The tickets had been sold, the fights had been booked and the fighters were ready. But Cage Warriors 113 was suddenly put under threat as the growing concern over the COVID-19 pandemic hit the UK.
The weekend was supposed to showcase MMA in London, with Cage Warriors set to host a sold-out event at the Indigo at The O2 on Friday, March 20, and the UFC ready to stage a packed card in the main arena at The O2 the following night.
Travel restrictions put in place by the UK government forced the UFC to scrap their plans to move ahead with the Saturday night show. But Cage Warriors president Graham Boylan was determined that his show would go on.
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When the option to host the event behind closed doors in London was taken from him, Boylan picked up the phone and just minutes later secured the use of the BEC Arena in Manchester, and the promotion faced a race against time to move its entire operation, including fighters, staff, and equipment, from London to Manchester for a fight week like no other.
The event eventually went ahead, streamed live on UFC Fight Pass, as Cage Warriors hosted the first major behind-closed-doors MMA event during the coronavirus pandemic. Just days after the event, the UK announced lockdown measures that would have nixed the event.
The promotion has now released a special behind-the-scenes documentary that tells the story of that event, featuring fly-on-the-wall footage of the pre-event meetings, comments from some of the fighters who competed on the night, including Paddy Pimblett, and Boylan’s motivational speech to the fighters and their corners ahead of the event itself as the fighters put on a show for MMA fans around the world on a remarkable, historic night for the promotion.
Check out “Fighting the Pandemic” via the video above.
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