UFC on ESPN+ 29 in London may have been postponed, but that doesn’t necessarily mean there won’t be any “UFC London” fights in the English capital Saturday night.
Cage Warriors president Graham Boylan on Sunday reiterated his plan to MMA Junkie to run his promotion’s event, Cage Warriors 113, at the Indigo at The O2 as planned Friday. The card is scheduled to stream on UFC Fight Pass.
But intriguingly, he also hinted his fight card, which already boasts three title fights, could be bolstered with even more bouts if his behind-the-scenes talks come to fruition.
“We have been trying to save a couple of the UFC London fights and have them compete at the show as contracted UFC fights on Cage Warriors,” Boylan said. “I’m just trying to help the fighters not miss out on competing. It may or may not happen, as it’s a fast-moving situation and trying to pull all the moving parts together is super tricky.”
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Boylan said earlier Sunday he was determined to keep his show alive for the Cage Warriors fighters contracted to fight, tweeting, “The fighters confirmed they want it, they worked hard for it. I won’t be letting them down. The government will have to step in & stop @CageWarriors.”
Government intervention is a real possibility, however, with Prime Minister Boris Johnson expected to announce a ban on mass gatherings in the U.K. on Monday or Tuesday.
That would force Boylan to place his event behind closed doors, but he remains committed to keeping the show alive to offer fans the chance to watch live MMA Friday night.
“Cage Warriors is happening,” he said. “Behind closed doors, if need be.”
Confirmed fights for Cage Warriors 113 include:
MAIN CARD
- Darko Banovic vs. Morgan Charriere – for vacant interim featherweight title
- Nathan Jones vs. Joe McColgan – for vacant lightweight title
- Champ Samir Faiddine vs Luke Shanks – for flyweight title
- Decky Dalton vs. Paddy Pimblett
PRELIMINARY CARD
- Steve Aimable vs. Perry Goodwin
- David Bear vs. Nathan Jones
- Emrah Sonmez vs. Aidan Stephen
- Cory Tait vs TBA
- Kingsley Crawford vs. Lewis Monarch
- Kris Edwards vs. James Hendin
- Matthew Bonner vs. Jamie Richardson
- Coner Hignett vs. Darren O’Gorman
- Adam Amarasinghe vs. Jake Bond
- Jack Collins vs. Joshua Onwordi