Cage Warriors 132: Wooding vs Abreu – Recap and Results

The final night in the Double Trouble series took place back at the iconic York Hall in London. A double header of title fights was to grace the card but the co-main became a non-title bout following Shanks’ weight miss as Dominique Wooding took on Carlos Abreu for the 135lb belt in his first defence in the main event.

The ferocious Figlak brothers made their anticipated return to the Cage Warriors banner before that alongside a Scottish contingent of Aidan Stephens, Paul McBain and Steve McIntosh.

Main Card:

• Dominique Wooding defeats Carlos Abreu via KO R1

Dominique Wooding does not get paid by the hour. Carlos Abreu sprinted into the centre of the cage, looking to dominate the range with a barrage of low kicks, the second and third offering checked by Wooding, who looked calm and collected immediatley. The fourth low kick Abreu overreached and spun himself away from the exchange, Wooding followed up with a laser right hand, causing Abreu to wobble. Abreu stumbled to the cage, looking to collect himself, all he collected was a Dominique Wooding flying knee.

He was separated from his consciousness before the coffin nail came from the core of Wooding, through the shoulder and delivered through the fist into the jaw of Abreu. That really was all she wrote.

His post fight interview he called for a call-up to the UFC, that seems the right move for the London based man. Fantastic performance.

• Luke Shanks defeats Sam Creasey via KO R1

From 5 rounds, to 3. A tentative opening round inside the first three minutes, a real battle for the command of the centre canvas. Creasey looking for the counters to the Shanks entrances into the pocket.

With a minute twenty on the clock, Creasey drops his man with a fantastic right hook, Shanks pops up, and turns up the heat. Landing a huge shot of his own, rocking Creasey. Sam “Urai” desperately attempting to bring his consciousness back to the fore took some blistering shots from Shanks, further diminishing the light in his eyes. Creasey eventually dropping to the bellows of the canvas, leaving Leon Roberts no choice but to step in.

Luke Shanks surely sets up a trilogy, with the belt on the line, should he be able to make the weight.

• Mateusz Figlak defeats Kent Kauppinen via Unanimous Decision

A huge fight in European MMA.

Mateusz Figlak came out of the blocks fast, landing a head kick on his opponent, dazing his man and rushing in to secure a clean double leg. From the double leg an immediate back take offered Kauppinen a chance to show his defensive grappling abilities and toughness, twice it looked as though Figlak was under the chin and twice Kent managed to force his chin safe and strip the hands.

A high level second round, the leg kicks from Kauppinen forcing Figlak to switch stances a number of times. Figlak landing the crisp, snapping headkick twice, and twice causing Kauppinen to clear the fog from his iris’s. Figlak on the third time of asking managed to take Kauppinen to the mat, again trying to dive to the back, but Kauppinen fantastically reversed the position, body locking Figlak. Figlak caused a scare with a fantastic armbar setup at the death of round 2.

The calm with which Figlak emanates in all positions and facets of the game is very impressive. After some exchanges on the feet, Figlak landed on his back after a Kauppinen fence drive and subsequent takedown, a beautiful wrestle up reversed the position. Figlak again hunts the back, hunts the submission and hunts domination. A brilliantly contested fight.

Whilst Figlak was a cut above on the night, Kent Kauppinen is a real problem in the Cage Warriors 170lb division.

• Jamie Richardson defeats Leondaro Damiani via Unanimous Decision

The main card opener saw ex-title challenger at Middleweight in Jamie Richardson take on Dana White Contender Series alumni and Cage Warriors returnee in Leonardo Damiani. Damiani controlled the first minute, pushing Richardson to the fence and forcing Richardson to use his much improved defensive movements to keep himself safe. Richardson made his reads and after countering Damiani coming in a number of times, he took progressive steps to begin to control the centre of the cage. A very nice grappling exchange in the last two minutes saw Damiani initiate a back bodylock from the top, and Richardson reversing the position, ending the round hunting full back control.

Richardson caused a deep cut on the inside of the left eye of Damiani, and referee Leon Roberts called the doctor in to ensure the fighter was safe to continue. Richardson dug his heels a step further toward the winning post in this tug of war in round 2. Mixing in the selective shots, lovely teeps up the middle and counter straight punches, Richardson went very close with a high-elbow guillotine causing extreme defensive movements from the Italian fighter, the closest we have been to a finish in this fight.

Damiani started the third like a man who knew he needed to make a statement, landing some great shots and threating a guillotine of his own. Richardson, hurt from the shots on the feet, allowed Richardson to engage in his grappling against the fence, traversing between back control, closed guard and top half-guard. A mature performance from Jamie Richardson.

Undercard:

• Mike Figlak defeats Stevie McIntosh via Unanimous Decision
• Aaron Aby defeats Samir Faiddine via Unanimous Decision
• Aiden Stephen defeats Edward Walls via Unanimous Decision
• Paul McBain defeats Konmon Deh via TKO R2