UFC Fight Pass
Four Reasons To Watch Cage Warriors 186
Cage Warriors Returns To London For Its Traditional Pre-UFC Show, With The Hardwick Brothers Set To Put Their Titles On The Line At The Indigo At The O2. Watch On UFC FIGHT PASS.
Cage Warriors' Friday night events have become an integral part of UFC fight weeks in the UK, and the UK-based promotion returns to its London home of the Indigo at The O2 with a loaded fight card on Friday night.
As always, the event will stream live on UFC Fight Pass. And, as always, there's a boatload of different reasons to watch.
We know your time is precious, so we've picked out just four of them to make sure you know what's about to go down in the Big Smoke on Friday night...
Harry Hardwick Is Back!
Cage Warriors featherweight champion Harry Hardwick returns to action in the main event as he looks to continue his impressive run of form.
Hardwick is unbeaten in his last eight fights, with seven wins and one draw to his name. He captured the 145-pound title at Cage Warriors 172 with a second-round TKO of Orlando Wilson Prins, then defended the belt with a fourth-round stoppage of Keweny Lopes.
Now "Houdini" will look to register the second straight defense of his title when he takes on Javier Garcia.
"Hurricane" made his Cage Warriors debut last summer with a split decision win over Roberto Hernandez at Cage Warriors 173 in San Diego. Then he picked up another victory on the regional scene to extend his unbeaten record to five (four wins, one no contest).
Now Garcia has flown across the pond to challenge Hardwick in a bid to capture Cage Warriors gold.
It's arguably the toughest test of Hardwick's career so far, and it's one that, if he wins, could potentially give the family cause for a double celebration on fight night.
So is his brother, George!
That's because Harry's brother, reigning Cage Warriors lightweight champion George Hardwick, is also set for action.
Hardwick has won nine of his last 10 fights, with his only defeat in that run coming against Abdul-Kareem Al-Selwady in Dana White's Contender Series.
He hasn't lost under the Cage Warriors banner since 2019, and he has looked outstanding in the famous yellow Cage Warriors gloves over the past four years.
He won the vacant lightweight title with a body-shot finish of Kyle Driscoll at Cage Warriors 141 back in July 2022, then showcased his savage body punching again as he registered his first defense with a body-shot knockout of Scottish veteran Chris Bungard four months later.
Hardwick has since added title defenses against Yann Liasse and Cristian Iorga to his growing resume, and will look to showcase his fan-friendly fighting style as he headlines the preliminary card, before returning to the locker room to help corner his brother in the main event.
Young Contenders Look To Stake A Claim
The fight card in London will also feature a pair of rising stars of the promotion, who can both position themselves for possible title shots later this year.
Great Britain Top Team prospect Nik Bagley has looked outstanding in Cage Warriors, and heads into his featherweight co-main event bout with Keweny Lopes riding a four-fight win streak.
Since losing his third professional fight, Bagley has finished Wesley Machado, Michael Quinn, Ryan Shelley and Jordy Bakkes, all via rear-naked choke, as he has worked his way up Cage Warriors' featherweight ladder.
Now, with the 145-pound title taking center stage in the main event, he gets the chance to make a statement by claiming another big win.
Another victory, and another finish, may force Bagley to the front of the featherweight queue to face Friday night's main event winner later this year.
Also on the card is middleweight contender Will Currie, who is looking to bounce back after losing on Dana White's Contender Series last September.
Currie surged into a 2023 title fight with then-champion Mick Stanton but lost on the scorecards to the seasoned veteran. He then rebounded in style, with three stoppage victories over Jorge Bueno, Wallison Henrique and Leon Aliu.
That run earned him an opportunity against Djorden Santos at the UFC APEX, but he found himself on the wrong end of a unanimous decision.
Now "Drago" is back in Cage Warriors, where he'll look to bounce back against 6-1 contender Eli Aronov, who is also looking to rebound from Contender Series disappointment.
The winner is more than likely to find themselves in the thick of the middleweight title picture later this year, but who will it be, "Drago" or "The Israeli Tank?"
The Indigo Atmosphere Is Electric
There are few arenas in MMA that produce the atmosphere like the Indigo on a Cage Warriors night.
The unique setup of the venue, with raucous fans packing the floor in standing room only fashion, and seated fans up on the balcony, the fighters are hit by a cacophony of noise when they make their short walk from the locker room to the cage.
With the cage raised up on the stage, and the fans standing down below, it creates an electric atmosphere that has brought the best out of some of Cage Warriors greats of yesteryear.
The likes of former bantamweight champion Nathaniel Wood and former featherweight champion Jordan Vucenic enjoyed crazy nights of celebration at the Indigo after title fight wins, and the next generation of stars will be looking to do the same this weekend.
Cage Warriors streams live on UFC Fight Pass from 1:30pm ET (preliminary card), and 4:30pm ET (main card)
