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Cage Warriors 148 | Nathan Fletcher returns with unanimous decision victory vs. Alessandro Giordano

At Cage Warriors 148, Nathan Fletcher finally returned to the cage after multiple canceled bouts in 2022. It was the Italian prospect, Alessandro Giordano, who stepped up to face Fletcher, looking to quickly solidify himself as one of the top contenders for the Cage Warriors 135lb title. The Next-Gen Liverpool prospect was confident heading into […]

At Cage Warriors 148, Nathan Fletcher finally returned to the cage after multiple canceled bouts in 2022.

It was the Italian prospect, Alessandro Giordano, who stepped up to face Fletcher, looking to quickly solidify himself as one of the top contenders for the Cage Warriors 135lb title.

The Next-Gen Liverpool prospect was confident heading into the bout, stating in an exclusive LowKickMMA interview that he is “no stranger to tough competition,” as well as claiming that he is “better wherever the fight goes.” With this statement, it had fans eager to see the new and improved version of Nathan Fletcher.

Alessandro Giordano was 6-1 prior to the bout, making his Cage Warriors debut after a successful showing on Venator FC 10, where he extended his winning streak to 5. The young prospect had been praised by Italian MMA fans and heralded as a future star.

In round 1, Giordano came out fast instantly throwing the right hand and getting inside Fletcher’s range. But it was Fletcher who, despite having the grappling advantage, led the striking exchanges. He would land a number of great combinations, with his right straight connecting every time it was thrown. Fletcher eventually shot for the takedown halfway through the round, but Giordano’s defense held up in his first major test in the grappling department.

Round 2 was more of the same. It seemed the grappler (Fletcher) had the striking advantage and vice versa, with Giordano defending the takedowns and getting the fight in his guard. Giordano controlled the cage well, but Fletcher countered nicely and continued to have good entries to get his man against the cage. For most of the round, Fletcher controlled the cage with the round ending with some heavy shots from both men. Nathan Fletcher shooting for the takedown again just to stay in top control and let his opponent wear himself out.

In round 3 Giordano needed the finish. The round started with both men choosing to strike. Nathan Fletcher was landing, but so was Giordano, with some great looping right-hand shots. Fletcher had slowed himself down in this round, but got the takedown and went into a top-half guard position looking to pass into a full mount or threat with the arm triangle.

Later in the round, Giordano threatened with a big submission attempt forcing Fletcher to turn it up in the final minute of the fight.

See the result that saw Nathan Fletcher move to 7-1 as he addresses the division

Jesse Taylor involved in hit and run incident, removed from Cage Warriors 148 headliner in London

UFC alum, Jesse Taylor has been removed from his scheduled Cage Warriors 148 title challenger headliner tonight against Christian Leroy Duncan in London, England – after a hit-and-run incident in the capital. In an initial report from Fighters Only, Taylor was involved in a hit-and-run incident in the capital ahead of his scheduled Cage Warriors […]

In an initial report from Fighters Only, Taylor was involved in a hit-and-run incident in the capital ahead of his scheduled Cage Warriors middleweight title challenge against Duncan tonight in London, requiring hospitalisation for injuries received.

Taylor, 39, was admitted to hospital on Friday and kept overnight, however, was discharged on Saturday morning. The Californian has, however, failed to obtain medical clearance to compete in tonight’s main event fight with Duncan.

As a result, middleweight champion, Duncan has been removed from the card entirely, with a vacant light heavyweight championship clash featuring UFC veteran, Modestas Bukauskas, and Chuck Campbell now slated to take main event honors.

Cage Warriors president, Graham Boylan confirmed the headliner’s reshuffling in a post on the organization’s official Twitter account.

“Some breaking news for you,” Boylan said. “Jesse Taylor is out of the main event versus Christian Leroy Duncan. Jesse was invovled in a hit-and-run on the mean streets of Greenwich at 1 am this morning. He’s been taken to hospital, he’s been kept in overnightH, he’s had MRIs, he’s had checks, and (been) released this morning around 8:30 am.”

“He’s all good, he’s back in the hotel, and in good spirits,” Boylan said. “Christian Leroy Duncan has been informed, he’s fully aware of what’s going on. And we’ll be bumping up Chuck Campbell, and Modestas Bukauskas to the main event

**Jesse Taylor holds the most wins in The Ultimate Fighter history**

A victor of The Ultimate Fighter: Redemption season back in 2017, Taylor previously held the undisputed Cage Warriors middleweight championship, and currently finds himself in the midst of a two-fight winning run.

Opinion | 5 rising MMA stars to watch out for in 2023

Mixed Martial Arts is forever growing and improving as a sport, from the promotions that provide this to us, to the stars and future contenders who make it exactly what it is. Longstanding champions were overthrown by current stars and future prospects announced themselves to the world. Contenders such as Muhammad Mokaev, Jack Della Maddalena, […]

Contenders such as Muhammad Mokaev, Jack Della Maddalena, and Sergei Pavlovich were just a few of the brightest stars that emerged in 2022. This year has allowed many prospects to announce themselves into the mixed martial arts world, and 2023 will be no different.

Therefore, let us take a look at five prospects you should definitely be keeping your eye on throughout 2023.

MMA Prospects To Watch In 2023

Salahdine Parnasse

This one should come as no surprise for the avid MMA fan. Ranked on our ‘Top 10 MMA Prospects To Watch in 2022’ list, Salahdine Parnasse is an extremely talented mixed martial artist.

Parnasse is the current KSW Featherweight champion and interim lightweight champion. Amassing an impressive 17-1 record at just 25, including a defense of the full featherweight title, the Moroccan French fighter has achieved a great amount already. Signing with KSW in 2017, Parnasse would secure three victories inside the promotion before claiming the interim featherweight title, defeating Roman Szymanski via TKO. A defense of the interim belt would follow before Parnasse would face his first professional defeat being knocked out by Daniel Torres.

Parnasse would bounce back from his defeat and secure a submission victory over Filip Pejic like a true champion. Following this up, the 25-year-old would then successfully defeat the only man to beat him inside a cage when he reclaimed the featherweight title from Daniel Torres.

He would close his year out by claiming double champion status after he defeated Sebastian Rajewski at KSW 76 to win the KSW Lightweight title. Four wins in a row now for Parnasse puts him in a good position to continue his fine form heading into 2023.

Lerone Murphy

‘The Miracle’ may be one of the more known names on our list but that doesn’t prevent him from being a true prospect heading into 2023. Murphy was signed to the UFC after going 8-0 on the UK regional scene. A disappointing debut that resulted in a draw left fans unable to realize the 31-year-olds full potential.

However, he quickly showed them exactly who he was when he returned to the octagon. A first-round knockout of Ricardo Ramos came back in 2020 which he would then follow up with a dominant decision victory over the extremely tough, Douglas Silva De Andrade.

Murphy was not in competition for almost ten months following that victory but returned at UFC 267 to face Makwan Amirkhani. Closing the year out in style the Manchester Top Team fighter landed a devastating knee to put Amirkhani out cold and record his seventh stoppage victory since turning professional.

No octagon appearances in 2022 left admirers of the British fighter devastated, but we are hopeful we will get to see this talent return to the cage in 2023.

Christian Leroy Duncan

Christian Leroy Duncan may be one of the next top contenders to emerge from Cage Warriors. Currently championing their middleweight division, Duncan has looked better with every single outing.

The 27-year-old currently sits 7-0 as a professional and will be looking to extend that undefeated record even further when he takes on American veteran, Jesse Taylor at Cage Warriors 148. A lick striker on the feet has seen five of Duncan’s seven professional bouts end inside the distance, most recently landing a beautiful spinning elbow and combination of punches when he defeated Marain Dimitrov at Cage Warriors 146.

Should Duncan notch another defense in impressive fashion at CW 148, do not be surprised in the UFC comes knocking for this extremely talented prospect.

Tatiana Suarez

Tatiana Suarez is one of the top prospects in WMMA and thankfully, she looks set to return to competition in 2023. Having not competed since 2019 it is understandable for news fans to not be familiar with her name, but for those of us who have been following the sport longer we know just how talented Suarez is. Undefeated at 8-0, the American fighter is a serious threat to the strawweight champion, Zhang Weili.

UFC Fight Night 129 in 2018 saw Suarez take out one of the top contenders in the division when she submitted Alexa Grasso in the very first round. Following up on this Suarez would face former title holder, Carla Esparza, in what was her biggest challenge to date. She passed this test with flying colors when she was able to TKO the former champion in the third round. One outing in 2019 when she defeated Nina Nunes via unanimous decision would be the last time Suarez was seen in competition.

Should the rumors be true of her return in 2023, the strawweight division will certainly be put on notice.

Four years ago today, Tatiana Suarez demolished Carla Esparza

pic.twitter.com/p6ZWa8vso0

— MMA mania (@mmamania) September 8, 2022

Michael Morales

22-year-old Michael Morales is most definitely one MMA prospect to keep your eye on in 2023. A perfect 14-0, Morales carries devastating power which has seen him stop 12 of his 14 opponents so far in his career. Competing across multiple regional promotions, Morales signed with the UFC following a victory on Dana White’s Contender Series 2021, since signing he has not looked back.

A first-round devastating finish of Trevin Giles helped announce Morales to the mixed martial arts community. He would then follow up on this impressive victory when he stopped short-notice opponent, Adam Fugitt, at UFC 277.

The Ecuadorian fighter has a bright future ahead, still, early on in his career, you can only expect Morales to improve and build a well-rounded style that will help see him climb to the very top of the welterweight division.

Are there any MMA prospects you would have liked to see included in this list? Leave them in the comments below!

Prospect of the Year – LowKickMMA 2022 Awards

As 2023 comes to an end, it is time to look back on what was an extremely exciting year for combat sports in general. Whilst surging stars such as Jack Della Maddalena and Muhammad Mokaev have entered the UFC in search of gold, there are also a number of rising prospects who are on the […]

As 2023 comes to an end, it is time to look back on what was an extremely exciting year for combat sports in general.

Whilst surging stars such as Jack Della Maddalena and Muhammad Mokaev have entered the UFC in search of gold, there are also a number of rising prospects who are on the cusp of greatness. These fighters may not be on every fight fans radar just yet, but they all possess the potential to become something truly great in the near future – starting in 2022.

2022 has been an incredible year for European MMA, and that is highlighted in the LowKickMMA Prospect of the Year pick.

Prospect of the Year: Paul Hughes – Cage Warriors 145lb Champion (4 votes)

Another year, another Irish prospect on the rise.

2021 saw the emergence of Ian Garry, as ‘The Future’ captured the Cage Warriors welterweight title and signed with the UFC. In 2022, Paul Hughes has been the Irish fighter to watch, capturing the CW featherweight title, and all but guaranteeing a call-up to the UFC in 2023.

Hughes may have only fought once in 2022, but that one bout may well have been the most talked about regional fight of the year. In 2020, Hughes had lost an extremely close decision to Jordan Vucenic, who went on to capture the CW 145lb title. Hughes bounced back, with back-to-back wins in 2021, defeating both James Hendin and Morgan Charriere – names that those familiar with the European MMA scene will be very familiar with – and capturing the interim title in the process.

Vucenic also picked up several wins in this time, and anticipation quickly grew as rumors of a rematch became increasingly concrete. Eventually, to the delight of many an Irish and English fight fan, the fight would be booked to headline Cage Warriors 145. Both Hughes and Vucenic’s walkout to that fight were some of the most spine-tingling moments of the year.

However, the fight itself was a masterclass from Hughes. The young Irishman showed just how much he had improved over the past 2 years, dominating Vucenic from pillar to post. Hughes now appears to have reached such a level that he is more than equipped to be competing against the very best in the world.

A UFC debut in March seems very likely.

Honorable Mentions

George Hardwick (3 votes)

Just coming short by 1 vote of Paul Hughes is Cage Warriors lightweight champion, George Hardwick.

Hardwick had a sensational 2022, picking up three wins and the CW 155lb title along the way. The 26-year-old striker from Middlesbrough started his year with a bang, running through ?ukasz Kopera in emphatic fashion. This victory was enough to secure him a title shot.

Four months later, Hardwick would square off against American fighter Kyle Driscoll for the vacant CW 145lb strap. In a relentless back-and-forth war, Hardwick would land one of his signature body shots to crumple Driscoll to the canvas in round 4 – capturing the belt in the process.

Unfortunately, due to the injuries sustained in this fight, Hardwick was forced to turn down a short-notice contract with the UFC to fight in Paris. Instead, he opted to defend his belt later in the year, taking on Scottish fan favorite Chris Bungard. This may well have been Hardwick’s most impressive win to date, piecing Bungard up and finishing him in the second with yet another body shot.

Khasan Magomedsharipov (1 vote)

The younger brother of Zabit Magomedsharipov, Khasan is currently plying his trade in Bellator MMA. The young Dagestani holds a record of 7-0, with two wins in Bellator already.

Considering just how much potential and star power his older brother had, Khasan really has an incredible future ahead of him, if he is able to remain active. In 2022, he only fought once, in an extremely dominant three-round fight vs. Jose Sanchez at Bellator 275.

Khasan won via unanimous decision, showing off his impressively diverse skillset that blends the dominant Dagestani wrestling often associated with Khabib Nurmagomedov and the flashy striking his brother repeatedly showed off in the UFC.

Akbar Abdullaev (1 vote)

Another fighter to keep an eye on in 2023 is Kyrgyzstan’s Akbar Abdullaev.

The young featherweight is 8-0, with each win coming inside the distance. It is worth noting that his past three fights all took place on the same night, as he annihilated the opposition at WEF Selection 42.

Abdullaev appears to have huge potential, and 2023 may well be the year he makes the step up to the big leagues, as rumors circulate about a supposed contract with One Championship. Watch this space.

Full List Of 2022 Prospect Of The Year Votes

Frank Bonada: George Hardwick

Ross Markey: Paul Hughes

Murdo Todd: Paul Hughes

Patrick Post: Paul Hughes

Ian Shutts: George Hardwick

Tim Wheaton: Akbar Abdullaev

Ollie Brockett: George Hardwick

Keelin McNamara: Paul Hughes

Marc Ray: Khasan Magomedsharipov

Who was your top prospect of 2022?

George Hardwick interested in a UFC debut matchup vs. Michal Figlak: “That would be a good fight.”

George Hardwick is open to facing long-time rival Michal Figlak in a potential promotional debut for the UFC in March. Hardwick currently holds the Cage Warriors lightweight belt, having defeated Chris Bungard in his first title defense in November. The fight was one of his most impressive to date, winning a decisive first round before […]

George Hardwick is open to facing long-time rival Michal Figlak in a potential promotional debut for the UFC in March.

Hardwick currently holds the Cage Warriors lightweight belt, having defeated Chris Bungard in his first title defense in November. The fight was one of his most impressive to date, winning a decisive first round before finishing the fight with a body shot in round two.

In a recent LowKickMMA Exclusive Interview with Frank Bonada, George Hardwick revealed that he is hoping to return to action in early 2023, stating:

“In terms of competitive schedule, I’m thinking about March. I’m thinking about March, April, seeing what’s gonna come up then.”

Fans of the sport will no doubt be aware that the UFC is once again holding an event in England in March. Considering the blistering form Goerge Hardwick is on, and Cage Warriors’ close relationship with the UFC, it would be no surprise to see Hardwick getting the call-up for that card. When asked about a potential UFC debut in March, Hardwick had the following to say:

“That’s the goal. That would be ideal. But that’s stuff I’ve got no control over. That’s what my manager deals with. I’m just gonna train to be the most effective martial artist I can be. Enjoying the extra calories for a bit. Cage Warriors events pick up in March, so if there’s no UFC call-up then, (I’ll) just defend the belt again.”

George Hardwick vs. Michal Figlak?

George Hardwick has been offered a UFC contract in the past, but was forced to turn it down.

When the UFC made its maiden trip to France, Hardwick was offered a short-notice fight with Firas Ziam on the preliminary card. However, he had not fully recovered from injuries sustained in his previous fight. Instead, the UFC turned to Michal Figlak, the man whom Hardwick had appeared set to face off against next.

Now with a UFC debut on the horizon, Hardwick is still very much open to a matchup vs. ‘Mad Dog.’ Speaking in the interview, he discussed the circumstances surrounding the UFC Paris call-up, as well as a fight with Figlak.

“Yeah, I would love to fight that. It’s kinda weird, I was primed for a possible fight with him for the Cage Warriors belt. Obviously had that stare-down that lasted ten minutes. And then he stepped up, on that week’s notice to fight in Paris. But you know, even his fight with Sadari, he took a few big knees, you’ve got to be careful back to back. That’s one of the reasons why I knocked it back because my hands were still busted up. I tried to rush back into training and it didn’t help them. My nose was still a bit busted up and it was just really bad timing, to jump in on an opportunity like that on a week’s notice.”

“But you know, that would be a good fight. He likes to come forward. I do, but I do it a bit better. It would be a shame that it wouldn’t be five rounds but yeah, it’d still be great.”

During a photoshoot for CW 141 Unlocked, George Hardwick and Michal Figlak can be seen squaring off in a particularly tense moment, check out the clip below:

Would you like to see George Hardwick vs. Michal Figlak?

MMA News’ Top 10 Finishes Of The Week (11/20 – 11/26)

Welcome to this week’s edition of MMA News’ Top 10 Finishes of the week! Every week there’s highlight-reel finishes all across the MMA world, and we’ve found some of the absolute best ones to showcase. The PFL’s 2022 Championship PPV was the week…

Continue Reading MMA News’ Top 10 Finishes Of The Week (11/20 – 11/26) at MMA News.