After 17 long months, George Hardwick is finally back in the Famous Yellow Gloves of Cage Warriors. Following an appearance on Dana White’s Contender Series last summer, and a frustrating 2024 lay-off thanks to a broken jaw, Middlesborough’s finest is set for a blockbuster return to action at Saturday’s CW 176, from the Braehead Arena in Glasgow.
Tickets for CW 176 X PrizeFighter are available here!
Prior to his CW hiatus, the younger Hardwick brother had been on an absolute tear through the 155lb division, facing, and dispatching of a murderer’s row of lightweight contenders.
George wasn’t just racking up wins, with each performance he added to an already impressive highlight reel of finishes.
From his first victory in the promotion to his most recent, join us as we take a look back at this list of hellacious Hardwick highlights.
Dean Trueman: CW 124
When George Hardwick strapped on the Famous Yellow Gloves for the second time back in 2021, he was a man with a point to prove.
He’d lost his promotional debut two years prior, against welterweight Madars Fleminas. Since then, he’d kicked-off another winning streak outside the organisation and dropped to a more suitable home of 155lbs.
Still, he’d have no easy task in front of him, matched as he was with former CW champion Dean Trueman.
Any nerves were left back in the changing rooms though, and what we saw was a masterclass.
You can check the bout out in its entirety on the Cage Warriors YouTube channel…why not drop a like and subscribe while you’re there for more CW action?
Yann Liasse: CW 152
Hardwick’s most recent outing in Cage Warriors was a stark contrast to his bout with Trueman.
Where as the Trueman fight took place in an empty York Hall in the midst of a global pandemic, his outing at CW 152 played out before a packed-to-the-rafters BEC Arena.
Far from the fighter looking for his first win in the famous yellow gloves, he was now the defending champion, and the crowd let him know it.
What followed was a ruthlessly clinical performance, with European veteran Liasse barely able to lay a glove on the Englishman, who – by contrast – was able to finish him with a combination so long, he could have been a DLC character in the latest Killer Instinct game.
Lukasz Kopera: CW 134
This CW 134 main card clash was the absolute epitome of a crowd-pleasing, blood ‘n’ guts brawl.
The pair slugged it out tooth and nail for the nine minutes they shared the cage, but it was Hardwick, the smaller of the pair, doing the damage as the bout wore on.
Big hooks, stiff straight and chopping knees gradually broke Kopera down, and at the nine-minute mark referee Dan Movahedi was forced to make the save for the tough-as-old-boots Pole.
It was a breakout performance from the MFI man; a technical brawl that showcased all aspects of his well-rounded skillset.
Chris Bungard: CW Unplugged
Europe’s leading MMA organisation returned to the BT Sport Studios in November 2022 for another edition of Cage Warriors Unplugged.
The unique, intimate atmosphere of the venue allowed the specially invited studio audience to hear every punch, kick, elbow and knee in crunching, close detail.
Hardwick and Bungard created quite the soundscape for the 9+ minute duration of their main event clash, which saw the Englishman retain the gold following a gut-churning second round body shot.
Kyle Driscoll: CW 141
This was the big one. Not Hardwick’s most flawless performance under the Cage Warriors banner, but certainly his most impressive.
July 22nd, 2022 was the date, a long overdue one at that. George had seen a pair of title opportunities fall through his grasp due to no fault of his own.
Win or lose, it was finally time to get it over and done with.
Hardwick vs Driscoll instantly earned its place among iconic Cage Warriors title fights of years past; a real nose to the grindstone effort from two men looking to break the other physically, mentally and emotionally.
Three and a half rollercoaster rounds of action later and it was parmos all round, as Hardwick’s hand was raised, and his championship reign began.
You can catch a full thread of Hardwick’s Cage Warriors career on the CW Twitter account!
Cage Warriors 176 X PrizeFighter will air live on UFC Fight Pass and international broadcast partners.