With the PrizeFighter draw looming ever closer, it’s time to profile another athlete set to compete for tournament glory!
Tickets for CW 174 X PrizeFighter are available here!
The brainchild of CW President Graham Boylan, in association with Mola and Fairtex, PrizeFighter is a one-night tournament with a life-changing $50,000 prize and the promise of a shot at the World Title for the winner.
Cage Warriors resident Play-by-Play man Brad Wharton (who has allegedly watched the UFC 3 tournament 27 times) is back with a look at the chances of an Italian super-prospect.
Who is he?: The fighting pride of Napoli, Alessandro Giordano carved out a reputation as one of the hottest prospects on the Italian MMA circuit before signing with Cage Warriors in the winter of 2022.
When your promotional debut sees you lined up with former title challenger and current TUF competitor Nathan Fletcher, it speaks volumes as to how highly regarded you are in the grand scheme of things.
Giordano didn’t disappoint, making Fletcher fight for every inch of his points victory.
And while a second decision loss to countryman Enrico Di Gangi would follow, Giordano finally found his form with a brutal, back-and-forth bloodbath against hometown favourite Sam Kelly in Manchester; a bout that left our white canvas splattered red.
It may feel like jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire, but Giordano is ready to test his mettle in the PrizeFighter.
How does he win?: Cardio is king, or so they say. Giordano’s war with Kelly became as much a battle of wills as of skills, and it was the Italian’s late-fight pace-pushing that found him the third round finish.
With two fights over (potentially) six rounds in one night, Giordano’s best weapon might just be his gas tank, as opposed to anything he’s going to hit his opponent with.
The Italian’s snappy combinations, often punctuated by leg kicks, are going to feel all that worse once the 20-minute mark has been breached.
Who should he fight?: From a fan’s point of view, there really isn’t a bad fight for Giordano in this tournament.
Forced to choose though, as heart-breaking as it would be for our Italian fans, I’d love to see him drawn against Martignoni in the semi-finals.
Both possess phenomenal speed and cardio, and the clash would likely be a striking fans delight.
And as tough as it may be for our Italian brothers and sisters to see two of their own going at it, as least they’d be guaranteed representation in the finals…
Why should you care?: Giordano has been on a quest for self-improvement since first strapping on the famous yellow gloves.
Part of that is the customary pilgrimage across the Atlantic, where he’s got the rounds in with everyone from Clay Guida to Song Yadong.
Undefeated UFC bantamweight Payton Talbot has been putting in the work with the Italian, and had some words of encouragement for his training partner.
“Alessandro Giordano is the hardest working Italian I know! It’s only a matter of time until he gets to the UFC. After he’s done dominating his regional scene he will be welcomed with open arms!”
Which fight should you watch?: Like big, bloody punch ups? You’re a degenerate MMA fan, of course you do!
That being the case, you could do a lot worse than soaking in the claret-covered chaos that was Giordano’s recent bout with Sam Kelly from CW 168, which can be found in full on UFC Fight Pass.
The 135lb PrizeFighter will air on UFC Fight Pass and International Broadcast Partners as part of CW 174: London.