Dominique Wooding had a stunning showing to defend his Cage Warriors Bantamweight Championship for the first time, stopping Carlos Abreu within a minute with strikes on Saturday night.
The fight headlined Cage Warriors 132, which took place at the York Hall in London, England.
Wooding first rocked Abreu with a right hook to the head. Capitalizing on a moment where Abreu was clearly hurt, Wooding landed a knee that knocked him out to end the bout.
Wooding was persistent in joining the UFC following his win.
“I’m heading to the UFC after this … Nobody in the bantamweight division can hang with me,” said Wooding in his post-fight interview.
Wooding became champion in September, handing Nathan Fletcher his first pro loss with a third-round stoppage outcome. The fight on Friday was Wooding’s third appearance in Cage Warriors after previously competing in Bellator.
Abreu entered the weekend with a pro record of nine wins and three losses that were mostly attained on the Brazilian regional scene. His previous fight was just four months prior, defeating Amauri Maia.
Shanks Defeats Flyweight Champ Creasy In Non-Title Fight
Luke Shanks avenged a loss against Cage Warriors Flyweight Champion Sam Creasy in the co-main event, stopping him in the first round of a non-championship fight.
A long flurry of punches from Shanks hurt Creasy on the feet, putting him against the cage and eventually dropping him late in the round. Creasy was visibly hurt for a long time, being described on the broadcast as “out on his feet” at one point.
Shanks was originally scheduled to challenge Creasy for his title in the co-main event. However, the fight was downgraded from championship status after Shanks missed weight for the bout by two pounds.
Shanks lost a title fight two months prior, getting submitted by Creasy in October via third-round guillotine choke submission.
Figlak Goes The Distance Against Kauppinen, Extends Winning Streak
Mateusz Figlak continued his quick climb up the welterweight division on Saturday night, clearing scorecards against Kent Kauppinen for a unanimous decision win.
Figlak scored a takedown early in the fight. He put on a rear naked choke in the second minute, with adjustments slipping the attempt under and then onto the chin of Kauppinen. Kauppinen was able to eventually work out of the position and return to his feet.
Figlak had the sharper striking to end the round, piecing together punches and kicks before the clock ran out of time.
Kauppinen opened up with more leg kicks in the second round, although his output was no match for the increasingly accurate shots of Figlak.
Kauppinen had a surprisingly strong showing in the final round, showing urgency on the feet and finishing the frame with ground and pound shots.
Figlak is now on a strong five-fight winning streak that includes four wins in Cage Warriors.
Kauppinen, a former Bellator fighter, was coming off a decision win he earned over Jamie Richardson earlier this year.
Richardson Prevails Against ‘Contender Series’ Alum Damiani
Jamie Richardson had to fight hard for a win on Friday’s card, defeating Leonardo Damiani on scorecards after a back-and-forth battle.
Damiani was aggressive with his striking to start the fight. Richardson was able to take over later in the first round, using his wrestling and striking to potentially steal the round.
Damiani entered the second round with a bad cut between the bridge of his nose and his left eyebrow.
Damiani engaged in wrestling with Richardson in the second round, but it was a losing battle for him, being taken down and threatened by submissions. Richardson attempted a guillotine choke on the ground, later losing the submission once they got back to their feet.
Damiani pressured Richardson with strikes to open the final round. A combination of shots hurt a tired Richardson, but the momentum was stopped by a takedown that was secured shortly after.
Richardson stayed active on the ground, landing punches and knees to Damiani.
Richardson is now on a two-fight winning streak. His previous victory came only two months back, submitting Alessandro Botti with a guillotine choke.
Damiani was making his Cage Warriors debut. He appeared on the most recent season of “Dana White’s Contender Series,” losing a bout to AJ Fletcher in August.
The Result of the Card
Michal Figlak preserved his undefeated record in the final prelim, fighting three scrappy striking rounds against Stevie McIntosh for a decision victory.
Aaron Aby picked up his first Cage Warriors win Friday, defeating Samir Faiddine on scorecards. The fight was Faiddine’s first appearance since dropping the Cage Warriors Flyweight Championship to Luke Shanks last year.
Aidan Stephens had a hard-fought win against Edward Walls, taking a unanimous decision after three rounds. The fight put Stephens back into the win column after being stopped by Tobias Harila earlier in the year.
Paull McBain broke a two-fight skid on the prelims, overcoming second-round adversity against Konmon Deh to secure a ground and pound finish.
Quick Results:
Main Card (4:00PM EST / 9:00PM GMT) (UFC Fight Pass)
Bout 8: Dominique Wooding def. Carlos Abreu via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 0:38) (Cage Warriors Bantamweight Championship)
Bout 7: Luke Shanks def. Sam Creasy via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 4:25)
Bout 6: Mateusz Figlak def. Kent Kauppinen via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 5: Jamie Richardson def. Leonardo Damiani via Decision, Unanimous
Preliminary Card (2:00PM EST / 7:00PM GMT) (UFC Fight Pass)
Bout 4: Michal Figlak def. Stevie McIntosh via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 3: Aaron Aby def. Samir Faiddine via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 2: Aidan Stephens def. Edward Walls via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 1: Paull McBain def. Konmon Deh via TKO, Strikes (RD 2, 2:39)
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