Return Of The Haque
Cage Warriors flyweight champion Shaj Haque is set to make his long-awaited return to action when he takes on Nicolas Leblond at Cage Warriors 181 in Newcastle, England next month.
The fight on Nov. 23 will be Haque’s first appearance in the famous yellow gloves since he defended his title against Michele Martignoni in Rome in July of 2023. That performance has gone down as one of the most impressive of the Bengali’s impressive career.
“Superman” picked former bantamweight champion Martignoni apart over 25 minutes in the first defence of his Cage Warriors 125-lb. belt, displaying exceptional footwork and impressive cage control throughout. 15 months later, however, he still has a bone to pick with one of the cageside officials.
“Even one of the judges said that I lost two rounds and I was a bit confused by that”, said Haque this week. “I felt like I barely took a single shot in the whole fight. I think to some of the less analytical eyes out there maybe it looked like a close fight, but I think for people who understand fighting, they could tell that I was landing all the impactful strikes and I wasn’t taking any damage. I came out of that fight without a single mark on my face. He was a dangerous fighter, so I was proud of that performance”.
By the time Haque steps into the cage to face Leblond, he will be 16 months removed from his last fight, and he says the hiatus has been a result of life getting in the way.
“Just after that (Martignoni) fight we had another baby” he mentioned. “I became a dad again so that’s why I didn’t fight again in the second half of 2023. But I’ve always been training, I’m always looking to get better.”
“I’ve got a new gym now too so I’ve been taking time to grow that, so that’s why I haven’t been able to fight. I think I’m more motivated now that things have settled down, I’ve got my life back on track so now I’m back”.
A Dangerous Opponent Awaits
Haque won the flyweight belt by knocking out Sam Creasey on New Year’s Eve in 2022 and following the Martignoni bout, he was booked to face Leblond three months ago in London. He was forced to postpone the bout after picking up an injury however, and with the Frenchman riding an impressive five-fight winning streak, Haque realises the challenge he will be facing.
“I have a lot of respect for him” he said. “He’s a dangerous fighter. I think at this level I look at everybody, I always give respect to the guys. Fighting at this level everybody is good, so I actually felt really bad pulling out on him because that happened to me as well when I was signed up for the world title. Sam Creasey pulled out and I remember the devastation I had, so I felt bad for him for pulling out on him but it was whatever it was”.
Leblond’s winning streak has included a hat-trick of highlight reel finishes under the Cage Warriors banner over Ryan Curtis, Michelangelo Lupoli and Scott Malone. The young Frenchman looks to have hit a purple patch in his career and Haque won’t be taking the threat lightly on Nov. 23.
“As a fighter? Yes he’s definitely a dangerous fighter” said the champion. “He’s got knockout power, he’s got submission ability as well, he’s finished people with submissions. But I’m also very excited for it.”
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“He’s a southpaw, obviously that makes it a little bit different. I haven’t fought many southpaws and I think he’ll probably look back on my fight with Jake Hadley and he’ll watch that thinking, ‘Right, how does (Haque) fight southpaws’…I think he’ll be making a big mistake if he watches that fight and tries to figure out what I do.”
“I think people underestimate my ability of understanding positioning (and) footwork. I think he’s gonna find that I’m very different than anybody he spars with or anybody he’s fought. He’s gonna start realising that all these techniques that he has…I’ve watched him. I make sure I watch videos, I’ve got good coaches as well who are very analytical and I’m very confident that what I’m going to bring to the table will be something that he’s never felt before”.
Shaj Haque faces Nicolas Leblond in the co-main event at Cage Warriors 181 on Nov. 23, live on UFC Fight Pass.
