The appearance of hyperlinks does not constitute endorsement by the U.S. Air Force of the information, products, or services contained therein. Editor's note: Grant Liffmann (@grantliffmann) is the co-host of Warriors Outsiders, which airs on NBC Sports Bay Area 60 minutes after every game. Each week, Grant will drop his Outsider Observation on the state of the Dubs. Just for a second, imagine Andrew Wiggins was an unknown player coming up from the G League. His monster contract did not exist, and the years of underwhelming defense. Even so, the first two games have offered a grim reminder that these are not the Warriors who made five straight trips to the N.B.A. Finals between 2014-15 and 2018-19, coming away with three.
Rising French talent Morgan Charriere captured the Cage Warriors featherweight title with a devastating body-shot knockout of England’s Perry Goodwin at Cage Warriors 119.
The pair faced off in the main event of the U.K. promotion’s final leg of its three-night “Trilogy Strikes Back” series at the York Hall in London, with Charriere (16-7-1) scoring a big third-round finish to win the vacant title in style.
Goodwin (10-7) looked the busier man early as he connected with a series of leg kicks, then followed up with a good right hand. But Charriere seemed unconcerned as he patiently looked for openings before crashing a pair of kicks into each of Goodwin’s legs.
Goodwin continued to be the more active man, but Charriere’s strikes appeared to carry the greater power, and a big right hand left the Englishman with a hematoma on the left side of his head as he returned to his corner at the end of Round 1.
Round 2 started with an illegal strike, as a Charriere kick strayed low and caught Goodwin in the groin. After Goodwin took some time to recover, the action resumed, and it was Goodwin whose confidence appeared to grow as he connected with a pair of big right hands.
Then, after three chopping leg kicks forced Goodwin to hop backward to get out of kicking range, Charriere closed the distance and took the Englishman to the mat. Goodwin responded by landing a big elbow off his back and flashing a grin at the Frenchman, but Charriere continued his grappling approach and looked to take his opponent’s back. With time running out in the round, Charriere secured both hooks, but Goodwin shook him off and finished the round with a solid right hand.
Charriere continued to stalk Goodwin at the start of Round 3 and landed a big right hand that opened a cut above Goodwin’s left eye. With Goodwin looking to fire back in reply, Charriere kept his cool and connected with a huge left hook to the body that folded up the Redcar native, who fell to the canvas in clear agony. Referee Marc Goddard stepped in to spare Goodwin any further punishment as Charriere claimed the 145-pound title in decisive fashion.
BODY SHOT! CHARRIERE IS THE CHAMP!
That was a special, special shot 👊 ‘The Last Pirate’ will bring the belt home to France 🏆🇫🇷 #CW119pic.twitter.com/ScRMsT9StF
— Cage Warriors (@CageWarriors) December 12, 2020
Sardari edges past Grant to capture vacant lightweight title
In the night’s co-main event, the Netherlands’ Agy Sardari stepped into the Cage Warriors cage for the first time in his career, then left it as the promotion’s lightweight champion after edging a five-round battle with Jack Grant for the vacant title.
In a cagey opening round, Grant (16-6) worked from the outside and scored with a variety of kicks from range, while Sardari (13-2) seemed content to follow him around the cage and wait patiently for an opening that never really presented itself.
Sardari upped his intensity at the start of Round 2 as he looked to close the distance and put the pressure on Grant, who continued to fire stinging leg kicks and straight punches at the Dutchman. The first big breakthrough came when Grant decked Sardari with a beautifully-timed right hand, but Sardari followed suit and forced Grant to touch down after a left hook found its mark.
The pace dropped somewhat through Round 3, with much of the round spent clinch-fighting against the cage as the two title fighters largely canceled each other out, but Round 4 saw the pair return to their striking as the bout headed into the championship rounds.
Grant continued to pepper Sardari’s legs with kicks, but a solid overhand right, then a three-punch combination from the Dutchman served as a handy reminder that the Englishman needed to remain on his guard toward the end of the round.
With both men bordering on exhaustion after heading into the fifth round for the first time in their respective careers and, with Sardari looking to load up on his punches, Grant rolled for a heel hook, which was defended in part by the Dutchman grabbing the cage. Referee Dan Movahedi saw the illegal move and slapped Sardari’s hand off the fence.
Sardari took Grant’s back and looked to weigh heavy on his rival while connecting with punches to the head. Grant escaped, but Sardari stayed glued to the Englishman. An omoplata attempt from Grant eventually ended with both men back on their feet, swinging for the fences as the final horn sounded.
In the end, the judges were split on the verdict, but it was Sardari who picked up the all-important win to claim the vacant title, with scores of 49-46, 47-48, 48-47.
The Wolverine has done it! 🇳🇱 Agy Sardari is your NEW Lightweight Champion after a technical chess match here at #CW119 🏆♟
That was seriously high level, folks. pic.twitter.com/D18TAQl9lm
— Cage Warriors (@CageWarriors) December 12, 2020
Vucenic grabs split-decision win to send Hughes to first career loss
Paul Hughes and Jordan Vucenic were expected to deliver one of the best bouts of the “Trilogy Strikes Back” series, and the two featherweight contenders didn’t disappoint, as Vucenic (7-1) handed Hughes (6-1) his first career defeat after their bout went to a split decision.
After a busy opening round for both men, it was Hughes who went back to his corner the happier man after dominating the scrambles on the canvas and finishing the round with a flurry of strikes.
Vucenic came back strongly in Round 2 and connected with some solid strikes, switching from powerful body kicks to fast, straight punches. But Hughes’ strikes appeared to carry the greater threat, with the Irishman seemingly happy to walk through “The Epidemic’s” strikes in order to land his own. Vucenic also attempted to lock up a standing arm-triangle choke, but Hughes did well to stop him from taking the pair of them to the mat to finish the submission.
After an icy staredown from across the cage, the pair set to work in Round 3 with both men going for the finish. Hughes continued to load up on his strikes, but Vucenic matched him virtually strike for strike. The pair also seemed well-matched on the canvas as they scrambled for supremacy on the mat. Then, once the action returned to the feet, both men swung for the fences in a last-ditch attempt to land a late knockout blow.
The fight went all the way to the scorecards, however, with Vucenic earning the split-decision nod from the judges with scores of 29-28, 28-29, 29-28 after three highly-competitive rounds.
Razor close! 😲 Jordan Vucenic battles to a split decision win over Paul Hughes in the biggest win of his career!
What. A. Fight. pic.twitter.com/rOPrdAbaA5
— Cage Warriors (@CageWarriors) December 12, 2020
Garry bulldozes Tracey to extend unbeaten record
Undefeated Irish prospect Ian Garry once again showed just why he’s called “The Future” by dismantling Lawrence Tracey in the first round of their welterweight main card bout.
Garry (5-0) made no secret of his key tactic as he shot in for a takedown immediately. Tracey (5-5) sprawled well to avoid the first attempt, but it didn’t take long for Garry to eventually get the fight to the mat and, once there, he postured up and unleashed a barrage of elbows to his grounded opponent until referee Marc Goddard had seen enough.
Garry’s victory extended his finish streak to four, and the super-confident Irishman telling Cage Warriors commentators Brad Wharton and Daniel Strauss that the welterweight belt “is mine” as he stated his intention to go for the vacant 170-pound title in 2021.
McColgan claims first career KO with thumping right hand
Joe McColgan went into his fight with Kieran Lister known for his submission skills, but it was his striking that produced the goods as he claimed his first career knockout victory with a first-round finish.
The fight was a largely scrappy affair, with Lister (7-1-1) effectively nullifying McColgan (7-3-1) for much of the round, but when the pair separated in the final minute, McColgan let his hands go and grazed Lister’s eye with a right hand.
The discomfort appeared to briefly affect Lister, and McColgan closed in and unloaded another combination, finishing with a huge right hand that dropped Lister and forced referee Dan Movahedi to step in and stop the fight at the 4:47 mark.
The victory saw McColgan bounce back from his lightweight title fight defeat to Mason Jones at Cage Warriors 113 in March and put him right back in the frame for a shot at the 155-pound title sometime in 2021.
Duncan kicks off the night with spinning back kick KO
It was a case of “gone in 60 seconds” as Christian Duncan needed just one minute to score a highlight-reel knockout of Lukasz Marcinkoweski in the night’s opening bout.
Duncan (2-0) settled into his work immediately and, after lining up his man, connected clean with a spinning back kick that had a delayed effect on Marcinkoweski (4-3), who stumbled backward and down to the canvas.
Duncan moved in to apply the finishing touches, but the result was already assured as the fight was waved off to give the protege of U.K. MMA veteran Mark Weir his second straight win as a pro.
Also on the preliminary card, Will Currie produced a dominant display to claim a shutout win on the scorecards against Dario Bellandi in their 192-pound catchweight matchup.
Cage Warriors 119 official results
MAIN CARD
Morgan Charriere def. Perry Goodwin via knockout (body punch) – Round 3, 1:55 – to win vacant featherweight titleAgy Sardari def. Jack Grant via split decision (49-46, 47-48, 48-47) – to win vacant lightweight titleJordan Vucenic def. Paul Hughes via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)Ian Garry def. Lawrence Tracey via TKO (elbows) – Round 1, 4:02Joe McColgan def. Kieran Lister via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 4:47Results Warrior Made Recipes
PRELIMINARY CARD
Will Currie def. Dario Bellandi via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-27)Christian Duncan def. Lukasz Marcinkoweski via knockout (spinning back kick) – Round 1, 1:00Video: Cage Warriors 119 fight week vlog
Cage Warriors 119: Best photos
Cage Warriors middleweight champion Nathias Frederick struggled with his footing in his first title defense at Cage Warriors 118, but eventually planted his feet and scored a huge knockout to retain his title in London on Friday night.
The event, which took place at the York Hall in the English capital, saw Frederick (9-2-1) take on Jamie Richardson in the main event, and the Birmingham native known as “Notorious” endured two frustrating rounds before finally connecting with a sledgehammer left hook that knocked Richardson (9-6) out cold seconds into Round 3.
Things looked positive for the champion in the opening seconds of the fight, as Frederick dropped Richardson with his very first punch of the fight, a huge overhand right. But after Frederick let the challenger back to his feet, Richardson composed himself well and started to enjoy some success of his own. A solid right hand found its mark and, with Frederick continuing to slip on the canvas, “Young Gun” took advantage and picked up the champion before slamming him powerfully to the mat.
Frederick came out aggressively at the start of Round 2 and slammed a series of chopping leg kicks into Richardson’s lead leg. But Richardson stayed calm on the outside and looked to score with clean shots as the champion moved into striking range. Frederick continued to target Richardson’s legs throughout the round, but also continued to have problems with his feet slipping on the canvas as he fought slightly off-balance throughout the round.
After a frustrating start to the fight, Frederick came flying out of his corner for Round 3. He closed the distance on Richardson and, after a high kick forced the challenger back against the cage, a huge left hook sent Richardson face-planting to the canvas for a huge knockout.
It gave Frederick his first title defense and his third knockout win from his last four outings as the 37-year-old cemented himself as the man to beat in the U.K. promotion’s 185-pound division.
Damiani claims split-decision success on Cage Warriors debut
In the night’s co-main event, Italian newcomer Leonardo Damiani scored a big win on his Cage Warriors debut as he outworked Wales’ Aaron Khalid over three rounds in their welterweight matchup.
Damiani (9-2-1) made no secret of his tactics as he came wading in early looking to score with huge overhand punches, and after one shot clipped Khalid (10-6-1), the Welshman went to the canvas. However, the Italian, knowing Khalid’s grappling credentials, opted instead to let his opponent get back to his feet. Khalid then turned to his wrestling to nullify Damiani’s threat, but was unable to overly trouble the Italian with his grappling.
Round 2 saw more of the same, with Damiani attempting to connect with haymakers and troubling Khalid with his strikes, while Khalid attempted once again to use his grappling to keep the bout in his favor. With the Italian’s pace starting to drop after a series of scrambles on the mat, Khalid turned to some strikes of his own as he connected with three thumping body kicks, then a spinning back elbow, before taking his man to the mat. Khalid then finished the round in top position raining down strikes on his opponent as the round came to a close.
Khalid wasted no time in shooting for a takedown at the start of Round 3 as he looked to push the pace on Damiani. With both men looking fatigued, Damiani finally opted to engage with the Khalid on the mat as the pair scrambled their way across the canvas, this time with the Welshman playing defense. Then, after Khalid briefly threatened with a heel hook attempt, Damiani returned to the dominant position before finally stepping back up so the final 20 seconds could play out in the standup.
After a grueling three-round battle, the judges were called into action, and it was the debutant who got the nod, with a split-decision verdict falling his way, with scores of 29-28, 28-29, 29-28.
Bonner gets the nod after breathless stand-up war
Results Warrior Made Free
Former Cage Warriors welterweight title challenger Matt Inman returned to after a three-year absence and found himself in a stand-up war with Matthew Bonner in a wild middleweight clash.
Inman (20-11) looked the better technical striker early, and scored well with some smartly-timed counters but Bonner (8-6-1) held the upper hand throughout, thanks to his relentless forward pressure and higher strike output. After the first four minutes of an already-busy opening round, Bonner turned up the pressure and finished the round with a furious flurry that had referee Dan Movahedi keeping a close eye on proceedings.
Inman looked unruffled as he returned to his corner, however, and he continued to score off the back foot when the action resumed in Round 2. Bonner kept up his forward pressure and bloodied the nose of the Cage Warriors veteran, but despite shipping more punishment than his opposite number, Inman remained a factor in the fight with his well-placed, well-timed counter shots catching the eye.
Perhaps knowing Bonner’s output gave his opponent the edge ahead after the first two rounds, Inman piled on the pressure early in Round 3 and briefly gave Bonner a moment’s pause with a stinging right hand. But the action continued at a relentless pace as the pair traded shots for the remainder of the fight as the bout went all the way to the judges’ scorecards.
Overall, Bonner’s more aggressive approach and higher output across the three rounds proved to be the difference-maker in the fight. He emerged the winner with scores of 29-28, 30-27, 30-27 to register his fourth win from his last five outings, and his second straight victory under the Cage Warriors banner.
Fleminas bounces back into the win column after thrilling battle
Latvian welterweight Madars Fleminas snapped a two-fight skid and returned to winning ways after a thrilling three-round war with Merseyside’s Mick Stanton.
After a back-and-forth opening round that saw Stanton (6-6) look to move his way inside Flaminas’ reach to score from the inside, “The Huyton Hammer” looked to make his power tell in Round 2. Applying controlled forward pressure, the former boxer scored with some solid punches as he effectively timed Flaminas’ attacks and countered sharply.
However, an attempted throw from Huyton ended with Flaminas (8-2) landing on top, sparking a wild series of scrambles on the mat as “The Latvian Express” went to work in search of a submission. Stanton did well to escape his opponent’s clutches, but Flaminas’ grappling superiority meant the fight was hanging in the balance heading into the third and final round.
Both men planted their feet and swung for the fences in Round 3, with Flaminas throwing wild strikes form the outside and Stanton looking to walk his man onto his shorter, heavier shots. In the end it was Flaminas’ higher output that proved decisive as he earned the nod from the three judges at cageside, who all awarded the fight to the Latvian with scores of 29-28, 29-28, 30-27 after three all-action rounds.
McAleenan weathers early storm before scoring submission finish
Lightweights Decky McAleenan and Adam Ventre kicked off the main card, and it was Liverpool’s Ventre (8-5) who was the aggressor early as he looked to impose himself from top position for much of the round, while McAleenan (7-3) tried to stay active from his back.
However, despite the Irishman’s spirited attempts to snatch an armbar, then a triangle choke, Ventre did a good job of staying out of trouble and scored with strikes from within his opponent’s guard as the round came to a close.
Ventre changed up his approach at the start of Round 2 and rolled for a kneebar, but McAleenan spied the danger, avoided the submission and then put himself in position to win the fight.
After escaping the submission attempt, McAleenan swiftly moved to the the Liverpool native’s back and locked up a tight rear-naked choke that forced the tap at the 1:13 mark.
Preliminary card recap
The action was fast and furious on the preliminary card, with Liam Gittins picking up a superb second-round submission win over former bantamweight title challenger Josh Reed in the featured preliminary bout of the night.
The pair went back and forth on the mat through a fast-paced opening round, but when Gittins (6-1) locked up a triangle choke in the first minute of the second round, he only needed a few additional seconds to adjust his technique before Reed (10-5) was forced to tap.
Warriormade.com
Steve Aimable (15-8) also enjoyed a night to remember at the York Hall, as he showcased his hands in a blistering first-round TKO finish of Tom Mearns (6-6), while in the night’s opening bout, Nathan Fletcher (4-0) picked up a solid submission finish after locking up a second-round rear-naked choke to defeat Leigh Mitchell (3-2).
The bad blood continued after the final buzzer following the featherweight bout between Ben Ellis and Kingsley Crawford. After the fight went all the way to the scorecards, Crawford (5-3) seemed unimpressed with Ellis (3-0), but the judges had a different opinion, with all three scoring the fight 29-28 in favor of the undefeated Welshman.
Cage Warriors 118 official results
Warrior Made 2020
MAIN CARD
Nathias Frederick def. Jamie Richardson via knockout (punch) – Round 3, 0:18Leonardo Damiani def. Aaron Khalid via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)Matthew Bonner def. Matt Inman via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)Madars Fleminas def. Mick Stanton via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)Decky McAleenan def. Adam Ventre via submission (rear-naked choke) Round 2, 1:13PRELIMINARY CARD
Liam Gittins def. Josh Reed via submission (triangle choke) – Round 2, 1:08Steve Aimable def. Tom Mearns via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 2:12Ben Ellis def. Kingsley Crawford via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)Nathan Fletcher def. Leigh Mitchell via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 4:18Video: Cage Warriors 118 fight week vlog
Cage Warriors 118: Best photos