It’s a packed Friday of MMA beginning in the afternoon. After another “Prizefighter” tournament earlier this month, Graham Boylan‘s Cage Warriors returns to action with a doubleheader weekend in the UK. To kick it off, the promotion heads to BEC Arena in Manchester for Cage Warriors 177.
It’s another “Unplugged” event, so named because attendance is limited to invited audience members. Live coverage begins at 2 pm ET/ 11 am PT on UFC Fight Pass Friday afternoon with the prelims before moving onto the main card at 4:30 pm ET/ 1:30 pm PT on the subscription-based platform.
All told, barring any further alterations to the card on Friday, the final version of Cage Warriors 177 features a 10-fight card. There’s been a change to the main event, however.
Blair Takes on Pirtea in New Cage Warriors 177 Main Event
Originally, the Cage Warriors 177 main event was to have been a contest for the promotion’s welterweight championship between current titleholder James Sheehan (8-3 MMA, 7-2 CWFC) and Giannis Bachar (9-2 MMA, 2-0 CWFC) in the latter’s Cage Warriors return.
Last week, news broke that Sheehan was forced to bow out from the card due to injury. Instead, what had been scheduled to serve as the co-main event now moves up to the main event slot.
Lightweights take to the cage when Chasen Blair (5-2 MMA, 5-2 CWFC) meets up with Florin Pirtea (8-2 MMA, CWFC promotional debut.) With no title at stake, the new Cage Warriors 177 main event is an advertised maximum of three rounds at five minutes per round to close the show.
We Can't Wait for This Lightweight Fight 🤩
Chasen Blair is headed across the pond for battle with Florin Pîrtea on September 20th at #CW167 Unplugged 🏴 pic.twitter.com/aUrbj7wZ3C
— Cage Warriors (@CageWarriors) September 10, 2024
Cage Warriors 177 Main Event Fighter Comparison
Heading into the new Cage Warriors 177 main event on Friday afternoon, Chasen Blair stands as the taller man at 5-foot-10, compared to the 5-foot-9 frame of Florin Pirtea. No reach information is accessible at press time.
Currently, the oddsmakers have no money lines accessible for Cage Warriors 177 on Friday. If you plan on betting on this or any other fight this weekend, please wager responsibly.
Blair Looks to Run Winning Streak to Three Friday Afternoon
Chasen Blair enters the Cage Warriors 177 main event on Friday having posted a record of 3-2 in his last five fights. Currently, he’s on a two-fight winning streak.
Most recently, he scored a first-round submission (armbar) versus Arturs Lesans (9-8 MMA, 0-1 CWFC) on May 25 during Cage Warriors 172. He had to take a weight cut down from 170 lbs. ahead of his last contest, something that he talked about after the fight.
“Obviously, weight cuts are weight cuts,” Blair began. “It took a lot of discipline. It’s my third fight in five months. I had a two-week layoff and then six weeks, decided to move down. What you guys saw tonight, that’s a byproduct of all the people around me, coaches, my family, my girlfriend. She’s meal-prepping with me, she’s making sure, helping me, doing everything I can to make the weight.”
With Blair now permanently fighting at 155 lbs., can he make it three wins in succession under the short-notice elevation to the main event spotlight in Cage Warriors 177 on Friday? Tune in and find out.
Pirtea Looks to Return to Win Column in First Fight Since 2022
In the other corner, Florin Pirtea has gone 3-2 himself over his last five fights. Last time out, he sustained a third-round submission (armbar) at the hands of Cristian Iorga (7-2 MMA, 0-1 CWFC) in December of 2022.
Since then, he’s had three fights cancelled on him between June of last year and March of this year, making the Cage Warriors 177 main event his first contest in 21 months’ time. Florin Pirtea has had ample time to reflect on what went wrong a couple of years ago.
At the same time, the age-old questions have come up once again: What kind of ring rust does he have and how much has he been able to train? We’ll know soon enough.
Analysis, Film Study, and Prediction
The Cage Warriors 177 main event looks to favor Chasen Blair, a wrestler, while Florin Pirtea is a kickboxer. Who will emerge victorious?
Blair Has Fists of Fury
Chasen Blair has won all of his fights before the final bell tolls, Four of those wins have been knockouts, including his 2022 tussle versus Rickie Moore.
During the opening round, Blair executed a slam and took top position on the mat, seizing control of the contest. About two and a half minutes into the period, he unloaded with ground and pound shots.
With no effort being made by Moore, the referee waved off the fight. If Chasen Blair is able to pin Florin Pirtea down on the canvas during the Cage Warriors 177 main event, he’s got this in the bag.
Look for Pirtea to Exhaust Blair
In the other corner, if he needs to, Florin Pirtea can go deep into the fight and wear his adversary down, as was the case in his kickboxing match against Tanase Stefan in 2018. Throughout the contest, he teed his adversary up with a variety of strikes.
While Stefan attempted to counter, Pirtea was always there to land the shots to force him to back up against the ring ropes. In short, this was one-way traffic for Florin Pirtea, who took the bout via unanimous decision on the scorecards.
Pirtea’s key: Keep Blair standing and don’t give him a chance to create any kind of opportunity for himself.
Final Thoughts
This is a great start to a day-night doubleheader of MMA. If you have to go to work inside the United States, you might want to leave the office early on Friday so that you won’t miss the Cage Warriors 177 main event.
Prediction: Chasen Blair by First-Round KO.
