Cage Warriors 122 Preview

The Cage Warriors trilogy comes to an end on Saturday night. They’re back at York Hall in London with Cage Warriors 122.

“The Last Pirate” sets sail to defend his CW Lightweight title with his legions of fans. Morgan Charriere (16-7-1) has turned in some electric performances as of late and has inked a new three fight deal with the promotion. In the blue corner, Jordan Vucenic (7-1) brings his exciting stand up style to the show. This should play out on the feet, which will favour the more explosive Charriere. This may be the most viewed fight in Europe this year and has the potential to be the best.

Liverpool’s favourite son Paddy “The Baddy” Pimblett returns from injury to take on Italian prospect Davide Martinez (8-2). The pair were meant to lock horns last year until the pandemic ruined those plans. Pimblett is an exciting grappler and has been known to try flying submissions in his time. He is capable on the feet, albeit hittable, however if he gets on top of you on the mat, he’s extremely hard to stop. Martinez will need to use his striking to trouble Pimblett and if it hits the floor, he needs to be on top. A win for The Baddy puts him in title contention.

New signing Tobias Harila (8-1) dons the yellow gloves for the first time as he takes on the always game Aidan Stephen (8-3). Sweden’s Harila is a slick striker with savage power. Stephen is predominantly a grappler who wears you down and makes it miserable. This is a great mix of styles and we’re in for a treat wherever it goes.

Belgium’s Brian Bouland (9-3) is back in action against knockout artist Liam Gittins (6-1). If this fight plays out in the striking realms, we should be in for some fireworks. Neither man is afraid to throw. Bouland is more likely to shoot for the takedown as Gittins has that one shot power.

France’s Jean N’Doye (8-2) recently signed an exclusive deal with the promotion having gone 4-1 in his first stint. He had been inactive since 2013 until last year, where he returned to MMA at Bellator 248, losing to Ireland’s Ciaran Clark. Now that cobwebs have been shaken off, N’Doye is looking to get back to his old ways. England’s Corrin Eaton (10-3) is leading the welcome committee. N’Doye is a wizard on the ground and needs to use his superior CW experience to his advantage. Eaton has shown he has flash finishes in him if any mistakes are made. This will be one to watch.

Michele Martignoni (6-0) was part of the Italian invasion at the last trilogy event with an impressive victory over Weslley Maia. It isn’t getting any easier in fight two with hot prospect Nathan Fletcher (4-0) standing across from him. Martignoni will lean towards striking and has some nice kickboxing skills. Fletcher is a superb grappler and can choke you from anywhere. Somebody’s 0 has got to go.

Another Frenchman competing on the night is Yassine Belhadj (6-3). He goes up against Tom Mearns (6-6). Belhadj has nice striking and his BJJ game is improving every fight. Mearns has been on a skid for a few years, winning only one of his last seven. Belhadj should make a statement here.

Ireland’s Darren O’Gorman (6-5) is back in action against France’s Nicolas Leblond (5-3). O’Gorman is never in a boring fight and this one should be no different. Expect lots of action and wild scrambles. This should be a great start to the proceedings.

Cage Warriors 122 is live on Saturday night from 18:30 on UFC Fight Pass.