Tag: Jai Herbert

UFC on ESPN 14 post-event facts: Khamzat Chimaev’s record might be untouchable

Check out all the facts and figures from UFC on ESPN 14, which saw Robert Whittaker score a main-event win over Darren Till in Abu Dhabi.

The final stop of the UFC’s inaugural “Fight Island” stretch took place Saturday with UFC on ESPN 14, which went down at Flash Forum on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi with a record 15-fight card that aired on ESPN and streamed on ESPN+.

Former UFC middleweight champion [autotag]Robert Whittaker[/autotag] (21-5 MMA, 12-3 UFC) rebounded from losing the title to Israel Adesanya last October when he outworked [autotag]Darren Till[/autotag] (18-3-1 MMA, 6-3-1 UFC) to a unanimous decision in the main event.

For more on the numbers behind the historic fight card, check below for 50 post-event facts to come out of UFC on ESPN 14.

* * * *

General

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The UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payout for the event totaled $209,500.

Debuting fighters went 1-4 at the event.

[autotag]Fabricio Werdum[/autotag], [autotag]Paul Craig[/autotag], [autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag], [autotag]Jesse Ronson[/autotag], [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag] and [autotag]Tanner Boser[/autotag] earned $50,000 UFC on ESPN 14 fight-night bonuses.

The six fight-night bonuses issued at UFC on ESPN 14 set a single-event record for the company.

UFC on ESPN 14 drew an announced attendance of zero for a live gate of $0.

Betting favorites went 11-4 on the card.

Betting favorites improved to 14-6 in UFC headliners this year.

Total fight time for the 15-bout card was 2:40:24.

Main card

Robert Whittaker

Whittaker improved to 9-1 since he moved up to the UFC middleweight division in November 2014.

Whittaker has earned seven of his 12 UFC victories by decision.

Till fell to 1-1 since he moved up to the middleweight division in November.

Till suffered the first decision loss of his career.

[autotag]Mauricio Rua[/autotag]’s (27-11-1 MMA, 11-9-1 UFC) 23 victories in UFC/PRIDE light-heavyweight competition are the most in combined divisional history.

[autotag]Antonio Rogerio Nogueira[/autotag] (23-10 MMA, 6-7 UFC) fell to 2-5 in his past seven fights dating back to July 2014.

Nogueira has suffered six of his 10 career losses by decision.

Werdum (24-9-1 MMA, 12-6 UFC) improved to 10-4 since he returned to the UFC for a second stint in February 2012.

Werdum has earned 18 of his 24 career victories by stoppage. That includes eight of his 12 UFC wins.

[autotag]Alexander Gustafsson[/autotag]’s (18-7 MMA, 10-7 UFC) three-fight losing skid is the longest of his career. He hasn’t earned a victory since May 2017.

Gustafsson was unsuccessful in his heavyweight debut.

Gustafsson fell to 3-6 in his past nine UFC appearances dating back to his first title fight against Jon Jones in September 2013.

Carla Esparza

[autotag]Carla Esparza[/autotag] (17-6 MMA, 8-4 UFC) improved to 7-3 since losing the UFC strawweight title to Joanna Jedrzejczyk in March 2015.

Esparza’s eight victories in UFC strawweight competition are second most in divisional history behind Jedrzejczyk (10).

Esparza’s four-fight UFC winning streak at strawweight is the fourth longest active streak in the division behind Tatiana Suarez (five), Yan Xiaonan (five) and Zhang Weili (five).

Esparza has earned seven of her eight UFC victories by decision.

Esparza’s 39 takedowns landed in UFC strawweight competition are most in divisional history.

[autotag]Marina Rodriguez[/autotag] (13-1-2 MMA, 2-1-2 UFC) had her 15-fight unbeaten streak snapped for the first defeat of her career.

Craig (13-4-1 MMA, 5-4-1 UFC) has earned all of his career victories by stoppage.

Craig became the first fighter in UFC history to win three separate fights by triangle choke submission.

Craig’s five submission victories in UFC light heavyweight competition are tied with Jones, Misha Cirkunov, Ovince Saint Preux, and Glover Teixeira for most in divisional history.

[autotag]Gadzhimurad Antigulov[/autotag] (21-6 MMA, 3-2 UFC) has suffered all eight of his career losses by stoppage.

Antigulov suffered his first submission loss since Apr. 27, 2013 – a span of 2,646 days (more than seven years) and 18 fights.

[autotag]Alex Oliveira[/autotag] (21-8-1 MMA, 11-6 UFC) improved to 9-5 (with one no contest) in UFC welterweight competition.

[autotag]Peter Sobotta[/autotag] (17-7-1 MMA, 4-6 UFC) fell to 4-3 since he returned to the UFC for a second stint in May 2014.

Sobotta has suffered four of his six UFC losses by decision.

Khamzat Chimaev

Chimaev (8-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) set a record for fastest time between UFC wins with two victories in 10 days.

Chimaev earned a fight-night bonus for both of his wins.

Chimaev has earned all eight of his career victories by stoppage. He’s finished five of those wins in Round 1.

[autotag]Rhys McKee[/autotag] (10-3-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) has suffered both of his career stoppage losses by knockout.

Preliminary card

Francisco Trinaldo

[autotag]Francisco Trinaldo[/autotag]’s (26-7 MMA, 16-6 UFC) 15 victories in UFC lightweight competition are tied for fourth most in divisional history behind Jim Miller (19), Donald Cerrone (17) and Gleison Tibau (16).

[autotag]Jai Herbert[/autotag] (10-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC) has suffered both of his career losses by knockout.

Ronson (22-10 MMA, 1-3 UFC) was successful in his return to the UFC after going winless in his first stint from 2013-2014.

[autotag]Nicolas Dalby[/autotag] (18-4-1 MMA, 2-3-1 UFC) fell to 1-1 since he returned to the UFC for a second stint in September.

Dalby suffered the first submission loss of his career.

Aspinall (8-2 MMA, 1-0 UFC) has earned all eight of his career victories by stoppage.

[autotag]Jake Collier[/autotag] (11-4 MMA, 3-4 UFC) was unsuccessful in his UFC heavyweight debut.

Collier has alternated wins and losses over his past eight fights.

Collier has suffered four of his five career losses by stoppage.

[autotag]Movsar Evloev[/autotag] (13-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) has earned all three of his UFC victories by decision.

[autotag]Mike Grundy[/autotag] (12-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC) had his nine-fight winning streak snapped for the first defeat of his career.

Grundy suffered the first decision loss of his career.

Tanner Boser

Boser (19-6-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) earned his second UFC victory in a 28-day stretch. He also won at UFC on ESPN 12 on June 27.

Raphael Pessoa (10-2 MMA, 1-2 UFC) has suffered both of his career losses by stoppage.

Pessoa suffered the first knockout loss of his career.

[autotag]Pannie Kianzad[/autotag] (13-5 MMA, 2-2 UFC) has earned nine of her 12 career victories by decision. That includes both of her UFC wins.

[autotag]Ramazan Emeev[/autotag] (19-4 MMA, 4-1 UFC) improved to 3-1 since he dropped to the UFC welterweight division in May 2018.

Emeev improved to 16-2 in his past 18 fights.

Emeev has earned all four of his UFC victories by decision.

[autotag]Niklas Stolze[/autotag] (12-4 MMA, 0-1 UFC) has suffered all four of his career losses by decision.

[autotag]Nathaniel Wood[/autotag] (17-4 MMA, 4-1 UFC) earned his first decision victory since Nov. 14, 2015 – a span of 1,715 days (nearly five years) and 11 fights.

[autotag]John Castaneda[/autotag] (17-5 MMA, 0-1 UFC) suffered the first decision loss of his career.

UFC research analyst and live statistics producer Michael Carroll contributed to this story. Follow him on Twitter @MJCflipdascript.

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UFC on ESPN 14 rookie report: Grading the newcomers at ‘UFC Fight Island’

Fighters from around the globe dream of the day they’ll step into the octagon the first time. How did the five newcomers perform Saturday?

Fighters from around the globe dream of the day they’ll step into the UFC octagon for the first time. For five athletes, Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 14 event marked that special moment in their respective careers.

Check out this week’s rookie report to see what kind of first impression they made on the sport’s biggest stage from Flash Forum on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi.

* * * * *

John Castaneda

Division: Bantamweight
Result: Nathaniel Wood def. John Castaneda via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Record: (17-5 MMA, 0-1 UFC)
Grade: C-

[autotag]John Castaneda[/autotag] may not have picked up the victory he would have hoped for in his short-notice UFC debut, the 28-year-old did an admirable job as he held his own against highly-rated British prospect Nathaniel Wood in their preliminary card opener.

Castaneda made good use of his leg kicks early and had particular success on his exits from the clinch. But “Sexi Mexi” also found himself caught by Wood’s strikes throughout a competitive opening round.

Castaneda’s aggression continued in the second round as the Minnesota native pushed forward, but that willingness to step forward saw him present a relatively easy target for Wood to hit and a slick three punch combination from the Brit left him with a cut above the right eye.

He was forced to switch to orthodox from his usual southpaw stance as a result of Wood’s thumping leg kicks, but the debutant kept pushing forward and applying pressure, despite coming off second best in the exchanges.

Encouraged to “fight like a lion” by his corner, Castaneda did just that in the final round as he returned to southpaw and loaded up on his strikes. But Wood’s slicker, more relaxed striking continually punished Castaneda when he stepped into striking range.

All in all, it was a solid debut against a fighter who has been tipped to go a long way in the UFC’s bantamweight division.

Next up: Low strike output costs German debutant dear.

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UFC on ESPN 14 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Main event combines for $15k payout

UFC on ESPN 14 fighters took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay, a program that launched after the UFC’s deal with Reebok.

ABU DHABI – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 14 event took home event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $209,500

The program, a comprehensive plan that includes outfitting requirements, media obligations and other items under the fighter code of conduct, replaces the previous payments made under the UFC Athlete Outfitting Policy.

UFC on ESPN 14 took place at Flash Forum in Yas Island. The card aired on ESPN and streamed on ESPN+.

The full UFC on ESPN 14 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Robert Whittaker[/autotag]: $10,000
def. [autotag]Darren Till[/autotag]: $5,000

[autotag]Mauricio Rua[/autotag]: $20,000
def. [autotag]Antonio Rogerio Nogueira[/autotag]: $10,000

[autotag]Fabricio Werdum[/autotag]: $15,000
def. [autotag]Alexander Gustafsson[/autotag]: $15,000

[autotag]Carla Esparza[/autotag]: $10,000
def. [autotag]Marina Rodriguez[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Paul Craig[/autotag]: $5,000
def. [autotag]Gadzhimurad Antigulov[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Alex Oliveira[/autotag]: $15,000
def. [autotag]Peter Sobotta[/autotag]: $5,000

[autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag]: $3,500
def. [autotag]Rhys McKee[/autotag]: $3,500

[autotag]Francisco Trinaldo[/autotag]: $20,000
def. [autotag]Jai Herbert[/autotag]: $3,500

[autotag]Jesse Ronson[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Nicolas Dalby[/autotag]: $5,000

[autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag]: $3,500
def. [autotag]Jake Collier[/autotag]: $5,000

[autotag]Movsar Evloev[/autotag]: $3,500
def. [autotag]Mike Grundy[/autotag]: $3,500

[autotag]Tanner Boser[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Raphael Pessoa[/autotag]: $3,500

[autotag]Pannie Kianzad[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Bethe Correia[/autotag]: $10,000

[autotag]Ramazan Emeev[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Niklas Stolze[/autotag]: $3,500

[autotag]Nathaniel Wood[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]John Castaneda[/autotag]: $3,500

Under the UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance program’s payout tiers, which appropriate the money generated by Reebok’s multi-year sponsorship with the UFC, fighters are paid based on their total number of UFC bouts, as well as Zuffa-era WEC fights (January 2007 and later) and Zuffa-era Strikeforce bouts (April 2011 and later). Fighters with 1-3 bouts receive $3,500 per appearance; 4-5 bouts get $4,000; 6-10 bouts get $5,000; 11-15 bouts earn $10,000; 16-20 bouts pocket $15,000; and 21 bouts and more get $20,000. Additionally, champions earn $40,000 while title challengers get $30,000.

In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-30 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.

Full 2020 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $3,497,500
2019 total: $7,370,500
2018 total: $6,901,000
2017 total: $6,295,000
2016 total: $7,138,000
2015 total: $3,185,000
Program-to-date total: $34,502,000

Fight Tracks: The walkout songs of UFC on ESPN 14, including Darren Till’s ‘intentional silence’

Check out all the fighter walkout songs from Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 14 event.

While it takes intense training, world-class skills and maybe even a bit of luck to register a UFC win, picking the right song to accompany you to the cage is a key talent, as well.

See what the fighters from UFC on ESPN 14 went with as their backing tracks in Abu Dhabi.

* * * *

Robert Whittaker def. Darren Till via unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 48-47)

[autotag]Robert Whittaker[/autotag]: “Can’t Be Touched” by Roy Jones Jr.

[autotag]Darren Till[/autotag]: No walkout song

Mauricio Rua def. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

[autotag]Mauricio Rua[/autotag]: “Under Pressure” by David Bowie & Queen

[autotag]Antonio Rogerio Nogueira[/autotag]: “Uma Vida Inteira Em Um Dia Recall” by Khadija

Fabricio Werdum def. Alexander Gustafsson via submission (armbar) — Round 1, 2:30

[autotag]Fabricio Werdum[/autotag]: “Fabricio Werdum” by Felipe Name

[autotag]Alexander Gustafsson[/autotag]: “Training Montage (Rocky IV Soundtrack)” via Vince DiCola

Carla Esparza def. Marina Rodriguez via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 30-27)

[autotag]Carla Esparza[/autotag]: “I’m Shipping Up To Boston” by Dropkick Murphys

[autotag]Marina Rodriguez[/autotag]: “Born To The Fight” by Waylander

Paul Craig def. Gadzhimurad Antigulov via submission (triangle choke) – Round 1, 2:06

[autotag]Paul Craig[/autotag]: “Victory Over The Sun” by Biffy Clyro

[autotag]Gadzhimurad Antigulov[/autotag]: “Lezginka Super” by Kavkaz

Alex Oliveira def. Peter Sobotta via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

[autotag]Alex Oliveira[/autotag]: “Deus é por Nós -” by MC Marks

[autotag]Peter Sobotta[/autotag]: “Bad Boys” by Inner Circle

Khamzat Chimaev def. Rhys McKee via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 3:09

[autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag]: N/A

[autotag]Rhys McKee[/autotag]: “Congratulations” by Post Malone feat. Quavo

Francisco Trinaldo def. Jai Herbert via TKO (punches) – Round 3, 1:30

[autotag]Francisco Trinaldo[/autotag]: “Promontory (The Last of the Mohicans)” by Trevor Jones

[autotag]Jai Herbert[/autotag]: “Know Better” by Headie One feat RV

Jesse Ronson def. Nicolas Dalby via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 2:48

[autotag]Jesse Ronson[/autotag]: “Sh*t Hits The Fan” by Obie Trice feat. Dr. Dre

[autotag]Nicolas Dalby[/autotag]: “Der Er Et Yndigt Land (There Is A Lovely Country)” by Dzifa

Tom Aspinall def. Jake Collier via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 0:45

[autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag]: “Move On Up” by Curtis Mayfield

[autotag]Jake Collier[/autotag]: “Hold Strong” by Rob Bailey & The Hustle Standard

Movsar Evloev def. Mike Grundy via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

[autotag]Movsar Evloev[/autotag]: N/A

[autotag]Mike Grundy[/autotag]: “Wonderwall” by Oasis

Tanner Boser def. Raphael Pessoa via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 2:36

[autotag]Tanner Boser[/autotag]: “Motorcycle” by Colter Wall

[autotag]Raphael Pessoa[/autotag]: “Papai Dos Status” by MC Bobo

Pannie Kianzad def. Bethe Correia via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

[autotag]Pannie Kianzad[/autotag]: “Take A Chance On Me” by ABBA

[autotag]Bethe Correia[/autotag]: “Feel This Moment” by Pitbull feat. Christina Aguilera

Ramazan Emeev def. Niklas Stolze via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

[autotag]Ramazan Emeev[/autotag]: “Because I Am A Highlander” by Marat

[autotag]Niklas Stolze[/autotag]: “No Diet” by Digga D

Nathaniel Wood def. John Castaneda via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

[autotag]Nathaniel Wood[/autotag]: “I’m A Man” by Black Strobe

[autotag]John Castaneda[/autotag]: “Run This Town” by Jay-Z

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.

Paul Felder, Dan Hardy incensed by late stoppage in Francisco Trinaldo-Jai Herbert fight

Neither of the UFC commentators were pleased with referee Herb Dean’s lack of action in this one.

[autotag]Francisco Trinaldo[/autotag] looked like an older fighter on the decline against a younger competitor in [autotag]Jai Herbert[/autotag] during most of their UFC on ESPN 14 featured preliminary bout.

Then, Trinaldo (26-7 MMA, 16-6 UFC) came out in the third round looking exactly like the sort of veteran who knew he had to pull a rabbit out of his hat in order to win. Trinaldo did exactly that, dropping Herbert (10-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC) in what sure looked like a fight-ending overhand left to the forehead.

Except it wasn’t, and things got weird.

Herbert, clearly without full possession of his faculties, hit the mat. Trinaldo held up from doing more damage to his finished foe. But referee Herb Dean didn’t wave it off, so Trinaldo proceeded to land four more punches before it was waved off.

Check out the frantic finish in the video below:

The sequence incensed cageside commentators Paul Felder and Dan Hardy, who took turns teeing off on Dean’s officiating.

“I’m gonna give a lot of credit to Trinaldo in that moment right there. He could’ve just started teeing off, but he saw what we saw, and that fight should’ve been stopped,” Felder said.

As he looked at the replay, Hardy made it clear how he felt about the situation.

“He does not want anymore shots in that moment,” Hardy said. “That fight was over. That’s terrible.”

Added Felder: “That pisses me off. You know, that’s not normally Herb. Herb is usually a fine referee, but tonight that’s two calls now where I think the fight should’ve been stopped. That’s even worse. Herbert had a beautiful performance. He’s a young guy making his debut, and Trinaldo rocks him. He falls back the way he falls back like a board. He was out.”

Further adding to the chaos, Hardy and Dean got into a verbal exchange after the fight. While the entire conversation was not picked up, MMA Junkie’s John Morgan, who is on the scene in Abu Dhabi, reports that Hardy was overheard saying “You do your job, and I’ll do mine.”

A photo of the altercation surfaced on Twitter.

 

The controversy overshadowed what was a truly remarkable win for Trinaldo, who had missed the lightweight limit by four pounds. It’s the longtime competitor’s third straight victory.

UFC on ESPN 14 takes place Saturday at Flash Forum at Yas Island in Abu Dhabi. The card airs on ESPN and streams on ESPN+.

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UFC ‘Fight Island’ adds Francisco Trinaldo vs. Jai Herbert to July 25 lineup

It’ll be Brazil vs. England on UFC “Fight Island.”

It’ll be Brazil vs. England on UFC “Fight Island.”

A lightweight fight has been added to the promotion’s July 25 event as [autotag]Francisco Trinaldo[/autotag] and [autotag]Jai Herbert[/autotag] have been booked against one another. They’ll fight on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi as part of the UFC’s fourth event in a 15-day stretch.

A person with knowledge of the situation confirmed the booking to MMA Junkie on Monday after an initial report by Combate. The person asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.

Trinaldo (25-7 MMA, 15-6 UFC) has won three out of his most recent four outings. He’s currently riding a two-fight winning streak, having defeated Bobby Green and John Makdessi in back-to-back fights.

Herbert (10-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC), the Cage Warriors lightweight champion, will make his promotional debut. He was originally scheduled to fight March 21 against Marc Diakiese in London, but the event was canceled due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

With the addition, the current July 25 lineup includes:

  • Darren Till vs. Robert Whittaker
  • Antonio Rogerio Nogueira vs. Mauricio Rua
  • Alex Oliviera vs. Peter Sobotta
  • Alexander Gustafsson vs. Fabricio Werdum
  • Nicholas Dalby vs. Danny Roberts
  • Tom Aspinall vs. Jake Collier
  • Raphael Pessoa vs. Justin Tafa
  • Movsar Evloev vs. Mike Grundy
  • Bethe Correia vs. Pannie Kianzad
  • Umar Nurmagomedov vs. Nathaniel Wood
  • Ramazan Emeev vs. Shavkat Rakhmonov
  • Jai Herbert vs. Francisco Trinaldo

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Cage Warriors champ Jai Herbert replaces Stevie Ray, takes on Marc Diakiese at UFC London

Marc Diakiese gets new opponent for UFC London.

[autotag]Jai Herbert[/autotag] will get a shot at the big leagues.

Herbert (10-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC), the Cage Warriors lightweight champion, has stepped in to replace an injured [autotag]Stevie Ray[/autotag] (23-9 MMA, 7-4 UFC) to take on [autotag]Marc Diakiese[/autotag] (14-3 MMA, 5-3 UFC) in a lightweight bout at UFC on ESPN+ 29. MMA Junkie confirmed the booking with a person with knowledge of the matchup following an initial reported from Newsome.

UFC on ESPN+ 29 takes place March 21 at The O2 in London. The card streams on ESPN+.

Herbert won the vacant Cage Warriors lightweight belt this past summer when he stopped Jack Grant. Ag Cage Warriors 109 this past October, he defended it with a first-round finish of former UFC and Bellator fighter Cain Carrizosa. The 31-year-old is on a six-fight winning streak.

Diakiese, a former BAMMA lightweight champion, has back-to-back decision wins over Joseph Duffy and Lando Vannata. Prior to that, the 26-year-old was on a three-fight losing skid.

With the change, the UFC on ESPN+ 29 lineup now includes:

  • Tyron Woodley vs. Leon Edwards
  • Paul Craig vs. Ryan Spann
  • Gabriel Benitez vs. Lerone Murphy
  • Ashlee Evans-Smith vs. Molly McCann
  • John Phillips vs. Dusko Todorovic
  • Tom Aspinall vs. Raphael Pessoa
  • Darren Stewart vs. Marvin Vettori
  • Nicolas Dalby vs. Danny Roberts
  • Marc Diakiese vs. Jai Herbert
  • Makwan Amirkhani vs. Mike Grundy
  • Geraldo de Freitas vs. Jack Shore

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Video: Watch the best of Cage Warriors from 2019 in their end-of-year highlight reel

Recap a memorable year of action from European promotion Cage Warriors in their 2019 highlight film.

European promotion Cage Warriors has forged a well-earned reputation as one of the key regional promotions for fighters looking to launch their careers to the world stage.

The London-based organization has seen 93 of its fighters graduate to the UFC over the years, including former UFC champions Conor McGregor, Michael Bisping and Joanna Jedrzejczyk, and continues to produce UFC-ready talent, with former champions Jack Shore and Nathaniel Wood tipped for stardom on the big stage in the months and years ahead.

The promotion had a big year in 2019, holding 11 events in total, including an historic night at the iconic Hammersmith Apollo in London for “Cage Warriors 106: Night of Champions” and a return to the BT Sport studios for their “Cage Warriors: Unplugged 2” event that featured a one night tournament that crowned its new bantamweight champion, [autotag]Jack Cartwright[/autotag].

Cage Warriors bantamweight champion: Jack Cartwright

As well as bantamweight, the organization crowned new champions at flyweight, featherweight, lightweight, middleweight and light heavyweight, as [autotag]Samir Faiddine[/autotag], [autotag]Mads Burnell[/autotag], [autotag]Jai Herbert[/autotag], [autotag]Nathias Frederick[/autotag] and [autotag]Modestas Bukauskas[/autotag] all captured championship gold in their respective weight classes.

And Scotland’s undefeated welterweight champion [autotag]Ross Houston[/autotag] held on to his 170-pound title after his epic back-and-forth war with interim champion [autotag]Nicolas Dalby[/autotag] was ruled a no contest after the cage floor became flooded with blood from both men after one of the most punishing contests ever seen inside the Cage Warriors cage.

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It all added up to a spectacular year for Cage Warriors, who have already announced a packed schedule of events for 2020, including a return to London’s Indigo at The O2 on Mar. 20, just one day before the UFC packs the main O2 Arena the following night for UFC London.

Relive the best of Cage Warriors in 2019 via the video above.