Cage Warriors 122 Recap: A New Champion and the Same Paddy

Cage Warriors 122: The Results

Jordan Vucenic def. Morgan Charriere for the Cage Warriors Featherweight Title by split decision (46-49, 48-47, 48-47)

The famous saying “AND NEW” was dished out on Saturday night, with Jordan Vucenic becoming the new Cage Warriors Featherweight Champion, as he stripped the title from the palms of Morgan Charriere.

After an incredibly close five rounds, it’s safe to say you wouldn’t have wanted to be a judge scoring this one. One judge awarded a 49-46 victory to Charriere, but Vucenic became champion from the other two judges awarding the bout to him 48-47.

A strong first and final round from Vucenic may have won him the fight, with Charriere upping the pace in the middle rounds. Vucenic was sharp with his jabs and caught Charriere on a few occasions, though the fight looked like it was destined for five rounds.

With Paul Hughes victorious at Cage Warriors 120, it’s looking extremely likely we will see the rematch between these two for the title, with Vucenic winning the first fight on a split decision at Cage Warriors 119.

Paddy Pimblett def. Davide Martinez via submission (rear-naked choke) at 1:37 of round 1

Paddy “The Baddy” Pimblett only needed one minute and 37 seconds to finish his opponent at Cage Warriors 122. After stating before the fight he’d finish his opponent in one round, Pimblett is certain he will be getting the call from Dana White to join the UFC.

Davide Martinez did the worst thing he could possibly do against Pimblett, which is giving him your back. Pimblett finished Martinez with the rear-naked choke without even busting a sweat.

A stunning finish from Paddy as he clearly shows he does have the potential to be part of the best MMA promotion in the world. He doesn’t just have the skillset, however, he also has the personality to bring in a bigger audience.

Tobias Harila def. Aidan Stephen via TKO (punches) at 1:14 of round 1

The Swede lived up to his hype after finishing Aidan Stephen in the first round to win in his promotional debut at Cage Warriors 122. Tobias Harila is now on a seven-fight win-streak and will be on a quest for the lightweight title.

Stephen’s failed attempt at a takedown gifted Harila a position on top early in the fight. Harila released some vicious strikes on the ground, and Stephen got caught with a heavy punch where he seemed to be finished, and the referee had seen enough.

Brian Bouland def. Liam Gittins via TKO (punches) at 0:52 of round 1

The last of the three finishes in the first round at Cage Warriors 122 came with Brian Bouland finishing Liam Gittins with a heavy uppercut after 52 seconds.

Gittins came out all guns blazing, screaming and swinging at his opponent. Bouland was on the back-foot, trying to avoid everything his opponent was throwing at him. The Belgian only needed that one punch, which dropped Gittins to the canvas. He piled straight on him to make sure the fight was over, with the referee intervening.

There will be mixed opinions whether the stoppage was good or not, with Gittins bemused by the referee’s decision to stop the fight. It showed it wasn’t a wise decision for Gittins to come out swinging, with him being caught because of his sloppiness.

Jean N’Doye def. Corrin Eaton via KO (knee) at 1:30 of round 2

Probably the most visually stunning knockout of the night came when Jean N’Doye knocked out Corrin Eaton with an outstanding knee.

The fight opened up the main card at Cage Warriors 122 and there wasn’t much to split the two fighters after the first round. In the second round, a quick punch from N’Doye lowered the head of Eaton and N’Doye took advantage to release a vicious knee straight into the face of Eaton.

The fight was over there and then, with no need for the referee to intervene as Eaton was out cold.

Nathan Fletcher def. Michele Martignoni via submission (rear-naked choke) at 4:22 of round 3

Remember the name Nathan Fletcher because this guy is one of the most exciting prospects in MMA after another brilliant performance at Cage Warriors 122.

The bantamweight continued his unbeaten and 100% finishing record as he climbed to 5-0 with a victory over Michele Martignoni. The fight was back and forth throughout the three rounds, but with 38 seconds left, Fletcher’s persistence paid off.

After trying so hard to find the submission, Martignoni gave up his back, which allowed Fletcher to find the rear-naked choke and led to the Italian tapping. Fletcher should already be on the UFC’s radar, with potentially two or so fights away from a title shot in Cage Warriors.

Yassine Belhadj def. Tom Mearns via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Tom Mearns must be one of the most devastated performers at Cage Warriors 122, with the Englishman’s record now slipping to 6-7.

The fight was back and forth, and it was tough to split these two after three rounds. Yassine Belhadj was awarded the victory via a unanimous decision to give him his first win in the promotion.

Nicolas Leblond def. Darren O’Gorman via KO (left overhand) at 3:20 of round 2

A ruthless left hook from Nicolas Leblond knocked out Darren O’Gorman in the opening fight of Cage Warriors 122.

With Leblond edging the fight on the feet, he took advantage and knocked O’Gorman out inside the second round, which also gave him his first promotional victory.

What was your favourite bout from an epic Cage Warriors 122 card? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

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Featured Image Credits to Cage Warriors