Taka Mhandu to face Benoit Blanc at Cage Warriors 153 in Dublin

Irish prospect Taka Mhandu is scheduled to make his long-awaited Cage Warriors debut against Frenchman Beniot Blanc next month.

Cage Warriors 153 is set to take place on April 29 at Dublin’s 3Arena, with the event being headlined by a welterweight title bout between Rhys McKee and Jimmy Wallhead.

𝗕𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗺𝘄𝗲𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗕𝗔𝗡𝗚𝗘𝗥! 🔥
Taka Mhandu will make his long-awaited CW debut against Benoit Blanc at #CW153 on April 29th in Dublin 🇮🇪
🎟️ 𝗧𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗲𝘁𝘀: https://t.co/8vj9I5iteY pic.twitter.com/iqDFZHj0GC
— Cage Warriors (@CageWarriors) March 8, 2023

Mhandu (2-1) has been signed to the Cage Warriors roster for just under a year, however he is still yet to make his official debut within the promotion.

The 25-year-old unfortunately was forced into pulling out of a bout against Englishman Sam Kelly last November, and has since been awaiting another fight night.

Following a successful amateur career (6-0), Mhandu has performed in both EFC and Cage Conflict, beating Asiashu Tshitamba and Meraj Ozbakzayi via decision and knockout respectively, whilst falling short against Nicholas Hwende.

Fighting out of Team KF, the Irishman will be entering the octagon for the first time in over 12 months.

His upcoming opponent, Blanc (5-2), will also be making his Cage Warriors debut. The 26-year-old comes into the contest off the back of a decision win against Noureddin Hezrat in January.

April 29 will be the first time Blanc has competed at bantamweight since knocking out Damien Pighiera back in 2017, having fought at Flyweight in all of his three fights since.