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Four Reasons Why You Should Watch Cage Warriors 174: London
Europe's Premier MMA Promotion Returns To Action With A Stacked Card Of Fights In The English Capital
Cage Warriors fight nights in London are always a bit special, but Saturday's event at the Indigo at The O2 promises to be even more special than most.
That's because the fight fans in attendance at Cage Warriors' long-established London home are set for a bumper card of fights that will keep them entertained all afternoon, and all evening.
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Here's a fistful of reasons why you should fire up UFC Fight Pass, put your feet up and turn your Saturday into a high-octane MMA marathon by catching Cage Warriors 174 before turning your attention to the UFC APEX later in the day...
A Night That Will Go Down In CW History 🤩
— Cage Warriors (@CageWarriors) July 13, 2024
You NEED to be there for our one-night #Prizefighter tournament at #CW174 London next Saturday!
Purchase Tickets 👉 https://t.co/3C3pforz2z pic.twitter.com/T2AGIFpRmU
The PrizeFighter Tournaments Are Here
Everybody loves a tournament, and the team at Cage Warriors are no different. As a result, the promotion have launched PrizeFighter, a series of six-man, one-night tournaments to crown tournament champions and number-one contenders.
Kicking things off this weekend is their inaugural tournament, where six bantamweight contenders will do battle for the tournament title, $50,000, and a shot at reigning Cage Warriors bantamweight champion Liam Gittins later this year.
The tournament draw was held last week, with the two semi-finals and one reserve bout confirmed, and all three should serve up some stellar action.
The first semi-final will see Shirzad Qadrian take on Weslley Maia in a mouthwatering rematch almost a year to the day since their first meeting. Maia took the spoils on that occasion with a unanimous decision victory at Cage Warriors 157, but after securing back-to-back finishes in his two bouts since, Qadrian will fancy his chances of turning the tables on "Magic" this time around.
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The night's other semi-final will see Scotland's Aidan Stephen take on Sweden's Alexander Loof, who was involved in Cage Warriors' 2023 Fight of the Year with England's Luke Riley at Cage Warriors 160. (If you haven't watched it, stop reading immediately and watch it now. You can thank me later.) Stephen is on a two-fight tear, while Loof returns to Cage Warriors after picking up a win in Sweden for Fight Club Rush.
Our BIGGEST Card of the Year 🤩#CW174 London will be headlined by our one-night #Prizefighter tournament final!
— Cage Warriors (@CageWarriors) July 17, 2024
The night's two semi-final winners will face off in the tournament final, which forms the night's main event. But, if one of the semi-final winners isn't medically cleared to compete again on the night, the winner of the reserve bout will step in. That bout will see a battle between two Italians, as former Alessandro Giordano takes on former Cage Warriors bantamweight champion Michele Martignoni.
Many thought Martignoni would be the favorite to win the tournament, but those chances took a hit when he was drawn in the reserve bout slot. Now the former champ, who never lost his belt in the cage, will look to deliver a show-stealing performance against Giordano to ensure his name is on everyone's lips after the event.
The PrizeFighter tournament takes center stage on a huge night of fights in London, but there are plenty of other notable names to tune in for, including two former champions looking to make headway in new weight classes.
'The Epidemic' Returns
Former Cage Warriors featherweight champion Jordan Vucenic has made the Indigo a home away from home during his career. Despite living 117 miles from The O2, Vucenic routinely packs out the building with raucous fans, and his walkout, to Chase and Status' "All Goes Wrong" has become one of the most iconic Cage Warriors entrances in recent years.
Jordan Vucenic should be required by law to fight at every O2 CW card#CW169 pic.twitter.com/LKMhGcaeYI
— UFC FIGHT PASS (@UFCFightPass) March 30, 2024
Vucenic has moved up to lightweight, and will take on Poland's Adrian Kepa in a 159-pound catchweight contest. The Englishman is one of the best European fighters not to have had a shot in the UFC, and is currently riding a three-fight, three-finish streak.
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Vucenic's fans have spent the last couple of years calling on UFC matchmaker Sean Shelby to give him a shot in the Octagon. Victory on Saturday will only see those calls get louder. But they may also open another door, with a potential title fight with either of the two Hardwick brothers – featherweight champion Harry, or lightweight champion George – offering a pair of mouthwatering options for Cage Warriors matchmaker Ian Dean.
Former Champ Webb Moves Up
You'll struggle to find a grittier fighter on the Cage Warriors roster than James Webb. The former Cage Warriors middleweight champion's hard-nosed, in-your-face approach to fights focuses on breaking his opponents, physically and mentally.
After losing out in his attempt to win back the 185-pound title last time out, Webb has moved up to 205 pounds, where he'll take on late replacement Adam Bieganski, who has claimed six of his nine career victories by submission.
With England's Andy Clamp currently sitting atop the light heavyweight division, Webb will be looking to deliver another typically dominant performance to immediately put himself in the frame to face "The Vice" later this year.
Young Guns Go For It
The fight card on Saturday isn't just a showcase of the promotion's established talent. The fight card is brimming with up-and-coming prospects who will look to deliver eye-catching performances on Cage Warriors' most loaded fight card of 2024.
Get ready to see a lot of UK UFC legend Brad Pickett, with the Great Britain Top Team head coach bringing a host of fighters to the Indigo, including rising flyweight prospect Jawany Scott and featherweight Nik Bagley, who are both set for action on the main card.
Former professional street dancer-turned-Cage Warriors bantamweight Jimmy Quinn is targeting his third pro win as he takes on 12-fight veteran Imad Bouamri, while the first deaf fighter to compete in Dana White's Contender Series and Cage Warriors, Thomas Paull, returns in search of his 13th pro win when he faces MMA Fight Academy prospect Milad Ahady.
"I can't hear my opponent's heartbeat, so I use that as my walkout music!" 🥶
— Cage Warriors (@CageWarriors) July 18, 2024
Deaf fighter Thomas Paull will walkout to heartbeat music for this reason at #CW174 London! pic.twitter.com/f0PTkzH9je
The event will also see the professional debut of former two-division Cage Warriors Academy amateur champion Rhi-Rhi Hudson, who will face France's Jennifer Trioreau in a strawweight bout.
It's an absolutely stacked fight card, with 20 bouts set to keep you entertained throughout Saturday on UFC Fight Pass. The action starts early, with the Early Prelims getting underway from 7am PT / 10am ET / 3pm BST.
Absolutely STACKED from Top to Bottom 🤯#CW174 London is a can't miss event this Saturday! Be there for #Prizefighter starting at 5:30PM...
— Cage Warriors (@CageWarriors) July 17, 2024
Tickets Going Quick 👉 https://t.co/3C3pfos6S7 pic.twitter.com/4IStS01zYl
You Need One More? OK, Here's One More...
Cage Warriors events always deliver cracking fighting action from the first fight to the last, and you never quite know what you're going to see, or where on the fight card the night's highlight-reel moment will come.
There's no better example of this than the last time Cage Warriors hit London, as English middleweight Mitchell Goode made his professional debut, and marked the occasion with a come-from-behind buggy choke finish in the final minute of his bout with Angus Hewett.
It was an instant Submission of the Year candidate, and drew one of the great pieces of MMA commentary from Cage Warriors' play-by-play man, Brad Wharton.
COMEBACK BUGGY CHOKE FTW 🤯
— Cage Warriors (@CageWarriors) July 17, 2024
What madness will we witness this time in London at #CW174 this Saturday?! pic.twitter.com/b8bMxEQ4kx
