Promotion officials announced the full line-up for the Berlin card on Friday. And there will be plenty of regional talent on hand, looking to make their way to the PFL Europe finals (with $100,000 on the line) and eventually to the PFL proper.

German bantamweight Farbod Iran Nezhad will headline the card, which airs on DAZN, against Italy’s Francesco Nuzzi. Nezhad, who has previously competed for Brave CF, has won his last three fights, while Nuzzi had picked up eight straight wins on his current run.

Another German talent, Khurshed Kakhorov, has been paired up opposite France’s Mokhtar Benkaci in the PFL Europe 2 co-headliner. And in a match-up that features names that should be very familiar to dedicated fight fans, Frans Mlambo will face Cage Warriors vet Dominique Wooding.

The full PFL Europe 2 card as announced on Friday is comprised entirely of bantamweight and lightweight bouts, and breaks down as follows:

• Francesco Nuzzi (9-1, Italy) vs Farbod Iran Nezhad (11-2, Germany)
• Mokhtar Benkaci (20-7, France) vs Khurshed Kakhorov (9-1, Germany)
• Frans Mlambo (13-5, Ireland) vs Dominique Wooding (9-5, United Kingdom)
• Ali Taleb (8-0, Sweden) vs Kenji Bortoluzzi (11-4, Switzerland)
• Alex Chizov (10-1, Latvia) vs Acoidan Duque (17-4, Spain)
• Connor Hughes (7-0, United Kingdom) vs Dylan Tuke (5-3, Ireland)
• Radu Maxim (10-2, Italy) vs Jakub Kaszuba (8-0, Poland)
• John Mitchell (6-1, Ireland) vs Geisym Derouiche (6-2, France)

The post PFL Europe 2 Line-Up Announced for Berlin, Germany on July 8 appeared first on Cageside Press.

The European arm of the promotion will be comprised of four weight classes, made up of light heavyweight, lightweight, bantamweight, and women’s flyweight.

Currently, the PFL proper does not feature a bantamweight or women’s flyweight division. Sources familiar with the situation have told Cageside Press that the plan is to introduce a women’s flyweight division in 2024, however, nothing has been officially announced at this time.

In a press release announcing the roster on Tuesday, PFL President of Fighter Operations Ray Sefo stated that “PFL Europe will see the best in MMA action in a true season format, where fighters must win to advance.”

Among the fighters taking part are top women’s flyweight prospect Dakota Ditcheva, Norwegian light heavyweight Kenneth Bergh, former Bellator banatmweight Frans Mlambo, and ex-Cage Warriors bantamweight champ Dominque Wooding.

The full roster as announced on Tuesday can be found below. Match-ups for PFL Europe, which kicks off in Newcastle, England next month, have yet to be announced. At the end of the four-event season, champions will take home $100,000 and have a chance to earn a spot on the league’s main roster.

Men’s Light Heavyweight division:

• Simeón Powell (UK)
• Mohamed Amine (Holland)
• Kenneth Bergh (Norway)
• Jakob Nedoh (Slovenia)
• Anthony Salamone (France)
• Daniel Ladero (Spain)
• Damien Remy (France)

Women’s Flyweight division:

• Dakota Ditcheva (UK)
• Clara Riciguolo (France)
• Griet Eechkout (Belgium)
• Mafalda Carmona (Portugal)
• Cornelia Holm (Sweden)
• Marta Waliczek (Poland)
• Lizzy Gevers (Holland)
• Valentina Scatizzi (Italy)

 Men’s Bantamweight division:

• Ali Taleb (Sweden)
• Dominique Wooding (UK)
• Francesco Nuzzi (Italy)
• Frans Mlambo (Ireland)
• Farbod Iran Nezhad (Germany)
• Kenji Bortoluzzi (Switzerland)
• Khurshed Kakhorov (Germany)
• Mokthar Benkaci (France)

Men’s Lightweight division:

• Acoidan Duque (Spain)
• Aleksandr Chizov (Latvia)
• Connor Hughes (UK)
• Dylan Tuke (Ireland)
• Geysim Derouiche (France)
• John Mitchell (Ireland)
• Rodu Maxim (Italy)
• Jakub Kaszuba (Poland)

The post PFL Europe Announces Full 2023 Roster, Includes Four Weight Classes appeared first on Cageside Press.

The bantamweight championship bout featured Dominique Wooding, a former Bellator MMA and BAMMA athlete, looking for his fourth straight win in four fights under the Cage Warriors banner. The 135lb champ had won the title last September, then defended it successfully care of a flying knee finish in December.

Challenger Martignoni was 2-1 (with a no contest due to an eye poke as well) under the Cage Warriors banner coming into the night.

Cage Warriors 144 takes place Friday, October 7, 2022 at the Fiera Roma in Rome, Italy. The full card streams live on UFC Fight Pass, with prelim action kicking off at 1:45PM ET. Full results from the event can be found below.

Cage Warriors 144: Wooding vs. Martignoni Results

Main Card

Michele Martignoni def. Dominique Wooding (c) by unanimous decision (49-45, 49-46, 49-46) – for the Cage Warriors bantamweight championship
Carlo Pedersoli Jr. by Madars Fleminas by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 2, 3:37
Dylan Hazan def. Jefferson Machado De Filippis by TKO, Round 1, 2:40
Jasmine Favero def. Awa Sow by submission (Americana), Round 1, 2:01
Micol Di Segni def. Bryony Tyrell by unanimous decision

Preliminary Card

Emanuele Zaccaria def. Bogdan Barbu by submission (heel hook), Round 1, 1:04
Dario Bellandi def. Joan Arastey by submission (triangle choke), Round 2, 0:53
Emanuele Sabatino def. Karol Michalak by unanimous decision

The post Cage Warriors 144: Wooding vs. Martignoni Full Results appeared first on Cageside Press.

For this instalment, we cross the pond to the U.K. The United Kingdom has one UFC champ to date in Michael Bisping, though Leon Edwards will look to change that next month.

Our original Scouting the Globe series singled out the following five U.K. talents:

• Jack Cartwright who is fighting this season on the Contender Series.
• Rhys McKee who did sign with the UFC but is now a Cage Warriors champ.
• Shoaib Yousaf who is 2-2 in his last four fights.
• Jake Hadley who is signed with the UFC and 0-1 for the promotion.
• Mason Jones who is 1-1-1 inside the UFC octagon.

Bantamweight, Jack Cartwright (10-0)

To me, at the top of the heap in terms of UK talent is Jack Cartwright. The only problem is that he hasn’t fought in a little over a year. What also doesn’t help him is his last fight wasn’t a great performance, and his opponent basically ruined it himself.

That said, Cartwright won the Cage Warriors bantamweight title in a one-night four-man tournament back in 2019. He defended his title three times before taking this hiatus. The Brit is a good wrestler and even more so an exceptional grappler. His striking with the power and timing he possesses stands out, but he’s just as good of a grappler. He fights this season on the Contender Series in a chance to prove himself.

The post Scouting the Globe 2022: The Five Best Prospects From The UK appeared first on Cageside Press.

The heated rivalry between the two, which began with Sterling’s DQ win in a title fight last March, has had the lion’s share of the spotlight ever since. But there are an awful lot of talents still looking for their shot, from legends like Jose Aldo to up-and-comers like Sean O’Malley.

Need more? We’ve got ten names the UFC could add on to the bantamweight division. But first, here’s a look at last year’s list, where nobody was signed to the UFC. Instead, Danny Sabatello signed with Bellator. Mo Miller got a win on Dana White’s Contender Series, but didn’t get a contract.

Ary Farias
Danny Sabatello
Denis Lavrentyev
Herbeth Sousa
Jack Cartwright
Jonas Magard
Khusein Askhabov
Levi Mowles
Mo Miller
Rustam Kerimov

Before we proceed, here are the other instalments from this year’s 10 Prospects series.

10 Heavyweight Prospects the UFC Should Sign in 2022
10 Light Heavyweight Prospects the UFC Should Sign in 2022
10 Middleweight Prospects the UFC Should Sign in 2022
10 Welterweight Prospects the UFC Should Sign in 2022
10 Lightweight Prospects the UFC Should Sign in 2022
10 Featherweight Prospects the UFC Should Sign in 2022

The post 10 Bantamweight Prospects the UFC Should Sign in 2022 appeared first on Cageside Press.

Wooding got into MMA through a friend who was training in jiu-jitsu, and eventually brought Wooding along with him. That was his first exposure to jiu-jitsu; Wooding was later exposed to MMA when he saw a highlight video of Anderson Silva. After seeing “The Spider,” Wooding wanted to become an MMA fighter. Fighters like Anderson Silva inspired Wooding as an athlete and fighters from the boxing world too, like Ali, Tyson, and Pernell Whitaker just to name a few.

Prior to MMA Wooding played football at a semi-professional level. Towards the end of his football days, Wooding was already training some MMA. When football was finished, MMA was in the sights for Wooding. October 27, 2012 Wooding made his amateur debut. After an 8-2 amateur career he turned pro in August of 2015.

“MMA is my full time job. Since I left school I put all my eggs in one basket and went full steam ahead to pursue this and make something out of this. Throughout the years I’ve had small jobs like working in warehouses and places like that, here and there but it just wasn’t for me as it was clashing with my training schedule and signed fights.”

In seven years fighting as a pro Wooding has mustered up a 9-4 record. All nine wins have come by KO/TKO, all inside three rounds. That includes high-profile wins under the banners of Cage Warriors, BAMMA, and Bellator.

“I’d have to say my win against Blaine O’ Driscoll back in 2017 is my favorite because I fought in his hometown and I faced some major adversity during that fight (in the second round). To then come back in the third and get a clean KO. Done from an orthodox stance. Ambidextrous hahah. I learnt a lot about myself as a fighter with that fight.”

Wooding signed with Bellator in early 2019. He started off hot, knocking his opponent out in his debut in only midways into round one. He then dropped his next two bouts to two good prospects in Frans Mlambo and Fabacary Diatta.

“To pinpoint one of my lowest moments was when my back was up against the wall with Bellator and I ended up getting cut. That point within my career I was really down but obviously not out. Those two losses made me shift my mentality majorly. I am a new fighter after those two losses that really stung and hurt me at the time. I changed management and fight team. Changed up a few things outside of my fight life to better myself as a person and an athlete.”

Wooding trains out of Great Britain Top Team under owner and head coach Brad Pickett — a European MMA legend and former UFC fighter.

“My team is GB Top Team and I have a tonne of high-level guys I train with. Guys like UFC bantamweight Nathaniel Wood. We got Mike Ekundayo and another rising prospect out of the gym is Nik Bagley that’s just to name a few.”

The “Black Panther” was a nickname given to him by an old teammate. It came about due to Wooding moving like a black Panther within his fight style. Speed, agility, accuracy, great balance, power, and killer instinct — like the black panther.

After a 1-3 run from 2018-2020, Wooding signed with Cage Warriors and had a resurgence to his career. Since signing with the U.K.-based promotion earlier this year, Wooding has gone 3-0, capping off the 2021 year in a big way. In September Wooding beat Nathan Fletcher who was 6-0 and a highly regarded prospect out of England. It was for the title and Wooding stopped Fletcher in the third round. A few weeks ago Wooding defended his Cage Warriors bantamweight title in just under a minute.

Wooding has been calling for his shot with the UFC in his post-fight interviews and on social media. He even said on Twitter “All I want for Christmas is getting news that my first fight of 2022 will be me wearing those black 4oz sniper gloves with the THREE letters on them.” He’s even calling out fighters in the UFC like Contender Series veteran JP Buys.

“I called him [Buys] out cause that’s a good first introduction fight for me. That would’ve been a great 50 g POTN bonus. All good though as he messaged me and said he has visa issues so won’t be able to fight me in London. I called out another guy I’d like to smoke and help the UFC hand over his pink slip, Kevin Natividad. That’s another extra 50 g’s POTN bonus there for me on top of my fight purse.”

Ask and you shall receive on the bad end.

THAT’S 3!! CHURCH!! #AndStill#3For3kills

P.s @danawhite @Mickmaynard2 @seanshelby @ufc @UFCEurope GET THAT CONTRACT READY! pic.twitter.com/g8AGjLgg5U

— Dominique Wooding (@RealDWooding) December 12, 2021

I’ll help the @ufc hand you over your pink slip.
CHURCH!! 😤 https://t.co/ZXOCSGLKOM

— Dominique Wooding (@RealDWooding) December 20, 2021

The post Dominique Wooding: Calling His Shot appeared first on Cageside Press.

The card was topped by a bantamweight title fight, with Dominique Wooding defending his 135lb championship for the first time. Wooding boasted a 100% finish rate, having knocked out his opponent in every single one of his victories to date.

Challenging Wooding for the belt was Brazil’s Carlos Abreu, a Shooto Brazil and Future FC veteran making his debut for Cage Warriors.

Also on the card Saturday, welterweight prospect Mateusz Figlak was in action, taking on Bellator MMA vereran Kauppinen. Figlak was looking to secure his fourth straight victory under the promotional banner and fifth straight over all, while Kauppinen was looking for his second win since a loss to Will Fleury back in Bellator.

Cage Warriors 132 takes place on Saturday, December 11 at the York Hall in London, England. The entire card streams live exclusively on UFC Fight Pass.

Cage Warriors 132: Wooding vs. Abreu Results

Main Card

Dominique Wooding (c) def. Carlos Abreu by knockout, Round 1, 0:38 – for the Cage Warriors Bantamweight Championship
Luke Shanks def. Sam Creasey by TKO (strikes), Round 1, 4:25
Mateusz Figlak def. Kent Kauppinen by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Jamie Richardson def. Leonardo Damiani by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)

Preliminary Card

Michal Figlak def. Stevie McIntosh by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)
Aaron Aby def. Samir Faiddine by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-26)
Aidan Stephen def. Edward Walls by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Paull McBain def. Konmon Deh by TKO (Ground and Pound), Round 2, 2:39

The post Cage Warriors 132: Wooding vs. Abreu Full Results appeared first on Cageside Press.

Bantamweight action at Bellator 227 saw Frans Mlambo face Dominique Wooding in the televised card opener. Mlambo, another product of SBG Ireland, had won his promotional debut back in June. Wooding, from England, had also won his Bellator debut earlier in the year, at the promotion’s Birmingham show in May.

After two successful coming out parties, one fighter was set to suffer their first loss in Bellator. Both did their best to avoid it, of course.

Mlambo found himself outside early, Wooding firing off a leg kick. But it was Mlambo who connected first, still in the opening minute. That right hand sent Wooding falling back, though he was quick to regain his feet. From there, Mlambo tied his opponent up against the fence, with the pair trading body shots, then punches upstairs. But still in the clinch, Wooding ate a low blow, leading to a break in the action.

On the restart, Wooding took control, getting Mlambo to the canvas, taking the back with one hook in. Mlambo fought that off but gave up his neck in the process.

Surviving the opening frame, they’d head to the second, where Wooding once again got in the driver’s seat. Having moved past the early knockdown, Wooding began utilizing his pressure game, grinding away at Mlambo, driving him into the cage. Mlambo tried dropping elbows and hammer fists, but he was penned in.

The final minute of the second saw the pair open up, trading heavy leather along the fence. But just as things were getting going, it was Mlambo being hit low. Back underway, Mlambo, who had fanned on a head kick earlier, fired a couple of leg kicks, perhaps setting up another head kick attempt — but the round would wind down first.

After some back-and-forth, the third saw Mlambo look for a takedown as Woodling came forward, leading to a clinch. Wooding’s back was to the cage, with Mlambo taking control, firing knees. After breaking, Woodings would try a switch kick, but Mlambo was able to evade it. He was not, however, able to evade a takedown with ninety seconds left in the bout. He’d make up for that by firing away til the final bell.

Frans Mlambo def. Dominique Wooding by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-28)

The post Bellator 227 Results: Frans Mlambo Tops Dominique Wooding Via Decision appeared first on Cageside Press.

With prospects such as Akonne Wanliss, Dominique Wooding, Kane Mousah and Saul Rogers, the opening section of Bellator Birmingham looked lively.

The first relatively high profile name, Raphael Uchegbu from Team Kaobon, secured a win in his pro debut with a slick Triangle choke.

Akonne Wanliss delivered a brilliant performance. It was a striking masterclass when he won his fight against Sam Slater in the second round by TKO.

Big shots from @J3DIAKES in the second! 👊😳 pic.twitter.com/K1coBstjot

— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) May 4, 2019

After a difficult start to life in pro MMA, it appears the 27-year-old has come on leaps and bounds recently.

Ashley Reece and Gavin Hughes continued the fine form for British prospects with impressive performances.

Veterans Jim Wallhead and Lee Chadwick both won their fights respectively. Meaning that’s back-to-back wins for ‘Judo’, whilst Chadwick was happy to get back to winning ways after coming short against prospect Fabian Edwards.

Dominique Wooding showed his class. He delivered a knockout punch in the very first round over David Khalsa.

Check out this dynamite FULL first round from #BellatorBirmingham! 🧨💥 Watch @RealDWooding vs. @David_Khalsa and tune in with our app to see the remainder these 🔥prelim bouts! 📲 https://t.co/Lc3sFQmJi7 pic.twitter.com/uh7pHcMz5M

— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) May 4, 2019

A name that is rising through the ranks and is one of the most exciting fighters Britain can boast, Wooding is slowly coming into his own and building a name for himself.

Yannick Bahati, who faced his originally scheduled opponents brother, showed his worthiness of being a black belt when he secured a first round stoppage via kimura. A successful start to life at light-heavyweight sees Bahati stop the rot of losses.

Kane Mousah made a winning start to life in Bellator, with a decision win over Mateusz Prikorz. Saul Rogers shortly followed and made a successful start to life back in the cage, overcoming Aiden Lee after a two year absence.

A classy performance from Saul will no doubt see him with a big fight next time out. Fellow featherweights will be keeping an eye on him.

The post Bellator Birmingham Prelim Results: Saul Rogers Victorious in Return appeared first on Cageside Press.

In this piece, we’ll be looking for the fighters you should be keeping an eye on this weekend at Bellator: Birmingham. From the starlets in the spotlight to the lesser known domestic talents, we’ll be having a look at what this weekend has to offer.

Fabian Edwards

This man needs no introduction. If you don’t know him yet, you should and soon will. Brother of ranked UFC welterweight contender Leon Edwards, ‘The Assassin’ has all the tools and weaponry to make it to the very top.

Fabian Edwards was victorious in his return to Bellator with an impressive, measured performance over former Cage Warriors champion and vastly experienced veteran Lee Chadwick. In what seemed a potential banana peel fight for Edwards in just his sixth professional fight, he overcame the experience gap with a mature display showing his well-roundedness.

The 26-year-old can win a fight wherever it should take place, something not seen often in many British fighters. Training at the reputable Renegade gym, Fabian’s BJJ and ground game is no joke, despite being known as a striker. From submissions to liver kicks, grinding decision victories to flying knees, Fabian has done it all which only bodes well for his future.

In front of him is an unknown entity. Falco Neto Lopes, from Portugal, has a record of 11-9 against mainly unknown opposition and realistically should serve as an easy win for the Brit. For Edwards, it’s a chance to impress and end a fight in exciting fashion after a controlled and sensible approach to his Bellator return. Expect fireworks this time out.

Raymond Daniels/Wilker Barros

Raymond Daniels is by no means a prospect, but certainly a name any combat sports fan should be keeping an eye on this weekend, especially if you’re a fan of striking.

The kickboxing welterweight champion, known for his flashy and aggressive style, returns to professional MMA to have a second bite of the cherry. After suffering defeat on his MMA debut over a decade ago, the 39-year-old is back and looking to get back on track.

Whilst a charge for the title is perhaps unlikely, with this match serving as a striking exhibition, fans should savor this matchup and accept it for what it is; two exciting, elite strikers entering the cage in a bid to prove themselves.

Standing opposite Daniels will be Wilker Barros, a K1 champion in his own right and rated the number-one kickboxer in the UK. At just 27 years of age, Barros will be looking to cause the upset here and make a charge in the division. This matchup is a dream for those who love their stand-up.

Saul Rogers/Aiden Lee

Another pair that the hardcore MMA fanbase is probably already familiar with, Saul Rogers and Aiden Lee have both recently reached the upper echelons of UKMMA with Saul venturing to then ACB (Now ACA). Rogers suffered his first loss in years in his last outing with the Russian promotion and has now seen a two-year absence from the cage with his scheduled bout with Jeremy Petley canceled.

Rogers made a name for himself in The Ultimate Fighter, with impressive wins seeing him make it to the final. However, visa issues prevented him from fighting at The Finale and thus Rogers was cut from the UFC by Dana White.

https://youtu.be/HziAdLcYkbg

Lee, a lesser name in the world of MMA, is training out of Renegade, alongside a long line of contenders. With a fantastic and somewhat unorthodox ground game mixed with decent striking, Lee is a handful for anyone.

A record of 7-3 is very deceiving so don’t watch this fight solely expecting a Rogers win. This fight is a pure 50-50 with both looking to get back to winning ways after suffering defeat last time out.

The post Bellator: Birmingham – Seven Fighters to Watch appeared first on Cageside Press.