Cage Warriors 69 results: Stevie Ray, Jack Hermansson claim vacant titles
After eight hours, two main cards and 16 total fights, two new champions emerged from today’s “Cage Warriors 69: Super Saturday†event.
Cage Warriors’ biggest card of the year concluded with a unanimous-decision victory for Stevie Ray, who topped Curt Warburton to win the vacant lightweight title.
The event took place at The Forum in London. MMAjunkie streamed the two main cards following prelims on Facebook.
The night’s headliner, which was almost an entirely standup affair, proved an evenly matched affair. The fighters spent much of the 25 minutes trading shots, especially effective body kicks. However, Warburton seemed to be the aggressor slightly more often, and during long stints in the fight, he limited Ray to just the occasional single punch or kick.
Ray was the crisper striker early on, but Warburton briefly wobbled him early in the second round and largely avoided any power shots. However, in the third frame, with a steady stream of head kicks coming up just short, Ray connected on a slick back kick to the face that gave him a burst of confidence – and gave the crowd a jolt of excitement.
In the final frames, though, Warburton avoided takedowns, and the one time Ray got the fight to the mat in the final frame, his opponent was quickly back up. However, the takedown came at a key time.
The fighters then closed out the bout with more evenly matched striking, including an array of kicks and some effective knees from the clinch.
With absolutely no clear winner, the judges had the difficult task of choosing the winner. They ultimately awarded the split decision to Ray via scores of 50-45, 48-47 and 47-48.
Ray had originally won the title in 2013 after defeating Jason Ball and Sean Carter in the same night. However, he lost the belt to Ivan Buchinger in his subsequent belt. For now, though, the belt is back around the Scot’s waist.
On the night’s first main card, Jack Hermansson took Cage Warriors’ vacant middleweight title with a dominant win over Jack Paraisy.
Hermansson (8-2) had a patient start, but 100 seconds in, he started throwing big flurries. Paraisy (14-4-2) tried to counter with a takedown attempt, but Hermansson stayed strong as Paraisy bled from his nose all over Hermansson’s back. When they separated, it was Hermansson stalking and landing almost at will, again staying patient. He dropped the Frenchman with a little less than two minutes left, then pounded at him on the ground. Paraisy settled back into guard on his back.
In the second, Hermansson continued what he started in the first – just a patient drubbing from the Norwegian, and a bloody Paraisy.
Two minutes into the third round, Hermansson put together a set of offense perhaps bigger than what he had in the first. But somehow, Paraisy smiled his way through it and survived.
In the fourth, Hermansson continued to pressure Paraisy. But again, Paraisy survived. A minute in, Paraisy had to survive a rear-naked choke and not just big punches. Ninety seconds in, Hermansson mixed it up and landed a takedown. Again Hermansson took the back, and with two minutes left, he popped up to mount, and with 90 seconds left he started dropping massive elbows and punches to a bloody Paraisy. Finally, as he continued to go after the choke, he got his arm under Paraisy’s chin and forced the tap.
Hermansson, from Norway, won for the third straight time. His lone two losses came for Bellator. Paraisy had a five-fight unbeaten streak snapped – and also lost for the first time outside the Bellator banner.
Marshman surprises Omoyele with armbar in first
Bola Omoyele (7-3) went to work early against Jack Marshman (15-5), but then he took his foot off the gas, and that may have cost him. Being aggressive on the ground in top position, Omoyele left his arm out and Marshman yanked it and took advantage. Omoyele started out the fight with slick striking, and he appeared to be several steps ahead of Marshman. When the fight hit the ground, Omoyele was less active, and was warned to get busy. When he started to make some moves to avoid a standup and ride out the round, though, Marshman took his arm and locked it up. With just nine seconds left in the first round, Marshman forced the tap from Omoyele for the stunning come-from-behind win.
Bahari seems to dominate Alloway, but gets split
In perhaps a strange decision, Mohsen Bahari (8-1) took a split decision from a bloodied-up Ben Alloway (13-7) in a fight he seemed to be a step ahead in throughout. Alloway hit Bahari flush on the chin with a right hand 90 seconds into the fight, then looked to land another after getting his opponent’s attention. Bahari was able to get the fight to the ground, but didn’t do much with the top position. Bahari poured things on in the second, and landed a massive knee that cut Alloway open. Alloway gushed blood all over the canvas while Bahari held on and looked for more knees. Bahari seemed to be on cruise control in the third since Alloway didn’t seem to land more than a punch at a time. And Alloway’s face certainly showed who landed the bigger punches. Bahari probably expected a trio of 30-27 scores, but oddly, Alloway got a 30-27 from one judge, giving Bahari the split with a pair of 30-27s of his own.
Bostwick takes majority decision from UFC vet Thoresen
The fight started out oddly, with Jake Bostwick (15-8) needing time to remove a stud in his tongue that he came to the cage with against Simeon Thoresen (17-5-1). And then it ended oddly, as well, with Thoresen showing no interest in standing up with the powerful Bostwick, hoping instead to play on the ground. In the end, it cost him a majority decision. Bostwick landed an overhand right to really get Thoresen’s attention, and he came behind it with a solid leg kick. Thoresen stayed dancing on the outside as the powerful Bostwick stalked him down. Thoresen appeared to want nothing to do with Bostwick’s power as he tried to find some kind of opening for offense. With 90 seconds left, another huge right hand landed by Bostwick, but Thoresen took it and threw the fight to the ground, where he looked for a choke from half-guard, then popped up to mount and pounded away as Bostwick tried to buck his way out. In the second, Bostwick just missed a massive uppercut, and again Thoresen took him down into his wheelhouse. Late in the frame, Thoresen got a brutal kimura and force Bostwick to survive it, and he did – but was saved by the bell. In the third, Thoresen got his legs kicked out, and he wanted to stay on the ground. But Bostwick wanted nothing to do with it. Again it happened. Then Thoresen was sat down with a body punch. He looked tired, and it was clear he wanted nothing to do with the standup game – while Bostwick looked fresh. Over and over, Thoresen shot and failed, and wanted to stay on the floor. And Bostwick just walked away to stay standing. Thoresen was continually warned by referee Rich Mitchell to get up after he hit the floor. When the scores came in, a 10-8 for Bostwick in the third resulted in one card being a 28-28 draw. But two other judges came him the fight 29-28 for a majority decision.
Mason tops Carvalho in close split
In a fight that truly could have gone either way, Jack Mason (28-13) took a close split call from Bruno “B.C.†Carvalho (15-9). Carvalho landed a knee and an uppercut and stayed patient as he tried to pour things on in the final minute of the first round. But Mason survived the onslaught to see the second round, even if Carvalho gained confidence in the process. Right away in the second, though, Carvalho landed a huge right hand that floored Mason. Mason survived and got to his feet and started to fire back, though. Still, the two battled back and forth, and it was hard to see which fighter may have been taking the advantage. The third round was neck and neck in the standup game, and while Carvalho may have landed more, Mason may have landed harder shots. When the scores were read, it was Mason taking a pair of 29-28s to the one for Carvalho, who dropped his hands and shook his head in disbelief.
Hadzovic beats up Delaney on second main card
Damir Hadzovic (9-2) made easy work of Martin Delaney (8-1) for the final 10 minutes to open up the second of the night’s two main cards. Midway through the third round, Hadzovic landed a vicious elbow along the fence that sprayed his own cornermen with Delaney’s blood. Then he continued to keep the pressure on, looking for the finish. Delaney stayed defensive, showing plenty of heart while eating plenty of elbows and taking a lot of damage. But heart didn’t get him anything more than a loss – though after a solid first round – as Hadzovic got the win.
Jedrzejczyk makes mark, devastates Sexton
Rosi Sexton (13-5) was game, but ultimately Joanna Jedrzejczyk (6-0) put her superior striking to work in a major way in the co-main event of the night’s first main card. Jedrzejczyk dropped the veteran Sexton midway through the second with a flurry of strikes after putting that part of her game on display for the first five minutes of the fight. The Polish fighter may have made the biggest name for herself yet with the win, which quickly had social media chatter talking about what could happen if she was able to drop from 125 pounds to 115 and move over to the UFC from her upcoming home with Invicta. The loss for Sexton, her first since a two-fight skid sent her packing from the UFC, was the first for her under the Cage Warriors banner after being 6-0 for the promotion.
Wilde tops Brown in wild ‘Fight of the Night’ candidate
In a fight that seemed to be dominated by Tim Wilde (5-0), he eventually had to survive a few sticky moments to beat a resilient Damien Brown (10-7) for a unanimous decision. Wilde scrambled early and took Brown’s back. They jostled on the canvas, but Wilde stayed sticky until Brown worked back to his feet and could finally push off. Midway through, a beautiful takedown from Wilde had him again going to work in good position on the canvas. Brown popped up and looked for a takedown of his own, but Wilde sprawled and landed big punches on the ground before going after a neck along the fence. In the second, Wilde landed a big knee, and then a punch dropped Brown. It looked like referee Rich Mitchell was going to stop things. But he gave Brown a chance to recover, and the fight went on with Wilde going to work on top. Brown did some good work for 45 seconds on top, but he got a bit ahead of himself and Wilde quickly reversed to finish the second round on top. In the third, Wilde seemed to slow down, and Brown tried to pick up points from the top. Midway through, Brown tried to take Wilde’s back, but Wilde scrambled free and landed a takedown of his own. He went back to the feet with 1:45 left and landed a knee. With a minute left, Wilde jumped for a guillotine and couldn’t hold it. A triangle wasn’t there, either, and the result was a shot for Brown on top. He had a good guillotine late, but Wilde slipped out and took a trio of 29-28 scores for the win.
‘Polish Zombie’ wears down Allen for decision
Marcin Wrzosek (8-2) put his “Polish Zombie†nickname to good use against Arnold Allen (7-1) on his way to a hard-fought unanimous decision against a game opponent. Wrzosek tried to take Allen’s back in a scramble midway through the first. But Allen rolled through it and looked to land knees against his Polish opponent. But Wrzosek kept things slightly dirty in the standup game, trying to stifle Allen. When Wrzosek went for a takedown, Allen turned the tables and wound up on top looking to land heavy punches. But Wrzosek started to take over in the second, and at the end of that frame, it was Allen needing to be saved by the bell. Allen had to go into desperation mode deep in the third, and he jumped for a guillotine. But he couldn’t hold it. Somehow, though, he popped up from his back and landed a takedown and landed a few good shots, trying to sway the judges as the time ticked away. Allen got an arm triangle choke with 30 seconds left and threatened in a big way. Wrzosek defended just enough to survive and wound up getting a pair of 29-28 scores and a 30-27 to hand Allen his first pro loss.
Turner dominates Bouhata on way to TKO
Suleiman Bouhata (9-5) opened with a flying knee, but Graham Turner (24-8) survived it. Then he went on to dominate with an eventual third-round TKO. Turner took the fight to the ground in the first, and though Bouhata popped up quickly, Turner threw punches in bunches with short shots before taking it to the ground again. Turner continued to wear Bouhata down in the second round, and then took full advantage quickly in the third. A right hand to the body dropped Bouhata, and Turner quickly pounced on the crumpled Frenchman with a flurry for the finish.
Wheeler taps Cooledge in second
Brad Wheeler (13-9) looked good in the first round striking against Jason Cooledge (10-7). In the second, that continued. He landed a right uppercut and put Cooledge on the canvas. He launched himself to the ground, looking to take advantage. And take advantage he did. Wheeler landed big punches on the ground, and as Cooledge tried to recover, Wheeler latched onto his neck. That was all she wrote. He had the a rear-naked choke tappet at the 3:27 mark of the second.
Complete Cage Warriors 69 results:
MAIN CARD 2
Stevie Ray def. Curt Warburton via split decision (50-45, 47-48, 48-47) – to win vacant lightweight title
Jack Marshman def. Bola Omoyele via submission (armbar) – Round 1, 4:51
Mohsen Bahari def. Ben Alloway via split decision (30-27, 27-30, 30-27)
Jake Bostwick def. Simeon Thoresen via majority decision (28-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Jack Mason def. Bruno “B.C.†Carvalho via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Damir Hadzovic def. Martin Delaney via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
MAIN CARD 1
Jack Hermansson def. Norman Paraisy via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 4, 4:49 – to win vacant middleweight title
Joanna Jedrzejczyk def. Rosi Sexton via knockout (punches) – Round 2, 2:36
Tim Wilde def. Damien Brown via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Marcin Wrzosek def. Arnold Allen via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Graham Turner def. Suleiman Bouhata via TKO (punches) – Round 3, 1:08
Brad Wheeler def. Jason Cooledge via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 3:27 – 158-pound catchweight
PRELIMINARY CARD
Brett Caswell def. Spencer Hewitt via submission (heel hook) – Round 2, 2:09
Kerry Hughes def. Amanda Kelly via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 4:56
Aaron Blackwell def. Adam Ventre via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Darren Stewart def. Michael Ravenscroft via TKO (elbows) – Round 1, 1:23
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