Rhys McKee landing a high kick | Cage Warriors/Dolly Clew
The trio are among the best up and coming prospects on the continent and will feature in the European promotion’s first ever show in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
The next wave of Irish talent in Cage Warriors is on its way, as the promotion looks to play its part in reinvigorating the territory.
A press release on Friday morning announced that Rhys McKee, Joe McColgan, and Ian Garry are among the notable names who will feature when the leading European promotion stage their first ever show in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Cage Warriors last returned to the Emerald Isle in November, after not visiting the region since early 2017, in the hope of sending the next generation of Irish talent to the UFC. This next show will take place on Saturday, May 16 from the SSE Arena, where a host of domestic stars will look to take the next steps in their career.
McKee (10-2-1) has emerged as a top contender in the welterweight division after signing to Cage Warriors in 2018. The former BAMMA lightweight champion is 3-0 in the promotion and picked up stoppage victories over Jefferson George and Perry Goodwin before stepping up a weight class. Last November, he finished Hakon Foss at welterweight in just over a minute to make his case for a title shot. The Northern Irishman has a 100% finishing rate in all of his victories and holds a knockout win over recent UFC signee, Jai Herbert.
McColgan (6-2-1) will be one of the names looking to step up and challenge for the vacant lightweight title in the foreseeable future. He played his part in one of the fights of the year in Europe last September, when fought to a majority draw against Mehdi Ben Lakhdar. ‘The SBG Hunter’ followed up that performance with a first round submission victory against Robbie Scott in Cork the last time he was inside the cage.
Garry (3-0) may be the single most-promising prospect fighting out of Ireland. The Team KF product made his professional debut early last year and has already got a lot of hype behind him on the domestic scene. He defeated Matt Figlak at Cage Warriors 110 by first round submission in his last outing, and already has fans captivated by his charismatic personality.
The trio’s opponents will be named in the coming weeks for the card so stay tuned for further announcements.