Following a week of fighter reveals, Cage Warriors – Europe’s Leading MMA Organisation – has now confirmed the full lineup for the $50,000, one-night bantamweight PrizeFighter, to be held on Saturday, July 20th.
The tournament – the first of four scheduled for 2024 – will take place as part of the CW 174 card at London’s indigo at The O2.
The six athletes will be placed into a blind draw for the four semi-final slots, with the remaining two fighters taking part in a reserve bout.
Tournament fighters will also have the opportunity to add $10,000 per fight in bonuses, by correctly predicting their round and method of victory.
The full line up for the bantamweight PrizeFighter is as follows…
Michele Martignoni (9-2, 2NC): The former Cage Warriors bantamweight champion – who never lost his belt – was revealed as the first PrizeFighter entrant. The hard-hitting Italian recently returned to the bantamweight division with a first round KO of Israeli prospect Raz Bring, and will be viewed by many as the tournament favourite.
Shirzad Qadrian (5-1): London-based Iranian Shirzad Qadrian will be the youngest PrizeFighter entrant at 23. ‘The Lion’ has looked impressive in recent outings, stopping both Emanuele Zaccaria and Rory Evans in the Famous Yellow Gloves. As well as the prize money, he’ll also have the opportunity to avenge a loss against an old foe…
Alexander Lööf (6-1): One half of Cage Warriors 2023 ‘Fight of the Year’ against Luke Riley, Sweden’s Alexander Lööf recently returned to action with a points victory over CW veteran Andrey Tyshchenko. Making the drop down to bantamweight, the powerful striker will be looking to put his talents to good use with a couple of quick victories.
Alessandro Giordano (7-3): A top prospect on the Italian circuit, it took Giordano a couple of bouts to find his feet in Cage Warriors. After dropping competitive bouts to TUF’s Nathan Fletcher and compatriot Enrico Di Gangi, the 26 year old returned with a blistering performance against the UK’s Sam Kelly in March. Arguably the dark horse of the tournament, he’ll be looking to carry that momentum into PrizeFighter.
Aidan Stephen (10-4): After a hiatus from the cage lasting more than two years, Aidan Stephen finally made his bantamweight debut at CW 171 in April, turning in a workmanlike performance against Gianluca Scottoli. Now primed for a run at the top of the bantamweight division, he intends to pick up a $50k cheque en route to the top.
Weslley Maia: The final entrant of the bantamweight PrizeFighter, Wesley Maia knows all about risk/reward, having previously stepped up to face bantamweight champion Jack Shore on less than 48-hours notice. With a win over Shirzad Qadrian already under his belt, and the chance to avenge a loss to Michele Martignoni, the GB Top Team man has everything to play for on July 20th.
Details of the PrizeFighter draw will be made available in the coming days.
Tickets for Cage Warriors 174 X PrizeFighter are available here. The event will air live on UFC Fight Pass and international broadcast partners.
