With a roster comprised of over 200 elite mixed martial artists from the UK, Europe and beyond, plus a stacked schedule of events spanning multiple continents, Cage Warriors has established itself as the number one platform for emerging talent.
For over twenty years, the promotion has laid the foundations of Mixed Martial Arts in the region, developing new stars from the first steps of their journey as amateur athletes, to some of the biggest names in professional combat.
An essential part of the process is discovering the sport’s hidden gems and crucially, giving them the spotlight under which to shine.
Cage Warriors’ recent return to the BT Sport Studios for another edition of Unplugged (an exclusive, intimate event in front of an invited studio audience) proved to be yet another chapter in this story, with no less than seven fighters making their promotional debuts and a number of stars being firmly cemented.
Prince McLean, Kiru Singh Sahota, Shawn Da Silva, Pav Sahota, Ryan Hewitt, Alberth Diaz, Jhonata Silva and Yan Blasco all strapped on the famous yellow gloves for the first time on March 24th, with many of them leaving a lasting impression on MMA fans the world over.
Alberth Diaz had a tough first outing under the CW banner, drawing one of the promotion’s most battle-tested hands in Steve ‘Diddy Kong’ Aimable. The Brazilian more than stepped up to the occasion though, scoring a career best decision victory over the perennial contender.
Jhonata Silva made one of the biggest impacts of the night – both metaphorically and literally – landing a pitch-perfect flying knee on former challenger Stipe Brcic that set social media alight.
Perhaps the biggest discovery across the evening’s two cards was quintessential showman Shawn Marcos Claudina Da Silva, who instantly enshrined himself as everyone’s new favourite fighter with an unforgettable walkout, performance and post-fight celebration.
With many more promotional debuts pencilled in for upcoming events in Manchester, Dublin, Rome and beyond, MMA fans the world over can be assured of one thing: Cage Warriors remains the #1 platform for emerging talent.