Cage Warriors’ return to Italy has its main event, as local hero Dylan Hazan faces Ireland’s Caolan Loughran in CW 154’s headline attraction.
The pair will contest the newly-vacant CW bantamweight title over five rounds at the Fiera Roma on Saturday, May 6th.
The championship bout has come to fruition following former title-holder Michele Martignoni’s decision to relinquish the gold, as he makes a return to the flyweight division to pursue a second world championship.
Bari, Italy’s undefeated phenom Dylan Hazan is in the midst of a stunning run of form that has seen him go 4-0 under the CW banner since debuting in the summer of 2021.
A decorated amateur wrestler with national titles to his name, Hazan has beaten a pair of former CW title challengers in Josh Reed and Scott Malone, before stopping Raymison Bruno and Jefferson De Filippis in 2022.
Once set to compete for the flyweight title, Hazan will now vie for the big gold belt at 135lbs.
Defacto #1 contender Caolan Loughran earned his shot at the belt following a phenomenal 2022 campaign, which saw him pick up three wins (and three finishes) en route to being named ‘Breakthrough Fighter of the Year’ in a poll of CW fans.
‘The Don’ first strapped on the famous yellow gloves at CW 135 in Manchester, stopping Bakhtyaar Oryakhail by TKO in the second round.
He followed that up with a star-making performance against Festus Ahorlu in front of a partisan Belfast crowd at CW 140, before notching up a career-best win against former flyweight champion Luke Shanks at CW 145 in London.
“Dylan Hazan is undefeated for a reason and with the home crowd behind him, there’s going to be a serious atmosphere inside the Fiera Roma…” said CW President Graham Boylan.
“Caolan Loughran had one of the most impressive years of anyone on the roster in 2022, proving all his doubters wrong…now he’s going into enemy territory to prove that he has what it takes to be a champion.”
“We’ve had some incredible 135lb champions in Cage Warriors over the years and on May 6th, one of these guys will continue that tradition!”
Fans can sign up for access to the exclusive CW 154 ticket presale here.
Martignoni Vacates, Hazan vs Loughran Set for 135lb Title
