Tag: Jordan Vucenic

Ex-Cage Warriors champ Jordan Vucenic replaces Al-Selwady vs. Kutateladze at UFC Abu Dhabi

The UFC has signed another former Cage Warriors champion, and his first assignment is right around the corner.

The UFC has signed another former Cage Warriors champion, and his first assignment is right around the corner.

[autotag]Jordan Vucenic[/autotag] (13-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC) has signed with the promotion, the UFC announced Friday, and will step in on short notice to take on [autotag]Guram Kutateladze[/autotag] (12-4 MMA, 1-2 UFC) in a lightweight bout at UFC on ABC 7 next week. Vucenic takes the spot of [autotag]Abdul-Kareem Al-Selwady[/autotag] (15-4 MMA, 0-1 UFC), who had to pull out due to an injury.

Vucenic was Cage Warriors’ featherweight champion, but fought 10 pounds up in his most recent win just this past Saturday โ€“ย a first-round submission of Adrian Kepa at Cage Warriors 174. It was his fourth straight win, all four of which have been by submission.

UFC on ABC 7 (ABC, ESPN, ESPN+) takes place Aug. 3 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.

With the change, the UFC on ABC 7 lineup now includes:

MAIN CARD (ABC/ESPN+, 3 p.m. ET)

  • Cory Sandhagen vs. Umar Nurmagomedov
  • Shara Magomedov vs. Michal Oleksiejczuk
  • Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Marlon Vera
  • Michael Chiesa vs. Tony Ferguson
  • Mackenzie Dern vs. Loopy Godinez
  • Joel Alvarez vs. Elves Brener

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN2/ESPN+, noon ET)

  • Abdul-Kareem Al-Selwady vs. Jordan Vucenic
  • Alonzo Menifield vs. Azamat Murzakanov
  • Viktoriia Dudakova vs. Sam Hughes
  • Rolando Bedoya vs. Jai Herbert
  • Sedriques Dumas vs. Denis Tiuliulin
  • Kaue Fernandes vs. Mohammad Yahya
  • Shamil Gaziev vs. Don’Tale Mayes

Cage Warriors 145 results: Paul Hughes bloodies Jordan Vucenic to unify featherweight title

“UFC, I’m coming!”

Cage Warriors has a new unified featherweight champion.

Friday at Cage Warriors 145, interim champion [autotag]Paul Hughes[/autotag] stepped into the cage to face champion [autotag]Jordan Vucenic[/autotag] in a title unification bout. After five bloody rounds, Hughes (9-1) would be the man holding the gold, avenging a prior loss to Vucenic (9-2) in an impressive performance.

The fight took place in front of a rowdy crowd at the Indigo at the O2 in London, serving as the main event of the evening.

When the fight began, neither man rushed the action, knowing they had 25 minutes to settle the outcome. Each fighter picked their shots well, early and remained calculated. Vucenic pushed ahead with strikes as Hughes remained calm and attempted to slow things down.

Early in the second round, Hughes quickly found the back of Vucenic while standing and locked in a body triangle. Vucenic did well to prevent any submission attempts when they went to the ground, but spent the majority of the round defending with Hughes on his back.

Vucenic turned up the pressure in the third, going first with combinations, keeping Hughes on his back foot. However, late in the round, Hughes put together a flurry that opened a cut on the right eye of Vucenic.

The fourth was huge for Hughes, as he put together a vicious combination that dropped Vucenic, causing him to scramble for a takedown to stop the onslaught. With blood flowing from the face of Vucenic, Hughes took his back and continued landing punches while looking for a rear-naked choke.

The final round saw more damage dished out by Hughes. The entering interim champion hurt Vucenic again with strikes, leading to more ground damage and control on the blood-soaked canvas until the conclusion of the bout.

The judges turned in scores of 49-46, 50-43, and 49-43 in favor of Huges, crowning him the new unified featherweight champion.

“UFC, I’m coming!” Hughes screamed into the camera as he celebrated his victory.

The win extended Hughes’ win streak to three. The only loss of his pro career came against Vucenic, where he ended up on the wrong end of a split decision at Cage Warriors 119 in 2020.

For Vucenic, the result snapped a seven-fight win streak stretching back to April 2019.

Full results of Cage Warriors 145 include:

  • Paul Hughes def. Jordan Vucenic via unanimous decision (49-46, 50-43, 49-43)
  • Modestas Bukauskas def. Lee Chadwick via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
  • Mehdi Ben Lakhdhar def. Xavier Sedras via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
  • Caolan Loughran def. Luke Shanks via TKO (punches) โ€“ Round 2, 3:46
  • James Webb def. Paddy McCorry via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
  • Ryan Shelley def. Josh Reed via submission (rear-naked choke) โ€“ Round 1, 3:00
  • Harry Hardwick def. Steve Aimable via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-26)
  • Oban Elliott def. Sean McCormac via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
  • Adam Shelley def. El Hadji Ndiaye via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

On the Doorstep: 5 fighters who could make UFC with November wins

For those who make it to the highest stage, the journey starts long before they strap on UFC or Bellator gloves.

Every champion in MMA history started out somewhere.

For those who make it to the highest stage, the journey begins long before they strap on UFC, Bellator, or PFL gloves. Modern-era fighters progress through the regional ranks with hopes of accomplishing the highest accolades. Many will try, few will succeed.

This month, five fighters on the verge of achieving major promotion notoriety โ€“ one for the second time โ€“ return to the cage for what could be their stepping-stone fight. There are dozens of fighters close to making the jump in the coming weeks, but these five are particularly exemplary.

  • A seasoned veteran of the United Kingdom’s MMA scene is rolling โ€“ and thinks one more win for Cage Warriors could be a pivotal one in his career.
  • A Cage Warriors champion and one of the current faces of the promotion thinks a rematch against a top-tier fighter he beat years ago should do the trick in getting him a UFC call-up.
  • A 21-year-old representative of Myanmar knows he’s young, but thinks he’s nearing the point where the UFC will give him a look.
  • Dubbed by many as the future of MMA in the midwest, a 21-year-old super prospect looks to keep the good results rolling and continue his destiny toward international notoriety.
  • After a DWCS opportunity fell through in 2020, a Titan FC champion thinks one more title fight win will get him another UFC look.

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 โ€“ 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 Iโ€™m going to be one of the best in the world,” Vucenic told MMA Junkie before the fight. “I believe Iโ€™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. โ€ฆ I believe Iโ€™m ready to hang with the top 10n guys already, let alone the starters of the UFC roster.โ€

The full Cage Warriors 134 results include:

  • Champ Jordan Vucenic def. James Hedin via submission (rear-naked choke) โ€“ Round 2, 1:36
  • [autotag]Will Currie[/autotag] def. [autotag]Patrick Vallee[/autotag] via TKO (strikes) โ€“ Round 1, 2:56
  • [autotag]George Hardwick[/autotag] def. [autotag]Lukasz Kopera[/autotag] via TKO (punches) โ€“ Round 2, 4:00
  • [autotag]Tobia Harila[/autotag] def. [autotag]Decky McAleenan[/autotag] via TKO (punches) โ€“ 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) โ€“ Round 1, 1:28
  • [autotag]Lone’er Kavanagh[/autotag] def. [autotag]Ryan Morgan[/autotag] via knockout (punches) โ€“ Round 3, 1:13

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On the Doorstep: 5 fighters who could make UFC with March wins

For those who make it to the highest stage, the journey starts long before they strap on UFC or Bellator gloves.

Every champion in MMA history started out somewhere.

For those who make it to the highest stage, the journey begins long before they strap on UFC, Bellator, or PFL gloves. Modern-era fighters progress through the regional ranks with hopes of accomplishing the highest accolades. Many will try, few will succeed.

This month, five fighters on the verge of achieving major promotion notoriety โ€“ one for the second time โ€“ return to the cage for what could be their stepping stone fight. There are dozens of fighters close to making the jump in the coming weeks, but these five are particularly exemplary.

This month:

  • A wrestler from AKA is excited to finally prove his worth to any major promotion watching when he makes his lightweight debut.
  • A former UFC fighter continues to win and win and win outside of the promotion โ€“ and hopes one more victory pushes him over the top and back with the promotion.
  • An undefeated Brazilian wants to capitalize on a big opportunity for LFA in order to climb into the ranks of a major promotion.
  • A British Cage Warriors champion hopes putting a definitive stamp on the lifetime series against a past rival gets him the UFC call.
  • One of the Middle East’s most entertaining fighters looks to extend his winning streak to four and catch the attention of the UFC.

Cage Warriors 122: Jordan Vucenic edges Morgan Charriere, captures featherweight title in London

England’s Jordan Vucenic went toe to toe with rising French star Morgan Charriere for five rounds and came out victorious as the man known as “The Epidemic” claimed a split-decision win, and the featherweight title, at Cage Warriors 122 in London. …

England’s [autotag]Jordan Vucenic[/autotag] went toe to toe with rising French star [autotag]Morgan Charriere[/autotag] for five rounds and came out victorious as the man known as “The Epidemic” claimed a split-decision win, and the featherweight title, at Cage Warriors 122 in London.

Vucenic (8-1) started strongly and used his range and jab to good effect to bank the early rounds against reigning champion Charriere (16-8-1), who was making his first defense of the title. The Frenchman upped his intensity through the middle rounds and briefly stunned the challenger, but he was unable to shake the composure of the 25-year-old, who dealt with everything the champion threw at him and kept firing back over the full five-round duration to earn the split-decision win with scores of 46-49, 48-47, 48-47 from the cageside judges at York Hall.

“I put everything that I’ve got into this sport. I love it, man. I don’t have a life outside of it. I put so much into it, it’s nice to get (the belt). It’s been a lifelong dream,” he said after his victory.

“I just treated it like sparring. It might look like I was being cocky to people at home when I talk and smile, but I just love being in there. It was just amazing to be in there. That was the best I’ve ever felt in there, as well. No pent-up emotion, no nothing.”

When it was suggested that a potential matchup with former featherweight champ Paddy Pimblett could be a possibility, Vucenic instead highlighted the fighter he thinks should get the first shot at his title.

Vucenic defeated Paul Hughes via split decision at Cage Warriors 119 to earn his shot at the title, and the Irishman bounced back from that loss on Thursday with a unanimous decision win over James Hendin. Now Vucenic says the time is right for a rematch, with the title on the line.

“Listen, I’m the champion, I’ve gotta fight whoever,” he said. “I like Paddy, but I think we all know who’s next in line, and I’m not going to deny who’s next in line, and it is Paul Hughes. I’m not going to shy away from anybody, I’m not scared of defending it against anybody. He deserves it, so he’ll get the shot.”

https://twitter.com/CageWarriors/status/1373403109549039624

Cage Warriors 122 live results

France’s Morgan Charriere puts his featherweight title on the line on the final leg of Cage Warriors’ first “Trilogy” event of 2021.

The final leg of Cage Warriors’ first “Trilogy” series of 2021 features one of the biggest rising stars of European MMA as he looks to defend his newly won title.

France’s [autotag]Morgan Charriere[/autotag] (16-7-1) captured the Cage Warriors featherweight title with a body-shot knockout of Perry Goodwin at Cage Warriors 119 in December and now “The Last Pirate” will return to action at Cage Warriors 122 as he puts his belt on the line for the first time against top contender, England’s [autotag]Jordan Vucenic[/autotag] (7-1), in the main event.

Also set to return is another of Cage Warriors’ most recognizable stars. Former featherweight champion [autotag]Paddy Pimblett[/autotag] (15-3) is has his sights set on a UFC contract, and will be looking to deliver another irresistible performance when he takes on Italy’s [autotag]Davide Martinez[/autotag] (8-2) in the co-main event.

Cage Warriors 122 takes place Saturday at York Hall, Bethnal Green, London. The card streams on UFC Fight Pass.

Full Cage Warriors 122 results include:

MAIN CARD (4:00 p.m. ET, UFC Fight Pass)

  • Champ Morgan Charriere vs. Jordan Vucenic โ€“ for featherweight title
  • Davide Martinez vs. Paddy Pimblett
  • Tobias Harila vs. Aidan Stephen
  • Brian Bouland vs. Liam Gittins
  • Corrin Eaton vs. Jean Nโ€™Doye

PRELIMINARY CARD (2:30 p.m. ET, UFC Fight Pass)

  • Nathan Fletcher vs. Michele Martignoni
  • Yassine Belhadj vs. Tom Mearns
  • Nicolas Leblond vs. Darren Oโ€™Gorman

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6CjpxuSlLJY

Cage Warriors 119 live results

Follow the action with MMA Junkie’s live results and recaps as U.K. promotion Cage Warriors rounds out its “Trilogy Strikes Back” series.

The final night of Cage Warriors’ three-night residency at London’s York Hall is upon us, and the U.K. promotion has stacked the deck with two title fights topping a packed card of fights in the English capital.

The main event of Cage Warriors 119 will see a new featherweight champion crowned, as France’s [autotag]Morgan Charriere[/autotag] takes on England’s [autotag]Perry Goodwin[/autotag] for the vacant 145-pound belt.

There’s championship gold up for grabs in the co-main event, too, with [autotag]Jack Grant[/autotag] set to take on [autotag]Agy Sardari[/autotag] for the vacant Cage Warriors lightweight title.

Also on the main card, rising Irish featherweight [autotag]Paul Hughes[/autotag] returns to action against fellow prospect [autotag]Jordan Vucenic[/autotag], while another emerging prospect from Ireland, [autotag]Ian Garry[/autotag], takes on [autotag]Lawrence Tracey[/autotag] at 170 pounds.

Follow the results with MMA Junkie through the night via our live results and recaps below.