Tag: Cage Warriors 113

‘Fighting the Pandemic’: Recap the remarkable story of Cage Warriors 113 as COVID-19 hit the UK

Cage Warriors’ new documentary, “Fighting the Pandemic,” chronicles the turbulent journey from London to Manchester as the promotion fought to keep Cage Warriors 113 alive.

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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MMA Junkie’s ‘Knockout of the Month’ for March: A wild brawl ends with one punch

With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best knockouts from March 2020.

With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best knockouts from March 2020: Here are the five nominees, listed in chronological order, and winner of MMA Junkie’s “Knockout of the Month” award for March.

At the bottom of the post, let us know if we got it right by voting for your choice.

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The Nominees

Danaa Batgerel def. Guido Cannetti at UFC 248

[autotag]Danaa Batgerel[/autotag] (8-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC) got his first UFC victory in impressive fashion when he became the first to knock out Guido Cannetti (8-5 MMA, 2-4 UFC) in their bantamweight matchup.

The fighter from Mongolia landed an absolute bomb of a left hand on Cannetti about three minutes into the opening round of the bout. Cannetti was unable to recover from Batgerel’s power and the fight was called off.

Sean O’Malley def. Jose Quinonez at UFC 248

“The Suga Show” had a triumphant reboot when bantamweight prospect [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] (11-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) made quick work of Jose Quinonez (8-3 MMA, 5-2 UFC) in his first fight in two years.

O’Malley, who had been out of action since March 2018 due to injuries and a U.S. Anti-Doping Agency situation that ultimately resulted in his innocence, put on a striking clinic against a helpless Quinonez to finish the fight in just 122 seconds.

Beneil Dariush def. Drakkar Klose at UFC 248

[autotag]Beneil Dariush[/autotag] (18-4-1 MMA, 12-4-1 UFC) produced arguably the greatest highlight of his career when he scored a spectacular knockout of Drakkar Klose (11-1-2 MMA, 5-2 UFC) in the second round of their lightweight bout.

After a solid first round, the fight got crazy in the second when Dariush and Klose slugged it out and stunned each other. Dariush was able to push through it better, though, and finally landed a devastated overhand left that sent Klose bouncing off the fence and crashing into the canvas.

Gilbert Burns def. Demian Maia at UFC on ESPN+ 28

[autotag]Gilbert Burns[/autotag] (18-3 MMA, 11-3 UFC) continued a successful campaign in the welterweight division when he beat former title challenger Demian Maia (28-10 MMA, 22-10 UFC).

After getting taken down by Maia and surviving his famous back take, Burns managed to get the fight back to the feet where he connected with a sharp left hook, sending Maia straight to the canvas. Burns hesitated, thinking the shot ended the fight, but the referee didn’t jump in. Burns then followed up with rapid ground-and-pound, forcing the referee to wave it off.

Coner Hignett def. Darren O’Gorman at Cage Warriors 113

[autotag]Coner Hignett[/autotag] (8-5) lived up to his nickname of “The Hand Grenade” when he blew up for a brilliant win over Darren O’Gorman (6-5).

Hignett pulled off one of the best comebacks and knockouts of the year thus far when he stopped O’Gorman in the third round of their flyweight matchup. A series of precise and powerful right hands were the culprit behind Hignett’s comeback.

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The Winner: Beneil Dariush

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Dariush didn’t need jiu-jitsu to win at UFC 248.

The UFC veteran scored one of the best finishes of his career against Klose, but it didn’t come by way of his nifty ground game. Dariush knocked out Klose in the second round of their lightweight contest after a wild exchange that had the crowd on its feet.

The final seconds were completely opposite to what went down in the first round. For the majority of the opening round, Dariush controlled Klose as he had taken his back and worked for a standing rear-naked choke.

In the second round, Klose attempted to make up for lost ground and came out swinging hard at Dariush. Klose connected, wobbled Dariush and began to pressure him looking for the finish. But instead of going into defense mode, the Iranian fighter stayed in the pocket and managed to switch the momentum with a hard hook, hurting Klose.

Once rocked, Dariush followed up with a brutal left hook that sent Klose straight to the canvas. It was Dariush’s first KO win since stopping James Vick in 2016.

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Cage Warriors champ Mason Jones ready for all comers: ‘I’ll break ’em

Newly crowned Cage Warriors lightweight champion Mason Jones says his best is yet to come as he targets a call-up to the UFC.

Welshman [autotag]Mason Jones[/autotag] blasted his way to the Cage Warriors lightweight title, then said that he was only just getting started on his run toward the top of the sport.

Jones (9-0 MMA) finished Northern Ireland’s Joe McColgan in the co-main event of Cage Warriors 113 in Manchester on Friday night, and after his first-round knockout victory, he chatted backstage and boldly declared the best was still to come.

“This is just a milestone for me,” he told Cage Warriors’ Edith Labelle. “I’m going to defend my title in June (then) maybe fight again, as many times as I need to until the UFC comes calling, and then I’m going to look to cement my place as UFC lightweight champion. So that’s going to be my journey. I’m glad to everyone who supported back home and everyone who helped me to get here, all the guys at Team Alpha Male who helped. Thanks to everyone, but this is a milestone for me, like I said. Bigger things to come. Follow this space.”

Jones has risen through the Cage Warriors ranks to become a champion at age 24, and “The Dragon” confidently said he’s ready to face whatever challenges are thrown at him whenever he’s booked to fight next.

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“It doesn’t matter who they are, they all fall the same way,” he said. “Just put ’em in front of me and I’ll break ’em. It’s the way it goes. I’m better every time, so find someone new, dig them out and, if they think they can come for me, put them in front of me and I’ll decapitate someone new.”

Jones’ victory behind-closed-doors at the BEC Arena would have showcased his fighting talent to a new audience as fans flocked to UFC Fight Pass to watch the only live MMA event of note of the weekend. Jones said his performance was just a glimpse of what’s to come, as he promised to deliver more fan-friendly performances in his future bouts.

“I always look to perform,” he said. “I always look to put a fight of the night performance on. My fights are always exciting and I always come to impress the crowd or impress the audience back home. Put me in front of whoever you want. I’ll prove I’m better. I rise to challenges. Find me a new one and I’ll rise to that.”

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David Bear hopes for UFC debut in France after Cage Warriors 113 win during coronavirus scramble

France’s David Bear discusses the hurdles he experienced when trying to make it to his Cage Warriors 113 fight vs. Nathan Jones.

[autotag]David Bear[/autotag]’s Cage Warriors debut was surely a memorable one.

One of France’s brightest prospects, Bear (9-1 MMA) took on former BAMMA and Cage Warriors welterweight title challenger Nathan Jones at Cage Warriors 113 this past Friday. He used his grappling to control the fight en route to a unanimous decision.

There was plenty of uncertainty surrounding the event after most major organizations, including the UFC, were forced to cancel shows in response to the global coronavirus outbreak. But Cage Warriors insisted on making things work and moved its event from London to Manchester just days before the card.

Bear wasn’t only dealing with the obstacles of the U.K’s laws, but also those of his home country of France, where he was patiently waiting word on what would happen. He said at one point, he had given up hope that the card would continue.

“I saw events getting canceled day after day,” Bear told MMA Junkie. “My friends told me, ‘Don’t worry – if football is still running in the U.K., you will have your fight.’ And the next day, we see (soccer) getting canceled. So I had to contact Cage Warriors, who told me not to worry because the UFC is still hosting their London event, so it would be impossible that Cage Warriors would cancel. The next day, I see that the UFC London card is getting canceled. Even After this, Cage Warriors asked us if we were still wanting to fight, and if so, that they will do everything in their power to make it possible. Of course, my answer was, ‘Hell yeah, I want to fight.’

“And then another road block occurred. The French president stated on Monday at 8 p.m. that the country is going to be in confinement starting Tuesday afternoon – and I was meant to leave Wednesday. So all my teammates were saying, ‘OK David, you can eat now. Your fight is over.’ I was starting to eat my wife’s plate of lasagna when the president of Cage Warriors (Graham Boylan) called me and asked, ‘If I can get you on the first train tomorrow morning, could you make it?’ I almost choked. I said, ‘Yes, of course.'”

While some of his friends and family advised him against going, Bear had the support of his wife and two of his best friends, who didn’t want him to miss out on such a big opportunity. Due to everything being put together late, Bear only had one man in his corner – his teammate and UFC veteran Mickael Lebout.

The next day, Bear and Lebout took an 8 a.m. train from Paris to London, then from London to Manchester.

“My biggest fear was that the border between France and the U.K. will be closed before or just after the fight and that I will be blocked from returning to my wife and family,” Bear said.

With heavy criticism weighing on Cage Warriors for proceeding with the show, Bear commended the promotion for all the precautionary measures that it took to ensure everyone’s safety.

“Cage Warriors worked extremely hard to preserve the safety of the fighters and the staff,” Bear said. “The weigh-ins were broken into three groups, and we had more than one bus to go to the venue. We had our temperature checked repeatedly, and every single person was checked, even the security officers. Nobody could watch the fights (cageside) – not even the fighters.

“I really want to thank Cage Warriors president Graham Boylan and his staff for making this event possible and safe. They must have had so much on them, more than anyone else.”

Once it was fight time, Bear, who hadn’t competed since a knockout win over Pawel Kielek in December 2018, didn’t show any signs of ring rust. He stifled Jones’ offense and took the fight to the mat repeatedly.

Crowd or no crowd, it’s something Bear had previously been preparing for when he tried out for “The Ultimate Fighter.”

“In December of 2017, I went to the ‘TUF 27’ undefeated tryouts in Las Vegas,” Bear said. “Unfortunately, they did not select our weight category at the final stage, so I have always been ready to fight without the public. Inside the cage, it is me against him and it won’t change anything if zero or a million people are outside the cage.

“Moreover, I think that French fighters are used to fighting in hostile territory as we always have to go to our opponent’s country to fight them. So it was more of a disadvantage for Nathan Jones than it was for me.”

But with the legalization of MMA in France, that might change very soon for Bear. Cage Warriors has been a springboard to the UFC for many fighters, and Bear hopes to join that list when the UFC finally makes its trip to France.

“Yes, it is my goal,” Bear said. “I am 9-1 and ready to represent France in the best organization in the world. I am looking forward to when the UFC announces their first event in France.”

Paddy Pimblett eyes UFC call, praises safety measures after Cage Warriors 113 win

Paddy Pimblett hinted at a potential call-up from the UFC after his first-round win at Cage Warriors 113.

[autotag]Paddy Pimblett[/autotag] returned to the cage after 18 months, picked up a win and hinted that his oft-mooted move to the UFC might finally materialize in the near future.

Pimblett (15-3) defeated short-notice opponent Decky Dalton (11-5) by first-round TKO on Friday at Cage Warriors 113, and said he was just relieved to get back into the swing of things after so long away.

“It’s been that long out the cage, it’s nearly 19 months now,” Pimblett told Cage Warriors’ Edith Labelle backstage at the BEC Arena in Manchester, England. “I just wanted to get back in. I wanted to get hit in the face and I wanted to hit him in the face, instead of just sparring in the gym, but it went perfect. I’ve come out unscathed, I haven’t got a mark on me. I think I took one left hook – he hit me with it and it woke me up. I’m a bit lazy at first, he hit me with the left hook and woke me up, and from there on it was just me.”

Pimblett looked close to securing a submission finish via rear-naked choke, but ended up flattening out Dalton and sealing the win with ground and pound. It may have looked like a change of plan mid-fight, but Pimblett explained he’d predicted the finish to his coach prior to entering the cage.

“I hit him with a nice one-two down the pipe, checked a kick and ended up on top,” Pimblett said. “Then it was me, with ease, then. As soon as I get your back, that’s it. As soon as I got the back I knew it was the start of the end. As everyone knows, 18 months ago with my bad hand I couldn’t finish the choke (against Soren Bak), so with that one I didn’t just squeeze, I didn’t just go for the choke. I wanted to work on other stuff. I’d said to Paul before, I said to my coach, ‘If I take his back I’m going to flatten him out and I’m going to pound him.’

“Hats off to Decky. I can’t thank Decky enough. He’s a proper fighter. He got in there with me on two weeks’ notice when no one else in the U.K. would. Never mind Europe, no one else in the U.K. would. So I respect Decky, I can’t thank him enough for stepping in and getting in there with me, but there’s levels to this (expletive) and I’m just levels above.”

The fight capped off 18 months of frustration for Pimblett, who suffered injury and multiple fight cancellations before finally returning to action in Manchester. But when UFC on ESPN+ 29 in London, originally scheduled for the following night, was postponed, Pimblett feared his bad luck was set to continue.

“When Molly (McCann’s UFC London fight) got canceled I thought, ‘Surely ours is next to go.’ I thought, ‘I’m the unluckiest kid on the planet.’ What happened last time with that fat bum (a reference to Joe Giannetti, who missed weight for their planned bout last November), my injuries before that, and then a week out I was sitting at ours, looking at cake and thinking, ‘Should I eat this cake or keep drinking this water? Cake? Water?’ I just kept drinking the water and kept the faith.”

That faith was repaid when the event finally went ahead in Manchester, where he opened the main card with a dominant performance. While some may instantly link him with a title fight against newly-crowned lightweight champion Mason Jones, Pimblett hinted that bigger things could potentially be around the corner.

“After a dominant performance like that, in half a round, you never know who’s going to come calling, do you?” Pimblett said. “We’re open to all offers, so we’ll see. I was speaking to Joe (McColgan) yesterday and Mason before, and if they ever want to get it on in the future, I’m always here. I’ll fight anyone. I won’t back down to anyone, and I’ll fight for that belt, I want that belt. But I’m sick of people asking me, ‘When are you going to the UFC?’ So when the coronavirus gets to (expletive), we’ll see what happens.”

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Pimblett also had a word for the additional safety measures introduced for the event, with multiple doctor checkups, plus social distancing measures, imposed for the show that meant he was stopped from coming down to cageside to watch his teammate fight earlier in the night.

“The guidelines were perfect,” Pimblett said. “I don’t see how anyone can bat an eyelid at it. I came down to watch a teammate of mine who fought earlier, but the health and safety precautions in the way, I got told I had to go back to the changing room, we couldn’t have a certain amount of people in there. Anyone that thinks this is unsafe is wrapped in cotton wool. Going to shops more people are touching and being closer to each other. Everyone is a drama queen who’s saying this show should have got canceled.

“I put my heart and soul into this and for this to have got pulled six days out, no one would have been saying how unfair it was on me or the other fighters on this card who were trying to earn a living and make money for their families. People don’t look past that. We put our heart and soul into this and I wouldn’t let someone take that away from you without kicking and screaming. (Expletive) coronavirus.”

Cage Warriors 113 results: Bartosz Fabinski grinds out Darren Stewart after moving from UFC London

Two of the athletes who were supposed to fight at UFC on ESPN+ 28 ended up fighting Friday at Cage Warriors 113.

Although the UFC was forced to cancel Saturday’s UFC on ESPN+ 29 event in London due to the coronavirus pandemic, two of the athletes planned for the event were able to compete in Friday’s Cage Warriors 113 main event.

[autotag]Bartosz Fabinski[/autotag] defeated [autotag]Darren Stewart[/autotag] by unanimous decision in the middleweight main event, which was allowed to proceed after UFC and Cage Warriors brass were able to work together and make the fight happen. The scores were 30-27, 30-26, 30-26.

Fabinski was originally was supposed to fight Shavkat Rakhmonov under the UFC banner, while Stewart was matched up against Marvin Vettori. The switch in plans saw them fight each other in the headliner of Cage Warriors 113, which went down from BEC Arena in Manchester, England, and streamed on UFC Fight Pass.

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The fight had action from the outset, with Fabinski (15-3) and Stewart (11-5) holding nothing back as they threw big punches before engaging in the grappling. Fabinski scored with a takedown, but he was greeted with a scraping elbow from Stewart that cut the side of his head open. Blood poured out, but Fabinski responded with some good blows to ensure it was still a winning round.

In the second, Fabinski, who was cleaned up between rounds, came out determined to take the fight to the ground. He succeeded, and planted Stewart on his back where he was able to control things for the duration of the round. Fabinski’s cut re-opened and he poured blood from on top, yet he still controlled position and inflicted his own damage with solid ground-and-pound.

Fabinski tried to chase Stewart down with strikes to start the round. Just as he looked panicked, Stewart landed a brilliantly timed takedown. He only spent a few seconds on top, and shortly thereafter Fabinski answered with a takedown of his own. A frustrated and tired Stewart did his best to climb up from his back, but Fabinski stayed all over him and was determined to hang on and maintain control for the remainder of the fight.

It was a clean sweep on the scorecards for Fabinski, who picked up a 10-8 round from the two judges. The Polish fighter was successful in his return to competition after 16 months and has now won eight of his past nine contests dating back to March 2014. Stewart, meanwhile, had his two-fight winning streak snapped.

Complete Cage Warriors 113 results included:

MAIN CARD (5 p.m. ET)

  • Bartosz Fabinski def. Darren Stewart via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-26, 30-26)
  • Mason Jones def. Joe McColgan via TKO (knee and punches) – Round 1, 4:40
  • David Bear def. Nathan Jones via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
  • Paddy Pimblett def. Decky Dalton via TKO (ground strikes) – Round 1, 2:51

    • PRELIMINARY CARD

  • Perry Goodwin def. Steve Aimable via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
  • Coner Hignett def. Darren O’Gorman via knockout (punch) – Round 3, 2:12
  • Adam Amarasinghe def. Jake Bond via knockout (knee and punch) – Round 1, 4:59
  • Jamie Richardson def. Matthew Bonner via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-26, 30-26)
  • James Hendin def. Kris Edwards via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-26, 30-25)
  • Aidan Stephen def. Jack Collins via TKO (elbows) – Round 1, 1:24
  • Kingsley Crawford def. Lewis Monarch via submission (triangle choke) – Round 2, 2:45

Cage Warriors 113 results: Mason Jones takes lightweight belt behind closed doors in Manchester

The show went on Friday, as Mason Jones finished Joe McColgan in the first round to capture the lightweight title at Cage Warriors 113.

Unbeaten Welshman [autotag]Mason Jones[/autotag] rose to the occasion on the biggest night of his career to capture the vacant Cage Warriors lightweight title at Cage Warriors 113 in Manchester.

The event played out to a virtually empty BEC Arena, after being moved from the show’s original venue in London due to concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic.

But the lack of fan support in the stands certainly didn’t seem to affect the performances of the fighters, who served up a succession of entertaining fights throughout the card. But undoubtedly the biggest winner of the night was Jones (9-0), nicknamed “The Dragon,” who stopped Northern Ireland’s [autotag]Joe McColgan[/autotag] in the first round of their five-round title tussle in the night’s co-main event.

Jones and McColgan (6-3-1) both came out swinging from the opening bell, then clinched against the fence, where Jones scored with a succession of knees to the Northern Irishman’s thigh. McColgan then threatened with a choke as the pair finally separated and returned to the stand-up.

With the fight back in the striking realm, Jones scored consistently with kicks to McColgan’s lead leg, while the “SBG Hunter” fired back with a big knee to Jones’ chin. But it was to be a knee from Jones that proved the difference-maker as the Welshman unloaded a barrage of punches to his opponent against the fence, then landed a powerful knee up and through McColgan’s guard to send him crashing to the canvas.

Jones swiftly moved in and applied the finishing touches to the fight with some heavy ground strikes as referee Rich Mitchell stopped the bout at the 2:51 mark.

‘The Butcher’ gets bloodied, but still gets the win

The night’s main event saw a pair of UFC stalwarts go head to head, and it quickly turned into a bloodbath as [autotag]Bartosz Fabinski[/autotag] was busted up in the first round, but battled through to earn the unanimous decision win against England’s [autotag]Darren Stewart[/autotag].

Fabinski’s forward pressure saw him score a first-round takedown, but a slicing elbow to the head left Fabinski with a nasty cut above his ear that proceeded to bleed throughout the rest of the fight. Despite his wound, Fabinski used his top pressure to hold the advantage through the first two rounds as he kept Stewart largely on his back and nullified the heavy-handed Brit’s striking threat.

Stewart turned the tables at the start of Round 3 as he scored a big takedown of his own, but he was unable to capitalize as Fabinski used his ground game to return to top position and grind on “The Dentist” for the majority of the round.

The frustration was written all over Stewart’s face as he struggled to work his way back to his feet, but it was “The Butcher” who cemented the win with a big late-round takedown to put the seal on a unanimous decision victory with scores of 30-27 on all three scorecards.

‘The’ Bear refuses to be ‘Bagged and Tagged’

Two of the quirkier nicknames of the night went toe to toe as Frenchman [autotag]David Bear[/autotag] took on [autotag]Nathan Jones[/autotag] in a battle between “The” Bear and “Mr. Bag and Tag.” In the end, it was France’s Bear (9-1) who picked up a unanimous decision win after dominating the grappling exchanges through a grueling three-round welterweight battle.

Bear started out working the outside, using his low leg kicks against Jones (13-10), who looked to push the pace in the early exchanges. But it was the Frenchman who seemed to have the better of the striking as he stepped in and connected with good timing during the first round.

But with both men renowned for their mat abilities, it was only a matter of time before the action hit the deck, and it was Bear who landed the takedown and moved to side control as he looked to assert himself on the mat. Jones smartly avoided an arm-triangle choke, but in his attempt to roll away from danger fell into a guillotine choke as the horn sounded to end the round.

There was more top control domination from Bear in Round 2 as he stifled Jones’ submission game by staying heavy and compact from the top position throughout the middle round, leaving Jones needing something big in the final round to turn the fight in his favor.

Early into Round 3, the Brit came out aggressively and connected with a big overhand right that stunned Bear. But, once again, the Frenchman managed to take the Brit to the mat and, after smartly avoiding Jones’ attempt to lock up a triangle choke, he returned to side control and returned to a dominant position on the mat once again. Jones managed to reverse position, but was unable to lock up the finish he needed as the bout went all the way to the scorecards, with Bear taking all three rounds on all three scorecards to claim the shutout win.

‘The Baddy’ ends 18-month hiatus with swift stoppage

Former Cage Warriors featherweight champion [autotag]Paddy Pimblett[/autotag] (15-3) twice looked close to securing a rear-naked choke, but eventually swapped submissions for strikes to score a first-round finish on his return to action.

A combination of injuries and fighter withdrawals conspired to leave Pimblett on the shelf for the past 18 months, but the ebullient Liverpool native was determined to make a statement on his return in Manchester against short-notice opponent [autotag]Decky Dalton[/autotag] (11-5), and he did just that.

Dalton started out looking to strike, but after slipping to the ground during a kick attempt, Pimblett pounced and ensured the Irishman wouldn’t return to his feet until the fight was over.

When Dalton slipped, Pimblett instantly took Dalton’s back, secured a body triangle and worked a rear-naked choke as he chased an early submission finish. Dalton toughed out the first submission attempt, then frustrated Pimblett’s follow-up attempt as the Scouser looked to lock up the choke at the second time of asking.

But, after Dalton survived once again, Pimblett switched gears, flipped Dalton onto his front, flattened him out on the mat and let fly with some big ground strikes until referee Rich Mitchell intervened to stop the action at the 2:51 mark.

Full Cage Warriors 113 results include:

MAIN CARD (5 p.m. ET)

  • Bartosz Fabinski def. Darren Stewart via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-26, 30-26)
  • Mason Jones def. Joe McColgan via TKO (knee and punches) – Round 1, 4:40
  • David Bear def. Nathan Jones via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
  • Paddy Pimblett def. Decky Dalton via TKO (ground strikes) – Round 1, 2:51

PRELIMINARY CARD

  • Perry Goodwin def. Steve Aimable via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
  • Coner Hignett def. Darren O’Gorman via knockout (punch) – Round 3, 2:12
  • Adam Amarasinghe def. Jake Bond via knockout (knee and punch) – Round 1, 4:59
  • Jamie Richardson def. Matthew Bonner via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-26, 30-26)
  • James Hendin def. Kris Edwards via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-26, 30-25)
  • Aidan Stephen def. Jack Collins via TKO (elbows) – Round 1, 1:24
  • Kingsley Crawford def. Lewis Monarch via submission (triangle choke) – Round 2, 2:45

Cage Warriors CEO explains ‘very simple decision’ to host event amid coronavirus concerns

Cage Warriors 113 event was going to go forward come hell or high water, according to company CEO Graham Boylan.

Friday’s Cage Warriors 113 event was going to go forward come hell or high water, according to company CEO Graham Boylan.

Despite every other noteworthy MMA promotion closing up shop during the coronavirus pandemic (although the UFC tried its hardest to proceed), Cage Warriors opted to stage the event, fighting through all type of obstacles along the way.

One of those obstacles included shifting the entire event from London to Manchester, England, on less than a week’s notice. The event ultimately took place from BEC Arena and streamed on UFC Fight Pass.

During the broadcast, Boylan explained why simply postponing the show like the overwhelming majority of global sporting events was a non-option in his eyes.

“It was a very simple decision for us to make,” Boylan said. “We asked everybody when everything started coming in around us, ‘What do you want to do?’ We asked the fighters, the coaches, the managers, the staff. Some of them came back and said, ‘We need this. We have to earn money. We don’t know how long we’re not going to be able to earn money for. We need the show to happen.’ Once I made my commitment to them, there was nothing stopping this show. The only thing stopping this show was a complete country shutdown.”

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Although baseline precautions were taken to alleviate coronavirus concerns – such as banning a live audience and limiting the number of people in the venue – Boylan did not address the more important questions about this particular situation.

Those concerns include whether the fighters are being tested for COVID-19, concerns about anyone else in close proximity, and potential quarantines for post-fight to limit the spreading of the virus.

Coner Hignett stages massive comeback, KOs Darren O’Gorman at Cage Warriors 113

Coner Hignett lived up to his nickname of “The Hand Grenade” at Cage Warriors 113.

[autotag]Coner Hignett[/autotag] lived up to his nickname of “The Hand Grenade” at Cage Warriors 113 when he blew up for a brilliant win over Darren O’Gorman.

Hignett (8-5) pulled off one of the best comebacks and knockouts of the year thus far when he stopped O’Gorman (6-5) in the third round of their flyweight matchup, which took place at BEC Arena in Manchester, England, and streamed on ESPN+.

A series of precise and powerful right hands were the culprit behind Hignett’s comeback, which you can watch below (via Twitter):

Hignett’s comeback to win truly came from the brink of defeat. Aside from the finish, O’Gorman was in control of the action for almost the entirety of the contest, including a deep triangle choke that was in place for several minutes.

Ultimately, Hignett endured the adversity before finding a home for his beautiful fight-ending series of punches.

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.

The MMA Road Show with John Morgan, No. 260 – Las Vegas – Cage Warriors 113, Marvin Vettori, Sijara Eubanks, Eric Nicksick

“The MMA Road Show with John Morgan” No. 260 features Marvin Vettori, Sijara Eubanks, Eric Nicksick and MMA Junkie’s Simon Head.

Episode No. 260 of “The MMA Road Show with John Morgan” podcast is now available for streaming and download.

MMA Junkie lead staff reporter John Morgan hosts the show while traveling the world to cover the sport.

Las Vegas is on lockdown, but you can’t stop John Morgan and Cold Coffee from getting together to talk MMA. MMA Junkie’s Simon Head joins to help preview the only major MMA event taking place this weekend, Cage Warriors 113. Additionally, hear Morgan’s interviews with UFC fighters [autotag]Marvin Vettori[/autotag] and [autotag]Sijara Eubanks[/autotag], as well as Xtreme Couture’s Eric Nicksick.

Check it out on iTunes or at themmaroadshow.com. You can also subscribe via RSS.