With fight week almost upon us, it’s time to get the Cage Warriors Summer of Fun underway in San Diego!
Europe’s Leading MMA Organisation is once again set to hop the Atlantic and take up residence in the Sycuan Casino Resort, as CW 173 rolls into the Golden State.
Final CW 173 tickets are available here!
Featuring a card stacked with legends, up-and-comers, former title challengers and fan-favourites, the stars are aligning for another incredible night of action in the famous yellow gloves.
Now seems as good a time as ever to whet your appetites ahead of fight night, so with that in mind, here’s five standout finishes from the stars of CW 173!
Wilson Reis vs Toby Misech
Why not start with the man at the top of the bill; the incomparable legend that is Wilson Reis.
No nickname needed for the 39 year old, who has let his actions in the cage and on the mats do the talking for him across a martial arts career that has spanned two decades.
Despite all his many achievements, the Brazilian is yet to score that elusive first KO victory.
He came agonisingly close last time out against seasoned striker Toby Misech, before following his man to the ground for a vintage ‘Wilson’ finish.
On Friday night the former UFC title challenger will test himself again, as he welcomes Karateka Bruno ‘The Tiger’ Souza to the promotion in the evening’s main event.
Roberto Hernandez vs Ethyn Ewing
After coming up short in his first Cage Warriors title fight against Liam Gittins in Manchester, Roberto ‘Green Light’ Hernandez is getting right back on the horse, this time on home turf.
The Joe ‘Daddy’ Stevenson student is a threat wherever the fight takes him; while he’s perhaps better known for his striking of late, a quick look back at his CW debut is enough to remind opponents to mind their Ps & Qs on the mat as well.
Moving back up to 145lbs on Friday night, Hernandez could have picked an easier comeback fight than the battle tested scrapper Javier ‘El Mariachi’ Garcia, but he wouldn’t have it any other way.
Damon Wilson vs Theodore Macuka
It’s been twelve months since we’ve seen Damon ‘The Nomad’ Wilson strap on the famous yellow gloves, and in our book that’s far too long.
Whether it’s wild brawls against the likes of Tobias Harilla and John de Jesus, or showing off his massive punching power with show stealing stoppages, it’s always a fun time when ‘The Nomad’ is throwing down.
Nobody expected him to top his explosive CW debut against John Buttner when he entered the CW cage for the second time, but just eleven seconds after the first bell sounded for his bout with John Macuka, jaws were on the floor both literally and metaphorically.
Wilson Reis vs Owen Roddy
One from the vault now, and with it another reminder that San Diego’s own Wilson Reis can be just as detrimental to your health with his striking as with his grappling.
Widely considered one of the best Cage Warriors fights of all time, Wilson made the long flight to Scotland in 2012 to face SBGi’s Owen Roddy.
Now better known as the architect behind Conor McGregor’s striking acumen, as an active fighter Roddy himself was a force of nature.
After going back and fourth for 11 hard minutes, Reis finally caught his man clean and unleashed a barrage of ground ‘n’ pound, before locking off a beautiful choke for the finish.
Will he deliver another performance for the history books on Friday night?
Roberto Hernandez vs Toby Misech
We’ve already shown you how dangerous Roberto ‘Green Light’ Hernandez can be on ground, so it’d be remiss of not to drop a little reminder of why they call him ‘Slick Rob’ on the feet.
There’s perhaps no better illustration of it than his CW 159 clash with Toby Misech, a man considered his first real test against an opponent with legitimate stopping power.
Anyone thinking that Hernandez would be looking to avoid a firefight would have been sadly mistaken.
Much to the dismay of crashing bores everywhere, Hernandez got stuck into Misech at every opportunity, eventually dropping him with a rib-roaster of a body shot early in the second round.
Reis, Hernandez, Wilson and more with be in action this Friday night at CW173, live on UFC Fight Pass and international broadcast partners!