Cage Warriors 151 Main Event Breakdown

For the second Friday in a row, the MMA weekend gets kickstarted in the afternoon (US time) with another card from Cage Warriors’ “Unplugged” series, so named because it will not take place in a traditional arena setting. Instead, London’s BT Sport Studio will play host to an invites-only event in an intimate setting.

Cage Warriors 151 is the third and last card from the UK-based promotion in the month of March and the second card in as many weeks. All told, Friday’s show (main card 5 pm ET/ 2 pm PT, UFC Fight Pass after prelims at 2 pm ET/ 11 am PT) features a full slate of 12 fights.

Vacant Middleweight Championship at Stake in Cage Warriors 151 Main Event

Highlighting the night’s events is the battle for the Vacant Cage Warriors Middleweight Championship in the Cage Warriors 151 main event of the evening, Mick Stanton (10-7 MMA, 7-5 CWFC) will take on Will Currie (9-2 MMA, 5-2 CWFC) in the headliner.

As with all championship bouts in most promotions, this all-England showdown in the Cage Warriors 151 main event is an advertised maximum of five rounds at five minutes per round to close the show.

A Different Kind of Sweet Sixteen in London

Its winner becomes the 16th different fighter to hold the 185-lb. strap in promotional history, succeeding Christian Leroy Duncan (8-0 MMA, 7-0 CWFC). None of the previous 15 men who have been middleweight champion have had more than one stint as titleholder.

Duncan was called up to the UFC in the wake of his postponed fight on Dec. 31 for the middleweight championship. Last Saturday, he made his UFC promotional debut in UFC 286, winning via TKO due to a knee injury versus Dusko Todorovic (12-3 MMA, 3-4 UFC) in round one.

Cage Warriors 151 Main Event Fighter Comparison

Heading into the Cage Warriors 151 main event on Friday night, Will Currie stands as the taller contestant at 6-foot-3, compared to the 5-foot-11 frame of Mick Stanton. The latter owns a 74-inch reach, with no such information available for the former at press time.

Ordinarily, at this point in the breakdown, we would mention which of these two men is favored to win the main event as per the oddsmakers, but no odds have been released as of Monday afternoon. If you plan on betting on this or any other fight happening over the weekend, please wager responsibly.

Stanton Hopes to Win Second Championship in Second Promotion in Cage Warriors 151 Main Event

Mick Stanton enters Friday’s main event having gone 4-1 over his last five fights. Right before the Christmas holiday in December, he returned to his winning ways by scoring a third-round knockout of Haider Khan (4-0 MMA) during Full Contact Contender 32′s co-main event.

In so doing, Stanton took the promotion’s middleweight championship. After his victory, Stanton was interviewed backstage.

“I feel fantastic. I feel really good,” Stanton said upon winning the belt. “It’s a tough fight. He’s (Khan) a good lad, he’s a good prospect. Hope he keeps pushing the pace and doing well. All the best to him.”

This fight served as the second contest in a leave of absence for Mick Stanton from the Cage Warriors banner. Prior to last summer, he’d competed almost exclusively in Cage Warriors, with a showcase fight in the PFL during the 2022 playoffs.

He’s already won a championship in one promotion. Now, can he go 2-for-2 in the Cage Warriors 151 main event? Plug into Unplugged and find out.

Will Currie Looking to Extend Winning Streak to Five on Friday

In the other corner, Will Currie has posted a record of 4-1 in his last five. Presently, he’s on a four-fight winning streak, extended on the last Unplugged show in November thanks to a first-round knockout (elbows) of Michael Tchamou (3-2 MMA, 2-2 CWFC).

Upon defeating Tchamou, Currie was interviewed by Edith Labelle. He mentioned that forming a relationship with Modestas Bukauskas as a sparring partner was helpful to him in his training camp.

“That’s the main thing: Preparation is everything,” Currie said. “Don’t prepare? Prepare to fail. Sometimes, the stars align for you, and (sometimes), they don’t. This time, they aligned.”

The stars have aligned for him on fight night on four out of the last five occasions. If the stars align for him on Friday night, he’ll be walking out of London with a belt around his waist after the Cage Warriors 151 main event.

Another advantage that Currie has over Stanton is the fact that the former is 12 years the latter’s junior heading into this fight. Will youth triumph over experience?

Analysis, Film Study, and Prediction

Stylistically, the Cage Warriors 151 main event looks to be another one of those toss-ups. Both of these men are adept on the ground, with Mick Stanton being a submission wrestler.

Look For Stanton’s Ground and Pound to Tell the Story

In looking at the video of Mick Stanton’s December fight against Haider Khan, his ground and pound shots are brutal. During the third and last round of the fight, Stanton dropped Khan with a hook and quickly sprawled to gain top position from the back mount to hammer him with ground and pound shots.

Although Khan was able to reverse into a bodylock, Stanton continued to unload with body shots and heavy right-handed shots. Khan was utterly defenseless against his opponent’s punches, leaving the referee no choice but to call off the fight.

If Stanton is able to dump Currie just once, he can win on Friday in the Cage Warriors 151 main event. His opponent is no slouch, either, on the ground.

Will Currie Can End Things in a Hurry

In the other corner, Will Currie has been known to write a quick finish to his stories. Back in November, he absorbed a few kicks from Michael Tchamou to get knocked down, but Currie tried to land a takedown of his own. About a minute into the round, Currie took mount and clasped his hands over Tchamou’s head to stifle any movement.

Currie postured up and eventually poured it on with vicious elbow shots that left Tchamou without any sort of answer. With no effort to defend the strikes, referee Leon Roberts mercifully ended the bout.

Should Currie find himself in top mount, it could give him the opening he needs to take the championship.

Final Thoughts

This is an appealing fight on Friday in the Cage Warriors 151 main event. If you’re not too busy at the cubicle late in the day, get out your phone, access the UFC app and watch. At the same time, if you get out of work before the main event starts, run home and get on your computer to watch.

You can’t miss this one.

Prediction: Will Currie by Unanimous Decision.

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