James Sheehan will have home-field advantage when he defends his Cage Warriors Welterweight Championship for the first time.
The Irish champ will put his title on the line against Justin Burlinson as part of the promotion’s April 26th show at the RDS Arena in Dublin, Ireland, per a recent announcement.
The upcoming matchup offers a long-awaited chance for Sheehan to defend the belt he captured earlier this year.
Sheehan became champion at Cage Warriors 170 in April, earning a fourth-round arm triangle choke submission over Daniel Konrad to claim the then-vacant belt. The victory continued his nearly career-long success in Cage Warriors, winning seven of his nine appearances under their banner.
Sheehan was originally expected to defend the title earlier this year against Giannis Bachar, a former champ who was coming back after an appearance on “The Ultimate Fighter.” However, an injury to Sheehan caused the fight to be scrapped.
A chance for Bachar to get a shot then disappeared in October, as news broke that the Greek prospect had inked a deal to join the PFL roster.
By the time Sheehan appears in April, he will be snapping a year-long absence from competition.
Burlinson, a prospect who has fought in Cage Warriors since 2021, is being given the title opportunity after submitting Jamie Richardson and Theodor Berggren in recent years.
The 27-year-old English prospect was offered the fight after #1 contender Omiel Brown turned down a title shot and instead declared a move to the lightweight division, per the promotion.
The welterweight clash is Cage Warriors’ first title matchup set for 2025, a schedule which is expected to kick off March 8th in Rome, Italy.
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