Cage Warriors 112 Preview

Cage Warriors returns this weekend with their first show of 2020 and their first ever show in Manchester, England. The card is live from the Bowlers Exhibition Centre this Saturday, March 7th from 6pm.

A Bantamweight title fight between champion Jack Cartwright (7-0) and Croatian prospect Manuel Bilić (15-6) tops the bill. Cartwright is a local fighter, training out of SBG Manchester. He won the belt in impressive fashion, winning a one night tournament where he finished both Scott Malone and Marko Kovacevic in a combined time of a little over 4 minutes. Bilić is a very game opponent, winning 6 of his last 7. Neither man is known for going the distance so don’t blink for this one.

In the co-main SBG South Shields fighter Adam Proctor (11-1) is looking to extend his 6-fight win streak against undefeated Latvian Madars Fleminas (6-0). A win for either man will put them right into title contention. Proctor has been in top form these last few years on the European scene, picking up wins in Cage Warriors, ACB and BAMMA. He faces his toughest task to date against Fleminas, who is coming off a win against George Hardwick.

Former Middleweight champion and Team KF’s James Webb (6-2-1) begins his quest to reclaim his title against grappler Mick Stanton (6-3) on Saturday’s main card. Liverpool’s Stanton has won his last 3 Cage Warriors fights and has eyes on his own title shot. Webb will need to be on top of his wrestling game in this one to get his hand raised.

Also featured will be local legend Martin Stapleton (19-7) who faces off against Frenchman Yassine Belhadj (6-2). The SBG Manchester man is coming in on a 2-fight skid and is going up against a very tough opponent out of one of the top gyms in France, the MMA Factory. Belhadj makes his promotional debut and is looking to spoil the homecoming party.

Kicking off the main card is Team Ryano’s James Sheehan (1-2). He competes against Kyran Sturrock, who is making his pro debut after an impressive 7-1 amateur career. Sheehan himself has a stellar amateur record, winning a silver medal in the IMAAF World Championships in 2016. Don’t let the record fool you, Team Ryano fighters are renowned for taking the toughest fights possible early in their careers. Sheehan is coming off the back of a loss to fellow Irish prospect Ian Garry in a fight where both men emerged as serious up-and-coming talents.

Elsewhere on the cards, Cork’s Arran Maguire (3-1) returns to action after a couple of years out of action. Maguire picked up 2 notable domestic wins against Dylan Logan and Hughie O’Rourke and will be looking to impress before Cage Warriors return to his home City this summer.

Always entertaining, Derry’s Paul Hughes (4-0) will be looking to make yet another statement in his young career against Frenchman Youri Panada (4-1) in Manchester. With the UFC coming to Dublin in August, an impressive win here and at CW Belfast could give him an outside chance of getting on the card. Thought of as one of the very best prospects in Ireland, Hughes is now over the injury problems which had ravaged the early part of his career and will be looking to keep the winning momentum going.

The rest of the card is very competitive and should produce a great night of fights. Nathan Fletcher (2-0) vs Johan Segas (3-0) is a high quality bout between young prospects. George Smith (4-1) and Lukasz Marcinkoweski (4-1) compete in a very even contest that is unlikely to go the distance while Adam Wilson (4-0) and Scott Malone (6-3) will be barnburner. If Wilson can get the win, he’s right at the top of the BW title picture.

Cage Warriors 112 is live from Manchester on Saturday 7th March. The pro prelims start at 18:30 and can be watched live and free on the Cage Warriors website. The main card starts at 21:00 on UFC Fight Pass.