As Reece McEwan walked out at the Vertu Motors Arena to compete for the vacant Cage Warriors Bantamweight title, you’d have been forgiven for believing that you were witnessing a coronation rather than a championship bout. 

With a significant majority of the 3500 sell-out crowd sporting Scottish saltires, dancing and and crowing along in support of McEwan and with one eye on a rumoured (now confirmed) date in Glasgow coming in the new year, the stage felt set for the 28-year-old to take the belt back across the border.

Except, Cage Warriors isn’t built like that. Unlike in other fight promotions where there may be a wide talent gap on the roster or they’re more concerned about safeguarding the aura of big ticket sellers, McEwan wasn’t facing down a “gimme” opponent but Liam Gittins from Next Generation MMA. 

A training partner to the likes of Paddy Pimblett and Molly McCann, Gittins put a pin prick in the atmosphere as he took McEwan and the crowd through a five round lesson in why nothing is a given in MMA.

The “Nightmare” was too savvy, too experienced and just too good for Reece McEwan to deal with, piling constant pressure onto the Scot from the opening bell while punishing any misstep or opening that was provided. 

It’s the finest testament to Cage Warriors that this isn’t the first time that they’ve prioritised competition over creating artificial moments and that is why they’re able to confidently launch into 2024 by adding dates at venues that can facilitate crowds of up to 5000 fans. Fans know that not only are they getting to see the stars of tomorrow, they know they’re getting to see them in real fights, fights that force these martial artists to grow right there and then in the cage. 

Luke Riley, the most exciting of the current crop of Next Gen talents, has left blood, sweat and any doubt about his credentials forever stained to the floors of the Bowlers Exhibition Centre after two Fight of The Year contenders in Manchester against Kallum Parker and Alexander Lööf. 

Both were firefights that tested the resolve, chin and ability of Riley as he was rocked, dropped and taken to the wire in a tornado of violence. The clash against Parker, a short-notice change against a fellow local lad, was a hot-tempered affair where Riley had to tap into a level of composure he hadn’t yet shown to manoeuvre around a rabid challenger who’d entered the cage with nothing to lose. 

Lööf on the other hand represented an acid test which lesser fighters would’ve ran from never mind overcome. The Swede, who came into the contest at 4-0 but with high-profile wins over Samuel Bark and Amir Malekpour (who has just choked out former CW title challenger Dylan Hazan), stuck it on Riley and came close to finishing the fight on multiple occasions.

With hair matting his face from a combination of blood and sweat, Riley marched forward like the Scouse Joker, broad smile on his face and battered Lööf in the second half of the fight before Marc Goddard stopped the action in the third round. 

Riley, who seems on course to follow in the footsteps of his gym mate Pimblett, has earned every ounce of praise and any opportunities that come his way in 2024. He hasn’t been specially guided to an 8-0 pro record, he’s been to hell and back. 

The UFC withstanding, Graham Boylan, Ian Dean and the team at Cage Warriors are unrivalled in the matchmaking stakes, constantly delivering the fights that fans want to see and racking up the fire emoji reactions online. 

There’s a laundry list just from this year of fast-rising prospects who have had their momentum halted by a peer or a wily veteran, hometown heroes who’ve been outclassed and new names having risen from the fires of battle. 

Rome, a new territory for the promotion in the past 18 months, has played host to a number of these. It would be incredibly easy for Cage Warriors to capitalise on the vociferous support that Italian fighters receive on their Rome shows with boxing-style knock over opponents to generate viral clips and fool viewers. 

Instead Dylan Hazan has been knocked out by Caolan Loughran in front of a contingent of Bari ultras, Carlo Pedersoli has been stopped by now welterweight champion Giannis Bachar, while Dimitru Girlean – fresh off a sickening KO of Adam Cullen – was choked out by another prospect Leon Hill in July. Competition is all. 

The Italians were able to claim one in the win column when 6-0 Michael Pagani served popular Yorkshireman James Power the first defeat of his professional career.

Cage Warriors took Hill, following that submission victory over Girlean, and matched him against high-rising Ieaun Davies in front of Hill’s home fans in Dublin in October. Davies won with a triangle in the first round. 

On that same card, Hill’s countryman Ryan Shelley fell victim to Cage Warriors hardline approach to matchmaking as he looked to bounce back from losing his unbeaten record against Tobias Harila, as he was submitted by Jordy Bakkes. 

In the wake of beating Shelley, Tobias Harila who has become a Euro MMA cult hero, was matched with James Hendin, in a styles clash that the Swede came out the wrong end of, as Hendin suffocated the crazy brawler with grappling before a gruesome arm injury to Harila stopped the contest. 

Cage Warriors could have been tempted to capitalise on the success of Leon Edwards by steering his training partner Omiel Brown to their vacant Welterweight Championship. Instead, Brown was viciously knocked out by Giannis Bachar inside a minute of the first round. 

Again, that just isn’t how Cage Warriors is built. The best fight the best regardless of name value or outside connections. This in turn lets fan favourites grow organically, with people following their story, rather than a padded record. 

When the promotion heads to the Braehead Arena in Glasgow on April 20th, should they fill the 5200 capacity, they will likely do so on the backs of the aforementioned McEwan and Chris Bungard – a 19-8 veteran who also dabbles in professional wrestling. 

In Dublin, at the Simmonscourt RDS, should Paul Hughes finally sign with the UFC then it will be the likes of Ryan Shelley and Leon Hill who will capture the imagination of local fans, not an undefeated prospect being promoted as the “next McGregor”. 

It will possibly be Luke Riley returning to the scene of his violent crimes that draws the most intrigue in Manchester, with potential title implications on the line, or a homecoming of sorts for champ Liam Gittins whose hometown of Southport is less than 50 miles away from the BEC. 

The tests that Gittins, Riley, Shelley, Hill and all Cage Warriors talent face while wearing the famous yellow gloves are going to come for Kennedy Freeman and Boro’s Leon Armes as the promotion leans on them as key names to keep the crowd healthy in Newcastle. 

The sell-out of the Vertu Motors Arena in November was no mean feat. Newcastle isn’t the most fight-friendly city especially with the football club playing Chelsea on the same day. PFL Europe didn’t come close to filling the place even with heavily discounted tickets and last minute promotions. The KSI-backed Misfits Boxing had an entire side of bleachers unopened and gaps in the floor seats. 

It was standing room only for members of the roster when it came time to cheer on teammates. 

It will be a tough task to replicate that especially with the huge Scottish contingent satisfied with a local outing a month earlier but there’s a reason that Cage Warriors is going big in 2024. It’s because they’re built different. They’re built right. 

Photo Credits: Cage Warriors, Dolly Clew