Nathan Fletcher recently hinted that his upcoming opponent may have been receiving special treatment from Valentina Shevchenko ahead of their showdown at UFC Vegas 97. Fletcher is set to make his promotional debut this weekend in a featherweight clash…
Nathan Fletcher recently hinted that his upcoming opponent may have been receiving special treatment from Valentina Shevchenko ahead of their showdown at UFC Vegas 97. Fletcher is set to make his promotional debut this weekend in a featherweight clash against fellow Team Shevchenko newcomer Zygimantas Ramaska. Originally scheduled to fight at UFC Vegas 96 on […]
An Apex card that was already questionable in the minds of some fans received a hit just as the broadcast of UFC Fight Night: Cannonier vs. Borralho started. The broadcast opened with the commentary team announcing that the preliminary card bout between two TUF 32 participants, Zygimantas Ramaska and Nathan Fletcher, was scrapped due to […]
An Apex card that was already questionable in the minds of some fans received a hit just as the broadcast of UFC Fight Night: Cannonier vs. Borralho started.
The broadcast opened with the commentary team announcing that the preliminary card bout between two TUF 32 participants, Zygimantas Ramaska and Nathan Fletcher, was scrapped due to a medical issue for Fletcher. According to UFC commentator Brendan Fitzgerald, the cancellation came just minutes before the card was scheduled to begin.
This knocked the lineup down to five preliminary card fights and five main card bouts.
Zygimantas Ramaska vs. Nathan Fletcher Canceled Due To Medical Issue Minutes Before UFC Fight Night Begins
Both men competed on season 32 of The Ultimate Fighter, which was coached by UFC Women’s Flyweight Champion Alexa Grasso and former champion and upcoming challenger Valentina Shevchenko.
Ramaska defeated Bekhzod Usmonov in the opening round of the featherweight tournament in a fight considered one of the best of the season. However, the Nevada State Athletic Commission did not medically clear him on late notice to move on to the semifinals.
Fletcher, meanwhile, was defeated by Kaan Ofli in the opening round, and any potential plans for him to replace Ramaska in the tournament were dashed the week prior when it was discovered he had a broken fibula.
Ofli and Mairon Santos compete later tonight in the featherweight final of the show, while Ryan Loder and Robert Valentin compete in the middleweight finale.
At Cage Warriors 148, Next Gen Liverpool prospect Nathan Fletcher secured the 7th pro win of his career, claiming a unanimous decision victory over Italian striker, Alessandro Giordano. The fight with Giordano, which took place on New Year’s Eve, marked Fletcher’s first bout of 2022. Having started the year off nursing an injury, Fletcher was […]
At Cage Warriors 148, Next Gen Liverpool prospect Nathan Fletcher secured the 7th pro win of his career, claiming a unanimous decision victory over Italian striker, Alessandro Giordano.
The fight with Giordano, which took place on New Year’s Eve, marked Fletcher’s first bout of 2022. Having started the year off nursing an injury, Fletcher was hoping to return to action in the summer, and then later in the Fall. However, multiple fights would collapse, including a bout vs. UFC veteran Cameron Else.
Eventually, on the last day of the year, Nathan Fletcher found himself with a matchup. ‘The Southport Strangler’ showed that he had continued to improve in 2022, despite not being able to book a fight. A solid well rounded display, in which he demonstrated prowess in both the grappling and striking realms, saw him enter 2023 with an impressive win under his belt.
In a recent interview with LowKickMMA, Fletcher was asked who he envisions facing in the coming year. Whilst Fletcher does have one eye on the current champ, Michele Martignoni, he does already have a win over the Italian. Instead, there was one name that repeatedly came up, that of Caolan Loughran, about whom Fletcher had the following to say:
“That fights bound to happen. I think it’s building up to it. The divisions very interesting at the minute, because obviously, we’ve got (Michele) Martignoni – there was like a little triangle with me, (Dominque) Wooding and Martignoni. Like, I beat Martignoni, Wooding beat me, then Martignoni beats Wooding. Wooding’s out the picture now, he’s signed with PFL. That’s a fight I would have liked to gotten back, obviously, being a competitor. But that’s not gonna happen now.”
“So my focus has kinda switched. I’ve got the Martignoni rematch, which obviously the enticement there for me is the belt, because I’ve already got a win over him… In terms of the competitor in me, the only reason I want that fight is because he’s got the belt. (Caolan) Loughran, again, I beat him, but that was amateur. That was a long time ago. Obviously, he’s improved a lot since then. I’ve improved a lot since then. And he’s got a bit of hype behind him, he’s got a bit of a name. So that fight does really interest me. And the c*** keeps calling me out. He’s called me out a good few times. So, I reckon that’s the fight that’s going to happen at some point next year, definitely.”
Nathan Fletcher defeated Caolan Loughran at Cage Warriors Academy Ireland 1, whilst both men were still on the amateur circuit. He was able to claim a unanimous decision victory over the Irish prospect.
Check out Nathan Fletcher’s full interview with LowKickMMA right here:
Nathan Fletcher reveals he defeated Michele Martignoni whilst suffering from food poisoning!
Whilst a fight with Caolan Loughran may be at the top of his list, a title shot against Michele Martignoni is surely too good a prospect to turn down for Nathan Fletcher.
However, this is a fight the 25-year-old from Southport would be immensely confident in taking. In the same interview, he revealed that he had been suffering from food poisoning the entire day of his original fight with Martignoni, and was still able to overcome ‘The Italian Thunder.’
“So facing him again, it’s not like I want to prove myself, that I can beat him. I’ve already beat him. And actually, when I fought Martignoni, I had food poisoning going into that fight. I was absolutely f***ed. Ask all me teammates, all my coaches. Matt Bonner was there. I didn’t eat a thing all day. And after the fight I was being sick. I came out in a big anaphylactic shock. The doctor had to give me a load of medicine, stuff like that. I was in a bad way. And I still beat him on my worst day.”
Who would you like to see face-off against Nathan Fletcher next? Caolan Loughran, Michele Martignoni, or someone else!?
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