Cage Warriors 73 hits the Metro Radio Arena in Newcastle on Nov. 1 headlined by Steven Ray vs. Curt Warburton III.
Scotland’s own Steven ‘Braveheart’ Ray (15-5) will go one-on-one with UFC veteran Curt ‘The War’ Warburton (13-5) one more time as the duo are set to complete their trilogy, and bring an end to what’s been one of the most competitive UKMMA rivalries in recent years. With each man sharing the spoils thus far with one victory each, reigning Cage Warriors Lightweight Champion Ray, representing Scotland’s renown Dinky Ninjas, will put his crown on the line against arch-rival Warburton with the Englishman fighting on local turf.
Ray recently spoke exclusively with MMA Plus ahead of CWFC 73, check out the full feature HERE.
In the co-main event featherweight gold is up for grabs as the vacant 145lb title will be contested by Alex Enlund (10-2) taking on Nad Narimani (7-1). Having bounced back from his only career loss to date, consecutive first round submissions over Theo Michailidis and Benjamin Brander was enough to seal a top contender spot for Bristol’s Narimani. However, Enlund feels the crown is rightfully his, and boasts his own submission streak with three straight first round stoppages over Sebastian Romanowski, Danny Lawson, and Artem Lobov, in addition to the impressive nine submission finishes accumulated throughout his career so far.
Also on the card, British fan favourite ‘Judo’ Jim Wallhead (25-9) will be eager to channel his killer instinct when aiming to bounce back from a KO loss at the hands of top welterweight contender Danny Roberts. The vastly experienced veteran will be taking on Spaniard Juan Manuel Suarez (15-6) with both men looking to send a message and solidify their presence in the welterweight division.
Furthermore, British bantamweight standout Ronnie Mann (23-7-1) looks to recover from a shock TKO loss suffered in May at Cage Warriors 68. Expectations were high as ‘Iron Mann’ returned to UKMMA following a stint in Bellator; however, a two-fight win streak was snapped in May by Brazilian Marcelo Costa (11-4). Mann takes on Moktar Benkaci this Saturday with ‘Le Kabyle’ riding a three-fight win streak outside of Cage Warriors. The Frenchman made his Cage Warriors debut in 2012 with a unanimous decision loss to James Brum, and was last defeated by former BAMMA title challenger Teddy Violet in French promotion ‘100% Fight’.
Cage Warriors 73 full card:
Steven (c) Ray vs. Curt Warburton – lightweight title
Alex Enlund vs. Nad Narimani – vacant featherweight title
Juan Manuel Suarez vs. Jim Wallhead
Moktar Benkaci vs. Ronnie Mann
Shaj Haque vs. Damien Rooney
Matt Inman vs. Lewis Long
Brett Caswell vs. Marcin Lasota
Liam James vs. Dean Trueman
Leeroy Barnes vs. Kyle Redfearn
Stephen Martin vs. Paddy Pimblett
Mark Connor vs. Ian Malone
Ellis Hampson vs. Lewis Monarch
Irene Cabello vs. Vanessa Reinsch
Michael Abbott vs. Paul Gregson