Cage Warriors 160 Full Card Predictions (Patreon)
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Featherweight, James Hendin (7-2) vs. Tobias Harila (12-3):
Hendin is a veteran of Cage Warriors that doesn't get his deserved credit. His only two losses are to Jordan Vucenic and Paul Hughes. Harila is the more popular fighter due to his fighting style. Both actually have simular resumes. Both are stikers that like to sit in the pocket and thrwo down. Harila is known for being an action fighter walking forward and indflcting damage. He also isn't good defensively. His takedown defense lacks and he takes a lot of damage. It just depends on how well Hendin takes the punishment. I expect this to be a dog fight and as I do think Hendin has a real chance I think Harila will be too much. I predict Harila to win by decision because of his pressure and inflicting more damage.
Bantamweight, Nathan Fletcher (8-1) vs. Thomas Bryan (5-1):
Not sure why a former champion like Fletcher is getting this quality of an opponent. From what I've seen of Bryan I don't even give him a 1% chance of beating Fletcher. I believe Fletcher can win this fight everywhere but I expect him to take the neck at some point. My prediction is Fletcher by first-round submission.
Feartherweight, Luke Riley (7-0) vs. Alexander Lööf (5-0):
This is a good fight made by the matchmaker. Anyone who knows who Riley is knows he's a high-level striker. He's getting a good test in another striker Alexander Loof. Although it looks even on paper I'm confident saying Riley is levels above Loof. Riley is better technical and his ability to mix up his striking patterns should give Loof a lot of problems. Riley could get tagged but there is more of a chance he's the one doing the tagging. My prediction is Riley be second-round TKO.
Lightweight, Matthew Camilleri (6-1) vs. Adam Shelley (4-2):
Everyone knows my dislike for the Shelley brothers. Adam is the better one but he's still not good. There isn't a ton of fight footage on Camilleri but beating someone like Shoaib Yousaf proves he's someone worth watching. Of what I've seen Camilleri is a stiff striker but a strong wrestler. Along with good wrestling, his positional grappling and overall jiu-jitsu seem very strong. Shelley struggles with TDD so I'm picking Camilleri to win. I won't ever pick Shelley to win especially over someone that at least looks decent. My prediction is Camilleri by submission in the second round.
Featherweight, Antonio Sheldon (5-4-1) vs. Michał Folc (7-5):
Not sure why this fight is so high up on the card. It's not a high-level fight but it could at least be a fun sloppy scrap. Both guys are limited offensively and defensively bad. Folc just tends to crumble when taking damage. Sheldon is hard to finish but he takes a lot of shots and doesn't take damage well. Sheldon also drains his cardio quickly even when he's doing very little. This could go either way but I'll side with Folc. I believe he's more powerful, aggressive, and has a better finishing upside. My prediction is Folc by ground and pound stoppage in round three.
Bantamweight, Adam Wilson (5-2) vs. Rory Evans (5-5):
Neither are good fighters but this probably isn't going three rounds. Wilson is a long striker and a better submission grappler. Evans is a strong wrestler and has heavy hands. On the feet I favor Wilson due to his size and long shots. I like the wrestling of Evans but I think the Jiu-Jitsu of Wilson should be good enough. Wilson is gonna be much taller and I see him using that too his advantage. He tends to fall apart when he gets hit but Evans isn't much of a striker. I like Wilson because he has more ways to win. My prediction is Wilson by submission in round two.
Middleweight, Matthew Bonner (14-9-1) vs. Samir Zaidi (6-4):
This is absolutely a fight to get the veteran Bonner a win. Zaidi has no business being in Cage Warriors. In his last five fights, he's 1-4. After watching his tape he's getting smoked in this fight Bonner isn't great by any stretch but he is a guy who's a gatekeeper for Cage Warriors. He's definitely not losing to the level of fighter Zaidi is. My prediction is Bonner by first-round TKO.
Catchweight, Adam Cullen (6-1) vs. Amaury Junior (15-10):
Cullen was exposed in his last fight when he didn't get a complete bum. His cardio proved to be bad and his sloppiness on the feet showed. They are trying to give Cullen another layup to get him back to his winning ways. Junior may have ten losses but he's been in the cage with better fighters. Junior is up there in age at 35 and is at a big size disadvantage. Although Cullen is flaky I'm confident he's the better fighter. My prediction is Cullen by TKO in round one.
Welterweight, Ben Petches-Kelly (1-0) vs. Rafael Aronov (4-4):
Kelly is a striker who does throw some nice straight punches. On the other end, he does tend to overreach and his head movement is not there at all. Aronov is a wild man who is extremely wild. His guard is wide open which opens up the straight punches for Kelly. I believe the striking heavily favors Kelly and it should be the deciding factor. My prediction is Kelly by first-round TKO.
Featherweight, Umakhan Ibragimov (6-1) vs. Rashid Bulguchev (3-1):
This Ibragimov guy has a good looking resume. He has a background in judo and has a ton of pro kickboxing fights where he's won two titles. Hes from Dagestan so he can wrestle as well. He's won titles for Caged Steele and BFC. He's the one to watch for in this fight. Ibragimov showcases a lot of dexterity in his legs and blena everything together well. I do have concerns about his cardio and chin. I have those same concerns for Bulguchev. I'm not as impressed with Bulguchev because defensively he lacks everywhere. Im confident picking Ibragimov by first round TKO.
Lightweight, Chris Price (4-1) vs. Dec Dean (1-1):
Dean has had an up and down career dating back to when he was an amateur. He's at least fought decent competition. The same can't be said for Price. Price is fighting a lot of bums like fighting Reece Street as a pro and amateur. Price was dominated his last fight and it was against a lower level guy. Watching both fight im more impressed with Dean. He's more well-rounded and seems better defensively. Price is a flake where Dean is at least competitive. My prediction is Dean by decision.