After a night away on Thursday night, your MMA weekend continues on Friday with a day-night doubleheader. The day portion of your doubleheader of competitive violence sees UK-based Cage Warriors set up shop on its home soil after holding Cage Warriors 149 in San Diego two weeks ago.
While a sizable chunk of American sports fans will be preoccupied on Friday afternoon with the first session of the second full day of the 2023 NCAA Tournament known alliteratively as March Madness, combat sports fans will have their eyes fixated on Indigo at the O2 Arena. A doubleheader weekend of action in the UK begins with Cage Warriors 150 and the Cage Warriors 150 main event.
Live coverage of Friday’s card begins with the prelims at 2:45 pm ET/ 11:45 am PT, with the main card immediately following at 4 pm ET/ 1 pm PT. As always, this Cage Warriors show will be streamed live throughout the world on UFC Fight Pass.
Cage Warriors 150 Main Event a Scintillating Appetizer in Big UK MMA Weekend
All told, barring any further postponements between now and Friday night, Cage Warriors 150 features 11 bouts, including a battle at featherweight in the Cage Warriors 150 main event. On the eve of UFC 286 in London this Saturday, former Cage Warriors Featherweight Champion Jordan Vucenic (9-2 MMA, 5-1 CWFC) takes on undefeated Tiziano Ferranti (5-0 MMA, CWFC promotional debut.)
No belt is at stake here, so the main event will only be an advertised maximum of three rounds at five minutes per round to close the show.
Cage Warriors 150 Main Event Fighter Breakdown and Betting Odds
Heading into the Cage Warriors 150 main event on Friday, both Jordan Vucenic and Tiziano Ferranti stand level at 5-foot-9. Vucenic owns a 72-inch reach, with no such information available for the latter at press time.
As of late Tuesday evening, the oddsmakers have Jordan Vucenic installed as the biggest favorite on the entire card at -550, with Tiziano Ferranti countering as a +400 underdog. If you plan on betting on this or any other fight happening over the weekend, please wager responsibly.
Jordan Vucenic’s Road to Reclaiming Featherweight Championship Starts with Cage Warriors 150 Main Event
Jordan Vucenic comes into the main event this weekend having gone 4-1 in his last five MMA bouts. Back in the first weekend of November, he lost his Cage Warriors Featherweight Championship (unanimous decision) to Paul Hughes (9-1 MMA, 6-1 CWFC) in a unification battle during the Cage Warriors 145 main event.
Four months later, the former champion has only one thing on his mind: Getting back what was once his. On Tuesday, Brad Wharton’s column gave a detailed timeline as to what Vucenic thought would happen and what actually transpired.
“I had a vision board made, and I’d written on it,” Vucenic began. “I’d become the UK #1, I’d beat Paul Hughes, and then I’d be signed to the UFC.”
Vucenic was forced to wait around for a fight against Paul Hughes until Nov. 4, with the latter winning the championship. For the moment, at least, “The Epidemic” is still on the Cage Warriors active roster and will fight again on Friday night in the Cage Warriors 150 main event.
A victory here would be the first step in becoming champion once again, but here’s something else to consider as the final days before the headliner tick away: With the UFC in town this coming weekend, one has to believe that Dana White is going to be watching on Friday night.
If Vucenic puts on quite the show in the Cage Warriors 150 main event in London, does Dana White give him “the call” before UFC 286 on Saturday, absent of a championship? Stay tuned for the answers.
Ferranti Looking to Continue Impressive Streak
In the other corner, Tiziano Ferranti has yet so far in his professional MMA career. Counting his amateur fights, he’s posted a 12-0 record across all competitions.
Most recently, he scored a second-round knockout with a right hook against Ion Voda (2-4 MMA) on June 11 during Innferno Fighting Championship 5 in Austria.
One constant of Tiziano Ferranti’s fights is the fact that when he steps into the cage, the judges can step away for the moment and get some hot dogs. Not one of his previous 12 contests has required a judge’s decision.
After his latest win, Ferranti reasserted his mantra: Stoppages only.
Ferranti has never seen a number in the loss column, nor has he heard the final bell of a fight. Will that change on Friday?
Analysis, Film Study, and Prediction
Friday’s Cage Warriors 150 main event looks like another one of those toss-ups. The edge goes to Tiziano Ferranti due to his 100 percent stoppage rate.
Look For Vucenic to Start Early
If Jordan Vucenic wants to have a chance at winning the main event, he’ll have to come out fighting from the first bell, as he did two years ago in Cage Warriors 122 versus Morgan Charriere. Although Vucenic absorbed some punches early on in the fight, he proved to be the aggressor, landing a crisp right-handed punch and a leg kick.
After a brief pause in the action, Vucenic scored with a left hook, forcing Charriere to counterpunch. Despite his opponent’s attacks, Vucenic’s defense was stout. For a moment, Charriere had no answer. with his first attempt at a takedown getting stamped out.
As the round progressed, Vucenic mixed up his strikes, preventing Charriere from getting too comfortable with him. Even though the latter put the former in the clinch, nothing was happening, save for a throw attempt in the final seconds,
Again, Jordan Vucenic has to get out to a fast start. His opponent knows something about that.
Ferranti Wants Another Short Day at The Office
In the other corner, Tiziano Ferranti will try and put in another quick night’s work. Although his 2021 fight against Francesco Malone was supposed to have lasted three rounds, Ferranti needed just 57 seconds to end things.
The walkouts of both men lasted longer than the contest itself. Ferranti regularly teed off with a variety of punches and kicks, including one to Malone’s head 48 seconds into the contest to set up the knockout.
Francesco Malone attempted to reverse the script by initiating the clinch and taking Tiziano Ferranti down, but Malone was the one who went down in the end. Ferranti backed Malone up against the cage fence and landed a two-punch combination to write a finish to the story.
If Tiziano Ferranti lands big punches early, it could lead to Vucenic’s second straight loss. Only time will tell, however.
Final Thoughts
Daytime MMA is a rarity for American fans. We know you may be knee-deep in basketball or St. Patrick’s Day celebrations on Friday, but take time out for the Cage Warriors 150 main event. It could be a good one.
Prediction: Tiziano Ferranti by First-Round Knockout.
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