Lewis Long will make his long-awaited return to Cage Warriors on May 6 in Newport, Wales, but the man considered the No.1 welterweight contender will not be fighting for the title.
The Welshman confirmed his return to Cage Warriors on his Facebook page.
After submitting Ryan Scope inside one round at Made4TheCage23 in February, many believed Long (14-4) had done enough – beating one of the country’s most touted prospects – to receive a shot against Cage Warriors welterweight champion, Karl Amoussou.
The German athlete; formerly of France, won the 170lb Cage Warriors title at CW 80, which took place in February 2016 at the O2 Indigo. Amoussou stopped the United Kingdom’s Matt Inman in the first round, making claim for a call-up to the UFC.
Immediately after the fight, Long spoke to MMA Plus, campaigning for the matchup against Amoussou.
Long, from MAT Academy, will compete under the Cage Warriors banner for the first time since CW 75. Despite suffering from osteomyelitis, Long still appeared at the event but lost via TKO to Andreas Stahl in round three.
Despite not getting his deserved title shot, Long will reportedly be the main event at the Newport Centre, which will mark Cage Warriors’ first full-fledged event from Wales since Cage Warriors 79 in October 2016.
CW welterweight champion Amoussou confirmed to MMA Plus that he will not be competing against Long on May 6 and did not give a time table for his return.
MMA Plus also reached out to Cage Warriors, but the promotion was unable to comment on the Newport card until its official release.
Cage Warriors Wales promoter Richard Shore confirmed to MMA Plus last month that it will be a televised event. It is listed as Cage Warriors 83 on the promotion’s website. Shore recently promoted a Cage Warriors Academy Wales show.
An opponent for the Welshman has yet to be named.
