Top European promotion Cage Warriors came to the south coast on Saturday, June 24 with Cage Warriors 85 which took place at the O2 Academy in Bournemouth, England and did not disappoint with an action packed card marking their first time visiting the seaside resort. Once again we at MMA Plus, have taken a look at the winners from Saturday’s main card and consider who’s next for those who came out on top in the latest edition of ‘Fights That Make Sense’.
Oskar Piechota (9-0) and Lee Chadwick (23-13)
In the Cage Warriors 85 main event, Oskar Piechota burst onto the scene with somewhat of an upset as he lifted the vacant CW middleweight title on his promotional debut with a quick first-round TKO victory over Jason Radcliffe. The undefeated Pol made the most of his short-notice opportunity after replacing Radcliffe’s original opponent Victor Cheng.
After cutting his teeth in the Polish regionals, Piechota now finds himself in the spotlight after his unexpected title win and will look to capitalise on the attention by facing a notable challenger in his first defence.
A man who fits the bill as the number one contender to Piechota’s middleweight crown is fellow Cage Warriors 85 winner Lee Chadwick. “The Butcher” made quick work of local favourite Andy Manzolo on his way to his second consecutive first round submission win after previously beating Tommy Quinn in under a minute at Cage Warriors 82.
The veteran, who turned pro in 2006, now holds four wins from his last five fights and has made clear his intention to put himself in the frame to face the new 185lb champion. With both fighters known for their ability to finish fights, a match-up between Piechota and Chadwick would be an exciting contest that could headline a future Cage Warriors card.
Martin Stapleton (19-5)
Having put on a dominant display against Belgian lightweight Donovan Desmae on his way to a unanimous decision victory, Martin Stapleton has strengthened his case for a chance at Cage Warriors gold this year.
The former BAMMA lightweight champion looked to bounce back from a surprise defeat to Anthony Dizy at Cage Warriors 80, and did so in emphatic fashion, when he controlled Desmae throughout all three rounds to take a clear decision which included 10-8 rounds from two of the judges. Stapleton will be hoping his performance was enough to put him back on a collision course with Cage Warriors lightweight champion Chris Fishgold after his failed experiment at featherweight.
Fishgold is unbeaten on British soil and has looked unstoppable during his Cage Warriors tenure. With Fishgold lacking in challengers, ex-Bellator and TUF competitor Stapleton has all the credentials and talent to be a legitimate title threat and can look to become the first fighter to ever have held both the Cage Warriors and BAMMA 155lb titles.
Rizlen Zouak (1-0)
Two-time Olympian Rizlen Zouak spoiled the highly anticipated pro debut of IMMAF World and European champion Leah McCourt at Cage Warriors 85 with an assured performance, using her grappling and Judo to control the majority of the action. The Moroccan would eventually wear down McCourt to claim the TKO in the second round.
With the promotion having brought her in specifically to face McCourt, it is yet to be seen if Zouak will fight for Cage Warriors again or go elsewhere after her debut. The 145lb women’s division is certainly lacking domestically and Zouak may need to go to Europe or Stateside in order to achieve anything of note in her division.
However, if she did decide to stay and the promotion’s matchmakers had to look for an opponent then a good choice would be British amateur starlet Joanne Doyle.
The Bradford-born featherweight is a 2016 IMMAF European gold medallist and holds a 6-0 record as an amateur. If she decides to turn pro, it would feel right to give her the same test as McCourt faced considering their backgrounds and Zouak would get the chance to take another talented scalp so early in her career.
Damo Weeden (9-7)
UK bantamweight veteran Damo Weeden lifted the roof off of the O2 Academy in his hometown of Bournemouth with a dramatic second-round comeback to defeat Cameron Else.
After taking a big amount of punishment in a one-sided first round, Weeden would come out a different fighter in the next stanza, piling the pressure on Else and getting the finish. This marks the latest victory in a good run of form for Weeden which has seen him win six of his last eight fights.
A good match-up for Weeden now would be Birmingham’s Vaughan Lee who lost his Cage Warriors debut to now-bantamweight champion Nathaniel Wood. Due to his UFC experience, the veteran Lee would prove a step up in difficulty for Weeden and would himself look to reverse a run of four fights without a win since 2014. A win over someone with Lee’s credentials would also see Weeden enter into contention for a shot at Wood’s 135lb strap.
