With voting now underway for the Cage Warriors 2024 End of Year Awards, we’ll be taking a look at the nominees in each prestigious category over the coming days. Remember to cast your vote at the link below to make your voice heard, and be in with a chance of winning an incredible prize consisting of an assortment of CW goodies and four tickets to a CW event of your choice in 2025!
Cage Warriors End of Year Awards 2024 – Vote Now!
2024 was a huge year for up and comers in the Famous Yellow Gloves, but we think the below five did enough to stand out from the rest of the pack! So before you cast your vote for Cage Warriors Breakthrough Fighter of 2024, lets take a look at the nominees!
Manuel Del Valle
Spain’s next great MMA hope Manuel Del Valle made quite the impression in his debut year under the CW banner. The 27 year old joined us as an undefeated prospect with an impressive and lengthy amateur background, with CW commentator Brad Wharton singling out his bout with Mariusz Mikołajewski at CW 175 as ‘one to watch’ for the hardcores.
The contest lived up to billing, with the Spaniard earning a hard-fought TKO between the second and third rounds. Del Valle followed it up with an even more emphatic victory against local favourite Sergio Gavinelli at CW 179, snatching up an impressive Anaconda Choke in three and a half minutes!
‘Mouzid’ already has one eye on CW gold…and who can blame him?
Sean Clancy Jr
This list wouldn’t have been complete without the addition of a man many believe to be the best prospect in all of European MMA, let alone Cage Warriors.
Sean Clancy Jr had a phenomenal 2024, one that future opponents will no doubt be studying in their attempts to chart the meteoric rise of the Paisley man.
It all stated with an emphatic first round stoppage of Brazilian veteran Lucas Rodrigues. That victory earned him a berth in the September’s Welterweight Prizefighter Tournament, where he breezed experienced finisher Raphael Aronov in 68 seconds. Wanting to squeeze in a final run out before the years end, Clancy took a massive step up in competition against 25+ fight vet Andrey Augusto at CW 181.
The Scottish prodigy scored an emphatic KO against the notoriously tough to finish Brazilian, cementing his place as one of the sport’s top up and comers.
Nik Bagley
GB Top Team’s Nik Bagley took some significant risks in 2024; a year that saw a rapid rise in his level of competition. The 27 year old was quick to rise to the challenge though, and ended the year looking every bit the rising force in the featherweight division.
First up was a mouth watering clash against hometown favourite Ryan Shelley at CW 174 in Dublin. Bagley took charge quickly and locked up a signature rear naked choke just two-and-a-half minutes into the contest.
The Londoner followed that up with yet another patented strangle, this time against noted Judo blackbelt Jordy Bakkes. The win keep Bagley on a 100% streak of rear naked choke finishes in the Famous Yellow Gloves, and positions him for an all out assault on the 145lb division in 2025!
Giuseppe Mastrogiacomo
One of Italy’s fastest rising prospects, Giuseppe Mastrogiacomo has been on fire since signing with Cage Warriors in 2023, but 2024 was the year that saw him break the mould and establish himself as a legitimate threat to anyone in the division.
Fans saw him turn in a virtually flawless performance against then undefeated Seyed Hossein Mousavi at CW 175 in July, but it was later that year on home turf that he truly got the chance to shine.
A one-sided points victory over the significantly more experienced Itay Tratner in the sold out PalaPellecone in June was the performance that really put ‘The Demon’ on the map. With his performances inside the cage and ability to connect with fans, Mastrogiacomo is one to watch!
Alessandro Giordano
If it wasn’t such a stacked field, all three of Alessandro Giordano’s 2024 fights could have been nominated for ‘Fight of the Year’; as it stands, he’ll have to settle for just one, and this nod for the year’s Breakthrough fighter.
After dropping his first two CW bouts, the Italian found himself with his back to the wall this time last year. Talk about facing destiny head on.
First there was the iconic bloodbath against Sam Kelly, but things really picked up with the battle to crown Italy’s bantamweight king in the PrizeFighter Reserve Bout.
With former champion Michele Martignoni vanquished, Giordano emerged from another all-Italian clash at CW 179 in November, earning a split decision in a thriller against Emanuele Zaccaria. Such a run must surely lead to big things in the 27-year-old’s future…
Who’s your breakthrough fighter of the year? Let us know to make your voice heard and be in with a chance of winning some money-can’t-buy prizes!