Cage Warriors 167: Unplugged Preview; Paternò v Stockman

Cage Warriors return with their first European show of the year on Friday, and it’s part of a double header. The BEC Arena in Manchester will host an Unplugged event where we will see a host of Italians and many other international fighters. There will be twelve fights on deck at CW 167 in front of a special invite-only crowd.

Stefano Paternò (16-4-1) is one of Italy’s most famous and well travelled martial artists. The Milanese is a Bellator, Oktagon and Venator veteran. The 28-year-old is slick in the kickboxing game, hurting opponents with knees and punches. On the deck he loves the ground and pound, while also searching for a neck to choke. Scottie Stockman (10-3) travels across the Atlantic Ocean for his Cage Warriors debut. The PFL veteran is a classic American wrestler training out of Roufusport. The 30-year-old learned a lot of kickboxing in that gym, developing a damaging knockout game. This should be fun while it lasts.

Omiel Brown (6-3) is looking to get back to winning ways. The Team Renegade man is a very strong and explosive athlete. The Englishman hits hard and can knock you stone dead on the feet or finish you with nasty ground and pound. Beware of taking him down as he has a nasty guillotine in his arsenal. Rafael Aronov (5-4) won his CW debut with a first round rear naked choke win. After going 0-3 to begin life as a pro, he’s won five of his last six. The 29-year-old has finished all of his wins within the first two rounds.

Shirzad Qadrian (4-1) is a young Iranian who emigrated to Britain. The 22-year-old had a brilliant submission win over Rory Evans last time out. He’s a man who takes on good opponents every time and he’s got a good all-round skill set. Emanuele Zaccaria (6-1) has two wins on the bounce in the yellow gloves already. The Aurora MMA man is a submission expert who wastes no time sinking in his offence. The 29-year-old beat Bogdan Barbu and Sebastian Miller which shows his pedigree.

Connor Wilson (4-3) is a talented fighter whose performance can be a bit up and down. The Next Gen Liverpool man has a good submission game, solid wrestling and a big punch. Sometimes his defence lets him down. When it clicks for him, he’ll go on a run. Davide Scarano (4-1) was defeated in his CW debut. The Italian is a BJJ player and if he doesn’t lock in the choke, he’ll unleash the ground and pound. The Turin man will be looking to make a good second impression.

Michele Martignoni (8-2) is the former CW Bantamweight champion before relinquishing the title to take an unsuccessful shot at flyweight glory. The Italian is now back at 135lbs and he’ll be looking to utilise his good kickboxing and decent grappling to get back in the win column. Raz Bring (7-3-1) is a Bellator veteran making his CW debut. The 27-year-old is a good allrounder with power, both on the feet and on the mat.

Teddy Stringer (2-0) is one of the U.K.’s hottest prospects. The 23-year-old IMMAF veteran has let his grappling do the talking of late, winning his debut with a rear naked choke, following it up with a ground and pound TKO. He’s got a lot of experience for his age. Diego Dickson (4-2) is a Brazilian training out of Sweden. Most of his fights have been on the Brazilian regional scene where he used his submissions well with the odd knockout.

Giuseppe Ruggeri (8-0) is one of Aurora MMA gym’s top prospects. The Italian impressed with a debut decision win against Dean Trueman. The 24-year-old is mostly a strong wrestler who’s good at opening up submissions with ground and pound. Amaury Junior (15-11) returns to CW following defeat to Adam Cullen. The Brazilian is a very good submission player who can cause issues on the feet if you’re not careful.

Anthony Orozco (2-0) has been a success story from the CW San Diego expansion. The American IMMAF veteran is a vicious finisher who has excelled on the feet so far. Don’t sleep on his choke game. Lucas Rodrigues (6-5) is Brazilian who has recently plied his trade on the European scene. The 27-year-old would prefer this to stay standing where he can use his knockout power.

Jack Claffey (1-1) is a local Manchester lad who started his pro career with a bare knuckle boxing bout. The 34-year-old is more of a submission artist in the small gloves, with a dangerous choke game. Marko Sarasjärvi (3-1) is an IMMAF veteran from Finland. The Helsinki man has a preference for taking the back and locking in a rear naked choke. He’s looking to bounce back from defeat to Solomon Simon at CW Dublin.

Sergio Gavinelli (4-2) is the latest Aurora MMA fighter to strap on the yellow instruments of destruction. The Italian has most of his success in grappling exchanges and likes a rear naked choke. Helio Hernandez (2-2) returns to CW after defeat to Chasen Blair in December 2022. The Portuguese will likely try and display his damaging striking game here.

Matthew Camilleri (6-2) is a Maltese fighter who is looking to bounce back from defeat to Adam Shelley. The 28-year-old is a decent allrounder with heavy shots. Nicolò Solinas (5-5) is an Italian journeyman. The 30-year-old is a submission player who is particularly good at triangle chokes.

Leon Armes (1-0) hails from Middlesbrough and he had a great debut win via guillotine choke last November. As an amateur, he caused a host of problems on the feet as well. Christian Tosco (1-0) is a Venator veteran from Italy. The 23-year-old’s pro debut was via first round ground and pound TKO.

Cage Warriors 167 is live and exclusive this Friday on UFC Fight Pass. The action kicks off at 18:30.