And just…like…that, we’re halfway through the 2025 campaign. It’s been a wild first half of the year for Europe’s Leading MMA Organisation, with champions returning, titles defended and new kings crowned. So join us as Play-by-Play man Brad Wharton takes a fine-toothed comb through some of Cage Warriors best moments of 2025…so far!
CW 183: Rome
The 2025 Cage Warriors campaign started less than ideally for me, with a double dose of Norovirus and Pneumonia. Turns out having one properly functioning lung isn’t conducive to shouting at violence for a living, so I was forced to remain in sunny old England while the CW crew hopped over to Italy to get the season underway.
What that did mean though, was that between large doses of intravenous anti-biotics and intermittent coughing fits, I got to enjoy a rare treat; sitting down at home and firing up UFC Fight Pass to take in the Cage Warriors experience as a fan.
And what a treat it was. From Aiden Lee pulling the rug out from under Giuseppe Mastrogiacomo, to Dario Bellandi and Naglis Kanišauskas throwing down for five thrilling, enthralling rounds of razor-close action; there was something for everyone on the first stop of the tour.
There were, of course, a couple of stand out moments that we’d be remiss not to mention, the first of which was the evening’s main event between Liam Gittins and Alessandro Giordano. Following one of the tensest build-ups in CW history (to the point that event MC Hywel Chaplin had to jump in on security duties during their pre-fight stare-down), the pair engaged in a thoroughly compelling two-and-a-half round scrap.
Tragedy struck though when an errant eye-poke in the third brought proceeding to a screeching halt. When you’ve seen enough of these over a long period of time, you get a feeling for the outcome pretty quickly, and in this case it wasn’t good.
Of course a fighter who is compromised in any way shouldn’t continue, but for a multitude of reasons (financial, moral, it being the ‘done thing’, whatever), MMA fans are conditioned to expect athletes begging and pleading with the doctor to be allowed to continue through all manner of dire circumstances.
That led to a proverbial bad taste left in the mouth when referee Rich Mitchell was forced to put and end to the night by way of a no contest, and the fans let their displeasure be known. Little did we know, there was another chapter in this particular story still to be written.
One unquestionably bright spot from the evening though was the re-emergence of Giuseppe Ruggeri as a serious contender in the Cage Warriors featherweight division.
‘Gear Fifth’ barely got out of second as he uncorked an explosive finishing sequence on Orlando Wilson Prins, sending the veteran down to the canvas just six minutes into their contest.
CW 184: Unplugged
One week later (and still sporting only one fully operational lung) I joined the team in Manchester for what looked to be another classic double header at the BEC Arena. The first night would be ‘Unplugged’; CW’s private, invite only showcase of our international roster.
What they don’t tell you about large venues like the BEC is that when they’re empty, they’re freezing cold…less than ideal circumstances while I was still shaking like I had a Nokia 3210 on vibrate in my pocket. Still – armed with my largest parka in true Mancunian spirit – it was time to call some sick fights…and I do mean sick.
CW 184 featured a few naughty knockouts, but two in particular stick in the mind.
First up, a CW favourite, Damon Wilson, was back in action, looking to follow up on the devastating finish he’d scored in his first ever Cage Warriors main event back in December.
‘The Nomad’ had blasted the super game Ryan Lilley with a salvo of knees for his first ever finish in at the Sycuan Casino. In Manchester he’d prove that it was much more than a one-off, pulverising Leandro Camargo with a series of bone-on-bone connections that put his man down just minutes into their bout.
It was a performance that earned Benton, Illinois a berth on Dana White’s Contender Series, and if that means that Wilson’s Cage Warriors story is complete, its fitting that it ended just how it started, with a series of blistering finishes that brought crowds to their feet.
Speaking of big knockouts, few have them in the locker like big Mike Tchamou. Unfortunately for El Jaguar, the man stood opposite him in the cage at CW 184 had plans on establishing his own legacy in the Famous Yellow Gloves.
Mantas Kondratavičius, a promotional debutant from Kanaus, Lithuania, rocked up to Manchester intent on making a statement and just 48 seconds into the contest, he got his wish.
An absolute rocket of a right cross left Tchamou face down on the canvas and word on the street – at least on my street, I don’t know where you live – is that Manny may too be on the cusp of swapping yellow gloves for blue…
CW 185: Manchester
With Unplugged in the bag, it was back to the (considerably warmer) BEC the following night for a full house packed with screaming Mancs, Scousers and anyone else who’d managed to bag a ticket for what was rumoured to be the final Cage Warriors appearance of a CW icon.
It’s rare that one fighter is responsible for so many great memories in a venue, but Luke Riley had made the BEC his fortress. Walking out along an entranceway lined with adoring fans to the heavy, monotonous bassline of Azari & III’s ‘Hungry for the Power’, before trading the laidback vibes of a modern house classic for a cacophony of unbridled violence, often punctuated by a show stealing knockout.
Jack Eglin, Kallum Parker, Alexandre Junior…and who can forget the legendary war with Alexander Lööf?
With a lot to live up to, Riley’s last dance proved to be just as dramatic an outing as those that came before, with the Next Generation man forced to spend the first found fighting off the relentless wrestling attack of Azerbaijan’s Tariel Abbasov.
As sure as day follows night though, given five minutes the Widness man had solved the puzzle and put his man away with another display of calculated violence.
Riley wasn’t the only CW mainstay in action in Manchester though; a pair of up-and-coming athletes both turned in show-stealing performances that left jaws hanging.
First up, one of UK MMA’s fastest rising stars Jack Humphries cemented his status as the ‘one to watch’ in the bantamweight division. All four of Humphries Cage Warriors performances have impressed, but for me, none showed his class better than this outing against fellow unbeaten prospect Nick Beukema.
In the evening’s co-main event, Teddy Stringer had his ‘real deal’ moment. I’ve followed Antonio Sheldon’s career from his early days on the North West amateur scene, and have always held him in high regard. Stringer has been one of my can’t miss new generation prospects for years. Safe to say then, that this one rocketed to the top of my most anticipated fights list the second it came across my desk.
I’d played the bout out in my head a million times, but I was still taken aback by the speed at which the prospect went through the veteran. It felt like watching the guard change in real time.
All that action, excitement and drama and we’ve only scratched the surface of 2025’s action so far.
Next up, the action hits London, Glasgow and Dublin for some Capital Carnage!