MMA fighter James Webb isn’t happy about what he’s recently seen on the streets of his hometown in Colchester, England. The 32-year-old is fresh off a unanimous decision win over Paddy McCorry at Cage Warriors 145 last weekend. That victory snapped a t…
MMA fighter James Webb isn’t happy about what he’s recently seen on the streets of his hometown in Colchester, England. The 32-year-old is fresh off a unanimous decision win over Paddy McCorry at Cage Warriors 145 last weekend. That victory snapped a two-fight losing streak where he was finished by strikes in both bouts, but…
MMA fighter Paulius Totoraitis couldn’t have landed a sweeter headkick to get the first win of his MMA career. The KO was undoubtedly the highlight of the night at Cage Warriors Academy South East 29, which took place on Saturday in Colchest…
MMA fighter Paulius Totoraitis couldn’t have landed a sweeter headkick to get the first win of his MMA career. The KO was undoubtedly the highlight of the night at Cage Warriors Academy South East 29, which took place on Saturday in Colchester, United Kingdom. Totoraitis took on Wilf Kelly in a welterweight matchup on the main…
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. A break for most of the sport’s major promot…
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. A break for most of the sport’s major promotions last week opened up the chance for events from Cage Warriors,…
Cage Warriors champion Dominique Wooding and title challenger Michele Martignoni squared off for the Cage Warriors bantamweight championship as the promotion headed to Rome, Italy for its latest offering, Cage Warriors 144, emanating from Fiera Roma. Heading into the main event, Italian fighters were 7-0 against the competition. It was up to ‘The Italian Thunder’ […]
Cage Warriors champion Dominique Wooding and title challenger Michele Martignoni squared off for the Cage Warriors bantamweight championship as the promotion headed to Rome, Italy for its latest offering, Cage Warriors 144, emanating from Fiera Roma. Heading into the main event, Italian fighters were 7-0 against the competition. It was up to ‘The Italian Thunder’ to complete the shutout and capture Cage Warriors gold in his home country.
Coming out for the opening round, Wooding immediately put on the pressure, moving Martignoni to the outside of the cage. Wooding lands a leg kick, but Martignoni strikes back with a leg kick and a solid right. The two clinch up with Martignoni pushing Wooding to the cage. Wooding reverses position and breaks away throwing another leg kick. Martignoni lands a lovely right hand. Wooding returns fire with a glancing blow. Wooding stuffs a takedown from Michele Martignoni and follows it up with a left that appears to land, sending Martignoni backward as the round comes to a close.
Martignoni comes out for the second round throwing heat. He lands a big right hook and then follows it up with another, but Wooding fires back with an uppercut that staggers Martignoni. Wooding is in pursuit and lands a solid left that puts Martignoni on the canvas. Martignoni desperately attempts a takedown, but Wooding ends up in top position as Martignoni’s nose gushes blood. Wooding moves back to his feet and lets Martignoni up. Wooding is now in control, pushing the pace, but Martignoni is still attempting to fire back.
Wooding lands a solid elbow in the Thai clinch, but Martignoni pushes Wooding back to the cage with a couple of solid strikes and gets the takedown with 90 seconds to go in the round. Michele Martignoni is dropping bombs from the top, but Wooding does enough to defend and get out of the second round.
In the third, Martignoni immediately clinches with Wooding’s back against the cage. With the action stalled, the two fighters are separated. Martignoni lands a big looping right hand on Wooding, but the defending champion eats it. Michele Martignoni once again lands a big right hand and right uppercut. Wooding gets caught once again with the right as he chases Martignoni. A head kick by Wooding partially lands prompting Martignoni to shoot for a takedown as the round comes to a close.
Dominique Wooding and Michele Martignoni Head to The Championship Rounds
Coming out for the fourth, Michele Martignoni appears to have all the energy while Wooding has clearly slowed. Martignoni shoots in for a takedown and circles to the back, dragging Wooding to the mat. Martignoni maintains top control, peppering Wooding with strikes. The champion wall-walks back to his feet, but Martignoni keeps him pressed against the cage. Wooding breaks away and eats a solid right from Martignoni for his trouble. Wooding is in hot pursuit, but can’t muster any offense as the horn sounds.
In the final round, Martignoni shoots in at the 30-second mark and is able to drag Wooding to the mat once again. Halfway through the round, Wooding is able to get back to his feet, but Martignoni is able to once again grab and drag Wooding to the canvas. Martignoni keeps the champ pinned to the mat until the final horn sounds.
Official Result: Michele Martignoni defeats Dominique Wooding via unanimous decision (49-45, 49-46, 49-46) to capture the Cage Warriors bantamweight championship. With the win, Italian fighters go 8-0 on the evening. It was another spectacular event from the promotion out of England.
Check Out Highlights from Dominique Wooding vs. Michele Martignoni at Cage Warriors 144:
Matt Bonner is set to take on Oban Elliott at Cage Warriors 142. Rising prospect Elliott will step inside the octagon in only his eighth bout against the seasoned veteran Bonner on Aug. 13 at Ebbw Vale Centre, Wales. Bonner is coming off two consecutive finishes in his previous outings and stays confident he’ll replicate […]
Matt Bonner is set to take on Oban Elliott at Cage Warriors 142.
Rising prospect Elliott will step inside the octagon in only his eighth bout against the seasoned veteran Bonner on Aug. 13 at Ebbw Vale Centre, Wales. Bonner is coming off two consecutive finishes in his previous outings and stays confident he’ll replicate the same result in his next clash to earn a title shot.
Elliot, on the other hand, has plans to “go through Matt Bonner” en route to achieving his ambitions in the sport.
Matt Bonner predicts a second-round finish over Oban Elliott
After losing his belt to Djati Melan, former middleweight champion Bonner is all set to claw his way back into title contention, this time in a new division. He went on to defeat Hugo Pereira, and Joel Kouadja, both by a version of the rear-naked choke submission. A win over Elliott in his next outing could get him back on track for the promotional gold, and he’s confident he’ll come out on top.
In an exclusive interview with LowKick MMA’s Frank Bonada, Matt Bonner shared his prediction for the upcoming clash.
“It probably ends by TKO or a rear-naked choke. I do think he’ll break at some point in the fight. We’ve seen this from Oban before, with Figlak and Fleminas. If it doesn’t go his way, you kind of just see him melt in front of you. He has that kind of desperate first round, works a little bit too hard, shoots in, tries to pull you around, and then you push him back. Just actually (let him) know, ‘you’re not going to have this your way,’ and put the pressure back off him.”
“He’ll melt a little bit. Early second, I’m saying that’s when Fleminas beat him. I’m not going to go in and rush, look for a big finish, or anything like that. I’m going to take me time and when the opportunity comes to finish I’ll get that finish.”
Elliot gives his breakdown of the fight
Rising prospect Elliott has shown a lot of promise on his way up. He goes into the bout off a win over Herkus Lukosiunas in his last outing and will be looking to add more wins to his column after going 2-2 in his last four bouts. Elliot is not a fan of Bonner’s dismissal of him as an opponent and goes into the bout looking to prove that he can bang it out at the highest level inside the octagon.
“I’m 24 years old. This is my eighth professional fight, and I’m fighting a former world champion. Name another 24-year-old with seven fights who’s doing that. You won’t get one. You won’t get a 24-year-old with the balls to take a fight like this. For me, it’s one step at a time, I’ve got my challenge, I’m not comparing myself or looking past him.”
“Of course, I’ve got my goals for the future but they go through Matt Bonner like a freak train, like a bullet. They go through him like a missile. So, that’s where I’m at with it.”
Who do you see winning this pivotal Cage Warriors matchup?
Editor’s Note: “Modern History” is being loosely defined as the post-formative years of MMA, when the sport became more widely and thoroughly regulated. Every so often, a fight comes along that’s just so bizarre it causes you to…
Editor’s Note: “Modern History” is being loosely defined as the post-formative years of MMA, when the sport became more widely and thoroughly regulated. Every so often, a fight comes along that’s just so bizarre it causes you to squint at the TV, shake your head, and quietly whisper to yourself; “What the hell am I…