Cage Warriors, the premier mixed martial arts promotion of the United Kingdom, returns to Manchester for Cage Warriors 152 on Saturday afternoon. Fans at the Bowlers Exhibition Centre will be treated to a lightweight championship fight between incumbent champion George Hardwick, and Yann Liasse.
Fight fans can catch Cage Warriors 152 streaming live on UFC Fight Pass, with the preliminary bouts set to get underway at 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT. The main card is set to begin three hours later.
Cage Warriors Lightweight Championship — Hardwick vs. Liasse
Cage Warriors 152 will be headlined by a lightweight title fight between current champion, Hardwick (11-1), and Liasse (9-1). Hardwick, like many of Cage Warriors’ talented championship lineup, could be knocking on the door of the UFC, but given his activity level as champion, it is probable that he could fight again for the Irish-based promotion. However, the talented lightweight champion will need to get through a formidable foe in Luxembourg’s Liasse, who will be looking to steal some shine off the champion and become a champion in Cage Warriors.
Liasse trains under Miomir Vujovic at the Soko Training Center in his native country. He has compiled an impressive challenger’s resume since turning pro on the European regional scene, fighting primarily for KSW, one of Europe’s biggest promotions based out of Eastern Europe. He went 3-0 as a member of the KSW roster and likely positioned himself for a title shot has he not signed with Cage Warriors. He too could have a path to the UFC if he can win on Saturday, and should he ever compete in the UFC, he would be the first fighter from Luxembourg to make the walk to the Octagon.
Rest of the Card
The co-main event will see Nathan Fletcher return to the cage after a unanimous decision victory against Alessandro Giordano . Fletcher will be eager to further state his case for a title fight when he takes on Dutch fighter Daan Duijs. Duijs was originally scheduled to face Reece McEwan, but McEwan withdrew from the bout with a staph infection. Duijs, unlike most Dutch fighters who are known for their kickboxing style, likes to finish fights with his grappling. Six of his seven career wins have come on the ground, three of which have come by way of triangle choke.
Andy Clamp will do battle with the rising prospect Ghassan Abdenabi, who is currently 4-0 as a professional. James Power returns to action after having one of the best debuts in the promotion back in 2022 when he put on an MMA masterclass against Irish talent Adam Shelley. Power will be taking on long-time Cage Warriors veteran and former title contender Łukasz Kopera. The card will also see the return of the self-proclaimed king of France Adam Cullen who opens the main card. Now 6-0 professionally, The Next Generation MMA product looks to further prove his level when he takes on Italian prospect, Dumitru Girlean.
The prelims feature Cage Warriors debutants Chris Price and Leuan Davies. Both prospects have captured regional titles in their careers, fighting for promotions such as Full Contact Contender and UKFC. Returning prospect Luke Riley will face an unbeaten 2-0 fighter in Kallum Parker. Riley is no stranger to captivating the fans in Manchester, where he previously won by way of knockout against Karol Kutyła.
Another fan-friendly fight ticketed for the prelims goes down between two veterans of UK MMA in Chris Bungard and “Mr. Big Tasty”, Gavin Hughes. Both fighters have earned their stripes during their respective careers. Scotland’s Bungard, who has 25 professional fights under his belt, last challenged for the lightweight title but ultimately came up short against Hardwick, the headliner of Saturday’s card. Hughes enters the contest coming off of two straight losses, but has shown promise in his young career with nine of his ten victories coming by way of finish. Antonio Sheldon will also compete against Orlando Wilson Prins out of Holland in the one of the opening bouts of the evening.
Cage Warriors 152 Results
Main Card
George Hardwick def. Yann Liasse via TKO (Punches) at 4:10 of Round 1 — for the Cage Warriors Lightweight Championship
Nathan Fletcher def. Daan Duijs via Submission (Triangle Choke) at 4:12 of Round 1
James Power def. Lukasz Kopera via TKO (Corner Stoppage) at 5:00 of Round 2
Dumitru Girlean def. Adam Cullen via Knockout (Overhand Right) at :04 of Round 3
Luke Riley def. Kallum Parker via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Preliminary Card
Madars Fleminas def. Aleksi Mäntykivi via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
Euan Davies def. Dec Dean via Submission (Guillotine) at 3:21 of Round 1
Chris Bungard def. Gavin Hughes via Split Decision (30-27, 28-29, 29-28)
Michał Folc def. Chris Price via TKO (Strikes) at 3:58 of Round 1
Liam Gittins def. Rory Evans via TKO (Strikes) at 4:23 of Round 2
Orlando Wilson Prins def. Antonio Sheldon via Split Decision (30-27, 27-30, 29-28)
