Category: Cage Warriors

Cage Warriors 139 loses main event as Max Rohskopf opponent Erick Sanchez forced out

Former UFC fighter Max Rohskopf will have to wait, as he seeks to continue his unbeaten success outside the promotion.

Cage Warriors 139 is down its original main event, but the card rolls on.

One-half of the former headliner, [autotag]Max Rohskopf[/autotag] (7-1) informed MMA Junkie Radio in an interview Monday of the cancellation and cited a withdrawal of opponent [autotag]Erick Sanchez[/autotag] (10-6). Due to the last-second nature of the withdrawal, Rohskopf will not get a replacement opponent.

“Leading up to every fight, I think I’m a little stressed a little nervous. I think that’s normal,” Rohskopf said. “But I was excited to get in there with someone that’s had a decent amount of fights and that’s fought some really good guys. I was ready to test myself.”

Rohskopf hopes to be re-booked sooner rather than later. Since his UFC departure, he’s 2-0 and would like to keep that momentum rolling.

“I’m cool fighting anyone. I’ve been that way since the beginning. Whoever they put in front of me. I’ve never been very picky or choosy.”

According to promotion officials, a lightweight bout between [autotag]Jordan Bailey[/autotag] (6-5) and [autotag]Alex Trinidad[/autotag] (5-3) will serve as the main event.

With the change, the Cage Warriors 139 main card includes:

  • Jordan Bailey vs. Alex Trinidad
  • Cesar Gonzalez vs. Jamey Lynch
  • Eli Leggett vs. Brandon Laroco
  • Armando Murillo Jr vs. Elijah Harris
  • Junior Cortez vs. James Settle
  • Kona Oliveira vs. Chasen Blair

Cage Warriors 136 results: Christian Duncan wins title with flying knee TKO of Djati Melan

A knockout-filled Cage Warriors 136 card was topped off by an electrifying flying knee TKO.

There’s winning a title, and then there’s winning a title in style.

In the Cage Warriors 136 main event, [autotag]Christian Duncan[/autotag] (6-0) did the latter when he dethroned champion [autotag]Djati Melan[/autotag] (8-1) with a flying knee TKO 48 seconds into Round 3.

Cage Warriors 136 took place Saturday at BEC Arena in Manchester, England, as the second of a two-day doubleheader for the promotion.

The flying knee finish by England’s Duncan was a sudden jolt of energy capping off an otherwise slow and repetitive bout. Cote D’Ivoire’s Melan controlled much of the action, or lack thereof, prior to his demise. His wrestling was strong, even though he encountered contact lens issues mid-fight. Through the first two rounds, wrestling was the name of the game.

In between Rounds 2 and 3, Melan complained about his contact lens shifting out. Meanwhile, Duncan seemingly regained his energy focusing on the task at hand. Duncan looked like the fresher fighter in the exchanges and put an exclamation point on top of things when his ax kick missed but jumping knee landed.

Check out the knockout and results below:

The complete Cage Warriors 136 results include:

  • Christian Leroy Duncan def. Djati Melan via TKO (flying knee) – Round 3, 0:48
  • Aaron Aby def. Gerardo Fanny via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 3, 2:25
  • Adam Cullen def. El Hadji Ndiaye via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 0:14
  • Reece McEwan def. Sam Spencer via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 3, 4:33
  • Luke Riley def. Jack Elgin via knockout (punches) – Round 2, 4:54
  • Mick Stanton def. Alexis Fontes via TKO (strikes) – Round 2, 1:28
  • Aleksi Mantykivi def. Jeanderson Castro via knockout (strikes) – Round 2, 2:27
  • Liam Molloy def. Ben Rees via knockout (left hook) – Round 1, 0:26
  • Manny Akpan def. Connor Hitchens via knockout (wheel kick) – Round 2, 4:36
  • Dylan Hazan def. Raymison Bruno via TKO (retirement) – Round 1, 5:00
  • Jan Quaeyhaegans def. Kieran Lister via TKO (ground-and-pound) – Round 1, 3:08
  • Chasen Blair def. Rickie Moore via TKO (ground-and-pound) – Round 1, 2:47
  • Michael Tchamou def. Piotr Chmielecki via knockout (ground-and-pound) – Round 1, 1:35

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‘Knockout of the Year’ contender: Watch Manny Akpan smoke opponent with spinning hook kick

Was it luck? Was it impeccable timing? Who cares. Manny Akpan just landed one of the best knockout blows of 2022.

Over and over again, rising MMA fighters are informed of the importance of differentiating themselves from the pack. Sometimes, it’s difficult and fighters act a fool to supplement substantial interest.

But for [autotag]Manny Akpan[/autotag], he will not need to do such things – all because of his Cage Warriors 136 knockout against [autotag]Connor Hitchens[/autotag]. If he does nothing else in the near future, he will always be known as “the guy who hit that ridiculous roundhouse kick,” because that’s exactly what he did.

Was it luck? Was it a perfect analysis of timing? Was it a combination?

None of those questions really matter in the end. The bottom line is Akpan (4-1) wrecked Hitchens (6-2) with a violent, face-plant-inducing roundhouse kick that ended their featherweight bout at the 4:36 mark of Round 2.

After Akpan stuffed a takedown from Hitchens, the two fighters bounded upward. As he looked to back off and reset, Hitchens dashed away – but directly toward Akpan’s power side. Akpan made him pay as he spun and landed the knockout blow, which you can watch below.

Cage Warriors 136 took place Saturday at BEC Arena in Manchester, England, as the second of a two-day doubleheader for the promotion.

The Blue Corner is MMA Junkie’s blog space. We don’t take it overly serious, and neither should you. If you come complaining to us that something you read here is not hard-hitting news, expect to have the previous sentence repeated in ALL CAPS.

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Cage Warriors 134 results: Jordan Vucenic pulls off beautiful standing submission to defend title

Jordan Vucenic continues to make a strong case he’s owed a UFC call.

[autotag]Jordan Vucenic[/autotag] continues to make a strong case he’s owed a UFC call.

In the Cage Warriors 134 main event, Vucenic (9-1) used a beautiful back-take to move into position for a submission of [autotag]James Hedin[/autotag] (6-2) via rear-naked choke.

The finish came 1:36 into Round 2 and marked Vucenic’s first title defense as Cage Warriors featherweight champion a successful one. Vucenic first attempted a standing arm-triangle choke. He used the threat and momentum to quickly backpack Hedin. From there, Vucenic worked and worked for the proper grip – and eventually got it.

Check out that finish below:

The event took place Friday at the Indigo at 02 Arena in London.

Vucenic, 26, has now won seven fights in a row, including a title-clinching victory over popular French fighter Morgan Charriere. Cage Warriors 134 marked his first submission victory since May 2017.

“I believe I’m going to be one of the best in the world,” Vucenic told MMA Junkie before the fight. “I believe I’m going to be one of the all-time best fighters to do it, not just out of the U.K., but worldwide. This is just, again, another fight to solidify what I believe. … I believe I’m ready to hang with the top 10n guys already, let alone the starters of the UFC roster.”

The full Cage Warriors 134 results include:

  • Champ Jordan Vucenic def. James Hedin via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 1:36
  • [autotag]Will Currie[/autotag] def. [autotag]Patrick Vallee[/autotag] via TKO (strikes) – Round 1, 2:56
  • [autotag]George Hardwick[/autotag] def. [autotag]Lukasz Kopera[/autotag] via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 4:00
  • [autotag]Tobia Harila[/autotag] def. [autotag]Decky McAleenan[/autotag] via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 1:55
  • [autotag]Ben Ellis[/autotag] def. [autotag]Nik Bagley[/autotag] via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
  • [autotag]Kingsley Crawford[/autotag] def. [autotag]Aidan James[/autotag] via submission (anaconda choke) – Round 1, 1:28
  • [autotag]Lone’er Kavanagh[/autotag] def. [autotag]Ryan Morgan[/autotag] via knockout (punches) – Round 3, 1:13

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Cage Warriors 134 video: Lone’er Kavanagh dips and dodges, then stiffens opponent with brutal combo

In the Cage Warriors 134 prelim opener, a violent tone was set early.

[autotag]Lone’er Kavanagh[/autotag] only had two fights as he entered Cage Warriors 134 on Saturday, so it makes sense fight fans may not have known his name.

However, after the highlight he pulled off in the event-opening bout at Indigo at 02 Arena, Kavanagh (3-0) sent the London crowd into a frenzy with a beautiful slip-and-rip knockout of [autotag]Ryan Morgan[/autotag] (1-1). The finish came at 1:13 of Round 3.

Morgan threw a right hand, which Kavanagh avoided. A left followed, but also Kavanagh dodged. After two whiffs, Morgan was left squared up and wide open for a violent one-two combination from Kavanagh. Upon impact, Morgan flattened to the canvas with his leg twisted awkwardly up in the air.

With the win, Kavanagh stays undefeated with three finishes in three professional fights. As for Morgan, he suffers his first professional loss.

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Twitter reacts: UFC, MMA fighters and personalities celebrate Christmas on social media

See how fighters and other personalities from the MMA industry celebrated Christmas and the holiday season to close out 2021.

The holiday season is here, and with no major events scheduled until New Year’s Eve, the MMA community had the rare opportunity to sit back, relax and celebrate with their loved ones.

Check below to see how fighters and other personalities from the industry celebrated Christmas and the holiday season to close out 2021.

Cage Warriors 131: Joe McColgan vacates, Mehdi Ben Lakhdhar vs. George Hardwick set for title

Lightweight champion Joe McColgan has vacated his Cage Warriors title, setting up a new championship bout next month.

Lightweight champion [autotag]Joe McColgan[/autotag] has vacated his Cage Warriors title, setting up a new championship bout next month.

McColgan (8-3-1) vacated the belt “due to personal matters affecting his ability to train,” according to an announcement from Cage Warriors. So a vacant lightweight title bout between [autotag]George Hardwick[/autotag] (8-1) and [autotag]Mehdi Ben Lakhdhar[/autotag] (5-0-1) will take place at Cage Warriors 131.

The promotion announced the new title fight Tuesday for the event, which is set for Dec. 10 at York Hall in London. The card is the first of back-to-back Cage Warriors events for its end-of-year “Double Trouble” doubleheader. The events will stream on UFC Fight Pass.

“Life has Joe McColgan busy and he’s just about got enough time to get into the gym to help his training partners get ready for their fights,” Cage Warriors president Graham Boylan said in a release from the promotion. “Joe doesn’t want to hold the division up and has decided to vacate the belt providing he can fight the new champ on his return, which he expects to be around April or May next year. I have the utmost respect for the champ for allowing the division to move on in his absence.

“Contender wise, we have two excellent fighters. George Hardwick is on a four-fight win streak with his last two fights ending within the distance. Mehdi Ben Lakhdhar is undefeated in Cage Warriors, winning three fights and drawing a fourth. That draw just happened to be a ‘Fight of the Year’ with Joe McColgan back in 2019.”

Hardwick has four straight wins on the heels of the lone loss of his career, which came by decision at Cage Warriors 109 to Madars Fleminas. Since then, he has a pair of Bellator wins over Richard Kiely and Nicolo Solli in 2020 and a pair of second-round finishes for Cage Warriors this year. He stopped Dean Trueman with a TKO at Cage Warriors 124 in June, then submitted Jakub Dohnal at Cage Warriors 129 in October.

Lakhdhar is 3-0-1 under the Cage Warriors banner. He’ll fight Hardwick a year to the date since his most recent fight, which was a first-round knockout of Stevie McIntosh at Cage Warriors 117. After a perfect 4-0 start to his career, including a pair of 2018 Cage Warriors wins, he fought to a majority draw with McColgan in September 2019.

McColgan won the lightweight title in June with a third-roundn guillotine choke finish of champion Agy Sardari after more than four years of up, down and up again results for Cage Warriors.

MMA celebrates Halloween: Amanda Nunes as Aladdin, Max Holloway as Demon Slayer, more

Check out the best social media posts from fighters and other members of the MMA community on Halloween 2021.

Today is Halloween, and plenty of fighters and other MMA notables are embracing the opportunity to dress up and celebrate the holiday.

Costumes from the past five years set the bar quite high, but the challenge was certainly met with all kinds of creative costumes.

Check below for the top Halloween costumes shared on social media.

 

‘Inside crescent kick to the face!’ This Cage Warriors 130 knockout is simply mesmerizing

Justin Barry delivered an absolutely stunning knockout that can best be described as “some Bruce Lee sh*t.”

The tweet from the official UFC Fight Pass account said it all: “WHAT JUST HAPPENED?!?!”

When you see [autotag]Justin Barry[/autotag]’s second-round knockout of Alan Benson on Sunday night at Cage Warriors 130 in San Diego, you will wonder the same thing. So here you go.

Check out this awesomeness:

A crescent kick to the face for the win, something you don’t see every day in MMA. That’s what you call some Bruce Lee sh*t.

Want a better angle? Here you go:

What a mesmerizing move. Thank you, Justin Barry. Thank you.

The Blue Corner is MMA Junkie’s blog space. We don’t take it overly serious, and neither should you. If you come complaining to us that something you read here is not hard-hitting news, expect to have the previous sentence repeated in ALL CAPS.

Cage Warriors 129 video: Sam Creasey locks in slick high-elbow guillotine to win flyweight title

Sam Creasey left no doubt about who’s the best flyweight in Cage Warriors.

[autotag]Sam Creasey[/autotag] left no doubt about who’s the best flyweight in Cage Warriors.

In the promotion’s tournament final, Creasey and Luke Shanks were involved in an entertaining scrap Saturday at Cage Warriors 129 from York Hall in London. Both men found success landing shots through two rounds and into the third.

Then Shanks decided to shoot for a takedown, which turned out to be his downfall as Creasey immediately transitioned into a guillotine choke. But it wasn’t a normal guillotine, with Creasey leaving his left elbow high to prevent Shanks from escaping.

Creasey’s slick move worked to perfection and left Shanks no choice but to tap out at the 3:38 mark of Round 3. Take a look at the finish below:

For Creasey, 33, the title win comes in his 13th fight with Cage Warriors. He debuted with the promotion in June 2016 and is now 10-3 (15-3 overall).