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Four Fights To Follow At Cage Warriors 169 | UFC Fight Pass
A Former Champion Returns, While Two Spectacular Flyweights Prepare To Light Up London
Cage Warriors shows in London are always special. The raucous crowd standing at floor level at the Indigo at The O2 helps generate the sort of atmosphere you’d be more used to seeing at a soccer match, and the fighters always seem to take their performances up a notch in front of the London fans as a result.
The promotion returns to their London home on Saturday night for Cage Warriors 169, where a stacked card of established stars and rising prospects is all set to put on a show for another packed crowd of fight fans in the English capital.
The whole event streams live on UFC Fight Pass and, by way of a primer, here are four key matchups to keep a close eye on this weekend.
Jordan Vucenic vs Simone D’Anna
The main event in London sees the return of former featherweight champion Jordan Vucenic, who takes on Italian contender Simone D’Anna. Vucenic has grown into one of the promotion’s biggest stars in recent years, and captured the 145-pound title in a thriller against Morgan Charriere during the pandemic, but he lost his belt to rival Paul Hughes at Cage Warriors 145 in November 2022.
Despite that crushing defeat, “The Epidemic” bounced back superbly, and a pair of second-round rear-naked choke victories over Tiziano Ferranti and Brice Picaud have propelled him back towards the top of the division once again.
Vucenic has long held ambitions to make it to the UFC and, to make his case an undeniable one, he’ll have to go through Italy’s D’Anna, who picked up a notable win on his Cage Warriors debut last October with a decision victory over Alberth Dias at Cage Warriors 162.
"Let's go!"
— Cage Warriors (@CageWarriors) November 4, 2022
The red corner, Jordan Vucenic pic.twitter.com/57zkwFJ2Kl
That victory was in Rome, but this weekend it will be Vucenic who has the home advantage. His fans always travel in their numbers as they make the two-hour trip south from Vucenic’s hometown of Corby to roar on their boy at the Indigo, and it will be no different on Saturday night.
Vucenic is 11-2 as a pro, has never been finished, and has claimed each of his last three wins via second-round submission. Another finish this weekend could see him on the verge of a shot on the big stage as he continues his comeback run.
As for D’Anna, he has the chance to upset the applecart by becoming only the third fighter to defeat “The Epidemic”. And, if he can become the first to finish him, a title shot would surely be next for “The Tiger."
Lone’er Kavanagh vs Shawn Da Silva
To say there’s a real air of anticipation ahead of Lone’er Kavanagh’s flyweight clash with Shawn Da Silva would be something of an understatement.
That’s because, for established Cage Warriors aficionados, this might just be the most exciting non-title fight Cage Warriors matchmaker Ian Dean could put together right now, with both fighters looking to make the jump from crowd-pleasing prospect to bonafide championship contender at 125 pounds.
England’s Kavanagh is perfect at 5-0, with four of those wins coming inside the distance. The Great Britain Top Team product made a big impression in his debut, with his swift striking earning him a knockout victory at Cage Warriors 134.
Entering Fight Week with that Shawn Da Silva Energy 😝
— Cage Warriors (@CageWarriors) March 25, 2024
Who else is buzzing with excitement for #CW169 London this Saturday?! pic.twitter.com/polqFz4ZDH
His last outing, at Cage Warriors 150, saw him score one of the knockouts of the year, with a stunning spinning heel kick helping him to a third-round stoppage win over previously undefeated Italian prospect Davide Scarano. Now Kavanagh will look to take his skills to the next level when he faces Germany’s Shawn Da Silva.
Da Silva’s introduction to Cage Warriors was eye-catching, to say the least. Competing against highly rated 9-1 Manchester Top Team prospect Kiru Singh Sahota, Da Silva looked like he didn’t have a care in the world as he danced his way to the cage at the BT Sport Studios in Stratford at Cage Warriors 151: Unplugged.
Anyone thinking his showmanship would stop when the action got started was very much mistaken, however. The very first strike “Vataloco” threw as a Cage Warriors fighter was a Superman punch, and he kept that energy going throughout the bout as he hammered Sahota with leg kicks while lighting him up with flying knees, heavy punches and spinning backfists. Such was the array of spectacular techniques he threw, at times it looked like he was being directed by a teenager with a gaming controller.
Precision Beats Power. Timing Beats Speed. 😍
— Cage Warriors (@CageWarriors) March 25, 2024
MMA phenom Lone'er Kavanagh makes his grand return at #CW169 London this Saturday! pic.twitter.com/Xhtaflxh9E
But Da Silva, who trains under former UFC welterweight veteran Peter Sobotta at the Planet Eater gym 70 kilometers south of Stuttgart, Germany, had come not just to entertain, but to win, and when he turned up the heat in round two, he picked up the standing TKO victory before dancing to some James Brown in the aftermath. As debuts go, it had a little bit of everything. He later followed up that victory with another impressive performance to defeat former bantamweight title challenger Gerardo Fanny in London.
Kavanagh and Da Silva were originally booked to meet last July before an injury to the German scuppered those plans. But now they’re ready to throw down, as both men put their undefeated records on the line in a flyweight clash that could produce fireworks from the very start.
Will Currie vs Leon Aliu
The fight card in London also features a pivotal clash in the middleweight division, as former title challenger Will Currie looks to put himself in the frame for a second shot at the gold.
London’s Currie has seen his stock rise rapidly since his two losses to Christian Leroy Duncan in 2021, and he’s lost just once since – a close decision defeat to Mick Stanton for the middleweight title back at Cage Warriors 151: Unplugged last March.
Since then, “Drago” has picked up a pair of stoppage victories, with an elbow TKO finish of Jorge Bueno and a rear-naked choke submission of Wallison Henrique putting him on the verge of a second title shot.
Axe Kick and Devastating Elbows 🥶
— Cage Warriors (@CageWarriors) March 24, 2024
Will Currie is out to prove he's the "Real Deal" at #CW169 London next Saturday!! pic.twitter.com/BRsKYij8lH
Standing in his way is Italian contender Leon Aliu, who already has a win over a former Cage Warriors middleweight champion on his resume. That victory, a first-round TKO of James Webb at Cage Warriors 138, announced his arrival in Cage Warriors with a bang, but defeats to Brunno Ferreira and UFC vet Darren Stewart slowed his momentum.
The 34-year-old bounced back with a strong performance in victory over Alan Carlos at Cage Warriors 162 last October, setting him up for a crucial clash with Currie, and the two 11-3 contenders will face off looking to put themselves in line for a shot at the belt later this summer.
Tariq Pell vs Shaun Fraser
Earlier in the evening, we’ll get to see two emerging prospects who are looking to make an impact since progressing to the professional ranks.
Both Tariq Pell and Shaun Fraser captured amateur titles under the Cage Warriors banner, with the pair winning their respective amateur titles on the same night at Cage Warriors Academy South East 28 in July 2022. Pell captured the lightweight crown, while Fraser picked up the welterweight title.
A Debut You Don’t Want To Miss 🍿
— Cage Warriors (@CageWarriors) March 25, 2024
Shaun Fraser gears up for his rescheduled Cage Warriors fight against Tariq Pell at #CW169 London this Saturday!
🎟️ 𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝗧𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗲𝘁𝘀: https://t.co/zFv4NEmIDn pic.twitter.com/pQ4537ptJc
Now the pair are making their way on the pro scene, and will meet in a battle of prospects on Saturday in London. Fraser is moving down to lightweight for the bout, which will be his first Cage Warriors appearance as a professional.
Pell, meanwhile, will be looking to build on his momentum after a huge knockout victory on his promotional debut the last time Cage Warriors hit London, at Cage Warriors 163 back in November 2023.
Both men have earned their stripes as amateurs. Now we’ll get to see which of the pair is best equipped to make some waves at 155 pounds in the months ahead.
Cage Warriors 169: Fight Card
MAIN CARD
Jordan Vucenic vs Simone D’Anna – featherweight bout
Lone’er Kavanagh vs Shawn Da Silva – flyweight bout
Will Currie vs Leon Aliu – middleweight bout
Darren Stewart vs Carlos Pereira – 195-pound catchweight bout
Jamie Richardson vs Olli Santalahti – welterweight bout
Tariq Pell on the money 💰 The former CW Academy champion needed just 25 seconds to get the TKO win. He is definitely one to watch!
— Cage Warriors (@CageWarriors) November 11, 2023
📺 Watch #CW163 live on @UFCFightPass
➡️ https://t.co/emZrR0AfAq
📍 London, UK 🇬🇧 pic.twitter.com/LnvNxtBFau
PRELIMINARY CARD
Thomas Paull vs Dimitry Solimeis – featherweight bout
Jimmy Quinn vs Yohan Salvador – bantamweight bout
Angus Hewett vs Mitchell Goode – middleweight bout
Ermil Xhaferi vs Aaron Johnson – 160-pound catchweight bout
Tom Creasey vs Amir Malekpour – flyweight bout
Tommy Brunning vs Simon Cesari – bantamweight bout
Tariq Pell vs Shaun Fraser – lightweight bout
Joshua Onwordi vs Mariusz Mikolajewski – welterweight bout
Jawany Scott vs Jean Matos – flyweight bout
Joe Middleton vs TBC – middleweight bout
Rhi-Rhi Hudson vs TBC – strawweight bout
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