Cage Warriors will once again kick down the doors of London’s indigo at The O2 on Saturday night, for another barnstorming night of MMA action on UFC Fight Pass.
Final tickets for CW 169 are available here!
With the first bell set to ring in less than 24 hours, CW’s resident Play-by-Play commentator Brad Wharton takes a look at what’s in store!
Vucenic vs D’Anna
Former featherweight champion Jordan ‘The Epidemic’ Vucenic has one thing on his mind as he heads into the Cage Warriors 169 main event: Spectacular finishes.
The Corby man’s last three victories have come by way of second round rear-naked choke variations, and the word on the street is that he might just be looking to go one better come fight night.
Recent finishes aside, Vucenic is known to be buttery smooth on the feet, managing space well and firing off combinations to his heart’s content.
Italy’s Simone D’Anna brings a blitz-heavy, smash mouth style to the cage. He likes to use feints early to set up his trademark rushes, covering distance with blinding speed behind a flurry of fists.
He’s no slouch on the ground either; don’t be shocked to see him attempt the kind of high amplitude takedown he used against Alberth Diaz in his CW debut last year if he can get a hold of Vucenic early.
While he can fall into the trap of getting scrappy as the fight progresses, that sheer tenacity has often seen him through tricky situations.
It’s a clash of styles between two guys with very different toolkits. If D’Anna is the ballpeen hammer, Vucenic is the scalpel.
Kavanagh vs Da Silva
A fight with huge implications for the flyweight division serves as Saturday’s co-feature bout, and it just so happens to be something of a dream bout for CW fans (and commentators).
Lone’er Kavanagh is about as close to a Marvel superhero as MMA is going to get without painting Francis Ngannou green.
Capable off pulling of a dizzying array of kicks, counters and of course, that famous post-fight backflip with the superhero landing, Kavanagh is one of the best value for money fighters on the roster.
If there was ever a man to challenge him for that mantle, it’d be Shawn Marcos Claudino Da Silva, ‘Vato Loco’ to his friends.
European MMA’s best kept secret until he burst onto the scene at March 2023’s Unplugged, Da Silva is now a firmly entrenched fan favourite, and a legitimate contender following his points win over Gerardo Fanny late last year.
The pair are equally fast, equally powerful and equally versatile.
Flip a coin.
But wait, there’s more…
Rounding out the main card are three big fights featuring six big lads who could have designs on Prizefighter places, CW titles – or both – on their minds.
Leon Aliu and Will Currie are set to duke it out in a pivotal bout for the middleweight division.
The Englishman is an immensely strong, unforgiving grappler with a proclivity for pulling unorthodox strikes out of his back pocket in the blink of an eye.
Aliu, by contrast, is a real spit-and-sawdust fighter; a back-to-basics bulldozer who’ll put you down as soon as look at you.
Speaking of Aliu, the last man to beat him, Darren Stewart, is back in action against Brazilian veteran Carlos Pereira.
‘Indio’ has been competing a stunning 22 years, and will be strapping on the gloves for the 53rd time on Saturday night.
Stewart has earned the affectionate nickname ‘Darren Nurmagomedov’ in recent fights for his ever-improving wrestling, but will he want to take Pereira to the mat, or go back to knocking out teeth on the feet, old school Dentist-style?
Finally, opening the show are Olli Santalahti and Jamie Richardson.
‘Young Gun’ is a firm CW favourite following his litany of crowd pleasing brawls in the famous yellow gloves over the years.
Against Santalahti he’ll have to mind his Ps & Qs on the ground; the fearsome Finn is a ground specialist by trade, although he didn’t mind mixing it up against James Sheehan on the feet last time out.
With an undercard stacked with promising prospects, CW Academy graduates, dangerous debutants and returning favourites, fans can once again be assured that when it comes to Cage Warriors, Saturday night is most certainly alright for fighting.
So whether you’re joining us at the indigo at The O2, or live on UFC Fight Pass, its time to get a little action in.