Justin Burlinson scored a comeback win over Daniel Skibinski in their main event fight, submitting him in the second round with a guillotine choke.
The win for Burlinson headlined Cage Warriors 135, which took place at the BEC Arena in Manchester, England on Friday night.
Burlinson had to get past some early troubles to secure the submission victory.
Skibinski hurt Burlinson in the opening round, coming forward with combinations of straight punches that connected clean. He carried this success into the second round, scoring some control time on Burlinson early in the round.
Burlinson started to hurt Skibinski with punches of his own in the second round. The finish for the fight came as he pulled guard with a guillotine choke, taking the bout to the ground. The fight was stopped moments after due to a tap from Skibinski.
The fight on Friday put Burlinson back into the win column after taking his sole pro loss last year. That defeat came on “Dana White’s Contender Series,” where he lost to now-UFC fighter Yohan Lainesse.
Skibinski was making his Cage Warriors debut in the fight, coming off a recent loss on a UAE Warriors card. That fight, which was against Tahir Abdullaev, put an end to an extensive winning streak.
Bonner Bounces Back
Former Cage Warriors Middleweight Champion Matthew Bonner got back to his winning ways on Friday night, submitting Hugo Pereira in the second round with a rear naked choke.
The submission win for Bonner came after a back-and-forth slugging battle between the fighters.
Bonner dropped the Cage Warriors Middleweight Championship late last year against Djati Melan, losing a unanimous decision after five rounds. He had four wins between 2020 and 2021 before then.
Pereira was competing for the first time since his 2019 Bellator loss to Kiefer Crosbie.
Ahady Controls Ahady For Decision Win
Bellator alum Milad Ahady had a successful Cage Warriors debut on the main card, cruising to a decision victory against Antonio Sheldon.
Ahady scored a knockdown in the opening round of the fight, dropping Sheldon with a hook to the head. He succeeded more with grappling in the second and third rounds, taking Sheldon down and securing ground control.
Ahady’s record is now four wins and one loss since turning pro in 2017.
Sheldon entered the weekend on a three-fight winning streak.
Undefeated Ruggeri Wins Cage Warriors Debut
Guiseppe Ruggeri kept his undefeated record going on Friday night, fighting toward a unanimous decision win against Dean Trueman.
Ruggeri’s win mostly came from his grappling abilities throughout the fight.
Ruggeri entered the weekend with seven wins from the regional scene in Italy.
Trueman, a veteran of Cage Warriors, has now lost four consecutive bouts since 2019.
Gittins Bounces Back With Decision Win
Liam Gittins had a dominant win on the main card, securing a unanimous decision win over Edward Walls.
Gittins controlled most of the fight with ground control, taking Walls down and remaining active on the ground in grappling exchanges. Along with this, he was active on the feet when facing Walls as well.
Gittins is now back into the win column after suffering two losses last year. On the other hand, Walls has lost three straight fights.
The Rest of the Card
Persistent ground and pound from Adam Shelley eventually scored him a finish win against Steven Hooper in the final prelim.
Omiel Brown bounced back from his sole pro loss on the prelims, stopping a tough Dan Hepworth in the second round after a load of strikes.
Undefeated Cage Warriors newcomer Federico Pasquali scored a big win, stopping promotional vet Paull McBain in the first round with a jab and follow-up ground and pound.
An unintentional groin strike from Hugo Guillon to Matthew Byfield caused their bout to end in the second round, resulting in a no-contest outcome.
James Sheehan scored a sudden first-round knockout against Karol Michalak, flooring him with an uppercut to end the fight. Sheehan has now won three consecutive fights.
Full mount ground and pound from Caolan Loughran earned him a second-round finish win over Bakhtyaar Oryakhail.
Overcoming a point deduction that he took early in the fight, Ryan Shelley scored a third-round stoppage win against Magdi Gereev for his fourth pro win.
Ander Sanchez made a splash in his pro debut, catching Connor Wilson in the opening minute with a left hook knockout.
Quick Results
Main Card (4:00PM EDT / 9:00PM BST)
Bout 13: Justin Burlinson def. Daniel Skibinski via Submission, Guillotine Choke (RD 2, 4:54)
Bout 12: Matthew Bonner def. Hugo Pereira via Submission, Rear Naked Choke (RD 2, 0:51)
Bout 11: Milad Ahady def. Antonio Sheldon via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 10: Guiseppe Ruggeri def. Dean Trueman via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 9: Liam Gittins def. Edward Walls via Decision, Unanimous
Preliminary Card (1:00PM EDT / 6:00PM BST)
Bout 8: Adam Shelley def. Steven Hooper via TKO, Strikes (RD 2, 4:21)
Bout 7: Omiel Brown def. Dan Hepworth via TKO, Strikes (RD 2, 2:31)
Bout 6: Federico Pasquali def. Paull McBain via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 2:17)
Bout 5: Hugo Guillon vs. Matthew Byfield via No Contest, Unintentional Foul (RD 2, 2:57)
Bout 4: James Sheehan def. Karol Michalak via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 2:18)
Bout 3: Caolan Loughran def. Bakhtyaar Oryakhail via TKO, Strikes (RD 2, 2:29)
Bout 2: Ryan Shelley def. Magdi Gereev via TKO, Strikes (RD 3, 2:12)
Bout 1: Ander Sanchez def. Connor Wilson via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 0:30)
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