with his power to make him dangerous all fight long.

Now you’d think, why don’t guys just try and take him down? Try is the key work here, he’s ridiculously hard to take down and has an extremely diverse submission game with a nightmarish level of activity. Even if he hits the mat, he won’t settle for bottom position and if he executes a sweep, best believe you’re eating a bunch of leather. Offensively his takedowns are excellent too, smashing guys up in the clinch with his knees and punches before often getting most of his opponents to the mat whenever he wants to. Features of notice when it comes to Jack’s defensive grappling are his scrambling ability and his world class sprawl, two things that make it extremely difficult for his opponents to get any sort of grappling offense going which works massively in his favour.

Long story short, Jack hasn’t really been rivalled anywhere, he’s blitzed guys on the feet, tied them up on the mat and smashed them up in the clinch. The only logical next step is the UFC to really see as to what level his MMA game is truly at. In a bantamweight division as stacked as that of the UFC’s, he’ll have no shortage of worthy tests.

The Matchup

Cartwright’s Contender Series opponent is seasoned North American regional standout Jose Johnson. Johnson may only be 27 years of age, but he’s amassed a huge amount of experience. In a 3 year amateur career he competed in 36 fights, winning 24 of them, while since turning pro in 2016 he has garnered a record of 14-7.

Johnson gained a good amount of publicity in the MMA world back in 2019 courtesy of his vicious elbow KO over Rafael Costa at LFA 78, one of the most vicious MMA finishes in recent memory.

Since competing as a pro, Johnson has competed against the likes of Mana Martinez and Ronnie Lawrence, both of whom made it to the UFC at an earlier stage. Although being defeated by both men, he now finds himself on a 2 fight win streak, the last of which being a 12 second KO over TUF veteran Dulani Perry.

Despite having mixed success throughout his career, Johnson is explosive, powerful and loves a knockout, with 8 of his 14 wins coming via first round KO/TKO. Its fair to say he’s definitely a fast starter and has ample capability to finish alot of guys at bantamweight as demonstrated. His striking is where he finds the most success, while not the most volumous in terms of approach, when he does throw he throws hard and he lands, often he only needs the one or two shots. Although his hands evidently have alot of power in them, he employs some heavy low kicks too, while having an impressive highlight reel made up of a number of one hitter quitters whether it be flying knees, elbows or punches.

Johnson will be moving down to bantamweight for this one as he usually competes at featherweight. Standing at 6’0 tall he will have a decent size advantage over the 5’9 Cartwright, but the question is does he have the tools to keep the Englishman off him for 3 rounds?

Throughout his MMA career grappling has always been the area Johnson has met the most resistance, with most of the instances he is bested being down to takedowns and control. He will definitely look to keep this one on the feet given his success there, but that in itself is always going to be a tough night against Cartwright. Will Jack go for a grappling approach or will he yet again back that striking ability and look for another finish on the feet?

Let us know how you think Cartwright will do and whether he secures a contract!

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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.

***

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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