Cage Warriors 121 Recap: Titles Retained

Cage Warriors 121: The Results

Agy Sardari def. Donovan Desmae for the Cage Warriors Lightweight championship via split decision (48-47, 47-48, 48-47)

Agy Sardari has defended his lightweight title for the first time. The champion had a tough opponent in Donovan Desmae. It was an unexpected opponent for Sardari as Belgian Desmae stepped in to replace Mehdi Ben Lakhdhar, who pulled out due to an undisclosed injury.

In the first half of this bout, Desmae seemed to control the fight, putting pressure on Sardari constantly. They were both targeting the stand-up game, but neither fighter landed was consistent in their striking.

Sardari consistently failed in his attempts to take down Desmae, as many times he had to settle with the clinch. The leg strikes and calf kicks were rewarding Sardari throughout the fight.

Desmae seemed to slow down in the championship rounds and this is what probably won Sardari the fight. With the judges awarding Sardari a split decision victory, it’s more than likely the Cage Warriors 121 main event was decided because of the last two rounds.

Jack Cartwright def. Sylwester Miller for the Cage Warriors Bantamweight championship via DQ (headbutts) at 2:16 of round 4

One of the most extraordinary fights we’ve ever seen in the promotion was during the co-main event at Cage Warriors 121, with Jack Cartwright retaining his title due to Sylwester Miller being disqualified.

Miller was dominating the fight, as he controlled Cartwright on the ground, pretty much from the start. Miller was sitting on top of Cartwright and he appeared to be dipping his head in when striking his opponent. Miller was warned and got taken a point away from him in the third round.

Minutes later, the same happened again. Miller was bemused, but he didn’t seem to understand what he was doing wrong, and the referee was having none of it. He stopped the fight for a second time and at this time, we thought the fight was going to be stopped. He took away another point and it continued.

Astonishingly, Miller just didn’t learn from his actions. He found himself on top again in the fourth round, and you could see his head connecting with Cartwright’s when he’s releasing his strikes. The referee had seen enough and Miller was disqualified.

A fascinating fight and something we shouldn’t be seeing in MMA. Miller will surely be regretting his actions, due to him likely winning the fight before his mistakes, because he would’ve become the Bantamweight Champion. Now, Cartwright retains his title for the third time and stays undefeated.

Matthew Bonner def. James Webb via TKO (punches) at 4:55 of round 2

A stunning performance from Matthew Bonner as he put his middleweight title charge back on track with a beautiful TKO over James Webb at Cage Warriors 121.

Bonner looked more confident than ever against a tough opponent in Webb, who was the favourite coming into the fight. Bonner picked apart Webb throughout the fight, as Bonner kept landing significant strikes.

Webb managed a successful takedown in the closing minutes of round two, but Bonner was constantly getting back to his feet. In the last ten seconds, Bonner came out of the blocks and was firing shots. He caught Webb with some clean strikes and he was hurt. The referee intervened with five seconds to go and stopped the fight.

Jack Grant def. Madars Fleminas via submission (anaconda choke) at 2:31 of round 2

A welterweight semi-final victory for Jack Grant, with the Englishman putting in a quality display to submit Madars Fleminas at Cage Warriors 121.

Grant piled the pressure on Fleminas from the start, taking center stage trying to find a clean jab on Fleiminas. Grant held the clinch in the final minutes of the first round, with Fleminas staying on the back foot throughout the first five minutes.

Fleminas caught Grant with a couple of early punches in the second round, but when Grant found the takedown, he got to work. He produced a beautiful anaconda choke to finish Fleminas to earn himself a place in the final for the welterweight belt.

Ian Garry def. Rostem Akman via KO (punches and high kick) at 2:28 of round 2

Now we know what all the hype is all about because Ian Garry seems to be the real deal. The Irishman has extended his undefeated record to 6-0 after a stunning knockout against Rostem Akman on the opening fight in the main card of Cage Warriors 121.

After a dangerous first-round from Garry, he got the job done in the second. He was hammering Akman with punches, before a delightful head kick to knock Akman straight to the ground.

Garry will now face Grant for the title, and if we see the Irishman victorious, there’s a good chance we may see the UFC come calling.

Josh Reed def. Bryan Creighton via TKO (knee and punches) at 3:59 of round 1

The prelims brought us two stunning finishes to start off Cage Warriors 121. Josh Reed came up with some beautiful strikes and then a perfectly timed knee to finish Bryan Creighton inside the first round.

Omeil Brown def. Joshua Onwordi via submission (guillotine choke) at 4:26 of round 1

Omeil Brown opened the event with a guillotine choke over his opponent Joshua Onwordi in his professional debut. Brown made a name for himself last night and becomes another British prospect in the promotion.

What was your favourite bout in Cage Warriors 121?

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Featured Image Credits to Cage Warriors