Cage Warriors returns to Glasgow for the first time since 2013 in just a few short days, bringing with it a stacked card of local favourites and elite international opposition.
Make no mistake about it, on what is set to be one of the biggest Cage Warriors crowds in recent years, anyone not fighting under the Saltire is going to be up against it.
But it’s not a simple case of a partisan audience; Scottish MMA is booming, and the CW 171 card is a testament to that.
So as we count down the final days to Glasgow, here are the top five CW moments from the stars of the show!
Final tickets for CW 171 are available here!
5: Sean Clancy Jr: The Future of Scottish MMA?
A great man once said of his reasons for fighting “I can’t sing and I can’t dance, and it beats working for a living.”
I don’t know if Sean Clancy Jr can sing or dance, but I hope – with the greatest respect – that he’s awful at both, because the world of mixed martial arts would be a less exciting place without him.
Clancy has looked phenomenal thus far; the sole blot on his copybook a points loss to fellow super-prospect Roan Croker at amateur.
As you can see, the Scott looked impeccable on his Cage Warriors debut against fearsome knockout artist Milton Cabral.
Now would be a good time to board the hype train, because it’s set to leave the station at any minute.
4: Scott Malone: Hellbow Merchant
Commonwealth Judo champ? Heavy handed striker? Savage ground game?
Scott Malone is a bit of all of that.
‘Boom Boom’ has fought a murderer’s row of CW’s lower weight classes; Adam Amarasinghe, Josh Reed, Jack Cartwright, Serdar Altas, Michele Martignoni, Dylan Hazan, Jack Shore… need we say more?
The one thing missing from his CW ledger is a performance on home turf, but on Saturday night he’ll tick that box.
3: Aidan Stephen: Hellbow Merchant Part 2
From a former title challenger to a man with title aspirations on his mind.
It’s been a frustrating time for Aidan Stephen; since dropping down to 135lbs, he’s twice been left without an opponent due to medical issues on fight day.
A ‘phenomenal’ athlete with a suffocating ground game, Stephens looked better than ever at 140lbs against Edward Walls.
Feeling that 135 is his ideal weight, he’s predicting more ruthless finishes like the above performance against previously unbeaten Jack Collins.
2: Reece McEwan: Going for Gold
An undeniable driving force behind Cage Warriors’ Scottish resurgence, Reece McEwan has played a huge part in the promotion’s return to Glasgow this weekend.
No small part of the equation is the devoted, passionate fanbase that has followed him across the UK.
It’s all well and good having support in numbers, but at the end of the day it’s the fighter that has to make them sing.
Thankfully McEwan has no shortage of crowd-pleasing performances on his rap sheet; take this smooth as silk rear naked choke against teak-tough Sam Spencer for example.
Another performance like that, and a second title shot will be within touching distance.
1: Chris Bungard: Bad Guy Rising
We could hardly do a list like this without a mention of the man with his name on the marquee.
Chris Bungard has emerged as a CW fan favourite in recent years and it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see why.
The Bad Guy has never found himself in a fist fight he didn’t enjoy, and his willingness to scrap it out with all comers has endeared him to the faithful.
Mix in a bit of Creedence Clearwater Revival’s all-time classic ‘Bad Moon Rising’, and it’s a recipe for a grand night out.
Nowhere has this been better evidenced than by his performance against Perry Goodwin in Newcastle last year, as memorable for the pair’s walkouts as it was for Bungard’s clinical finish.
Cage Warriors 171 will air live on UFCFightPass and international broadcast partners. Final tickets are available via CageWarriors.com!