April was jam-packed with so much Cage Warriors action, one Rewind alone wouldn’t cut the mustard. CW’s resident play-by-play commentator Brad Wharton takes a look back at some more of last month’s stand-out moments, as we said goodbye to a legend and hello to a new unified CW champion!
King of the Mountain
Skeletor might have ruled Snake Mountain but his Cage Warriors namesake, Rhys ‘Skeletor’ McKee, now rules over the 170lbs division with an iron fist.
It was arguably the most pivotal fight in the Ballymena man’s career and if the stakes weren’t high enough, the bout also served as the last dance of UKMMA legend ‘Judo’ Jim Wallhead.
A changing of the guard, a passing of the torch, call it what you will. It was in equal parts beautiful and painful to watch; a masterclass in the cage from McKee, and a display of genuine respect for a legend in the aftermath.
Wallhead’s story is written, his place in the history books locked-in.
Now, it’s McKee’s turn to follow in his footsteps.
The Last Pirate Plunders Dublin
Morgan Charriere hasn’t had the best of luck of late with opponents not making it to the cage. Unfortunately for Brazilian submission wizard Pedro Souza, he bore the brunt of ‘The Last Pirate’s frustrations at CW 153.
It wasn’t all one-way traffic though; as Charriere himself had predicted, Souza’s best chance came early with an unorthodox reverse triangle attempt.
The Frenchman hung tough though, and when the opportunity presented itself towards the end of the first round…well, see for yourself…
McCorry Has a Knees Up
There’s nothing like a good, old-fashioned Irish knees-up…just ask Paddy McCorry.
The Fight Academy Ireland man showed his mettle last November when, in just his third professional bout, he stepped up at the 11th hour to give a good account of himself against former champion James Webb.
No doubt bolstered by that performance, it was clear that McCorry intended to give fans a performance to remember in Dublin, throwing big, spectacular shots from the off.
When he finally found the sweet spot, it was game over.
Harila’s Bad Intentions
For the best part of two and a half rounds, it looked like Ryan Shelley had solved the riddle of the featherweight berserker that is Tobias ‘Bad Intentions’ Harila.
Proving that ‘relentless’ might be the best adjective to describe him though, Harila rallied in the third to finish the hometown hero in devastating fashion with a three-strike combination.
The flurry not only earned him the ‘W’ on the night, it also garnered the Swedish wrecking machine a call-up to Dana White’s Contender Series this summer.
Shelley Goes O’Malley
This one speaks for itself; Shelley looked silky smooth against ‘The Thracian Gladiator’ Muhammed Kir Ahmet, before closing the show with a sequence that put Sean O’Malley on notice that the Irish are the true kings of Spinning Style.
Oban Elliott Does Gangster Things
Every time we think Oban Elliott can’t be more gangster, he outdoes himself in the certified bad man stakes.
This time, he strutted into Dublin and turned in a workmanlike performance against top welterweight contender James Sheehan deep in enemy territory.
Elliott was awarded eight of the nine scored rounds on the judges’ scorecards, firmly entrenching him at the top of the 170lb division.
The Welsh Gangster will make a quick turnaround, with his next outing already pencilled in for Cage Warriors’ return to Cardiff on July 1st: Tickets are available now!