Cage Warriors is set to make its long-anticipated debut in Italy on Friday with Cage Warriors 144: Rome. The main event will see the Cage Warriors bantamweight championship be defended as defending champion Dom Wooding (9-4) takes on Michele Martignoni (9-1) in front of a partisan crowd for the Italian challenger.
Cage Warriors 144 will stream live on UFC Fight Pass from Fiera Roma in Rome, Italy beginning at 1:45 p.m. ET/10:45 a.m. PT for the prelims with the five-fight main card set to begin immediately after.
Wooding vs Martignoni
A victory over the Italian Martignoni would give Wooding a second title defense at 135 pounds following his first defense at Cage Warriors 132. The Brit is a perfect 3-0 since coming to Cage Warriors from Bellator with three knockouts. The London native’s power is his calling card as all nine of his wins have come by way of knockout or technical knockout with five wins in the first round. Wooding is as explosive as any bantamweight fighter in Europe, and the power he displays at 135 could play in the UFC, particularly if he is able to score another dominant victory on Friday.
However, Wooding is also 0-3 when fights reach the judges’ scorecards. Martignoni, meanwhile, has won by decision at least twice in his 10-fight career with both wins coming in Cage Warriors where he holds a 2-1-1 record. The Italian, who stands at 5-foot-9, will be able to measure up to the champion from a physical standpoint as both fighters are big for the weight class. The two sides to Friday’s main event do share a common Cage Warriors opponent, however, in Nathan Fletcher. While Wooding knocked Fletcher out in dramatic fashion late in the third round of their bantamweight title fight at Cage Warriors 127, Martignoni fell in the third round of their fight, succumbing to a rear-naked choke at Cage Warriors 122.
“I’ve got a gift for you tomorrow” 👀
Find out what was in the gift Michele Martignoni handed to Dom Wooding at the #CW144 weigh-ins in the latest episode of Unlocked ⤵️
📺 𝗪𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝗶𝘁 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲: https://t.co/02ZJy5JzFy pic.twitter.com/I1ySvP20KZ
— Cage Warriors (@CageWarriors) October 6, 2022
Rest of the Card
Cage Warriors 144 will see a co-main event of Italian Carlo Pedersoli taking on Latvian Madars Fleminas. Pedersoli, a three-fight UFC veteran, is 2-1 since being released from the promotion in 2019, with his one loss coming at Bellator Euro Series 9. Meanwhile, “The Latvian Express” Fleminas is seeking to extend his Cage Warriors winning streak to three with a win on Friday.
Italian fighters will make up at least one-half of each of the fights on Friday’s show. Other intriguing bouts include 8-0 Dylan Hazan taking on Italian countryman Jefferson Machado De Filippis. Women will round out the main card as fight fans will be treated to a bout between 1-0 fighters Jasmine Favero and Awa Sow, as well as a fight between Brony Tyrell and Dana White’s Contender Series alum Micol de Segni, who trains out of Jackson Wink MMA in Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA. Meanwhile, battle-tested Bogdan Barbu out of Romania will look to right the ship after a Cage Warriors 137 loss as he faces 4-1 Emanuele Zaccaria in the final fight of the prelims.
Cage Warriors 144 Results
Main Card
Michele Martignoni def. Dominique Wooding via Unanimous Decision (49-45, 49-46, 49-46) — for the Cage Warriors Bantamweight Championship
Carlo Pedersoli Jr. def. Madars Fleminas via Submission (RNC) at 3:38 of Round 2
Dylan Hazan def. Jefferson Machado De Filippis via TKO (punches) at 2:40 of Round 1
Jasmine Favero def. Awa Sow via Submission (Americana) at 2:01 of Round 1
Micol Di Segni def. Bryony Tyrell via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
Prelims
Emanuele Zaccaria def. Bogdan Barbu via Submission (Heel Hook) at 1:04 of Round 1
Dario Bellandi def. Joan Arastey via Submission (Triangle Choke) at 1:13 of Round 2
Emanuele Sabatino def. Karol Michalak via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
