Hardwick Collides with Bungard in Cage Warriors 147 Main Event

Not everybody will be watching an NFL game on Sunday afternoon. An MMA card on a Sunday is a rare event, but that’s just what UK-based promotion Cage Warriors is offering up for your entertainment as the third weekend of November draws to a close with Cage Warriors 147.

Sunday, the promotion wraps up three straight weekends of action with Cage Warriors 147 and the Cage Warriors 147 main event from the BT Sport Studios in London for another edition of its Cage Warriors Unplugged series. Cage Warriors Unplugged is so named because it takes place inside a studio, rather than a traditional arena and the customary fight night elements are pared down.

All told, this weekend’s event will feature nine total fights played out over two shows. Live coverage of the first half of the event will begin at 1:45 pm ET/ 10:45 am PT on the UFC’s subscription-based streamer, UFC Fight Pass. The second half follows at 4 pm ET/ 1 pm PT.

Lightweight Gold At Stake in Cage Warriors 147 Main Event

Highlighting the day’s activities at Cage Warriors 147 is the battle for the Cage Warriors Lightweight Championship. Incumbent titleholder George Hardwick (10-1 MMA, 4-1 CWFC) will meet challenger Chris Bungard (17-7 MMA, 1-0 CWFC).

As with all championship bouts, the Cage Warriors 147 main event will be an advertised maximum of five rounds at five minutes per round to close the show and the weekend’s slate.

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Cage Warriors 147 Main Event Fighter Comparison and Betting Odds

Heading into Sunday afternoon’s championship fight, Chris Bungard is the taller combatant at 5-foot-11, compared to George Hardwick’s 5-foot-9 frame. In addition, Bungard owns a 72 1/2-inch reach, with no such information accessible for Hardwick.

Currently, the oddsmakers have George Hardwick installed as a -600 favorite for Sunday’s main event, with Chris Bungard a +425 underdog. If you plan on betting on this or any other fight on the card, please wager responsibly.

Hardwick Wants To Defend Belt Inside the Distance

George Hardwick enters Sunday’s main event having gone 5-0 in his last five appearances and has gone 4-0 since rejoining Cage Warriors’ active roster in June of 2021.

More impressively, all four of Hardwick’s victories under the Cage Warriors banner have come by way of stoppage, including his latest win against Kyle Driscoll (13-4 MMA, 1-1 CWFC) back on July 22 during Cage Warriors 141’s main event.

He’s aiming to keep that streak going, something that he revealed in a recent interview with Tudor Leonte of Sherdog.

“In my last two fights, I predicted the stoppage in the right round,” Hardwick said. “I predicted the second round in March, predicted the fourth round (in July). I think the third round for this fight. It could come quicker, but he’s tough, he’s got that kind of veteran-savvy. They know how to survive. Some of these more-experienced guys– he’s given up his back and got finished quick. These veteran people who’ve been in there and got that cage time, they how to find the spots to survive, even when they’re tired, even when they’re struggling, even when they’ve taken some damage, so I’m expecting a third-round (finish.) If it comes quicker, it comes quicker.”

George Hardwick has been able to correctly prognosticate the round where his fight ends in the last two consecutive fights. Will his prediction come true a third time?

Will Hardwick finish his fifth consecutive adversary in the Cage Warriors 147 main event? Tune in and find out.

Chris Bungard Returns To the Cage After a Week’s Delay

In the other corner, Chris Bungard, a man who went 0-3 in his amateur MMA career, has posted a record of 3-2 in his last five MMA appearances and is currently on a two-fight winning streak. Back in August, he made good on his Cage Warriors promotional debut, scoring a split decision victory against Erick da Silva (22-8 MMA, 0-1 CWFC) in Cage Warriors 142.

Bungard was initially slated to have fought a week ago Saturday during Cage Warriors 146 in a main card affair versus Gavin Hughes (10-3 MMA, 0-0 CWFC), what was to be the latter’s Cage Warriors promotional debut.

It also would have been a rematch of a fight between the two from Oct. 1, 2016. Prior to the show taking place, the scheduled contest was scrapped and Bungard was rebooked to fight here.

He was already booked to fight last weekend and had last fought three months ago. Unlike other fighters whose contests had to be scrubbed before the event, ring rust shouldn’t be a factor for Bungard.

How will he respond to having his return delayed? We’ll know within the first round of the headliner.

Analysis, Film Study, and Prediction

The Cage Warriors 147 main event looks to be another one of those toss-ups. Both of these men have been known to get the victory by stoppage in the past, but George Hardwick has won four in a row before the final bell.

George Hardwick Can Be Brutal With Punches

All four of Hardwick’s victories in Cage Warriors have come by stoppage. He’s been known to land the big punches when it matters most.

His most recent fight against Kyle Driscoll is another textbook example of that. During the fourth round of a scheduled five, after Hardwick nearly put Driscoll away with a shot to the body in round three, the two men traded punches with one another, but it was the former who landed a crisp left-handed punch through the latter’s guard.

Hardwick then unloaded on Driscoll with a brutal shot to his body to drop him. From there, he connected on a short burst of ground and pound strikes to end the fight.

Look for George Hardwick to work the body in the Cage Warriors 147 main event. If he’s able to land a body shot, it could be a done deal in a hurry.

Chris Bungard: Submission Specialist

In the other corner, Chris Bungard has been known to score the victory by submission. like he did in 2017 against Ian Feenan. During the first round of a scheduled three, after a restart due to an illegal blow, the men exchanged feints, with Feenan attempting a double leg takedown.

This takedown was reversed by Bungard, who then transitioned from a standing triangle choke to take Feenan down and grapple with him. Bungard was able to apply enough torque to lock in a flying triangle inside the first round.