Cage Warriors – Europe’s Leading MMA Organisation – have today revealed a blockbuster championship bout for their long-awaited return to Dublin.
Local favourite James ‘Jimbo Slice’ Sheehan will make his first defence of the 170lbs title when he faces resurgent former challenger Justin Burlinson on Saturday, April 26th at the iconic RDS.
The contest will take place over five, five minute rounds and air live on UFC Fight Pass and international broadcast partners.
The bout has come to fruition after Welterweight PrizeFighter winner Omiel Brown opted to forego his title shot in favour of dropping to the lightweight division.
Team Ryano’s Sheehan (8-3) has been a mainstay in the stacked Cage Warriors welterweight pack since first strapping on the Famous Yellow Gloves in 2019, having competed exclusively in the promotion from that point forward.
A hard-hitter capable of setting a relentless pace both standing and on the canvas, Sheehan holds victories over the likes of Omiel Brown, Olli Santalahti and Jamie Richardson, and despite facing a wealth of elite opposition including UFC stars Ian Machado-Garry and Oban Elliott, has yet to be finished in twenty contests across the amateur and professional ranks.
The Dubliner captured CW gold on the first time of asking earlier this year, with his fourth-round submission of Daniel Konrad in a ‘Fight of the Year’ nominated slug-fest.
Sheehan’s first challenger is no stranger to fighting Irishmen for championship gold.
Sunderland, England’s Justin Burlinson (9-2) will be making his second bid for a Cage Warriors title on the night, having previously fallen inches short against current UFC star Rhys McKee in an all-time classic Belfast brawl.
The 27 year old has since notched up wins over Jamie Richardson and – most recently – Theodor Berggren in an absolute thriller in Newcastle.
Just as notable are Burlinson’s victories outside of the cage; the Team Fish Tank stalwart has fought back from a significant knee injury, while battling – and defeating – testicular cancer.
“2025 will be a big year for Cage Warriors…” said CW President Graham Boylan, “…so there’s no better way to kick off the announcements than with one of the biggest and best title fights we could possibly put together.”
“James Sheehan and Justin Burlinson are two of the most exciting, dynamic and talented athletes on our roster; they’re both offensively minded and neither has a reverse gear.”
“This has all the makings of an all-time classic.”
“Cage Warriors is an Irish-owned organisation, and I’m proud to bring fights of this quality to Dublin as we continue to champion the Irish MMA revolution!”
Additional bouts for CW 188: Dublin will be revealed in due course. Tickets are available via Ticketmaster.ie, with the event streaming live on UFC Fight Pass and international broadcast partners.